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Out of the 44 states with 2+ congressional districts, the NYT rated each one based on how gerrymandered they are.

We rank 34/44, meaning we are among the most fair maps around. For context, it is based on a partisan-blind and race-blind simulation, which agrees that KC and STL should each have a seat, with a competitive seat in the STL suburbs, exactly what we have. The question is whether MO-02 can be made more competitive as it is not necessarily a given that the STL suburbs are trending blue enough to carve a third blue district.

If you’re curious: Texas, California, and Florida lead the pack (TX barely edging out CA), and Oklahoma, Idaho, and West Virginia round it up.

I've lived all over this country, from the rockies to Appalachia, but nothing produces the colors I can get on this lake. Straight out of camera, no edits.

Retired NASA astronaut and University of Missouri Professor Emeritus Linda Godwin was a featured speaker Saturday for the State Historical Society of Missouri’s lecture series “My Missouri.”
According to the State Historical Society, the lecture series highlights notable Missourians who reflect on how the state’s history, people and culture influenced their lives. Joel Rhodes, executive director of the State Historical Society, led the Q&A-style lecture.
“I was always proud to say I was from this state,” Godwin said.

During the lecture, she said she appreciated the resources available to her and familial support she had while growing up in a small town.

Godwin began working at the NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston in 1980 after earning a bachelor’s degree in mathematics and physics from Southeast Missouri State University and a master’s and doctoral degrees in physics from the University of Missouri.
While she was first inspired by the Apollo moon landing missions in her early years, Godwin said her career in space exploration truly started when she came to Mizzou and saw a flyer that said NASA was hiring for its shuttle program.
“They wanted more women,” she said. “They wanted a more broad category of people of applying, and they were actually encouraging (women to).”
“So, I was like, ‘Oh, my gosh, I’m getting a Ph.D. in physics,’” Godwin said she realized while reading the education requirements. “That’s in there.”

“Maybe this is possible,” she remembered thinking.
She said she learned a lot in her starting position at NASA, working in payload operations as a flight controller and a payloads officer in Mission Control.
Godwin later served as deputy chief of NASA’s Astronaut Office and deputy director of the Flight Crew Operations Directorate, before being selected to be an astronaut candidate 1985 — the 14th woman in history.
She said the expectations she had before going to space were different from the reality of leaving the atmosphere. It didn’t feel like she was that far away from Earth while traveling through space, she said. Godwin also emphasized the sensory differences — and similarities — between being in space and on Earth.

Over four space shuttle missions, Godwin logged more than 38 days in space as an astronaut before spending her remaining time with NASA on solid ground.

Godwin said she doesn’t see herself as a forerunner for women going to space. ”I’m never a trailblazer,” she said. “I’m always coming along a little bit later.”
She said that, growing up, it was difficult for her to find role models to look up to as a woman interested in science and space exploration.
But now, she said she sees NASA classes for astronauts with more women than men.
One thing Godwin said remains the same is how similar people are all over the world, and how connections can be made through monumental events like space exploration. She used her experience going into space with the Russian cosmonauts during some of her missions as an example.
Godwin also joked about marveling at the ease in which she was able to retire from NASA.
“It took me just a couple of hours to walk around all the buildings and turn in everything and undo everything took years to get,” she said. “Leaving is relatively easy compared to getting here.”

She returned to Mizzou in 2011 to teach in the Department of Physics and Astronomy.
She said after retiring, she was surprised at how much she was still able to learn from teaching at Mizzou.
Godwin is an original member of Astronauts for America, a group created for astronauts to share their unique stories in an effort to unite the country through defending the U.S. Constitution and reinvigorating people to vote and get involved in democracy.
Rhodes said the Kinder Institute of American Constitutional Democracy at Mizzou will host an Astronauts for America event in spring 2027.

It's almost time for the midterms, one of the most important elections in a long time both in Missouri and the U.S. at large. I want to make sure everyone has all the information they need in order to make informed choices at the ballot, so this is the chance to ask ANYTHING you're wondering about the election!

Have questions about the candidates or ballot measures? Wondering how to vote early? Ask it here!

These may not have the same following outside of St. Louis, but my partner and I make catnip-filled ravioli and pickles! If you’re looking to spoil your cat, get them something local. Oh, and the catnip is organic and cats go WILD for it.

We’re considering booking a trip to Big Cedar Lodge during the Winter Escape Sale, January 3rd–7th, instead of exchanging Christmas presents this year!

We’re an all-adult family of 6! My in-laws are in their mid-to-late 50s, my SIL and BIL are 31, and my husband and I are 30. I’ll also be about 30 weeks pregnant, so drinking activities are out for me! 😂

We’re thinking we would do most breakfasts and lunches at our cabin and go out for dinners!

For those who have visited in January, how would YOU plan these few days? We’re looking for recommendations on activities, restaurants, and anything you consider a must-do!

