Both of Missouri's U.S. Senators joined a bipartisan group designed to address the country's mounting debt.
In his latest Seventh District Power Rankings, posted today, Dave Catanese of KY3 reports no changes with Springfield auctioneer Billy Long remaining in the top slot, followed by Sen. Gary Nodler, R-Joplin, Sen. Jack Goodman, R-Mount Vernon, and Greene County Prosecuting Attorney Darrell Moore. [...] 
Winter has arrived, and it is time to pour a dark, rich, complex, warming beer. For $1.99, you can have 16.9 ounces of that, in a beer that has its origin in pre-revolution Russia. Baltika #6 Porter is one of the best beer values I've ever' [...] Gov. Nixon detailed legislation to overhaul the way Missouri deals with drunken-driving cases by eliminating loopholes that block prosecutions and ensuring that all DWI offenses are accurately recorded and tracked.
Judge Richard Callahan’s nomination as U.S. attorney is slated for hearing Thursday.
Kit Bond and Claire McCaskill are co-sponsors of [...]
Richard Callahan
JEFFERSON CITY — The long wait may be about over for Cole County Circuit Judge Richard Callahan, who was nominated by the president in September to be the next U.S. attorney in St. Louis.
Callahan’s name is listed on the…
[...]
A Sikeston Department of Public Safety Crime/Incident Report -- obtained today via a Sunshine request -- details gruesome allegations against Rod Jetton not previously reported.
An excerpt from the narrative portion of the report is below the break. The victim's name has been redacted.
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ON 11/17/2009, AT 2341 HOURS, I [...]
Today’s Post-Dispatch had a front-page story about the economic troubles faced in this recession by day care centers, particularly licensed day care centers. The overall article is good, but it has some issues I will get to in a moment. The article is a million times better than [...]
Amb. Zhou Wenzhong
WASHINGTON — With the necessary funding to promote a Chinese cargo hub in St. Louis all-but-secured, the sales pitch continues.
Members of Missouri’s congressional delegation and Gov. Jay Nixon will break bread tomorrow night in Washington with Zhou Wenzhong, the Chinese…
[...]Three area senators have signed onto a bipartisan effort to figure out ways to bring down the deficit.
Ok. We’ve all heard that before.
This time, however, the supporters have tried to create a process so that “the recommendations will not just sit on a shelf,” according to a [...]
NBC Action News: KCMO School District administrators didn't close schools until almost an hour after surrounding districts, and some buses were already running before the closing decision was made.' [...] 
Plastic Sax provides almost every bit of Weekly Kansas City Jazz news a music fan needs to know. [...] 
KC Biz Journal: The new owner of the bankrupt Arena Football League did not list the Kansas City Brigade among the teams participating in the 2010 season. [...] Prescription drugs: They come in little white bottles. They take the shape of tablets, gels, or liquids. And they can’t talk.
That last fact usually goes without saying. No one would expect medications to speak, right? Actually, proposed regulations seem to anticipate just that. If drug companies couldn’t advertise in [...]
In August, the Directors of Redstate.com endorsed Roy Blunt over Chuck Purgason despite "many" disagreements -- "generally fiscal and earmarks related" – because they were with Blunt "in the fight for freedom." (Read their full endorsement here). The endorsement raised some eyebrows at the time, coming two [...]
Upon a second reading of a missive by one of my favorite KC area bloggers who is an original member of the first local blogging crew . . . I'm actually quite impressed with her ability to express a bit of righteous indignation.' [...] Will the public still purchase products promoted by Tarnished Tiger?
A whopping 91 percent say....."you betcha."
Every time I think Kansas City hasn't make much progress . . . It's comforting to read Leigh-Ann's 100 year-old Kansas City blog and realize that at least language has become a little nicer in public.' [...] Which branch of Kansas government isn't going to let a little snow get in the way of the day's business? The Supreme Court, which is continuing with oral arguments on a number of cases today even though just about every other state office worker stayed home.
The Board of Education is also working, [...]
MO Rage completely misunderstands this Tax Foundation report (link via Kansas City Prime Buzz). The report notes the rising percentage of tax filers who don’t owe any income tax, then states (emphasis mine):
A record had been set every year since 2002, as tax cuts throughout the Bush [...]
Gary Lezak's favorite Christmas song: "Let it snow let it snow let it snow."
Tiger Wood's favorite: "I'm getting nuttin' for Christmas."
Rod Jetton's favorite: "Hurt so good."
Enjoy...
WASHINGTON — In the ways of Washington, a proposal for yet another task force or commission generates yawns, if not chuckles.
But a new entity called the Bipartisan Fiscal Task Force, proposed this morning by a group of politically moderate senators, could turn into the best available…
[...]In a very recent paper, “Teaching Students and Teaching Each Other: The Importance of Peer Learning for Teachers,” authors C. Kirabo Jackson and Elias Bruegmann present a case for peer effects in teacher quality. From the abstract:
Using longitudinal elementary school teacher and student data, we document that students have [...]
