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The Missouri House has voted to ban private businesses from requiring proof of vaccination from either employees or customers.

House lawmakers voted 88-56 Monday to tack the provision on another bill. There appears to be widespread opposition in the Republican-led Legislature to preemptively ban so-called vaccine passports. Vaccine passports are documentation that shows travelers have been vaccinated against COVID-19.

On Friday, Gerbes announced it will begin to administer the COVID-19 vaccine at six pharmacies across the state, including two in Columbia, according to a news release.

In Columbia, Gerbes has two locations: 1729 W Broadway and 2900 N Paris Road.

Appointments are available beginning Tuesday at the Paris Road location and Wednesday at the Broadway location, according to the Gerbes website.

COLUMBIA - Columbia Police Department announced it will host a forum called “Empowering People” with the MU School of Law to discuss the State v. Derek Chauvin trial and policing practices.

Michael Hester, a CPD Lieutenant officer, said that after personally marching and communicating with protestors last year after the tragic death of George Floyd, he hopes this forum lets the community know that CPD wants to be a part of the conversation.

The University of Missouri’s marching band has been invited to perform in the 2022 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York.

Officials surprised band members with the invitation on Saturday. Missouri’s band, which has more than 300 members, was one of nine selected to participate in the parade out of hundreds of applicants. Band director Amy Knopps said it is an honor to be selected. Over the next 18 months, the band will prepare for the parade with rehearsals and fundraising events. Macy’s is donating $10,000 to help the band raise funds for the trip.

A group that advocates for racial and gender equity in policing is criticizing St. Louis County Police Chief Mary Barton.

The Ethical Society of Police and its allies on Friday said members have no confidence in Barton. They said the department retaliated against Officer Shanette Hall, who is Black, after she was interviewed by a national media outlet on Wednesday. Within 24 hours of the interview, Hall was moved from human resources to a patrol position.

The daunting task of turning around the fortunes of St. Louis is now in the hands of a new era of leaders — specifically, three 40-something progressive Black women, all of them elected on a mandate of racial justice and change.

Local officials agreed Thursday to provide temporary housing in hotel rooms for the homeless population in Kansas City, Missouri, following a months-long encampment on the lawn of City Hall.

The measure to provide hotel rooms for up to 500 people for the next 90 days unanimously cleared the City Council, the Kansas City Star reported.

Everyone 16 and older in Missouri is now eligible for COVID-19 vaccinations.

State officials had announced last month that that vaccines would be opened to everyone old enough to receive one on April 9. State officials estimate that about 4.5 million Missouri residents are eligible as of Friday.

About 1.8 million people in Missouri — or 29% of the state’s population — had received a first dose of a vaccine by Thursday, according to state officials. Of those, more than 1.1 million, or about 19% of the population, had been fully vaccinated.

Energy utility Ameren is seeking to raise customer rates to cover billions of dollars recently invested in electric grid upgrades and new wind generation facilities.

Tuition could soon be going up for public university students in Missouri, but proponents of the bill passed by the Missouri House on Thursday say that won’t necessarily be a bad thing for all students.

In 2007, members of the General Assembly who were concerned with rising tuition passed a law which required that tuition increases not exceed the rate of inflation. Now, in an amendment to other higher education legislation, Rep. Doug Richey, R-Excelsior Springs, seeks to undo that.

Senate Bill 212 is a simple bill at face value. It replaces the terms “Department of Corrections and Human Resources” and “board of probation and parole” with “Department of Corrections” and “Division of Probation and Parole” in state legal code.

But when the Missouri Senate gave the bill initial approval Wednesday, it included a lot more than just the boiler-plate bill it was when it originally was proposed in the Senate Chamber.

Missouri's top Republican senator says he's OK not paying for Medicaid expansion.

Senate President Pro Tem Dave Schatz on Thursday told reporters he won't advocate to include money for the program in the state budget. Missouri voters last year amended the state Constitution to extend eligibility for the government health care program to thousands more low-income adults.

Most local elections in April attract low voter turnout. But the small southwest Missouri town of La Russell set a new low, when not one of the town's 70 residents voted in Tuesday's election.

Jasper County Clerk Charlie Davis says his office checked several times to confirm that no ballots were cast.

La Russell voters have to travel 7 miles to Sarcoxie to vote.