JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Missouri Gov. Mike Parson wants to spend $10.4 million to create a new office that would help the state better prepare for floods and drought. Missouri Department of Natural Resources spokeswoman Connie Patterson told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that creating the new Missouri Hydrology Information Center is part of the…
CHICAGO (AP) — Illinois Secretary of State’s offices _ including driver services facilities _ will resume in-person services in the coming days. In a news release, Secretary of State Jesse White says offices that have been closed since Jan. 3 because of the surge in COVID-19 cases across Illinois are opening their doors again. Those…
ST. LOUIS (AP) — A U.S. Navy medical team will arrive in Missouri next week to help a St. Louis County hospital staff strained by an increase in COVID-19 cases. Missouri Gov. Mike Parson and the St. Louis Metropolitan Pandemic Task Force announced Friday that a 44-person team of medical specialists will arrive next week to…
With abortion access increasingly restricted across much of the South and Midwest, two Illinois clinics near St. Louis on Friday announced a new logistics center to help abortion seekers get to their clinics. Activists on both sides are convinced the landmark Roe v. Wade ruling is imperiled, with nearly two dozen states likely to impose…
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — State education officials say COVID-19 has caused 62 Missouri school districts to temporarily close for one or more days in January. The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education said that is 12% of the state’s school districts. The Kansas City Star reports the closures come as COVID-19 cases increase because…
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Democratic U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver II of Missouri says he has tested positive for COVID-19. Cleaver, who represents a Kansas City-area district, announced the breakthrough infection in a statement released Wednesday evening. Cleaver said he is fully vaccinated and also received a booster vaccine, which he credits for keeping his…
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Missouri’s Republican Gov. Mike Parson is calling for higher teacher pay and money to increase access for child care. Parson outlined some of the ways he wants to spend nearly $2.8 billion in federal COVID-19 aid during his State of the State address on Wednesday. Parson is asking the GOP-led…
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Missouri House has given initial approval to a congressional redistricting plan that keeps the state’s political balance in Washington largely intact. The map endorsed Tuesday by an 84-60 vote adjusts the boundaries of districts to account for population changes in the 2020 census. It’s projected to continue the state’s…
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — A task force created by Gov. Mike Parson is recommending several steps that could help small businesses in the state recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. The task force’s final report was issued Monday. The recommendations include improving childcare availability and affordability; expanding hospitality industry apprenticeships; and promoting and enhancing existing…
ST. LOUIS (AP) — The current surge in virus cases in Missouri driven by the spread of the highly contagious omicron variant is straining hospital capacity and making it difficult to transfer patients to larger hospitals. Kellie Meehan told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that she can hear the desperation in doctors’ and nurses’ voices when…