MPN: Missouri Political News

• House District 159: Wright announces re-election campaign

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  At the end of Nov, Missouri House Rep. Billy Pat Wright (R) announced he will run for a fourth term in 2010.
  
  "There is still work to do and I am asking District 159 constituents to allow me to once" [...]
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  Posted: December 09, 2009, 3:49am EST
  by MPNblog.com | Missouri Political News

• Jetton: 'In politics if you're going to be successful, you've got to manage your data"

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  Background on Jetton and Associates, where "we like helping good conservatives get elected to office." Hosted by Rod Jetton (a.k.a. Jedi Jetton):
  
  [...]
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  Posted: December 08, 2009, 10:05pm EST
  by MPNblog.com | Missouri Political News

• Jetton's website pulled offline, consulting business to close

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  One day after former Missouri House Speaker Rod Jetton's (R) was arrested and charged with second-degree assault, a spokesman confirmed Jetton would close his political consulting business.
  
  Jetton's former campaign website, turned official consulting website, was no longer active Tuesday evening at [...]
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  Posted: December 08, 2009, 9:13pm EST
  by MPNblog.com | Missouri Political News

• Former House Speaker accused of felony after signing legislation in 2006 to amend law

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  Former House Speaker Rod Jetton (R) was accused Monday of a Class C felony in a complaint filed with Scott County Circuit Court. The law Jetton is accused of violating -- second-degree assault -- was amended while Jetton served in the Missouri House and even [...]
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  Posted: December 08, 2009, 3:43am EST
  by MPNblog.com | Missouri Political News

• Cash for Clunkers a hit in Missouri, results in 14,000 trade-ins

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  The hype has waned over one of the country’s most popular programs in the past year, but the impact in the Show Me State will be felt for years to come.
  
  More than 14,000 Missourians took advantage of a federal program [...]
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  Posted: December 07, 2009, 2:29am EST
  by MPNblog.com | Missouri Political News

• Ethics Commission releases Idiot's Guide to Campaign Finance

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  The Missouri Ethics Commission recently released its Guide to Ethics Laws 2010: A Plain English Summary for the state's campaign finance and ethics laws.
  
  All candidates for the 2010 election will sign a statement acknowledging receipt of the booklet when filing [...]
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  Posted: December 06, 2009, 3:40pm EST
  by MPNblog.com | Missouri Political News

• Is Missouri's economy really getting better?

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  After Friday's surprising national jobs report, there are some clear signs the economy is improving nationally, and that perhaps the worst effects of the recession have passed. But on the whole, the average American still isn't sure what to think. A new [...]
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  Posted: December 06, 2009, 11:06am EST
  by MPNblog.com | Missouri Political News

• Key State Senators back Schweich for Auditor

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  A handful of Republican state Senators pledged support Thursday for former Ambassador Tom Schweich's (R) campaign for state Auditor.
  
  Schweich's backers include Sens. Brad Lager, Delbert Scott, Kurt Schaefer, Bill Stouffer and Charlie Shields.
  
  “As a former Budget Chairman and a fiscal conservative, [...]
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  Posted: December 04, 2009, 3:18am EST
  by MPNblog.com | Missouri Political News

• Manufacturing job losses to stall as confidence increases, forecast says

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  Missouri's economy will expand in the next three to six months, but only slightly, according to a new survey from Creighton University.
  
  Creighton's Missouri Business Conditions Index predicts the state's economy will be just above growth neutral in coming months. The [...]
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  Posted: December 03, 2009, 3:41am EST
  by MPNblog.com | Missouri Political News

• Environmentalist wants Koster to return funds from Premium Standard Farms owner

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  In the fury of fundraising leading up to the 2008 Attorney General primary, Chris Koster (D) accepted a contribution from Smithfield Foods, Inc. At the time the contribution was not anything of tremendous significance, but today at least one environmentalist says it's unethical.
  
