Travis McMichael William Bryan and Gregory McMichael Final

Three from Georgia charged with hate crimes and attempted kidnapping in the death of Ahmaud Arbery

Three Georgia men were indicted by a federal grand jury in the Southern District of Georgia and charged with hate crimes and the attempted kidnapping of Ahmaud Arbery. The indictment also charges two of the men with separate counts of using firearms during that crime of violence. Travis McMichael, 35; Travis’s father, Gregory McMichael, 65; […]

Transgender Students Graphic

Bill banning trans students from sports teams by gender wins support of Missouri House

(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 […]

Religious Boarding School

Audio: Faith-based boarding school bill heads to Missouri Senate Committee

Bipartisan legislation aimed at regulating faith-based boarding schools like the now-defunct Circle of Hope Girls’ Ranch in southwest Missouri’s Humansville will be heard this (Wednesday) afternoon by a Missouri Senate committee.     The Senate Seniors and Families Committee will hear the bill from Wardsville State Representative Rudy Veit and Lee’s Summit State Representative Keri […]

Find Your Future

New college/career exploration program helps middle schoolers find their “sparks”

March 2020 would have been the fifth year of Camp CaPow—College Access-Planning Our Way. Held at the University of Missouri’s Family Impact Center in Columbia, Camp CaPow is a weeklong opportunity for middle school students to explore career and postsecondary education options through workshops, tours of Missouri college campuses, meetings with professionals from a range […]

Audio: Missouri Senate passes transportation package with vaccine passport ban, vehicle safety inspection change

The state Senate has passed a transportation package that would ban entities in Missouri from requiring a vaccine passport to access transportation services. Companies are developing vaccine passports to encourage travel. Springfield-area state Senator Lincoln Hough is sponsoring the legislation that would also waive safety inspection requirements for new vehicles immediately before the vehicle is […]

Private School

Audio: Lawmakers to question Missouri DSS chief about boarding school abuse investigations

The head of the Missouri Department of Social Services is scheduled to appear before a panel of lawmakers Wednesday about the agency’s handling of abuse investigations within boarding schools. The Missouri House Special Committee on Government Oversight has called a Wednesday afternoon hearing to question the department’s acting director, Jennifer Tidball. The Kansas City Star has […]

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 […]

Missouri State Parks

Missouri state parks and historic sites prepare for 2021 camping season

Missouri state park and historic site campgrounds are preparing for the 2021 camping season, which typically begins April 1. On-season begins earlier at some campgrounds than others. Visit mostateparks.com/activity/camping for opening dates at specific campgrounds. To help guarantee a safe and enjoyable camping experience, the following new and updated procedures have been implemented. To ensure […]

Handgun on Constitution right to carry 2nd Amendment or Second Amendment

Lawmakers reintroduce U.S. military Right to Carry Act

Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) and Congressman Jason Smith (R-Mo.) reintroduced legislation in the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives to ease the burden active-duty military service members face when renewing concealed-carry licenses while stationed outside of their state of residency. The U.S. Military Right to Carry Act allows service members to renew their permits by […]

Voter ID

Missouri Republicans look to reinstate voter ID requirement

(Missouri Independent) – About 137,700 registered voters in Missouri did not have a state-issued identification in 2017, according to an analysis from the Secretary of State’s Office.  Another 140,000 voters had expired IDs, and 2,000 more voters had forfeited their driver’s licenses. Under a bill passed Wednesday in the Missouri House, those registered voters would either have to […]