Steph Quinn
Reporter, Missouri IndependentSteph Quinn covers social services for the Missouri Independent.
A graduate of the University of Maryland, she most recently worked for Mississippi Today, where she focused on criminal justice investigations. In Maryland and Mississippi, she has written about juvenile justice, law enforcement training on "less lethal" force and a rehabilitation program for county jail inmates.
Email her at squinn@missouriindependent.com
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Chiropractors had been covered by MO HealthNet since 2018, when it was estimated the change could save up to $12 million in state general revenue in the first two full years of implementation. -
More than 300,000 Missouri residents lost Medicaid coverage within the course of the year, and 92% were because of "procedural" terminations due to missing forms, incomplete information or other issues. A new rule proposed by the federal government could add even more paperwork. -
The change comes via an executive order from Gov. Mike Kehoe directing the state to discourage the use of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, to buy "foods that are high in sugar and ultra-processed" and incentivize healthy eating. -
The Missouri Department of Social Services applied last year for federal permission to prohibit purchases of candy, prepared desserts and sugary drinks with SNAP and SuN Bucks. But supermarkets aren't yet clear what qualifies. -
Missouri lawmakers passed a state budget that zeroes out funding for Double Up Food Bucks, which helps low-income families use SNAP to afford more fresh produce. It comes after Republican legislators pushed to limit SNAP purchases of candy and sugary drinks in order to improve nutrition. -
![Gov. Mike Kehoe acknowledged some Montgomery County residents' concerns about electricity prices and environmental impacts at the announcement in High Hill of a Google data center this week but said the company had "done [the] work to ensure that their growth does not come at the expense of the community this center calls home"](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/857b50c/2147483647/strip/true/crop/2048x1141+0+5/resize/280x156!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fnpr.brightspotcdn.com%2Fdims3%2Fdefault%2Fstrip%2Ffalse%2Fcrop%2F2048x1152%200%200%2Fresize%2F2048x1152%21%2F%3Furl%3Dhttp%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fad%2F52%2F7774817644b8904f5f6a692270b7%2Fkehoeind.jpeg)
Supporters say the $15 billion project in Montgomery County, Missouri, will bring jobs and tax revenue. Some residents say no one asked them -
The bipartisan Missouri bill would require unanimous juries in death penalty cases, and automatically expunge nonviolent crimes after people serve their sentences. But Senate Majority Leader Tony Luetkemeyer, a Republican from Parkville, says the death penalty changes won’t pass. -
Missouri House Budget Committee Chair Dirk Deaton said the amendments would be fiscally "irresponsible and a mistake." Democratic lawmakers warned that proposed cuts could jeopardize a program that puts child care in reach of low-income and foster families. -
Supporters say the bill would expand placement options for children in state custody, while critics worry it could shelter bad actors — following years of abuse allegations at unlicensed boarding schools in Missouri. -
More than 1,000 Missourians traveled to the Capitol to attend Disability Rights Legislative Day. Lawmakers from both chambers have said they will try to restore $80.7 million in cuts proposed by Gov. Mike Kehoe.
![Gov. Mike Kehoe acknowledged some Montgomery County residents' concerns about electricity prices and environmental impacts at the announcement in High Hill of a Google data center this week but said the company had "done [the] work to ensure that their growth does not come at the expense of the community this center calls home"](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/4529a9a/2147483647/strip/true/crop/2048x1141+0+5/resize/560x312!/format/webp/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fnpr.brightspotcdn.com%2Fdims3%2Fdefault%2Fstrip%2Ffalse%2Fcrop%2F2048x1152%200%200%2Fresize%2F2048x1152%21%2F%3Furl%3Dhttp%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fad%2F52%2F7774817644b8904f5f6a692270b7%2Fkehoeind.jpeg)