  Koster, [...]
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  Posted: December 02, 2009, 7:48pm EST
  by MPNblog.com | Missouri Political News

• Conway officially files paperwork with Secretary of State's Office

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  Buchanan County Clerk Pat Conway (D) filed paperwork with the Missouri Secretary of State's office to officially become a candidate in House District 27.
  
  Conway is seeking to replace former Rep. Ed Wildberger (D) who was recently appointed to a' [...]
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  Posted: December 02, 2009, 5:42pm EST
  by MPNblog.com | Missouri Political News

• Number of bills filed on Dec. 1 exceeds numbers of state legislators; first House bill would completly ban texting while driving

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  Dec. 1 marked the first day for state legislators to file bills for the 2010 session that begins Jan. 6. And legislators showed up in droves to pre-file nearly twice as many bills as they did last year.
  
  In all 56 legislators, of the [...]
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  Posted: December 02, 2009, 2:24am EST
  by MPNblog.com | Missouri Political News

• U.S. House releases electronic copy of official expenditures

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  For the first time ever, expenditure records from members of the U.S. House of Representatives are going digital.
  
  The 3,404 pages of documentation typically comes in three hardbound volumes. The printed copies are still available, but for those of us not in Congress, the [...]
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  Posted: December 01, 2009, 3:43am EST
  by MPNblog.com | Missouri Political News

• Yates to resign from House

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  Rep. Brian Yates (R) will resign from the Missouri House Tuesday, becoming the fifth state legislator to do so this year.
  
  Yates, who represents Lee's Summit, cannot seek re-election due to legislative term limits. Instead, he will devote his time to QC Holdings, a [...]
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  Posted: November 30, 2009, 8:38pm EST
  by MPNblog.com | Missouri Political News

• Ethics Commission quiet as Campaign Finance violator list rapidly grows due to 48 Hour Reports

  Number of comments: 2
  

  
  

  EXCLUSIVE MPN ANALYSIS
  
  Chalk this analysis up as a win for transparency and a loss for the reliability of some elected officials. An analysis of campaign finance data by MPN identified a large number of violations resulting from a new [...]
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  Posted: November 30, 2009, 4:00am EST
  by MPNblog.com | Missouri Political News

• Nixon approval falls to 44 percent in Nov. SurveyUSA poll

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  It's undeniable for the Nixon Administration, things aren't rosy in Missouri these days. And Nixon's approval rating shows that sentiment among Missouri voters.
  
  A new SurveyUSA poll shows Nixon's approval at 44 percent, a 6-point drop over the last month.
  [...]
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  Posted: November 28, 2009, 8:33am EST
  by MPNblog.com | Missouri Political News

• Bill pre-filing to begin Dec. 1st

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  Missouri legislators will begin pre-filing legislation for the 95th General Assembly next Tuesday.
  
  Pre-filing, which officially begins Dec. 1, offers legislators an opportunity to make their priorities known before the session begins, and perhaps even set the tone for the entire [...]
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  Posted: November 27, 2009, 6:25am EST
  by MPNblog.com | Missouri Political News

• Who does your turkey support?

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  Your turkey may have a partisan flavor this year, because at least one poultry company is coming out with early investments for Missouri's 2010 election cycle.
  
  Arkansas-based Tyson Foods, one of Forbes' 100 largest corporations in the U.S., donated $5,800 to three candidates,' [...]
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  Posted: November 26, 2009, 5:45am EST
  by MPNblog.com | Missouri Political News

• McCaskill attends Obama Administration's first state dinner

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  Missouri Sen. Claire McCaskill (D) attended the Obama Administration's first official state dinner for the Prime Minister of India Tuesday night.
  
  McCaskill, an outspoken supporter of Obama during the 2008 campaign, was one of just a handful of Congressman invited to the event, according [...]
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  Posted: November 25, 2009, 1:21am EST
  by MPNblog.com | Missouri Political News

• Senate District 24: Large contributions to Lamping far exceed Plocher's 3Q fundraising

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  Three Democrats and two Republicans are currently fundraising for primary contests in Missouri Senate District 24.
  
