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Brian Munoz/St. Louis Public RadioRep. Sam Graves of Tarkio is trying to pass a major overhaul of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, including taking it out of the purview of the Department of Homeland Security. -
Brian Munoz/St. Louis Public RadioA Missouri group is working to overturn the map that gives the state one more Republican seat in Congress. If they get enough signatures, the map cannot take effect unless Missourians approve them.
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Catherine Hanaway recently returned to public office after nearly 20 years. As Missouri's attorney general, she’ll be handling major litigation involving abortion and congressional redistricting. -
Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway is arguing that the referendum is usurping the legislature's power to redraw congressional districts. But lawyers with the anti-redistricting group say Hanaway is "absolutely wrong" about the constitution. -
Jackson County's new executive outlines his plan for property taxes and stadiums: 'Relief is coming'Phil LeVota was sworn in this week as Jackson County executive after a nomination process that was criticized by some as “smoke and mirrors.” Taking over the rest of Frank White Jr.'s term, he will face the daunting task of fixing the property tax assessment process. -
The Kansas City Council moved forward with a plan to build a modular jail with about 100 beds. Officials say the temporary facility is necessary, as plans to build a permanent municipal jail will take years. -
Opponents 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. -
Gov. 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. -
Missouri Republican Secretary of State Denny Hoskins said any signatures gathered before Wednesday to place a new congressional map up for a vote won't count. Proponents of the redistricting referendum say that's an unlawful attempt to shorten the signature gathering window. -
Politico exposed racist and homophobic messages sent by leaders of the Kansas Young Republicans. Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly said the state GOP modeled similar behavior in its own social media posts. -
As the shutdown of the federal government stretches into its third week, employees are starting to feel the financial strain of being furloughed or working without pay. Many federal workers live paycheck to paycheck, and food assistance programs in the region are starting to prepare for an influx of need. -
A Supreme Court case over Louisiana's congressional map could determine the future of Voting Rights Act protections against racial discrimination and allow Republicans to draw 19 more House seats — including in Missouri. -
A jury found Lance Shockley guilty of a 2005 murder but deadlocked on the punishment. A judge in Carter County issued the death sentence. -
Kansas GOP leaders have condemned offensive messages sent in a national Young Republicans group chat. They said the group is now inactive.
Government
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The Kansas House of Representatives has stopped — at least temporarily — an all-out push by anti-abortion groups for a constitutional amendment that they… -
The Kansas House of Representatives has stopped — at least temporarily — an all-out push by anti-abortion groups for a constitutional amendment that they…
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TOPEKA, Kansas — The Kansas House narrowly rejected a constitutional amendment Friday that would have said there’s no right to abortion in the state… -
Kansas lawmakers are nearing decisions on two big issues — Medicaid expansion and a constitutional amendment on abortion. They’re also talking about how… -
Kansas City, Missouri, has finally agreed to hold up its end of the so-called economic border war truce with Kansas.The move on Thursday came more than… -
A near-record number of Americans died by gunshot in 2018 according to the latest statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.According… -
A federal judge has refused to sign off on a deal that would cap the number of cases Missouri’s public defenders are allowed to handle.U.S. District Judge… -
In this episode of Statehouse Blend Kansas, host Jim McLean looks at the legislative session. Lawmakers are already at odds on the hot-button issues of… -
In this episode of Statehouse Blend Kansas, host Jim McLean looks at the legislative session. Lawmakers are already at odds on the hot-button issues of…
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A 73-year-old Kansas prison dental instructor accused of sexually abusing inmates goes on trial Monday.Tomas Co, 73, taught inmates at the Topeka…
Elections
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Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft threatened to unilaterally kick President Joe Biden off of the Missouri ballot if Donald Trump is disqualified in other states for violating the U.S. Constitution's insurrection clause. But an appeals court ruling found Missouri law did not give the secretary of state that power. -
A local baseball fan created a Facebook group to "save Kauffman Stadium" over two years ago. Now, their movement claims over 7,500 members, even as the campaign to build a new downtown Royals ballpark gains momentum and legislative support. -
Across the U.S., thousands of children and young adults serve as informal interpreters for family members that don’t speak English. For kids of Latino immigrants in Kansas City, being the family interpreter is an honor and burden. Plus: Gov. Laura Kelly is again calling for lawmakers to expand Medicaid to provide health care to about 150,000 low-income Kansans. -
The Shrewsbury lawmaker recently bowed out of the Missouri attorney general’s race. Unsicker was stripped of her committee assignments and later kicked out of the House Democratic caucus because of her social media posts and association with an accused Holocaust denier. -
Missouri lawmakers will gavel in the 2024 legislative session today. But where did they leave off last year? The 2023 session had a promising start – a budget surplus meant more money to work with. In politics, though, few things go according to plan.
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As the 2024 legislative session begins, the Republican-led Missouri General Assembly is prioritizing expanding child care access and restricting ballot initiative restrictions. But the stakes of an election year could exacerbate divisions between the parties. -
Sheriff Calvin Hayden, the conservative incumbent under fire for his controversial election investigation, will need to beat a former colleague and a current police chief to keep his job for a third term. -
Former Republican National Committee chair Michael Steele and David Axelrod, former chief strategist for Barack Obama's presidential campaigns, both say the country is headed toward a Trump vs. Biden rematch. -
The NAACP and the League of Women Voters are challenging Missouri's 2022 voter ID law, arguing it imposes unconstitutional burdens on the right to vote without actually achieving the stated goal of reducing fraud. Two previous attempts by Missouri Republicans to require voter IDs have been struck down by the courts. -
The Missouri Secretary of State's language for reproductive rights ballot issues has been savaged by two courts, most recently when the Western District Court of Appeals unanimously ruled his summaries are “replete with politically partisan language." Ashcroft called the lower court decisions "inappropriate."
