Missouri
Missouri ranks first on Horrible Hundred, again.
Missouri’s murky and complicated past with puppy mills has resurfaced once again with the release of the Humane Society’s 2024 Horrible Hundred report.
According to the Humane Society, the report is a “list of known, problematic puppy breeding and/or puppy brokering facilities” across the country and it ranks states based on how many of these 100 facilities are in each state.
Missouri has topped the list every year since the report’s inception in 2012 and this year’s report is no different. The Show Me State is at the top of the 2024 list with a reported 23 out of the 100. Ohio came in second with 20 and Iowa was third with 15.
17 of the 23 were listed as repeat offenders, meaning they appeared on at least one of the previous reports. But many have appeared on more than one of the past reports. One of the Missouri breeders appeared in this report for the 9th time.
Although Missouri has topped the list again, some progress has been made since the last report.
At least one of the Missouri breeders that appeared on the 2023 report dropped their state and federal license, effectively closing their doors and not appearing on the 2024 report. According to the 2023 report, the breeder’s offenses go back to 2008, predating the first Horrible Hundred report by years.
Earlier this year in January, almost 100 dogs were reduced from an unlicensed breeder, Sho-Me Labradors, in St. James. Sho-Me Labradors appeared on the 2023 Horrible Hundred, their 5th time appearing on the report. The report also mentioned that the breeder had 80 dogs removed from them a few years before the 2023 report.
“Missouri remains atop the Horrible Hundred list because we lack meaningful penalties to change how offending puppy mills operate. Fines of a couple of hundred dollars simply do not dissuade many of these operations from continuing with unsafe and filthy kennels, withholding proper veterinary care, or ignoring severe medical issues like the puppy who died from an easily avoidable and treatable lice infestation. Without action from the legislature to ramp up enforcement and penalties, we will continue to maintain our place as the state with the most puppy mills in the Horrible Hundred,” said Missouri State Director of the Humane Society Cody Atkinson.
Missouri does have penalties for breeders who mistreat their animals. However, the effectiveness of these penalties has been called into question by activists. The Missouri Department of Agriculture’s Animal Care Program is in charge of inspecting licensed breeders in the state. According to the Humane Society, many owners dodge inspections multiple times. One of the Missouri breeders reportedly dodged five inspections in a row last year. When the kennels are eventually inspected, violations usually result in a warning or a small fine.
The controversy surrounding Missouri’s puppy mills is not new. The debate has spanned over a decade. Back in 2010, voters had an opportunity to vote on the Missouri Dog Breeding Regulation Act or Proposition B. The proposition aimed to install tougher regulations on dog breeders in the state.
Proposition B passed 51.59% to 48.41%. But in the spring of 2011, the proposition was ultimately cut back by the Missouri General Assembly.
During this session, puppy mill-related legislation has appeared once again. Rep. Ben Baker and Sen. Justin Brown both put forward the same legislation (HB 2265 and SB 937) in their respective chambers that would bar local governments from banning or restricting pet stores. Activists claimed this preemptive ban would weaken a local government’s ability to react to pet stores working with puppy mills.
Both bills remain in committee as the 2024 session nears its end.
The full Horrible Hundred 2024 report can be found here.
Kelton is a 2023 graduate of the University of Missouri with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and a Bachelor of Arts in Religious Studies. He is a native of mid-Missouri and likes to write politics at both the state and federal levels. Kelton joined the Missouri Times in April 2022
Missouri
Four years after Dobbs, Missouri abortion fight continues in court, ballotbox
JACKSON COUNTY, Mo. (KFVS) – Four years after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade and Missouri became the first state to ban abortion, Planned Parenthood is once again offering abortions.
Medication abortions are returning, too, after a Jackson County Circuit Court ruling. However, the state’s legal battle continues with court cases and a new ballot measure.
The past four years
Four years ago, Missouri politicians used a 2019 trigger law to ban abortion within 20 minutes of the Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, which overturned the limited federal abortion protections of Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey.
