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A drag performance last week at a diversity event attended by Columbia middle schoolers was “high-brow and innocent,” not the salacious sexual display alleged by Missouri Republicans, the marketing director for the group behind the performance said Sunday. At the annual Columbia Values Diversity Breakfast, timed to be near the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday, […]

The post Drag performers at Columbia event push back against Missouri Republican attack appeared first on Missouri Independent.

A breakdown in the federal aviation system earlier this month threw a spotlight on the absence of a Senate-confirmed leader of the Federal Aviation Administration, prompting Majority Leader Chuck Schumer to push for the chamber to confirm President Joe Biden’s choice to lead the agency. But key Senate Republicans have raised concerns about that nominee, […]

The post Aviation turmoil shifts attention to stalled confirmation of FAA chief appeared first on Missouri Independent.

WASHINGTON — A Texas judge could decide as soon as next month whether to force the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to pull its two-decade-old approval of the abortion pill, which accounts for more than half of pregnancy terminations in the United States. A nationwide injunction in the case, as requested by anti-abortion groups, would […]

The post Federal judge could decide as soon as February to yank abortion pill nationwide appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Republican legislators have made it clear that challenging the authority of St. Louis’ elected prosecutor Kimberly Gardner — a progressive Black Democrat — is a top priority this year.  And they’ll be searching for a way to make that challenge constitutional.  On the first day of the legislative session, Republican state leaders said Missouri could […]

The post Missouri prosecutors face losing jurisdiction over violent crime cases appeared first on Missouri Independent.

This week has been designated as “National News Literacy Week.” It could not be more important or timely as we continue to be bombarded with misinformation, disinformation and downright lies in all corners of the public square. What is most alarming is the utter disregard and disrespect for facts and truth practiced and tolerated by […]

The post News media literacy is more important than ever appeared first on Missouri Independent.

The American Civil Liberties Union is asking the Treasury Department to take a harder line on states and local governments using federal American Rescue Plan Act money to build and expand correctional facilities. One of the projects it cited is in Scott County, Iowa, where local officials had previously considered using the federal money for […]

The post Civil rights group objects to using federal COVID aid for jails appeared first on Missouri Independent.

A “shadowy organization” in the Department of Homeland Security leads the effort to undermine free speech by coercing social media companies, Attorney General Andrew Bailey said Friday in a speech to the Missouri chapter of the Federalist Society. In his first public speech to a nonpartisan audience since taking office Jan. 3, Bailey talked about […]

The post Missouri AG says lawsuit shows ‘dystopian’ ties of big tech, federal agencies to suppress speech appeared first on Missouri Independent.

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden hosted more than 200 of the nation’s mayors at the White House on Friday afternoon, highlighting economic growth and the effectiveness of their bipartisan leadership as the country moves on from the COVID-19 pandemic.  “I want to thank the mayors across the country for doing everything they can do to […]

The post U.S. mayors at the White House hear praise from Biden on rebuilding post-pandemic appeared first on Missouri Independent.

WASHINGTON — As the one-year anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine approaches next month, Ukrainians who were welcomed to the United States under a special program offering an escape from war are watching another timeline.  The temporary Uniting for Ukraine program, sometimes called U4U, offers a two-year stay in the U.S., given that individuals […]

The post Ukrainians by the thousands arrive in states, but with a time limit appeared first on Missouri Independent.

For over a century, Show-Me-State voters have had the ability to amend the constitution by ballot initiative and simple majority vote. As a conservative, I take pride in the fact that our state’s forefathers had the foresight and humility to provide the people with a mechanism against political tyranny. Today that check is being threatened. […]

The post Missouri voters won’t fall for the ballot initiative power grab appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Some of Missouri’s animals’ last moments are spent in a gas chamber, suffocating in carbon dioxide – but a bill by Rep. Adam Schwadron, R-St. Charles, would bar shelters from using this type of euthanasia. “Humanely treating our animals in our shelters is something that’s very important for us in the state,” Schwadron said. “And […]

The post Missouri lawmaker works with Humane Society to stop use of gas to kill shelter animals appeared first on Missouri Independent.

When Missouri lawmakers put the words “Almighty God is the author of life” into the section of law stating the General Assembly’s intent for abortion regulations, they crossed the line separating church and state, a lawsuit filed Thursday in St. Louis charges. Thirteen Christian and Jewish leaders are suing the state and six elected prosecutors […]

The post Lawsuit seeks to overturn Missouri abortion ban as violation of religious rights appeared first on Missouri Independent.

WASHINGTON — Just like teens, members of Congress are setting up TikTok accounts — even as the popular app is increasingly barred from government devices and heads of federal intelligence agencies raise concerns about data collection and surveillance obtained by a Chinese-owned company.  At least 32 members of Congress — all Democrats, including U.S. Rep. […]

The post Members of Congress sign up for TikTok, despite security concerns appeared first on Missouri Independent.

A nationwide comparison of electric utility performance by an Illinois consumer advocacy group found that customers in states that are heavily reliant on fuel oil and natural gas, as in the Northeast and South, tend to pay more than those with larger amounts of carbon-free generation, among other findings.  The report by the Illinois-based Citizens […]

The post Affordable, reliable and sustainable: report compares utility performance appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Imagine for just one second that this was you. In the center of my town of De Soto, more than 200 of my neighbors are living in a flood plain – and many are looking for a way to get out. It wasn’t always a dangerous area to live. In fact, for decades and decades […]

The post In De Soto, we need a way out of repeated flooding appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Early in his annual State of the State address on Wednesday, Missouri Gov. Mike Parson sang the praises of an income tax cut enacted by the Republican-dominated General Assembly late last year.  Closer to the end of his nearly one-hour speech to a joint session of the legislature, Parson vowed to “support and defend our […]

The post Missouri Democrats praise Parson’s speech — and four other State of the State takeaways appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Gov. Mike Parson wants to spend nearly $1 billion to widen Interstate 70 in congested areas while seeking federal funding to complete the job statewide. In his budget proposal delivered to lawmakers Wednesday, Parson asked for $859 million from the more than $5 billion in surplus general revenue to widen the highway in suburban areas […]

The post Parson makes I-70 a focus for Missouri budget heavy on infrastructure, education spending appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Lawmakers debated critical race theory for two hours Wednesday, as the Senate Education and Workforce Development Committee heard public testimony on a pair of bills that both seek to create a so-called “Parents Bill of Rights.” The two bills would establish a statewide transparency portal for public schools and enshrine parental rights, like a right […]

The post Critical race theory dominates Missouri Senate committee hearing on education bills appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Lawmakers debated on Wednesday a bipartisan push to expand postpartum Medicaid coverage for low-income Missourians from 60 days to one year — among the first public hearings of the 2023 legislative session.

The post Missouri lawmakers make bipartisan push to extend postpartum care for new moms appeared first on Missouri Independent.

A major area of bipartisan agreement among Missouri lawmakers this year is improving access to affordable child care.  And on Wednesday afternoon, Gov. Mike Parson is expected to lay out his vision for addressing what some legislators have framed as a child care crisis in Missouri.  Missouri House Minority Leader Crystal Quade, D-Springfield, told reporters […]

The post Missouri lawmakers vow to expand child care access. Governor’s speech may lay out the plan appeared first on Missouri Independent.