  This open Democratic-leaning seat is being vacated by term-limited Sen. Joan Bray (D). When Bray was first elected in 2002, she won by only a 5 point margin. [...]
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  Posted: November 24, 2009, 4:36am EST
  by MPNblog.com | Missouri Political News

• St. Louis Rep arrested for bizarre 'robbery'

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  The St. Louis Post-Dispatch broke a story this morning about the arrest of State Rep. Don Calloway Jr. (D), from St. Louis County.
  
  Calloway, who is currently serving his first-term in the state House, apparently grabbed a checkbook from officials at a Northeast fire [...]
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  Posted: November 23, 2009, 8:24pm EST
  by MPNblog.com | Missouri Political News

• SurveyUSA pegs Nixon approval rating at 50 percent

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  A SurveyUSA poll released at the end of Oct. pegged Gov. Jay Nixon's (D) approval at 50 percent. That's 8 points higher than a recent Public Policy Polling survey, conducted just two weeks later.
  
  Both surveys are phone-based and neither [...]
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  Posted: November 23, 2009, 8:03pm EST
  by MPNblog.com | Missouri Political News

• Senate District 24: Page maintains extensive fundraising lead for Democratic primary

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  Three Democrats and two Republicans are currently fundraising for primary contests in Missouri Senate District 24.
  
  The seat, open in 2010, is being vacated by term-limited Sen. Joan Bray (D). When Bray was first elected in 2002, she won by only a 5 point [...]
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  Posted: November 23, 2009, 4:12am EST
  by MPNblog.com | Missouri Political News

• Nixon approval rate at 42 percent

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  Gov. Jay Nixon's approval rating sits at 42 percent, according to a recent poll conducted by Democratic-leaning Public Policy Polling (PPP).
  
  Respondents who approve of Nixon include 36 percent of John McCain supporters in the 2008 election, 25 percent of self-described conservatives, and 23 [...]
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  Posted: November 22, 2009, 11:15am EST
  by MPNblog.com | Missouri Political News

• Ed Martin attacks wrong website in stimulus critique

  Number of comments: 3
  

  
  

  Update: As of Nov. 23, Martin's campaign had updated its website to correct the mistake cited in this post.
  Conservatives continue to assail job creation estimates from the federal stimulus released by the White House Recovery Board, some of which were erroneously' [...]
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  Posted: November 22, 2009, 10:52am EST
  by MPNblog.com | Missouri Political News

• Missouri taxes generally regressive, study shows

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  Even though Missouri is generally perceived as a low-tax state, the overall tax structure tends to favor the wealthy.
  
  That's according to a new report released this week by the Washington D.C.-based Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP).
  [...]
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  Posted: November 20, 2009, 4:44am EST
  by MPNblog.com | Missouri Political News

• State GOP candidates lead Dems in contributions greater than 5k in Nov.

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  Republican Party candidates in Missouri reported more contributions greater than $5,000 than their Democratic Party counterparts so far in Nov.
  
  According to data from the Missouri Ethics Commission, GOP candidates and party committees received 10 contributions greater than or equal to $5,000, totaling $81,500. [...]
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  Posted: November 19, 2009, 9:50pm EST
  by MPNblog.com | Missouri Political News

• Hartzler misses forest in critique of stimulus job creation

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  Congressional candidate Vicky Hartzler (R) showed a level of ignorance Thursday with comments criticizing federal stimulus jobs reporting.
  
  Hartzler issued a press release that hops on a conservative bandwagon aimed at criticizing reported job estimates in misidentified congressional districts. Hartzler immediately jumps to the [...]
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  Posted: November 19, 2009, 6:53pm EST
  by MPNblog.com | Missouri Political News

• Blunt and Carnahan in statistical dead heat

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  Congressman Roy Blunt (R) and Secretary of State Robin Carnahan (D) are in a statistical dead heat for the 2010 Missouri Senate race, according to a new poll released this week.
  