Abortion was put on the ballot in 2024 by an initiative petition that collected more than 380,000 signatures. Missouri became the first state to end an abortion ban by a vote of the people in 2024 and established the Right to Reproductive Freedom in the state constitution.
Another vote this year
This year will mark the second time Missourians vote on abortion. In November, Missourians will once again vote on abortion on the new Amendment Three. A “yes” vote is to ban abortions.
The new ballot measure has limited exceptions for rape, incest and medical emergencies, only if performed before the 12-week gestational period. It’s set to be on the statewide ballot for the November 2026 midterm election.
Bonnie Lee with 40 Days for Life said she hopes Missourians vote in favor of new restrictions in November.
“Missouri is waking up, and we will make a difference in November,” Lee said.
Missourians will see this question on their ballot:
“Shall the Missouri Constitution be amended to:
Repeal the 2024 voter-approved Amendment providing reproductive healthcare rights, including abortion through fetal viability;
Allow abortions for rape and incest (under twelve-weeks’ gestation), emergencies, and fetal anomalies;
Allow legislation regulating abortion;
Ensure parental consent for minors’ abortions;
Prohibit gender transition procedures for minors?”
A “yes” vote would essentially repeal the Amendment Three passed in November 2024. But this language may not be final. If lawyers appeal again, it can go to the Missouri Supreme Court.”
“I think voters are now seeing they didn’t know what they were voting on [in 2024]. There was a lot of misinformation, a lot of hidden information, a lot of legalese,” Lee said.
Maggie Olivia with Abortion Action Missouri said she wants the opposite outcome at the ballot box.
“I feel all the more invigorated having seen the consequences of abortion bans to do whatever it takes to stop this new abortion ban,” Olivia said.
Olivia called the new Amendment Three an overreach by Missouri politicians.
“There are some politicians in Jefferson City who don’t like the decision we just made in 2024, so they think they can muddy the waters, change the rules,” Olivia said.
Ongoing lawsuit
This month, a Jackson County Circuit Court judge issued a permanent injunction striking down several state abortion restrictions.
Planned Parenthood said the decision also clears the way for medication abortion to be available in Missouri for the first time since 2018 and allows Planned Parenthood to resume providing it.
“For too long, politicians forced patients to leave the state for an evidence-based and trusted form of abortion care. Now that care is coming home,” said Emily Wales, president and CEO of Comprehensive Health of Planned Parenthood Great Plains.
Attorney General Catherine Hanaway criticized the ruling and said she plans to appeal to the Missouri Supreme Court.
“This radical decision gives abortion providers a free pass to police themselves,” Hanaway said in a statement. “My office will expeditiously appeal this dangerous decision to the Missouri Supreme Court.”
Copyright 2026 KFVS. All rights reserved.
Missouri
Missouri ice cream shop named best in the state. Here’s why.
Watch before buying a home ice cream machine
A practical guide to choosing an ice cream maker you’ll actually use.
Think you know the best ice cream shop in Missouri? Ask ten people, and you’ll likely get ten different answers.
Cheapism, a website focused on budget living, is weighing in on the debate with its recently released list of the best ice cream shops in every state. Here’s what it selected as Missouri’s best ice cream spot:
What’s the best ice cream shop in Missouri, according to Cheapism?
The media outlet selected the winners by scouring through Reddit threads, Yelp reviews, Google ratings and local favorites to find the best ice cream shop in every state.
Factoring all of that in, the honor of Missouri’s best ice cream shop goes to Clementine’s Ice Cream in St. Louis.
Clementine’s is a locally owned artisanal ice cream shop founded in 2015, known for its “naughty” (alcohol-infused) and “nice” (nonalcoholic) offerings, as well as non-dairy options.
The company has expanded from its beginnings as a single shop to multiple locations, boasting 11 shops across the Midwest, with three more on the way.
What’s Clementine’s best ice cream flavor?
Clementine’s also landed on Food & Wine’s list of essential ice cream flavors for all 50 states with its gooey butter cake ice cream.
