A bill that went into effect over the weekend makes the first reforms to Missouri’s HIV criminalization laws since they were passed in the 1980s. Among other measures related to prosecutors and police, the bill requires prosecutors to prove someone knowingly exposed someone who contracted HIV before getting a felony conviction and reduces the minimum sentence […]
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Missouri ICUs filling as Delta variant wave moves into northeast, southeast regions
(Missouri Independent) – New cases from the Delta variant wave that has killed more than 1,150 Missourians since June 1 have plateaued, but hospital ICUs continue to fill — and small, rural hospitals are among the hardest hit. There were 690 patients in ICU beds across the state on Tuesday, the most recent day reported by the state Department of Health […]
Chautauqua on the square returns for 2021 run in Gallatin
Chautauqua on the Gallatin Square is back this year after not being held in 2020. The event is scheduled for September 17th and 18th. The Caldwell Family Band will perform that Friday evening at 6 o’clock. Spokesperson Kelle Lawson says Fievel Goes West will be shown on the lawn at 8 o’clock. Saturday’s activities will […]
Schools to continue mask rules despite legal challenge from Missouri Attorney General
(Missouri Independent) – The schools in Gov. Mike Parson’s hometown will continue to require students, teachers, and staff to wear masks indoors despite a lawsuit filed by the Missouri attorney general challenging public school mask mandates across the state. The Bolivar R-1 Board of Education in Polk County voted in a special meeting this month to […]
Missouri and Texas Attorney Generals prevail at Supreme Court in “Remain in Mexico” Case
Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt and the Texas Attorney General’s Office have prevailed over the Biden Administration for a 3rd time in their lawsuit over the “Remain in Mexico” policy as the Supreme Court ruled in favor of Missouri and Texas in a 6-3 denial of the Department of Justice’s appeal for an emergency stay. […]
Audio: White House responds to Missouri Attorney General’s lawsuit vs. Mask Mandates
The Missouri Attorney General’s lawsuit against mask mandates, in any school district, got the attention of the White House Tuesday. Schmitt says a mandate “flies in the face of science, especially given children’s low risk of severe illness and death and their low risk of transmission. White House spokesperson Jen Psaki said in a press […]
Children’s Mercy Hospital doctor responds to Missouri Attorney General’s lawsuit banning mask mandates in schools
A children’s hospital doctor is responding to the Missouri Attorney General’s lawsuit that aims to ban schools from requiring students and staff to wear masks. Dr. Jennifer Watts of Children’s Mercy Hospital in Kansas City says the hospital is strongly advocating to keep children in school. Attorney General Eric Schmitt is suing Columbia […]
Missouri Attorney General files class action lawsuit against school districts forcing masks on kids
Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt today filed a class-action lawsuit against school districts forcing a mask mandate on schoolchildren and teachers. The lawsuit, which is a reverse class action that was filed earlier this morning, names Columbia Public Schools, the Board of Education for the School District of Columbia and their board members, and the […]
New Missouri “to-go” alcohol sales law takes effect August 28
The waiver that allowed Missouri restaurants to sell “to-go” alcoholic drinks beginning on April 14, 2020, in response to the coronavirus pandemic, will become permanent when Senate Bill 126 takes effect on August 28, 2021. The administrative waiver was granted because many restaurants were severely strained as business dropped off or shifted to take out […]
Missouri Attorney General joins 20 state coalition fighting unlawful rewrite of federal gun laws
Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt joined a 20-state coalition led by West Virginia and Arizona in arguing against the Biden administration’s proposed regulation of firearm parts. In addition to joining the coalition’s comment letter, the Missouri Attorney General’s Office filed a separate, but similar, comment letter. The coalition’s comment letter can be found at this […]
Missouri Attorney General files suit against Jackson County over mask mandate
Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt announced that he has filed suit against Jackson County for enforcing an unlawful, arbitrary, and capricious mask mandate. The suit names Jackson County Executive Frank White, the Jackson County Health Department, and other defendants. “Jackson County’s mask mandate is yet another attempt by government officials to obtain, aggregate, and maintain […]
Missouri Attorney General obtains preliminary injunction against mask mandate in St. Louis County
The Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt won another favorable ruling in his lawsuit against St. Louis County. The circuit court entered a preliminary injunction against the County, preventing them from enforcing the mask mandate in St. Louis County. “The people prevailed yet again against County Executive Page and his health department for attempting to impose […]
Second annual report published by Missouri’s Medical Marijuana program
The Department of Health and Senior Services has published its second annual report of the Missouri Medical Marijuana Regulatory Program. DHSS is required to annually submit a report to the Governor regarding the efficient discharge of its responsibilities under Article XIV Section 1 of the Missouri Constitution. Reported activities are based on the program year […]
Department of Justice asks court to block Missouri’s ‘Second Amendment Preservation Act’
(Missouri Independent) – A Missouri law prohibiting state and local police from enforcing certain federal gun laws has already undermined drug and weapons investigations, the U.S. Department of Justice argued in documents filed Wednesday in Cole County Circuit Court. As part of an ongoing lawsuit set for a hearing Thursday afternoon, the Justice Department is asking Cole […]
Highway Patrol provides a summary of new laws related to public safety, transportation, watercraft, & protection of children
The abbreviated descriptions below are intended to make the public aware of some of the new legislation enacted by the Missouri General Assembly, which is related to crime and motor vehicles. The listed legislation has been signed into law. Unless otherwise noted, these laws will go into effect on August 28, 2021. SB 26 PROVISIONS […]
Law enforcement to participate in “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” campaign, August 20 through Labor Day
As the 100 Deadliest Days of Summer come to an end, highway safety officials are encouraging drivers not to let down their guard. Highway fatalities continue to be on the rise with a focus on four risky behaviors: not wearing a seat belt, cellphone use while driving, excessive speeds, and driving under the influence of […]
U.S. House Democrats unveil new voting rights bill named for John Lewis
(Missouri Independent) – At the base of the bridge in Selma, Ala., where the late U.S. Rep. John Lewis of Georgia almost died while marching for civil rights, congressional Democrats announced Tuesday the introduction of legislation that aims to protect voting rights across the country. Rep. Terri Sewell, an Alabama Democrat, unveiled what will be […]
New report finds voting laws hamper access to ballot box in Missouri
A new report finds Missouri lags behind many other states in voting access. The Campaign Legal Center graded states on whether they have 10 key voting practices, from no-excuse absentee voting to online tracking of mail-in ballots and ballot drop boxes. Missouri received a score of four out of 10. Denise Lieberman, director of the […]
Woman from Hamilton falls asleep on I-435 and crashes in Clay County
Vehicles driven by Residents of Hamilton and Kansas City were involved in an accident on Interstate 435 in Clay County after the Hamilton resident fell asleep. Neither driver was reported hurt, but a passenger was injured. Fifty-three-year-old Renee Lawson of Kansas City was taken to North Kansas City Hospital with minor injuries. She was a […]
Missouri Attorney General scores massive win in “Remain in Mexico” lawsuit
Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt announced that his office, along with the Texas Attorney General’s Office have prevailed in their lawsuit against the Biden Administration over President Biden’s cancellation of the Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP), or “Remain in Mexico” policy. A federal court in northern Texas, where the case was filed, issued a nationwide permanent […]