  The poll, conducted by Democratic-leaning Public Policy Polling, shows that in a race [...]
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  Posted: November 19, 2009, 3:46am EST
  by MPNblog.com | Missouri Political News

• Smith successor sworn into state senate

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  Just one day after his predecessor was sentenced to federal prison, State Sen. Joe Keaveny (D) was sworn in to represent Missouri's 4th Senatorial District.
  
  53-year-old Keaveny had the oath of office administered by Supreme Court Judge Michael Wolff.
  
  Keaveny, a longtime banking [...]
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  Posted: November 18, 2009, 8:59pm EST
  by MPNblog.com | Missouri Political News

• Baker tapped as regional HHS director

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  Federal Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius (D) appointed former state Rep. Judy Baker (D) as a regional director yesterday.
  
  Baker will represent HHS Region VII which covers the states of Missouri, Iowa, Kansas and Nebraska. Baker's responsibilities will include coordinating federal health [...]
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  Posted: November 18, 2009, 8:34pm EST
  by MPNblog.com | Missouri Political News

• Nixon proposes tuition freeze for second consecutive year

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  Missouri college students won't have to pay more for tuition next year thanks to a plan announced by Gov. Jay Nixon on Tuesday.
  
  Under Nixon's proposal, state colleges and universities that agree not to raise tuition will receive only a 5.2 percent reduction for' [...]
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  Posted: November 18, 2009, 5:17am EST
  by MPNblog.com | Missouri Political News

• More Missourians going hungry, increase in insecurity alarming

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  The number of Missourians without access to enough food for active, healthy lifestyles is increasing according to a new study released this week by the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture.
  
  The Show Me State reported a 14 percent rate of food insecurity, [...]
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  Posted: November 17, 2009, 9:10pm EST
  by MPNblog.com | Missouri Political News

• Two former state Democratic lawmakers sentenced for felonies

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  Two former state Democratic lawmakers were sentenced today after pleading guilty to federal conspiracy and obstruction of justice charges back in Sept.
  
  The charges stem from a cover-up in former State Sen. Jeff Smith's (D) 2004 congressional campaign against Congressman Russ Carnahan (D). [...]
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  Posted: November 17, 2009, 7:45pm EST
  by MPNblog.com | Missouri Political News

• Hartzler plans campaign announcement tour this weekend

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  Former state Rep. Vicky Hartzler (R) announced twice today that she will officially announce her congressional campaign this weekend.
  
  The first email sent out by the Hartzler campaign didn't include the list of stops on the tour. The campaign noted the mistake with a' [...]
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  Posted: November 17, 2009, 6:21pm EST
  by MPNblog.com | Missouri Political News

• Missouri unemployment plateaus as national rate continues to climb

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  Missouri's unemployment rate plateaued in Oct. as the national rate increased by four-tenths of one point.
  
  In Missouri, the unemployment rate last month declined to 9.3 percent, down two-tenths of one point from Sept.
  
  The Missouri Dept. of Economic [...]
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  Posted: November 17, 2009, 3:40am EST
  by MPNblog.com | Missouri Political News

• Missouri pays out $1.26 billion in federal stimulus funds to date

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  The state of Missouri has paid out a total of $1.26 billion in federal stimulus funds since the beginning of 2009, according to state data.
  
  The largest chunk of that funding passed through the Dept. of Labor and Industrial Relations, which [...]
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  Posted: November 16, 2009, 9:20pm EST
  by MPNblog.com | Missouri Political News

• Koster allows environmental law blog to become obsolete

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  Environmentalists expressed concerns in 2008 about then candidate Chris Koster's (D) environmental record. Now, there may be cause for concerns to resurface.
  
  At the center of the 2008 debate was Koster's stance on controlled animal feeding operations (CAFOs), which Koster says pose no [...]
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  Posted: November 16, 2009, 4:56am EST
  by MPNblog.com | Missouri Political News

• Feeling under the weather? Chances of catching flu decrease in Missouri

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  Missouri flu cases are on the decline according to data from Google's FluTrends report.
  
  Google scholars developed a model that links flu queries from their search engine to actual influenza incidence rates.
  
