Evy Lewis

Reporter and writer with experience covering state, county and local government, data and investigative projects, graphics.

Chicago Tribune •

Chicago Heights priest begins walk for immigrant children from Pope Leo’s childhood home in Dolton

The Rev. Gary Graf, a Chicago Heights Catholic priest, began a 50-day pilgrimage Monday from Pope Leo’s boyhood home in Dolton to New York to bring attention to the cause of immigrant children.
Graf’s planned destinations are Ellis Island, formerly the country’s primary immigration processing center, and the Statue of Liberty, a national symbol of freedom.
“There’s no real path to citizenship for millions of people,” Graf said. “The process is pretty much stagnant. And there’s really no, on the...
Chicago Tribune •

Flossmoor Frank Lloyd Wright house will open to public for the first time

A Flossmoor house designed by Frank Lloyd Wright will open to the public Saturday, Oct. 11, to raise money for the historical society.
Wright designed many buildings in Chicago and the surrounding areas, but the Frederick Nichols House’s location makes it noteworthy.
“It’s the only one in the southern suburbs,” said Deborah Okleshen, a board member of The Foundation for the Preservation of Flossmoor History. “You will not get close to anything until Oak Park.”
The building is named after its fir...
STLPR •

Roundup pesticide debate continues following failure of Bayer-backed bill

Standing by the side of Highway 63 with the Missouri state Capitol on the horizon, there’s a billboard that says, "Stand Up for Glyphosate."Glyphosate is the key ingredient of Roundup, the flagship herbicide of Monsanto. Monsanto was based in St. Louis until it was purchased by German company Bayer in 2016. Monsanto and Bayer have been subject to tens of thousands of lawsuits alleging they didn’t warn customers that exposure to Roundup could cause cancer.There’s no scientific consensus that Roun...
STLPR •

Missouri House adjourns early, ending 2025 legislative session

After sending a final 11 bills to the governor’s desk, the Missouri House adjourned Thursday, bringing an end to the 2025 legislative session.What had been an unusually productive and cooperative session fell into disarray in its final week. The failure of the House to pass the part of the state annual budget covering capital improvement projects led to House bills being roadblocked and filibustered in the Senate.And on Wednesday, Senate Republicans used a rare parliamentary maneuver to force an...
STLPR •

State help for new Chiefs, Royals stadiums passes House, stalls in Senate

The Missouri House voted Tuesday to pass legislation allowing the state to help fund new stadiums for the Kansas City Chiefs and Royals, but the bill was filibustered to a halt in the Senate later that night.No dollar amount for the state funding has been specified.The goal of the legislation is to keep the two teams in Missouri. Proponents say the move is necessary to ensure the state continues to benefit from the income and economic growth the teams drive.“The Chiefs and the Royals are signifi...
STLPR •

Missouri Senate repeals voter-approved earned sick leave

Missouri Senate Republicans voted Wednesday to repeal portions of a voter-approved law that allowed employees to earn paid sick leave and a higher minimum wage.Members of the Senate voted 22-11 to pass legislation that repeals parts of Proposition A, which Missouri voters approved in November with 57.6% of the vote.Only one Republican, Sen. Lincoln Hough, R-Springfield, joined all 10 Democrats in voting no.“What we saw today was the Republican supermajority, whether they did it because of corpor...
STLPR •

Republican legislators approve ballot item that would again ban most abortions in Missouri

Missouri Senate Republicans voted Wednesday to ask voters to again ban most abortions.Republicans stopped a Democratic filibuster with a rarely used parliamentary maneuver to pass a ballot item that would repeal protections for abortion rights that voters approved last year.Senate Republicans used what’s known as the “previous question” to end a filibuster to counteract two measures Missouri voters backed last year. The first measure would repeal Amendment 3 and replace it with language to ban m...
STLPR •

Bill to expand radioactive waste investigations in St. Louis goes to governor’s desk

