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Grain Belt Express clears another legal hurdle with Missouri appeals court ruling
Chariton County cannot block construction of the Grain Belt Express electric transmission line by refusing permission to cross county roads, the Missouri Western District Court of Appeals ruled Tuesday. The county can establish rules for how the transmission line crosses its roads, the court ruled as it modified a trial court decision that said the […]
Record spending fuels Missouri campaigns to legalize sports gambling, new casino
It’s time to bet the over-under on how much will be spent this year on gambling ballot measures in Missouri. A good mark might be $60 million. Online bookies poured $32 million so far into the Amendment 2 campaign to legalize sports betting, and a casino company grumpy about the deal countered with $14 million […]
Kansas City Chiefs owners fund radio ad campaign opposing Missouri abortion amendment
The family business that owns the Kansas City Chiefs is one of the biggest funders of a political action committee opposing a proposed amendment to overturn Missouri’s abortion ban. Unity Hunt, the business that controls the assets of the late Lamar Hunt, including the Chiefs, in late September donated $300,000 to the Leadership for America […]
Missouri sheriffs’ pension donates $30K to ballot campaign, sparking concerns
The Missouri Sheriffs’ Retirement System last month made a $30,000 investment, hoping for a big return if voters approve a ballot measure imposing a $3 fee on court cases to fund the system’s pensions. The $30,000 contribution to the Committee to Ensure a Future for Sheriffs & Prosecutors, the committee promoting Amendment 6 on the […]
Missouri House Democrat calls for investigation of testimony given under false names
Missouri House testimony presented under several aliases should be investigated and prosecuted under laws making it a felony to file false documents with a government agency, state Rep. Del Taylor said Friday. Taylor, a St. Louis Democrat, said that The Independent’s report that a Columbia restaurant owner is the source of testimony under at least […]
Jared Young hopes to build momentum for third-party Senate bid with Jack Danforth’s help
A U.S. Senate candidate seeking to create a new party to bridge political divisions on Thursday enlisted the state’s senior former officeholder to help put a spotlight on his campaign. Jared Young, a Joplin businessman who petitioned to form the Better Party, toured the state with former U.S. Sen. Jack Danforth, a Republican who was […]
Jack Danforth blames Josh Hawley for Missourians losing out on radiation compensation
U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley’s failure as a legislator is most glaringly obvious in the demise of a bill providing coverage to Missourians exposed to radiation from nuclear weapons development, former U.S Sen. Jack Danforth said Thursday. Danforth gave his grade on Hawley’s legislative career during a Thursday tour of the state with Joplin businessman Jared […]
False names used in testimony to Missouri House committee studying immigrant crime
A Columbia woman charged with using multiple aliases to accuse restaurant competitors of criminal activity also used fake names for testimony to a Missouri House committee alleging a conspiracy to obtain liquor licenses for undocumented immigrants Crystal Umfress of Columbia, owner of Casa Maria’s Mexican Cantina, was already facing trial in a Dunklin County arson-for-hire […]
Missouri Sunshine Law appeal from Cass County digs into public notice requirements
A rural Missouri fire district near Kansas City committed so many violations of the Missouri Sunshine Law that listing them separately wasn’t the best way to present them, attorney Jim Layton told Western District Court of Appeals during oral arguments. Under questioning from Presiding Judge Thomas Chapman, Layton said he counted 46 violations committed in […]
Marcellus Williams executed after U.S. Supreme Court rejects final appeal
Just a few hours after the U.S. Supreme Court rejected his final appeal, Missouri officials executed Marcellus Williams Tuesday at the Eastern Reception, Diagnostic and Correctional Center in Bonne Terre. Williams, who was backed in his appeals for clemency by St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Wesley Bell, left only a single sentence — “All praise […]
Missouri Supreme Court rejects death row inmate’s appeal, allowing execution Tuesday
The execution of Marcellus Williams will proceed Tuesday, the Missouri Supreme Court ruled in a decision rejecting efforts to show a potential juror in his murder trial was excluded based on race. After hearing arguments Monday morning in an expedited appeal, the court unanimously ruled that St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Wesley Bell had not […]
Abortion rights, minimum wage hike divide Quade and Kehoe in Missouri gubernatorial debate
SPRINGFIELD — Twenty years of Republican control of the legislature has failed Missouri, giving it the most extreme abortion restrictions in the country and a child care system in crisis, Democratic gubernatorial hopeful Crystal Quade said in a debate Friday. Quade said she backs Amendment 3, which would restore abortion rights, and Proposition A, to […]