Missouri State Government
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious diseases expert and a medical adviser to seven U.S. presidents, will address graduating students at Washington University School of Medicine in May, the school announced last week. But the speech by Fauci — who became a figure of scorn among some Republicans for his actions during the coronavirus…
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The Missouri Senate passed a sweeping education bill to the House on Tuesday that would create transparency requirements for school districts and ban them from teaching some diversity, equity and inclusion curriculum. The bill also seeks to add a patriotism course for teachers, open transportation funding to intradistrict transfer programs and increase funding for districts…
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HANNIBAL, Mo. — Communicating with healthcare providers can be as simple as a phone call away thanks to a medical practice that began during COVID. Tamitha Ague has watched the success of audio telehealth through her 77-year-old father navigating his healthcare. After a hospital stay, Ague’s father won’t have a follow-up appointment until March. While…
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Missouri attorney general calls for Columbia Public Schools staff to resign after drag show incident
COLUMBIA, Mo. — On the radio program 93.9 The Eagle’s “Wake up Mid-Missouri” with Branden Rathert and 104.5 NewsRadio KWOS, Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey called for the resignation of some Columbia Public Schools officials after sending school children the 2023 Columbia Values Diversity Celebration that included a drag show presentation that took place on…
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JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Republican legislators have made it clear that challenging the authority of St. Louis’ elected prosecutor Kimberly Gardner — a progressive Black Democrat — is a top priority this year. And they’ll be searching for a way to make that challenge constitutional. On the first day of the legislative session, Republican state…
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Early in his annual State of the State address on Wednesday, Missouri Gov. Mike Parson sang the praises of an income tax cut enacted by the Republican-dominated General Assembly late last year. Closer to the end of his nearly one-hour speech to a joint session of the legislature, Parson vowed to “support and defend our law enforcement…
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State workers would get their biggest pay raise in living memory under a plan proposed Wednesday by Missouri Gov. Mike Parson. In a news release, Parson said he wants to boost all state workers by 8.7% and to offer a $2 an hour night shift differential to employees in four agencies responsible for people under…
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The Missouri Attorney General’s office will operate in “unyielding pursuit of victory,” Andrew Bailey said Tuesday as he was being sworn into office. Bailey, in a short speech before a crowd of about 150 gathered at the Missouri Supreme Court building, said he’s grateful to Gov. Mike Parson for appointing him. Speaking to reporters afterwards,…
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With the passing of Amendment 3 in November, parents in Missouri now have a new conversation to navigate: Adult cannabis (marijuana) use. As someone who works in alcohol and drug education, I’ve seen firsthand the impacts of substance use disorder in our communities, particularly on young people. Talking about drugs and alcohol with your kids…
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From Missouri Independent: A ban on federal employees using TikTok on their government-issued phones is on track to become law after Congress included the provision in the year-end government funding bill released early Tuesday. U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley’s legislation barring the popular social media platform from federal devices was one of several bills attached to the spending measure, the…
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Crista Hogan estimates tens of thousands of people in Greene County are eligible to clean their criminal records of old non-violent misdemeanor and felony offenses — offenses she says limits their access to good-paying jobs and safe housing. But under state law, it requires people to file an arduous petition in court, along with a…
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For the first time in its history, the only real limit on what Missouri can buy on a cash-and-carry basis is the imagination of the people spending the money. The state treasury is bulging with more than $6 billion in surplus cash, the result of 28 months of double-digit revenue growth and federal payments tied…
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This story was originally published by the Kansas City Beacon. On Nov. 8, Missourians voted “yes” on Amendment 3, which legalized recreational use of marijuana, meaning you’ll now be able to buy weed, like marijuana flower or edibles, in the coming months. Starting Dec. 8, the state will begin transitioning its medical marijuana licenses to recreational licenses,…
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MEMPHIS, Missouri – In March, Scotland County Hospital’s auditors delivered a stark warning. After five consecutive years of losses, only federal COVID-19 payments received over the previous year had kept the 25-bed hospital’s bank account solvent. In the fiscal years covered by the audit, accounting firm BKD reported, the hospital lost $7.9 million — $2.3 million…
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MEMPHIS, Missouri – Joni Lloyd was in her pajamas when the call came. Lori Fulk, chair of the Scotland County Hospital District Board of Directors, was calling. She asked Lloyd, the vice-chair, to come to her house to talk. When Lloyd arrived the evening of Aug. 15, she found Fulk was not alone. An emergency…
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A defective rocking chair will cost Missouri taxpayers $441,000, the Southern District Court of Appeals ruled Monday. In a case stemming from a 2015 accident at the Missouri Children’s Division office in Sikeston, the court ruled that Kenneth Gilmore, a grandfather injured when a rocking chair collapsed during a supervised visitation, must be compensated for his…
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Missouri House Democrats had their best election night in years Tuesday, flipping six seats while losing only one. Democrats went into this year’s election knowing they had no realistic chance of regaining legislative majorities the party lost 20 years ago. They targeted, and obtained, gains from new district maps. According to unofficial results, Republicans will…
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Republican Eric Schmitt will be Missouri’s next U.S. Senator, cruising to an easy victory Tuesday over Democrat Trudy Busch Valentine. With roughly 70% of precincts reporting, Schmitt led Valentine 56% to 41%. “Missourians have always been suspicious of a federal government 1,000 miles away telling us how to run our lives,” Schmitt told supporters Tuesday…
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President Joe Biden’s administration told hospitals in July they must provide emergency abortions when necessary even in states with strict bans in place. And here in Missouri, a Joplin hospital is apparently the first in the nation to be investigated for possibly violating federal law by telling a woman experiencing an emergency that she needed to terminate her pregnancy to protect…
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A state commission Tuesday laid out its recommendations to improve teacher recruitment and retention in Missouri, including a push to raise starting salaries that currently rank among the lowest in the nation. The State Board of Education approved the commission’s nine recommendations and pledged to bring the findings to the public and lawmakers. “I look forward to…
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While announcing a plan to pardon those with prior federal offenses of simple marijuana possession, President Joe Biden urged governor’s to follow suit for those convicted of state offenses. Missouri Gov. Mike Parson, who has granted clemency to more people than any Missouri governor in the past four decades, doesn’t appear ready to heed the president’s call. In…
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Bringing attention to the importance of voting and women’s rights over their own bodies, Voices for Choice, a local group of concerned citizens, assembled and held demonstrations Saturday in Quincy and Hannibal. About 40 people gathered with their signs in support of women’s pro-choice rights on the corner of 30th and Broadway in Quincy. Concerned citizens…
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In an effort to fortify access to abortion throughout the Midwest and in Missouri, where the procedure is almost entirely banned, Planned Parenthood is launching a mobile clinic across the state line in southern Illinois. The mobile clinic will be part of Planned Parenthood of the St. Louis Region and Southwest Missouri, and will provide…
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The Missouri House on Thursday abandoned its attempt to cut corporate income taxes after Gov. Mike Parson signaled his opposition to the move. Instead, House Republican leaders put a Senate-passed tax cut plan up for a vote, but not before one Democrat called “shenanigans” because the move blocked plans to offer amendments. By a 98-32 vote, the House sent…
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The Missouri Senate gave first-round approval Tuesday to a $335 million income tax cut over objections from liberal members who saw fiscal problems ahead and conservative members who wanted deeper cuts. The bill, which needs a final vote before it moves to the Missouri House, is a pared-down version of the $700 million tax cut…
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