The Missouri Independent

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The Missouri Independent, www.missouriindependent.com, is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization covering state government and its impact on Missourians.

Recent stories by The Missouri Independent

Ashcroft announces his candidacy for Missouri governor Jay Ashcroft, Missouri’s secretary of state and son of one of the state’s most well-known former elected officials, announced Thursday morning he was joining the 2024 race for governor.In ... April 6, 2023

Diversity initiatives within Missouri agencies run into attack on ‘woke’ government High employee turnover has plagued Missouri's Department of Social Services for years.The department's staffing woes have contributed to a range of problems -- from foster children languishing... March 28, 2023

Effort to drop state sales tax on groceries in limbo Missouri is one of just 13 states that levies a sales tax on grocery food items.Citing the hefty burden on low-income shoppers and rising cost of food, several other states have moved to reduce the bu... March 17, 2023

Federal judge strikes down state’s ‘Second Amendment Preservation Act’ A federal judge Tuesday struck down a controversial Missouri law -- known as the Second Amendment Preservation Act -- that penalizes police for enforcing federal gun laws.U.S. District Court Judge Bri... March 8, 2023

Thousands of state jobs left unfilled; vacancies, turnover causing massive delays in services Missouri's Department of Mental Health canceled a $16 million project to renovate a building at Fulton State Hospital for use as a sex offender treatment center because there is no realistic expec... February 7, 2023

Missouri lawmaker proposes tool to fill ‘hard-to-staff’ school positions A Missouri House committee heard a bill Wednesday that seeks to give school districts a way to recruit educators into "hard-to-staff" positions -- though some worried it could have ill effec... February 2, 2023

Missouri lawmaker pushes to legalize ‘magic mushrooms’ The magic in "magic mushrooms" may be the ability to defeat post-traumatic stress disorder, and a St. Charles County Republican lawmaker wants to make them legal in a treatment setting.State... January 31, 2023

GAO report: On-time mail deliveries in rural, urban areas similar WASHINGTON – Challenges with the cash-strapped United States Postal Service sent many Americans to their wit's end during the COVID-19 pandemic, especially in communities reliant on the mail... January 28, 2023

Missouri panel debates transgender sports, healthcare, drag shows The Neiss family drove from St. Louis to Jefferson City on Tuesday, a trip they've made many times over the past four years.The reason is always the same: Legislation they fear will harm their tra... January 26, 2023

Drag performers at Columbia event push back against Missouri Republican attack A drag performance last week at a diversity event attended by Columbia middle schoolers was "high-brow and innocent," not the salacious sexual display alleged by Missouri Republicans, the ma... January 24, 2023