The Missouri House on Monday voted unanimously to pass a bill that will expand investigations for radioactive waste contamination in the St. Louis area.The bill will now go to the governor’s desk.Currently, requests for investigation of potential radioactive contamination can only be submitted by local governments. Under House Bill 516, those requests could instead be submitted by any individual or community group in the jurisdiction of the relevant area.The bill also eliminates a $150,000 cap o...
STLPR •

Missouri legislature passes wide-ranging education bill with some Democrats objecting

The Missouri House on Monday gave final approval to a multifaceted education bill that prompted mixed feelings by some Democrats.One provision in the bill with bipartisan support prohibits discrimination against natural Black hairstyles in educational settings.“It’s about time this body legalized the CROWN Act. It’s about time natural hairstyles are free to be in institutions without discrimination or risk,” said Rep. Elizabeth Fuchs, D-St. Louis.Many House Democrats, including Fuchs, did not vo...
STLPR •

Missouri legislature bars cities from enacting protections for low-income renters

The Missouri Senate gave final approval Wednesday to a bill that would prevent cities from enacting certain renter protections.House Bill 595 was prompted by local legislation in some communities, most notably Kansas City, which prohibits landlords from denying leases to renters on the grounds that they receive housing assistance.The bill would prevent cities from banning that practice, sometimes called source-of-income discrimination. One of the most common types of housing assistance are feder...
STLPR •

Missouri legislature approves expanding first responder benefits

The Missouri legislature voted Tuesday to increase benefits for the families of police officers who die in the line of duty.Currently, legislation that allows the families to claim a $25,000 benefit is set to expire in June. Under Senate Bill 71, which the Senate finalized Tuesday, that expiration date will be pushed to 2031 and the benefit amount increased to $100,000.Another bill that received final approval in the House on Tuesday also contains language renewing the benefits.SB 71 will also a...
STLPR •

Prop A paid sick leave begins for Missouri workers despite efforts to block it

Most Missouri workers will now accumulate an hour of paid sick leave for every 30 hours worked.In addition to staying home due to sickness or injury, workers can also use paid sick leave to care for a sick or injured family member or to get legal or medical help related to domestic violence or sexual assault. Public employers are exempted, and so are private businesses with less than $500,000 in annual sales.The new sick leave requirements, which went into effect Thursday, were passed into law a...
STLPR •

Missouri Supreme Court upholds vote raising minimum wage and giving sick leave

The Missouri Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that Proposition A’s ballot language was not misleading or inaccurate and upheld the election results.Proposition A increased the state minimum wage to $15 an hour and mandated that employees accumulate paid sick leave based on hours worked. The sick leave portion of the law goes into effect Thursday. Proposition A was approved by voters in November with 57.6% of the vote.Business associations, including the Missouri Restaurant Association and the Missour...
STLPR •

Missouri legislature votes to ban child marriage, raising age to 18

The Missouri Senate voted Tuesday to ban child marriage by raising the minimum age for marriage to 18 in all instances.The House voted to approve the same bill last week, meaning the legislation is now bound for the governor’s desk.Current law allows 16- and 17-year-olds to marry with parental permission if the other party is under 21.Supporters of a full ban on child marriage say that allowing teenagers to marry leaves them vulnerable to abuse and human trafficking, among other dangers. Married...
STLPR •

Missouri House passes bill to void nondisclosure agreements in child sex abuse cases

The Missouri House passed a bill Tuesday to ban the enforcement of nondisclosure agreements in child sexual abuse cases.Bipartisan supporters of House Bill 709 say that NDAs are often used to silence underage victims and prevent them from speaking out. The bill, they say, is a necessary step toward justice.“Also known as Trey’s Law, named for Trey Carlock, who was silenced to his grave at the age of 28, this bill seeks to right a wrong to those who have been sexually abused,” said Rep. Brian Sei...
STLPR •

Missouri Senate Democrats filibuster to stop cuts of paid sick leave

A Missouri House bill that would undo paid sick leave protections approved by voters was filibustered to a halt early Thursday by Senate Democrats.Proposition A passed with 57.6% of the vote in November. Some Republicans and business organizations argue that Proposition A’s mandated paid sick leave provisions are unfair to businesses.House Bill 567 would completely remove those provisions, which say a worker would accumulate one hour of paid sick leave for every 30 hours worked. It would also re...
STLPR •

