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Federal racketeering suit against Missouri gaming company dismissed over lack of standing
A federal judge has thrown out a lawsuit that sought to shut down Torch Electronics, owner of thousands of video games offering cash prizes in retail locations throughout Missouri. U.S. District Judge Brian Wimes, in a decision issued last week, decided that the seven plaintiffs lacked standing under the federal Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations […]
More Missourians dissatisfied with public education, latest poll shows
A recent survey found growing displeasure with Missouri schools. A majority of respondents — 56% — rated their local schools as only fair or poor, and 71% said that about public schools generally in the state, according to SLU You/Gov poll results released last week. More of the voters surveyed also said that charter schools […]
Poll finds Missouri voters back bans on transgender health care
As Missouri awaited a court decision on whether minors will be barred from receiving puberty blockers or gender transition surgery, a poll released this week shows strong public support for the law. After Circuit Judge Steven Ohmer ruled Friday afternoon against an injunction on the state’s new law against transgender medical care for minors, the […]
Missouri voters back Trump, show little middle ground on Hawley, new poll shows
Former President Donald Trump is lapping his challengers among Missouri Republicans, Sen. Josh Hawley is the most polarizing politician in the state, and children shouldn’t discuss gender identity or sexual orientation in elementary school, a new poll released Wednesday suggests. The latest St. Louis University/YouGov poll, which surveyed 900 likely Missouri voters from July 27 […]
Bypass under rail line would replace crossing site of deadly Missouri Amtrak crash
MENDON – An old right-of-way under the Burlington Northern Santa Fe railroad could become the new road for traffic diverted from a dangerous crossing where an Amtrak train derailed after colliding with a truck in June 2022, killing four and injuring almost 150. The double-tracked BNSF line crosses an old railroad corridor, first graded in […]
Trial set for Sept. 11 on ballot title for Missouri abortion rights amendment
A Cole County judge promised Thursday he would rule quickly after a Sept. 11 trial over the language voters will see when they consider an initiative petition to reinstate the right to an abortion. At a hearing on challenges to the ballot titles written for six proposed petitions, Circuit Judge Jon Beetem told attorneys that […]
‘Off the bench’: Jay Nixon says No Labels post is reaction to initiative limits
Republican efforts to change the rules for initiatives and administrative delays that force petitioners to go to court spurred former Gov. Jay Nixon to return to political action, he said Tuesday. During an online town hall for the No Labels organization, Nixon referred repeatedly to legislation that would make it more difficult to gather signatures […]
Former Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon enlists in effort to build new political force
A national campaign to field a third-party presidential candidate in 2024 enlisted former Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon as director of its effort to make the ballot in all 50 states next year. Nixon, a Democrat who was governor from 2009 to 2017 following 16 years as state attorney general, has generally stayed out of politics […]
Missouri’s Back to School tax holiday pauses all local taxes for the first time
Since 2003, Missouri has set aside a weekend at the beginning of August when families won’t pay state tax on new clothes and school supplies as they prepare for the start of the school year. For just as long, every city, county and special district that imposes its own sales tax has had the authority […]
Trial postponed in Torch gambling case against Missouri highway patrol
The trial in a closely watched case that could settle whether video games offering cash prizes are legal in Missouri has been postponed. On Friday, Cole County Circuit Judge Daniel Green moved the trial, which had been scheduled to start Tuesday and last up to four days, to Oct. 3, after complaints from attorneys for […]
Great Flood of 1993 remains a vivid memory for those who experienced the long-running disaster
In the predawn hours of July 29, 1993, I sat with Earl Buck outside his New Franklin mobile home as the Missouri River rose two inches an hour on a sandbag levee he built with help from neighbors and volunteers. After three days of stacking, there were no more bags. In the darkness, when water […]
Missouri utility regulators plan for peak pricing prompts pushback from top Republican
Over the objections of Evergy Missouri, staff with the Missouri Public Service Commission last year pushed for power prices to be based on the time of day when the electricity was consumed, with a small premium for use at peak times. The commission, known as the PSC, adopted the concept but not the particulars, opting […]