Johnson County judge Christopher Jayaram ruled the state’s abortion restrictions, including mandatory waiting periods, violated Kansans’ right to bodily autonomy and “infringe upon a woman’s fundamental rights.” The controversial case was made even more so by the timing of the decision.

Before the southeast Missouri smelter shut down in 2024, air monitors showed the surrounding area exceeded federal sulfur dioxide standards.

CTF will be distributing the $600,000 in federal funding to eligible prenatal home visit programs in rural Missouri. More than 10% of births in Missouri occur in maternity care deserts.

Missouri health officials say increased testing and reporting have contributed to the case count as investigators continue searching for the outbreak's source.

At least 460 people in Kansas have become ill this summer due to an outbreak of the cyclospora parasite. Nicole Belote of Hutchinson alleges she became “extremely ill” after eating a Taco Supreme and spent three days in the hospital.

A Planned Parenthood clinic in Springfield began providing medication abortion Monday while also expanding pain management for IUD placements and biopsies. It's the fifth clinic to begin offering the service after a June court decision struck down Missouri's restrictions.

A parasite that causes severe diarrhea has sickened more than a thousand people in Kansas and Missouri. Federal officials are still investigating the cause of the outbreak, but it’s making some people scrutinize where their produce comes from.

The state usually logs around a dozen or so cases annually of the parasitic disease, which infects the digestive system and causes severe gastrointestinal symptoms.

The death of 44-year-old Lloyd Gilmore after he sought help from Sikeston officers has renewed long-standing concerns about racial bias, accountability and police brutality. Gilmore's cause of death still has not been released.

The One Big Beautiful Bill requires states to pay for some food assistance under the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program based on error rates. Kansas had a rate of 9.4%, while Missouri’s error rate is 8.7%. Advocacy groups want the penalties delayed to avoid service cuts.

Cases of the intestinal illness, which can cause explosive diarrhea, rose to nearly 300 this week in Kansas, up from 55 last week, according to numbers from the state.

Missouri health officials said they are confident the number of reported cases reflects exposure to contaminated food inside the state. But investigators are still working to identify the source of the outbreak.