Missouri News

St. Louis Will Receive $500 Million In Federal Coronavirus Relief Money — Most In Missouri

By Kayla Drake • Mar 16, 2021

St. Louis is expected to receive a half-billion dollars in the latest round of federal coronavirus relief funding this spring — the largest amount of any city or county in Missouri.

That’s at least twice the amount going to Kansas City and St. Louis County, the next-highest projected allocations. The federal government calculated funding to cities based on poverty rates, unemployment and housing quality, not population.

HB75 Could Severely Limit Local Public Health Officials Ability To Enact Emergency Restrictions

By Tatyana Monnay - Missouri News Network • Mar 16, 2021

G Witteveen/flickr/creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.0/

Missouri House lawmakers gave final approval to legislation that would severely limit local public health officials’ ability to enact emergency restrictions.

House Bill 75, sponsored by Representative Jim Murphy, a Republican from St. Louis, would limit how many days a public official is allowed to order restrictions governing businesses, churches and other facilities during emergencies like the COVID-19 pandemic.

Supporters said local health officials have had too much power andhave hurt local economies.

‘Not A Last Chapter Guy’: Blunt Looks Ahead

By Jason Rosenbaum • Mar 12, 2021

When he announced Monday that he wouldn’t seek a third term, U.S. Sen. Roy Blunt created only the third open Missouri Senate seat in 30 years.

Changing The Missouri Constitution Could Get Harder

By Jason Rosenbaum • Mar 11, 2021

The Missouri House approved a ballot item Thursday that would raise the threshold to amend the Missouri Constitution — and increase the number of signatures required to get something on the ballot.

It’s an idea that some Republicans have pushed for years as left-of-center groups have successfully amended the constitution to effectively get around legislators who won’t consider their proposals. The plan is opposed by some conservative and liberal organizations that see it as an impediment to direct democracy.

Lt. Gov. Kehoe Passes On U.S. Senate Contest To Run For Missouri Governor

By editor • Mar 10, 2021

Updated at 10:45 a.m. March 22 with Kehoe's announcement

The GOP scramble to succeed U.S. Sen. Roy Blunt got a little bit narrower on Monday.

Lt. Gov. Mike Kehoe announced that he will not run for the U.S. Senate next year. The Republican was seen as a potential candidate after Blunt announced he would not run for a third term earlier this month.

Instead, Kehoe said in a statement that he’s turning his attention to the 2024 Missouri gubernatorial contest. Gov. Mike Parson is unable to run for that post again because of term limits.