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Former Missouri child brides call for outlawing marriages of minors

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2 years ago

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Former Missouri child brides call for outlawing marriages of minors


JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Adult women who left marriages they entered as children on Wednesday called on Missouri lawmakers to outlaw child marriage, a practice currently legal in most states.

Missouri lawmakers in 2018 prohibited marriages of children 15 and younger, only allowing 16- and 17-year-olds to marry with parental permission. Most states have a similar policy, according to the nonprofit group Unchained At Last.

Those laws do not go far enough, said Unchained At Last founder and Executive Director Fraidy Reiss. She said 231 minors were married in Missouri between 2019 and 2021.

“Under the new law, almost all of them, like before, were girls wed to adult men,” Reiss said of the children recently married. “That is unacceptable.”

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Bills pending this year in states including Missouri, California and South Carolina would prohibit underage marriages completely.

Efforts to ban child marriage altogether have failed before in states including South Dakota, California and West Virginia.

Supporters of child marriages say minors sometimes marry to escape the foster care system or to raise children as a wedded couple. Others have cited anecdotal cases of people in their communities marrying as children and enjoying the relationship.

Rebecca Hurst, a former Missouri resident who now lives in Kentucky, said her mother arranged her marriage to a 22-year-old fellow church-goer at age 16 to save her from “damnation.”

Hurst said her ex-husband physically, emotionally and sexually abused her. She said he refused to go to prom with her “because he said it was embarrassing to be a grown man at a high school event” and forced her to drop out of school.

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“I had no one advocating for me or my right to stay a child,” Hurst said. “Parents cannot always be trusted to make the best decisions for their child.”

For Missouri Republican state Sen. Holly Thompson Rehder, marriage to her 21-year-old boyfriend at age 15 was a chance to escape poverty and the premature responsibility of caring for her younger sister and her mentally unwell mother. But she warned girls in similar situations against marrying.

“I was not old enough to understand what challenges I was putting on myself,” Thompson Rehder said.

She said her little sister later got married at age 16 to her 39-year-old drug dealer.

After Missouri GOP Rep. Chris Dinkins’ sister became pregnant at age 15, Dinkins said her parents followed cultural expectations and signed papers allowing her sister to marry the child’s father. The relationship later turned abusive, Dinkins said, and the marriage did not last long.

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Marriage for people younger than 18 was legal in all 50 U.S. states as of 2017, according to Unchained At Last. Nearly 300,000 children as young as 10 were married in the U.S. between 2000 and 2018. Mostly, girls were wed to adult men, the organization said.

Reiss said marriage, “even for the most mature teen, creates a nightmarish legal trap because you just don’t have the rights of adulthood.”

Reiss said if a child is married against their will, the child cannot sue or file for divorce on their own. Thompson Rehder said marriages between minors and adults have been used by adults as a shield against rape charges.

Missouri’s bill passed unanimously out of a committee in February. One person — a former lobbyist for the state’s Baptist Convention — testified against it. An Associated Press call and email to the opponent were not immediately returned Wednesday.

The Missouri bill has not yet been debated on the Senate floor. Lawmakers face a mid-May deadline to pass legislation.

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Missouri

MSHP: 221 pounds of marijuana seized in Missouri traffic stop, woman arrested

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3 hours ago

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December 13, 2025

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MSHP: 221 pounds of marijuana seized in Missouri traffic stop, woman arrested


KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) – The Missouri State Highway Patrol arrested a 29-year-old woman after seizing over 200 pounds of marijuana in a traffic stop.

ALSO READ: Investigation into Missouri kratom retailers expands, says AG

According to the MSHP, troopers stopped a vehicle for a registration violation and following too closely on EB I-70 in Montgomery County, Mo., on Thursday, December 11. Authorities then searched the vehicle, finding 221 pounds of marijuana.

According to an MSHP report, 29-year-old Briana A. Roberts was taken into custody and held in the Montgomery County Jail for 24 hours. She could be charged with trafficking drugs in the first degree and endangering the welfare of a child in the first degree, according to the report.

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No further information has been released.

Copyright 2025 KCTV. All rights reserved.



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What’s open on Christmas in mid-Missouri?

Published

15 hours ago

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December 12, 2025

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What’s open on Christmas in mid-Missouri?


Some mid-Missouri stores and restaurants will have adjusted hours on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. KOMU 8 News has compiled a list of what’s open on Christmas in 2025.

If you don’t see your establishment listed, please email news@komu.com with your operating hours.

