(Missouri Independent) – Missouri Gov. Mike Parson’s budget vetoes weren’t necessary to protect state finances and could lead to overrides when lawmakers meet in September, Republican legislative budget leaders said Wednesday. While overrides, both for budget items and other legislation, became common when Democratic Gov. Jay Nixon was in office, a governor has only been overridden […]
(Missouri Independent) – States that have tried to enroll more Black and Hispanic students in universities without using race-based admissions policies have seen the numbers of those students slip — especially at elite institutions. Nine states had affirmative action bans before last week’s U.S. Supreme Court ruling striking it down nationwide. Those states and others […]
(Missouri Independent) – For two years, Missouri Gov. Mike Parson has pushed unsuccessfully to allow government agencies to withhold more information from the public and charge more for any records that are turned over. And according to a 2021 memo obtained by The Independent, one of the architects of Parson’s plan to weaken government transparency […]
Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey announced that the United States District Court for the Western District of Louisiana granted his motion to block top officials in the federal government from continuing to violate the First Amendment rights of millions of Americans. The judge’s ruling is 155 pages long and includes 721 footnotes. The judge had […]
A Missouri man who pleaded guilty in federal court is the final defendant convicted for his role in a conspiracy to distribute heroin in Greene County, Mo. James D. Elbert, 41, of Springfield, pleaded guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge David P. Rush to one count of conspiracy to distribute heroin. By pleading guilty, Elbert admitted […]
The Missouri State Highway Patrol reports the following 2023 July Fourth holiday statistics for the counting period of 6 p.m., Friday, June 30, through 11:59 p.m., Tuesday, July 4, 2023. Eight people died in traffic crashes and four people drowned over the long Independence Day weekend, according to preliminary statistics from the Missouri State Highway […]
(Missouri Independent) – A proposal to help working Missourians with disabilities access affordable health care is among the bills now awaiting action by Gov. Mike Parson. The legislature this year approved a pair of bills that include tweaks to eligibility for the Ticket to Work Health Assurance Program, which provides health insurance through Medicaid to […]
The resounding theme of the 2023 Annie E. Casey Foundation’s Kids Count Data Book is childcare shortages and unaffordability. In Missouri, the number of childcare deserts increased by more than 100% from pre-pandemic days to the summer of 2020. The Casey Report showed the average annual cost of center-based toddler care in the state of $8,900 consumes around 22% […]
Governor Parson announced four appointments to various boards and commissions and filled three county office vacancies. Marcy Anderson, of Holden, was appointed as the Johnson County Circuit Clerk. Ms. Anderson has served in the Johnson County Circuit Clerks Office since 1996 and as Chief Supervisor of the office since 2016. She is a certified notary and a […]
Watkins Mill State Park will host a presentation on Missouri’s involvement in the legislation leading up to the Civil War from 2 to 3 p.m. Saturday, July 8. Missouri’s application for statehood and admission to the Union placed Missourians at a confluence of political, racial, and social issues that eventually tore the nation apart. In […]
As the federal public health emergency comes to an end, approximately 26,000 Missourians who receive food assistance will once again have to meet work requirements to continue receiving benefits. Failure to submit the necessary paperwork could result in the loss of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, commonly known as food stamps, starting in October. […]
Nine home renovation companies in Springfield, Missouri, have agreed to pay over $30,000 collectively in penalties to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to resolve alleged violations of the federal Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). According to EPA, the following companies failed to comply with regulations intended to reduce the hazards of lead-based paint exposure during […]
More student loan borrowers could fall victim to loan-forgiveness scams once their repayment plans resume this fall, consumer groups say. The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision blocking the student debt relief plan by the Biden administration could be seen as an opportunity for scammers. Judy Dollison, president of the Better Business Bureau of Central Ohio, said scammers […]
As online shopping continues to grow in popularity, the apparel industry faces a unique challenge: ensuring that clothes purchased online fit correctly. To address this concern, the industry has introduced virtual try-on sessions, allowing consumers to create avatars based on their photos or measurements. Although some consumers, particularly young people, express significant concerns about the […]
(Missouri Independent) – At the center of the U.S. Supreme Court decision striking down Joe Biden’s student loan forgiveness program on Friday was a little-known Missouri nonprofit that goes by MOHELA. Based in St. Louis, the Missouri Higher Education Loan Authority is a quasi-governmental entity created by state lawmakers in 1981 to service student loans. And when […]
(Missouri Independent) – From the $8,000 set aside so the Lone Jack Police Department could buy rifles to $46 million for an allied health building at St. Louis Community College, Gov. Mike Parson’s veto ax fell heavily on earmarked spending as he finished work on the coming year’s Missouri budget. Parson announced his actions late Friday on […]
Found in abandoned safety deposit boxes, vintage baseball cards. A 17th-Century Bible. A Civil War soldier’s journal. Gold coins, sparkling jewelry and lots of cash money. Some of these valuables may belong to you. All of these items and much more were discovered inside safe deposit boxes presumed abandoned because the financial institutions holding them […]
Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey announced that his office has obtained two major court victories in defense of Missouri’s unborn children. First, his office obtained a preliminary injunction against the City of St. Louis preventing them from providing taxpayer dollars to fund abortion organizations. Further, the Court granted his motion to dismiss ten of the […]
Missouri State Auditor Scott Fitzpatrick released an audit of Howell County, located in southern Missouri. The county received a rating of “good” despite the audit identifying some concerns with the county’s financial practices. The regularly-scheduled audit found the former County Collector improperly withheld and personally retained commissions on surtax and railroad and utility taxes collected for […]
A U.S. Army staff sergeant stationed at the Fort Leonard Wood military base has been indicted by a federal grand jury for killing a two-year-old child. Kevin Long, 40, was charged in a two-count indictment returned under seal by a federal grand jury in Springfield on Tuesday, June 27. That indictment was unsealed and made […]
