a Better Bubbleā„¢

MoInd šŸ“°

In some Missouri counties, 911 doesn’t exist. Upgrades to emergency dispatching will change that

10 months 3 weeks ago
The average caller would never know, but dialing 911 during an emergency isn’t possible in several Missouri counties. While the call will go through, in parts of southeast Missouri, the number is instead rerouted to a traditional 10-digit landline. But that won’t be the case for long. Thanks to federal funds, 911 dispatchers and call […]
Meg Cunningham

Missourians speak out against proposed Ameren electric rate increase in public hearing

10 months 3 weeks ago
In a packed hearing room a few blocks from the Missouri Capitol on Thursday, Ameren electric customers asked utility reps why they should be asked to pay another $17.45 per month, on average, for power. At times they were emotional when addressing members of the Missouri Public Service Commission, which oversees utilities, including Ameren. Lindsey […]
Jana Rose Schleis

Trump pick for USDA secretary says she has ā€˜a lot to learn’ about bird flu

10 months 3 weeks ago
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s pick to lead the U.S. Department of Agriculture said during her confirmation hearing Thursday that she has ā€œa lot to learnā€ about highly pathogenic avian influenza or bird flu, the virus that’s wreaking havoc on the country’s poultry industry and dairy farms. The outbreak has affected more than 136 million […]
Jennifer Shutt

Gov. Mike Kehoe holds to tax cut pledge as he forecasts a tighter Missouri budget

10 months 3 weeks ago
The Missouri state budget will be tighter in coming years as the state finishes spending federal aid distributed for recovery from the COVID pandemic, but Gov. Mike Kehoe said Thursday he remains committed to his promise to end the state income tax. Speaking to editors and publishers attending the Missouri Press Association Day at the […]
Rudi Keller

Trump nominee who helped write Project 2025 attacked by Senate Dems as ā€˜dangerous’

10 months 3 weeks ago
WASHINGTON — U.S. Senate Democrats on Thursday blasted Russ Vought, President Donald Trump’s nominee to again lead theĀ U.S. Office of Management and Budget, over his involvement in Project 2025 and called on their colleagues to reject his nomination. Vought wrote the chapter on the executive office of the president in the Heritage Foundation’s nearlyĀ 900-page conservative […]
Shauneen Miranda

Hegseth nomination for Pentagon chief advances in U.S. Senate in close vote

10 months 3 weeks ago
WASHINGTON — U.S. Senate Republicans on Thursday advanced the nomination of veteran and onetime Fox News host Pete Hegseth to lead the nation’s military, despite numerous allegations of alcohol abuse and sexual misconduct, and his history of disparaging women in the armed forces. Senators in a 51-49 procedural vote along party lines agreed to begin […]
Ashley Murray

U.S. House Republicans roll out bill to restrict birthright citizenship

10 months 3 weeks ago
WASHINGTON — Falling in line with President Donald Trump’s executive order to end birthright citizenship, House Republicans on Thursday unveiled legislation that would amend federal immigration law to narrow the scope of citizenship, although the right is enshrined in the U.S. Constitution. Trump’s Monday executive order has already faced staunch legal challenges from Democratic state attorneys general […]
Ariana Figueroa

Bayer urges Missouri lawmakers to pass bill critics say shields it from Roundup lawsuits

10 months 3 weeks ago
Bayer pleaded with Missouri lawmakers Thursday to pass legislation critics say would shield the company from lawsuits claiming its glyphosate-based herbicide Roundup causes cancer. Representatives for Bayer argue the legislation would clarify labeling requirements and prevent courts from creating a patchwork of obligations for the manufacturer.Ā  But environmental groups and attorneys for Roundup users who […]
Allison Kite

Earthquakes are New Madrid’s claim to fame. But that’s the last thing on residents’ minds

10 months 3 weeks ago
NEW MADRID — The town of New Madrid seems obsessed with the fault lines that loom under its surface. Signs with the slogan ā€œIt’s Our Faultā€ line the road into town, past the cotton fields and defunct factories that were once reliable employers. The local businesses, the ones that still exist, aren’t shy about referencing […]
Ezra Bitterman, Harshawn Ratanpal

ā€˜High likelihood’ of radioactive waste in smoldering landfill, Missouri officials say

10 months 3 weeks ago
Missouri officials are warning the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency of a ā€œhigh likelihoodā€ there is radioactive contamination in a smoldering landfill outside St. Louis. In a letter last week, the Missouri Department of Natural Resources asked that the EPA assume oversight of the Bridgeton Landfill, arguing it may contain nuclear waste like the adjacent West […]
Allison Kite

Missouri cannabis trade group offers compromise in fight over regulating intoxicating hemp

10 months 3 weeks ago
Arguably the biggest opponent of unregulated intoxicating hemp products said it’s willing to concede to allowing hemp-THC drinks to continue to be sold in grocery and liquor stores. ā€œWe are working through and very excited about the possibility of developing a carve out for low-THC hemp drinks,ā€ said Tom Robbins, a lobbyist for the Missouri […]
Rebecca Rivas

First abortion-related bill pushed in GOP-led Congress blocked by Senate Democrats

10 months 3 weeks ago
WASHINGTON — U.S. Senate Democrats blocked legislation Wednesday that would have established penalties for health care professionals who don’t provide medical care for infants born following an attempted abortion, arguing the bill would have kept parents from making decisions about care for newborns delivered early following a fatal fetal diagnosis. Republicans said the issue should […]
Jennifer Shutt

Missouri bills target pharmacy costs, insurance rules on drug pricing

10 months 3 weeks ago
With billions of dollars at stake, a legislative battle in Missouri over payments for prescription drugs kicked off again Wednesday between pharmacies, health care providers and insurance companies. For those unfamiliar with the conflict, terms like white bagging, brown bagging, 340B and biosimilarity can make the debate impossible to fathom. But each of those phrases, […]
Rudi Keller

New allegations about Pentagon nominee Hegseth circulated to members of U.S. Senate

10 months 3 weeks ago
WASHINGTON — New allegations of alcohol abuse and misconduct by defense secretary nominee Pete Hegseth drew fresh scrutiny Wednesday about the veteran, former Fox News host and author who President Donald Trump wants to install at the top of the U.S. military. New revelations in a sworn affidavit from Hegseth’s ex-sister-in-law accuse Hegseth of causing […]
Ashley Murray

Tax cut push by Missouri Republicans begins with $300M capital gains legislation

10 months 3 weeks ago
Missouri Republicans took their first legislative steps toward a promised tax cut on Tuesday, with a Senate committee debating a $300 million exemption forĀ  profits from the sale of a farm, business or assets like cryptocurrency. The proposal to exempt long-term capital gains from Missouri income tax would help bring investment and jobs to the […]
Rudi Keller

Trump’s Jan. 6 pardon order ā€˜flies in the face of the facts’ of violent insurrection

10 months 3 weeks ago
In the first hours of his second term, President Donald Trump pardoned nearly everyone convicted of crimes associated with the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol – including former Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio – and commuted the sentences of 14 more, including Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes. CNN reported that nearly 1,600 […]
John E. Jones III

GOP congressional leaders and Trump stalled on how best to pass big policy package

10 months 3 weeks ago
WASHINGTON — Republican congressional leaders huddled with President Donald Trump on Tuesday in search of a clear path forward to make sweeping changes to the country’s border security, energy policy and tax code, though they remained stuck on a question they’ve been mulling for weeks. Republicans secured unified control of government by promising voters they’d […]
Jennifer Shutt