Economy
Rent is eating up a greater share of tenants’ income in almost every state
There were 21 states where a majority of tenant households spent 30% or more of their incomes on rent and utilities last year, compared with just seven states in 2019. Nationwide, about 22 million renters are shouldering that percentage. Anyone paying more than 30% is considered “cost burdened,” according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban […]
Inflation has slowed, but the economy remains a big issue for voters in picking a president
Inflation hit a three-year low last month, just as the presidential election is heating up. But the high cost of housing and other necessities will keep the economy central to both of the major campaigns, as seen this week in the first debate between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump. The Consumer Price Index, a measure […]
Missouri VFW inspected by state regulators as part of ban on intoxicating hemp products
Not long after Commander Jason Stanfield had lowered the flag Wednesday to honor the lives lost on Sept. 11 at his Franklin County VFW Post, he learned state food inspectors had arrived. “It’s not an easy day,” Stanfield said. “9/11 is a tough day for all of us, particularly for veterans. I was not in […]
States are pushing back with anti-labor laws as union popularity grows, policy experts say
Growing union organizing across the country has triggered an anti-labor legislative response in some states, but cities and counties are increasingly pushing back, a new report found. The report, released this month by the New York University Wagner Labor Initiative and Local Progress Impact Lab, a group for local elected officials focused on economic and racial justice issues, […]
Missouri Attorney General to help crack down on intoxicating hemp products
Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey is creating a new specialized unit to assist the state’s alcohol and tobacco regulators in cracking down on intoxicating hemp products, Bailey announced at a Capitol press conference Tuesday afternoon. The announcement comes after Gov. Mike Parson’s ban on these products hit a delay of up to six months. The […]
With Missouri regulations in flux, what’s the difference between hemp and marijuana?
Missouri Gov. Mike Parson has vowed to run intoxicating hemp products out of Missouri, banning their sale and threatening penalties to any business that makes or sells them. In many ways, it’s the latest showdown between the marijuana industry — which has operated legally in Missouri since 2018 but is outlawed federally — and the […]
Despite opt-outs by GOP states, debut of kids’ summer food program seen as a success
A U.S. Department of Agriculture initiative to feed hungry kids during the long summer months is mostly winding down, with advocates calling it a success despite some hiccups — and the federal government and many states are already working to bring the permanent program back in 2025. The Summer Electronic Benefit Transfer Program — or Summer EBT — has popped […]
Missouri regulators visit nearly 50 stores to inspect for intoxicating hemp edibles
State health regulators walked into the busy Prime Fuel gas station in Sedalia on Tuesday morning and asked the clerk if there were any intoxicating hemp-derived THC edibles in the store — products the governor banned as of Sept. 1. The two employees of the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services learned the store […]
Tyson Foods annual sales have doubled in the past two decades
Tyson Foods annual sales have doubled in the past two decades, increasing from $26 billion to $53 billion from 2004 to 2023, according to a review of U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filings. Yet Tyson, which is the country’s largest chicken company, has closed nine meatpacking plants over the past year — including two in […]
Missouri’s youth agriculture groups prepare kids for the ‘long haul’
SEDALIA — On a hot and humid afternoon in the Swine Barn of the Missouri State Fair in Sedalia, brothers Cole and Ty Murphy keep watch over their two hogs. Ty, 14, said he likes the hard work caring for pigs requires. “Every night we’re walking them for five to 10 minutes, working hair, cleaning […]
Missouri hemp leaders file suit to halt governor’s ban on hemp THC products
The Missouri Hemp Trade Association filed a lawsuit Friday in Cole County Circuit Court to stop the governor’s ban on all intoxicating hemp food and drinks from taking effect Sunday. The action comes in response to a memo the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services sent to food retailers on Thursday detailing how the […]
Pay gap narrows, but CEOs still get way more than regular workers, new report says
The pay gap between corporate leaders and workers at low-wage companies narrowed a little between 2022 and 2023, but it’s still huge, according to a report that was released Thursday. In addition, those leaders invested far more heavily in a strategy that boosts their already-lavish pay than they did in employee retirement benefits. Nearly half […]