Rudi Keller
Rudi Keller covers the state budget, energy and the legislature for the Missouri Independent. He’s spent 22 of his 30 years in journalism covering Missouri government and politics, most recently as the news editor of the Columbia Daily Tribune. Keller has won awards for spot news and investigative reporting.
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Passed by Republican lawmakers last year, Amendment 4 would require a majority of voters in every Missouri congressional district to approve a proposed constitutional amendment for it to pass. That would allow a small minority of voters to defeat petition campaigns. -
Missouri state Sen. Rick Brattin, of Harrisonville, is running for the 5th congressional district even though he does not currently live there. The Kansas City-area race is attracting a big list of Republican hopefuls because it was redrawn to include rural areas hundreds of miles away. -
Missouri Republicans, acting at the urging of President Trump, redrew Cleaver's Kansas City-area district to make it harder for a Democrat to win. Despite uncertainties about which map will be upheld, Cleaver has filed to run for reelection. -
Missouri Secretary of State Denny Hoskins, going against a century of precedent, declared that the Republican-favoring congressional map took effect Dec. 11, even though opponents had submitted enough signatures to likely force a statewide referendum. -
Missouri court rules against man serving 40 years on 23-year prison sentence for Kansas City murdersDeandre Pointer lost his challenge to the way the Missouri Department of Corrections calculated his time-served credit. His attorney says he will appeal. -
After providing more than $100 million in free plays to lure customers, FanDuel and DraftKings, the sports books dominating the state market, paid no taxes. -
Advocates and incarcerated people say prisoners were ordered outside during the recent winter storm, and punished with segregation or discipline if they refused. -
Under the proposed constitutional amendment sponsored by House Speaker Jon Patterson, sales tax could be imposed “on transactions involving any goods and services." But Patterson said that will be amended to prevent more taxes on fill-ups. -
Missouri Republican lawmakers pushed through the bill last year in response to the campaign for an abortion rights amendment, and to protect against lawsuits over abortion restrictions still on the books. -
If Missouri lawmakers agree to all of Kehoe’s proposed supplemental spending, that would represent a year-to-year cut of about $600 million. The future revenue picture is also clouded by the governor's efforts to eliminate the state income tax.
