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Bills legalizing driverless cars clear a Missouri House committee

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Bills legalizing driverless cars clear a Missouri House committee


The push to allow Waymo driverless taxis to operate in Missouri cleared its first hurdle Tuesday evening, Jan. 20. 

The House Emerging Issues committee voted 7-4 Tuesday, along partisan lines, to advance two identical bills sponsored by Republican state Reps. Don Mayhew of Crocker and Brandon Phelps of Warrensburg.

The bills had received strong support from advocates for the disabled, Mothers Against Drunk Driving and St. Louis Mayor Cara Spencer, during a three-hour public hearing last week.

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But committee members heard fervent opposition from numerous Teamsters commercial drivers, who argued the legislation is a “job killer” because it opens the door for driverless trucks on highways.

The bill also faced opposition from first responders and school bus drivers, who raised public safety concerns.

Tom Mullins, a St. Louis firefighter with Teamsters Local 610, said at last week’s hearing that other cities have struggled with keeping “robo taxis” out of emergency scenes or getting them to move to the side of the road when their sirens are on.

“Delays in even seconds can make a life or death difference in property preservation and human survival,” Mullins said. “Emergency crews have had to physically intervene, smashing windows to force the vehicle to stop or physically stand in front of an autonomous vehicle to keep it from entering the scene.”

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Lori Becker, CEO of the St. Louis-based Starkloff Disability Institute, urged the committee to think about people with disabilities and those who have “transit-limiting conditions.” Becker said she and others face challenges with Uber drivers and would feel “more safe being in a car independently.” 

“I don’t have to rely on someone’s judgment or availability or get their permission to get a ride somewhere — I can just go,” Becker said. “And that’s a right that we all deserve. So it’s about our rights, it’s about our dignity, and it’s also about putting more money back into the economy.”

Democratic lawmakers from Kansas City noted the legislation would prevent local governments from banning self-driving cars and services in their cities. All three Kansas City members of the committee voted against the bills. 

State Rep. Emily Weber, a Democrat from Kansas City, asked Phelps and Mayhew if they’d spoken with the city’s police chief about the impacts of the bill, specifically about training first responders to interact with the cars.

“We’re having issues hiring police officers, first responders,” Weber said. “So now you’re adding additional new training, and it seems like neither one of you have had conversations with the areas that are going to be affected by this.”

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Mayhew said that he’s had numerous conversations with the leadership in St. Louis.

Representatives from the St. Louis mayor’s office spoke in support of the legislation, saying the city is already partnering with Waymo cars as a test site. Waymo is only allowed to test the cars in manual mode with a driver, until a state law is passed permitting driverless cars.

St. Louis Democratic state Rep. Elizabeth Fuch voted against the bill.

After St. Louis was announced as a test site, Waymo hired four Missouri Capitol lobbyists in November to help push for the legalization bill.

The legislation requires a law enforcement plan be submitted to the Department of Public Safety detailing how to communicate with a “fleet specialist” and how to take the cars off the road if needed. The vehicles must remain at the scene of a crash, as required by current law, and crashes or collisions involving autonomous vehicles must be reported. 

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Autonomous vehicle taxis would operate under the same rules as taxis and other for-hire passenger transport systems, it states, and commercial vehicles would abide by commercial vehicle laws.

This story was first published at missouriindependent.com.



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It’s All Madsen In Missouri High Limit Tilt – SPEED SPORT

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It’s All Madsen In Missouri High Limit Tilt – SPEED SPORT


WHEATLAND, Mo. — It was all Kerry Madsen on Saturday night at Lucas Oil Speedway as the 54-year-old native of Australia, who’s now based in Knoxville, Iowa, picked up his first Interstate Batteries High Limit Sprint racing victory.

Madsen led all 30 laps to earn the $12,000 prize. He outdistanced runner-up Sue Lynch by 2.79 seconds with Tanner Holmes finishing third.

“The car’s been super quick every time we’ve hit the track,” Madsen said, noting several competitive runs in the early portion of the High Limit schedule. “The car’s been quick every night, which gives you a lot of confidence.

“We haven’t drawn well in dashes and had some little stuff going on. We drew a good one (tonight) and the car was good and we got the job done. I’m pretty happy.”

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That changed this time as Madsen beat Holmes in the dash, to claim the pole position for the feature.

Madsen said his young crew chief Ty Wolfgang has “done a great job” getting in sync with him. Communication has been a big key.

