Missouri
Budget think tank blames Missouri budget vetoes on income tax cuts
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KY3) – The 2025 fiscal year begins Monday, just days after the governor vetoed many one-time projects.
The overall budget the governor signed is about 50 billion dollars. Governor Mike Parson vetoed just over $1 billion from the 2025 Missouri state budget, blaming most of that on an expansive and controversial education bill.
Parson said that the education bill will cost $400 million more than anticipated. It includes raises for teachers and incentives for schools to stay in session five days a week.
The non-partisan think-tank Missouri Budget Project said the tight budget is likely the fault of last year’s income tax cuts. While the investment into Missourians’ education is important, Amy Blouin said the recent tax cuts are costing the state.
“Because of the tax cuts, we’re facing a significant cliff, and next year, instead of a lot of little projects throughout the state, we’re probably looking at education and healthcare being cut,” Blouin said.
The Missouri legislature slashed the top level of income taxes from 5.3% to 4.95% last year.
“We’ve been living on borrowed time, if you will, because of those savings that were accrued during COVID, but those tax cuts have real consequences,” Blouin said.
St. Louis Democratic Rep. Peter Merideth said he’s not surprised at the budget cuts, mostly because he believes Republican tax cuts are leading to a loss in revenue.
“A billion dollars a year of tax cuts that were just passed, plus more that are about to take effect, that’s why we can’t pay for all of these things,” Meredith said.
House budget chair Republican Rep. Cody Smith declined an interview today. Senate appropriations chair Republican Sen. Lincoln Hough did not respond to inquiries.
Lawmakers will begin crafting the 2026 Missouri budget in January.
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MALDEN, Mo. (KFVS) – An investigation is underway after a shooting on Sunday morning in Malden, Missouri.
According to the Malden Department of Public Safety, officers were called to Kimball Street on July 19 for a report of two possible gunshot victims.
When police arrived, they found two people dead. Police later confirmed both people are dead.
Police say there is no known threat to the public and no other details will be released at this time.
Malden DPS, the Dunklin County Sheriff’s Office and the Missouri State Highway Patrol are investigating.
Copyright 2026 KFVS. All rights reserved.
In the spring of 2021, Cecilia Williams lost her son, daughter-in-law and grandson to a drunken driver.
Williams, who lives in Bonne Terre, is now raising the two orphaned grandchildren who survived, Bentley and Mason.
A year later, Melanie Wankum was hit head-on by a drunken driver, killing her instantly and injuring a passenger on their way back from a wedding.
In both tragedies, families of the victims became advocates on their behalf, championing tougher laws in Missouri against drunken driving.
Soon after the crash that killed her son and his family, Williams found herself in Jefferson City lobbying for a bill that would hold drunken drivers responsible for children left without a parent after an accident.
It would require convicted drunken drivers to pay child support to the surviving children until they are at least 18, or 21 if they are still in school.
Named after Williams’ grandsons, the legislation was introduced in 2021 and signed by the governor five years later on July 9. Tennessee was the first state and Missouri was the eighth to pass a version of “Bentley Law.”
The child-support provision was included this year in Missouri House Bill 1740, which also stiffened other drunken driving laws. The additional provisions have become known as “Melanie’s Law,” to recognize the woman killed in 2022 by a drunken driver in Jefferson City.
Melanie’s Law changed felony classifications for DWI cases that cause injury or death to require longer prison sentences. It also expanded the mandatory use of ignition interlock devices for those involved in alcohol-related incidents. Missouri is one of 35 states with similar laws.
“The pain a family feels when a loved one is killed by a drunk driver is one that never goes away,” said state Rep. Dave Griffith, who sponsored the legislation.
The bill went through a number of revisions before it was passed, Griffith said.
“At each one of those steps, I think we’re very thoughtful about how we can make the bill better and how it’s going to affect the families that suffer and deal with this,” Griffith said.
“Driving while intoxicated is a choice,” he said. “It’s my hope that when people know the ramifications of making those bad decisions they will think twice before getting behind the wheel.”
Mothers Against Drunk Driving, a national organization with offices in Missouri, has been consistently involved in pushing for enactment of the stricter legislation. Working closely with Cecilia Williams, the organization supported the Missouri bill until it passed.
“Cecilia has been dedicated to turning the tragic crash into a way to honor her loved ones, as well as raise awareness of the dangers of driving impaired,” said Tabitha Perkins, state executive director for Mothers Against Drunk Driving.
“For Missouri, we hope this bill will serve as a deterrent to individuals who drink and drive,” Perkins said. “Knowing that even after they are released from prison, they will still have a financial obligation to complete will make drivers think twice before they get behind the wheel of a deadly weapon in an impaired state.”
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Fire crews battled a house fire Saturday morning in Kansas City, Missouri, that sent an occupant and a firefighter to the hospital.
The Kansas City, Missouri, Fire Department responded to a house fire around 10:10 a.m. Saturday in the 100 block of West 85th Street.
KCFD said one occupant was trapped inside the residence. Upon arrival, crews began battling the fire and entered the house to rescue the occupant.
Firefighters located an elderly woman and got her out of the house. She was taken by ambulance to a local hospital in serious condition.
A KCFD firefighter was taken to the hospital for a minor injury.
A dog inside the residence was able to evacuate safely.
The fire department reported the fire was brought under control around 10:25 a.m. City Planning and Dangerous Buildings were requested at the scene.
KCFD is investigating the cause of the fire.
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