Missourians could be among the nation’s first voters to reverse a near-total abortion ban when they weigh in on Amendment 3 in the Nov. 5 election. Missouri was the first state to enact a near-total ban on abortion in June 2022. Missouri officials signed paperwork triggering the ban to take effect just minutes after the […]
Meg Cunningham
Meg Cunningham is The Beacon’s rural health reporter. She graduated from the Missouri School of Journalism, where she covered state government and health. She spent roughly three years covering national politics, including the 2018 and 2020 elections, at ABC News in Washington. She’s spent over five years covering politics and policy, with the last three of those years focused on Missouri state government, developing expertise on state policy and agencies, democracy and representation, and health outcomes in Missouri. She grew up in the Kansas City suburbs.
Posted inState Government
Evergy is hoping its regulators OK higher electric bills for its Missouri West customers
Evergy confused and angered its Missouri customers in 2023 when it rolled out time-of-use rates that meant prices would run highest when people use the most electricity. Missourians, especially those on fixed incomes, complained of high costs and having to choose between things like groceries and their medications or powering their homes during peak hours. […]
Posted inState Government
How to make your voice heard on the proposed 2025 Evergy West rate hikes
Evergy Missouri West is proposing a 13.99% increase in its rates starting in January, amounting to over $104 million for the utility provider. While the rate increase will need to be approved by the Missouri Public Service Commission, the state’s utility regulator, the public can let the commission know how it feels about the rate […]
Posted inState Government
Missouri Democrats, tired of seeing uncontested Republicans, recruit more legislative candidates
Correction: This story has been corrected to reflect the part of the state Melissa Viloria worked in as a volunteer and the first year House candidates ran in new districts after redistricting. When Melissa Viloria was growing up in northeast Missouri, few people in power that looked like her. Viloria was born in Hawaii to […]
Posted inElections
Missouri election results: Voters reject Amendment 1, property tax exemptions for child care providers
Missouri voters on Tuesday rejected a pitch to give state lawmakers the power to pass property tax exemptions for child care facilities. Amendment 1 failed, with roughly 55% of Missourians voting ‘no’ on the measure in unofficial results. The measure would have let the General Assembly pass legislation exempting child care providers from their property […]
Posted inState Government
Two Democrats face off to represent Kansas City and Grandview in the Missouri Senate
Editor’s note (Aug. 2, 2024): This story has been updated to add an endorsement from the KC Biz PAC for Patty Lewis. Missouri Senate District 7 became a vacant seat this year after former Sen. Greg Razer was appointed to the State Tax Commission. Now, two candidates are facing off on your Aug. 6 Missouri ballot […]
Posted inElections
In Missouri Senate District 31, a Freedom Caucus incumbent faces a challenge from two House members
Sitting Sen. Rick Brattin, who represents the 31st district, is running for reelection in the Aug. 6 Missouri primary. The district represents Cass, Johnson and Bates counties just south of Kansas City. Brattin, a member of the far-right Freedom Caucus who has focused on hot-button issues related to gun rights and anti-LGBTQ efforts, faces a […]
Posted inState Government
Where Missouri Republican candidates for governor stand on personal property taxes
Missouri Republicans running to win the governor’s race are trying to harness frustration over 2023’s property tax assessment fiasco with varying promises of cuts. State Sen. Bill Eigel, a member of the far-right Freedom Caucus, has made eliminating personal property taxes on things like cars, farm and business equipment a top priority as a lawmaker […]
Posted inElections
What to know about Amendment 1 on Missouri’s Aug. 6 primary ballot
Missouri voters will weigh in on Aug. 6 on whether to give property tax exemptions to child care centers when they cast ballots on Amendment 1. As the state looks to address its chronic child care provider shortage, lawmakers have looked to tax exemptions as incentives for opening child care centers — even if that […]
Posted inState Government
Missouri counties say they lose money housing people headed to state prison
The cost of holding someone in a Missouri county jail for those days and months before and after a conviction ultimately falls to the state. In 2024, the state spent about $50 million to reimburse counties for the cost. But it’s had trouble keeping up with that tab. That’s left counties stuck with most of […]