US Supreme Court’s uneven rulings in election lead-up causing chaos, experts say

US Supreme Court’s uneven rulings in election lead-up causing chaos, experts say

When the U.S. Supreme Court allowed Texas’ gerrymandered congressional map to take effect in December, its conservative majority wrote that a lower court had “improperly inserted itself into an active primary campaign” when it blocked the map more than three months before the election. Now, the Supreme Court is the one upending elections. For the […]

Kids keep getting stuck in Missouri hospitals, even after being cleared for discharge

Kids keep getting stuck in Missouri hospitals, even after being cleared for discharge

Overwhelmed by the demands of caregiving, Quette dialed 911 when she found her teenage son downstairs in their kitchen struggling to breathe. He had rolled his wheelchair to the oven to keep himself warm as he tried to regulate his temperature, she recalled, and was drenched in sweat from an apparent infection. In that moment, […]

From clergy to coaches, states debate who should report child abuse and neglect

From clergy to coaches, states debate who should report child abuse and neglect

Conversations with survivors of sexual abuse left Missouri state Sen. Tracy McCreery wondering what could have prevented the harm, leading her to sponsor a bill that would require clergy and religious workers to report suspected child abuse or neglect. Her bill would have forced ministers to report even if they learned of abuse during confession […]

St. Louis marijuana workers win union vote after two-year ballot fight

St. Louis marijuana workers win union vote after two-year ballot fight

It’s been about two years since Will Braddum was fired from his position at Sinse marijuana cultivation and manufacturing facility in south St. Louis, along with more than a dozen others.  For him, the marijuana industry had been a career, but he’d seen how “cutthroat” the corporate side can be, he said, and how vulnerable […]

Missouri’s new anti-abortion law will hurt families in medical crisis

Missouri’s new anti-abortion law will hurt families in medical crisis

It takes a special kind of cruelty to meddle in end of life care for political reasons.  The so-called “Born Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act” passed last week does just that. It is part of a longstanding strategy of abortion opponents using the tragedies of aspiring parents who have to end wanted pregnancies in order […]

As property insurance crisis worsens, some states target Big Oil

As property insurance crisis worsens, some states target Big Oil

Desperate to get a handle on rising property insurance costs driven by natural disasters, some state lawmakers are opening up a new line of attack in the effort to force oil companies to bear the cost of climate change effects.  In three states, Democratic lawmakers introduced bills this session that would allow insurance companies or […]

St. Charles County election leader warns redistricting delay could threaten August primary 

St. Charles County election leader warns redistricting delay could threaten August primary 

Disagreements between local election officials and Missouri Secretary of State Denny Hoskins continued unabated Friday over the status of which congressional district map will be used in this year’s elections. The 30 counties where voters have been switched to new districts under the gerrymandered map approved last year must update the district assignments before they […]

Bill requiring automatic expungement of eligible drug offenses heads to Missouri governor

Bill requiring automatic expungement of eligible drug offenses heads to Missouri governor

A bill restricting the use of low-flying drones and directing the state to automatically expunge drug offenses of thousands of eligible Missourians passed the General Assembly Friday. The House voted 110-25 to approve the bill, with 18 Democrats and seven Republicans in opposition. The underlying legislation, sponsored by Republican state Rep. Nick Schroer of Defiance, […]

Shifting attitudes on menopause drive states to push for new protections

Shifting attitudes on menopause drive states to push for new protections

When Jacqueline Perez started experiencing symptoms of menopause in her early 50s, the brain fog was so severe, she thought she had early-onset dementia. Perez, who founded a website dedicated to normalizing aging for women, said she gained more than 30 pounds and struggled with depression for months before she found a health provider who […]

Missouri legislature ends 2026 session marked by GOP wins, fewer meltdowns

Missouri legislature ends 2026 session marked by GOP wins, fewer meltdowns

The Missouri General Assembly adjourned Friday without the factional warfare and late-session meltdowns that have come to define the Capitol in recent years, ending a 2026 session marked less by dysfunction than by a return to legislative basics. Republicans used their supermajorities to advance major pieces of Gov. Mike Kehoe’s agenda, including a proposed constitutional […]