CORRECTION (Dec. 9, 2024) This story originally misidentified a source as a Beacon board member. But Heidi Lucas told a Beacon reporter only that she knows one of The Beacon’s board members. We misheard her and incorrectly identified her as a board member. We failed to check the listing of our own board. A snowstorm […]
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 inElections
Amendment 5 results: Missouri voters reject casino at the Lake of the Ozarks
Missouri voters rejected Amendment 5 on Tuesday, which would have amended the state constitution to allow a casino to be built at the Lake of the Ozarks. The measure failed to reach the simple majority needed to pass, with 47.6 of Missouri voters giving their approval according to unofficial results. The measure would have amended […]
Posted inElections
Missouri voters restore abortion rights, but access is still on a long legal path
This story was updated at 1 p.m. on Nov. 8. Missouri voters bucked Republicans who control the state on Tuesday when they voted to add the right to abortion and other reproductive health care protections in the state constitution by passing Amendment 3. The measure was approved 51.6% to 48.4%, making Missouri the first state […]
Posted inElections
Platte County voters to decide fate of sales tax to fund children’s mental health services
Platte County will vote on a new sales tax Nov. 5 to help fund mental health services for children. Backers of the quarter-cent tax include mental health service providers, who argue the money is needed to meet the growing needs in Platte County. The tax dollars would support mental well-being for children up to 19 […]
Posted inElections
Would sports betting boost Missouri school funding? There’s no guarantee, experts say
Missourians are being asked to legalize sports betting by passing Amendment 2. The campaign promises tens of millions will go to Missouri schools.
Posted inElections
Absentee voting, initiative petitions and voter roll audits: Secretary of state candidates Denny Hoskins and Barbara Phifer on running Missouri’s elections
Missourians will have the chance to choose a new top elections official when they cast ballots for secretary of state on Nov. 5. State Sen. Denny Hoskins of Warrensburg and state Rep. Barbara Phifer of Kirkwood are running to replace current Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft. While the candidates will primarily run Missouri’s elections, they […]
Posted inElections
Abortion, immigration, drug prices: Where Missouri’s candidates for U.S. Senate stand on the issues
U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley is on the Nov. 5 ballot as he seeks another term in Congress. The Republican is being challenged by Missouri Senate hopefuls Democrat Lucas Kunce, Better Party candidate Jared Young and Green Party candidate Nathan Kline. The winning candidate will join a fractured U.S. Senate that has 33 of 100 seats […]
Posted inElections
Here’s what Mike Kehoe and Crystal Quade said they’d be like as Missouri’s governor
Editor’s note (Oct. 3, 2024): This story has been updated to include additional candidate responses. Missourians will choose between an anti-abortion conservative who champions business development and tax cuts for governor or a Democrat prioritizing abortion access, expanding child care and gun control measures. Lt. Gov. Mike Kehoe, who operates a cattle farm in Phelps […]
Posted inElections
These groups have opinions about your vote. Decoding endorsements in Kansas and Missouri
Candidates and campaigns routinely tout endorsements. The Beacon has compiled a list of Kansas, Missouri and national groups that are active in the 2024 election. Meet the endorsers and learn who and what they support: Abortion Action Missouri Abortion Action Missouri is an abortion access advocacy group that used to be called NARAL (National Abortion […]
Posted inState Government
Missouri Amendment 5: Voters can OK or reject a new casino at the Lake of the Ozarks on Nov. 5
Missourians, long restricted to sites along the Missouri or Mississippi rivers for casino gambling, will decide whether to add another river to that list during the Nov. 5 election. Amendment 5 will ask Missouri voters if they want to allow an additional casino on the Osage River, near the Bagnell Dam at the Lake of […]