  In Missouri, and nationally, Google predicts' [...]
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  Posted: November 15, 2009, 4:19am EST
  by MPNblog.com | Missouri Political News

• Democrats hammer Hoskins for payment of back taxes

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  One Republican state representative in a targeted Missouri House district is learning the consequences of not paying taxes, and definitely the hard way.
  
  Rep. Denny Hoskins (R-121) announced earlier this week he owed nearly $20,000 to the Johnson County collector in back taxes [...]
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  Posted: November 14, 2009, 3:01am EST
  by MPNblog.com | Missouri Political News

• Lawmaker pays off $20,000 in back taxes

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  A central Missouri lawmaker who said he owed the government $20,000, through a company he owns with his brother, has paid the amount in full.
  
  First-term Rep. Denny Hoskins (R-121) told the Warrensburg Daily Star Journal this that he owed nearly $16,100 in back [...]
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  Posted: November 13, 2009, 2:16am EST
  by MPNblog.com | Missouri Political News

• House District 110: Three Democrats establish fundraising committees, including current Rep's son

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  The race to replace term-limited Rep. Belinda Harris (D) in House District 110 so far includes three Democrats, including Harris' son.
  
  The legislative district south of St. Louis includes parts of Franklin, Jefferson and Washington counties. It's also territory where Republicans [...]
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  Posted: November 12, 2009, 6:56am EST
  by MPNblog.com | Missouri Political News

• Year-to-date casino revenues down, tax receipts up

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  Tying eduction funding to gambling is a gamble of sorts, especially during times of economic turmoil. However, despite declining casino revenues, taxes are up for the 2010 fiscal year.
  
  According to the latest report from the state Gaming Commission, casino revenues and patrons are [...]
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  Posted: November 12, 2009, 5:50am EST
  by MPNblog.com | Missouri Political News

• Gas sales show signs of travel recovery

  Number of comments: 0
  

  
  

  More gas isn't always so bad, especially when the gas is a leading indicator of economic recovery.
  
  In Missouri, gasoline sales dropped by 4 percent in 2008 compared to one year earlier. While the percent may not initially seem large, it' [...]
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  Posted: November 11, 2009, 5:23am EST
  by MPNblog.com | Missouri Political News

• Politico says Blunt faces uphill battle against Carnahan

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  Politico is calling Missouri's 2010 Senate race one of the top 10 to watch in the country. According to Politico's analysis today:
  
  The race to succeed retiring GOP Sen. Kit Bond offers Democrats one of their strongest pickup targets, as Missouri Secretary of State [...]
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  Posted: November 10, 2009, 8:38pm EST
  by MPNblog.com | Missouri Political News

• House District 121: Cole outraises Hoskins in last quarter

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  In 2008, Rep. Denny Hoskins (R) defeated Jim Jackson (D) to represent House District 121 by less than a one-point margin.
  
  Because just 122 votes separated the candidates in 2008, this is yet another race to closely watch in 2010.
  
  [...]
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  Posted: November 10, 2009, 6:00am EST
  by MPNblog.com | Missouri Political News

• Bond promotes 'The Next Front' with Jon Stewart

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  U.S. Sen. Kit Bond (R) is leaving the Senate in 2010, and like so many other retiring politicians these days, he wrote a book.
  
  Bond's book, The Next Front, identifies southeast Asia as the next front in the war on terrorism. On Monday' [...]
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  Posted: November 09, 2009, 10:32pm EST
  by MPNblog.com | Missouri Political News

• McCaskill hits MSNBC to talk about cost controls in health care bill

  Number of comments: 0
  

  
  

  From Politico.com; McCaskill at 1:08:
  [...]
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  Posted: November 09, 2009, 7:34pm EST
  by MPNblog.com | Missouri Political News

• Dips in state employment show signs of steady improvement

  Number of comments: 0
  

  
  

  Missouri lost 86,000 jobs over the last 6 quarters, and, yes, that's a lot by anyone's standard.
  
