(Missouri Independent) – The pathway to renewing provider taxes essential to funding Medicaid before Missouri lawmakers adjourn for the year became much narrower when issues raised by abortion opponents forced removal of the taxes from a health care bill. When a conference committee met to work out differences between the House and Senate on the bill, […]
This past year, the global pandemic forced many to cope with situations never before imagined, and many individuals struggled with mental health as a result. The good news is that there are tools and resources available to support the well-being of individuals and communities. The month of May is recognized as Mental Health Month. This […]
(Missouri Independence) – In Missouri, incarcerated women’s access to feminine hygiene products depends on where they’re housed. Some are forced to pay to buy tampons and pads to meet their needs, while others are provided with such low-quality products they end up having to make their own. A bipartisan coalition of lawmakers hopes to change that […]
A Missouri man pleaded guilty in federal court to the robberies (and attempted robberies) of five businesses. Joshua A. West, 28, Overland Park, Kansas, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Howard F. Sachs to five counts of robbery and two counts of brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a violent crime. By pleading guilty, West […]
(Missouri Independent) – After hours of fierce debate that spanned the course of two days, the Missouri House on Wednesday signed off on a prohibition on transgender students participating on the sports teams that match their gender identity. The provision, offered as an amendment by Rep. Chuck Basye, R-Rocheport, to House Bill 1141 was adopted by a vote […]
The Biden administration has taken the first steps in the regulatory process to eliminate the domestic gag rule, which forced more than 900 reproductive-health clinics nationwide to leave the Title X family-planning program and lose major amounts of funding. Rachel Fey, vice president for policy and strategic partnerships at the contraceptive-access advocacy group Power to Decide, said the […]
(Missouri Independent) – Help may be coming for Missouri homeowners behind on their mortgage payments because of COVID-19 income losses. The Senate Appropriations Committee on Monday added $150 million in federal mortgage assistance funds to the supplemental spending bill for the current fiscal year, one of several new sections using money from pandemic relief bills passed by Congress […]
Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) introduced the Bust Up Big Tech Act, new legislation to restore accountability and competition to Big Tech. Senator Hawley’s bill would break up Big Tech companies seeking to dominate multiple industries simultaneously, by banning companies like Amazon from marketing their own retail goods alongside those of other sellers or providing online hosting or cloud services to an ever-growing swath of the internet—including competitors. The […]
Jon Schaffer, 53, of Columbus, Indiana, admitted that he breached the Capitol on January 6, 2021, wearing a tactical vest and armed with bear repellent, and pleaded guilty to unlawfully entering the U.S. Capitol to obstruct Congress’ certification of the U.S. presidential election results. “On this 100th day since the horrific January 6 assault on […]
Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed suit against President Joe Biden, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Mayorkas, and several other members of President Biden’s administration to reinstate the Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP) enacted by President Trump and work toward combating migrant trafficking, securing the border, and ending the border […]
The following employees being recognized for their actions in 2020 by the Missouri State Highway Patrol. This year’s award ceremony will take place at 10 a.m. April 10, 2021, via Facebook Live. The video will become available when the event begins. Last year’s award ceremony was postponed due to the pandemic, so both the 2019 […]
U.S. Senators Roy Blunt (Mo.), Mazie K. Hirono (Hawaii), Susan Collins (Maine), Amy Klobuchar (Minn.), Lisa Murkowski (Alaska), and Tammy Duckworth (Ill.) announced that they have introduced the Adoptee Citizenship Act of 2021. The bipartisan bill would close a loophole in the Child Citizenship Act of 2000 (CCA), which has prevented internationally-adopted children, who are […]
In response to two proposed budget cuts to the Consumer Directed Services program, Access II Independent Living Center is mobilizing the community to fight back against these cuts. Access II is joining with other Centers for Independent Living in the state to denounce these cuts. The Consumer Directed Services program allows eligible individuals with disabilities […]
A Polo man accused of stealing a pickup truck and guns from a Polo residence faces three felony charges in Caldwell County. Sixty-year-old Mark Felt Anderson has been charged with stealing—motor vehicle/watercraft/aircraft and two counts of stealing—firearm/explosive weapon/ammonium nitrate. Bond was set at $30,000 cash only with a special condition for bond supervision by Supervision […]
It spring cleaning time and the month of April marks Missouri’s annual No MOre Trash! Bash coordinated by the Missouri Department of Transportation. During the annual statewide anti-litter event, volunteers are encouraged to clean up litter adjacent to highways to help beautify Missouri. The No MOre Trash! Bash is an annual outreach of MoDOT’s year-round […]
The Missouri Department of Mental Health, Division of Developmental Disabilities launched a partnership with StationMD to ensure that all 15,000 Missouri residents with disabilities who are on a Medicaid Waiver have 24/7 access to a doctor anytime they need it. After nine months of successful utilization of StationMD’s specialized telehealth service across the state, the […]
Advocates for family farms, rural neighborhoods, and the environment are asking Iowa lawmakers to find a more equitable balance between the interests of factory farms and of the communities they’re in. Research has shown higher levels of nitrates and phosphorus in the water, as well as air quality issues, in communities with nearby concentrated animal feeding […]
(Missouri Independent) – U.S. Rep. Debra Haaland made history on Monday when she became the first Native American to ever be confirmed by the U.S. Senate to hold a position in a president’s Cabinet. In a narrow 51-40 vote, senators confirmed Haaland, a New Mexico Democrat, to serve as secretary of the interior, where she […]
Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt announced in a press conference that his office has filed a total of 102 criminal charges against Boyd and Stephanie Householder, who were the owners and operators of the now-defunct Circle of Hope Girls Ranch and Boarding School. Boyd and Stephanie Householder have been arrested and are in custody. […]
(Missouri Independent) – Roy Blunt’s decision not to seek a third term in the U.S. Senate will have cascading effects across Missouri’s political universe. The state has no shortage of ambitious Republican officials, each of whom can make a legitimate claim at being the strongest candidate. So will the 2022 GOP primary turn into a […]
