The Missouri Independent’s staff won 28 awards Saturday — including 10 first place honors — in the annual Missouri Press Association Better Newspaper Contest. The awards were handed out at the association’s annual convention, which this year was held in Wildwood. The Independent swept the “investigative reporting” category, with first place going to Allison Kite […]
WASHINGTON — A Friday lawsuit from a civil rights group accused the Trump administration of bypassing deportation restrictions on immigrants slated for removal by sending them to Ghana and having the West African nation deport them to their countries of origin, despite credible findings they could face harm there. The move violates not only the […]
A newly-gerrymandered congressional map and limits on voters’ ability to amend the state constitution cleared the Missouri Senate Friday, capping two weeks of contentious debate that drew national attention. The changes to the initiative petition process will appear on the statewide ballot next year. The new map, designed to give Republicans control of seven of […]
Several hundred Boeing workers cheered Friday afternoon at the St. Louis Music Park in Maryland Heights after learning union members voted overwhelmingly to reject a new contract offered by the company. “It was jubilant for a minute,” said Boeing assembly mechanic Christy Williams, “and now we’re heading back to the strike line.” About 3,200 Boeing […]
The U.S. Department of Justice is sharing state voter roll information with the Department of Homeland Security in a search for noncitizens, the Trump administration confirmed. The data sharing comes after Justice Department attorneys this summer demanded that election officials in nearly two dozen states turn over their voter lists, alarming some Democratic state secretaries […]
In state legislatures around the country, medication abortion has emerged as the central focus of the fight over abortion rights. As Democratic lawmakers in blue states enact shield laws to protect abortion medication prescribers, their Republican counterparts — particularly in states that have banned abortion — are filing a flurry of bills to restrict access. […]
This column departs from my normal subject of Missouri statehouse issues. It reflects my concern that Donald Trump’s actions against foreign students could obstruct educational opportunities for students to better understand what is so special about journalism in the U.S. compared with other countries. One of my objectives as founder of MU’s State Government Reporting […]
U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver warned Missouri lawmakers Thursday that the effort to redraw the 5th District seat to favor Republicans will be long remembered by voters who resent being swapped by politicians seeking to increase their power. Speaking to the Senate Local Government, Elections and Pensions Committee, Cleaver, a Kansas City Democrat, noted that Texas […]
A Jackson County judge is weighing whether to keep in place two state regulations that Planned Parenthood says are preventing its providers from performing medication abortions in Missouri. Over the course of several hours Wednesday, attorneys for Planned Parenthood and the Missouri Attorney General’s Office argued before Circuit Judge Jerri Zhang over whether current regulations […]
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Education announced it will withhold $350 million of congressionally approved funds to minority-serving colleges and universities and divert the funds elsewhere, saying that the institutions’ admissions quotas are discriminatory. The move eliminated fiscal 2025 discretionary funding for institutions that serve students who are Asian, Black, Indigenous and Hispanic, as […]
John Diehl, a former speaker of the Missouri House who was forced to resign in disgrace in 2015 when it was revealed he’d been sending sexually inappropriate text messages to an intern, pleaded guilty Thursday to a federal wire fraud charge. Diehl, a Republican from Town and Country, was released on his own recognizance Thursday […]
A $1.5 billion proposed settlement due to be paid by AI company Anthropic could set a precedent for how other AI companies navigate the training of their models on copyrighted material. The proposed settlement is a result of a class action lawsuit, Bartz v. Anthropic, from last year, in which authors filed a complaint against Anthropic […]
LAWRENCE, Kansas — Former Kansas City Mayor Syl James said he was convinced “CAVE people” were the greatest obstacle to solid leadership in municipal government. James, who led the city from 2011 to 2019, said Wednesday at the Dole Institute of Politics that successful leaders needed vision, discipline, data and community backing. The most challenging […]
Poverty dropped last year nationwide and in 38 states, according to census estimates released Thursday. But since that decrease was recorded in mid-2024, more people have signed up for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), commonly known as food stamps, in 18 states and the District of Columbia. In those places, more people were using […]
It’s a good idea to make dinner reservations for parties of more than six people. It allows the restaurant to be staffed and prepared for larger-than-usual groups. Well, FIFA has made a reservation for up to 650,000 visitors to Kansas City for the six World Cup matches played at Arrowhead Stadium in 2026. As ticket […]
WASHINGTON — U.S. Senate Republicans on Wednesday stopped a Democratic amendment to the annual defense authorization bill that would have compelled the release of the government’s investigative files on the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. In a procedural vote, senators voted 51-49 to table the amendment filed by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, effectively stopping […]
Just hours after hearing from President Donald Trump during a caucus meeting, Republicans in the Missouri Senate showed they are ready to please him by shoving a new congressional district map to passage over opposition from Democrats. The General Assembly is meeting in special session to revise the state’s eight congressional districts so Republicans are […]
The 3,200 Boeing mechanics and workers who have been on strike at Missouri and Illinois locations since August will vote on a new settlement agreement on Friday. The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers announced Wednesday a union negotiating committee had reached a tentative agreement with Boeing Defense. “The five-year tentative agreement includes improvements […]
While Republicans continue their push to gerrymander Missouri’s congressional map, opponents are already eyeing a plan to ask voters to overturn it. And looming over the debate are approaching deadlines for Missouri ballots to be finalized and candidates to file for office, along with promises of lawsuits — with any delays potentially undermining efforts to […]
WASHINGTON — A siren blared down one of Washington, D.C.’s busiest thoroughfares. And then, a loud noise. Residents in nearby apartment buildings peered through windows and from balconies to find a dark-colored SUV bumped up against a moped lying on the ground. A dog walker called 911 to report the incident before it became apparent […]
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