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
-
Republican Thomas Ross allegedly asked his former campaign manager to place cocaine and Adderall in Louise Secker's purse or car, according to the FBI. Ross narrowly won the GOP nomination for the Joplin-area 161st House District last month. -
The death of Korbin Papadopoulos, a 17-year-old with type 1 diabetes and autism who was placed 300 miles away from home, sharpened questions about who is responsible when the state cannot find a safe foster placement. -
Workers were searching for a home equipped for 17-year-old Korbin Papadopoulos' medical needs. Instead, he was sent to a foster home whose caregiver said he wasn't trained or licensed to manage diabetes. -
Caseloads have surged in parts of Missouri, and workers say new requirements for consultation, checklists and supervisory review are making cases harder and slower to resolve. -
More than 4,000 Missouri families are waiting for help paying for childcare, and no kid has gotten off the waitlist since it started in March. Missouri will also not implement a much-anticipated change in how it reimburses childcare providers. -
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.
