Alisa Nelson
Missourinet
Missouri, United States
Contact Alisa
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Past articles by Alisa:
Missouri offers grants to help expand access to childcare
At least 51% of Missouri lacks access to a daycare provider and the state is tackling its severe childcare provider shortage head-on. To help increase the number of early childhood education centers and boost the state’s workforce, Missouri is offering grants to some existing and future providers. Pam Thomas, assistant commissioner with the Missouri Office… → Read More
Blue Alert: Search is on for suspect accused of shooting two Hermann officers
Two Hermann police officers have been shot and a suspect is on the loose tonight. The Missouri State Highway Patrol has activated a Blue Alert, which can be set off when a police officer has been killed or seriously injured in the line of duty. The conditions of the officers are unknown at this time.… → Read More
School open enrollment bill reaches halfway point in Missouri Legislature
At least 40 states have open enrollment, letting K-12 students attend a public school district outside of the district they live in. Missouri could become the next one. By a vote of 85-69, the state House of Representatives has passed a bill that would allow open enrollment to begin during the 2024-25 school year. The… → Read More
New metrics, pandemic cause notable shifts in Missouri school performance report
Missouri has released its 2021-2022 Annual Performance Report (APR), which lays out overall K-12 public school performance. The report card shows more than 100 school districts around the state could be at risk of losing accreditation if improvements are not made over the next few years. The new metrics fall under the Missouri School Improvement… → Read More
Missouri House passes bill to ease burden on patients getting breast cancer screenings
Follow-up breast exams can cost patients hundreds of dollars. The state House of Representatives has passed a bill that would ease this financial burden on Missouri patients. State Representative Brenda Shields, R-St. Joseph, is proposing to require health insurance companies to pay for follow-up exams used to diagnose breast cancer if a mammogram finds potential… → Read More
Missouri bill would legalize ‘magic mushrooms’ for certain health conditions
Missouri patients who suffer from certain health conditions might be able to legally use a certain psychedelic in a healthcare setting. State Representative Tony Lovasco, R-St. Charles County, has filed a bill that would be for psilocybin, often referred to as magic mushrooms. A Missouri House committee is expected to vote Tuesday on his proposal… → Read More
Missouri House approves letting car dealers collect vehicle sales tax
Expired temporary car license tags can be seen as you drive down the road across the state. State Rep. Michael O’Donnell, R-Oakville, said the cost of temp tag abuse is roughly $40 million to $60 million in uncollected state tax revenues. The Missouri House of Representatives has passed his bill that he said could eliminate… → Read More
Missouri considers ban on teaching sexual orientation and gender identity
Missouri’s K-12 public schools could be banned from teaching about sexual orientation and gender identity. State Representative Ann Kelley, R-Lamar, is sponsoring a bill that she says is modeled after Florida’s law. The Missouri House Committee on Elementary and Secondary Education held a public hearing today on her legislation. “Kids are also very naive and… → Read More
Is it time to change Missouri’s education formula? Bill aims to boost state aid to schools.
Missouri ranks as one of the lowest states in the nation in how much state aid is given to K-12 public schools. The Missouri Senate Education and Workforce Development Committee is scheduled to hear Tuesday morning State Sen. Lauren Arthur’s proposed changes to the formula used to fund the state’s roughly 551 public and… → Read More
Missouri to soon begin verifying Medicaid eligibility
President Joe Biden announced in January that the COVID-19 public health emergency will expire in May. The shift back to pre-pandemic times will mean Missouri will begin checking whether Medicaid participants are still eligible for their benefits. Missouri has about 200,000 job openings. During an event with reporters Thursday, Gov. Mike Parson said he expects… → Read More
Missouri gets federal grant to boost staffing levels at veterans homes
Missouri’s seven veterans homes are getting help to bolster staffing levels. The state has been awarded a $507,000 U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs grant to give a $920 one-time payment to full-time support care assistants. It also allows the same amount to be given to workers hired into the same positions between March 1 and… → Read More
Missouri Senate discussions could heat up soon on video streaming tax
Video streaming services, like Hulu and Netflix, do not want to be taxed like cable companies for using public infrastructure in Missouri. They are not currently charged the tax but that could change depending on the outcome of a lawsuit. In 2018, St. Louis County filed a lawsuit to try and make streaming companies pay… → Read More
Missouri considers extending age limit for survivors to sue their abusers
Missouri law currently allows childhood victims of sexual abuse to sue their abusers until they are 26 or 31 years old, depending on the defendant. A state House committee is reviewing a proposal that would allow survivors, including with people with disabilities, to file a civil lawsuit until they are age 55. Elizabeth Phillips, said… → Read More
Missouri’s state workers are another step closer to getting a pay raise
The Missouri House of Representatives has passed Gov. Mike Parson’s request for a state worker pay increase. The plan comes as the state grapples with about 7,000 open positions. It includes an 8.7% pay increase and a $2-per-hour bump in pay for group care employees working nights at places like state prisons and veterans homes.… → Read More
Missouri effort to pay for designations to honor fallen military members, officers
Thirteen U.S. military members died in America’s 2021 pullout in Afghanistan, including one from Missouri. U.S. Marine Lance Corporal Jared Schmitz of Wentzville was killed on August 26, 2021. The 20-year-old Schmitz was killed by a suicide bomber while evacuating Americans and Afghan allies from the country. He was on his first deployment and went… → Read More
Killing a Missouri law enforcement animal is a misdemeanor
In Missouri, breaking out the window of a police cruiser has a greater punishment than killing a law enforcement animal. “To me, that’s totally unacceptable. These are law enforcement officers in their own right,” said State Sen. Tony Luetkemeyer. “They keep their human partners safe in very dangerous situations and we need to make sure… → Read More
Missouri bill aims to provide first responders with greater access to mental healthcare
Missouri’s first responders experience trauma that can be difficult to unsee. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services estimates about 34% of America’s first responders develop behavioral health conditions, including, depression and PTSD. State Sen. Lincoln Hough, R-Springfield, is proposing to create the Missouri First Responder Mental Health Initiative Act. The bill would create… → Read More
BREAKING: Missouri executes man convicted of killing girlfriend and her children
Leonard Taylor took his last breath Tuesday at the state prison in Bonne Terre. He was declared dead at 6:16 p.m. The 58-year-old St. Louis man was convicted of the 2004 killings of his girlfriend, Angela Rowe, and her three young children in St. Louis County. Taylor said he was innocent in the murders of… → Read More
Should corn dogs be the official food of the Missouri State Fair? One lawmaker thinks so.
A Missouri lawmaker loves corn dogs so much that he is proposing a bill that would make them the official food of the Missouri State Fair. State Rep. Ian Mackey, D-St. Louis, is the bill sponsor. He admits that the point of the legislation is to bring lawmakers together, even though some corn dog haters… → Read More
Missouri considers plan to clean up roadkill
Dead deer along the side of the road is grabbing the attention of some Missouri lawmakers. Bipartisan bills have been filed that are designed to get rid of large roadkill along Missouri’s roads and highways. State Rep. Paula Brown is proposing to require MoDOT to remove dead deer and have them buried on Department of… → Read More