Policy experts are urging Congress to extend Affordable Care Act tax credits and address the larger problem of escalating health care costs, warning that premiums could more than double if no action is taken. A Century Foundation analysis shows rural and high cancer-rate counties would be hit hardest, as ACA premiums are already projected to rise an average of 18% next year, potentially affecting a record 466,000 Illinoisans.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has released funds for farmer-driven agriculture research in Missouri and nationwide after a months-long delay. Farmers across the country launched a campaign to insist the government release the money, which it did in mid-September. The Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program grants funds to farmers and ranchers for on-farm studies and helps distribute the results.

Missouri Secretary of State Denny Hoskins must try again to write ballot language for a proposed constitutional amendment that would ban most abortions, a Cole County judge ruled Tuesday.

The latest court case, like others filed earlier, argues that no authority exists in the Missouri Constitution for redrawing district lines without new census data.

More Missouri kids are losing health coverage. A new Georgetown report says the child uninsured rate nationwide just hit its highest level in nearly a decade - and Missouri is among the states seeing a sharp increase.

At an event in Columbia, Gov. Mike Kehoe said he is confident he was on firm legal ground when he called lawmakers into a special session. But with three lawsuits pending against the new map, the governor said it was up to the courts to prove him right.

Judge Daniel Green ruled that giving only the attorney general power to appeal preliminary injunctions in cases involving state law is unconstitutional. Attorney General Catherine Hanaway plans to appeal, as does the liberal activist challenging other provisions upheld by Green.

Missouri hog farmers are stepping into the national spotlight as Congress considers Prop 12, California’s crate-free pork law. They say losing the law would wipe out a fair market that rewards crate-free pork.

Illinois environmental advocates are fighting against the Trump Administration's repeal of the Roadless Rule which protects millions of acres of National Forests. They argue the law already allows flexibility for fire management - a key reason the administration cites for the repeal - and that roads, not their absence, are the leading cause of forest fires.

Legal sports betting is scheduled to start in the state on Dec. 1. Many bettors are eager for it to begin, but addiction health advocates are concerned about easily accessible mobile gambling.