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Kylie Graham/Johnson County PostOpponents fear that Kansas Republican lawmakers will break Johnson County into multiple Congressional districts in order to push out Democratic Rep. Sharice Davids. GOP leaders were at the White House this week after approving funding for a special session. -
Rudi Keller/Missouri IndependentGov. Mike Kehoe has repeatedly said the plan was drafted in his office. A filing by the attorney general's office says only that "various governmental actors" worked on the plan to give a seat to the GOP.
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The court ruled 6 to 1 that counties cannot levy a 3% tax on marijuana dispensaries in cities and towns — only in unincorporated areas. -
Republican U.S. Rep. Mark Alford is among those calling for the release of documents related to the investigation, urging U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi to release any files in the Department of Justice’s possession. -
A federal judge ruled that Kansas lawmakers were suppressing free speech when they passed a law targeting mail-in ballots. The law was passed one month after the Jan. 6, 2021, breach of the U.S. Capitol. -
Two untethered licenses are available. They will allow gambling companies to take sports bets without having a physical location in the state. FanDuel, DraftKings and Circa Sports submitted applications. -
The state has been given a July 30 deadline to respond to the federal government's latest request. -
The members say the Herzog Charitable Foundation, a Missouri-based organization dedicated to "advancing Christian education," has triggered scrutiny of their political beliefs and personal lives. That’s resulted in professional consequences, social media harassment and an investigation from Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey’s office. -
The money lets Kansas train more than 1,500 firefighters per year across the state and helps get trucks, generators and hand-tools for rural fire departments. -
A Missouri House interim committee met last week and will hold four hearings around the state to listen to concerns and hear ideas for overhauling the system. -
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County legislators met Friday morning to override White's veto. The election, which follows years of frustration with White from county legislators and community members, is scheduled for Aug. 26. -
GOP lawmakers are trying again to exclude millions of non-U.S. citizens living in the states from census counts that the 14th Amendment says must include the "whole number of persons in each state." Missouri Sen. Eric Schmitt and Kansas Sen. Roger Marshall are co-sponsors of one of the bills. -
Frank White Jr., a former star second baseman for the Kansas City Royals who won eight Golden Glove Awards during his career, infuriated county legislators and a citizens group with his veto. "Eight Golden Gloves mean nothing!" said the Rev. Dr. Vernon Percy Howard, leader of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. "Bench Frank White!"
Government
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Proposition C supporters say changing the form of government will bring needed reform to the county while opponents say the problem is the current commissioners. -
Lucas plans to enforce his rules, which allows businesses to increase their capacity to 50%, over more restrictive measures announced by Missouri Gov. Mike Parson on Thursday. -
City voters have traditionally supported firefighters, but critics worry the city's tax burden is already too high, especially for low-income residents amid the economic downturn caused by COVID-19. -
An estimated 200,000 people could receive coverage if the program was expanded. -
The fire department, whose employees include numerous relatives, had pressed for the changes -
Councilmembers cited a memo by Police Chief Tim Schwartzkopf, who said he was against the ordinance because of the strains it was likely to put on his department. -
Jackson County received nearly $123 million in the first round of CARES Act funding, but Kansas City didn’t receive a dime. -
KCPD has curtailed contact with the public in order to protect investigators from COVID-19. At the same time, homicides and shootings are up over last year. -
Lawmakers say they expect to come back soon, especially if Congress passes a bill allocating money to help state and local governments with budget shortfalls. -
In 2018, voters overwhelmingly approved the constitutional amendment known as Clean Missouri, which included state redistricting and ethics changes.
Elections
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A new survey from The Midwest Newsroom and Emerson College Polling Center asked registered voters in Iowa, Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska about measures on Nov. 5 ballots as well as a variety of political, social and economic subjects. -
New legislatures could overhaul school vouchers in Arizona, give the Democratic governor more clout in Kansas, and counter a progressive trend in Minnesota. -
In addition to federal, state and local races, judges will be on the ballot in every Missouri county this November. While some judges are elected in partisan elections, Missouri also has a non-partisan merit selection system. -
According to a recent poll, Republicans have a lead in every statewide race in Missouri. The largest gap between candidates is in the race for secretary of state, the top election official. -
With the election for Johnson County Sheriff now between Democrat Byron Roberson and Republican Doug Bedford, polarizing issues that Calvin Hayden had campaigned on — election skepticism and immigration for example — have dropped in prominence. -
Nearly a third of Missouri’s workforce could get a raise and paid sick time if voters pass Proposition A in November. But some economists and small-business owners say companies may struggle to keep their workforce. -
Voters in a record number of states — including the battlegrounds of Arizona and Nevada — are set to decide this fall whether to enact far-reaching changes to how their elections are run. In Missouri, a constitutional amendment could ban ranked-choice voting if it passes in November. -
During the Super Bowl, money changes hands based on the result of almost everything — the coin toss, the color of Gatorade dumped on the winning coach and even the length of the national anthem. Kansas' attempt to cash in on sports betting has yielded paltry results so far, and Missouri voters are considering a similar measure this November. -
Missourians for Constitutional Freedom, the coalition behind Amendment 3, has raised more than $16 million since launching in January. The largest donations have come from four out-of-state progressive nonprofits that are supporting abortion rights campaigns in several states. -
Former President Trump was the target of what the FBI said “appears to be an attempted assassination” at his West Palm Beach golf club. President Biden said he was briefed and a person has been detained.
