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Eric Lee/St. Louis Public RadioA Jackson County judge halted a number of Missouri's abortion restrictions after voters passed Amendment 3. But this week, Gov. Mike Kehoe signed a bill that gives the attorney general the right to appeal temporary pauses against state laws or constitutional provisions. -
Rachel Wada/for ProPublicaCourt records show how former Missouri GOP chair Ed Martin and an ally urged online criticism of a judge handling a case he was involved in — which experts say is an ethical violation. Now he's the interim U.S. attorney in Washington, D.C., where he targets Trump's critics with legal threats.
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The Trump administration’s promised deportations have private prison operator CoreCivic moving to use the inactive Kansas facility to house federal detainees. Some former employees and immigrant rights advocates are pushing back. -
The bill has been introduced for five straight years in the Missouri legislature, but failed to make it to committee hearings until now. It's named after Larry Miller, who was stabbed to death in custody while correctional officers were not around. -
County Executive Frank White vetoed the Jackson County budget in January, then four county legislators sued him. Three months later, the county is still at odds — and services are coming to a halt. -
Money once promised to the region for public health, environmental, diversity, food aid and an array of other programs has been axed, and thousands of local jobs are in jeopardy. -
The proposed amendment, if passed by the Senate and approved in a statewide election, would repeal the reproductive rights measure passed by voters in November. It would allow some exceptions in the first 12 weeks of gestation, but House Speaker Jon Patterson said that doesn't go far enough to protect assault victims. -
The bill aims to improve access to child care. But some advocates are concerned about provisions related to vaccines and licensing. -
A Republican-backed bill would gut Proposition A, a voter-approved law requiring most employers to provide paid sick time off starting May 1. After it passed the Missouri House, Senate Democrats spent more than nine hours blocking action on the bill. -
Gov. Mike Kehoe and the Missouri House have pushed for $50 million in state funds to go toward scholarships for homeschooled and private-school students. But opponents say that may be illegal under the Missouri Constitution. -
A Wyandotte County judge agreed with criticisms of the death penalty, but he said the case was invalid because both defendants no longer face capital punishment. -
The amendment, if passed by the Senate and then voters, would repeal the abortion rights amendment currently in Missouri's constitution, which voters just approved in November. Abortions would be illegal again in Missouri, with limited exceptions for rape, incest and medical emergencies. -
Kansas lawmakers made passing property tax relief their top priority this session. But now that it's over, Republicans and Democrats alike are frustrated by a lack of action. -
As Missouri Republicans push a new version of the Second Amendment Preservation Act through the legislature, law enforcement officials in the state say lawmakers and supporters of the bill are ignoring their concerns.
Government
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Fighting fires has evolved, but federal safety regulations haven’t changed for nearly half a century. Now the Occupational Safety and Health Administration has proposed new safety standards. It's great news for career and paid firefighters, but volunteer departments say the new rules could bog them down with expensive and irrelevant regulations. -
The police raid on the Marion County Record potentially violated federal law and constitutional rights. It could leave taxpayers covering a big legal settlement. -
Mirroring federal legislation passed on Dec. 8, Missouri Rep. Chris Sander, a Republican from Lone Jack, has pre-filed a bill to recognize marriage between two individuals. -
The proposal by Missouri Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft would threaten the funding of libraries over "non-age-appropriate materials" for minors. But former library administrators say the rules are "redundant and unnecessary." -
The Pulitzer Prize-winning biographer's latest book examines the moral evolution of the 16th president from childhood through his time in office. -
The comprehensive collaborative plan would work on reducing homelessness not only in Kansas City but in the region. -
Kansas City attorney Stacy Lake has a plan to do better than the incumbent. That plan focuses on putting county residents first. -
David A. Paterson says he was ready to be governor, but the media's focus on his blindness obscured what he was trying to accomplish. -
Mass shootings in Buffalo and Uvalde have reinvigorated gun control advocates across the country. March For Our Lives rallies in hundreds of U.S. cities will take place Saturday to 'demand a nation free of gun violence.' -
A deep dive from the 2020 election through Joe Biden's first year as president reveals the struggle to hold the country together.
Elections
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Do you have a valid voter ID for Missouri or Kansas? Or know what you cannot wear inside a polling location? Anne Calvert, president of the local League of Women Voters, shares what you need to know as we near the last days to vote. -
Racist and nativist rhetoric has made headlines in the 2024 election, and immigrants and refugees around Kansas City have taken notice. Plus: One of Missouri's few openly gay Republican lawmakers says his vote on transgender rights cost him his party's support — and reelection. -
The strip of about seven blocks in Overland Park is represented by a Republican, in a district where almost half the registered voters are Republican. But more than half the yard signs on that strip favor the Democratic challenger. -
Ahead of the 2024 election, learn how Missouri and Kansas keep voter registration lists up to date, count and protect ballots, and certify election results. -
Americans are more stressed than normal about this year's presidential election. If you're feeling anxious waiting for results to come in, here are a few tips. -
Democrat Andrew Mall and Republican Sen. Mike Thompson squared off on issues important to Johnson County in a debate on KCUR's Up To Date. The tight race could help determine the fate of the Kansas Legislature's GOP supermajority. -
A 2020 Census survey found that 2.4% of potential voters didn’t cast a ballot because they couldn’t get to the polls. To address this problem, a number of local organizations are offering free or discounted rides for this Tuesday’s election. -
As nativist rhetoric hits a fever pitch ahead of the 2024 election, immigrants and refugees in Kansas City question their safety, and their future, in the U.S. -
Missouri voters will soon decide whether GOP lawmakers went too far by banning most abortion in the state. We'll go inside the high-stakes battle over Amendment 3. Plus: That and other ballot issues have been drawing millions of dollars in campaign funds from outside the state.
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Johnson County Election Commissioner Fred Sherman discusses how his office has handled high early voting turnout, and how they plan to prepare for a busy Nov. 5.
