a Better Bubbleā„¢

MoInd šŸ“°

Election officials blast Trumpā€™s ā€˜retreatā€™ from protecting voting against foreign threats

1 month ago
The Trump administration has begun dismantling the nationā€™s defenses against foreign interference in voting, a sweeping retreat that has alarmed state and local election officials. The administration is shuttering the FBIā€™s Foreign Influence Task Force and last week cut more than 100 positions at the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. President Donald Trump signed […]
Matt Vasilogambros

Developmentally disabled Missourians suffer abuse, death in stateā€™s dysfunctional system

1 month ago
This story was commissioned by the River City Journalism Fund. After Ronald Scheer was found suffocated to death by the straps of his own wheelchair, an autopsy determined his cause of death was ā€œhanging.ā€ Scheer, a man with developmental disabilities and mobility issues who used a wheelchair, was living at the state-run St. Louis Developmental […]
William Skipworth

Fellow Missourians: Are you getting what you voted for?

1 month ago
The governor and the Missouri legislature have been in session for over six weeks, and many of their policy proposals and priorities are beginning to take center stage. Now is the time to become engaged and remain vigilant. Are their priorities the same as yours? Are you pleased with their actions so far? If not, […]
Janice Ellis

Missouri lawmakers renew efforts to address low coroner pay, training

1 month 1 week ago
Coroners are crucial to their counties, but low pay keeps many potential candidates away. ā€œA lot of people realize that we need a higher level of education, a higher level of standards for the office of the coroner,ā€ Dent County Coroner Ben Pursifull said. ā€œThe problem is youā€™re not going to get a great influx […]
Mary McCue Bell

Missouri AG seeks to join class-action lawsuit against Tyson Foods

1 month 1 week ago
Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey filed a motion to intervene in a class-action lawsuit against Tyson Foods on Tuesday. If granted, Baileyā€™s involvement will allow him access to confidential documents currently being withheld by Tyson Foods and key depositions taken by the prosecuting attorneys. Bailey aims to join the suit through permissive intervention, which will […]
Egan Ward

Unlawful predatory practices must be rooted out of Missouri microbusiness program, regulator says

1 month 1 week ago
Missouriā€™s microbusiness cannabis program will never get off the ground if regulators are consistently forced to revoke licenses over concerns about unlawful predatory practices, the head of the stateā€™s marijuana division said Wednesday at a town hall meeting. Thatā€™s why new rules must be put in place to root out these practices and ensure the […]
Rebecca Rivas

Egg prices have soared, but federal controls kept milk prices steady ā€” at farmersā€™ expense

1 month 1 week ago
Americaā€™s dairy industry is being ravaged by bird flu, leading to a significant decline in milk production in many states, including California, the nationā€™s largest dairy-producing state that hit a 20-year low in 2024. But unlike eggs, which spiked in price due to the bird fluā€™s impact on poultry flocks, consumers arenā€™t likely to see […]
John McCracken

Missouri hospital mergers come with one inevitable: Bigger executive paychecks

1 month 1 week ago
Bigger bonuses, higher executive salaries and a few eye-popping retirement payouts. Thatā€™s how St. Lukeā€™s Health System closed the books on its final year as a nonprofit independent hospital chain, according to recent tax filings. The $2.5 billion hospital system, which merged with St. Louis-based nonprofit BJC Healthcare at the start of 2024, paid one-third […]
Suzanne King

Delta Extraction loses appeal of its revoked license following Missouri cannabis recall

1 month 1 week ago
The company at the center of a massive cannabis product recall in 2023 lost its appeal to get its license back on Tuesday, with Missouri’s administrative hearing commission concluding it had a “corporate culture of lax compliance with regulatory requirements.ā€ The scathing 137-page ruling, issued by Commissioner Carole Iles, comes almost a year after a […]
Rebecca Rivas

New paid sick leave requirement targeted by Missouri Republicans

1 month 1 week ago
Worries that ā€œslackersā€ may take advantage of Missouriā€™s new law requiring most employers to give workers paid sick leave isnā€™t a good enough reason to repeal it, a Democratic lawmaker said Wednesday. In November, voters overwhelmingly approved an initiative petition called Proposition A that requires employers with business receipts greater than $500,000 a year to […]
Rudi Keller

Missouri has lost regulatory authority over its gas pipelines

1 month 1 week ago
In January, the federal government took over regulating Missouriā€™s more than 1.5 million miles of natural gas pipelines. The pipelines had been regulated by the state, but the federal government said the fines for violations were too low and not in line with federal requirements. If a gas company is violating safety standards, federal regulators […]
Jana Rose Schleis

Plan to shift from income tax to sales tax advances to Missouri Senate

1 month 1 week ago
A plan to make Missouri dependent on sales tax for general revenue by eliminating the income tax is heading to the state Senate for debate after a party-line committee vote on Wednesday. Two proposals ā€” one to immediately end the state individual income tax and depend on sales tax for revenue, and another a proposed […]
Rudi Keller

Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe orders ban on DEI initiatives in state agencies

1 month 1 week ago
Gov. Mike Kehoe signed an executive order Tuesday directing all Missouri state agencies to eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. The order bans agencies from using state funding for diversity training initiatives and from incorporating DEI into hiring and contracting practices. ā€œOur state agencies must operate under a framework that ensures fairness, equal opportunity, and […]
Shane LaGesse

Real public safety in Missouri is about more than just creating longer prison sentences

1 month 1 week ago
The Missouri General Assembly is at a crossroads this legislative session as their constituents demand they do something, almost anything, to put a stop to violent crime. Itā€™s no secret that MissouriĀ ranksĀ in the top 10 states in the U.S. for both violent crime and property crime, and several Missouri communitiesĀ leadĀ the nation with high crime rates. […]
Rachel Wright