As President Donald Trump begins his second term, the landscape around reproductive health in the United States is dramatically different from when he first took office in 2017. Trump appointed three U.S. Supreme Court justices during his first term, paving the way for the overturn of Roe v. Wade in 2022. Now, as he takes […]
How could Trump’s second term affect reproductive health care in Missouri?
Posted inState Government
Kansas doesn’t pay every teacher for some work they have to do. That could change
Mentoring young teachers in Kansas is supposed to come with additional compensation, up to $1,000. The state runs a mentoring program where mentors are paid $1,000 for helping a first-year teacher, $500 for a second-year teacher and $250 for a third-year teacher. But Kansas regularly runs out of money for the program. And despite promises […]
Posted inState Government
Time for a change? Kansas considers ending daylight saving time
Kansas lawmakers may end daylight saving time, meaning no more changing clocks twice a year. Ending daylight saving time and sticking with standard time year-round would still mean it gets dark at about 5 p.m. in the winter. Under proposed legislation, Kansans would fall back an hour in November 2025 and never again shift them […]
Posted inHealth
In some Missouri counties, 911 doesn’t exist. Upgrades to emergency dispatching will change that
The average caller would never know, but dialing 911 during an emergency isn’t possible in several Missouri counties. While the call will go through, in parts of southeast Missouri, the number is instead rerouted to a traditional 10-digit landline. But that won’t be the case for long. Thanks to federal funds, 911 dispatchers and call […]
Posted inHealth
Regulators warn Blue Springs hospital that lab’s ‘deficient practices’ could put patients at risk
Regulators recently warned officials at St. Mary’s Medical Center in Blue Springs that “deficient practices” at its laboratory, including lax testing procedures and insufficient training, could endanger patients. The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services informed hospital officials that they had found the lab to be in “immediate jeopardy,” the most severe level of […]
Posted inState Government
Cellphones, cursive and teacher pay: A round up of Missouri teaching and learning bills in 2025
Lawmakers across the aisle want to curtail students’ use of electronic devices in class.
Posted inState Government
Housing, tax credits and unions: Missouri economic development bills to watch in 2025
For the next five months, lawmakers will consider what kind of businesses to boost, how landlords will be allowed to manage their properties and whether to overhaul Missouri’s income, sales and property taxes.
These bills are only proposals for now. They could be amended — in some cases, dramatically — before they ever come to a vote. More than 1,000 bills have been proposed this year, and only a few will pass the House and Senate and get a signature from Gov. Mike Kehoe. You can find a guide to following the legislative session here.
Here’s a guide to some of the legislative proposals that could affect development, taxes and the economy.
Posted inState Government
Is 2025 the year Missouri eliminates its grocery sales tax?
Missouri is one of 10 states that impose a statewide sales tax on groceries. As the cost of food soared in recent years, states have moved to reduce or eliminate sales taxes on groceries. Kansas started this year without a state grocery sales tax after gradually reducing it in recent years. Illinois plans to eliminate […]
Posted inState Government
Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly’s cautious approach to spending taxpayer dollars in 2025
Gov. Laura Kelly is taking a cautious approach to spending taxpayer money. Her proposed budget for Kansas anticipates just a 0.7% increase on the already approved 2025 budget. As a result, the state can’t afford large increases in government services. The Legislature passed a $2 billion tax cut last year. The full impact of that […]
Posted inKansas
A key Kansas water source is in trouble. Gov. Kelly wants to preserve it in new proposal
There is no Kansas as we know it without the Ogallala aquifer. The aquifer provides clean drinking water and a vital source of water for crops. If the aquifer dries up, so too will many farms and towns in western Kansas. And make no mistake, the Ogallala aquifer is drying up. The Kansas Water Office […]