Missouri Independent
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Health
Schools could be required to filter drinking fountains for lead
Thousands of Missouri school buildings are probably not testing their water for lead. A Missouri House bill would require them…
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Education
Students get three extra months to repay federal education loans
President Joe Biden will continue a pandemic-spurred pause on student loan repayments until May 1, he said Wednesday. Loan repayments…
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Coronavirus
Biden slams COVID-19 vaccine ‘lies,’ announces free at-home tests
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden is urging that COVID-19 vaccine doubters stop “peddling lies” on TV and online, as the…
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Coronavirus
Judge denies effort by local health agencies to intervene, appeal Missouri COVID ruling
A Cole County judge denied on Wednesday the efforts by local health departments and the state’s two largest counties to…
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Education
More than 120 K-12 education bills already filed for 2022 Missouri legislative session
During the past year, concerns about COVID policies, critical race theory and controversial books have highlighted tension in public education.…
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Business
Missouri judge to rule in January on legality of electronic raffle games
A protracted court battle over what is and is not an illegal gambling machine will be decided in early January, just a…
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News
Next child tax credit payments dependent on U.S. Senate negotiations
Families received on Wednesday what might be the final monthly check from the expanded child tax credit program. The expanded child…
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Education
Schools must comply with COVID ruling to win state treasurer’s approval of bond deals
If school districts want to take advantage of a lower interest rate on bonds, Missouri Treasurer Scott Fitzpatrick is requiring…
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Politics
Missouri revenue to hit record $11.4B, estimate from Parson shows
Missouri revenue collections will record another $1 billion surplus this year and a growing economy will produce record receipts in the coming…
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Police Accountability
Chauvin pleads guilty to federal charge in Floyd’s death
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Former Minneapolis police Officer Derek Chauvin pleaded guilty Wednesday to a federal charge of violating George…
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Business
Missouri Supreme Court weighs disclosure of medical marijuana applications
A company denied licenses to grow medical marijuana in Missouri urged the state Supreme Court Tuesday to compel regulators to…
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Business
Ameren to shutter Rush Island coal plant by 2024 following Clean Air Act violation
Ameren will shutter a Jefferson County coal plant found in violation of federal clean air laws rather than install what…
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Politics
Bipartisan commission moving toward plan for new Missouri House districts
A bipartisan commission drawing a map for 163 Missouri House districts that will be used in the coming decade is “more than…
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Crime
Social Services, local agencies at odds over use of Missouri crime victims’ funding
While lawmakers are considering whether to approve big building projects for college campuses and awaiting more of Gov. Mike Parson’s plans for using an…
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Coronavirus
Missouri’s largest counties seek to appeal ruling overturning local health orders
St. Louis and Jackson counties requested Monday that they be permitted to intervene and appeal a recent court ruling that…
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News
Long call wait times balk Missourians of federal food assistance
Just as the school year — and with it, free school lunches — was ending last spring, Erin Bay learned…
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Coronavirus
County ends mask rule; school districts resist pressure from attorney general
St. Louis County abandoned on Thursday its effort to maintain a mask mandate as Attorney General Eric Schmitt’s crusade to…
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Business
St. Louis-based Medicaid giant Centene settles fraud allegations with Kansas for $27.6M
St. Louis-based Centene, the nation’s largest Medicaid managed care provider, has settled fraud allegations with a fifth state, Kansas Attorney…
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Opinion
Opinion: Missouri lawmakers must take action to legalize marijuana
In 1984, I was arrested for felony possession of marijuana for a half-pound of marijuana, for which I served five…
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Women
Congress drops attempt to make women register for draft after GOP outcry
WASHINGTON — A bipartisan provision in an annual defense measure that would have required all young Americans to register for…
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Women
Women would sign up for the military draft under defense bill in Congress
WASHINGTON — As the Senate works to finalize a major annual defense measure, there is a bipartisan push to include…
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Opinion
Opinion: A perspective on Gov. Parson’s unprecedented attacks on journalists
I begin this column with a confession. We journalists are reluctant to report about ourselves because under journalism ethics, a…
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Women
State lawmakers aim to provide a year of health care for new mothers
Faced with over a year’s delay from the state social services department on implementing extended mental health care for new…
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Coronavirus
Missouri Attorney General tells schools, health departments to end COVID orders
Attorney General Eric Schmitt instructed school districts and local public health departments to immediately stop enforcing health orders a judge…
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Politics
Black Democrats say nonpartisan County elections would dilute political power
The cheers and ringing bells were deafening at Wesley Bell’s watch party for the August 2018 Democratic primary election in St. Louis…
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News
Parson proposes $15 minimum pay for state employees
Gov. Mike Parson wants to tap Missouri’s budget surplus to provide immediate raises to state employees and enact a new $15 an…
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Coronavirus
At-home COVID tests to be covered by insurance; details still to come
WASHINGTON — State health officials welcomed on Thursday President Joe Biden’s plan to require private health insurers to reimburse Americans…
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Politics
Bill seeks to forgive state’s mistakenly overpaid unemployment benefits
The state saw a historic number of Missourians apply for unemployment benefits in 2020. About 639,000 Missourians filed in the…
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News
St. Louis asks judge to rule ‘police bill of rights’ law unconstitutional
The city of St. Louis filed a lawsuit Friday asking a judge to strike down a wide-ranging bill that passed in May…
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News
Spire STL pipeline can keep operating through the winter, regulators decide
The embattled Spire STL Pipeline serving St. Louis-area natural gas customers will be allowed to keep operating through the winter, federal regulators decided…
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