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Missouri volunteer prison labor tends gardens that yield about 100 tons of fresh produce a year. For the most part, that food goes to local charities. The prisoners who grow it complain they get little fresh food. Instead, they get a lot of bologna. They say they’re served portions they consider too small and unappetizing. […]

The post Missouri prisoners say food went from bad to worse when contractor took over appeared first on Missouri Independent.

WASHINGTON — Additional military and humanitarian aid for Ukraine was on shaky ground earlier this week, before U.S. House Republicans evicted Kevin McCarthy from the speaker’s office. The revolt by eight members of the House GOP Conference, largely spurred by bipartisan deals McCarthy struck on the debt limit and a short-term government funding bill, complicated […]

The post A murky outlook for Ukraine aid with U.S. House leadership in turmoil appeared first on Missouri Independent.

  WASHINGTON — The stunning ouster of U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy on Tuesday — the first time a speaker has been removed in Congress’ 234-year history — created a leadership vacuum in the chamber and left multiple questions about how legislative business would proceed. North Carolina Republican Patrick McHenry ascended to the role of speaker pro […]

The post How does a ‘frozen’ U.S. House function without a speaker? Everyone’s got an opinion appeared first on Missouri Independent.

To pass a package of tax credits designed to expand affordable child care will require getting by the “knuckleheads” in the state Senate, Missouri Chamber of Commerce President Dan Mehan said Wednesday. As he greeted the audience and panelists at a forum on the state’s child care needs in Columbia, Mehan blamed the defeat of […]

The post ‘Critical infrastructure’: Missouri child care shortage called a crisis for employers appeared first on Missouri Independent.

WASHINGTON — One of Thomasina Brown’s favorite books is a memoir about a girl who deals with the grief of losing her father and struggles with her sexual identity. Brown, a 16-year-old student at Nixa High School in Nixa, Missouri, said in an interview that she felt a connection with the book, as she grieved […]

The post First Amendment advocates fight growing number of U.S. book bans appeared first on Missouri Independent.

An appeals court will be asked to take another look at whether a trade association for Missouri casinos can sue a company that puts video games offering cash prizes in convenience stores and other retailers across the state. The Missouri Gaming Association said in a news release Wednesday that it will appeal the decision that […]

The post Casinos plan appeal of ruling in unregulated slot machine lawsuit appeared first on Missouri Independent.

As Missouri lawmakers prepare for the 2024 legislative session, they should consider how many of their major 2023 accomplishments received limited public attention. The 2023 legislative session focused on divisive issues like restricting transgender medical procedures for minors and restricting students from participating on school sports teams designated for a sex different than the student’s […]

The post Capitol Perspectives: The legacy of Missouri’s 2023 legislative session appeared first on Missouri Independent.

TOPEKA, Kansas — Marion Police Chief Gideon Cody has resigned, less than two months after he instigated a widely covered raid on a local newspaper that culminated in a federal lawsuit and one woman’s death. Marion Mayor David Mayfield announced Cody’s departure during a Monday city council meeting, following the previous week’s announcement that Cody […]

The post Kansas police chief resigns after body cam footage shows him rifling through records about himself appeared first on Missouri Independent.

ST LOUIS— Recently retired Missouri Supreme Court Judge George Draper III has been named to a newly created job of “chief training officer” in the St. Louis Circuit Attorney’s Office, promising to share the experience he gained from serving on the bench and as a prosecutor. He will start on Oct. 23, with an annual salary […]

The post Retired Missouri Supreme Court judge joins staff of St. Louis circuit attorney appeared first on Missouri Independent.

WASHINGTON — Dissident Republicans in the U.S. House voted with Democrats on Tuesday to oust Kevin McCarthy as speaker, a historic move that came just nine months after he secured the gavel following days of negotiating with the GOP’s right flank and 15 rounds of voting. It wasn’t immediately clear after the vote how the […]

The post U.S. House votes to remove Kevin McCarthy as speaker appeared first on Missouri Independent.

