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Missouri governor threatens to prosecute journalist for sharing web security flaw
Missouri Governor Mike Parson has accused a reporter of being a 'hacker' after he alerted the government to website security flaws.
Hyperloop One says Missouri route is economically viable
Virgin Hyperloop One has announced the results of a feasibility study on a planned route connecting Kansas City, Columbia and St. Louis. The study, which has yet to be published in full, purports that the route between the three cities is commercially viable. Researchers at Black & Veatch examined the engineering, viability and economic challenges of a proposed line running parallel to I-70.
FDA and USDA will meet to debate the future of lab-grown meat
It's inevitable that lab-grown meat will play some kind of role in the future of food supply, but at this stage, it's unclear how much of a role, or what its regulatory frameworks will look like. This is why the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and US Department of Agriculture (USDA) are hosting a joint public meeting on the issue, to address public concerns about cell-cultured meat products and to examine how they will fit into existing food systems.
Lab-grown meat is not meat, Missouri state rules
What's the definition of "meat"? Once upon a time that would have been an easy enough question to answer, but the advent of meat-substitute products such as the Impossible Burger and the arrival of cultured meat -- aka lab-grown meat -- has given regulators in Missouri pause for thought. On Tuesday, it became the first state in the US to enact a law stating that the word "meat" cannot be used to sell anything that "is not derived from harvested production livestock or poultry."
Reviewing election cybersecurity in this week's primary states
Since learning of Russia's attempts to hack into the elections systems of 21 states during the 2016 US presidential race, legislators have been on high alert. Cybersecurity experts have warned it's likely the Kremlin will attack again, and already it's been caught attempting to infiltrate legislators' computers and use phony social media accounts to influence the outcome of 2018 state primaries. Four states are holding elections on Tuesday -- Kansas, Michigan, Missouri and Washington -- and some lawmakers are doing more than others to protect their systems against cyber attacks. Here's a breakdown of each state's approach to elections cybersecurity, as of August 2018:
Missouri wants to bring Hyperloop to the midwest
The state of Missouri has signed a deal with Virgin Hyperloop One to investigate if it's worth building a high-speed link between three of its biggest cities. A team of interested parties will examine the feasibility of constructing a route between Kansas City, Columbia and St Louis, parallel to I-70. That will include looking at the engineering challenges, as well as the potential economic benefits of such a route.
Tesla can sell EVs in Missouri again after court win
Auto dealerships in Missouri really don't want Tesla on their turf, and last year got a judge to ban the automaker from getting a license in the state. However, the Missouri Court of Appeals has overturned that verdict, allowing Musk & Co to resume selling cars directly to consumers. "We have been serving customers in Missouri for almost five years and have contributed to the state economy and jobs for Missourians -- something that will now continue," Tesla said in a statement.
Missouri AG wants to know if Google broke consumer protection laws
The attorney general's office of Missouri has announced it's investigating whether Google broke the state's consumer protection and antitrust laws. AG Josh Hawley's statement expressly questioned the search giant's practices regarding collection of user data, potential content taken from competing websites and preferencing companies it owns in search results.
After Math: Everything sucks
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A hyperloop route may zip between Kansas City and St. Louis
The earliest hyperloop routes might not be limited to wealthy tech havens like California or the UAE. Missouri officials and Hyperloop One are seriously exploring the possibility of a hyperloop route that would run between Kansas City and St. Louis. In theory, the pod-based system would shuttle you between the cities in under half an hour, instead of the nearly 4 hours it takes by car -- you could commute from one end of the state to the other for work.
Solar road technology comes to Route 66
Solar Roadways' dreams of sunlight-gathering paths are one step closer to taking shape. Missouri's Department of Transportation is aiming to install a test version of the startup's solar road tiles in a sidewalk at the Historic Route 66 Welcome Center in Conway. Okay, it won't be on Route 66 just yet, but that's not the point -- the goal is to see whether or not the technology is viable enough that it could safely be used on regular streets. You should see it in action toward the end of the year.
Missouri is close to banning Tesla's direct-to-customer sales
The US as a whole may strongly believe in free trade, but that seems to go out of the window whenever Elon Musk is involved. According to KOLR 10 News, Missouri's legislature has sneakily included a ban on Tesla Motors' direct-selling model, shortly before the long-standing bill was passed through the Senate. Apparently, Bill HB 1124 previously was concerned with the sale of off-road and all-terrain vehicles. However, between being passed by the house on April 17th and being passed by the senate on May 7th, a new provision was included that essentially blocks Tesla's dealership-free business. Missouri isn't the first state to do this, as lobby groups have already enacted similar legislation in New Jersey, Arizona and Texas. Given that the FTC has already come out in favor of Tesla, we suspect the company will move to block the bill reaching the House floor, and has advised the locals to do the same. [Thanks, Andrew]
Google welcomes Gladstone, MO to the Fiber family
It looks like the slow and steady fiber-fication of Missouri is well underway, as the Gladstone City Council has voted to bring Google's speedy broadband service to the city. This comes just a few days after the Mountain View company welcomed Grandview into the fold, and we're sure the Show Me state will soon see even wider Fiber adoption just like neighboring Kansas. Of course, Gladstone's induction is merely honorary at this point; there's still plenty of work to be done before its citizens can surf the fastest internet waves in the Midwest.
