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Almost all of Kansas and nearly half of Missouri are in severe enough drought to activate a federal program meant to help ranchers who have lost grazing acres for their herds, triggering millions of dollars in assistance. Eighty-five of Kansas’ 105 counties have been eligible for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s livestock forage program, which […]

The post Severe drought triggers assistance in nearly all of Kansas, half of Missouri appeared first on Missouri Independent.

For some families, the delayed benefits were a missed opportunity for much-needed relief during the summer, and have been a source of concern and confusion.

The post Missouri families still waiting for summer food benefits for low-income children appeared first on Missouri Independent.

In today’s environment, one could argue that social media has become a primary source of information just as much as the traditional press — regardless of whether the content is reliable or not. The press, free from government control and oversight, has long been referred to as the fourth estate because of its watchdog role […]

The post The destructive power of the ‘fifth estate’ appeared first on Missouri Independent.

This story originally appeared in Investigate Midwest.  Two of America’s largest meat companies — JBS and Tyson Foods — have invested in a smartwatch application that allows managers to monitor workers’ movements. The startup behind the application, Mentore, claims to improve worker productivity while reducing injuries. The repetitive, fast and taxing work of cutting and packing protein […]

The post JBS, Tyson Foods invest in smartwatch app that monitors workers appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Reparations is often something people hear about in an international setting — such as ongoing reparations that are paid to Holocaust survivors or reparations South Africa paid to apartheid victims. This weekend, elected officials — including St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones and Congresswoman Cori Bush — will gather for a “Reparations Block Party and Teach-in” […]

The post St. Louis advocates optimistic the city’s reparations effort will advance appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Each year, the Missouri General Assembly appropriates billions of dollars in public school funding using a formula built in 2005. Given the age of the current funding formula and the level of investment made by the state, are we ready to trade it in for a newer model or is it just time for a […]

The post Missouri’s public education funding formula is due for a tune up appeared first on Missouri Independent.

The U.S. House committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol voted unanimously Thursday to subpoena Donald Trump, saying the former president must be held accountable as the “central cause” of a violent attempt to overturn the 2020 presidential election. The panel’s seven Democrats and two Republicans voted  to authorize a subpoena […]

The post Trump to be subpoenaed by Jan. 6 panel as the ‘central cause’ of Capitol insurrection appeared first on Missouri Independent.

WASHINGTON — The Biden administration on Wednesday night announced new guidelines for Venezuelan migrants, under which some will have a pathway to temporary residence in the United States and others who crossed the border without authorization will be sent back to Mexico. U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro N. Mayorkas announced an agreement between Mexico and the […]

The post New plan for Venezuelan migrants will accept some into the U.S., send others to Mexico appeared first on Missouri Independent.

With less than a month to go before voters head to the polls, the campaign to legalize recreational marijuana is getting a financial boost from the medical marijuana industry.  Legal Missouri 2022 — the political action committee supporting a marijuana proposal that will appear on the Nov. 8 ballot as Amendment 3 — has raised […]

The post Medical marijuana companies pour money into legalization PAC in campaign’s homestretch appeared first on Missouri Independent.

American watchers of the U.S. Supreme Court keep looking for the one phrase that strikes terror into the hearts of those who want courts to make law rather than leave it to the legislatures. That phrase is: “We should reconsider our jurisprudence in this area.” It’s a siren call to judicial review, where five members […]

The post An absence of malice: Free speech precedent could be up for grabs in shifting media landscape appeared first on Missouri Independent.

The U.S. House committee investigating a pro-Trump mob’s attack on the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, is back. It will hold its first hearing in nearly three months Thursday—and potentially its last. In a break from most of the panel’s previous eight hearings in June and July, Thursday’s meeting will not drill down into one […]

The post Four things to watch for at the upcoming Jan. 6 hearing appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Whether student debtors will get the loan relief promised by President Joe Biden is now in the hands of a Missouri federal judge. For nearly two hours Wednesday, attorneys for the six states challenging the plan to forgive almost $500 billion in student debt argued with Department of Justice lawyers over which laws should govern […]

The post Missouri judge hears lawsuit challenging Biden student debt relief plan appeared first on Missouri Independent.

In the age of scarcity (for many) and excess (for the few), the language and policies of diversity become zero-sum. What another gets, you lose, so goes the polarized thinking that has turned our public square into a fever swamp of resentments and recriminations. For too many rural Americans, the term diversity is synonymous with […]

The post As rural Americans we must see ourselves as part of the nation’s diversity appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Across the nation, prison commissaries are raising prices on items that many consider basic necessities — from deodorant to fresh fruit — not provided by the state department of corrections. The markups come as decades-high inflation is also squeezing inmates’ families, making it harder for them to help.  It’s a burden that families shouldn’t have […]

The post Costs of incarceration rise as inflation squeezes inmates, families appeared first on Missouri Independent.

WASHINGTON —  U.S. Senate Democrats said Tuesday that they remained hopeful Congress could create a legal pathway to citizenship before the end of the year for the more than 600,000 undocumented people enrolled in a program that is at risk of being deemed illegal by a lower court. Immigration rights advocates held a press call […]

The post Immigration advocates call again for DACA renewal in Congress, as possible end looms appeared first on Missouri Independent.

“Boys don’t cry.” That was the oft repeated refrain my father said to my brother and me growing up. If one of us fell and skinned our knees, it was, “Knock it off, boys don’t cry.” It didn’t matter if we were 4 or 5. Crying was a sign of weakness and of questionable masculinity. […]

The post It’s OK for men to cry — and to wear pink appeared first on Missouri Independent.

A push by the attorney general’s office for the emails of professors and staff at the University of Missouri has academic freedom advocates concerned the office is being weaponized to stifle free speech and deter researchers’ work. In June, Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt’s office sent two records requests to the university. The first sought […]

The post ‘Invading academic freedom:’ Missouri AG’s probe for university emails raises concerns appeared first on Missouri Independent.

This story was originally published by Stateline.  The increasing popularity of hybrid and electric vehicles is shrinking revenue from gas taxes, prompting more states to consider charging fees based on miles driven to help pay for roads and bridges. This year at least eight states — Hawaii, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Virginia and Washington — considered […]

The post As electric vehicles shrink gas tax revenue, more states may tax mileage appeared first on Missouri Independent.

This story was originally published by Kaiser Health News.  NEWTON, Iowa — Jeff White knows what can happen when 911 dispatchers receive a call about someone who feels despondent or agitated. He experienced it repeatedly: The 911 operators dispatched police, who often took him to a hospital or jail. “They don’t know how to handle […]

The post Mental health crisis teams aren’t just for cities anymore appeared first on Missouri Independent.

There is an issue on Missouri’s statewide general election ballot that I will be watching to see if Missourians continue a trend of rejecting the decisions of their elected officials. It is the initiative petition proposal to legalize possession and sale of marijuana. That’s an idea that has made no headway in the legislature. In […]

The post Capitol Perspectives: Missouri voters vs. their elected officials appeared first on Missouri Independent.