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Hawley, Kunce clash over aid to Ukraine, abortion rights ballot measure, during Senate debate
SPRINGFIELD —The United States should abandon its support for Ukraine in its ongoing war with Russia, U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley said Friday during his first debate with challenger Lucas Kunce and two third party candidates. “I do not support continued funding to Ukraine,” Hawley said, adding that he would not support any more aid until […]
New federal lawsuit pins blame for inmate’s death on Missouri prison officials
Missouri corrections officers drenched an inmate with pepper spray and ignored his pleas for help for four hours, responding only when his screaming stopped as he died in the Tipton Correctional Center, a federal lawsuit filed this month alleges. The events that led to Brandon Pace’s death on April 7, 2023, began when correctional officers […]
Missouri tax revenues declining in first months of fiscal year, raising concerns
Missouri’s general revenue has lagged behind inflation for two years in a row. And with that gap widening, the next few months could determine whether state revenue will see a year-over-year decline for the first time in more than a decade. “September is a good sort of bellwether one for us, because that’s where we […]
Missouri initiative campaigns launch TV spending after surviving court challenges
Missouri’s November ballot is now set, and initiative campaigns are ramping up spending to convince voters to pass the proposals. The first to go on the air last week was Winning for Missouri Education, the committee funded by online sports gambling companies for Amendment 2, which would legalize betting on college and professional games. The […]
Missouri town ordered to vote on tax hike to pay judgment for civil rights, Sunshine violations
A small Missouri city must deplete its bank accounts — except for enough money to keep the police force intact — to pay a judgment that found it violated a resident’s First Amendment rights and the Missouri Sunshine Law, a court ruled last week. Phelps County Circuit Judge John Beger directed Edgar Springs to pay […]
Republicans combine to spend $65 million in Missouri primaries for statewide offices
The top three finishers combined to spend $27.5 million in the Republican primary for governor, with the winner, Lt. Gov. Mike Kehoe, accounting for almost two-thirds of the total, newly filed campaign disclosure reports show. Overall, Republicans in statewide contests spent almost $65 million, compared to just $4.8 million in the Democratic Party, where the […]
For 32 years, dozens of deaths tied to nurse at Columbia’s VA hospital have been unresolved
In September 1992, as I performed one of the perfunctory duties of my job as assistant city editor of the Columbia Daily Tribune — watching the nightly local news to keep up with our competitors — a startling story came on KMIZ. Stephen Gaither, a spokesman for Harry S Truman Memorial Veterans Hospital, described to […]
Missouri judge puts Lake of the Ozarks casino proposal on November ballot
A proposal to allow a new casino to be licensed on the Osage River near the Lake of the Ozarks will be on the November ballot, a Cole County judge ruled Friday. The initiative, which was initially found to be 2,031 signatures short in the 2nd Congressional District, actually did have enough valid signatures, Secretary […]
Poll shows Missouri voters back Trump, Hawley, abortion rights and minimum wage hike
Missourians seem poised to legalize abortion and increase the minimum wage in November but are unlikely to embrace the Democratic statewide candidates who are among the ballot measures’ most ardent supporters, a new poll shows. The proposal to enshrine the right to abortion up until the point of fetal viability in the Missouri Constitution drew […]
New Missouri law expands state auditor’s powers to dig into local governments
On July 23, State Auditor Scott Fitzpatrick released an audit detailing how a former mayor of Excelsior Estates improperly paid himself more than $37,000 and funneled more than $200,000 to a business he owned. During the course of their work, auditors found that the records for the village of 209 people on the border of […]
Drugmakers sue to block Missouri law on federal prescription discounts
Three major pharmaceutical companies and their national lobbying organization are suing Missouri to block enforcement of a new state law requiring them to give medical providers unlimited access to discounted drugs for their pharmacies. In four federal lawsuits filed over the past month, Novartis, AstraZeneca, Abbvie and PhRMA, the lobbying arm of the pharmaceutical industry, […]
Josh Hawley hopes to use Lucas Kunce fundraising against him in Missouri Senate race
In his re-election campaign, Missouri Republican U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley wants to use Democratic nominee Lucas Kunce’s successful fundraising effort as a weapon. Since the start of 2023, Kunce has collected $11.2 million, all but about 3% from individuals giving in amounts ranging from less than $1 to the maximum contribution of $3,300. Hawley, who […]