The $20,000 salary increase for wildland firefighters in the 2021 infrastructure law could be coming to an end next week if Congress doesn’t act. The infrastructure law included $600 million to boost salaries for the nearly 11,200 wildland firefighters for two years, giving the Interior Department or Forest Service employees a raise of either $20,000 […]
The Missouri Conservation Department received confirmation Wednesday morning of something it feared — three dead snow geese found by state wildlife refuge staff were likely infected with bird flu. Samples from the birds — two recovered in Henry County and one in Vernon County — were reported as “non-negative” for avian influenza after testing at […]
WASHINGTON — U.S. Capitol Police Chief Thomas Manger testified Wednesday that more than 700 threats against members of Congress were made during the last month alone, with at least 50 cases of people making false 911 calls in an attempt to get police teams to respond to lawmakers’ homes, often called “swatting.” Manger, who took […]
Missouri is heading toward its first fiscal year with declining revenue in more than a decade — and the first in living memory during a growing economy — according to the latest estimate of state tax revenue. General revenue for the fiscal year that ends June 30 will total $13.35 billion, a decrease of about […]
A Cole County judge on Wednesday dismissed a whistleblower lawsuit against the Missouri House and its Republican leader alleging harassment and intimidation of a top staffer. The lawsuit was filed in May by House Chief Clerk Dana Miller accusing outgoing House Speaker Dean Plocher and his former chief of staff, Rod Jetton, of retaliating against […]
WASHINGTON — Jose Cabrera took off work from his landscaping job to join three Latino Democratic senators for a Wednesday press conference urging the Biden administration to renew protected statuses, like his, before the return of President-elect Donald Trump to the White House. Cabrera, of Montgomery County, Maryland, has lived in the U.S. for more than […]
Six Republicans in the Missouri Senate want to start the debate over whether to eliminate the state income tax with a move to a 4% flat tax. Among the bills filed in advance of the 2025 legislative session are identical proposals to move to a flat tax that also include provisions that would slowly reduce […]
Between the whooshing of freezing winds and the sounds of passing highway traffic Tuesday morning, a ribbon-cutting ceremony marked the completion of the new eastbound Rocheport Bridge. The event was purely ceremonial because the bridge still needs some finishing touches, like road stripes, before it is complete and ready to accommodate traffic by the end […]
A North Dakota federal judge’s ruling will temporarily keep undocumented immigrants in 19 states from getting federally subsidized health insurance. U.S. District Court Judge Dan Traynor on Monday granted a request from a coalition of Republican attorneys general to suspend a new federal rule from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services allowing immigrants […]
This story mentions suicide. If you or a loved one are suffering from thoughts of self-harm, dial 988 or visit 988lifeline.org to live chat with a mental health professional. WASHINGTON — House Democrats will face a tough vote this week on the final compromise annual defense bill that includes pay raises for troops but also […]
WASHINGTON — An effort to pass a sweeping measure aimed at protecting press freedoms was struck down in the U.S. Senate on Tuesday night. The journalism shield law — which would limit the federal government’s ability to force disclosure of journalists’ sources — drew strong objections from President-elect Donald Trump, who’s had a rather rocky relationship […]
For the past few years, the U.S. military has had difficulty filling its ranks. Due to recruiting challenges, the Army is now the smallest it has been since 1940. For those interested in joining the military, all are required to take the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB), which is a standardized test that helps […]
For Kansas City residents living on the street, the prospect of escaping subfreezing temperatures hinges on the availability of a shelter bed. When temperatures drop to 32 degrees, the human body is at risk of hypothermia. Frostbite can set in within 30 minutes without proper protection when air temperatures fall below 5 degrees and in […]
In May, the Centers for Disease Control recommended that state public health departments, veterinarians and epidemiologists provide personal protective equipment, or PPE, for workers in direct contact with animals and their fluids, such as raw milk, that could be exposed to bird flu. As of early December, almost 60 people have been infected with the […]
The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday appeared generally willing to strike a blow against a key federal environmental law in a case brought by Coloradans against a controversial Utah oil-train project — but they struggled to reach a consensus on exactly how to define the new limits they might impose on the law. Petitioners in the […]
A major U.S. Supreme Court decision this summer was hailed as a conservative court’s broadside against a Democratic administration, giving red states more backing to delay or overturn policies they don’t like, such as transgender protections and clean energy goals. But the ruling in the Loper Bright case, which granted courts more power to scrutinize […]
Katie Burnham Wilkins was in labor with her daughter the day the World Health Organization declared the coronavirus outbreak a global pandemic. It was March 2020. Shortly after her daughter was born, Burnham Wilkins and her husband were given tips and tricks for breastfeeding, then quickly ushered back to their home in Columbia to navigate […]
WASHINGTON — President-elect Donald Trump vowed to sign an executive order on his first day in office to end the constitutional right to U.S. citizenship for anyone born in the country, during an extensive Sunday interview on NBC’s “Meet the Press with Kristen Welker.” But Trump also admitted there would be legal hurdles to carrying […]
A Republican state representative thinks Missouri should follow the example set by the GOP nationally and allow people convicted of felonies to be candidates for office. State Rep. Michael Davis of Belton prefiled a bill for the 2025 legislative session that he has named the “Donald J. Trump Election Qualification Act.” The bill would repeal […]
WASHINGTON — President-elect Donald Trump wants to jail former and current members of Congress who investigated his incitement of the violent Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol, and he plans to pardon the rioters immediately upon taking office, he told NBC News Sunday. On the network’s “Meet the Press with Kristen Welker,” Trump […]
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