“I know it sounds weird, but just hanging out together,” Madsen said of the driver-crew chief chemistry. “Dinner and a beer and just talk about racing. You do that and it might be a Wednesday night, but something clicks. He’s been real receptive with that stuff and that’s great.”

Madsen, a former Knoxville Nationals 360 winner, paced the early going after starting from the pole, with Holmes in close pursuit. Action slowed on lap six with Chase Randall and Danny Samms III tangling in turn two for the first and only yellow of the event.

Lynch moved into second on the restart as Madsen opened a 1.5-second lead by lap nine as Holmes dropped to third. Madsen’s margin swelled to nearly two seconds by lap 11 – but Lynch tracked down the leader and cut the deficit to a half-second at the halfway mark on lap 15.

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As the race continued until green-flag conditions, Madsen settled into a one-second advantage as Lynch and Holmes tried to keep pace. Madsen poured it on in the late stages, cruising to the checkers by nearly three seconds over Lynch.

“Hopefully we can keep rolling like this all year. Obviously, you can’t win every night, but being quick and running well is going to be awesome,” Madsen said.

Lynch, 28 from Cowansville, Pa., said the team found some steering issues and gave him a fast car. It just was not fast enough to stay with Madsen on Saturday night.

“We were battling steering issue in the dash and it was pretty obvious,” Lynch said. “We just didn’t have time to change it and we just tried to make it the best we could. Really the car was super good. The guys busted their butt all night. It’s a testament to the team. We’re working hard and hopefully one spot better real soon.”

Holmes, a 22-year-old from Jacksonville, Oregon, came home third with Daison Pursley fourth, Hank Davis fifth and Rico Abreu charging from 11th to sixth.

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“Our best night of the year,” Holmes said. “We’ve got to race a little bit during a break with High Limit these last few weeks. Some of those nights when we got our teeth kicked in taught us a lot.”

Fast overall qualifier was Sye Lynch at 13.342 seconds out of Group A. Aaron Reutzel led Group B with a lap of 13.469 seconds. Both were well off the track record for 410 Sprints held by Rico Abreu at 12.829 seconds on June 29, 2024.

The finish:

Feature: 1. 55-Kerry Madsen[1]; 2. 42-Sye Lynch[3]; 3. 13-Tanner Holmes[2]; 4. 9-Daison Pursley[4]; 5. 17GP-Hank Davis[5]; 6. 24-Rico Abreu[11]; 7. 7BC-Tyler Courtney[12]; 8. 77-Giovanni Scelzi[6]; 9. 19-Brent Marks[9]; 10. 26-Justin Peck[10]; 11. 88-Tanner Thorson[15]; 12. 21-Brian Brown[14]; 13. 28-Jace Park[23]; 14. 87-Aaron Reutzel[7]; 15. 19JR-Joel Myers Jr[20]; 16. 45X-Rees Moran[21]; 17. 5-Brenham Crouch[19]; 18. 44-Chris Martin[8]; 19. 19H-Kaleb Johnson[22]; 20. 87X-Logan Seavey[17]; 21. 36-Jason Martin[16]; 22. 9R-Chase Randall[18]; 23. 24D-Danny Sams III[13]; 24. 2-Miles Paulus[24]

 

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Missouri Lottery Powerball, Pick 3 winning numbers for April 18, 2026

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The Missouri Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big.

Here’s a look at April 18, 2026, results for each game:

Winning Powerball numbers from April 18 drawing

24-25-39-46-61, Powerball: 01, Power Play: 5

Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.

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Winning Pick 3 numbers from April 18 drawing

Midday: 5-8-2

Midday Wild: 3

Evening: 3-8-5

Evening Wild: 1

Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.

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Winning Pick 4 numbers from April 18 drawing

Midday: 0-1-6-1

Midday Wild: 2

Evening: 4-7-6-9

Evening Wild: 5

Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.

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Winning Cash Pop numbers from April 18 drawing

Early Bird: 08

Morning: 01

Matinee: 05

Prime Time: 04

Night Owl: 05

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Check Cash Pop payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Show Me Cash numbers from April 18 drawing

07-10-21-27-33

Check Show Me Cash payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Powerball Double Play numbers from April 18 drawing

02-38-45-53-63, Powerball: 21

Check Powerball Double Play payouts and previous drawings here.

