The Missouri Senate unanimously passed legislation Wednesday that would require public schools and universities to create policies barring antisemitic harassment that disrupts students’ ability to learn with provisions adding broader anti-discrimination measures. The bill has repeatedly stirred free speech concerns because of its adoption of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s working definition of antisemitism, which […]
The State Police Board quashed St. Louis Mayor Spencer’s plans for a revamped civilian review board for police misconduct. The board, which now runs the city’s police department, concluded that such review is illegal under Missouri’s 2021 “Police Officer Bill of Rights.” The bill of rights, among other things, requires that police misconduct investigations remain confidential […]
At least 2.5 million low-income people quickly lost help affording groceries under a Republican-passed law that added new requirements for the nation’s largest nutrition program and shifted hundreds of millions of dollars in costs from the federal government to states, according to a study the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities published Wednesday. Some 6% […]
After years of legal battles to protect its business from criminal prosecution, Torch Electronics will suspend operations of its slot machines in Missouri under pressure from state Attorney General Catherine Hanaway and the U.S. Department of Justice. In a letter sent to retailers on Monday, the Wildwood-based company said it would turn its games off […]
WASHINGTON — The United States and Iran both claimed victory Wednesday, a day after agreeing to a two-week conditional ceasefire, though doubts loomed following continued strikes across the Gulf nations and an indication by Iran that it will continue to control the Strait of Hormuz, a major passage for one-fifth of the world’s oil and […]
The millions of migrants who were released into the country during the immigration surge that began in 2021 and peaked in 2023 caused a political firestorm when Republican states transported them to Democratic cities. Now, according to a new analysis, many of them are back working in the states that expelled them. Many of the […]
The proprietors of a now-shuttered Southwest Missouri boarding school are facing a new lawsuit by a former student alleging trafficking across several states, coerced labor, isolation and sexualized punishment while she was underage. The lawsuit was filed last week in the Western District of Missouri Southern Division court by Javairia Yankowy, who says she spent […]
Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe signed a bill Tuesday expanding the role of prosecutors in juvenile court proceedings and increasing access to juvenile records by law enforcement. The new law also increases the mandatory minimum percentage people will have to serve in prison before they become eligible for parole. Republican state Sen. Nick Schroer of Defiance, […]
A top business lobbying group is stepping up its opposition to a proposed constitutional amendment to replace the Missouri income tax with sales taxes, arguing Missouri is already an attractive place to do business. The legislation that would enact one of Gov. Mike Kehoe’s top priorities has already passed the House and on Tuesday, won […]
A bill making it clear that pregnancy cannot prevent a divorce from being finalized was signed into law Tuesday by Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe. While nothing precluded Missourians from filing for divorce while a party is pregnant, the current statute is interpreted by many courts as preventing the final dissolution of marriage from being issued […]
Though states are missing out on billions in unpaid tax dollars, few have any mechanism to measure how much is being lost, according to a new report. The so-called tax gap — the difference between the taxes legally owed to the government and the amount paid — receives scant state attention, researchers from The Pew […]
In contrast to highly partisan debates over many other issues, state lawmakers of all political stripes are joining forces to pass legislation to increase the supply of housing. The policies attracting support range from requiring cities to allow manufactured homes in areas with single-family homes to easing regulations for accessory dwelling units to allowing housing […]
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump agreed Tuesday evening to a two-week ceasefire with Iran, at least delaying his threat of a catastrophic attack on the country’s civilian population as he said the countries were near a long-term peace agreement. The ceasefire was negotiated with Pakistani leaders as intermediaries, Trump said in a post to his social […]
University of Missouri administrators’ decision to end direct university funding for student organizations representing minority groups drew fierce backlash Monday night, with group leaders warning the change could devastate programs that help students find community and support on campus. “What the university wants from us is to fizzle out,” Asher McFerran, vice president of LGBTQ+ […]
For more than 20 years, Republicans have won every Missouri House race in St. Charles County. It is one of two counties in Missouri with more than 150,000 people — the other is Jefferson — with no Democrats in the local legislative delegation. And it is one of the places Democrats need to win to […]
This week, as wait times at American airports stretched beyond four hours in some cases, I got a text message from a fellow Kansan who was worried about flying this week. OK. It was my mom. She clipped and texted a bit of a New York Times article that explained why wait times were so […]
The promise and peril of artificial intelligence have been a recurring theme for Missouri lawmakers this year, as they debate safeguards on campaign advertisements, companion chatbots and mental health therapy that use the technology. But efforts to enact regulations in Missouri stalled last week in the state Senate amid fears the legislation could jeopardize nearly […]
CINCINNATI — For four years, Kimberly Dudley has worked on the front line of the Affordable Care Act as a navigator, helping Ohioans solve the puzzle of buying private insurance on the federal HealthCare.gov marketplace. But the job is harder now, the answers scarcer. In one of its first acts, the second Trump administration cut […]
As the U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments last week about the constitutionality of President Donald Trump’s executive order to end birthright citizenship, Justice Sonia Sotomayor seemed skeptical. The order as written applies only to babies born in the future, and the Trump administration has asked the court to exclude current citizens from any decision. Still, […]
MIAMI — Midwife Sheila Simms Watson leaned to gently press on the pregnant woman’s belly. Me’Asia Taylor lay on a bed fitted with tie-dyed purple printed sheets in the corner of the RV. Far from a typical camper, this RV houses a mobile midwifery clinic for prenatal, postpartum and women’s general health care. “Roll when […]
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