News

Biden condemns ‘hateful’ Florida bill

WASHINGTON – The Biden administration denounced a bill being advanced by Florida Republicans that would ban the discussion of gender identity and sexual orientation in K-12 schools. The bill orders that schools “may not encourage classroom discussion about sexual orientation or gender identity” in K-12 schools “or in a manner that is not age-appropriate or developmentally appropriate for students.” The bill does not offer definitions on what would be appropriate.

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It’s Rowland against Weir for mayor

State Representative Rory Rowland and Independence Mayor Eileen Weir will face off in the April 5 general mayoral election, after Rowland received the most votes in Tuesday’s primary election. Weir, seeking a third four-year term, had a close call to advance, as she finished with just 106 more votes than third-place finisher Colleen Huff in a six-candidate field.

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NATION & WORLD WATCH

US citizenship agency reverts to welcoming mission statement WASHINGTON – The U.S. agency that oversees legal immigration services is reverting its mission statement to refer to the country as “a nation of welcome and possibility.” The new statement unveiled Wednesday by Citizenship and Immigration Services Director Ur Jaddou is symbolic but somewhat restores previous language after the agency removed a reference in 2018 to the U.S.

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Hotel liquor license? Not so fast, city says

A rebranded and spruced-up Independence hotel has opened again near Noland Road and Interstate 70, but getting a liquor license is another matter. The Independence City Council unanimously voted Monday to deny a liquor license for the Clarion Pointe Hotel, next to Hawaiian Brothers and QuikTrip, as police say the hotel’s sketchy past, culminating in a multiarrest police sweep more than a year ago, still lingers, and adding a liquor license would only make it worse.

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Overnight filibuster stalls congressional redistricting

JEFFERSON CITY — The path to an approved congressional redistricting map was still unclear Tuesday morning as the Missouri Senate continued more than 16 hours of debate. h A filibuster that began just after 5 p.m. Monday ran overnight and was still going early Tuesday, as senators continued to work to find a map agreeable to a sharply divided Republican majority. h Members of the Senate Conservative Caucus backed an amendment that would have shifted the map passed by the House — which would likely retain the current partisan alignment of six Republicans and two Democrats — into one that would produce seven Republican-leaning seats. h A vote on that “7-1” map failed 8-24 on Monday evening, with Republicans outside the Conservative Caucus joining Democrats in rejecting the proposal. h Majority Floor Leader Caleb Rowden, a Columbia Republican, proposed an altered “6-2” map Tuesday morning that would slightly strengthen the suburban 2nd district in the St. Louis area, which the Conservative Caucus sees as vulnerable to flip to Democrats. He called the amendment an attempt to “bridge the gap.” See FILIBUSTER, Page 8A

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AREA COVID-19 TESTING SITES

University Health: Regular testing hours are weekdays from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and Saturdays from 8 a.m. to noon. Testing is available at both sites – the Lakewood campus at 7900 Lee’s Summit Road, Kansas City, and the Hospital Hill site at 2211 Charlotte, Kansas City.

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