  Total cumulative losses during the current recession already exceed those from the downturn at the beginning of the decade. That recession in 2000 resulted [...]
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  Posted: November 09, 2009, 5:23am EST
  by MPNblog.com | Missouri Political News

• U.S. House passes healthcare overhaul by 220-215 vote

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  After months of partisan bickering and fiery town halls, and hours after President Obama exhorted lawmakers to approve a healthcare overhaul, the U.S. House of Representatives narrowly passed landmark healthcare reform legislation by a 220 to 215 vote late Saturday night.
  
  Democrats say the [...]
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  Posted: November 08, 2009, 11:32am EST
  by MPNblog.com | Missouri Political News

• House District 17: Contributions add up for rematch between Schneider and Biermann

  Number of comments: 0
  

  
  

  House District 17 was the closest state house race in 2008, and now it's back up in the air for 2010.
  
  In 2008, Rep. Kenny Biermann (D) defeated three-term incumbent Vicki Schneider (R) by just 73 votes. That was just' [...]
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  Posted: November 08, 2009, 7:24am EST
  by MPNblog.com | Missouri Political News

• Carnahan to release new Blue Book this week

  Number of comments: 1
  

  
  

  On Tuesday Secretary of State Robin Carnahan's (D) office will unveil Missouri's 2009-2010 Official Manual, known more commonly as the Blue Book.
  
  Carnahan also announced last her office has made old Blue Books available online, and ultimately plans to make nearly the full collection [...]
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  Posted: November 07, 2009, 11:17am EST
  by MPNblog.com | Missouri Political News

• KC Star Editorial: contribution limits 'must be reinstituted'

  Number of comments: 0
  

  
  

  Recently the state of Illinois approved campaign contribution limits, two years after Missouri did away with them.
  
  But now there's growing talk of returning to some level of limits in Missouri after allegations of some Missouri officials offering favors to donors.
  
  On' [...]
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  Posted: November 06, 2009, 7:16am EST
  by MPNblog.com | Missouri Political News

• Majority of Missourians find global warming a 'serious threat', survey says

  Number of comments: 3
  

  
  

  The majority of Missourians identified global warming as a serious threat, according to a survey released today by the Pew Environment Group.
  
  A total of 61 percent of the 600 likely Missouri voters surveyed indicated global warming is a serious threat, while just 17 [...]
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  Posted: November 05, 2009, 7:53pm EST
  by MPNblog.com | Missouri Political News

• House District 10: Witte raises $6,300 in bid to succeed Witte

  Number of comments: 0
  

  
  

  House candidate Linda Witte (D) raised $6,275 during the third quarter of fundraising, according to reports filed last month with the Missouri Ethics Commission.
  
  Witte's itemized receipts spanned the state, including $925 from political committees, and $3,025 from individuals. Individuals donating' [...]
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  Posted: November 05, 2009, 5:26am EST
  by MPNblog.com | Missouri Political News

• McCaskill misses vote as First-Time Homebuyer Tax Credit sails through Senate

  Number of comments: 0
  

  
  

  This afternoon in Washington the Senate passed a bill that would extend unemployment benefits by 14 weeks and reauthorize the First-Time Homebuyer Tax Credit, which was set to expire Nov. 30.
  
  Although the legislation was mired in politics over the past [...]
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  Posted: November 04, 2009, 8:29pm EST
  by MPNblog.com | Missouri Political News

• House District 27: Conway files for seat to replace Wildberger

  Number of comments: 0
  

  
  

  A little more than one week ago, Pat Conway (D) filed paperwork with the Missouri Ethics Commission to begin fundraising for a bid to represent House District 27.
  
  Conway, who currently serves as the Buchanan County Clerk, will seek to replace former Rep. Ed [...]
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  Posted: November 04, 2009, 6:07am EST
  by MPNblog.com | Missouri Political News

• House District 73: Newman wins special election

  Number of comments: 3
  

  
  

  House Candidate Stacey Newman (D) defeated challenger Daniel O'Sullivan (R) in the special election in House District 73.
  
