ST. LOUIS (First Alert 4) — Missouri Republican lawmakers have once again put forth efforts to curtail the process for citizen-led ballot initiatives following successful campaigns to enshrine abortion rights, raise the state’s minimum wage, and create a legal sports wagering market.

In response, a newly formed political group called the “Respect Voters Coalition” is sponsoring a 2026 initiative to prevent state officials from meddling in the process altogether.

The group’s argument is rooted in the very first section of the first article of the state’s Constitution, which reads as follows:

“[We declare] that all political power is vested in and derived from the people; that all government of right originates from the people, is founded upon their will only, and is instituted solely for the good of the whole.” – Missouri Const. of 1875, Art. I, Sec. 1.

Ben Singer, who leads Show Me Integrity, co-founded RVC as a measure to push back against efforts to roll back the IP process which, he noted, have been pushed by both parties when they’ve been in the majority.

“When Democrats were trying to attack the citizens initiative process because they didn’t like the Conservatives also used the citizens initiative process, Governor Ashcroft vetoed the Democrats’ attack on the ballot initiative process,” Singer said.

Ashcroft issued that veto in June 1992, writing the following in his explanation:

“It is through the initiative process that those who have no influence with elective representatives may take their cause directly to the people. The General Assembly should be reluctant, therefore, to enact legislation which places any impediments on the initiative power which are inconsistent with the reservation found in the Constitution.” – Gov. John Ashcroft, Veto Message, June 27, 1992.

Efforts to reform the state’s initiative petition process consumed much of the 2024 legislative session, including days-long filibusters by a faction of six Republicans demanding the issue be given priority and Democrats working to block it from passage. The process arguably deprived the House and Senate of sufficient time to perform a final review and amendment of the $51 billion state budget.

“These politicians who’ve taken an oath to protect the Missouri Constitution need to be reminded of that, and so that’s why groups and citizens across the state, in unbelievable momentum I’ve never seen before, are banding together to say enough is enough, and we are going to stop politicians from attacking the will of the people once and for all,” Singer said.

The Missouri House and Senate are set to convene on January 8 to begin the First Regular Session of the 103rd General Assembly.

Copyright 2024 KMOV. All rights reserved.

Missouri and Iowa meet in the Music City Bowl, the standalone game on December 30th bowl coverage. 

Both teams ended their respective regular season with rivalry game victories in the final moments and will look for a bowl win to build momentum towards the future. In a closely lined spread, and some key players opting out, how should we bet this one? 

We have you covered with our Music City Bowl betting preview below!

Spread

Moneyline

Total: 40.5 (Over -110/Under -110)

Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook

Missouri

Brady Cook: This will be Cook’s final game with the Tigers after he returned from a mid-season injury to lead the Tigers to late-season wins against the likes of Arkansas in the team’s regular-season finale. While it wasn’t as productive as the year prior, Cook put up solid numbers this season for Mizzou, passing for 2,248 yards with 14 total touchdowns and only two interceptions. 

Iowa 

Brendan Sullivan: The hope is that Sullivan is back from injury for this one, the team’s primary backup that showed some upside in the Hawkeyes offense in wins against Northwestern and Wisconsin. Overall, this is a run-first Iowa offense that will be without star running back Kaleb Johnson, putting more pressure on Sullivan as a runner and to create with his arm. He completed more than 68% of his passes in a limited sample this season (35 passes). 

There are two notable players out in this game with NFL upside, one for each team. 

For Missouri, Luther Burden opted out of this game to prepare for the NFL Draft, which is a blow to the Tigers’ offense, but not as impactful as Iowa’s Kaleb Johnson, who was sixth in the country in rushing yards this season. 

Johnson was a big part of the Hawkeyes offense that was 93rd in the country in EPA/Pass and 85th in overall success rate. Without the threat of the standout running back on the field, Iowa will rely solely on its defense to stay competitive in this game. 

With that in mind, I’ll lay it with the small favorite in Missouri. 

While the Tigers fell short of lofty goals set by a strong 2023, the team still has a versatile offense that includes a sturdy run game and a consistent unit that ranked top 50 in success rate. Further, the team can keep up with Iowa in the battle for field position as it ranks top 10 in havoc allowed and is 11th in Pro Football Focus’ special teams grade. 

I question how Iowa puts up many points on the board in this one and while the under looks like a worthwhile bet, I’d rather side with the Tigers to win this game by more than a field goal. 

PICK: Missouri -3

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

Follow Reed on Twitter @ReedWallach and get all his college football bets on betstamp @rw33

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KANSAS CITY, Mo — The new year is less than two weeks away and a community advocate is already celebrating.

Kevin Morgan, founder of Sent1One Ministries and Lean on Me Ministries, got a pardon from Missouri Gov. Mike Parson this summer.

He’s been keeping the news private to think about how he wants to make a difference.

Morgan spent nine years on supervised probation for drug crimes.

For the past 11 years, he’s been hoping to get another chance, but the journey there took a lot of work.

He had three cases involving drug possession and drug trafficking but could only pick one to be expunged.

“They said, ‘Hey, in the state of Missouri, you are only allowed one felony to be expunged a lifetime,” Morgan said. “I knew I couldn’t die come back and get another one.”

Morgan spent seven months going through the process for a pardon.

According to the Missouri Department of Corrections, “a full pardon does not remove the conviction from the individual’s criminal record. A full pardon restores all rights of citizenship and removes any disqualification or punitive collateral consequence stemming from the conviction without conditions or restrictions.”

When he received the news that a pardon was granted in the mail, Morgan immediately gave thanks.

KSHB 41

“I just got on my knees, prayed and thanked God. I was in amazement. I told God he can have all of me,” he said.

Morgan’s life has always come down to choices.

Now, he’s chooses to continue being example for other men in the community.

“I’m not that person anymore,” Morgan said. “Whatever struggles I was dealing with then — that’s gone. I’m a new man.”

From here on, he wants to continue serving men through his ministries, work with the city on homeless initiatives and eventually create a pathway for other people to have their record expunged or pardoned.

“I can see myself in some of the people I serve so I want to get them to where I am,” he said.

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KSHB 41 reporter Alyssa Jackson covers portions of Johnson County, including neighborhoods in Overland Park, Shawnee and Mission. Share your story idea with Alyssa.