The magazine praised the “super creamy” texture of the cream cheese ice cream and appreciated the large chunks of Clementine’s homemade gooey butter cake mixed throughout.
What is gooey butter cake?
For those not in the know, gooey butter cake is one of the Show Me State’s best-kept secrets, with its origins tracing back to St. Louis in the 1930s.
The cake allegedly came about when a baker accidentally reversed the butter-to-flour ratio while making a batch of coffee cake, resulting in a gooey, custard-like filling. Given it was the Great Depression, the bakery decided to sell the resulting cake rather than waste it, making it a hit with locals in the process.
It became so popular, in fact, that other bakeries in the city soon began making their own versions, and an iconic Missouri treat was born.
How to find a Clementine’s near you
Clementine’s has more than a dozen locations, mostly centered around St. Louis. It also has locations in Kansas City and Bentonville, Arkansas.
A Clementine’s is scheduled to open in Columbia this summer.
Check out this map to find the nearest Clementine’s location near you:
You can also get Clementine’s shipped directly to your front door via Goldbelly.
Missouri
Missouri lawmaker pushes for more transparency from data center developments
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KFVS) – As more data centers are announced across Missouri, one state lawmaker wants to get rid of non-disclosure agreements.
Republican State Rep. Tricia Byrnes from St. Charles County organized a public hearing for Sept. 16 at the Missouri Capitol for lawmakers to discuss data center regulations. Any legislation that comes out of the hearing will have to wait until January to be introduced in the General Assembly. Byrnes said she hopes local communities take action before January.
The effort comes after Amazon and Google announced multibillion-dollar data center projects in Montgomery County, which Byrnes represents.
Montgomery County farmer Harry Cope said residents have concerns about how the projects have been handled.
“The transparency that’s gone on with all of this stuff in our county has been about like looking through muddy water,” Cope said.
Byrnes said Missourians are looking for state leaders to respond.
“Missourians should never take a bad deal. And right now, folks are waiting for Jefferson City to stand up and pay attention,” Byrnes said.
Byrnes is not proposing a complete statewide stop to data center projects. She said she wants to get rid of nondisclosure agreements for data center projects and create specific noise standards and water permits. She said she wants the process to happen in public.
Gov. Mike Kehoe, a Republican, has said he supports more data centers in Missouri, saying they are better for the economy.
“It’s about opportunity, good-paying jobs, investment in our community, better efficiency. And it’s about making sure Missouri remains on the forefront of next-generation technology,” Kehoe said.
Byrnes did not directly comment on whether Kehoe will support her legislation. She addressed a comment the governor made last week, when he implied foreign adversaries such as China are spreading misinformation about data centers.
“We have extremely intelligent people all across Missouri, and what I’m hearing now is this spin that they’re hearing stuff from China. I can tell you, no one from China asked me to have you here today,” Byrnes said.
Missouri House Democratic Leader Ashley Aune said there is an opportunity for lawmakers to craft legislation based on what Missourians want.
“I don’t have a proposal top of mind about what regulation would, should, can look like across the state. But what I will say is that we have a real opportunity to work with our voters,” Aune said.
Copyright 2026 KFVS. All rights reserved.
-
Technology3 minutes agoThe best Apple deals you can get during Prime Day
-
World10 minutes agoTrump says Venezuela earthquakes left ‘devastating number of deaths’ as US readies aid
-
Politics13 minutes agoClosed-door outburst turns into victory for Trump’s Iran negotiations
-
Health18 minutes agoFormer reality star opens up about new diagnosis after years-long health ordeal
-
Sports25 minutes agoTerrion Arnold, Lions’ 2024 first-round pick, charged with kidnapping and armed robbery in Florida
-
Business33 minutes agoAn electric truck for less than $25,000? Deliveries begin this year
-
Entertainment40 minutes agoKylie Jenner hit with third lawsuit as former chef claims Palm Springs party led to miscarriage
-
Politics48 minutes agoTrump refuses to sign landmark housing bill, demanding Congress pass voter ID law