  According to unofficial results from the Secretary of State's office, Newman won by a 23-point margin with just under 6,000 votes cast [...]
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  Posted: November 03, 2009, 9:59pm EST
  by MPNblog.com | Missouri Political News

• GOP launches attack ad on Carnahan, first of 2010 cycle

  Number of comments: 0
  

  
  

  The Missouri GOP's first campaign attack ad of the 2010 election cycle hit the internet this week.
  
  The GOP released a statement to supporters today that asserts "KRCG-TV investigates ACORN-Carnahan relationship." That is perhaps a slight exaggeration of the KRCG that report aired today,' [...]
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  Posted: November 03, 2009, 8:59pm EST
  by MPNblog.com | Missouri Political News

• MPNblog.com continues to ascend influence rankings

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  Just one month after returning to the Missouri blogosphere, MPNblog.com penetrated the Top 5 listing for state political blogs.
  
  The rankings are compiled by BlogNet.com as an influence index that considers visitors, comments, and references from other websites.
  
  Since re-launching MPNblog.com has [...]
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  Posted: November 03, 2009, 8:16pm EST
  by MPNblog.com | Missouri Political News

• Forecast predicts regional job losses to continue, holiday sales slump anticipated

  Number of comments: 0
  

  
  

  The state and regional economies marginally expanded in Oct., but slow economic growth in coming months may put a damper on holiday spirits.
  
  October's Business Conditions Index, compiled by Creighton University economist Ernie Goss, showed supply managers in the Midwest expect' [...]
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  Posted: November 03, 2009, 6:48am EST
  by MPNblog.com | Missouri Political News

• MoDOT director named public official of the year by 'Governing' magazine

  Number of comments: 0
  

  
  

  The Director of Missouri's Department of Transportation (MoDOT), Pete Rahn, was recently named one of the country's leading public officials by Governing magazine.
  
  "Rahn is one of the country's most innovative transportation officials," Governing magazine says of Rahn, a former transportation' [...]
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  Posted: November 02, 2009, 8:38pm EST
  by MPNblog.com | Missouri Political News

• Nixon appoints handful of campaign donors to state boards

  Number of comments: 0
  

  
  

  Gov. Jay Nixon (D) announced 16 appointments to state boards and commissions Monday, including five campaign donors.
  
  To be fair, a number of the appointments were for Democratic slots on various boards.
  
  The donor-appointees include:
  
  Karen Payne of Blue Springs [...]
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  Posted: November 02, 2009, 7:29pm EST
  by MPNblog.com | Missouri Political News

• Kinder only statewide official to accept lobbyist gifts in Sept.

  Number of comments: 0
  

  
  

  Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder (R) was the only statewide elected official to accept gifts from lobbyists in the month of Sept.
  
  According to lobbyist reports filed with the Missouri Ethics Commission, Kinder accepted all of $23.68 in meals from two lobbyists.
  
  The first [...]
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  Posted: November 02, 2009, 5:58am EST
  by MPNblog.com | Missouri Political News

• More H1N1 vaccines arrive in Missouri, including state prisons

  Number of comments: 0
  

  
  

  Missouri now has 250,000 doses of the H1N1 vaccine, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
  
  The new shipment of vaccines roughly doubles doses available in Missouri from one week ago.
  
  A request from the Missouri Department of [...]
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  Posted: November 01, 2009, 9:01pm EST
  by MPNblog.com | Missouri Political News

• Rams 30, Chiefs 4...in campaign contributions

  Number of comments: 1
  

  
  

  Neither of Missouri's professional football teams is faring particularly well this season. As of Sunday afternoon, the Chiefs are 1-6 and the Rams just broke a 17 game losing streak with a win against Detroit, for a record of 1-7.
  
  But' [...]
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  Posted: November 01, 2009, 3:06pm EST
  by MPNblog.com | Missouri Political News

• MO stimulus jobs heavily linked to education; early errors identified

  Number of comments: 0
  

  
  

  Nearly three-quarters of the jobs claimed to be created or saved in Missouri as a result of funds from the federal stimulus came from education-related grants, according to MPN's analysis of federal data released last Friday.
  