Google Fiber plans Missouri expansion to Grandview
It's a bit strange, but Missouri hasn't received much attention from Google since Fiber debuted in Kansas City. On the Kansas side of the divide, the blazing-fast broadband has steadily rolled out to new neighborhoods. Hell, plans are already underway to bring the gigabit connection to two completely new states. Yet, there hasn't been much progress through Missouri's enclaves. Finally Mountain View is delivering the Show-Me State a little love, by announcing plans to expand Fiber's reach to Grandview. Residents shouldn't get too excited, though; there is still a ton of work to do. In fact, the effort is still in the planning stages, so sit tight. Still, the city will probably have gigabit internet before 99 percent of the country. (So, maybe get just a little excited.)
Don't panic: Missouri lawmaker proposes violent game tax
State Representative Diane Franklin (R) of Camdenton, Missouri, is proposing a 1 percent sales tax on violent video games. The AP reports the tax is in response to the school shootings in Connecticut and is designed to support mental health programs, along with law enforcement measures to prevent more mass shootings.For its part, the Entertainment Software Association (ESA), which fought a similar California law all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, told us, "The U.S. Supreme Court ruled only 18 months ago that laws penalizing video games are unconstitutional. Taxing First Amendment protected speech based on its content is not only wrong, but will end up costing Missouri taxpayers."That isn't even a veiled threat. The ESA has a habit of recouping lawyer costs. California paid out nearly $2 million for its unconstitutional attempts, but it hasn't been the only state.Oklahoma also tried a similar violent game bill last year that was killed before it got too far.We've reached out to Rep. Franklin's office to find out if she's still looking to pursue the bill.
Google Fiber announces 180 qualified fiberhoods, sets approximate rollout schedule
As promised, the complete list of 180 (no more, no less) fiberhoods which qualified for Google Fiber service has been announced. With it, the approximate construction schedule has also been posted online, confirming Hanover Heights in Kansas (October) and Crown Center in Missouri (Spring 2013) will lead off the deployment for their respective areas. If you live in a qualifying area and have not signed up yet, you will be able to sign up or change plans when installations actually begin, which will be October 2nd in Hanover Heights. All of the info about Google's gigabit internet service and how to get it is at the blog and if you're still waffling, remember -- it has ESPN now. Update: If that wasn't enough, Google has also expanded its channel lineup a bit more with Boomerang, Cartoon Network, CNN, CNN en Español, CNN International, HLN, hTV, infinito, MLB Strikezone (as part of an add-on package),TBS, TCM: Turner Classic Movies, TNT and truTV.
Google gets go ahead to provide video services to all Kansas City residents
In what may be a watershed moment for in-home entertainment, both Kansas and Missouri have given Google permission to provide video services to Kansas City residents as a part of its Google Fiber project. Missouri's Public Service Commission gave Big G the thumbs up on March 1st, and Kansas' Corporation Commission followed suit last Friday, meaning Google now has the green light to provide video services to residents on either side of the state line. Of course, the folks in Mountain View haven't committed to taking down the cable companies just yet, but these approvals put the necessary franchise licensing in place for them to do so if they choose. Comcast, Cox, Time Warner... your newest competitor has arrived. [Thanks, Jerry]
Mobile Miscellany: week of March 12th, 2012
Not all mobile news is destined for the front page, but if you're like us and really want to know what's going on, then you've come to the right place. This past week, we've seen T-Mobile expand its network coverage and take an argument to the FCC regarding interoperability requirements of the 700MHz band. These stories and more await after the break. So buy the ticket and take the ride as we explore the "best of the rest" for this week of March 12th, 2012.
Sprint adds Kansas City and Baltimore to list of LTE markets
If you've been waiting to see if your 'hood would be next up for Sprint to bless with a shiny new LTE network we've got some potentially good news: by mid-2012 both Kansas City (regardless of what side of the Kansas / Missouri border you happen to be on) and Baltimore will be online. Those two cities will bring the total number of Sprint LTE markets to six, as they join the previously announced Houston, Dallas, San Antonio and Atlanta. The carrier and CEO Dan Hesse refused to be any more specific about a launch date on today's earnings call, though, we can tell you the service should be launching alongside the Galaxy Nexus, LG Viper and a Sierra Wireless mobile hotspot capable of connecting via CDMA, WiMAX and LTE. Check out the PR after the break for more details.
Google adds Kansas City, MO to list of Kansas Cities covered by ultra high-speed internet (video)
It's gotta be rough being a Kansas City sometimes. It must be a constant cycle of excitement, only to realize that everyone was talking about your identically-named neighbor -- like back in late March, when Google first announced plans to bring its ultra high-speed internet fiber to the Kansas side of the border. Things are looking up for our friends in Kansas City, Missouri, however -- the city's awesomely-named Mayor Sly James held a press conference with Google and Kansas City Power & Light today to announce that his town will be joining in on the bandwidthy fun. Both Kansas Cities can expect to go ultra high-speed next year, pricing on either side of the invisible line remains elusive. Video of joyous local government officials after the break.