CHILTON COUNTY, Ala. — At the end of a gravel road that runs through a wooded property in Chilton County, Alabama, a plain white two-story house sits overlooking a small pond. Outside the house, everything is tranquil: The swings on the new playground nearby are quiet, the pond is still, the rocking chairs lined up […]

The post Faith-based maternity homes ‘create a haven’ in states with strict abortion laws appeared first on Missouri Independent.

A common anecdote used by disability activists is that the Roman Colosseum is wheelchair accessible.  Translation: Historic buildings have no excuse. But Missouri’s Capitol has long had a myriad of stairways that create a maze for anyone utilizing a wheelchair. I’ve seen parents struggle lifting a stroller over a small set of stairs above the […]

The post Missouri Capitol renovation plan mentions accessibility. Does this include reporters? appeared first on Missouri Independent.

The University of Missouri’s redefined stalking and threat policies use language from a June Supreme Court decision that might make it more difficult to punish people who engage in stalking or make threats. The UM System Board of Curators voted Sept. 7 to approve amendments to the UM System’s Collected Rules and Regulations, specifically the […]

The post Revised stalking, threat policies at University of Missouri may make punishment more difficult appeared first on Missouri Independent.

A civil case that could have settled whether video games that offer cash prizes to players are illegal gambling devices won’t settle anything. At least not any time soon. On Monday, with a trial set to begin Tuesday morning, Cole County Circuit Judge Daniel Green dismissed the lawsuit seeking to stop the Missouri State Highway […]

The post Judge tosses Torch lawsuit seeking to block Missouri Highway Patrol gambling investigations appeared first on Missouri Independent.

WASHINGTON — Republican and Democratic lawmakers are searching for a way to clear more aid for Ukraine, after Congress approved a short-term spending bill that didn’t include any additional money for the country. President Joe Biden on Sunday said that U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy agreed to find the votes needed to pass a supplemental […]

The post Next battle in Congress over Ukraine aid, as Biden presses House speaker for vote appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Max Gruver spent the early morning hours of Sept. 14, 2017, heavily intoxicated and passed out on a couch inside the Phi Delta Theta chapter house at Louisiana State University. He had been forced to repeatedly chug 190-proof Diesel liquor in a hazing ritual called “Bible Study,” during which pledges are quizzed on fraternity facts. […]

The post It’s hazing season on college campuses. State safeguards are uneven appeared first on Missouri Independent.

MOBERLY – Nestled between the offices of a small loan company and an insurance brokerage, Hot Shots Internet Cafe offers neither internet access nor any sort of nourishment.  But what Hot Shots does offer is more than a dozen games that look like slot machines offering cash prizes to anyone willing to risk a dollar.  […]

The post Gaming parlors are popping up across Missouri. Courts have yet to determine if they are illegal appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Becoming a registered Republican was the worst decision B.J. Adams says he ever made. Adams, a resident of Burlington, North Carolina, isn’t upset with GOP policies. And he loves former President Donald Trump.  But when the 87-year-old conservative who grew up a Democrat finally switched his party registration, he said it unleashed a torrent of […]

The post Out-of-state donors fuel pair of GOP candidates running for Missouri governor, AG appeared first on Missouri Independent.

In this political season, where it seems that anything is up for interpretation and speculation — truths, codes of ethics, rules of law — where do we turn for a sense of direction or best decision-making? The craziness occurring in our nation’s capital, or our state legislatures, is not all there is. What craziness, you […]

The post Reclaiming our voices of reason amid all the craziness appeared first on Missouri Independent.

WASHINGTON — Congress approved a bill Saturday night that would stave off a government shutdown until at least mid-November, though the measure doesn’t include Ukraine aid backed by both Republicans and Democrats. The bipartisan 88-9 vote in the U.S. Senate, just hours before a midnight deadline, took place after the U.S. House earlier in the […]

The post Congress clears bill to avert shutdown, with vote promised later on Ukraine aid appeared first on Missouri Independent.