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Crista Hogan estimates tens of thousands of people in Greene County are eligible to clean their criminal records of old non-violent misdemeanor and felony offenses — offenses she says limits their access to good-paying jobs and safe housing. But under state law, it requires people to file an arduous petition in court, along with a […]

The post Missouri Republicans file bills to automate expungements for non-violent offenses appeared first on Missouri Independent.

WASHINGTON — The U.S. House overwhelmingly approved a marriage equality bill Thursday that would ensure same-sex and interracial couples continue holding many of the rights they have now, should the U.S. Supreme Court overturn the cases that established those constitutional protections. The measure now heads to the desk of President Joe Biden, who plans to sign it. […]

The post Marriage equality bill heads to Biden’s desk following bipartisan U.S. House vote appeared first on Missouri Independent.

The annual Defense Department policy bill members of Congress released late Tuesday did not include measures to loosen federal marijuana restrictions, to the disappointment of advocates. That leaves few avenues to pass marijuana measures that would be a boon to states where the drug is legal before Congress adjourns for the year. As one of […]

The post Attempt to help states ease banking for marijuana businesses stumbles in Congress appeared first on Missouri Independent.

WASHINGTON — North Carolina Republicans appeared to have at least three of the U.S. Supreme Court’s conservative justices on their side Wednesday in a case that could determine the future of elections nationwide, and leave decisions about federal elections in the hands of state legislatures and beyond the reach of state courts. The Supreme Court […]

The post Future of U.S. election law at stake as Supreme Court hears North Carolina case appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Researchers warn the end of the federal public health emergency, which will likely occur next year and require states to redetermine eligibility for all Medicaid recipients, will put children at risk of inappropriately losing healthcare coverage.

The post End of public health emergency could cause spike in uninsured Missouri children appeared first on Missouri Independent.

WASHINGTON — In a last-minute push, U.S. senators are working on a bipartisan agreement to create a pathway to citizenship for undocumented people who were brought to the United States as children. But the success of any major immigration deal appears unlikely, as a lame-duck session of Congress dwindles into its last days. Democrats are […]

The post Talks over protecting Dreamers pick up in Congress, but agreement still elusive appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Thursday will be a big day for Missouri.  It’s the day the constitutional amendment legalizing recreational marijuana use goes into effect, allowing Missourians 21 or older to legally buy or possess up to three ounces of marijuana and grow up to six marijuana plants.  It’s also the day Missouri’s Department of Corrections says 565 people […]

The post Experts worry expungements under Missouri marijuana law could be procedural ‘nightmare’ appeared first on Missouri Independent.

The Food and Drug Administration really wants you to believe that healthy is as healthy does.  To that end, the FDA wants grocery shoppers to know with some degree of confidence that when they buy processed foods emblazoned with a “healthy” label, by golly, it’s healthy eating.  Pinky swear. But as it turns out, trying to […]

The post Will FDA proposed healthy guidelines make a difference? appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Missouri general revenue, which has enjoyed double-digit growth for more than two years, will slow dramatically in early 2023, a new estimate of state government finances indicates. The annual consensus revenue estimate – used as the benchmark for budgeting by both the state executive and legislature – issued Tuesday projects net general revenue tax receipts […]

The post Economic slowdown, tax cuts likely to limit Missouri revenue growth, officials say appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Gov. Mike Parson’s administration improperly tried to starve the labor union representing Missouri corrections officers by cutting it off from dues deducted from paychecks, the Western District Court of Appeals ruled Tuesday. In a unanimous opinion, the court ordered the state to resume dues deductions for the Missouri Corrections Officers Association, affirming on every point […]

The post Missouri violated collective bargaining rights of prison guards, appeals court rules appeared first on Missouri Independent.

A quartet of vaccine skeptics who have each been accused for years of spreading medical misinformation is asking a judge to allow them to join Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt’s lawsuit that alleges the federal government colluded with social media companies to suppress freedom of speech. Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Dr. Joseph Mercola and Ty […]

The post Anti-vaxxers seek to intervene in Missouri AG Eric Schmitt’s social media lawsuit appeared first on Missouri Independent.

This story was originally published by Kaiser Health News.  Heather Meador and Anna Herber-Downey use dating apps on the job — and their boss knows it. Both are public health nurses employed by Linn County Public Health in eastern Iowa. They’ve learned that dating apps are the most efficient way to inform users that people […]

The post A new use for dating apps: Chasing STDs appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Georgia’s U.S. Senate runoff election may not decide party control of the upper branch of the legislature, but the battle is no less fierce between the Democrats and Republicans. Sen. Raphael Warnock has chosen to focus on voting rights and the importance of participation in politics, while Herschel Walker is tackling abortion and LGBTQ issues. […]

The post In Georgia Senate runoff, Warnock focuses on voting rights while Walker deals with social issues appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Starting next month, a $35 cap on insulin prices will go into effect for millions of Medicare recipients. The lower pricing is one of the first of several policy measures Americans will see in the coming months and years under the Inflation Reduction Act signed into law in August. The bill also requires pharmaceutical companies […]

The post Here’s when drug prices will start to decrease for Medicare recipients appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Because of a series of delays, the benefits designed to help families with summer food costs likely won’t be distributed until deep into winter.

The post Summer food benefits for low-income Missouri children likely delayed until well into winter appeared first on Missouri Independent.

This story was originally published by the Kansas City Beacon.  When Denisha Jones launched her business, Sweet Peaches Cobblers, in August 2020, it was just her, her husband and her mom in a community kitchen — taking orders, making the cobblers and doing deliveries. Now she has a team of individuals helping her sell cobblers in […]

The post How investments in Black businesses can help close KC’s racial wealth gap appeared first on Missouri Independent.

This story was originally published by Stateline, an initiative of The Pew Charitable Trusts. On two short stretches of road near downtown Detroit, Michigan transportation officials hope to make history. Over the next two years, they plan to embed technology in the pavement that can charge electric vehicles while they’re being driven. The wireless system will […]

The post States test an electrifying idea: Roads that can recharge your EV appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Southern Living magazine once described “y’all” as “the quintessential Southern pronoun.” It’s as iconically Southern as sweet tea and grits. While “y’all” is considered slang, it’s a useful word nonetheless. The English language doesn’t have a good second person plural pronoun; “you” can be both singular and plural, but it’s sometimes awkward to use as […]

The post ‘Y’all,’ that most Southern of Southernisms, is going mainstream – and it’s about time appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Missouri Democrats re-elected a party chairman for the first time in almost a decade Saturday after a nasty fight over the role the state party should play in promoting the election of Democratic candidates. Michael Butler, St. Louis Recorder of Deeds, defeated two challengers to retain the post he first won after the 2020 election. […]

The post Missouri Democrats re-elect party chair following online feud over leadership appeared first on Missouri Independent.

WASHINGTON — Voters in South Carolina would go first in picking Democratic presidential nominees, followed by Nevada, New Hampshire, Georgia and Michigan if their states go along with a proposal a key Democratic National Committee panel approved Friday.  The Rules and Bylaws Committee’s nearly unanimous voice vote proposes moving the Democratic primary’s earliest election date […]

The post Democrats strip Iowa of first-in-the-nation prize, tap South Carolina for first primary appeared first on Missouri Independent.