Missouri House approves allowing guns on public transit

A bill passed by the Missouri House on Thursday would make it legal to bring guns on public transportation and lower the minimum age for a concealed carry permit.House Bill 328 passed 106-45. It now goes to the Senate.Currently, it’s illegal to bring guns on public transit even with a concealed carry permit. Supporters of the bill say it would allow passengers to protect themselves and safeguard Second Amendment rights.“It’s about time that we allow those people who use public transportation to...
STLPR •

Missouri House passes bill to define and prohibit antisemitism on campus

The Missouri House passed a bill Thursday aiming to combat antisemitism on college campuses.House Bill 937 would add the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance definition of antisemitism into state law and require that schools incorporate it into their codes of conduct.That definition states: “Antisemitism is a certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews. Rhetorical and physical manifestations of antisemitism are directed toward Jewish or non-Jewish individuals...
STLPR •

Missouri House narrowly votes to legalize and regulate video gambling machines

The Missouri House narrowly passed a bill Wednesday to regulate video gambling terminals — the digital slot machines sometimes seen in truck stops, convenience stores and fraternal organizations.The House approved the bill 83-73. The minimum necessary for a bill to pass the House is 82 votes.The floor discussion on the bill was lengthy, with representatives from both parties opposed to any expansion of legal gambling.“To continue to grow the gaming industry by encouraging more gambling, and more...
STLPR •

Missouri Senate approves ending capital gains tax, bill now goes back to House

The Missouri Senate on Monday approved a House bill to end the capital gains tax with some changes.The capital gains tax is imposed on the sale of assets like real estate and stocks. Supporters of House Bill 594 say that ending the capital gains tax will fuel economic growth in the state.“We’ve crafted a package that does what we were primarily seeking to do, which is provide tax relief that is aimed at helping the average person in Missouri, that is aimed at creating economic growth, that is ai...
STLPR •

Missouri House votes to reenact Second Amendment Preservation Act

The Missouri House on Thursday passed a bill that would reenact a controversial gun rights law a federal court previously struck down as unconstitutional.The legislature first passed the Second Amendment Preservation Act in 2021. The law would penalize Missouri police for enforcing federal gun laws.That would include any federal laws intended to track, register, limit or control the sale or ownership of firearms.Supporters of the bill say it protects Second Amendment rights and asserts Missouri’...
STLPR •

Missouri Senate committee advances a bill to undo paid sick leave

A Missouri Senate committee held a second-round hearing Wednesday on a measure that would undo the mandatory paid sick leave provisions that voters approved last year.Proposition A passed in November with more than 57% of the vote. Along with raising the state minimum wage to $15 an hour, the proposition mandates workers accumulate an hour of paid sick leave for every 30 hours worked.House Bill 567 would entirely remove the sick leave provisions, which are set to go into effect May 1. It would a...
STLPR •

Missouri House approves reducing personal property taxes, relaxing car inspections

The Missouri House passed several bills Thursday, including one that will broadly loosen car inspection requirements and another that would reduce the values used to calculate personal property taxes.Both bills now proceed to the Senate.Currently, personal property taxes in Missouri are determined based on one-third of market value. House Bill 903 would reduce that to 18% of market value over a three-year period.“The tax on personal property is not only an inefficient tax, but a tax that most wo...
STLPR •

Missouri Senate sends $2 billion supplemental budget to governor’s desk

The Missouri Senate on Wednesday approved a bill allocating nearly $2 billion to fund the state government through the rest of the current fiscal year.The allocation now goes to the governor’s desk for approval.The legislature passes a supplemental budget every year. It’s common for unexpected financial needs to arise or for programs to cost more than the projections that were approved in the previous year’s budget.When that happens, the budget has to be adjusted so everything can remain funded....
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