News

Columbia police are investigating after vandals damaged an historical marker commemorating the 1923 lynching of James T. Scott.

City officials say the marker on the MKT Trail was removed from its base and recovered nearby. The marker was unveiled by University of Missouri students five years ago to recognize the lynching. Scott was accused of a crime before he was dragged by a mob and hanged. The damage occurred a week after several people gathered in memory of the lynching.

Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas says a state law that prevents cities from enacting their own gun control measures hamstrings his efforts to address the city’s gun deaths.

Lucas said he would like to promote city ordinances to stop easy access to illegal firearms, but a 2014 state law prohibits such local rules. A bill to repeal the state’s prohibition on cities passing their own gun measures was filed but did not get a hearing this session.

The GOP-led Missouri House on Thursday passed a bill that would ensure colleges don’t stand in the way of athletes making money off their stardom.

House members added the provision to another bill Thursday, a common tactic as lawmakers near their May 14 deadline to send legislation to Republican Gov. Mike Parson.

The measure would prevent Missouri colleges from taking away scholarships or kicking students off the field for earning money for their names, images and likeness.

A congressional committee examining the Black maternal health crisis heard emotional testimony from one of the committee’s own members.

Democrat Cori Bush of St. Louis on Thursday described how she nearly lost the lives of her two children two decades ago, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported.

Maurice Gipson, MU vice chancellor for inclusion, diversity and equity, announced that he was pausing plans to restructure MU's social justice centers, plans which caused outrage among students and faculty members.

Gipson said the plans to reimagine the centers and positions are paused, meaning they are no longer looking to begin implementation July 1. Gipson said the pause will allow him to "learn and get more feedback" from stakeholders.

The University of Missouri’s College of Education received a $1 million gift during National Teacher Appreciation Week to support elementary education students.

At a ceremony on Thursday, it was announced that the gift from MU alumnus Gary J. Coles and Patricia McIntosh Coles will create scholarships for students studying early childhood education or elementary education. Students will have to show financial need to qualify.

More people in Missouri died in 2020 than were born, a rarity that was due in part to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that a provisional report from the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services says the “natural decrease” was the first for a complete year in 110 years. A natural increase or decrease in population is determined by subtracting the number of deaths from the number of live births.

Missouri lawmakers have approved a tax credit program to pay for kids to go to private schools.

The Republican-led Senate voted 20-13 Thursday to send the bill to Gov. Mike Parson. Under the program, private donors would give money to nonprofits that in turn would dole out scholarships. Donors would get state tax credits equal to the amount they donate.

The head of the Missouri office that oversees lawyers’ professional conduct alleges that a review of the investigation that brought down former Gov. Eric Greitens three years ago uncovered evidence that the prosecutor in charge concealed evidence that could have helped him.

Missouri lawmakers have passed a bill to limit public access to a number of government records.

The Republican-led House on Wednesday voted 154-1 to send the bill to Gov. Mike Parson. The measure would allow government agencies to close public access to mailing lists with people's addresses and phone numbers. Government agencies could close building security plans and refuse to release utility usage records.

It also would give a 30-day deadline for people to pay once they receive a bill for the estimated cost to get public records, although requests could be resubmitted.

A civilian police oversight board established in St. Louis soon after Michael Brown’s death in nearby Ferguson, Missouri, was shut out from reviewing all 21 fatal police shootings during its first four years of existence, according to a report from the board.

Teachers and staff in a St. Louis-area school district say opponents of the district’s new diversity and equity programs are posting threats of violence on social media, according to a union representing the teachers.

The union sent a letter to the school board in the Rockwood School District and Superintendent Mark Miles on Saturday asking that teachers and staff be protected from the attacks and that leaders address an “unhealthy and unproductive” environment in the district.

The discussion of a proposal for how to further train Columbia police officers in community policing strategies will be extended to another day.

The Columbia City Council considered a training program from the Citizens Police Review Board that was designed by members Carley Gomez and Heather Heckman-McKenna on Monday night.

Missouri Gov. Mike Parson has directed all state employees to return to in-person work in the office by May 17, after many spent most of the past 14 months working remotely.

Parson’s order, announced Wednesday, also requires that all state buildings be open and accessible to the public during normal business hours.