Across the United States, state prison systems are grappling with chronic understaffing and overcrowding — dual crises that are keeping incarcerated people confined to their cells for far longer periods than in recent decades. Lockdowns are common in jails and prisons nationwide, but most usually last only a few hours or days. During lockdowns, access […]
WASHINGTON — Senate Republicans huddled behind closed doors Tuesday to plot the path forward for the unified control of government they won in the November elections, though GOP senators said afterward a very narrow House majority will likely determine how sweeping their policy proposals will be. Republicans are planning to use the complicated budget reconciliation […]
Farm income is forecasted to have decreased in 2024 by 4% from 2023, largely because of a decrease in cash receipts, or the gross income, from the sale of commodity crops, according to the December update of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s farm income forecast. Carrie Litkowski, the farm income team leader with USDA Economic Research […]
On the eve of a Wednesday hearing seeking to strike down most Missouri abortion restrictions, GOP lawmakers and anti-abortion activists assembled outside five Planned Parenthood clinics around the state to call on the courts to leave abortion regulations in place. At the same time, Republican lawmakers have begun filing some of their first pieces of […]
WASHINGTON — U.S. Senate Democrats in closed-door elections Tuesday selected leaders for their caucus, and elevated Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar to the No. 3 spot and New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker to No. 4. Klobuchar will replace retiring Michigan Democratic Sen. Debbie Stabenow as the chair of the influential Steering and Policy Committee. “I am someone […]
Missouri educators will no longer need a 3.0 grade-point average in their subject area to teach in public schools beginning in July, the State Board of Education unanimously voted Tuesday. The threshold to be qualified to teach in the state is now a 2.5 grade-point average in the teacher’s content area. The only exception will […]
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Education Department called on every state, school and district on Tuesday to adopt policies on cellphone use in schools. The department asks schools to have well-thought-out policies on the matter, but does not dictate exactly what those policies should be. An accompanying resource for schools notes the risk social media can […]
Flora Farms took more than 3,000 Zen-brand cannabis gummy products off the shelves last month, after state regulators received a complaint the food-coloring ingredient wasn’t listed on the label. The food coloring is not a banned ingredient, said Sami Jo Freeman, spokeswoman for the Division of Cannabis Regulation, and the Flora Farms manufacturing facility in […]
For the third year in a row, a package of tax credits designed to increase access to affordable child care and stabilize the industry is a top priority for state Rep. Brenda Shields. The legislation has been blocked in the state Senate for the last two years by members of the Freedom Caucus despite support […]
President-elect Donald Trump may have quieted his lies about widespread voter fraud after his win earlier this month, but the impact of his effort to cast doubt on the integrity of American elections lingers on. Although this post-election period has been markedly calmer than the aftermath of the 2020 presidential election, there were isolated flare-ups […]
On Tuesday evening, the state of Missouri is scheduled to once again require state workers to kill a human being. Christopher Collings would be the 101st person Missouri officials have executed since 1989. He was sentenced to death for the murder of 9-year-old Rowan Ford in Stella, a town in southwest Missouri. We mourn Rowan’s […]
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden’s decision to pardon his son from federal gun and tax crimes —and any other offenses over a nearly 11-year period — has drawn outrage from Republicans, while only a few Democrats have criticized the outgoing president for establishing a potential precedent for the incoming GOP administration. In a lengthy Sunday […]
WASHINGTON — Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer sent a letter to incoming Republican Leader John Thune on Monday urging him to move nominees through the traditional confirmation process, including committee hearings and floor votes. The letter is likely a response to President-elect Donald Trump urging Senate Republicans to recess the chamber for at least 10 […]
The Missouri Cannabis Trade Association describes David Brodsky as “instrumental in developing the Missouri microbusiness community” and a mentor to disadvantaged business owners. In his cannabis consulting work, Brodsky is part of a group that charges up to $4,000 to help eligible applicants enter the microbusiness lottery. It’s a program intended to help steer small-scale […]
Dr. Betsy Wickstrom understands where some of the voices opposed to abortion are coming from. She used to be one of them. The Kansas City OB-GYN specializing in high-risk pregnancies is a Republican and a Christian, but her more than three decades in maternal-fetal medicine have moved her away from the “pro-life” movement and into […]
Is it ignorance, amnesia, hypocrisy or some combination thereof that is fueling the dismantling of diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives? There is a growing and rallying cry to get rid of DEI programs and policies in both the public and private sectors. Why? The surge to turn the clock back has been inspired by the […]
The U.S. Census Bureau and a growing number of states are starting to gather more detailed information about Americans’ race and ethnicity, a change some advocates of the process say will allow people to choose identities that more closely reflect how they see themselves. Crunching and sorting through those specific details — known as data […]
Karen Uhlenhuth always has a few gallons of water in the back of her Prius and an eye toward the side of the road. When she sees one of the 80 or so saplings she recently planted looking thirsty, she’ll pull over and give it a drink. “The real test is the first summer,” she […]
WASHINGTON — President-elect Donald Trump said Tuesday he has selected a Stanford University professor of health policy and skeptic of COVID-19 precautions to run the National Institutes of Health, the sweeping federal agency tasked with solving many of the country’s biggest health challenges. Dr. Jay Bhattacharya will require Senate confirmation before taking over the role […]
WASHINGTON — Incoming White House budget director Russ Vought has spent much of his career learning the detailed, often convoluted mechanisms that make up the Office of Management and Budget. The agency, little known outside Washington, D.C., is relatively small compared to the rest of the federal government, but it acts like a nucleus for […]
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