SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) – When Illinois lawmakers revamped the Freedom of Information Act in 2009 and created an outside appeals process for public records requests denied by state government, they made an exception – themselves. Records requests denied by the General Assembly are not subject to review by the attorney general’s public access counselor, the…
WASHINGTON (AP) – Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders says he will not seek a recount of results in Missouri’s Democratic primary, conceding defeat to Hillary Clinton. Sanders says in an interview with The Associated Press that it’s unlikely the results will affect the awarding of delegates in the state and he would “prefer to save the…
( KTRS ) Illinois Senate Democrats passed a $3.8 billion funding bill for colleges and social services despite Republican objections that the state doesn’t have the money to fulfill the proposal’s promises. Democrats used their considerable majority in the chamber to pass the bill on a 39-18 vote. The bill would give nearly $1.9 billion…
COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) – Republican rivals of Missouri gubernatorial candidate Eric Greitens’ slammed him during a debate for not returning $1 million from a donor accused of sexual abuse. Former House speaker and U.S. attorney Catherine Hanaway said at the Thursday debate in Columbia that Greitens isn’t taking an abused woman’s word for it. At…
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) – U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill wants a hearing and Sen. Roy Blunt says he won’t vote for President Barack Obama’s U.S. Supreme Court nominee. The Democratic president on Wednesday announced he’s nominating federal appeals court judge Merrick Garland to the high court. Senate Republicans say they won’t fill the seat until after…
( KTRS ) Officials say more than 800 private companies doing work for the Department of Human Services haven’t been paid because of the budget stalemate. Human Services Secretary James Dimas told a Senate appropriations committee Wednesday the agency owes about $168 million in overdue bills since July 1 – when the budget should have…
( KTRS ) The Missouri House has voted to release nearly $1 million for education and health care programs the governor had restricted. Lawmakers voted Wednesday to release $575,000 for the Missouri Scholars and Fine Arts academies, two summer programs for gifted students. They also voted to release $350,000 for a program that helps people…
( KTRS ) Missouri House members are considering two Republican-sponsored bills aimed at expanding gun access at higher education institutions. Under one measure, schools that wanted to opt out would need to staff the doors of every building with armed security and metal detectors. The second bill also has exemptions, including some sporting events and areas with…
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) – The police chief in Kansas City, Missouri is defending his officers’ use of pepper spray in handling protesters outside of Republican presidential hopeful Donald Trump’s rally Saturday night. Chief Darryl Forte says in a series of tweets and on his blog that the protesters included a “heavy presence of known…
( KTRS/AP ) Three of Missouri’s top four lawmakers are claiming they are exempt from having to release their emails and daily calendars under the Missouri Sunshine Law. The Associated Press requested the information as part of a national Sunshine Week project conducted in all 50 states. Senate President Pro Tem Ron Richard, Senate Minority…