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Why did Fayette police raid a Black student’s house twice late at night?
It was 8:30 p.m. on Halloween night, and Christopher Turner Jr. and his girlfriend had just gotten home from a Central Methodist University football game in Kansas. Turner, 24, plays right defensive tackle for the team, and both are seniors at the small private college in Fayette, about 30 miles northwest of Columbia. The team […]
Federal eviction moratorium ends Dec. 31. Missouri rental aid program begins in January
Missourians who have fallen behind on their rent due to the pandemic can seek relief through the Missouri Emergency Rental Arrears Program (ERAP) beginning in January. But housing advocates fear that the help won’t come soon enough to prevent thousands of Missourians from being evicted on January 1, when the federal moratorium will be lifted. The […]
Missouri bills seek to shield drivers who hit protesters
Reacting to a summer marked by protests against police violence around the country, a pair of Missouri lawmakers are pushing for legislation shielding drivers from liability if they hit protesters with their cars. State Sen.-elect Rick Brattin, R-Harrisonville, is sponsoring a bill that would bar lawsuits against drivers for injuries to a person who “was […]
‘This is a time of war,’ says St. Louis’ pandemic task force leader
St. Louis area hospitals are seeing about 20 patients die every day. “That is 20 people a day who won’t be going back home to their loved ones,” said Dr. Alex Garza, incident commander for the St. Louis Metropolitan Pandemic Task Force, during his Monday briefing. That number has tripled since October, he said, and […]
St. Louis city board recommends further limitations on business capacity
A St. Louis city advisory board has recommended that all businesses in the city reduce their capacity to 25 percent. The city currently mandates bars, restaurants and nightclubs limit their capacity to 50 percent of their permitted occupancy and to close by 11 p.m. “This has not been easy, but hard decisions have to be […]
Howard County Jail closed as COVID outbreak hits sheriff, inmates
An entire jail in central Missouri is empty today due to a COVID-19 outbreak among inmates and staff. The Howard County Sheriff’s Department closed Saturday and sent the 15 detainees to Cooper County. Sheriff Mike Neal, at least one deputy and most of the jail staff are infected with the coronavirus. The department posted a […]
Federal judge denies ACLU request to halt Missouri eviction proceedings
A federal judge on Tuesday denied the ACLU’s request to halt eviction proceedings in Missouri courts for the next five weeks. The ACLU and ACLU of Missouri filed a federal lawsuit in late September on behalf of KC Tenants, a grassroots organization that advocates for safe and affordable housing. The suit claims that a Jackson […]
Five years after Ferguson report, some say progress has come too slow
Like so many around the country, Dr. L.J. Punch was glued to the television on the night of Nov. 24, 2014. That night, the country learned that then-Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson would not be indicted in the Aug. 9 shooting death of 18-year-old Michael Brown Jr. Punch was a critical-care surgeon working in Houston […]
Many Missouri tenants lack legal counsel during eviction proceedings
When disabled veteran Eddie Logan learned his landlord had filed for his eviction, he began gathering evidence of what he considered the property’s “derelict conditions” to fight it and represent himself. He had less than a week to prepare for a hearing on Aug. 17 that, because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, was going to […]
As Missouri COVID cases surge, what does it mean to be ‘safe’ in the pandemic?
Cat O’Toole says she did everything right to protect herself and others from COVID-19. “I am strict about mask wearing,” said O’Toole, who works as a server at a high-end restaurant in St. Louis. “I am constantly using hand sanitizer and thoroughly washing my hands, especially after talking with a guest or walking up to […]
Missouri sets new record for COVID cases. Health director warns to avoid holiday gatherings
Missourians should not hold big family Thanksgiving or Christmas gatherings this year, but they will likely be able to get a COVID-19 vaccine by the spring, the state health director said Thursday. In an interview on KCMO radio, Randall Williams said the rapid spread of the coronavirus that causes COVID-19, especially in outstate Missouri, is […]
Q&A with Cori Bush, Missouri’s first black Congresswoman
Congresswoman-elect Cori Bush has told the same story ever since her first campaign in 2016. At one point in her life, she was a working nurse and single mother living out of her car with her children — never imagining she’d ever find herself in that situation. “I was that person running for my life […]