A zealous prosecutor who was crucial in writing the Justice Department’s new policy encouraging harsher punishments for criminals is now turning his attention to hate crimes, marijuana and the ways law enforcement seizes suspects’ cash and property. Steve Cook’s hardline ...
Read More »AP Exclusive: Suspected drug thefts persist at VA centers
Federal authorities are investigating dozens of new cases of possible opioid and other drug theft by employees at Veterans Affairs hospitals, a sign the problem isn’t going away as more prescriptions disappear. Data obtained by The Associated Press show 36 ...
Read More »Justices will hear Ohio appeal over purging voter rolls
The Supreme Court on Tuesday agreed to decide whether Ohio wrongfully purged eligible voters from the state’s registration list. The justices said they will hear an appeal from state officials defending the process against challengers who say it’s illegal. Civil ...
Read More »Youthful Missouri offenders sue over parole denials
A class-action lawsuit has been filed on behalf of about 80 inmates serving life sentences in Missouri for crimes they committed as minors, alleging the state’s parole process fails to give them a fair chance to be released. The MacArthur ...
Read More »Yellen pledges to improve Fed’s workplace diversity
Chair Janet Yellen said Thursday she is committed to increasing diversity throughout the Federal Reserve system, including the ranks of senior leadership. Yellen said that the Fed will benefit from greater diversity, and commercial banks will be better off with ...
Read More »Missouri man draws 7 life terms for sexual abuse
A 36-year-old southwest Missouri man has been sentenced to seven life terms for child abuse that authorities said began more than 20 years ago. Lawrence County Circuit Judge Jack Goodman sentenced Marcus G. Yoder to the concurrent life terms at ...
Read More »Missouri education officials approve new English, math goals
Missouri became the latest state to adopt a new set of education benchmarks to replace the national Common Core standards, ditching the benchmarks Tuesday following conservative backlash. The State Board of Education approved new goals for what children from kindergarten ...
Read More »Ferguson reform may be swift with federal agreement approval
Reforms are expected to begin quickly in Ferguson now that a federal judge has approved a settlement between the U.S. Department of Justice and the city where 18-year-old Michael Brown was fatally shot by a police officer. Federal Judge Catherine ...
Read More »Court once again OKs wrongful death damage cap
The Missouri Supreme Court on Tuesday upheld the state’s noneconomic damage cap for medical malpractice cases involving wrongful death. In a 5-2 ruling, the court said the cap is not an unconstitutional violation of equal protection rights, even though until ...
Read More »Appeals court affirms most of wrongful foreclosure award
A state appeals court on Tuesday upheld most of a record judgment in a wrongful foreclosure case, though it said the plaintiffs cannot keep the title to the property. Early last year, a Clinton County judge awarded David and Crystal ...
Read More »Former legislator receives interim suspension
Lee’s Summit attorney and former Missouri legislator Dennis Bonner received an interim license suspension Friday for misappropriating client funds as well as more than $55,000 in third party funds. According to the discipline file, Bonner had multiple incidents involving ...
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