OVERLAND — Gov. Jay Nixon proposes several changes to Missouri’s DWI laws that he says would lead to more prosecutions and better tracking of prior offenses by police departments and courts.
Click here to watch a video from Gov. Nixon’s news…
[...]
The Roberts Brothers
ST. LOUIS — For U.S. Senate hopeful Robin Carnahan, St. Louis’ Lindell Boulevard might as well be Wall Street — it’s where she is going to raise capital for her campaign.
About six weeks ago, Carnahan was feted at…
[...]Word comes today from Kansas City Clerk Vickie Thompson that former City Manager Wayne Cauthen's "name clearing" hearing has been postponed.
Cauthen had requested the hearing before the council after he was removed from his position.
Mayor Mark Funkhouser sent a letter to Cauthen last week informing him that the hearing would be [...]
Well, this is depressing. It's probably even more depressing for Congressmen with a long, documented track record of unethical behavior.
For the first time in Gallup's annual Honesty and Ethics of Professions poll, a majority of Americans -- 55% -- say the honesty and ethical standards of "members of [...]
Former Vice President CheneyBig talk from former Vice President Dick Cheney:
"I think we'll pick up a lot of seats (next year)," he told Fox New's Sean Hannity Tuesday. "Prospects for the Republicans in 2010 are very good."
More:
"Right after Obama was elected, there was [...]
Advancement Project, which calls itself a "voter protection organization," is out with a new report focusing on 2008 election problems in five states, including Missouri.
The conclusions:
"The state’s election administration is still marred by a patchwork registration system, unduly restrictive registration matching rules, and a localized administration structure [...]
What is “citizen journalism”? I like Jay Rosen’s definition:
Here’s the problem: This concept freaks out some professional journalists (professional in this case meaning they get a paycheck to do it).
There’s this idea floating around that many people — these citizen journalists — think they can replace professional journalists, [...]
Quinn
UPDATE: Noon: Quinn formally signed the bill a short time ago, vowing it will “make a difference in our government and our politics.”
“It isn’t the end, it’s the beginning of citizens making sure their government works right,” he said.
The…
[...]Why don't we have a minimum tax?
A strategy for bringing the public option to Kansas
Blunt backs Forsee's letter on climate change
Gov. Jay Nixon is supporting a legislative push to strengthen DWI laws in Missouri, thoughts on the rivalries among GOP political consultants, and will other Democrats in [...]
Northeast News has a great special report on Gerry's Silver Slipper, the first business in Kansas City to have its liquor license on probation thanks to an unprecedented run of violence around the discount strip club. [...] A new national study says Kansas City is among the major league sports markets that are over extended in terms of capacity to support teams. The metro’s personal income is more than $50 billion short of what we need to support the Chiefs, Royals, and Wizards – a situation that [...]
This blog post from Missourinet's Steve Walsh seems like a bit of a cheap shot (emphasis added):
In our never-ending effort to highlight examples of symbolism over substance ... we bring you what had been scheduled as Planned Parenthood's "Stop Stupak!" bus tour.
But the "Stop Stupak!" tour never gained much [...]
Old Cauthen programs and friends get cut while new priorities are determined . . . The funny part is, Kansas City is still broke . . . Probably staying that way. [...] 
KMBC: A medical examiner said a cousin of Bruce Springsteen died in Kansas City from an accidental drug overdose. [...] 
NBC Action News: After 40 years in business, Yarbrough's Family Restaurant is preparing to close its doors for good. [...] 
The Star: "Kansas Commerce Department pledges $48.5M in up-front money to Kansas City Wizards, Cerner project" [...] I don't live or work in the 7th District to know if Billy Long is "clearly the most visible candidate" running for Congress there, but this line from the KY3 "7th District Power Rankings" does not make sense:
The auctioneer is also clearly the most visible candidate in the field,' [...]
A "gang of 10" progressive and conservative Democratic Senators reached a tentative deal health care compromise last night. They're waiting on a cost estimate from the Congressional Budget Office – here's an early outline of the deal.
' [...]
Nick Sloan profiles: "The Worst ROI In Kansas City History" i.e. Jackson County pays continual sports mediocrity from The Chiefs and Royals. [...] 
Share the road, even in this weather with Kansas City cyclists so hardbody (or stupid) that they have no idea they're nearly one text message away from eternity.' [...] As I’ve written before, how we live in cities changes because of technology. The streetcar allowed cities to physically grow outward and the automobile took cities further and further outward. The mobile phone has allowed us to be away from a land line. The phone booth has disappeared. The notebook [...]
This is the eighth installment of The Notebook's monthly survey of the 7th Congressional District field and each candidate's chances of winning the GOP nomination in 2010.***The higher the candidate's ranking, the more likely he/she is positioned to win the nomination at this point and time' [...] 
KC Biz Journal: Samuel U. Rodgers Health Center 
The arraignment of former Speaker of the House Rod Jetton, R-Marble Hill, on a felony assault charge is scheduled for 9 a.m. Wednesday, Jan. 6, in Scott County Circuit Court.
