COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) – A Jackson County judge blocked Missouri’s near-total abortion ban Friday following the passage of a statewide constitutional amendment in November. Judge Jerri Zhang’s 22-page ruling temporarily blocks several state laws regulating the procedure. That includes Missouri’s law banning abortions except for a medical emergency. Planned Parenthood sued the state shortly after
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Governor-elect Mike Kehoe announced the next director to lead the Missouri Department of Natural Resources will be from Mid-Missouri. According to a news release on Thursday, Kehoe named former Boone County state senator Kurt Schaefer as the next director. Schaefer would assume the position on Jan. 13 and wait to be confirmed
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) After winning in the November election, Mike Kehoe will serve as Missouri’s 58th governor next year. Kehoe had served as lieutenant governor since 2018, after he was appointed by Gov. Mike Parson in 2018 and won the seat in the 2020 election. Prior to that, he served in the Missouri Senate. Kehoe
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Income tax changes may be on the table during the 2025 session after six Missouri senators prefiled bills that propose setting a flat tax for the state to ultimately eliminate income tax. Missouri currently has a tax rate of 0.5% for every $1,273 of annual taxable income. This rate caps out at
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JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ) Mark James will be the next Missouri Department of Public Safety, according to a Monday press release from Gov.-elect Mike Kehoe’s Office. The release says that he will assume the role on Jan. 13 and await confirmation from the Missouri Senate. Public Safety Director Sandra Karsten announced her retirement last week.
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Some representatives of Missouri’s business community have filed a petition with the Missouri Supreme Court to overturn Proposition A. The Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry says in a news release that Proposition A will increase prices for consumers and bring burdens on businesses of all sizes. “I think it’s going to
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A Columbia state representative says he wants to let Boone County voters to decide on whether a charter school should be established here. Rep. David Tyson Smith (D-Columbia) said this week that he’s pushing for a law that would let local voters decide whether a charter school can be set up in
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Associated Press JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Fans in Missouri will be able to bet on sports next year under a ballot measure that narrowly won approval. State election officials on Thursday certified that the sports betting initiative passed with 50.05% support in the November election. Betting won’t begin immediately. The Missouri Gaming Commission said
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KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Abortion-rights advocates on Wednesday asked a judge to overturn Missouri’s near-total ban on the procedure, less than a month after voters backed an abortion-rights constitutional amendment. Jackson County Circuit Judge Jerri Zhang did not immediately rule after Wednesday’s hearing. Planned Parenthood and other plaintiffs had asked her to issue a temporary
Continue Reading COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) State Sen. Mary Elizabeth Coleman (R-Arnold) prefiled a proposed anti-abortion amendment following the passage of Amendment 3. Members of the Missouri Legislature began prefiling bills on Dec. 1. According to a Tuesday press release, Coleman’s Amendment SJR 25 titled “Protecting Life with Compassion and Clarity,” if approved by voters would ban all
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JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ) Trevor Foley will become the director of the Missouri Department of Corrections, according to a press release from Governor-elect Mike Kehoe’s office. Foley was named the acting director last year after former DOC Director Anne Precythe announced her retirement. “I’m grateful to Governor-Elect Kehoe for this opportunity to continue my service to
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Associated Press COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — A Missouri court on Monday upheld a new state law that bans some gender-affirming health care for minors, a victory for supporters of the ban as the Supreme Court prepares to hear a case on the issue next week. The state’s Republican Attorney General Andrew Bailey says the Monday
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Columbia Mayor Barbara Buffaloe was one of four Missouri mayors to sign a letter that asks Missouri’s next governor to prevent children from possessing handguns. Buffaloe, Springfield Mayor Ken MClure, Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas and St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones signed a letter dated Nov. 15 that was addressed to Governor-elect
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Outgoing Missouri Senate President Pro Tem Caleb Rowden (R-Columbia) will become the director of strategic advocacy at Strategic Capitol Consulting, the lobbying group announced in a Wednesday press release. Rowden was not able to seek reelection for his current position because of term limits and opted to not run for another political
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JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ) Missouri Republicans have picked their leadership in the state Senate for the 2025 legislative session, according to a Thursday press release. Sen. Cindy O’Laughlin, of Shelbina, was picked as the president pro tem. She will be the first woman to serve in the position, the release says. The president pro tem
Continue Reading JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ) Missouri Democrats have picked their leadership in the state House for the 2025 legislative session, a Thursday press release says. Democrats announced that Rep. Ashley Aune, of Kansas City, will be the House minority leader. The release says that Rep. Marlon Anderson, of St. Louis, was picked as the assistant minority
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Amendment 3 passed in Missouri and now abortion activists are putting it to the test. Amendment 3, which restores Missouri’s near total abortion ban passed on Tuesday night with 52% of the vote. The amendment was one which became controversial in Missouri, after being put on the ballot just hours before the
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KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KMIZ) Missouri Democratic candidate Lucas Kunce told supporters they fought hard but the piles of money poured into the U.S. Senate race helped kill his campaign. He says he is unsure if he will run for office again. “I mean, right now the only thing I’m thinking about spending more time with
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Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Voters in Missouri cleared the way to undo one of the nation’s most restrictive abortion bans in one of seven victories for abortion rights advocates, while Florida, Nebraska and South Dakota defeated similar constitutional amendments, leaving bans in place. Abortion rights amendments also passed in Arizona, Colorado, Maryland and Montana.
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Check back throughout the night for regular election-related updates.
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