(Missouri Independent) – As state lawmakers mull the idea of restricting police use of chokeholds or no-knock warrants, they are facing pushback from law enforcement organizations who contend decisions should be made at the local level. The House Special Committee on Criminal Justice met for three hours on Monday to explore the possibility of passing […]
The Missouri House voted Tuesday to give preliminary approval to a proposed $1.27 billion supplemental budget, a supplemental that is the reason for the special session. The supplemental budget includes funding for school nutrition programs, job training grants, $1 million for witness protection funding, and money for child support payments. Governor Mike Parson (R) called […]
Missouri health officials say there have been about 21,000 new COVID cases in the past week, an average of 3,105 per day. State Department of Health and Senior Services Director Dr. Randall Williams will testify Tuesday morning before the Missouri House Special Committee on Disease Control and Prevention. Committee chairman Dr. Jon Patterson, R-Lee’s Summit, […]
(Missouri Independent) – Missouri Democrats had another disappointing night in legislative elections Tuesday, losing in two state Senate districts crucial to their hopes of cracking the Republican supermajority in the upper chamber. Republicans held a key Senate seat by re-electing Senate Majority Leader Caleb Rowden of Columbia in the 19th District in central Missouri. As […]
(Missouri Independent) – Missouri voters on Tuesday repealed a constitutional amendment they enacted in 2018 that would have required legislative districts be drawn to ensure partisan fairness. They replaced it with one that critics contend could forgo the use of total population to draw districts and instead exclude all non-voters, specifically children and non-citizens — tilting the political […]
Grundy County experienced a 76 percent voter turnout in yesterday’s general election – favoring Republicans in their races and each of the unopposed Republican candidates for countywide offices. Donald Trump received 81 percent of the presidential vote from Grundy County while Joseph Biden had 18 percent of the vote. Also receiving huge majority support in […]
The months of campaigning are over and the fate of each candidate on the Missouri general election ballot today rests in the hands of voters. Here is an overview of some of the top races on today’s ballot: Republican Governor Mike Parson is seeking his first full term as Missouri’s chief executive officer. He faces […]
(Missouri Independent) – Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt’s office dismissed accusations that his office and the state department of health illegally concealed records and violated the Sunshine Law during the course of a medical marijuana lawsuit, calling the charges “frivolous” and “baseless.” The accusation arose last week in a motion seeking sanctions against Schmitt’s office and […]
(Missouri Independent) – A Missouri family that sued after being denied a medical marijuana license is alleging the state department of health and Attorney General Eric Schmitt’s office illegally concealed documents and violated open records laws in order to undercut their lawsuit. The allegations — which are included in a 28-page motion seeking sanctions against […]
Some members of a Missouri House subcommittee say teachers who are struggling to reach a number of their students learning remotely this school year. That was the message given to a group of Missouri education officials Thursday submitting their state budget requests. Representative Brenda Shields, a Republican from northwest Missouri’s St. Joseph, said a teacher […]
The Secretary of Commerce has announced the target date of Monday, October 5th to conclude the 2020 Census self-response and field data collection operations. The date to conclude data collection operations were previously announced as Wednesday, September 30th. As of the morning of Wednesday, September 30th, the Census website showed 98.4% of households had been […]
Mizzou football gets underway at Faurot Field Saturday but COVID-19 restrictions and penalties are still in play for students and staff. University spokesman Christian Basi told Missourinet that since August 15, 542 cases have been referred to the Office of Student Accountability. Some could be repeat offenders. 10 Greek Houses are temporarily suspended. Basi said, […]
As of Thursday, September 24th, most of the Green Hills area counties had lower self-response rates for the United States Census than the national rate of 66.2% and the state rate of 65.4%. Only Livingston County had a self-response rate higher than the national and state rates. Livingston County’s rate was 67.5%. Linn County had […]
The University of Missouri has expelled two students and suspended three for violating COVID-19 safety policies. In a press statement, the actions were described as “flagrant…willful and knowing actions that threatened the safety of the campus and the broader Columbia community” including requirements that COVID-positive individuals isolate and comply with social distancing requirements. Mun Choi, […]
Missouri county clerks in both parties say they need additional funding to protect voters and poll workers during the November general election. Boone County Clerk Brianna Lennon, a Columbia Democrat, notes November will be a high turnout election during the COVID-19 pandemic. She says county clerks have had unexpected costs. “Having to purchase personal protective equipment […]
The Missouri House of Representatives did not pass two of seven bills the governor wanted as part of his special session call to address the state’s violent crime rate. During a briefing today, Gov. Mike Parson says he is still pleased about the ones that did pass. The House did not sign off on legislation […]
America’s first female county clerk has been inducted into the Hall of Famous Missourians. A bronze bust of Annie White Baxter of southwest Missouri’s Carthage joins 47 others in the esteemed hall already showcasing journalist Walter Cronkite, radio host Rush Limbaugh, and the 33rd U.S. President – Harry Truman. They line the third floor of […]
Legislation that increases penalties for witness and victim tampering will go to the Missouri House floor in Jefferson City on Monday, after being approved by the Judiciary Committee on a 17-0 vote this week. The prosecutor in western Missouri’s Johnson County traveled from Warrensburg to Jefferson City to testify for the bill, saying that witness […]
A Missouri House committee voted to raise the age of certifying juvenile offenders as adults to a minimum of 16 years old. In an amendment to O’Fallon Rep. Nick Schroer’s H.B. 12, the Republican-led panel upped the age from 14, making the bill more palatable to Democrats. The House Committee on Criminal Justice, led by […]
While Missouri has a severe shortage of rural physicians, one southeast Missouri state lawmaker says his area also needs more doctors who live there. State Rep. Herman Morse, R-Dexter, says that when he moved to Stoddard County in the mid-1970s, there were 15 to 20 doctors who lived in the county. “Right now, there’s one […]