Here’s what I’m thinking so far:

🏡 Sunday, January 3rd: Arrive, get settled into the cabin, and go somewhere for dinner!

🏞️ Monday, January 4th: Explore Top of the Rock and do the Lost Canyon Cave & Nature Trail (assuming it’s open in January!), followed by dinner somewhere.

💆🏼‍♀️ Tuesday, January 5th: Maybe a girls’ spa day with massages while the guys golf? Is golfing even an option in January? We’re from Minnesota, so a little cold doesn’t scare us! 😂 Then we’d all meet back up for dinner!

❓ Wednesday, January 6th: Completely open to suggestions! What would you recommend for our last full day?

🚗 Thursday, January 7th: Breakfast at the cabin, check out, and head home!

We definitely want to enjoy the resort and everything it has to offer, but we also don’t want to overbook ourselves. We’re hoping for a good mix of relaxing, exploring, and enjoying some great food!

What are your must-do activities and favorite restaurants, especially during the winter months? Are there any activities that aren’t available in January that we should know about?

I’d love to hear how you’d spend these four nights! 🤎

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
Large-scale data center projects are popping in rural areas of Mid-Missouri, and opposition has formed to battle them.
However, local opponents so far have had little success in stopping tech giants such as Amazon and Google from building in Mid-Missouri.
Among the major concerns cited by opponents of data centers is the huge energy demand of many of these facilities. Will that demand drive up costs for regular consumers?
The Consumers Council of Missouri believes state regulators do not have strong enough safeguards in place to ensure data center power costs are not falling back on the average Missouri ratepayer.

"The decision makers in Missouri have tended to err on the side of promoting data centers rather than protecting the public," Consumer Council of Missouri Executive Director John Coffman said. "It's an ongoing regulatory battle."
Coffman teaches energy utility law as an adjunct professor at Washington University in St. Louis, and represents the Consumers Council as a consumer advocate attorney, fighting for lower electric rates for residential consumers across the state.
"We [the Consumers Council] really hope that everyday residential households are the priority for our electric system," Coffman said. "But as these data centers are being built out in a very sudden rate, the power companies are trying to plan ahead and building a whole new fleet of power plants. And so we're expecting many new power plants over the next few years. And that's going to bring a lot of stresses."
Coffman has attended several forums and discussions with private utility Ameren Missouri regarding data centers, where he has continued to advocate for tighter utility regulations. He said he is already seeing an increase in power plant demand drive up electric rates.
"There is a demand for power plant component parts. There's a demand for power plant construction workers. And this is raising the price of building power plants," Coffman said. "That is happening right now, even before the data centers are online and part of the grid."
ABC 17 News asked Ameren if recent or near-future spikes in rates are directly or indirectly tied to data centers.
"As we upgrade aging infrastructure, as we harden our system, as technology improves and we can more efficiently run a system that's more reliable, that obviously takes investment within the system," Senior Manager of Economic Development for Ameren Missouri James O'Mara said. "And so investing in new poles and wires and switches, more smart equipment, all of that is the investment that's driving some of those rate adjustments."
Ameren is seeking a rate hike of about 10% in 2027, it announced in a July 1 press release. Ameren filed a request with the Missouri Public Service Commission for a $343 million annual electric base rate increase that could raise average residential bills by roughly $13 a month.
According to O'Mara, data centers are not the reason for that request.

"That's just the general upgrades and investment that we're doing to the grid to ensure we have that reliable and affordable network that our customers need," O'Mara said.
He noted that rate increases are common, as improvements are being made across the entire grid.
But the Consumers Council said these "improvements" are linked to what's needed for data centers, and regardless, come at a time when the centers are predicted to drive up demand for energy in Missouri.
"There is an expectation that energy demand is going to double over a very short amount of time and that data centers could be as much as 50% of the load someday," Coffman said.
With such high data-driven projections, the council has urged state regulators to be precise in planning for the boom.
The role of 'large-load tariffs'
The biggest point of contention for the council is the requirements outlined in Ameren Missouri's large-load data center tariff. The Missouri Public Service Commission unanimously approved the contract in November 2025, and it went into effect on Dec. 4.
The agreement aims to shield customers from larger bills that could come from "large load customers" like data centers. The contract defines such customers as using 75 megawatts or more of energy per month.
These are some of the requirements of large load customers outlined in the contract:
Sign a minimum 12-year contract with Ameren, with an option to extend the contract for five more years if the company scales up operations.
Cover full grid hookup and infrastructure costs upfront.
Pay a monthly demand charge set at 80% of their contracted maximum electric demand, even if they use less electricity than projected.
Provide collateral funds equal to two years of minimum monthly bills, in the event of bankruptcy or closure.
Give 36 months' written notice to end service and pay exit and early termination fees.
Similar protections were built into Ameren Missouri’s Powering Missouri Growth Plan. The plan, which was approved by the Public Service Commission in November 2025, is designed to ensure high-usage customers pay their fair share.

