Education, Missouri
Think tank distills Missouri’s $10B education budget into 48-page report(The Center Square) – More than a thousand pages are submitted during the Missouri legislative session on the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education’s $10 billion budget. Susan Pendergrass, director… Read More
COVID-19
Researchers: City-wide vaccine mandates did nothing to stop the spread of COVID-19(The Center Square) – A slew of city-wide vaccine mandates announced in 2021 across parts of the U.S. made virtually no difference in stopping the spread of COVID-19, newly released… Read More
Crime, St. Louis
St Louis prosecutor’s office under fire from all sides as suspect in crash critically injuring teenager had more than 40 bail violations(The Heartlander) — St. Louis Attorney Kim Gardner’s office is in hot water again as its soft-on-crime prosecutors left a criminal free to allegedly commit another crime, this time resulting… Read More
Education
Nebraska bill addresses teacher shortage by recruiting veterans(The Heartlander) — The Nebraska Legislature is considering a bill that would address the state’s teacher shortage by fast-tracking temporary teaching licenses for military veterans.LB 188, sponsored by Sen. Read More
Education, Missouri
Former presidential advisor Kellyanne Conway urges Missouri legislators to enact school choiceAs Missouri appears poised to spend an unprecedented amount of money on K-12 education, it must spend it wisely – meaning school choice and an “education renaissance” in the state,… Read More
Education, Kansas
Kansas school superintendent allegedly misused federal funds, audit finds(The Sentinel) — A yearly audit of the Morris County Unified School District 417 found significant problems within the district — particularly in the handling of COVID relief funds.Morris County Superintendent of… Read More
Elections, Illinois
Measure would allow non-citizens to vote in Illinois school board elections(The Center Square) – Some see a measure at the statehouse as a threat to democracy by allowing non-citizens in Illinois to vote in school board elections. Others… Read More
Biden administration, Missouri
Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey, 19 other AGs, join bishops in condemning FBI memo profiling ‘Latin Mass’ Catholics(The Center Square) – Missouri Republican Attorney General Andrew Bailey and 19 other attorneys general joined Catholic bishops protesting religious profiling in a leaked Federal Bureau of Investigation memo.Last week,… Read More
Biden administration, Congress
Congress spends over $100 billion in Ukraine aid in first year of invasion(The Center Square) – Friday marks the one-year anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, resulting in well over $100 billion in American taxpayer dollars being set aside to help… Read More
Kansas City, Law Enforcement
KC’s attempt to defund police prompts endorsements of eight pro-law-enforcement candidates in heated Kansas City Council racesA thwarted effort to recall the Kansas City mayor and several council members for trying to defund the police has evolved into a new movement to elect a more… Read More
Taxes
IRS leaked thousands of Americans’ tax filings; Congress demands answers(The Center Square) – The new head of the powerful House Ways and Means Committee blasted the Biden administration for giving few answers after thousands of taxpayer files were leaked… Read More
Education, Kansas, Opinion
Kansas education commissioner claims ‘proficient’ is a made-up term(The Sentinel) – Kansas education commissioner Randy Watson last week told the State Board of Education that “proficient is a made-up term that the federal government makes us define.”Watson and… Read More
Philanthropy
Willard teen raises money to pay overdrawn lunch balances at his schoolWILLARD, Mo. – One student at Willard Middle School has been tied to many charities in recent years. Now the eighth-grader has made a large contribution to his school to… Read More
Missouri, Second Amendment
Two dozen AGs sue Biden’s ATF for taxing, registering pistol braces(The Center Square) – Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey joined 24 other attorneys general in suing the Biden administration for its rule outlawing pistol braces. The regulation will… Read More
College Admissions, Race
Poll: Americans oppose race as a factor in college admission decisions(The Center Square) – As the U.S. Supreme Court considers whether it should be legal to use race as a factor in college admissions, new polling shows Americans oppose the… Read More
Education, Kansas
Parent cites Leavenworth High School for lack of transparency, accountability(The Sentinel) — What began last year as concern over content in an English Language Arts class has repeated itself this school year and resulted in a Leavenworth High School parent… Read More
National
CBO: Federal debt is growing faster than expected, deficits will average $2 trillion(The Center Square) – The U.S. Congressional Budget Office, the official budget projection resource for the federal government, released a string of alarming figures in its latest projections this week.CBO… Read More
Gender Identity
District officials silent on gender-transitioning ‘Julian is a Mermaid’ being read to kindergartners in Kansas City, Kansas(The Sentinel) — A Kansas City, Kansas, USD 500 kindergarten teacher proudly, but anonymously, posted on a social media page about having read the book Julian is a Mermaid to… Read More
Border, Fentanyl
Senators call on Mexico, China to do more to stop illicit fentanyl trafficking(The Center Square) – The U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee wants Mexico and countries that supply the precursor chemicals for making cheap and potent fentanyl to be held accountable and do… Read More
Education, Missouri
Reeds Spring School District breaks ground on Table Rock Career CenterREEDS SPRING, Mo. – Residents in the Reeds Spring area can expect a new and improved career center after voters approved a $40 million no-tax-increase bond a year and a… Read More