Briefs
Biden yanks Keystone XL permit in first-day order, citing climate change
In one of his first official acts after taking office, President Joe Biden revoked the federal permit for the Keystone XL crude oil pipeline that would have traversed eastern Montana on its way from the Alberta oilfields to the Gulf of Mexico. The Wednesday move at least temporarily halts the construction on the highly contentious […]
Experts: Joe Biden likely to take slow approach on China trade
Agricultural experts don’t expect President-elect Joe Biden to quickly reverse the United States’ chilly relationship with China. They are split on whether Biden will quickly loosen some tariffs on China to ease negotiations that could build on recent increases in the price of corn and soybeans. “In the short term, we will not likely see […]
Missouri COVID-19 case numbers down as lawmakers begin work on pandemic-related bills
Amid signs that COVID-19 is loosening its grip on Missouri, the state Senate this week will hold hearings on coronavirus liability protections while the state House is home as leaders attempt to control a Capitol Building outbreak. The Department of Health and Senior Services on Tuesday reported 1,357 new COVID-19 infections and it marked the […]
More than 21,000 National Guard members, including from Missouri, are headed to D.C.
WASHINGTON — Wednesday’s presidential inauguration ceremony may have a scaled-down audience due to the pandemic, but the security presence on hand to ensure it goes smoothly will be supersized. At least 21,000 National Guard men and women — from all 50 states, three territories and the District of Columbia — will provide security support for the […]
Nearly a quarter of Missourians would ‘definitely not’ get a COVID vaccine, poll finds
As the state works through the first phases of its coronavirus vaccine rollout, a new poll released Monday finds that about 23 percent of Missourians would “definitely not get it.” The poll, conducted by the Virginia-based American Viewpoint for the Missouri Hospital Association, surveyed 800 Missourians in the first week of January on their feelings […]
Josh Hawley says accusation that he incited Capitol insurrection is ‘corrosive and dangerous’
Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley penned an op-ed in the Southeast Missourian Wednesday defending his efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election and calling accusations that he helped incite the mob who stormed the U.S. Capitol “corrosive and dangerous.” The op-ed is the first time he’s publicly addressed the recent wave of criticism. His only other […]
More than 170 cases opened in federal probe of U.S. Capitol attack
WASHINGTON—Almost a week after a violent mob stormed the U.S. Capitol, top officials at the FBI and Department of Justice held their first press conference on Tuesday to announce that they are directing prosecutors to issue a slew of sedition and conspiracy charges against pro-Trump rioters. More than 170 cases have been opened relating to […]
Columbia Public Schools join most Missouri districts with return to classrooms
Columbia Public Schools, the third-largest district in Missouri using all-virtual learning, will start bringing students back to classrooms next week. The Columbia Board of Education voted 5-2 Monday night to return elementary students to school buildings full-time starting Jan. 19 and operate with a hybrid plan that has middle- and high-school students in classrooms two […]
Last known widow of a Civil War veteran dies in Marshfield
The last known living link to a person who served in the Union Army was severed in December when 101-year-old Helen Viola Jackson, widow of a Missouri soldier, died in a Marshfield nursing home. For the first 98 years of her life, Jackson was known as a woman who had never married. She had no […]
Woman shot during U.S. Capitol riots dies
WASHINGTON — A woman was shot inside the U.S. Capitol Wednesday during a riot provoked by Trump backers and later was pronounced dead at a local hospital, according to the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department. Officials did not provide details on the woman, her hometown or which hospital she was taken to. U.S. Capitol Police did […]
COVID wastewater project could ID arrival of UK strain in Missouri
A project to track coronavirus in wastewater may be able to identify the new strain recently identified in the United Kingdom, a researcher at the University of Missouri-Columbia said Wednesday. For more than six months, a research team at MU has worked with the Department of Natural Resources and the Department of Health and Senior […]
Judge: Trump’s order doesn’t shield Tyson from state-court claims of wrongful death
A federal judge has ruled that President Trump’s designation of meatpacking plants as “critical infrastructure” does not insulate Tyson Foods from state-court claims of wrongful death tied to the pandemic. The food giant is facing several lawsuits filed by the estates of deceased workers. Generally, those lawsuits allege fraudulent misrepresentation and gross negligence, claiming the […]