Deborah Van Fleet

Since Andrew Lester of Kansas City was accused of shooting teenager Ralph Yarl on Apr. 13, many headlines have included the words "Stand Your Ground." An attorney with the Gifford Law Center on Gun Violence explains that, if there was any legal defense for Lester, it would be the Castle Doctrine, not Missouri's Stand Your Ground law.

With the fourth-highest number of firearm deaths in the country, Missouri needs to have a conversation about guns. The Missouri Foundation for Health is "convening" with journalists and other "communicators" on May 1 to discuss the need to focus their coverage of firearm injuries and death more as a health-related issue with health-related solutions – including root causes.

With child care in some parts of Missouri as high as $12,000 a year, many Missouri families are struggling to pay it. State Rep. Hannah Kelly, R-Mountain Grove, has introduced a state tax credit for families within the income eligibility who also qualify for the federal child and dependent care tax credit by having earned income.

Many Missourians don't take advantage of the opportunity to have their criminal records "expunged," which could increase their wages and opportunities. A bill before the Missouri House would make the process automatic. Expungement of all eligible crimes could result in billions in increased wages and economic activity.

As rents and home values rise, the Missouri Property Tax Credit – designed to help seniors and Missourians with disabilities stay in their homes – has failed to keep pace. Missouri Rep. Marlene Terry, D-St. Louis, has introduced HB-1351 to raise both the amount of tax credit the lowest earners can receive and the amount of income they can earn to qualify.

A report from the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP) reveals three out of four applications to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's two premier conservation programs, EQUIP and CSP, were denied. IATP says much more money for conservation programs must be included in the new Farm Bill so more farms can participate.

For a person with disabilities in Missouri to lose Medicaid health coverage because they make too much money can be devastating since private-pay care is expensive. State Rep. Melanie Stinnett has introduced a bill that would allow them, and/or their spouses with higher incomes to keep their Medicaid benefits.

Improving air quality by lowering the acceptable levels of particulate matter or "soot" in the air is the goal of the Environmental Protection Agency's proposed new standards. If approved, advocates say they could save up to 20,000 lives a year and dramatically improve the lives of asthma sufferers and others with chronic lung and heart conditions. The EPA is seeking public comment on these proposed changes until March 28.

Concern about the influence agribusiness has on the "bottom line" for many independent farmers and rural communities had led to a 2,000+-signature petition being sent to President Joe Biden urging him to make good on his 2021 executive order to enforce antitrust laws and promote competition in the ag industry.

The first of four training sessions about preparedness to help individuals with disabilities during a disaster will be held in Springfield on March 6-7. They're free of charge and appropriate for people from a variety of backgrounds.