There is a scene in the 2008 film “Doubt,” set in a 1964 Catholic grade school, where the priest told a story about a woman gossiping about a man she hardly knew — a situation Denton Loudermill Jr. understood when he was falsely accused in the 2024 shooting at the Kansas City Chiefs celebratory parade. […]
When Missourians vote next year on whether to outlaw most abortions, they will also decide whether the state constitution should include a ban on gender-affirming care for minors. Such a move — placing prohibitions on certain procedures for transgender children in the state’s constitution — would be unprecedented in the United States and likely impossible […]
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Senate returned to Capitol Hill on Tuesday following a four-day weekend, but neither Republicans nor Democrats appeared ready to work toward ending the government shutdown following another failed vote to advance a short-term funding bill. President Donald Trump and administration officials also didn’t seem inclined toward compromise anytime soon, if ever, […]
Abortion will remain available at Planned Parenthood clinics in Missouri, the Western District Court of Appeals ruled Tuesday, rejecting a request by the attorney general’s office to reinstate several restrictions on the procedure. Earlier this year, former-Attorney General Andrew Bailey accused Jackson County Judge Jerri Zhang of abusing her discretion when she issued a temporary […]
Growing up in a religious family, Florida Republican state Sen. Alexis Calatayud has seen how many church communities are no longer anchored to a single building in the way they used to be. Her small prayer groups take place over chats these days, not necessarily in person or sitting shoulder-to-shoulder in pews. With churches in […]
U.S. Senators have launched an inquiry into companies paid billions in taxpayer dollars to build eligibility systems for Medicaid, expressing concern that error-riddled technology and looming work requirements “will cause Americans to lose Medicaid coverage to this bureaucratic maze.” The letters, dated Oct. 10, were sent to four companies and follow a KFF Health News […]
In January 2026, proposed health insurance marketplace premiums in Missouri are among the steepest since about 2018, with some Kansas City–area filings seeking increases of up to 40%. But paying more won’t mean getting more. In Missouri, insurance doesn’t guarantee access. It often guarantees delays, denials and avoidable harm. Behind those higher costs are insurer […]
WASHINGTON — After just over two years in Hamas captivity, the surviving Israeli hostages were released Monday as President Donald Trump visited Israel and Egypt to celebrate a U.S.-brokered peace deal to end the war in Gaza. In remarks to Israel’s Knesset, the country’s parliamentary body, Monday afternoon Jerusalem time, Trump hailed “the golden age […]
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Agriculture is infusing $300 million into a key federal nutrition program to keep it running through October, while a government shutdown continues without an apparent end point. USDA’s Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children — known as WIC — has relied on short-term funds amid the […]
Lawmakers in at least 16 states this year introduced bills to regulate the use of automated license plate readers responsible for collecting large amounts of data on drivers across the country. But just three states — Arkansas, Idaho and Virginia — enacted laws this session that establish or amend rules for law enforcement agencies using […]
A man sentenced to be executed at 6 p.m. Tuesday who has insisted upon his innocence was on Monday denied clemency by Gov. Mike Kehoe and refused a delay of his execution by judges in the U.S. Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals. Attorneys for Lance Shockley, who was convicted in 2009 of the murder of […]
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration plans to send paychecks to active duty troops this week, despite Congress not passing legislation to allow it during the ongoing shutdown. House Speaker Mike Johnson, who has refused to bring the House back into session to pass a stand-alone bill to provide pay for troops, welcomed the action during […]
Originally presented as a less-harmful alternative to smoking cigarettes, electronic cigarettes and vapor products have transitioned from an aid for addiction to an addiction of their own. Vaping products were rolled out to help support a generation that grew up smoking. Over the years, however, younger generations have begun vaping without ever smoking in the […]
Community gardens, educational programs and breastfeeding rooms are all part of Missouri’s plan to take advantage of one-time federal funding for Head Start programs. Seven Missouri Head Start kitchens are set to receive nearly $2 million in grants from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services as part of the office’s efforts to promote […]
State funding of private-school vouchers is primarily being used for students attending religious institutions, with nearly 98% of funding going toward Catholic, Christian, Jewish and Islamic schools. This year, state lawmakers passed a budget that included a request from Gov. Mike Kehoe to supply the state-run K-12 scholarship program, MOScholars, with $50 million of general […]
No, I do not want to go collect signatures. My friend asks. I rack my brain for excuses. Walking up to strangers does not come naturally to me. My kids must have a soccer game or birthday party or something that conflicts. They do not. I have no excuse. I go. Once I get out […]
This report has been updated. WASHINGTON — The Trump administration announced Friday it had begun mass layoffs of federal employees, a step not taken during previous government shutdowns and one that could significantly reshape the size and scope of government. White House budget director Russ Vought posted on social media mid-day that Reductions in Force, […]
WASHINGTON — A slew of conservative groups will lead a new coalition to spur civics education and push the subject in a more patriotic direction, the U.S. Education Department announced last month, raising alarms for some traditional civics and education groups that were not included in the initiative. The America First Policy Institute, a think […]
A man who has insisted upon his innocence in the 2005 murder of a Missouri highway patrolman is scheduled to be executed next week, even though the jury that convicted him could not reach agreement on his death sentence. In most states, a deadlocked jury would have resulted in a life sentence. But Missouri is […]
The federal government shutdown is forcing a reckoning for two remote health care programs because they automatically expired Oct. 1. The telehealth and in-home hospital care programs were both temporary — but increasingly popular — options for Medicare recipients. They allowed doctors and hospitals to bill Medicare for telehealth appointments and in-home visits from nurses […]
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