pandemic
COVID pushed many Black families in Missouri to homeschool. Now they’re sticking with it
Every homeschool family kicks off their school year a little differently. For the Browns, they decided to start with an adventure. Cal and Mike Brown loaded up their five school-age children last week and drove to Grafton, Ill., to explore the historic river community founded in 1832. Then they explored New Town, a recently-built community […]
CDC study finds racial, regional disparities as schools reopened for in-person learning
WASHINGTON — After last year’s abrupt shutdown of schools due to the coronavirus pandemic, increasing numbers of students returned to in-person learning. But a new study shows that racial and geographic gaps persisted as K-12 students went back to their classrooms—with non-Hispanic white kids more often the ones attending a brick-and-mortar school full-time in most states. […]
More than 100 Missouri schools have bought ‘often unproven’ air-cleaning technology
This story was originally published as a collaboration between Kaiser Health News and St. Louis Public Radio. When the coronavirus pandemic hit, Scott Dulle scoured the internet for ways to safely get kids back into St. Thomas More School, a private pre-K-8 school in Kansas City, Missouri, where he works as the director of building […]
After relying on local officials to combat COVID, Parson signs limit on health orders
Gov. Mike Parson’s strategy to contain the spread of COVID-19 was simple: local officials know best. Statewide mandates emanating from Jefferson City didn’t make sense in a state as diverse as Missouri, Parson argued amid the pandemic’s peak while rebuffing calls for him to take statewide action. But on Tuesday Parson signed a bill curbing […]
COVID surge in north Missouri creates worries for summer as vaccinations decline
In the last week of April, the Linn County Health Department signaled that the COVID-19 pandemic had cooled enough that it could discontinue weekly reports on new cases. With only three active cases on April 21, the urgency for frequent updates seemed to have passed. But the coronavirus came roaring back this month, with Mother’s […]
‘I have to go out and beg’: Residents grapple with utility costs as shutoffs resume
Utilites in Kansas and Missouri, including Evergy, resumed shutting off non-paying customers' power after a moratorium during the pandemic.
After voting down Senate COVID liability bill, House focus turns to pared down version
After voting down a sweeping bill to shield businesses from most COVID-19 related lawsuits Monday night, House lawmakers have pinned their hopes on a much more narrow version. Rep. Ben Baker, R-Neosho, added provisions onto Senate Bill 27 on Thursday in the House Committee on Downsizing State Government, which he chairs. The bill was passed […]
Missouri Senate renews push to bar vaccine passports, rein in local health orders
A push to provide greater oversight over local health orders and ban vaccine passports was renewed this week when the Missouri Senate tacked both proposals onto a sprawling bill on local government issues. House Bill 271 swelled from just three pages when it was originally introduced to 101 on Tuesday afternoon, after nearly 30 amendments […]
Restaurant chains slammed over resistance to minimum wage hike for tipped workers
WASHINGTON — As the nation’s largest trade group for restaurant owners on Tuesday held a virtual version of its annual gathering to lobby Congress, advocates for a $15-per-hour minimum wage took aim at the powerful restaurant chains that they say are blocking legislation on a higher wage for tipped workers. During their own virtual event, lawmakers […]
Under a short-lived committee, some businesses jumped ahead in Missouri vaccine line
In the span of 10 minutes in late February, a panel of state officials signed off on nearly 1,300 people skipping ahead in Missouri’s COVID-19 vaccination line to receive a shot sooner. About 25 minutes later, another 325 were elevated. It all happened during the first of five meetings of the Missouri Vaccine Priority Phase […]
Restrictions on local health orders regain momentum as bill advances in Missouri Senate
Less than a week after the Senate rejected a push to limit the authority and scope of local health orders during states of emergency, a Senate committee revived the issue Wednesday. House Bill 75, sponsored by Rep. Jim Murphy, R-St. Louis, was passed out of the Senate Health and Pensions Committee the same day it […]
Data issues persist on state website months into Missouri’s vaccine rollout
One day last month, the number of Missourians that state data showed had received the COVID-19 vaccine suddenly plummeted across every demographic group. Weeks later, the percentage of Hispanic residents reported to have received their first dose quadrupled. And last week, the state for the first time began allowing local public health departments to obtain […]