Articles written by david a. lieb
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Masks reveal partisan split among lawmakers on coronavirus
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — To the issues creating a partisan divide in state legislatures across the U.S., add this one: masks. Many Democratic lawmakers are wearing them amid the coronavirus outbreak while many Republicans refuse. "Public health h...
Legislatures meet remotely, limit public as virus spreads
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Members of the Arkansas House met in a college basketball arena, spaced out among 5,600 seats, as they voted on ways to cover a budget shortfall caused by the coronavirus punch to the economy. When South Dakota lawmakers co...
'The whole city laid off': US jobless claims climb sky high
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Barely a week ago, David McGraw was cooking daily for hundreds of fine diners at one of New Orleans' illustrious restaurants. Today, he's cooking for himself, at home — laid off along with hundreds of thousands of people across the...
States still reporting surge in virus-related jobless claims
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Some states on Friday continued to report huge spikes in new claims for unemployment benefits after a week of widespread business closures as a precaution against the spread of the coronavirus. The figures provided to A...
Coronavirus layoffs spark surge in state jobless claims
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — In Ohio, more than 48,000 people applied for jobless benefits during the first two days of this week. The tally during the same period the prior week: just 1,825. In neighboring Pennsylvania, about 70,000 people sought u...
Coronavirus concerns disrupt work at US state capitols
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Mounting concerns about the coronarvirus spread to state capitols across the country Thursday, as some lawmakers halted their sessions, shut out the public and scrambled to finish work on essential spending bills to keep go...
Kansas City mayor runs into problems attempting to vote
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The mayor of Kansas City struggled to vote Tuesday in the Missouri presidential primary after a poll worker mistakenly transposed his first and last names while searching for him in the voter rolls. Mayor Quinton Lucas, a D...
States ramp up virus preparations, try to reassure public
As worries about the new coronavirus grow in the U.S., state officials are ramping up efforts to prepare for a possible outbreak while simultaneously trying to assure the public that they are well-positioned to handle it. Governors and legislators...
States charge more for electric cars as new laws take effect
The new year will bring new charges for some owners of electric vehicles, as an increasing number of states seek to plug in to fresh revenue sources to offset forgone gas taxes. In Hawaii, the charge will be $50. In Kansas, $100. In Alabama and...
US senator proposes money, oversight to boost dam safety
U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand on Tuesday called for more federal money and oversight to shore up the nation's aging dams following an Associated Press investigation that found scores of potentially troubling dams located near homes and communities acr...
New federal grant program allots $10M for dams in 26 states
Built for irrigation in 1884, Smith Reservoir in Colorado no longer can hold as much water as it once did. To keep the dam from leaking, the water level at the suburban Denver reservoir is kept at least 2 feet below the level of the spillway — a c...
AP: States boost flood protection amid high disaster costs
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — After devastating flooding this year, Iowa put $15 million into a special fund to help local governments recover and guard against future floods. Missouri allotted more money to fight rising waters, including $2 million t...
Judge says Missouri clinic can keep providing abortions
ST. LOUIS (AP) — A judge issued an order Friday to keep Missouri's only abortion clinic operating over the objections of state health officials, delivering abortion-rights advocates a courtroom victory after a string of setbacks in legislatures a...
AP: Flood buyout costs rise as storms intensify, seas surge
MOSBY, Mo. (AP) — The residents of this small riverside town have become accustomed to watching floods swamp their streets, transform their homes into islands and ruin their floors and furniture. Elmer Sullivan has replaced his couch, bed and televis...
AP: Flood buyout costs rise as storms intensify, seas surge
MOSBY, Mo. (AP) — The residents of this small riverside town have become accustomed to watching floods swamp their streets, transform their homes into islands and ruin their floors and furniture. Elmer Sullivan has replaced his couch, bed and televis...
3 dead, state capital battered as storms rake Missouri
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — An outbreak of nasty storms spawned tornadoes that razed homes, flattened trees and tossed cars across a dealership lot, injuring about two dozen people in Missouri's capital city and killing at least three others e...
Cost of buying out flood-prone homes: $5B and rising
MOSBY, Mo. (AP) — The residents of this small riverside town have become accustomed to watching floods swamp their streets, transform their homes into islands and ruin their floors and furniture. Elmer Sullivan has replaced his couch, bed and televis...
Cost of buying out flood-prone homes: $5B and rising
MOSBY, Mo. (AP) — The residents of this small riverside town have become accustomed to watching floods swamp their streets, transform their homes into islands and ruin their floors and furniture. Elmer Sullivan has replaced his couch, bed and televis...
AP: GOP won more seats in 2018 than suggested by vote share
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Democrats won more votes, regained control of the U.S. House and flipped hundreds of seats in state legislatures during the 2018 elections. It was, by most accounts, a good year for the party. Yet it wasn't as bad as it c...
Movement toward less partisan political maps gains momentum
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Frustrated by partisan gerrymandering, voters in a growing number of states have taken the pen and computer away from lawmakers who have traditionally drawn U.S. House and state legislative districts and instead e...
Women make big gains in state capitols, but men still rule
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Following a record-setting election for women, state legislatures across the country are convening this year with at least 17 new women in top leadership roles. But those gains are offset by another reality: At least a d...
Parson proposes $351M bond for bridges
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Missouri Gov. Mike Parson is proposing a $351 million bond to repair or replace 250 bridges across the state, a pitch he made to lawmakers Wednesday during his first State of the State speech since taking over when his pred...
US Supreme Court declines involvement in state egg law cases
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — The U.S. Supreme Court has declined to get involved in a legal dispute in which 15 states are seeking to strike down laws in California and Massachusetts that require larger living areas for some farm animals. The a...
Paying for Medicaid, schools will be priority for lawmakers
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Big-dollar decisions about health care and education will top the agenda in many state capitols as lawmakers convene for their 2019 sessions with a closer balance between Republicans and Democrats. Some states will be c...
Missouri to tax prepaid cellphone service to fund 911 calls
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — The cost of prepaid cellphone service in Missouri slightly increased on Tuesday as the state joined most of the rest of the country in charging a tax to fund 911 emergency call centers. But not all customers will pay the e...