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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The chair of a Missouri House appropriations committee is demanding Treasurer Vivek Malek answer questions about the state’s involvement with Torch Electronics. The machines have been controversial for years, with some GOP lawmakers and state gaming officials arguing they are illegal gambling devices.
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After weeks of flirting with the idea, Missouri state Sen. Lincoln Hough of Springfield jumped into the Republican Primary for lieutenant governor on Thursday.
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While Republicans shelved two bills that would further loosen Missouri's gun laws, Democratic leader Crystal Quade of Springfield said she will introduce a proposed constitutional amendment allowing cities to write local gun laws that are stricter than state laws.
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As Republican lawmakers voted down amendments aimed at legalizing abortion in cases of rape or incest, one state senator defended the decision, saying, "God does not make mistakes."
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The Missouri Senate is considering proposed changes that would raise the bar for voters to pass a constitutional amendment — making it mathematically possible for just 20% of voters to determine the outcome of statewide ballot measures, including the upcoming one on abortion rights.
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Missouri Senate Majority Leader Cindy O’Laughlin said she "absolutely" would vote to remove Sen. Bill Eigel from the chamber. Eigel and the other five members of the far-right Freedom Caucus have filibustered almost every day since the session began on Jan. 3.
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State Auditor Scott Fitzpatrick, a Republican, issued an audit of Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft's office and downgraded his administration to the second-lowest rating because it illegally withheld documentation about election cybersecurity. Ashcroft, who is also a Republican, criticized the report as a political attack.
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A coalition that includes the Kansas City Chiefs, Royals and Current — and that's funded by two sports betting platforms — is launching an initiative campaign to put sports gambling on this year’s ballot. Team owners say that efforts to persuade Missouri lawmakers have been futile.
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The Missouri Department of Transportation approved an Adopt-a-Highway application from the family of Kevin “Rockhead” Johnson, who was executed in November 2022 for the killing of a Kirkwood Police officer. The sign was up for four months before the entire program got suspended.
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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.