MoInd 📰

Missouri Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft wants to be clear that his amicus brief in a high-profile U.S. Supreme Court case is not an endorsement of the so-called “independent state legislature” doctrine.  He’s not denouncing it, either.  Instead, Ashcroft is floating a theory of his own: That Congressional redistricting is a duty reserved solely for […]

The post Jay Ashcroft clarifies position in high-profile U.S. Supreme Court election case appeared first on Missouri Independent.

WASHINGTON — Democrats in the U.S. Senate are confident the Department of Veterans Affairs can implement a new policy that allows its doctors to provide abortions when the pregnancy threatens the patient’s life or health, or when it’s the result of rape or incest. The VA announced the new policy last week to cheers from Democrats who […]

The post New fight opens in Congress over VA policy that sidesteps state abortion bans appeared first on Missouri Independent.

President Joe Biden in a Thursday night speech to a crowd of party faithful promoted legislation passed by the Democratic Congress and attacked supporters of former President Donald Trump for defending rioters who stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. “Extreme MAGA Republicans just don’t threaten our personal, economic rights. They embrace political violence,” […]

The post Biden slams ‘extreme MAGA Republicans’ as Democrats launch drive to midterm election appeared first on Missouri Independent.

WASHINGTON — Members of a U.S. House Education and Labor Committee panel on Thursday questioned experts and leaders of youth rehabilitation programs about how the federal government could invest in programs to prevent kids from becoming incarcerated. “Although the juvenile justice system is intended to rehabilitate—not punish—young offenders, data shows that the more a young […]

The post Congressional panel debates federal role in preventing youth incarceration appeared first on Missouri Independent.

The unprecedented steps Missouri Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft took to verify signatures to place a marijuana legalization initiative petition on the ballot were outside the scope of his authority, attorneys for an anti-drug activist argued Thursday. Cole County Judge Cotton Walker faces a Sept. 13 deadline to decide whether an initiative petition to legalize […]

The post Hearing on Missouri marijuana initiative scrutinizes unprecedented signature process appeared first on Missouri Independent.

A Cedar County judge Wednesday ordered Agape Boarding School to be shut down after years of allegations of sexual and physical abuse of students — though the order remains on pause until after a hearing Thursday afternoon.

The post Court order would close Agape Boarding School after years of abuse allegations appeared first on Missouri Independent.

TOPEKA — Alex Tretbar scratched Lou Reed lyrics into the concrete “rhomboid exoskeleton” of an Oregon jail’s solitary confinement hole, then found the strength to write about it. “Some people work very hard,” the song goes, “but still they never get it right.” Tretbar, a Wichita native and University of Kansas graduate, references the experience […]

The post Summoning inspiration from solitary, Missouri resident wins PEN America prison writing award appeared first on Missouri Independent.

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Senate is on track to vote on a bill codifying marriage equality as soon as next week with negotiators increasingly confident it could become law. Wisconsin Democratic Sen. Tammy Baldwin and Maine GOP Sen. Susan Collins said Wednesday they’re close to getting at least 10 Republicans to back the same-sex marriage […]

The post Bill codifying same-sex marriage nears critical vote in U.S. Senate appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Former Missouri First Lady Sheena Greitens says she fully complied with a massive public records request for her work emails by a conservative news organization that once employed her ex-husband — and that it produced no evidence of political collusion.  In April, a reporter from Just the News filed an open records request with the […]

The post Sheena Greitens pans push for her emails by news org that used to employ her ex-husband appeared first on Missouri Independent.

WASHINGTON — Amid K-12 teacher shortages, book bans and attacks over critical race theory, U.S. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona at a meeting with reporters on Wednesday stressed the need for higher salaries to attract prospective educators to the profession. Cardona also touted the Biden administration’s recent student debt relief announcement in late August. The White House said President Joe Biden […]

The post U.S. education secretary urges boost in teacher pay, touts college debt relief appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Along with leaves turning colors, the fall in even-numbered years often features political campaigns sparring over who is and is not willing to debate. And this year, that biennial squabble is between the candidates seeking Missouri’s open U.S. Senate seat. Attorney General Eric Schmitt, the Republican nominee, slapped first, with a tweet on Tuesday accusing […]

The post Missouri Senate hopefuls spar over debates, with press association forum set for next week appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Here’s something I think about all the time while working on our farm: Trash. Not “trash” as in how much manure is generated by animals (there is a lot, but we move our cattle and goats many times a week and they are on pasture 365 days a year, so there is no one spot […]

The post Talking trash: We don’t have to treat our farms like landfills appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Missouri investigators over the last four months have substantiated 10 claims of physical abuse at Agape Boarding School, a Christian reform school in Stockton that faces mounting accusations of abuse, lawsuits and calls for its closure by former students.  According to records turned over to The Independent under Missouri’s Sunshine Law by the state Department […]

The post Missouri substantiated 10 claims of physical abuse at Agape in last four months appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Last week, President Joe Biden moved to codify Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals by finalizing a rule to transform DACA into a federal regulation, a move that would help strengthen the legality of the program and benefit many undocumented youths. As a formerly undocumented person, I know just how much DACA can change lives. My life was changed 10 […]

The post Ten years after DACA, undocumented youths in Missouri and across the nation need further change appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Missouri Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft has lined up behind a U.S. Supreme Court case legal experts believe could radically reshape how federal elections are conducted by handing more power to state legislatures and blocking state courts from intervening.  Ashcroft announced last week that his office had filed an amicus brief in support of Republicans […]

The post Missouri secretary of state throws support behind controversial election theory appeared first on Missouri Independent.

This story originally appeared in Investigate Midwest.  In the weeks prior to leaving his role as U.S. Department of Agriculture chief of staff in January 2021, Joby Young received emails from lobbyists with links to private-industry jobs with titles like “director of government relations,” “project manager, environmental stewardship” and “director of crop insurance.” Private-sector job openings […]

The post In Washington, agricultural policymakers circulate among Farm Bureau, USDA and industry appeared first on Missouri Independent.

In dripping black wetsuits and scuba masks, standing in the middle of a southern Missouri river last month, a state herpetologist and two zookeepers hugged each other and cheered. “Number 10,000!” That day, state herpetologist Jeff Briggler with the Missouri Department of Conservation and two Saint Louis Zoo keepers released into the wild the 10,000th […]

The post Conservationists celebrate milestone in effort to save Missouri’s endangered hellbenders appeared first on Missouri Independent.

As we pause this Labor Day, we should reflect on what the holiday means and remember that elected officials in our city, county, state, the U.S. Senate, and House of Representatives work for us, the people. We are the employer. What guide or criteria should we use to determine who we should hire or rehire […]

The post Elected officials work for us. What criteria should we use to hire them? appeared first on Missouri Independent.

The recent photographs from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope mesmerized millions of Earth-bound mortals, myself included. On display was both the spectacular beauty of deep space and the power and creativity of science. Shortly after those photos arrived on our timelines did we learn of the uptick in cases of polio in the U.S. On […]

The post Hit me with your best shot of science appeared first on Missouri Independent.

A federal report released Thursday shows that Missouri ranks at or near the bottom nationally in terms of processing Medicaid applications in the federally-permitted time.

The post Federal report shows Missouri Medicaid application wait times among worst in nation appeared first on Missouri Independent.