a Better Bubbleā„¢

MoInd šŸ“°

Unlawful predatory practices must be rooted out of Missouri microbusiness program, regulator says

6 months ago
Missouri’s microbusiness cannabis program will never get off the ground if regulators are consistently forced to revoke licenses over concerns about unlawful predatory practices, the head of the state’s marijuana division said Wednesday at a town hall meeting. That’s why new rules must be put in place to root out these practices and ensure the […]
Rebecca Rivas

Egg prices have soared, but federal controls kept milk prices steady — at farmers’ expense

6 months ago
America’s dairy industry is being ravaged by bird flu, leading to a significant decline in milk production in many states, including California, the nation’s largest dairy-producing state that hit a 20-year low in 2024. But unlike eggs, which spiked in price due to the bird flu’s impact on poultry flocks, consumers aren’t likely to see […]
John McCracken

Missouri hospital mergers come with one inevitable: Bigger executive paychecks

6 months ago
Bigger bonuses, higher executive salaries and a few eye-popping retirement payouts. That’s how St. Luke’s Health System closed the books on its final year as a nonprofit independent hospital chain, according to recent tax filings. The $2.5 billion hospital system, which merged with St. Louis-based nonprofit BJC Healthcare at the start of 2024, paid one-third […]
Suzanne King

Delta Extraction loses appeal of its revoked license following Missouri cannabis recall

6 months ago
The company at the center of a massive cannabis product recall in 2023 lost its appeal to get its license back on Tuesday, with Missouri’s administrative hearing commission concluding it had a “corporate culture of lax compliance with regulatory requirements.ā€ The scathing 137-page ruling, issued by Commissioner Carole Iles, comes almost a year after a […]
Rebecca Rivas

New paid sick leave requirement targeted by Missouri Republicans

6 months ago
Worries that ā€œslackersā€ may take advantage of Missouri’s new law requiring most employers to give workers paid sick leave isn’t a good enough reason to repeal it, a Democratic lawmaker said Wednesday. In November, voters overwhelmingly approved an initiative petition called Proposition A that requires employers with business receipts greater than $500,000 a year to […]
Rudi Keller

Missouri has lost regulatory authority over its gas pipelines

6 months ago
In January, the federal government took over regulating Missouri’s more than 1.5 million miles of natural gas pipelines. The pipelines had been regulated by the state, but the federal government said the fines for violations were too low and not in line with federal requirements. If a gas company is violating safety standards, federal regulators […]
Jana Rose Schleis

Plan to shift from income tax to sales tax advances to Missouri Senate

6 months 1 week ago
A plan to make Missouri dependent on sales tax for general revenue by eliminating the income tax is heading to the state Senate for debate after a party-line committee vote on Wednesday. Two proposals — one to immediately end the state individual income tax and depend on sales tax for revenue, and another a proposed […]
Rudi Keller

Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe orders ban on DEI initiatives in state agencies

6 months 1 week ago
Gov. Mike Kehoe signed an executive order Tuesday directing all Missouri state agencies to eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. The order bans agencies from using state funding for diversity training initiatives and from incorporating DEI into hiring and contracting practices. ā€œOur state agencies must operate under a framework that ensures fairness, equal opportunity, and […]
Shane LaGesse

Real public safety in Missouri is about more than just creating longer prison sentences

6 months 1 week ago
The Missouri General Assembly is at a crossroads this legislative session as their constituents demand they do something, almost anything, to put a stop to violent crime. It’s no secret that MissouriĀ ranksĀ in the top 10 states in the U.S. for both violent crime and property crime, and several Missouri communitiesĀ leadĀ the nation with high crime rates. […]
Rachel Wright

Missouri ā€˜born-alive’ bill could open door to abortion medication lawsuits

6 months 1 week ago
A Missouri House committee spent 90 minutes discussing and hearing testimony earlier this month on legislation that would criminalize medical professionals who don’t provide life-saving care to any infants born during an unsuccessful abortion. Known as the “born alive abortion survivors act,” it won approval of the House Health and Mental Health Committee on Tuesday, […]
Anna Spoerre

Missouri House debate shows GOP split over bill to protect pesticide makers

6 months 1 week ago
A bill to protect one of the world’s largest chemical companies from charges it didn’t warn customers that one of its most popular products causes cancer won first-round approval Tuesday in the Missouri House. The legislation, sponsored by Republican state Rep. Dane Diehl of Butler, would make the label required by federal pesticide regulators ā€œsufficient […]
Rudi Keller

Missouri Senators propose tax credit for homeschool and private school families

6 months 1 week ago
Missouri’s homeschool families and those enrolled in private schools could receive a tax credit for their educational expenses under legislation debated Tuesday by the Senate Education Committee. The credit would be capped at the annual state adequacy target, a number determined by the per-pupil expenditure of the highest performing school districts in the state.Ā  Currently, […]
Annelise Hanshaw

Missouri House moves forward on banning state DEI programs

6 months 1 week ago
A bill prohibiting Missouri agencies from spending money on diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives was given initial House approval Monday evening. The bill’s sponsor, state Rep. Ben Baker, a Republican from Neosho, argued that DEI goals do not lead to decreased bias and questioned their success. The state House can pass the bill with one […]
Mary McCue Bell

Trump’s cuts to federal wildfire crews could have ā€˜scary’ consequences

6 months 1 week ago
ISSAQUAH, Wash. — President Donald Trump’s moves to slash the federal workforce have gutted the ranks of wildland firefighters and support personnel, fire professionals warn, leaving communities to face deadly consequences when big blazes arrive this summer. ā€œThere’s going to be firefighters that die because of this, there will be communities that burn,ā€ said Steve […]
Alex Brown