Government + Politics
Long-awaited Kansas City psychiatric hospital sparks resistance among neighborhood residents
Residents in Kansas City’s historic Northeast neighborhood say plans for a state psychiatric hospital on the site of a former housing project and city park clash with plans for revitalizing their community. They’re losing patience with efforts to base ever more social services near their homes that they fear could make their streets a dumping […]
Senators demand another antitrust investigation into pharmacy middlemen
A federal antitrust watchdog is already conducting an investigation into, and has filed a lawsuit against, huge pharmacy middlemen. Now two U.S. senators want the Federal Trade Commission to open a separate investigation into an emerging practice of their even bigger parent companies. The middlemen are called pharmacy benefit managers or PBMs, and they have […]
Capitol art captures views of Missouri a century ago
Lightning flashed over the Missouri Capitol on Oct. 6, 1924, just 13 years after the building burned to the ground following a powerful lightning strike. This time lightning flashes were joined by the red hues of celebratory fireworks. This was the grand pageant to celebrate the opening of the new Capitol. Though the Capitol had […]
Congress left D.C. with little done. They’ll be back Nov. 12 to give it another try
WASHINGTON — Members of Congress left Capitol Hill last week to focus their attention on the campaign trail during the six weeks leading up to Election Day, leaving much of their work unfinished. The Republican House and Democratic Senate are scheduled to remain on recess until Nov. 12, though the urgent needs created in the […]
New Missouri House committee will investigate impact of St. Louis nuclear waste
Missouri lawmakers will convene a special committee to study the consequences of nuclear weapons production in the St. Louis area and recommend legislation for next year, House Speaker Dean Plocher announced Thursday. In a press release, Plocher said the Special Interim Committee on the Impact of U.S. Nuclear Weapon Programs on Missouri will allow “policymakers, […]
‘It’s time for me to step back’: Missouri’s Blaine Luetkemeyer looks to retirement from Congress
WASHINGTON — Through 26 years as a legislator, U.S. Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer traveled back and forth from work to be with his family in St. Elizabeth. Luetkemeyer has another agenda for this fall’s election season rather than campaigning: spending time on a small family farm in the Ozark foothills. His seven grandchildren, aged from 2 to […]
Budget restrictions, staff issues and AI are threats to states’ cybersecurity
Many state chief information and security officers say they don’t have the budget, resources, staff or expertise to feel fully confident in their ability to guard their government networks against cyber attacks, according to a new Deloitte & Touche survey of officials in all 50 states and D.C. “The attack surface is expanding as state […]
Farmers struggle with ‘bleak’ situation as Congress waffles on new Farm Bill
The cost of fertilizer is up; crop prices are down. Farmers have struggled through drought, and ranchers sold off huge swaths of their herd. To top it all off, Congress has yet to pass a new iteration of the Farm Bill, which expires in a matter of days. And it likely won’t take action on […]
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 […]
Missouri pledges to disperse summer food aid by end of year
Missouri has begun distributing summer food benefits for children and aims to finish by the end of the year, a spokesperson for the Department of Social Services told The Independent this week. The aid was intended to be distributed during summer break, to help vulnerable kids avoid a drop-off in nutrition while they were out […]
Idaho AG accuses pediatrics academy of possible consumer violations over gender care policies
Idaho Attorney General Raúl Labrador – along with attorneys general and other officials from 20 U.S. states including Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey – has accused the American Academy of Pediatrics of possible “violations of state consumer protection statutes” over its standards and recommendations for gender dysphoria care for children. In a letter sent by […]
Missouri judge rules social services department ‘knowingly’ violated Sunshine Law
The Department of Social Services “knowingly and purposefully” subverted the state’s open records law to gain the upper hand in litigation, a Missouri judge ruled Monday. Cole County Circuit Judge Jon Beetem determined the department violated the Sunshine Law by wrongfully denying a records request because of the identity of requester and not the contents […]