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Sherman Smith/Kansas ReflectorThe federal government asked for Social Security numbers, addresses and other personal information from food assistance recipients in Kansas. Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly won’t hand it over, and Republicans say that the state could lose federal funds as a result. -
Elia Mast/Columbia MissourianA federal lawsuit argues that the University of Missouri violated the First Amendment rights of Mizzou Students for Justice in Palestine members when their application to the Homecoming parade this year and last year were denied.
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The Missouri senator said that Fort Leonard Wood, a large military installation with a long history of training soldiers and military law enforcement, should be used to help ICE. -
The legal group says low-income people are disproportionately affected by the cost of bail and calls for using no-cash bail for nonviolent crimes. But President Donald Trump argues it's leading to a rise in crime. -
State Sen. Lincoln Hough voted against efforts to end debate on gerrymandering and initiative petition bills — and was swiftly removed as chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee. He was only one of two Republicans who opposed efforts to push through the measures. -
The special session featured a number of unprecedented actions that would have been unthinkable just a few months ago, when President Trump demanded that Republican leaders redraw the state's congressional lines. -
Early voting is beginning in the Sept. 30 recall election for Jackson County Executive Frank White Jr. Supporters of the recall are upset about how White handled property assessments. Opponents say the construction lobby is trying to clear the path for “sweetheart stadium deals.” -
Missouri's new congressional map carves up Kansas City into three separate districts, fulfilling the wishes of President Donald Trump. The ACLU filed a lawsuit Friday, and Kansas City Council recently passed a resolution authorizing legal action of its own. -
A group called People Not Politicians announced that it's gathering signatures to prevent Missouri's new congressional map from going into effect until there's a statewide vote. Voters will also have to approve of a Republican plan cracking down on citizen-led constitutional amendments. -
Opponents say the plan dilutes the power of Black voters around Kansas City and vow to block it in court or with a referendum. The governor, who's expected to sign the plan, says it reflects the state's conservative values. -
While announcing the National Guard would go to Memphis next, President Trump said the head of Union Pacific also asked him to do the same in St. Louis. "He said, 'Sir please, do me a favor. St. Louis has been so badly hit. It's very hard. Very very hard.'" -
Missouri senators are expected to debate and then vote Friday on a Republican-drawn map that seeks to oust Democratic Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, as well as a plan to make it harder to pass citizen-led constitutional amendments. Cleaver gave an impassioned testimony against the effort Thursday. -
John Diehl admitted in federal court Thursday that he used loans that were supposed to support his law firm for personal expenses, including country club dues, college tuition, credit cards and his mortgage. -
On the same day that thousands of protesters filled the Missouri Capitol to protest gerrymandering, Republicans used a rare procedural maneuver to cut off debate over the rules of the special session.
Government
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Fighting fires has evolved, but federal safety regulations haven’t changed for nearly half a century. Now the Occupational Safety and Health Administration has proposed new safety standards. It's great news for career and paid firefighters, but volunteer departments say the new rules could bog them down with expensive and irrelevant regulations. -
The police raid on the Marion County Record potentially violated federal law and constitutional rights. It could leave taxpayers covering a big legal settlement. -
Mirroring federal legislation passed on Dec. 8, Missouri Rep. Chris Sander, a Republican from Lone Jack, has pre-filed a bill to recognize marriage between two individuals. -
The proposal by Missouri Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft would threaten the funding of libraries over "non-age-appropriate materials" for minors. But former library administrators say the rules are "redundant and unnecessary." -
The Pulitzer Prize-winning biographer's latest book examines the moral evolution of the 16th president from childhood through his time in office. -
The comprehensive collaborative plan would work on reducing homelessness not only in Kansas City but in the region. -
Kansas City attorney Stacy Lake has a plan to do better than the incumbent. That plan focuses on putting county residents first. -
David A. Paterson says he was ready to be governor, but the media's focus on his blindness obscured what he was trying to accomplish. -
Mass shootings in Buffalo and Uvalde have reinvigorated gun control advocates across the country. March For Our Lives rallies in hundreds of U.S. cities will take place Saturday to 'demand a nation free of gun violence.' -
A deep dive from the 2020 election through Joe Biden's first year as president reveals the struggle to hold the country together.
Elections
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Union leaders say Diane Albert and Hazel Stabler have changed significantly since they joined the board as part of a conservative wave of candidates who focused on mask mandates, critical race theory and other culture war issues. -
The Missouri Department of Labor and Industrial Relations said it's up to businesses to determine what is done with employees’ earned paid sick leave. -
A vote in the full state House of Representatives could come as early as Monday. The changes would also need the approval the Senate and then voters. -
The departing GOP official made a major splash in his short time as Missouri attorney general. -
Two county clerks report being contacted by the DOJ seeking access to election machines made by Dominion Voting Systems, the company at the center of false allegations of vote rigging during the 2020 presidential election. -
Few election cycles in living memory have been quite as chaotic as the 2024 presidential election. A new book from journalists Amie Parnes and Jonathan Allen looks at what happened behind the scenes in Washington as the campaign unfolded. The authors are in Kansas City for an American Public Square event on Wednesday. -
President Trump recently announced his intent to "lead a movement" to end mail-in ballots and the use of voting machines in states' elections. Both are used extensively in Missouri and Kansas, and election officials weigh in about what those changes would mean. -
A new Missouri law requires the school district to get voter approval to continue the four-day week. But whether Independence voters will weigh in on keeping the shorter schedule may depend on the outcome of a lawsuit the school district filed against the state. -
White sent a letter to all Jackson County employees Wednesday announcing his decision — and then, the next day, announced he had been battling kidney cancer. -
Legal experts say President Trump lacks the constitutional authority to stop states from offering mail ballots. Both Missouri and Kansas currently allow absentee voting by mail, but Kansas Republican lawmakers recently made it harder by eliminating a three-day grace period.
