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Alex Wroblewski/AFP via Getty ImagesThe executive order is the latest in a series of attempts by the Trump administration to hold back state-level AI rules. Experts say it's not legal, and many Republicans, including Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley, are also uncomfortable with the effort. -
Grace Hills/Kansas ReflectorCoreCivic applied this week to receive a special use permit from Leavenworth to reopen its prison as a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainee center, called the Midwest Regional Reception Center. A federal judge previously called CoreCivic's facility “an absolute hell hole.”
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Opponents of the new map contended that lawmakers couldn't engage in mid-decade redistricting. But a Cole County judge ruled there's no explicit prohibition on the practice. -
Opponents of Missouri's gerrymandered congressional map just submitted more than 305,000 signatures to force a vote on the plan. Secretary of State Denny Hoskins still has the chance to reject a referendum, but legal experts don't expect that move to succeed in court. -
The Missouri State Board of Education appears to support legislation creating public-school open enrollment, but members are split on what the policy means. Open enrollment proposals have stalled in the Missouri legislature for the past five years. -
Missouri Republican leaders claimed the U.S. Constitution forbids state referendums on Congressional district plans. A federal judge dismissed the lawsuit, but the Missouri Secretary of State can still declare the petition unconstitutional under the state constitution. -
Missouri Secretary of State Denny Hoskins rejected 90,000 signatures for a referendum on the newly redrawn congressional map, because they were collected before Gov. Mike Kehoe had signed the map into law. But the group People Not Politicians argues that the signatures are valid. -
Applying the Kansas Consumer Protection Act to residential rentals could help balance power between landlords and tenants. A lawmaker hopes it may force landlords to improve their properties so tenants don’t live in squalor. -
The private prison company had previously argued it didn't need a permit to operate the now-idle prison as a detention center for immigration detainees. Now, CoreCivic says it will apply for the special use permit. -
Sen. Josh Hawley says his bill will track layoffs attributed to replacing workers with AI. A St. Louis expert says "the great AI replacement" could lead to millions of people losing their jobs. -
Republicans are on track to pick up an extra seat in Missouri during the 2026 elections after gerrymandering the state's congressional districts. However, a ballot petition campaign could halt and potentially overturn the map. -
Abortion may be legal again in Missouri, but only 80 elective abortions have been performed in the year since Amendment 3 passed. Decades of restrictions have gutted the state’s provider network, and medication abortion is still unavailable as the courts sort out which old laws are constitutional. -
Wilson is vying to be the Democratic nominee in Missouri's only 2026 statewide campaign. Republicans haven’t lost a statewide race since 2018. -
The initiative petition would enshrine public education as "fundamental right" in the state constitution. But a ballot summary written by Missouri Secretary of State Denny Hoskins is "insufficient and unfair," a Cole County judge ruled.
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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Jackson County's legislature has certified a recall election against County Executive Frank White Jr., although the date has yet to be determined. Legislative Chair DaRon McGee says the recall vote is about White's mishandling of property taxes, but White says the campaign against him is politically motivated. -
The election board says it is in limbo waiting for County Executive Frank White to sign or veto an ordinance unanimously approved Monday. There is not enough time to “build the election.” -
Republicans still support changing the process even after watching the most recent Supreme Court nominating process. Democrats say the process is working. -
County Legislator Sean Smith helped lead the recall effort of Jackson County Executive Frank White, which local election officials confirmed had enough signatures Monday to go to a vote. White has accused Smith of illegally using taxpayer-funded staff to promote the petition campaign. -
Kansas City Public Schools and three other districts saw bond issues passed by voters Tuesday, allowing them to fund construction projects and pay for maintenance. Five districts in the Kansas City area also held school board elections. -
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has put Missouri's 2nd Congressional District on its target list for the first time since 2020. The seat is currently held by Republican Rep. Ann Wagner. -
Kansas City officials have said the bulk of the money generated by the quarter-cent public safety sales tax will go toward a new municipal detention center. -
Voters overwhelmingly approved the measure that will provide nine charter schools and traditional Kansas City Public Schools campuses with nearly $500 million to address longstanding maintenance needs and improve learning environments. -
The SAVE Act could force eligible voters to provide proof of U.S. citizenship in order to register and vote. But the lack of resources, potential to disenfranchise applicants and criminal penalties worry some county clerks in Missouri. -
Kansas City Public Schools will ask voters on April 8 to approve $474 million in higher property taxes to help the district update classrooms, build new schools and address long-standing maintenance needs. In order to pass the bond measure, the district will have to convince 57% of voters to sign off.
