Month: January 2025

by Annelise Hanshaw The Missouri State Capitol in Jefferson City, as pictured September 26, 2023 (Annelise Hanshaw/Missouri Independent). Quality Schools Coalition, a Missouri education advocacy organization that backs charter school expansion, ceased operations at the end of 2024. The nonprofit’s executive director, Dean Johnson, told The Independent that the closure was spurred after a top

by Cindy Gonzalez Jane Bailey, right, is a plaintiff in a lawsuit filed Monday by a legal team representing tenants and former tenants of Omaha Housing Authority high-rise and apartment buildings that are alleged to have bedbug infestations. (Cindy Gonzalez/Nebraska Examiner) OMAHA — Advocates are hoping that back-to-back punches — a class action lawsuit filed

by Debra Chandler Landis According to the lawsuit, the St. Louis Public Schools Board of Education told Chester Asher he’d been warned about being “disrespectful” while speaking at public before issuing a six-month ban(Rudi Keller/Missouri Independent). An education advocate filed a federal lawsuit Monday against St. Louis Public School Board alleging it illegally banned him

by Staff Writer (Glenwood) — A Council Bluffs man faces a charge following his arrest in Mills County Friday. The Mills County Sheriff’s Office says 58-year-old Christopher Allen Vanderloo was arrested shortly before 8:45 a.m. for violation of probation. Authorities say the arrest occurred in the area of 5th Avenue. Vanderloo was taken to the

by Rudi Keller State Rep. Dane Diehl, a Butler Republican, speaks during an April debate (Tim Bommel/Missouri House Communications). State Rep. Dane Diehl says he wants rhinos to be in zoos, not the legislature. The second-term Republican from Butler prefiled a bill designating the rhinoceros as the official state zoo animal. The state is home

by By Chris Wade | The Center Square contributor (The Center Square) — New Hampshire Sen. Maggie Hassan is touting outgoing President Joe Biden’s signature on a bipartisan bill that seeks to improve health care access for military veterans and ease workforce shortages. The Senator Elizabeth Dole 21st Century Veterans Healthcare and Benefits Improvement Act,

by Rudi Keller Heather Overstreet, owner of Top Dog Training in Boonville, explains the impact of a higher minimum wage on her small business. Her business includes a 10,000 square foot outdoor area to exercise dogs. (Rudi Keller/Missouri Independent) BOONVILLE — In 2022, Heather Overstreet moved her growing dog grooming, training and boarding business into

by Cindy Gonzalez A vision of the Gretna good life district proposed by businessman Rod Yates. Boundaries would include and surround Nebraska Crossing mall centered at Interstate 80 and Highway 31. In the background are residential towers that could rise at the site along with a billion-dollar youth sports complex. (Courtesy of Nebraska Crossing) GRETNA,

by Greg LaRose A vehicle is driven over a protective gate Jan 4, 2025, on Toulouse Street near Bourbon Street in New Orleans. Mayor LaToya Cantrell has asked for the federal government to provide an expert who can evaluate the city’s remaining vulnerabilities after a Jan. 1 terrorist attack that killed 14 people and injured

by Staff Writer CASS COUNTY – The Cass County Sheriff’s Department is wishing former Cass County Sheriff Darby McLaren well in a post on the Cass County Sheriff’s Office Facebook Page. “A sad, yet also exciting day around our office,” officials said in the post. “Please help us in wishing Sheriff Darby McLaren a much

by Erika Bolstad A historical marker in Vancouver, Wash., celebrates the “civilization of Washington,” by white explorers, erasing the presence of Indigenous people who lived in the area for thousands of years. As the nation prepares to celebrate its 250th birthday, many states are reexamining markers with questionable historical facts or outdated language. (Photo by

by Aaron Sanderford Gov. Jim Pillen sits down with the Nebraska Examiner at the Governor’s Mansion in Lincoln on Friday, Jan. 3, 2025. (Zach Wendling/Nebraska Examiner) LINCOLN — Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen, a former University of Nebraska defensive back, knew about getting hit hard long before he played for Hall of Fame football coach Tom

by Anna Kaminski William Pope’s self-edited mugshot appears at the end of a Dec. 25, 2024, federal court filing in his case, which arose from his actions during the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol building. (U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia) TOPEKA — A Topeka man who blocked officers in

by Staff Writer SCHEDULED TRAFFIC: Speeding: Lucas L. Rabine, 23, Reedsburg, Wis., Rodney J. Stoler, 63, Jesup, Broc M. Walker, 19, Marion, Dawn M. Timmerman, 45, Dundee, Jennifer L. Payton, 47, Vinton, Nathan M. Kuennen, 26, Cedar Rapids, Daniel E. Boyer Rodriguez, 18, Georgetown, Texas, Ryan J. Baumgard, 49, Norfolk, Neb., Alison J. Steggall, 18,

by Cami Koons Corn growing in a western Iowa field in August 2023. (Photo by Jared Strong/Iowa Capital Dispatch) Corn farmers in Iowa, and across the country, will have “full and fair” access to markets in Mexico after a United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, or USMCA, panel found Mexico’s bans on genetically engineered corn were against USMCA

by By Kaia Tran The soil seed bank is a natural reserve of seeds in the soil. Plants drop seeds that lie dormant, sometimes for a thousand years, and wait for favorable conditions to germinate and grow into a new plant. However, as the climate changes, this secret bank is no longer safe. Rising temperatures

by Jason Wert The former owner of the award-winning Pierce Arrow show has been arrested related to a drinking and driving incident on Thanksgiving. Dan Britton has been charged with one count of DWI-Persistent, a class E felony. According to court documents, Branson police were dispatched on Thanksgiving day for a “check well-being” call because

by Brooklyn Draisey The University of Northern Iowa is planning events and celebrations for its 150th class in 2025 and sesquicentennial in 2026. (Top two photos courtesy of University of Northern Iowa, bottom photo by Brooklyn Draisey/Iowa Capital Dispatch) The University of Northern Iowa is set to honor its past and drum up excitement for

by Staff Writer House Speaker Mike Johnson faces a tricky fight to retain the gavel on Friday as the Republican leader kicks off the new Congress with a razor-thin majority. Holding only a four-vote edge in the chamber, Johnson likely cannot afford to lose the backing of more than one fellow GOP lawmaker as he

by Tim Carpenter Kansas State University and Garden City Community College are launching a four-year degree initiative that doesn’t require southwest Kansas students to relocate after earning an associate degree. Signers of the agreement are, from left: KSU Provost Jesse Perez Mendez and President Richard Linton; and GCCC President Ryan Ruda and Vice President Marc

by Clark Kauffman Bluebell Road Health Plaza in Cedar Falls, where a physician assistant is alleged to have sexually assaulted multiple patients. (Photo via Google Earth) The state of Iowa has issued an emergency order suspending the license of a physician assistant alleged to have sexually assaulted multiple patients. The Iowa Board of Physician Assistants