Missouri’s snarled property tax system needs to be fixed or the courts will — again — step in, the vice chairman of the Missouri House Special Interim Committee on Property Tax Reform warned Wednesday. State Rep. Rodger Reedy, a Republican from Windsor, said he was just 20 years old and a newly appointed deputy assessor […]
WASHINGTON — Republican members of the U.S. Senate called on Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vought in a letter Wednesday to release the $6.8 billion in funds for K-12 schools that the Trump administration is withholding. The letter marked a major friction point between President Donald Trump and influential lawmakers in his own party as […]
WASHINGTON — U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy urged patience Wednesday from Democratic and Republican members of the U.S. House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee who asked about a backlog of approved grants the department has yet to pay out to state and local governments. Duffy, in his first appearance before the panel, said former President Joe […]
A ruling earlier this month that allowed abortions to resume in Missouri should be set aside because the laws and rules it blocks are important safeguards for women’s health, Attorney General Andrew Bailey’s office said in a filing last week to the Missouri Supreme Court. The document asks the high court to suspend Jackson County […]
Travel costs for abortions and delays in care have increased in the wake of state abortion bans, according to a new study published in the American Journal of Public Health. Researchers from the University of California, San Francisco surveyed more than 800 people across 14 states that implemented bans on abortion after the U.S. Supreme […]
Agencies in at least 28 states and the District of Columbia have issued guidance on the use of artificial intelligence in K-12 schools. More than half of the states have created school policies to define artificial intelligence, develop best practices for using AI systems and more, according to a report from AI for Education, an […]
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Senate on Wednesday began debating changes to a bill that will cancel $9 billion in previously approved spending on public broadcasting and foreign aid — but with a deal for grants to some Native American radio stations that may help offset cuts to public media. The vote-a-rama, which could extend overnight, […]
WASHINGTON — Former top immigration officials from the Biden administration warned Tuesday that billions for immigration enforcement signed into law earlier this month will escalate the rapid detention and deportations of immigrants. During a virtual press conference with the immigration advocacy group America’s Voice, the former Department of Homeland Security officials said they expect to […]
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Senate on Tuesday night moved one step closer to canceling $9 billion in previously approved funding for several foreign aid programs and public broadcasting after GOP leaders addressed some objections. Nearly all the chamber’s Republicans voted to begin debate on the bill, though Maine’s Susan Collins, Kentucky’s Mitch McConnell and Alaska’s […]
Jackson County Executive Frank White Jr. has proposed a new path forward for the Chiefs to remain at Arrowhead Stadium. In a letter sent to Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe on July 8, obtained through a Sunshine Law request by The Beacon, White suggested renewing the same three-eighths-cent sales tax that failed last year — but […]
A Kansas City company is illegally marketing pills that have opioid-like effects and could face possible action, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration wrote in a warning letter sent Tuesday. Shaman Botanicals LLC is a leading supplier of a substance called 7-OH being sold in pill form and as an ingredient in drinks. The name, […]
Missouri State Treasurer Vivek Malek improperly deposited almost $35 million in interest on a fund for improving Interstate 70 instead of putting it in the general revenue fund, State Auditor Scott Fitzpatrick said in a report issued Tuesday. The audit said that the interest, although earned on the road improvement funds, should have gone into […]
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Education has emerged as central in the struggle over control of the power of the purse in the nation’s capital. Democrats in Congress are pushing back hard on the Trump administration’s freeze of $6.8 billion in funds for after-school programs and more at public schools, some of which open […]
A little more than two weeks after telling a state Senate committee they have “never been close” to an agreement, Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield and University of Missouri Health Care have restored a network arrangement suspended since April 1. The failure to reach an agreement before the previous contract expired left about 90,000 […]
Elon Musk’s announcement that he plans to form a new political party came easily, with the billionaire simply posting his intentions on his social media platform, X. Now comes the hard part. If the world’s richest man seriously pursues his goal of standing up what he calls the America Party, Musk will have to navigate […]
An effort is being co-led by Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel to urge passage of legislation that seeks to generally prohibit federal immigration agents from wearing masks to conceal their identity and requiring them to show their identification and agency-identifying insignia. The coalition of 21 attorneys general sent a letter Tuesday to members of Congress, […]
The Trump administration must allow refugees to enter the United States from countries covered by the president’s travel ban, a federal judge in Seattle ruled Monday. U.S. District Court Judge Jamal Whitehead’s decision opens the door for around 80 refugees to immediately arrive from countries whose citizens are banned from traveling here. Whitehead also ruled […]
For nearly a month, hundreds of thousands of Iowans have not been allowed to water their lawns — even though there’s no drought. Local authorities previously asked the public to refrain from washing cars and filling pools. And some cities turned off splash pads in the height of summer heat. While such measures are common […]
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday allowed the Trump administration, for now, to proceed with mass layoffs and a plan to dramatically downsize the Education Department ordered earlier this year. The decision from the nation’s highest court marks a major victory for President Donald Trump, who has sought to overhaul the federal role in […]
Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe signed a bill Monday that would establish a fund to pay for hyperbaric oxygen therapy for veterans with a traumatic brain injury and facing post-traumatic stress disorder to help prevent suicide and opioid addiction. This spring, the legislation received overwhelming support from state lawmakers, passing with a 33-0 vote in the […]
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