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After at least one hospital system in Missouri stopped providing emergency contraception because of ambiguity in the state’s abortion ban, Attorney General Eric Schmitt’s office clarified Wednesday that contraception is not prohibited under state law. “Missouri law does not prohibit the use or provision of Plan B, or contraception,” said Chris Nuelle, a spokesman for […]

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Missouri Gov. Mike Parson on Wednesday signed legislation environmentalists fear will chip away at a year-old state law meant to encourage utilities to retire polluting coal plants.  One of the state’s largest utilities says the law is simply cleanup language.  Last year, Missouri and Kansas enacted laws allowing electric utilities to “securitize” aging coal plants […]

The post Bill environmentalists say could keep Missouri coal plants open signed by governor appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Missouri Gov. Mike Parson signed sweeping legislation Wednesday making it a Class C misdemeanor for people experiencing homelessness to sleep on state-owned land. The law prevents some federal and state funds from being used to construct affordable housing, instead redirecting that money towards constructing temporary camps that provide substance abuse and mental health treatment.  It […]

The post New Missouri law makes sleeping on state land a crime for people experiencing homelessness appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Gov. Mike Parson has signed into law a bill to infuse over $60 million in state funding into charter schools. The bill, sponsored by Rep. Doug Richey, R-Excelsior Springs, aims to close a discrepancy in funding allocated to charter schools versus traditional public schools that was the result of outdated property values. The law will […]

The post Missouri charter schools will receive millions in state funds with governor’s signature appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Donald Trump had to be held back from joining his enraged, rioting supporters — even after the president was told they were armed — in their assault on the U.S. Capitol, according to astonishing testimony to the Jan. 6 committee Tuesday from a former top White House aide. Trump, spewing expletives, was so angry at […]

The post Trump had to be physically restrained from joining Jan. 6 mob, House panel told appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Missouri Gov. Mike Parson announced he will sign a wide-ranging elections bill on Wednesday that would require voters to present government-issued photo identification to cast a ballot.  The bill includes a litany of election law changes, ranging from prohibiting touch-screen voting machines to requiring election authorities to conduct cybersecurity reviews. It also will do away […]

The post Gov. Parson to sign sweeping elections bill enacting new voter ID rule in Missouri appeared first on Missouri Independent.

For the first time in Missouri’s history, the state has a team of attorneys dedicated to defending people on the verge of having their parole revoked and facing more prison time.  Missouri is the third state in the country to establish a parole revocation defense team, following Connecticut and New York.  “We’re on the cutting […]

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I read the announcement in January with mixed emotions: The Biden administration would soon require health insurers to pay for eight at-home, rapid COVID-19 tests per person, per month, it said. What a helpful move to improve testing access for Americans whose jobs, schooling and daily lives expose them to the virus, I thought. Especially […]

The post The Biden administration said insurers must cover home COVID tests. It didn’t say how appeared first on Missouri Independent.

In 2018, a rash of students were dying by suicide in southwest Missouri. The Neosho School District wasn’t immune. “We were averaging about a suicide-and-a-half a year,” said Jim Cummins, the district superintendent. “And we knew that that couldn’t continue.” The district of roughly 4,600 students launched “a full frontal assault” to address the issue, […]

The post Missouri AG, Georgia nonprofit communicated for months before school subpoenas appeared first on Missouri Independent.

With Eric Greitens continuing to lead in most polls, Republicans worried he could cost the party a Senate seat this fall are planning to spend $1 million tearing him down before the Aug. 2 GOP primary. But is it too little, too late?  The former Missouri governor’s standing in polls of potential primary voters has […]

The post Group to spend $1M attacking Eric Greitens in Missouri. Will crowded primary save him? appeared first on Missouri Independent.

When Eric Greitens posted his April 25 tweet, I thought, “this is the craziest thing I have ever seen.” He was on a shooting range with Donald Trump, Jr., first firing what appeared to be an AR-15, next a handgun with the audio messages, “Striking fear in the hearts of liberals,” and, “Liberals beware.” May […]

The post Let’s fix our toxic politics appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Angela Huntington’s phone was constantly ringing off of the hook. When Texas’ fetal heartbeat ban on abortions went into effect last September, the number of patients calling Planned Parenthood Great Plains jumped overnight. In August, about 150 patients received financial assistance and help. In September, that increased to roughly 850. “I remember my inbox would […]

The post Abortion is illegal in Missouri. Providers look to next frontier to ensure access appeared first on Missouri Independent.

TOPEKA, Kansas — The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision Friday striking down the landmark Roe v. Wade decision legalizing abortion nationwide resonates deeply in Kansas where a proposed constitutional amendment on the August ballot could set the stage for a wave of new abortion restrictions in the state. Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly, a Democrat campaigning for […]

The post Demise of Roe v. Wade adds gravity to Kansas’ vote on abortion constitutional amendment appeared first on Missouri Independent.

President Joe Biden on Friday called for Congress to pass laws protecting abortion rights and for voters to elect pro-rights candidates on “a sad day for the country” after a landmark U.S. Supreme Court ruling on abortion. Biden pledged to fight for policies that protect abortion access, including interstate travel and access to federally approved […]

The post Voters ‘have the final word’ in protecting abortion rights, Biden says appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Republicans in Congress were jubilant at the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling overturning decades of precedent to revoke a constitutional right to an abortion, while Democrats were equally despondent about what they called an extremist decision that revoked a long-held right and represented an attack on women’s autonomy. The party-line reaction hints at how lawmakers will approach abortion […]

The post Congress roiled by U.S. Supreme Court decision revoking abortion rights appeared first on Missouri Independent.

ST. LOUIS – Shaking her head in disbelief while sitting at Missouri’s last remaining abortion clinic, U.S. Rep. Cori Bush threaded her fingers together and bowed her head as the constitutional right to abortion unraveled. “Oh my gosh,” Bush said Friday morning, her voice breaking as she was wrapped in a hug. “Oh my gosh. […]

The post Abortion is now illegal in Missouri in wake of U.S. Supreme Court ruling appeared first on Missouri Independent.

The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday overturned the 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling that established abortion as a constitutional right. The decision by five of the Court’s nine justices will allow each state to set its own abortion laws, leading to a patchwork of access throughout the country. The result is expected to be an uptick […]

The post U.S. Supreme Court overturns right to abortion in landmark decision appeared first on Missouri Independent.

President Donald Trump sought to use the U.S. Justice Department to create the illusion of a legitimate investigation into the validity of the 2020 election results, the Jan. 6 committee and former Justice Department leaders said Thursday in the panel’s fifth hearing this month. In the weeks between Election Day 2020 and Jan. 6, 2021, […]

The post ‘Just say the election was corrupt’: Trump pressure on Justice Department detailed appeared first on Missouri Independent.

WASHINGTON — Democrats in Congress are pushing to increase access to abortion for members of the military, concerned a U.S. Supreme Court decision that could end the constitutional right will harm troops. The U.S. House’s annual funding bill for the Defense Department would require the Pentagon to provide leave to troops and civilian employees seeking […]

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It was 10 days since her husband, Eric Greitens, resigned as governor and Sheena Greitens was terrified. In that period, she wrote to a family lawyer in a June 14, 2018, email, Eric Greitens had been violent twice to one of his sons, lost his temper repeatedly and refused to admit his actions were a […]

The post Sheena Greitens documented abuse allegations against ex-husband in 2018 appeared first on Missouri Independent.