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DHS Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs Tricia McLaughlin speaks during a news conference at ICE Headquarters in Washington

Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin to leave agency

By Priscilla Alvarez, Michael Williams, CNN (CNN) — The Department of Homeland Security’s top spokesperson, Tricia McLaughlin, is stepping down. McLaughlin is expected to leave her position as assistant secretary next week, a Trump administration official told CNN. Her departure comes on the heels of high-profile shootings in Minnesota, where conflicting accounts called into question

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City of Columbia $156 million behind on police and fire pension fund, considers public safety sales tax

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) The City of Columbia is considering a 1% public safety sales tax to help close the multi-million dollar gap in its police and fire retirement fund and support improvements across both departments. Public safety makes up nearly half of the city’s general fund spending for fiscal 2026, with about $66 million budgeted

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Signage about slavery is displayed on an outdoor exhibit at Independence National Historical Park in Philadelphia

Slavery exhibit returns to Philadelphia museum following judge’s orders that cited Orwell’s ‘1984’

By Piper Hudspeth Blackburn, CNN (CNN) — Informational panels on slavery returned to a popular historical museum in Philadelphia on Thursday, after a federal judge evoked the dystopian world of George Orwell’s novel “1984” to order the Trump administration to bring back the long-standing exhibit earlier this week. US District Judge Cynthia Rufe, an appointee

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Bureau of Criminal Apprehension officers work at the scene where Alex Pretti was fatally shot in Minneapolis on January 25.

Hopes that the FBI would share evidence in Alex Pretti’s killing with state investigators have shattered

By Holmes Lybrand, CNN (CNN) — Hopes that the FBI would share information gathered in the investigation into Alex Pretti’s killing with state investigators in Minnesota have shattered. Despite initial statements in the wake of meeting with White House border czar Tom Homan, Minnesota’s Bureau of Criminal Apprehension said in a statement Monday the FBI

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Columbia Regional Airport to get 600 more parking spaces to meet rising demand

Customer demand at the Columbia Regional Airport is expected to surge as American Airlines expands its flight schedule, United Airlines returns, and Allegiant Airlines adds new service.

The increasing number of passengers flying in and out of COU has sparked the need for additional parking.

To address the issue, the city is considering amending its fiscal year 2026 annual budget to expand the airport’s south parking lot.

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A sign is displayed outside of the Robert F. Kennedy Department of Justice building in Washington

Even Republican election officials are balking at Trump Justice Department’s voter roll crusade

By Tierney Sneed, CNN (CNN) — As the Trump administration has sued 25 mostly Democratic state election chiefs for their voter rolls, it has also encountered quieter resistance from Republican officials who have balked at the Justice Department’s demands for confidential voter registration information. At least a half-dozen Republican-led state election offices have declined the

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City of Columbia to discuss proposed Old Plank Road culvert project Monday night

Columbia, Mo. (KMIZ) Columbia city leaders will discuss design plans for the Old Plank Road culvert project during Monday night’s city council meeting. According to the council agenda, city officials said the existing culvert– originally built in 1986– has significantly deteriorated over time. In December 2020, a structural inspection determined that approximately 90% of the

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Justice Department lists hundreds of prominent people named in Epstein files in letter to Congress

By Logan Schiciano, Hannah Rabinowitz, CNN (CNN) — The Department of Justice on Saturday sent Congress a list of “politically exposed persons” in the millions of files released related to its probes into convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The six-page letter, a copy of which was obtained by CNN, includes the names of many prominent

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Columbia City Council to hear ordinance proposal on gaming machines

The City of Columbia is looking to crack down on unregulated gaming machines with a new ordinance set to be presented Monday.

“Gray machines” or “no-chance machines” are similar to randomized slot machines but feature skill elements or sometimes the ability to show the outcome of the next roll. This requires the player to make a decision or skill-based action to play, making the legality of the games murky.

The ordinance was initially requested by the city council in October 2025 to address concerns about gaming machines. According to city documents, more than a dozen businesses operate a gaming machine.

The ordinance would make it illegal to offer the use of an electronic gaming machine, with violations being punishable by up to a $1,000 fine or 30 days jail time.

The ordinance will be on first reading at Monday’s city council meeting. The law requires that an ordinance be read three times for public notice before the Council votes on it, according to the city’s website.

The memo adds that if approved, CPD may need to adjust arrest and processing procedures, and enforcement of the rule may be delayed.

On Feb. 10, 2026, Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway also focused on unregulated gaming enforcement by suing five businesses with gaming machines in Dunklin County.

The Columbia City Council meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. Monday.

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Trump has chipped away at the long-standing wall between church and state. It’s just the beginning

By René Marsh, Steve Contorno, CNN (CNN) — At first glance, the December meeting of a little-known government panel looked like ordinary bureaucratic business. But then, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s advisory board opened its proceedings in an unusual way: with a Christian prayer. The benediction was delivered by a White House official. “Thank you

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Former US President Barack Obama speaks on the second day of the Democratic National Convention at the United Center in Chicago

Obama compares ICE’s ‘rogue behavior’ in Minnesota to dictatorships

By Veronica Stracqualursi, CNN (CNN) — Former President Barack Obama criticized Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents’ conduct in Minnesota as dangerous, saying “the rogue behavior” is akin to what “we’ve seen in authoritarian countries” and “in dictatorships.” The comments, which came during a wide-ranging interview with liberal podcaster Brian Tyler Cohen out Saturday, are the

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The most-detailed renderings yet of President Donald Trump’s White House ballroom project were briefly made available February 13

Architect submits most-detailed renderings so far for White House ballroom

By Kaanita Iyer, Sunlen Serfaty, CNN (CNN) — The most-detailed renderings yet of President Donald Trump’s White House ballroom project were briefly made available Friday, showing the massive scale of the planned 89,000-square-foot space. The renderings from Shalom Baranes Associates — which were posted by the National Capital Planning Commission on its website and then

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