News

The future of early childhood education programs like Head Start hangs in the air as recent federal budget cuts, or sequestration, will eliminate resources aimed to provide low-income families a quality foundation for the beginning of a child’s education. The most recent cuts have put Columbia Public Schools in the position of funding two instructional aides.

Missouri volunteers help a record number of students in the state apply for financial aid.

The editorial cartoon is a dependable measure of press freedom in a given country. As advocates point out, a cartoonist cannot work when there is no freedom of speech and opinion. Two cases illustrate the point.

In the early months of the Syrian revolution, editorial cartoonist Ali Ferzat was threatened and eventually attacked for drawing cartoons making fun of President Bashar Al-Assad. The thugs broke both of his hands. But crackdowns on the free expression of editorial cartoonists don’t just happen in dictatorships.

Imagine if you could take a digital model of anything and print out the actual physical object.  Thanks to a new technology called 3D printing, you can. This new technology has countless uses, but here in Columbia, several MU researchers are exploring its potential in the medical field.

Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius today announced another round of funding to help Americans enroll in the Affordable Care Act's new online health insurance marketplace.

About $150 million is now available for community health centers nationwide to hire and train employees who would provide in-person help for the public about their insurance options in the marketplace, which is set to open for enrollment on Oct. 1. 

More than 100,000 low-income seniors and disabled residents who live in rental housing could lose a tax break under a bill given final approval by Missouri lawmakers.

The bill passed Thursday would eliminate a tax break of up to $750 annually for individuals and redirect the nearly $57 million of savings to existing state programs.

The Missouri House has passed a $1.2 billion bonding initiative that would finance construction and repairs at public buildings across the state.

The House's 136-23 vote sends the measure to the Senate. But with only one week remaining in the legislative session, the proposed constitutional amendment appears unlikely to win final approval. If it did, the measure would go before voters in 2014.

Supporters cite a backlog of building needs at state facilities and note that low interest rates make this a good time to borrow money.

Court rulings based on laws made outside the U.S. would be unenforceable in Missouri if those laws violate the state or U.S. constitutions under a bill sent to Gov. Jay Nixon.

The House passed the measure 109-41 on Wednesday. The bill passed the Senate last month and now heads to the governor.

Versions of the bill considered in previous years specifically prohibited Islamic Sharia Law, but this legislation would affect all foreign legal codes.

The Missouri Psychiatric Center is the only inpatient psychiatric facility for youth within ninety miles of Columbia. The center just renovated their space to include more amenities for youth. The new space is brighter with natural light, new visitation and therapy rooms and three additional beds. The older site was darker and less accommodating for patients.  Director of the center, Laine Young-Walker said the beds were badly needed.

Missouri lawmakers have voted to mandate another health screening for newborn babies.

Legislators gave final approval Wednesday to a measure that will require infants to be screened for critical congenital heart disease within 48 hours of birth or before they are discharged from hospitals. The new mandate would begin for babies born in Missouri in 2014.

Parents could opt out if they sign a written statement saying the screening conflicts with their religious beliefs.