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Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results

Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your lottery prize

All Missouri Lottery retailers can redeem prizes up to $600. For prizes over $600, winners have the option to submit their claim by mail or in person at one of Missouri Lottery’s regional offices, by appointment only.

To claim by mail, complete a Missouri Lottery winner claim form, sign your winning ticket, and include a copy of your government-issued photo ID along with a completed IRS Form W-9. Ensure your name, address, telephone number and signature are on the back of your ticket. Claims should be mailed to:

Ticket Redemption

Missouri Lottery

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P.O. Box 7777

Jefferson City, MO 65102-7777

For in-person claims, visit the Missouri Lottery Headquarters in Jefferson City or one of the regional offices in Kansas City, Springfield or St. Louis. Be sure to call ahead to verify hours and check if an appointment is required.

For additional instructions or to download the claim form, visit the Missouri Lottery prize claim page.

When are the Missouri Lottery drawings held?

  • Powerball: 9:59 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
  • Mega Millions: 10 p.m. Tuesday and Friday.
  • Pick 3: 12:45 p.m. (Midday) and 8:59 p.m. (Evening) daily.
  • Pick 4: 12:45 p.m. (Midday) and 8:59 p.m. (Evening) daily.
  • Cash4Life: 8 p.m. daily.
  • Cash Pop: 8 a.m. (Early Bird), 11 a.m. (Late Morning), 3 p.m. (Matinee), 7 p.m. (Prime Time) and 11 p.m. (Night Owl) daily.
  • Show Me Cash: 8:59 p.m. daily.
  • Lotto: 8:59 p.m. Wednesday and Saturday.
  • Powerball Double Play: 9:59 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.

This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Missouri editor. You can send feedback using this form.



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Missouri Lottery Mega Millions, Pick 3 winning numbers for April 17, 2026

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The Missouri Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big.

Here’s a look at April 17, 2026, results for each game:

Winning Mega Millions numbers from April 17 drawing

38-43-44-49-62, Mega Ball: 08

Check Mega Millions payouts and previous drawings here.

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Winning Pick 3 numbers from April 17 drawing

Midday: 4-8-6

Midday Wild: 2

Evening: 8-8-2

Evening Wild: 1

Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.

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Winning Pick 4 numbers from April 17 drawing

Midday: 3-9-4-2

Midday Wild: 4

Evening: 7-3-7-7

Evening Wild: 7

Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.

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Winning Cash Pop numbers from April 17 drawing

Early Bird: 07

Morning: 06

Matinee: 08

Prime Time: 05

Night Owl: 07

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Check Cash Pop payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Show Me Cash numbers from April 17 drawing

04-06-25-37-39

Check Show Me Cash payouts and previous drawings here.

Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results

Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your lottery prize

All Missouri Lottery retailers can redeem prizes up to $600. For prizes over $600, winners have the option to submit their claim by mail or in person at one of Missouri Lottery’s regional offices, by appointment only.

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To claim by mail, complete a Missouri Lottery winner claim form, sign your winning ticket, and include a copy of your government-issued photo ID along with a completed IRS Form W-9. Ensure your name, address, telephone number and signature are on the back of your ticket. Claims should be mailed to:

Ticket Redemption

Missouri Lottery

P.O. Box 7777

Jefferson City, MO 65102-7777

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For in-person claims, visit the Missouri Lottery Headquarters in Jefferson City or one of the regional offices in Kansas City, Springfield or St. Louis. Be sure to call ahead to verify hours and check if an appointment is required.

For additional instructions or to download the claim form, visit the Missouri Lottery prize claim page.

When are the Missouri Lottery drawings held?

  • Powerball: 9:59 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
  • Mega Millions: 10 p.m. Tuesday and Friday.
  • Pick 3: 12:45 p.m. (Midday) and 8:59 p.m. (Evening) daily.
  • Pick 4: 12:45 p.m. (Midday) and 8:59 p.m. (Evening) daily.
  • Cash4Life: 8 p.m. daily.
  • Cash Pop: 8 a.m. (Early Bird), 11 a.m. (Late Morning), 3 p.m. (Matinee), 7 p.m. (Prime Time) and 11 p.m. (Night Owl) daily.
  • Show Me Cash: 8:59 p.m. daily.
  • Lotto: 8:59 p.m. Wednesday and Saturday.
  • Powerball Double Play: 9:59 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.

This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Missouri editor. You can send feedback using this form.



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