Missouri voters will decide Nov. 5 if retirement funds for sheriffs and prosecutors should be supported with fees collected on court cases. A fee used to fund sheriffs’ pensions was put in place by state law in 1983. The Missouri General Assembly placed Amendment 6 on the ballot to reverse a 2021 Missouri Supreme Court […]
After nearly losing their farm and experiencing divorce, U.S. Navy veteran Ash Mae Stuckenschneider tried to take their own life. But despite their struggles with mental health, Stuckenschneider took a chance on life, by accepting a second call to service at the Veterans Urban Farm in Columbia. They say that decision changed their life. With […]
A U.S. Senate candidate seeking to create a new party to bridge political divisions on Thursday enlisted the state’s senior former officeholder to help put a spotlight on his campaign. Jared Young, a Joplin businessman who petitioned to form the Better Party, toured the state with former U.S. Sen. Jack Danforth, a Republican who was […]
WASHINGTON — Members of Congress left Capitol Hill last week to focus their attention on the campaign trail during the six weeks leading up to Election Day, leaving much of their work unfinished. The Republican House and Democratic Senate are scheduled to remain on recess until Nov. 12, though the urgent needs created in the […]
U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley’s failure as a legislator is most glaringly obvious in the demise of a bill providing coverage to Missourians exposed to radiation from nuclear weapons development, former U.S Sen. Jack Danforth said Thursday. Danforth gave his grade on Hawley’s legislative career during a Thursday tour of the state with Joplin businessman Jared […]
Former GOP Rep. Liz Cheney will campaign with Vice President Kamala Harris Thursday in Ripon, Wisconsin — the birthplace of the Republican Party. As Nov. 5 rapidly approaches, the Democratic presidential nominee continues to rack up support from prominent Republicans as she and former President Donald Trump, the GOP presidential nominee, battle it out for […]
While a large part of Missouri Gov. Mike Parson’s ban on intoxicating hemp products may be on pause, plans are underway to kick it back up next summer, according to a preliminary budget request by the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services. The department has asked for $877,000 to fund “food inspection and litigation […]
Missouri lawmakers will convene a special committee to study the consequences of nuclear weapons production in the St. Louis area and recommend legislation for next year, House Speaker Dean Plocher announced Thursday. In a press release, Plocher said the Special Interim Committee on the Impact of U.S. Nuclear Weapon Programs on Missouri will allow “policymakers, […]
In the months after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the constitutional right to an abortion, there was a spike in the number of women seeking sterilizations to prevent pregnancy, a recent study shows. Researchers saw a 3% increase in tubal sterilizations per month between July and December 2022 in states with abortion bans, according […]
WASHINGTON — U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan unsealed a lengthy and partly redacted motion Wednesday that charts special counsel Jack Smith’s final argument before November that former President Donald Trump acted in a private capacity when he co-conspired to overturn the 2020 election. Much of the motion concerns Trump’s interactions with individuals in Arizona, Georgia, […]
A Columbia woman charged with using multiple aliases to accuse restaurant competitors of criminal activity also used fake names for testimony to a Missouri House committee alleging a conspiracy to obtain liquor licenses for undocumented immigrants Crystal Umfress of Columbia, owner of Casa Maria’s Mexican Cantina, was already facing trial in a Dunklin County arson-for-hire […]
WASHINGTON — Former President Donald Trump said Tuesday that U.S. troops who suffered traumatic brain injuries after Iranian rocket fire in Iraq in 2020 only experienced a “headache,” dismissing the experiences of dozens of American soldiers who were later awarded the Purple Heart. Trump’s comments came after a reporter in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, asked whether he […]
The Missouri Supreme Court declined to force an investigation into donations to Attorney General Andrew Bailey connected to a witness in a case his office was handling. In a filing Tuesday evening, the judges denied a request from Lucas Cierpiot — son of state Sen. Mike Cierpiot — to require the disciplinary arm of the court […]
Missouri’s defense of a state law barring minors from beginning puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones will depend on whether the judge in the case puts stock in expert witnesses touting retracted studies and conspiracy theories about Jerry Sandusky. Wright County Circuit Court Judge Craig Carter, who is presiding over a lawsuit challenging Missouri’s gender-affirming care […]
Though food service workers and economists have long worried about the impact technology would have on the restaurant labor force, pilot programs in several fast-casual restaurants over the last few years have shown it may not have the negative impact they feared, a labor economist says. Technology plays several roles in food service, but the […]
Until they get in touch with him, organizer TJ James says, many people with a felony conviction have no idea that they have the right to vote. And it’s not for a lack of interest, said James, an organizer with the Metro Organization for Racial and Economic Equity, or MORE2. “I’ve had people that I […]
Nearly 8,000 seniors and Missourians with disabilities could lose their at-home care over the next year after a new eligibility algorithm went into effect this week, a spokesperson for the state health department told The Independent.
In the year after the U.S. Supreme Court dismantled the constitutional right to abortion in June 2022, more than 200 pregnant women faced criminal charges for conduct associated with their pregnancy, pregnancy loss or birth, according to a new report. The report was produced by Pregnancy Justice, a nonprofit that advocates for the rights of […]
Days after President Joe Biden announced he would not be seeking re-election, and endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris, polling organization Siena College Research Institute sought to learn how “persuadable” voters were feeling about Harris. In their survey, a 37-year-old Republican explained that they generally favored Trump for his ability to “get [things] done one way […]
WASHINGTON — Through 26 years as a legislator, U.S. Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer traveled back and forth from work to be with his family in St. Elizabeth. Luetkemeyer has another agenda for this fall’s election season rather than campaigning: spending time on a small family farm in the Ozark foothills. His seven grandchildren, aged from 2 to […]
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