But the Consumers Council prefers much stricter rules. The consumer advocacy organization urged the Public Service Commission to require 15- to 20-year contract terms, a monthly demand charge of 95%, and 10 years' credit and collateral.
Under the large-load tariff, Ameren is also allowed "at its sole discretion" to aggregate loads and to grant variances without PSC approval. The Consumer Council opposes this, citing the need for regulatory oversight.
"There have been some rules, some guardrails put in place to make sure that data centers pay their fair share. But we're not sure that those guardrails are good enough. We've proposed more protective conditions," Coffman said.
Rich Germinder, senior policy adviser at the PSC, said the White House Ratepayer Protection Pledge and Missouri Senate Bill 4 helped lay the groundwork for consumer protections.
Gov. Mike Kehoe signed Senate Bill 4 into law in April 2025. It changed the way the Public Service Commission deals with electric rates and the adoption of electric facilities in Missouri.
"One of the key components related to Senate Bill 4 was changing the integrated resource planning process," Germinder said. "Basically, understanding that we've, for the first time in several decades, have had large-load growth. So what do we need to do from a planning perspective to be more prepared?"
A critical component of the bill was the adoption of the large-load tariff requirement. The law requires Missouri's investor-owned utilities to establish a contract with the Public Service Commission for the procurement of utility or electric services. Germinder said the tariff ensures better planning and collaboration upfront.
"How do they deal with these large loads, these really large customers that use a lot of energy, use a lot of resources," Germinder said. "What are the terms and conditions that we need to have in place in order for those customers to come onto the system to protect other ratepayers?"
Consumer protections are also being discussed at the federal level with the Ratepayer Protection Act.

"It largely follows that same kind of model of establishing parameters for when you have large load come on that requires significant investment," Germinder said. "That they're paying their share upfront, that the residential ratepayers or the commercial ratepayers are not being saddled with the cost to serve that additional large load."
Even though these new laws have outlined some safeguards, Coffman said the rate at which large data centers are popping up across Missouri is worrisome.
Public records detail more than a dozen large-scale data center projects in the Show-Me State, with multiple proposed or under construction across Mid-Missouri.
Check back for updates, or tune in to ABC 17 News after Monday Night Football on KMIZ for the full in-depth report.

This was in the local paper. They found a guy that had been missing for 11 days. He was deceased and tangled up on a barbed wire fence.

I just drove through Missouri on a cross country roadtrip. Whoever thought “let’s destroy 1,000,000 miles of road, have everyone drive between two concrete walls with ¼” of leeway on each side, and then leave it under construction instead of doing this like 20 miles at a time, is a true genius. How else will we better accelerate the robot takeover if we don’t prove to them we are all completely incapable of reason?

Apologies, I’m sure there are great things in other parts of the state. 😛

COLUMBIA — On his day off from cleaning rivers, a Columbia man hopped into a fridge in the Missouri river and paddled it ashore.
Steve Schnarr is the race director for Missouri River Relief, an organization aiming to educate people about the Missouri River, as well as host races and clean up trash on it.
He said he saw a Facebook post of some paddlers who brought the discarded fridge to Cooper's Landing, but couldn't get it ashore.
"The general manager (of Cooper's Landing) was just like 'so we have this refrigerator tied up to our wing dike, can you get this?'" Schnarr said in an interview Sunday.

He had some free time on Thursday to look at it and got help from a friend.
"I went down there on my day off just figuring, whatever, I'll figure this out," Schnarr said. 
He got to the fridge, which was missing some interior parts and floating in the water. That gave him an idea, and later, a solution.
"I'll just paddle this thing to the dock," Schnarr said. "It was actually not a big deal at all, just hopped in that thing."

He also said fridges are a common find in the river.
"We had just finished a cleanup, a 50-day cleanup from Kansas City to Columbia," Schnarr said. "That crew had picked up 16 refrigerators along the way."
He said fridges can get dumped by people who don't want to pay to dispose of them and can be swept away by high waters.
"We've actually tracked refrigerators," Schnarr said. "We've seen refrigerators go 550 miles in one year, and that's not uncommon. That can happen in one flood event."
He and his friend brought the fridge to a property where Missouri River Relief keeps its removed trash. Schnarr said it will eventually be recycled.

Have mandatory 10 days in jail (DUI) but trying to get work release.. what should I expect?? Also have bad anxiety. Will they give me meds in there for anxiety?? Or what meds can they give me? help please

https://shsmo.org/join

We just moved from a state that sends a detailed voters’ guide before every election that lays out the issues/initiatives and the candidates, along with their platforms, who endorses them, and who donates (big) to them. Missouri apparently sends nothing. I’ve tried vote411.org and it is painful to navigate.

Does anyone have any suggestions on where to expeditiously find info on all we need to know prior to next Tuesday? (Why do they make this so hard? 🙄)

Thanks!