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COLUMBIA — To pass a $700 million tax cut plan in a short special session, an important consideration is to “keep it simple,” Missouri Gov. Mike Parson said Thursday morning. That’s why Parson’s proposal accelerates income tax cuts already set to be phased in over several years rather than reduce other tax sources, he told […]

The post Missouri governor calls tax cut plan a defense against ‘pet project’ spending by lawmakers appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Republican candidates who claim that the 2020 election was stolen from Donald Trump have been nominated for governor in four critical swing states, raising concerns that if elected they could try to sway election results in 2024 and beyond. In Arizona, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, Republican primary voters elected a candidate who has denied the […]

The post How election-denying GOP governors could tilt the 2024 presidential election appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Nearly every day, Crystal Quade is somewhere in Missouri knocking on doors.  As Democratic leader in the Missouri House, Quade is hoping to help her party put a dent in the GOP supermajority that’s dominated the state legislature for more than a decade.  And when she heard the news earlier this month that a proposed […]

The post Missouri Dems expect boost from marijuana campaign, but split on whether it’s good policy appeared first on Missouri Independent.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture will distribute up to $550 million to expand certain farmers’ access to land, money and markets and to create educational opportunities for the students of higher-education institutions that cater to racial and ethnic minorities. “The idea here obviously is to enlarge the number of people that are engaged in this […]

The post USDA plans ‘historic’ funding to help struggling farmers, develop new ag leaders appeared first on Missouri Independent.

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden announced Wednesday that he will cancel up to $20,000 in federal student loan debt for Pell Grant borrowers and up to $10,000 for all other borrowers with an income of less than $125,000 for an individual and $250,000 for a household. Biden also announced his administration is extending a pause […]

The post Biden to wipe out $10,000 in student loan debt for many borrowers appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Voting-rights advocates filed a lawsuit Tuesday arguing that a new law requiring Missourians to present a government-issued photo ID to vote is unconstitutional. While lawmakers have approved voter ID laws numerous times, and voters signed off on putting it in the state constitution in 2016, the proposal has never withstood a legal challenge.  The voter […]

The post Missouri’s new voter ID law faces lawsuit claiming it’s unconstitutional appeared first on Missouri Independent.

A Columbia attorney hoping to enshrine abortion rights in the Missouri Constitution is suing Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft to force a review of his initiative petition prior to the November election. In the case filed Aug. 10, Jeff Basinger wrote that he submitted his proposal with all the required paperwork on July 29, only […]

The post Lawsuit seeks to force Jay Ashcroft to begin review of 2024 Missouri initiative petitions appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Despite assurances that the outcome of the Republican U.S. Senate primary would not alter his plans to run as an independent, John Wood announced Tuesday he was ending his campaign.   The reason: Former Gov. Eric Greitens did not win the GOP nomination. “I made the decision to run for the United States Senate when Eric […]

The post Citing Greitens defeat, John Wood abandons independent run for U.S. Senate in Missouri appeared first on Missouri Independent.

This article was originally published by Energy News Network. Smaller, regional banks and credit unions are increasingly looking to help homeowners finance solar installations in a sign of growing recognition of the opportunities in clean energy finance. In the Midwest, Iowa-based Decorah Bank & Trust is among the latest to begin marketing loans for solar […]

The post More Midwest banks see opportunity to finance solar, energy efficiency projects appeared first on Missouri Independent.

The League of Women Voters of Missouri and Missouri NAACP filed a lawsuit Monday attempting to block a wide-ranging elections bill they argue violates the right to core political speech by curtailing voter engagement. The lawsuit focuses on provisions of the law, which is set to go into effect on Aug. 28, that prohibit compensating […]

The post NAACP, League of Women Voters sue to block Missouri’s new election law appeared first on Missouri Independent.

When the FBI executed a search warrant (not a raid, as Trump’s text to me claims) of classified documents at the former president’s Mar-A-Lago resort, we’ve been given myriad of reasons for why Donald Trump did what he did, even as he’s facing the likelihood of some serious legal trouble. The first excuse given was […]

The post The Trump team’s many claims on classified documents at Mar-a-Lago appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Gov. Mike Parson announced Monday that state lawmakers will be returning to the Missouri Capitol after the Labor Day weekend to weigh passing a $700 million income tax cut and slate of agricultural tax incentives. Parson’s proposal would lower the state’s top income tax rate from 5.3% to 4.8% and eliminate the bottom income tax […]

The post Missouri governor calls special session after Labor Day on $700 million income tax cut appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Thirty lawsuits have been filed over the last two years against a pair of southwest Missouri boarding schools accused by former students of physical, emotional and sexual abuse.

The post Lawsuits mounting against unlicensed Missouri boarding schools accused of abuse appeared first on Missouri Independent.

An anti-drug legalization activist has filed a lawsuit arguing a recreational marijuana initiative petition was improperly certified by Missouri Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft and should not appear on the November ballot. The lawsuit was filed Friday in Cole County Circuit Court — the final day within the 10-day window outlined under state law for […]

The post Lawsuit asks judge to block marijuana legalization from appearing on Missouri ballot appeared first on Missouri Independent.

In a span of a little over two weeks, an initiative petition to legalize recreational marijuana in Missouri made an unexpected comeback. In late July, unofficial tallies showed the Legal Missouri campaign 2,275 signatures short of the threshold for getting on the ballot, leading many to believe its hopes were dashed. By Aug. 9, the […]

The post Missouri marijuana campaign made ballot with tactic that surprised longtime observers appeared first on Missouri Independent.

There is a common belief that all politicians lie to some extent. There is also a school of thought that withholding or modifying the truth, given a particular circumstance, might be the better option or the most expedient thing to do. However, today, too many politicians are taking it to a new level. Spewing lies, […]

The post When politicians use lies to undermine the rule of law, freedom and democracy appeared first on Missouri Independent.

WASHINGTON — College students are heading back to campus following more than two years of a pandemic that led many schools to empty out for full semesters and later move to hybrid schedules in a struggle to curb the spread of COVID-19. But the attempt by colleges and universities to return to something resembling normal […]

The post What monkeypox outbreak? Little planning by colleges as students resume classes appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Colorado’s election officials, like so many across the country, faced a surge of violent threats after the 2020 election. Federal authorities are prosecuting a man who pled guilty to threatening a Colorado election official on Instagram, where he wrote: “Do you feel safe? You shouldn’t.” And Colorado police arrested a man accused of calling Secretary of State Jena Griswold […]

The post Election officials can’t access federal funding for security as violent threats mount appeared first on Missouri Independent.

A Missouri public school employee facing federal charges for allegedly threatening an Arizona election official is “embarrassed and humbled,” his attorney said Thursday. Walter Lee Hoornstra, 50, was indicted Tuesday on one count of communicating an interstate threat, which carries a maximum prison term of five years, and one count of making a threatening telephone […]

The post Missouri man indicted over threat to Arizona official is a public school employee appeared first on Missouri Independent.

TOPEKA, Kansas — Sports wagering in Kansas will launch Sept. 1, state officials said Thursday, allowing bets to be placed at the start of football season. Lawmakers in April passed legislation to greenlight sports wagering in the state under the administration of the Kansas Lottery. The action was estimated to generate revenues of up to $10 million […]

The post Kansas plans Sept. 1 ‘soft launch’ of sports wagering for start of football season appeared first on Missouri Independent.