Missouri lawmakers took a step toward improving conditions in some Missouri prisons last year by setting aside millions to install air conditioning in one of the state’s 17 prisons. That cooler air is still a year and a half away. That decision came as global temperatures broke summertime heat records. Prisoner rights advocates celebrated the […]
State Government
Posted inState Government
A Missouri panel of lawmakers looks at immigration — and gets pushback
It’s like clockwork each election cycle. Politicians reach for an old playbook, brandishing images from the southern border, claiming that undocumented migrants steal jobs and commit violent crimes at an alarming rate. The intent is to sow fear and misinformation about immigrants for political advantage. During Tuesday’s presidential debate, Donald Trump talked about immigration more […]
Posted inElections
Sports betting in Missouri: Everything you need to know about Amendment 2
Missourians could soon legally bet on sports from their own homes — instead of driving to Kansas or Illinois to place bets. Legalizing sports wagering will appear as Amendment 2 on the Nov. 5 general election ballot. Missourians 21 or older would be allowed to bet if it passes. Read the full amendment here. Here’s […]
Posted inState Government
State Rep. Marvin Robinson II, a Kansas Democrat known for siding with Republicans, has died
State Rep. Marvin Robinson II, a Kansas City, Kansas, Democrat, died of pancreatic cancer. He was 67. The U.S. Navy veteran served one term in the Kansas House and just lost reelection in a crowded Democratic primary. He was controversial in his party for siding with Republicans on some high-profile issues. He was one of […]
Posted inState Government
Johnson County opens a facility for kids in mental health crises
Pulling children out of a mental health crisis is tricky. Some have just run away from home while others are coming off a violent attack on a sibling or parent. They’re thinking impulsively, acting desperately and sometimes doing irrational things to change their situations. That can land them at the Johnson County Juvenile Intake and […]
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 inState Government
Around 120 Kansas kids are abandoned by their families because their mental health needs are too high
An adoptive mother knew that caring for three children from the Kansas foster system meant nurturing those kids through some truly serious problems. Yet the mother dramatically underestimated what she was taking on. Particularly the danger. Two of the adopted children made shanks out of broken glass and damaged toys. They busted up the bedrooms […]
Posted inState Government
Kansas teen got handed over to the state to get him sober. Now he’s in foster care and missed months of school
A high school junior based in Salina regularly came home at night drunk. Sometimes he passed out in the front yard of his mother’s home. Other times, he’d sleep off a night of heavy drinking in the passenger’s seat of a car. The teen’s mother didn’t know what to do. She’d lost the boy’s father, […]
Posted inElections
Missouri votes yes on Amendment 4, forcing Kansas City to increase police spending
Missouri voters once again approved a ballot measure that requires Kansas City to increase its minimum police funding – but by a much narrower margin than in 2022. Amendment 4 passed with 51% of the statewide vote, compared to 63% of voters supported the measure. The measure requires Kansas City to spend at least 25% of its […]
Posted inElections
Missouri primary election 2024 results
Find live election results from the Aug. 6 Missouri primary election. Looking for Kansas results? Head over to this page. Election results for U.S. Senate Election results for Missouri governor, lieutenant governor Election results for attorney general Election results for secretary of state Election results for state treasurer Election results for U.S. House Results for […]