MoInd 📰

For nearly a year and a half, a woman has been languishing in Greene County jail, waiting to be transferred to a state mental health facility. The woman was charged with a misdemeanor, found incompetent to stand trial and ordered by the court into state-run psychiatric treatment, Greene County Sheriff Jim Arnott told The Independent. […]

This time last year, the Missouri Senate was barely functioning. Members of the Freedom Caucus, a renegade group of GOP senators who’ve been at war with party leadership for years, used procedural hijinks to grind the chamber to a halt almost daily.  In retaliation, Senate leaders stripped committee assignments from Freedom Caucus members — and […]

Like so many Americans right now (at least those who appreciate a beautifully crafted movie musical), we remain obsessed with “Wicked.”  As elder millennials whose day jobs require challenging patriarchal norms around reproductive health, we were excited to see a Hollywood reframe on feminine heroism and the internalized misogyny we grew up on, especially through […]

Ritika Shroff had the typical Gen Z experience with social media. At 13, she signed up for Instagram, then Snapchat. Later, she downloaded TikTok and worked her way through other popular platforms. But in high school, she began to see downsides, feeling pressure when comparing her number of followers, test scores and experiences with those […]

The average caller would never know, but dialing 911 during an emergency isn’t possible in several Missouri counties. While the call will go through, in parts of southeast Missouri, the number is instead rerouted to a traditional 10-digit landline. But that won’t be the case for long. Thanks to federal funds, 911 dispatchers and call […]

In a packed hearing room a few blocks from the Missouri Capitol on Thursday, Ameren electric customers asked utility reps why they should be asked to pay another $17.45 per month, on average, for power. At times they were emotional when addressing members of the Missouri Public Service Commission, which oversees utilities, including Ameren. Lindsey […]

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s pick to lead the U.S. Department of Agriculture said during her confirmation hearing Thursday that she has “a lot to learn” about highly pathogenic avian influenza or bird flu, the virus that’s wreaking havoc on the country’s poultry industry and dairy farms. The outbreak has affected more than 136 million […]

The Missouri state budget will be tighter in coming years as the state finishes spending federal aid distributed for recovery from the COVID pandemic, but Gov. Mike Kehoe said Thursday he remains committed to his promise to end the state income tax. Speaking to editors and publishers attending the Missouri Press Association Day at the […]

WASHINGTON — U.S. Senate Democrats on Thursday blasted Russ Vought, President Donald Trump’s nominee to again lead the U.S. Office of Management and Budget, over his involvement in Project 2025 and called on their colleagues to reject his nomination. Vought wrote the chapter on the executive office of the president in the Heritage Foundation’s nearly 900-page conservative […]

WASHINGTON — U.S. Senate Republicans on Thursday advanced the nomination of veteran and onetime Fox News host Pete Hegseth to lead the nation’s military, despite numerous allegations of alcohol abuse and sexual misconduct, and his history of disparaging women in the armed forces. Senators in a 51-49 procedural vote along party lines agreed to begin […]

WASHINGTON — Falling in line with President Donald Trump’s executive order to end birthright citizenship, House Republicans on Thursday unveiled legislation that would amend federal immigration law to narrow the scope of citizenship, although the right is enshrined in the U.S. Constitution. Trump’s Monday executive order has already faced staunch legal challenges from Democratic state attorneys general […]

Bayer pleaded with Missouri lawmakers Thursday to pass legislation critics say would shield the company from lawsuits claiming its glyphosate-based herbicide Roundup causes cancer. Representatives for Bayer argue the legislation would clarify labeling requirements and prevent courts from creating a patchwork of obligations for the manufacturer.  But environmental groups and attorneys for Roundup users who […]

NEW MADRID — The town of New Madrid seems obsessed with the fault lines that loom under its surface. Signs with the slogan “It’s Our Fault” line the road into town, past the cotton fields and defunct factories that were once reliable employers. The local businesses, the ones that still exist, aren’t shy about referencing […]

Legislation that would ban Missouri from seizing the Social Security benefits of foster children was debated Wednesday in a House committee hearing.

Missouri officials are warning the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency of a “high likelihood” there is radioactive contamination in a smoldering landfill outside St. Louis. In a letter last week, the Missouri Department of Natural Resources asked that the EPA assume oversight of the Bridgeton Landfill, arguing it may contain nuclear waste like the adjacent West […]

Arguably the biggest opponent of unregulated intoxicating hemp products said it’s willing to concede to allowing hemp-THC drinks to continue to be sold in grocery and liquor stores. “We are working through and very excited about the possibility of developing a carve out for low-THC hemp drinks,” said Tom Robbins, a lobbyist for the Missouri […]

WASHINGTON — U.S. Senate Democrats blocked legislation Wednesday that would have established penalties for health care professionals who don’t provide medical care for infants born following an attempted abortion, arguing the bill would have kept parents from making decisions about care for newborns delivered early following a fatal fetal diagnosis. Republicans said the issue should […]

With billions of dollars at stake, a legislative battle in Missouri over payments for prescription drugs kicked off again Wednesday between pharmacies, health care providers and insurance companies. For those unfamiliar with the conflict, terms like white bagging, brown bagging, 340B and biosimilarity can make the debate impossible to fathom. But each of those phrases, […]

WASHINGTON — New allegations of alcohol abuse and misconduct by defense secretary nominee Pete Hegseth drew fresh scrutiny Wednesday about the veteran, former Fox News host and author who President Donald Trump wants to install at the top of the U.S. military. New revelations in a sworn affidavit from Hegseth’s ex-sister-in-law accuse Hegseth of causing […]

WASHINGTON — All federal employees in diversity, equity and inclusion positions are ordered to be placed on paid administrative leave by the close of business Wednesday, according to a memo from the U.S. Office of Personnel Management. The move came as President Donald Trump spent the early days of his second term issuing executive orders […]