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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Missouri heads to trial over voter ID law accused of disenfranchising elderly and disabled residentsA trial starting Friday will be the third time Missouri courts have weighed the merits of a law intended to combat fraud against right to vote without interference. Twice before, Missouri's photo ID requirements have been struck down as violations of the state’s constitution.
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Missouri Republicans have vowed to take action when the General Assembly reconvenes in January to revise the highway commission’s power over the state road fund.
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A Missouri appeals court ruled that Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft's titles for six abortion-rights ballot issues were "replete with politically partisan language." Even though the proposed constitutional amendments cover all aspects of reproductive health care, Ashcroft's titles had a single-minded focus on abortion.
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The constitutional amendment that legalized recreational weed sales in Missouri included a 6% statewide tax and allowed local governments to charge a sales tax of up to 3% — but it's not clear if both counties and cities can tax the same sales. Now, two lawsuits are calling the double-taxation an "unconstitutional money grab."
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The Secretary of State is appealing a Sept. 25 ruling striking down the ballot language he wrote for six proposed constitutional amendments on abortion. A Cole County judge ruled that Ashcroft's summary was argumentative and biased.
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Ninety of Missouri’s 114 counties are considered "child care deserts." The president of the Missouri Chamber of Commerce said "knuckleheads doing filibusters" in the state Senate prevent solutions.
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In a ruling Monday, Circuit Judge Jon Beetem wrote that the summaries crafted by Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft were "argumentative" or unfairly biased against the abortion rights ballot initiatives, and ignored their protections for contraceptives.. Beetem rewrote each of the six ballot summaries himself.
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Missouri Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft wrote in the official ballot language for a proposed abortion rights amendment that it would “allow for dangerous, unregulated, and unrestricted abortions." The ACLU sued, saying that the description was "misleading" and unfairly biased against the initiative.
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The bipartisan bill, exempting Social Security benefits and public pension payments from income tax, would reduce state general revenue by an estimated $309 million annually.
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The vetoed bill would have increased payments for Missouri prisoners who were freed after being found innocent, and expanded who is eligible for compensation. But Republican Gov. Mike Parson said the state should not have to pay for the mistakes of local prosecutors.