Phillip Sitter is the News Tribune's reporter who covers Missouri's Senate, governor, executive government agencies, and MOSERS and MPERS. Previously, he covered local schools and school districts for the News Tribune for over 2 years since starting at the News Tribune in December 2016. Sitter's time at the News Tribune has been his first full-time job in journalism, although he studied at the University of Missouri's School of Journalism and contributed at the News Tribune in fall 2014 as a graduate student while on the Columbia Missourian's state government beat. He has also worked for MU's Bond Life Sciences Center. Sitter lives in Jefferson City and is originally from northwestern Illinois. He obtained his bachelor's degree in political science with a minor in Catholic social tradition from the University of Notre Dame in 2012 and lived in Washington, D.C., for a year after that while he began law school, before ultimately deciding that wasn't the career he wanted to pursue. He has also lived in London, United Kingdom, and New Orleans, Louisiana, for study-abroad and service opportunities. Follow him on Twitter at @pslifeisabeauty.
Missouri lieutenant governor candidates talk key issues
The four candidates running for Missouri lieutenant governor running in the Nov. 3 general election have different views of what Missourians want and need, but all the candidates want to deliver on those demands.
Sep. 16 2020 @ 12:05am
Survey: Public, police have same concerns
De-escalation is a chief concern for the public and law enforcement communities, according to a review of more than 1,600 public responses to a survey on law enforcement training and discipline put forward by the state's law enforcement training authority.
Sep. 1 2020 @ 12:05am
Changes coming for temporary license documents
The Missouri Department of Revenue is starting to make changes to temporary documents such as temporary driver licenses.
Sep. 1 2020 @ 12:05am
Deadline nearing to finalize Amendment 3 wording as lawsuit continues
Local election officials around Missouri are waiting to know when exactly Nov. 3 general election ballots will be finalized — which will be determined by the timing of a ruling in a lawsuit over ballot language.
Aug. 29 2020 @ 10:42pm
Conservation Commission, Conservation Department sue state
The Missouri Department of Conservation and Conservation Commission filed a lawsuit Thursday against the state's Attorney General Eric Schmitt and Office of Administration Commissioner Sarah Steelman in a dispute over authority to spend revenue for conservation purposes.
Aug. 28 2020 @ 12:05am
Voting rights lawsuit filed against Missouri, secretary of state
A national women's advocacy organization has filed a lawsuit against the state of Missouri and Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft over five election laws the organization said make it difficult or impossible for Missourians to vote.
Aug. 21 2020 @ 1:50pm
As schools prepare to reopen, state releases more guidance
As the back-to-school season approaches in an uncertain fall amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Missouri's state education and health departments have released more guidance for schools on how to prevent or react to infections at school.
Aug. 5 2020 @ 11:53pm
Report: $29B in economic activity for Missouri from military
Military spending in Missouri totaled approximately $18.2 billion in the 2018 fiscal year, and that spending accounted for more than $29 billion in economic activity for the state, according to a report released Monday by the Missouri Department of Economic Development.
Aug. 4 2020 @ 9:05pm
Democratic candidates see lieutenant governor as active role
Both Democratic candidates for Missouri lieutenant governor have described the most important part of the job as being active in the state's affairs.
Jul. 29 2020 @ 12:05am
Republican candidates' visions for lieutenant governor vary
The views of the Republican candidates for lieutenant governor on the office's most important duty range from issue-specific to more general advocacy or public relations, but all three who spoke with Central Missouri Newspapers have ideas for what they would do if elected.
Jul. 29 2020 @ 12:05am
Democratic candidates for governor emphasize looking out for the people
Four Democratic candidates for Missouri governor all see the most important role of a governor as helping people solve the day-to-day problems in their lives — and in a pandemic, that may include asking people to make sacrifices or adapt to new circumstances.
Jul. 15 2020 @ 12:05am
Incumbent governor, GOP challengers emphasize individual rights
The incumbent Missouri governor and his challengers in the Republican primary emphasize the role of a governor is to balance the protection of people's health with the rights assigned to individuals, especially during a pandemic that's highlighted the tension between the two.
Jul. 15 2020 @ 12:05am
Testing planned this month for local correctional centers
With no cases of COVID-19 found among offenders or staff, visiting resumed last week at Algoa Correctional Center — with restrictions.
Jul. 1 2020 @ 12:05am
Webcast to educate about wildlife-friendly backyards
Anyone wanting to make their backyard a little more wild — by planting native vegetation and attracting birds, bees and other wildlife — can tune into a Missouri Department of Conservation webcast next month to find out how.
Jun. 10 2020 @ 12:05am
Missouri Gov. Parson on civil unrest: 'We're going to put an end to it'
Gov. Mike Parson is calling up more than 1,000 Missouri National Guard troops to help support the Missouri Highway Patrol and local law enforcement agencies.
Jun. 2 2020 @ 7:00pm
State considers expanding remote work
Some of Missouri's state departments are demonstrating they can deliver the same level of performance for the public with many of their staff working remotely — opening discussions about whether some staff may continue to work remotely beyond the COVID-19 pandemic.
May. 27 2020 @ 12:05am
Parson: 3 strategies to drive increased COVID testing
Gov. Mike Parson outlined Thursday the three strategies Missouri will use to reach his stated goal of conducting 7,500 COVID-19 tests per day, while Missouri's public health director said the state is not reporting separate antibody test results in a way that can lead to discrepancies in pandemic data — as the federal government and a few other states have done.
May. 27 2020 @ 12:00am
Lincoln University looks at significant enrollment declines for summer, fall
Lincoln University is facing declines in its student enrollment, credit hour registration and incoming freshmen.
May. 5 2020 @ 12:05am
Gov. Parson extends executive orders, funds being disbursed to counties
Missouri Gov. Mike Parson on Monday extended some executive orders he signed earlier during the COVID-19 pandemic, including those authorizing relaxed regulations and the deployment of the Missouri National Guard.
May. 4 2020 @ 5:05pm
Gov. Parson: Less strain on hospitals gives window to reopen
Missouri Gov. Mike Parson was confident Tuesday that the state is prepared for the planned reopening of businesses next week, and business associations are working to help prepare employers.
Apr. 28 2020 @ 4:30pm