Abortion Graphic

Abortion amendment puts bill to finance Missouri Medicaid program in limbo

(Missouri Independent) – Missouri Senate leadership pulled a bill vital for funding the state’s Medicaid program from floor debate Tuesday after adopting an amendment barring the use of public money for common contraceptive treatments. The amendment, sponsored by Republican Sen. Paul Wieland, could endanger the state’s entire Medicaid program by eliminating a health care service required by federal […]

Sad and lonely old senior woman sitting alone in living room, concept of lonely retirement or retirement home

Women’s wage gap correlates with retirement gender gap

This Wednesday is Women’s Equal Pay Day, the average date it would take a woman working full-time to earn what a man did in 2020. Most women earn less than men throughout their careers, which translates to less financial security in retirement.  According to the National Institute on Retirement Security, median household retirement incomes for women are […]

Candidates Forum

Audio: Candidates introduce themselves to begin our series on the Trenton Board of Education forum

Five of seven candidates for the Trenton R-9 Board of Education answered questions during a forum in the Trenton High School Commons on March 18th. Mindy Walker with the Missouri State Teachers Association moderated the event. Candidates first introduced themselves, explained why they were running for the two open positions, and shared their qualifications. Melissa […]

Power Outage

USDA invests $15 million to improve and modernize electric infrastructure in rural Missouri

U.S.Department of Agriculture Rural Development Missouri Acting State Director D Clark Thomas announced the agency is investing $15 million to build and improve electric infrastructure in Missouri through its Electric Loan Program. “For nearly 85 years—since the inception of the Rural Electrification Act of 1936—USDA has played a role in bringing electricity to rural areas,” […]

Teacher in front of class or educator or education or school

Audio: Missouri has been reviewing whether it can give teachers a retention bonus, there’s good news and bad news.

The Missouri K-12 Education Department has been reviewing whether federal coronavirus aid can be used to give teachers a bonus next school year if they stick around. The state already has a persistent teacher shortage and COVID-19 has made the problem even worse. During a Missouri Board of Education meeting, Deputy Finance Commissioner Kari Monsees […]

Unemployment Graphic

Missouri House committee votes to forgive federal unemployment debts

(Missouri Independent) – Thousands of Missourians facing repayment of mistakenly paid unemployment benefits would get some relief under legislation passed with a bipartisan vote Wednesday in a Missouri House committee. The bill, which will likely be debated on the House floor next week, would forgive debts due to overpayments from federal coronavirus relief programs but would not […]