Missouri voters are seeing the ads. The money behind them is murkier.

By Jason Hancock | Editor-in-Chief

Good morning,

Missouri voters are starting to see the August ballot campaign take shape on television, radio and yard signs.

But the visible campaign is only part of the story.

Amendments 4 and 5 would change two big pieces of Missouri politics: how citizen-led constitutional amendments pass, and how the state could shift away from income taxes toward sales taxes. The campaigns for and against them have already raised $14.5 million, with millions more likely before Election Day.

Some of that money is easy to trace. Some of it is not.

Rudi Keller follows the ads, committees, nonprofits and donor trails behind the two measures — and explains why voters may hear a lot about taxes and majority rule before they know who is paying to shape the argument.

by Rudi Keller

Campaigns over Amendments 4 and 5 have already raised $14.5 million, while ads flood the state and nonprofit money makes some major donors harder to identify before voters decide.

by Jacob Fischler

The court threw out a Missouri verdict against Monsanto, ruling federal pesticide law blocks state failure-to-warn claims tied to Roundup and alleged cancer risks.

by Kayleigh Wiecken

A former student says YouthBuild gave her a path back after school failed her. Now she argues federal cuts could close that door for other young Missourians.

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