Briefs
COVID report shows at least 100 cases in every Missouri county
Missouri reached a milestone in the COVID-19 pandemic Friday when as new cases in the state’s most sparsely populated counties showed that all 117 local health jurisdictions have had at least 100 coronavirus infections. The Department of Health and Senior Services reported four new cases each in Mercer and Worth counties, both on the Iowa […]
Federal eviction moratorium ends Dec. 31. Missouri rental aid program begins in January
Missourians who have fallen behind on their rent due to the pandemic can seek relief through the Missouri Emergency Rental Arrears Program (ERAP) beginning in January. But housing advocates fear that the help won’t come soon enough to prevent thousands of Missourians from being evicted on January 1, when the federal moratorium will be lifted. The […]
U.S. House passes bill to avert government shutdown while COVID relief talks drag on
WASHINGTON—The House on Wednesday voted to pass a stopgap spending bill, preventing a government shutdown and giving a group of bipartisan lawmakers another week to negotiate a coronavirus relief package. In an overwhelming 343-67 vote, House members backed the stopgap, which would extend fiscal 2021 funding until Dec. 18 while talks continue on the stalled […]
Missouri GOP lawmakers call on battleground states to investigate 2020 election results
With the Nov. 3 presidential election more than a month ago, over half of Missouri’s Republican state representatives — including the incoming speaker of the House — are calling on Congress to refuse to certify six battleground states’ electoral college votes unless they investigate their results. Rep. Justin Hill, a Republican from Lake St. Louis, […]
Consumer groups seek Missouri utility shut off moratorium
A coalition of consumer and health care advocates are asking the Missouri Public Service Commission to impose a moratorium on utility cutoffs for the winter to help control the spread of COVID-19. The Consumers Council of Missouri, with support from the Missouri Hospital Association, Empower Missouri and the National Housing Trust, filed the request Tuesday […]
Missouri AG joins lawsuit challenging presidential election results in four states
Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt has thrown his support behind a lawsuit seeking to overturn President-elect Joe Biden’s wins in Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. On Tuesday, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a lawsuit asking the U.S. Supreme Court to invalidate election results in the four battleground states. He is claiming changes to election procedures […]
Missouri students will take standardized tests. Results won’t factor into accountability measures
State standardized tests will still be administered for the 2020-21 school year, but their results will not be factored into state and federal accountability systems, following a vote of the Missouri State Board of Education on Tuesday. While test results won’t be incorporated into accountability measures, such as school district accreditation, board members spoke of […]
Missouri appeals court rules charter school lawfully denied entry to unvaccinated children
Parents must use forms created by the state health department, not send handwritten notes, to claim the religious exemption to vaccinations allowing non-immunized children to attend classes, a Missouri court ruled Tuesday. The Western District Court of Appeals, acting in a case from Jackson County, ruled that Crossroads Academy-Central Street, a charter school, had acted […]
COVID creates more staffing issues for Missouri law enforcement
COVID-19 is disrupting more law enforcement operations around the state as illness combines with existing staffing shortages. The Pike County Sheriff’s Office in northeast Missouri sent all its inmates to neighboring Audrain County in late November, and the Springfield Police Department on Monday closed the lobby of police headquarters for at least two days. And […]
‘This is a time of war,’ says St. Louis’ pandemic task force leader
St. Louis area hospitals are seeing about 20 patients die every day. “That is 20 people a day who won’t be going back home to their loved ones,” said Dr. Alex Garza, incident commander for the St. Louis Metropolitan Pandemic Task Force, during his Monday briefing. That number has tripled since October, he said, and […]
Georgia’s top election official says Biden wins latest recount
Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger certified the third counting of ballots in the state’s presidential race, confirming President-elect Joe Biden’s victory once again over Donald Trump. Raffensperger announced Monday afternoon that he signed off on the results after nearly 5 million ballots were rescanned starting just before Thanksgiving. The size of Biden’s victory over […]
Southwest Airlines to cut more than 200 Missouri jobs due to COVID losses
Southwest Airlines, facing billions in losses because COVID-19 has “devastated domestic air travel and tourism,” will lay off 221 Missouri employees early next year unless it can reach a cost-cutting deal with unions or obtain federal relief. The cutbacks, outlined in a mass layoff notice delivered Thursday to the Department of Higher Education and Workforce […]