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White House to press forward with FDA nominee despite US Senate chairman’s concerns

2 weeks 5 days ago
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the Food and Drug Administration will face challenges securing Senate confirmation after the committee chairman in charge of that process expressed doubts.  That, however, hasn’t deterred White House officials from pressing for Dr. Heidi Overton, arguing she has the experience needed and that her policy goals align […]
Jennifer Shutt

Cities turn to AI to speed housing permitting

2 weeks 6 days ago
New housing projects can sometimes stall out as a developer applies to city or county planning boards and goes through cycles of inspections, reviews and approvals.  Now, cities are increasingly turning to artificial intelligence to address one of the most persistent sources of housing permitting delays: incomplete applications. And two new streams of federal money […]
Robbie Sequeira

Missouri prepares for final marijuana microbusiness lottery under tougher rules

2 weeks 6 days ago
Missouri received nearly 900 applications for its final round of marijuana microbusiness licenses, with the Missouri Lottery scheduled to draw applicants on Sept. 9 for 77 available licenses. But unlike the entrepreneurs selected in the program’s first two rounds, this year’s applicants will enter a system reshaped by two years of growing pains and dozens […]
Rebecca Rivas

Missouri must fix Medicaid’s paperwork problem before work requirements begin​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

2 weeks 6 days ago
More than 300,000 Missourians lost Medicaid coverage. Ninety-two percent of them weren’t found ineligible. They lost coverage because of paperwork. That number should shape how Missouri prepares for federal Medicaid work requirements, which take effect Jan. 1, 2027.  A proposal to write work requirements into the state constitution passed the Republican-led House this year but […]
Abby Ehrhardt

Judge rules against ballot slot for Missouri proposal to limit change to initiatives

2 weeks 6 days ago
A proposal to limit the legislature’s power to alter or repeal measures passed by initiative should not be on Missouri’s November ballot because it “impermissibly constricts” the legislative freedom to make new laws reflecting new views, a Cole County judge ruled Wednesday. The proposal, which would be Amendment 6 on the Nov. 3 ballot if […]
Rudi Keller

Federal judge halts proposed HHS changes to teen pregnancy prevention program

2 weeks 6 days ago
A federal judge in the District of Columbia issued an order Wednesday blocking U.S. Health and Human Services from implementing sweeping changes to grants under the Teen Pregnancy Prevention Program while a lawsuit proceeds, but dozens of existing grants that were canceled this summer will remain so for now, unless the administration chooses to reinstate […]
Kelcie Moseley-Morris

Appeals court upholds ban on immigration enforcement at some churches

2 weeks 6 days ago
A federal appeals court Tuesday upheld an injunction that bars Department of Homeland Security agents from conducting immigration enforcement “at or near” more than 1,400 houses of worship sprawling across 33 states and the District of Columbia. The ruling by a three-judge panel of the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a February 2025 […]
William J. Ford

Judge blocks referendum on gerrymandered Missouri redistricting plan

2 weeks 6 days ago
The Missouri Constitution’s provisions allowing a referendum on “any act” of the Legislature do not extend that power to laws establishing congressional districts, Cole County Circuit Judge Daniel Green ruled Wednesday afternoon. Delivering his decision just a few hours after conducting a trial in the case, Green wrote that to allow a referendum on redistricting, […]
Rudi Keller

Violent crime in US fell at record pace in 2025

3 weeks ago
Violent crime in the United States fell by an estimated 9.3% in 2025, marking the largest year-to-year decline in the national violent crime rate since the FBI began estimating crime in 1936, according to new national data. The estimated murder and nonnegligent manslaughter rate also fell 18.1%, to 4.1 killings per 100,000 people — tying […]
Amanda Watford

Missouri education board wary of $300 million school funding increase

3 weeks ago
Missouri education officials are preparing to ask lawmakers for roughly $300 million more for public schools next year, setting up a potentially difficult budget fight as the state faces a projected revenue shortfall. The numbers are yet to be finalized, but the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education’s preliminary report shows that recent changes to […]
Annelise Hanshaw

If we care about students, we must broaden Missouri’s teacher pipeline

3 weeks ago
Genis Tobias smiles as she kneels next to a young learner and watches him sign his message to a classmate. Just months ago, this learner relied almost entirely on repeating words and phrases he heard from others, a common experience for learners demonstrating what is known as echolalia. Now he is beginning to communicate independently, […]
Jeannine Butler

Trump’s ballroom ‘illegal’ without congressional approval, high court told

3 weeks ago
WASHINGTON — Historic preservationists asked the U.S. Supreme Court Tuesday to deny President Donald Trump’s appeal to continue construction on his $400 million White House ballroom on the grounds of the demolished East Wing. In response to Trump’s application to the high court, the National Trust for Historic Preservation argued irreparable harm would result if […]
Ashley Murray

Refugee admissions on track to hit record low

3 weeks ago
The number of refugees admitted to the United States during the first 10 months of the fiscal year is on pace to hit its lowest level on record, according to a new analysis. The new numbers reflect a steep decline in refugee admissions since President Donald Trump began his second term, according to a new […]
Shalina Chatlani

Mice may drive Lyme disease more than deer

3 weeks 1 day ago
For more than three decades, researchers have been tracking ticks, mice, oak trees and other wildlife in a New York forest to better understand what makes Lyme disease more likely to spread. Their latest findings challenge some long-held assumptions — including the idea that deer are a major driver of Lyme disease risk. Researchers at […]
Amanda Watford

Missouri Head Start providers weigh Trump administration changes

3 weeks 1 day ago
Missouri’s Head Start programs reach only about 13% of the infants and toddlers eligible for them. The Trump administration says part of the problem is the program’s rulebook in Missouri and nationwide. Federal officials want to eliminate more than 1,400 requirements governing Head Start, arguing that less money spent complying with Washington’s rules could help […]
Meg Cunningham

The influencing power of political labels, whether they are accurate or not

3 weeks 1 day ago
In the weeks and months ahead, as we approach the midterm elections, we will hear a lot of political labels used to frame, define, categorize and box in candidates and their affiliated political groups — positively and negatively. What label defines you? Are you a Democrat, Republican, independent, Libertarian, Green, progressive, socialist, liberal, conservative, leftist, […]
Janice Ellis

Parents are being held responsible for their kids' crimes under new laws

3 weeks 1 day ago
When young children and teenagers get into trouble, the question often comes quickly: Where were their parents? That question is again shaping public policy in communities across the country, as state and local lawmakers and prosecutors increasingly look for ways to respond to concerns about youth crime and public disorder. Some proposals would strengthen enforcement […]
Amanda Watford