Meg Cunningham
Meg Cunningham is The Beacon’s Missouri Statehouse reporter. Previously, Meg worked as a national politics reporter for ABC News in Washington, D.C., where she covered campaigns and elections. Meg is a Kansas City native and graduated from the Missouri School of Journalism. In her free time, she enjoys spending time outdoors, cooking and yoga.
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A poll last year showed that about 48% of Missourians support a constitutional amendment wiping out the state's existing abortion ban. Now abortion rights supporters are focused on convincing voters to pass one — and debating what language to use in their campaign. -
The Prison Policy Initiative put Missouri and Kansas on a list of “famously hot states” that lack universal air conditioning in prisons. During excessively hot summer days, inmates say that it can feel like a "pizza oven" inside — and the state isn't doing enough to fix the issue.
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For the second consecutive year, Missouri has set aside $500,000 to address food insecurity in urban areas. But for farmers like Darian and Nicolette Davis, who run an orchard in Kansas City’s Swope Park, even applying for a grant opportunity is a challenge.
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In Missouri, maternal mental health conditions are the No. 1 cause of pregnancy-related deaths. According to a state-commissioned review, all mental health-related maternal deaths were deemed preventable. But Missouri's government has largely failed to respond to the crisis.
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Missouri has a maternal mortality rate of 25.2 deaths per 100,000 live births, higher than the national average. Health professionals worry that the state’s near-total abortion ban will make pregnancy, childbirth and the postpartum period even more dangerous.
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Missouri’s Amendment 3 laid out specific deadlines for expungement provisions, but courts and legal advocates say there are still unanswered questions about how exactly the process will work.
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Recreational marijuana will be available in Missouri as early as Feb. 6, 2023. While many details aren’t completely set in stone, here's what we know right now about buying legal weed.
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Amendment 3, which Missouri voters passed on Tuesday, will go into effect on Dec. 8. Under the newly-approved constitutional amendment, Missourians over 21 will be able to go to a dispensary without a medical marijuana card and buy flower, pre-rolled joints, edibles and other marijuana products.
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Some have raised suspicions about the security of the election process nationwide. In Missouri, election materials and the certification of the vote are constantly managed by a bipartisan team of election judges.
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Thanks to a Missouri law, voters must be asked every 20 years whether they would like to call a convention to amend the state constitution. But since the question started being asked in 1962, Missourians have never voted "yes."