Stores

Walgreens – East Broadway, Columbia

  • Christmas Eve: Store open from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m., pharmacy open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
  • Christmas Day: Store open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., pharmacy closed

Walmart

  • Christmas Eve: Open 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.
  • Christmas Day: Closed

Target – Columbia

Target – Jefferson City

  • Christmas Eve: Open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
  • Christmas Day: Closed

Aldi

  • Christmas Eve: Open 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
  • Christmas Day: Closed

Dollar General

  • Christmas Eve: Open 8 a.m. to 9 p.m.
  • Christmas Day: Closed

Dollar Tree

  • Christmas Eve: Open 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
  • Christmas Day: Closed

Gerbes

  • Christmas Eve: Open 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.
  • Christmas Day: Closed

Hy-Vee

  • Christmas Eve: Store open 6 a.m. to 5 p.m., Pharmacy open 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.
  • Christmas Day: Closed

Moser’s Food

Sam’s Club

  • Christmas Eve: Store and pharmacy open 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
  • Christmas Day: Closed

Schnuck’s

  • Christmas Eve: Open 6 a.m. to 5 p.m.
  • Christmas Day: Closed

Restaurants and Coffee Shops

IHOP

  • Christmas Eve: Open 12 a.m. to 7p.m.
  • Christmas Day: Closed, opens next day at 5 a.m.

Waffle House

7Brew

  • Christmas Eve: Open 5:30 a.m. to 12 p.m.
  • Christmas Day: Closed

Scooter’s

  • Christmas Eve: Open 6 a.m. to 5 p.m.
  • Christmas Day: Closed

Starbucks – Broadway & Fairview in Columbia

  • Christmas Eve: Open 4:30 a.m. to 7 p.m.
  • Christmas Day: Open 6 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Starbucks – Missouri Boulevard & U.S. 50 in Jefferson City

  • Christmas Eve: Open 5 a.m. to 7 p.m.
  • Christmas Day: Open 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Starbucks – Nifong & Buttonwood in Columbia

  • Christmas Eve: Open 4:30 a.m. to 7 p.m.
  • Christmas Day: Closed

Starbucks – West Truman & Country Club in Jefferson City

  • Christmas Eve: Open 5 a.m. to 7 p.m. 
  • Christmas Day: Open 6 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Starbucks – Ninth Street in Columbia

  • Christmas Eve: Open 5 a.m. to 4 p.m.
  • Christmas Day: Closed



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BetMGM Missouri bonus code NYPDM1500: Get a 20% first deposit match up to $1,500 for Missouri vs. Alabama State

Published

2 days ago

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December 11, 2025

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BetMGM Missouri bonus code NYPDM1500: Get a 20% first deposit match up to ,500 for Missouri vs. Alabama State


You can get in on Missouri sports betting with a BetMGM welcome offer for college basketball on Thursday.

BetMGM Bonus code NYPDM1500 gets bettors a 20 percent first deposit match up to $1500 when in Missouri.

Mizzou is a 22.5-point favorite over Alabama State. The Tigers step back onto its home floor looking to reset after road losses to Notre Dame and Kansas. Alabama State has struggled mightily against high-major opponents.

BetMGM Missouri bonus code NYPDM1500

The BetMGM Bonus Code NYPDM1500 can be used for any sport and market offered at BetMGM. That includes Missouri State vs. Arkansas State in the Xbox Bowl.

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BetMGM’s Missouri promo code is considered one of the highest valued promotions in contrast to other Missouri bonus offers.

If bettors wanted to snag the maximum value of the offer, they would have to deposit $7,500. Otherwise, they get 20 percent of whatever they deposit, i.e., deposit $100, get $20.

New users must be physically present in Missouri when signing up at BetMGM to take advantage of this welcome offer.

How to sign up for BetMGM in Missouri

  1. Select your bonus offer.
  2. Choose your state.
  3. Fill out your login details.
  4. Enter the BetMGM bonus code NYPDM1500
  5. Make a deposit.
  6. Bet responsibly.

What our Post expert thinks about Missouri vs. Alabama State

Alabama State has already dropped its two power-conference tests by an average of 32.5 points, and its defensive profile hasn’t suggested much resistance.

The Hornets bring two of the SWAC’s top scorers in Asjon Anderson and Micah Simpson, they are giving up 81.4 points per game and allowing opponents to shoot 45.3 percent from the floor. 

Missouri’s rebounding edge should matter — the Tigers pull nearly 40 boards per game while Alabama State is giving up 37.4 a night and just surrendered 18 offensive rebounds to UT Martin.

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Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER. See BetMGM.com for Terms. 21+ only. MO Only. New Customer Offer (If applicable). Subject to eligibility requirements. Bonus bets are non-withdrawable. Please gamble responsibly.

Why Trust New York Post Betting

Sean Treppedi handicaps the NFL, NHL, MLB and college football for the New York Post. He primarily focuses on picks that reflect market value while tracking trends to mitigate risk.



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