Politics is not getting any gentler in one of Missouri's most contentious state House districts, where two St. Charles County Republicans are locked in a battle that features criminal charges, accusations of lying and civil lawsuits.

Anyone interested in running for St. Joseph Mayor, City Council, and Municipal Judge can file their petition with the City Clerk.

The state's new congressional map uses Troost Avenue as a dividing line, and groups majority Black neighborhoods in east Kansas City with rural communities in the middle of the state. Community leaders worry the new divide will mean the needs of underserved urban neighborhoods go ignored.