News
Gov. Mike Parson picks staffer to replace Eric Schmitt as Missouri attorney general
A top staff member in the governor’s office will be Missouri’s next attorney general. Andrew Bailey, 41, who has served as general counsel for Gov. Mike Parson for the last year, will replace Attorney General Eric Schmitt, who was elected to the U.S. Senate earlier this month. Bailey will complete Schmitt’s term, which ends in […]
Missourians seeking food assistance saw call center wait times increase over the summer
In May, Missouri residents applying for food assistance by phone had to wait on hold an average of 56 minutes to reach the required interview process, a delay a federal judge deemed “unacceptably long.” Yet over the summer, wait times continued to increase each month, according to data obtained this week by The Independent. Callers […]
Student loan repayment pause extended by White House amid legal battles over relief plan
WASHINGTON — The Department of Education announced on Tuesday it is extending the pandemic-era pause on federal student loan repayments until June 30 while legal challenges to the administration’s student debt relief program are fought over in the courts. The agency said if the student debt relief program has not been put in place by […]
Missouri AG set to depose Anthony Fauci in social media lawsuit
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert, is scheduled to be questioned under oath as part of a lawsuit alleging the federal government colluded with social media companies to suppress free speech, the Missouri attorney general’s office announced Tuesday. Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt and Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry on Wednesday will […]
What to know about buying recreational marijuana in Missouri
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 […]
As utilities spend billions on transmission, support builds for independent monitoring
An aging electric grid, fossil fuel power plant retirements and a massive renewable electricity buildout are all contributing to a boom in transmission and distribution wire projects by electric utilities across the country. In 2020, investor-owned electric utilities spent $25 billion on transmission, up from $23.7 billion in 2019, figures that the Edison Electric Institute, which […]
Former camper suing Missouri-based Kanakuk claiming ‘fraudulent’ abuse settlement
A Branson-based Christian summer camp was sued last week by a former camper who alleges it concealed knowledge of a staffer's sexual misconduct to convince the camper's family to sign a settlement and non-disclosure agreement.
Kevin Johnson’s attorneys, special prosecutor ask Missouri Supreme Court to stay execution
Attorneys for a St. Louis man sentenced to die for a murder he committed when he was 19 asked the Missouri Supreme Court Monday to delay his execution to allow for a hearing on alleged constitutional violations in his original trial. Kevin Johnson was convicted in 2007 of killing a police officer. He is scheduled […]
Thousands of experts hired to aid public health departments are losing their jobs
This story was originally published by Kaiser Health News. As COVID-19 raged, roughly 4,000 highly skilled epidemiologists, communication specialists, and public health nurses were hired by a nonprofit tied to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to plug the holes at battered public health departments on the front lines. But over the past few […]
Congressional Hispanic Caucus welcomes new House members, reflects on Latino vote
The campaign arm of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus welcomed the highest number of Democratic Latino lawmakers elected to Congress, during a Friday event at the Democratic National Committee headquarters. CHC BOLD PAC chair, Democratic U.S. Rep. Ruben Gallego of Arizona, said continuing to reach out to Latino communities and young voters will be key to […]
Large CAFOs are known polluters. Here’s why EPA permits only cover one-third
This story was originally published by Investigate Midwest. The Environmental Protection Agency is charged with protecting important waterways from pollution, but manure from concentrated animal feeding operations, or CAFOs, continues to harm waterways — and only one-third of the largest facilities have a federal permit. EPA permits require CAFO operators to tell the agency how […]
Missouri AG aligns with St. Louis conspiracy theorist in social media lawsuit
When Kate Starbird got word that Missouri’s attorney general wanted her to turn over three years of her emails, she didn’t know what to think. A Seattle-based professor at the University of Washington, Starbird co-founded the UW Center for an Informed Public, which researches misinformation online. Why would an elected official 2,000 miles away be […]