JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) – Republican lawmakers have advanced measures in about a dozen states this year that could strengthen protections for those who refuse for religious reasons to provide services to gay couples. The bills could benefit court clerks, photographers, florists, bakers, wedding-hall operators and others who say gay matrimony goes against their beliefs.…
( KTRS ) With all precincts reporting, voters in Missouri’s two biggest cities have overwhelmingly renewed the earnings tax. The tax requires those who work in Kansas City or St. Louis to pay a 1 percent tax on their pay. Because nonresidents also must pay, thousands of commuters from the neighboring states of Kansas and…
FERGUSON, Mo. (AP) – Ferguson voters have approved one tax increase but rejected another, creating uncertainty about whether the town where 18-year-old Michael Brown died in a 2014 police shooting will be able to afford changes required in a settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice. Complete, unofficial results show voters in the Missouri town…
(KTRS) – Missouri health officials confirm that there is a third person in the state who was infected with the Zika virus. The man recently traveled to Columbia and officials believe that is where he may have picked up the virus. It is not clear at this time where the man lives. The virus is…
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) – Lawmakers gave initial approval to a measure that would allow transgender people to change the gender marker on their birth certificates, passports, and identification cards. Currently, people must first undergo surgery before changing their gender on documents, but a bill that advanced out of a House committee Tuesday removes that requirement.…
(KTRS) – Voters in St. Louis County may get more time to cast a vote in Tuesday’s elections. The problems started earlier today when a few polling places reported shortages. The shortages expanded to include dozens of locations throughout the county. By Tuesday afternoon, election officials said that they are formally asking to extend voting hours…
JACKSON, Miss. (AP) – Mississippi’s governor has signed a law that allows public and private businesses to refuse service to gay couples based on the employers’ religious beliefs. Gov. Phil Bryant signed House Bill 1523 on Tuesday, despite opposition from gay-rights groups and some businesses. Some conservative and religious groups support the bill. The measure’s…
