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Missouri lawmakers vote to renew Medicaid program held hostage by monthslong filibuster

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Missouri lawmakers vote to renew Medicaid program held hostage by monthslong filibuster

Missouri’s GOP-led Legislature on Wednesday renewed a more than $4 billion Medicaid program that had been blocked for months by a Republican faction that used it as a bargaining tool.

The bill which now heads to Gov. Mike Parson will renew a longstanding tax on hospitals and other medical providers.

Money from the tax is used to draw down $2.9 billion in federal funding, which is then given back to providers to care for low-income residents on Medicaid health care.

FILIBUSTER AGAINST $4B MISSOURI MEDICAID BILL ENDS

Because the tax is crucial to the state’s budget, the Senate’s Freedom Caucus had been leveraging the bill to pressure Republican leaders to pass a bill kicking Planned Parenthood off the state’s Medicaid program, which the Legislature did last month.

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Later, the Freedom Caucus also demanded that the Legislature pass a measure to raise the threshold for amending the state constitution. Currently, amendments need support from 51% of voters stateswide.

Lawmakers debate on the Missouri House floor in Jefferson City, Missouri, on Feb. 28, 2024. (AP Photo/David A. Lieb)

If approved by voters, the Republican proposal would make it so constitutional amendments also need support from 51% of voters in a majority of congressional districts.

Senate Freedom Caucus members allowed a final Senate vote of approval on the Medicaid tax last week, even though the constitutional amendment change still has not passed the Legislature.

The House took the hospital tax renewal up Wednesday, voting 136-16 to send the measure to Parson.

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Democratic House Minority Leader Crystal Quade on Wednesday told colleagues on the chamber floor that the tax is essential “to function as a government” and “provide the most basic services.”

“This shouldn’t be used as a hostage in a terrorist negotiation,” Quade said.

Republican Rep. Tony Lovasco argued that Missouri’s reliance on the tax, and on federal Medicaid funding, hurts the state.

“The fact that we are yet again leaning on the federal government and their manufactured, printed money in order to get by in Missouri is just not a positive,” Lovasco said on the House floor.

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Parson is expected to sign the bill.

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Michigan

Michigan Lottery: Woman wins $822K prize after buying ticket during lunch break

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Michigan Lottery: Woman wins 2K prize after buying ticket during lunch break


SHELBY TOWNSHIP, Mich. – A Shelby Township woman stopped for some pizza and a Michigan Lottery ticket during her lunch break. Then, she won a $822,159 Club Keno The Jack prize.

Sue Strong, 65, matched her easy pick The Jack number, 10-26-33-50-56-58-60-67-70, to nine of the 20 Club Keno numbers that were drawn in draw 2569809, according to the Michigan Lottery.

“I regularly play Club Keno, and I always add The Jack to my ticket,” said Strong. “I went out and bought a Club Keno ticket and pizza on my lunch break and then watched the drawings on my phone while I ate. When I saw all my The Jack numbers come in and the jackpot reset to $10,000, I was shocked! It was nerve wracking and exciting, and to be honest, I’ve hardly slept since!”

The lucky player purchased her winning ticket at Party Palace Liquor Inc., at 49133 Schoenherr Road in Shelby Township.

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She plans to share her prize money with her family, pay bills and then save the rest.

This is the largest The Jack prize a player has ever won on the Club Keno game.

The previous record was set in March 2025, when a player won $677,141 from a ticket purchased at JP’s Trolley Stop in Taylor.

The Jack is an optional add-on to a Club Keno ticket that costs $1 per draw.

When playing The Jack, participants receive nine quick-pick numbers and try to match them with the numbers drawn in Club Keno. Prizes range from $1 up to the jackpot, which begins at $10,000 and increases until claimed. To hit the jackpot, all nine numbers must be matched.

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Missouri

See how much new unemployment claims in Missouri fell last week

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See how much new unemployment claims in Missouri fell last week


Initial filings for unemployment benefits in Missouri dropped last week compared with the week prior, the U.S. Department of Labor said Thursday.

New jobless claims, a proxy for layoffs, fell to 2,182 in the week ending February 21, down from 2,462 the week before, the Labor Department said.

U.S. unemployment claims rose to 212,000 last week, up 4,000 claims from 208,000 the week prior on a seasonally adjusted basis.

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Rhode Island saw the largest percentage increase in weekly claims, with claims jumping by 132.0%. Michigan, meanwhile, saw the largest percentage drop in new claims, with claims dropping by 49.9%.

USA TODAY Co. is publishing localized versions of this story on its news sites across the country, generated with data from the U.S. Department of Labor’s weekly unemployment insurance claims report.



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Nebraska

Nebraska State Patrol troopers find 242 pounds of cocaine during commercial truck inspection

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Nebraska State Patrol troopers find 242 pounds of cocaine during commercial truck inspection


LEXINGTON, Neb. (KOLN) – Troopers with the Nebraska State Patrol arrested one person after finding more than 240 pounds of cocaine during a commercial vehicle inspection.

On Tuesday afternoon, an NSP Carrier Enforcement trooper conducted a commercial vehicle inspection on a semi tractor/trailer driven by Arwinderjit Singh, 30, of California, near mile marker 254 on Interstate 80.

Arwinderjit Singh mugshot(Dawson County Jail)

During the inspection, the trooper became suspicious of criminal activity. An NSP K-9 detected the odor of a controlled substance inside the cab of the semi, troopers said.

After searching the cab, troopers located 242 pounds of cocaine concealed underneath the sleeper bed, NSP said.

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Troopers with the Nebraska State Patrol arrested one person after finding more than 240 pounds...
Troopers with the Nebraska State Patrol arrested one person after finding more than 240 pounds of cocaine during a commercial vehicle inspection.(Nebraska State Patrol)

Singh was arrested on suspicion of possession of cocaine, possession with intent to deliver, possession of an open alcohol container, no drug tax stamp and displaying a fictitious license plate.

Singh was lodged in Dawson County Jail, and his bond was set at 10% of $2 million. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for March 12.

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