Local Control

The Democrat will represent portions of southwest St. Louis in the Missouri House when he’s sworn into office in January.

The amendment's supporters say “adequate funding is needed” to keep Kansas City safe, but Mayor Quinton Lucas opposes the proposed amendment because it “takes power” from local officials.

Republican-led statehouses, like Missouri’s, increasingly limit what rules municipalities can adopt — typically shutting down more progressive policies on issues like minimum wage and housing.

Missouri lawmakers are considering a proposal that would nullify local ordinances — like those in St. Louis and St. Louis County — that ban the practice of declawing cats.

The Missouri House passed a measure in March to return the St. Louis Police Department to state control. It’s unclear what the Senate may do in the waning days of the session.

The Missouri Senate heard testimony Wednesday on the bill. Under the legislation, which the House passed in early March, the governor would appoint four members to a board of police commissioners. The mayor of St. Louis would also serve on that board.

Parson’s comments come as there’s intense scrutiny around St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner’s future.

Under the legislation, the governor would appoint four members to a board of police commissioners. St. Louis’ mayor would also serve on that board.

Kansas City has the only police department in Missouri that's under state control. Although voters statewide raised how much of the city's budget must be spent on the KCPD, activists say local opposition to Amendment 4 created an opportunity to put policing decisions back in the city's hands.

Five years ago, control of the St. Louis police department returned to the city.For more than 150 years, a state-appointed board had overseen the…