  In total, the 54 awards' [...]
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  Posted: November 01, 2009, 12:45pm EST
  by MPNblog.com | Missouri Political News

• White House transparency effort leads to release of visitors logs

  Number of comments: 0
  

  
  

  Friday was a Day of Transparency for the White House. In addition to releasing data reported by recipients of funds under the federal stimulus package, the White House also released scores of names from visitors logs.
  
  Norm Eisen, a Presidential [...]
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  Posted: October 31, 2009, 9:56am EDT
  by MPNblog.com | Missouri Political News

• Missouri firms report 15,100 jobs created from federal stimulus

  Number of comments: 5
  

  
  

  Missouri firms receiving contracts, grants, and loans from the federal stimulus package reported receiving 15,124 jobs, according to data released Friday by the White House.
  
  That's the 14th highest number of jobs created from the stimulus among states, according to data' [...]
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  Posted: October 30, 2009, 6:53pm EDT
  by MPNblog.com | Missouri Political News

• House District 5: Klippenstein nets $13k for bid to replace Guest

  Number of comments: 0
  

  
  

  House Candidate Glen Klippenstein (R) raised just over $13,000 during his first quarter of fundraising for the race to replace Rep. Jim Guest (R).
  
  Guest, who is term-limited in 2010, claimed 57 percent of the vote in 2008, a 2,300 vote [...]
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  Posted: October 30, 2009, 4:11am EDT
  by MPNblog.com | Missouri Political News

• Missourian holds off Taliban ambush in Afghanistan

  Number of comments: 0
  

  
  

  A Kansas City native and contract worker single-handedly fought off an insurgent attack in Kabul Wednesday, according to reports from the Associated Press and Washington Post.
  
  Chris Turner, a Missouri trucker and contractor in Afghanistan, held off insurgents attacking a United Nations compound armed [...]
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  Posted: October 29, 2009, 8:42pm EDT
  by MPNblog.com | Missouri Political News

• 30,000 already claimed First Time Homebuyer Tax Credit in Missouri

  Number of comments: 0
  

  
  

  It's not a definitive success, but at least 30,100 Missourians have already claimed the First Time Home-buyers Tax Credit.
  
  The estimate comes from the federal General Accountability Office (GAO) who reviewed Internal Revenue Service (IRS) data of those claiming the credit.' [...]
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  Posted: October 29, 2009, 6:39am EDT
  by MPNblog.com | Missouri Political News

• Nixon slashes $204 million more from state budget

  Number of comments: 0
  

  
  

  Gov. Jay Nixon (D) today announced $204 million in budget cuts and termination of nearly 700 state jobs.
  
  The cuts largely target Medicaid payments to health care providers and arts subsidies (see a partial list of cuts after the jump).
  
  "These restrictions have" [...]
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  Posted: October 28, 2009, 7:28pm EDT
  by MPNblog.com | Missouri Political News

• Nixon Administration to announce more budget cuts on Wed.

  Number of comments: 0
  

  
  

  Gov. Jay Nixon (D) and state budget director Linda Luebbering will announce more cuts to the state's $23.7 billion budget Wed. morning.
  
  To date, Nixon has cut $430 million from the budget passed by lawmakers earlier this year. The most recent cuts included a' [...]
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  Posted: October 28, 2009, 7:15am EDT
  by MPNblog.com | Missouri Political News

• Schweich launches new website

  Number of comments: 0
  

  
  

  Missouri State Auditor Candidate Tom Schweich (R) launched a new campaign website today at TomSchweich.com.
  
  "This upgraded version of our online strategy keeps you up to date with our latest news, allows you to sign up for periodic updates via" [...]
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  Posted: October 27, 2009, 7:06pm EDT
  by MPNblog.com | Missouri Political News

• Ethics Commission launches new search features on website

  Number of comments: 0
  

  
  

  Most Missourians probably won't notice, but for the politicos and campaign consultants that frequent the Missouri Ethics Commission's (MEC) website, a couple new features are sure to be a hit.
  
  MEC released two substantial improvements to their website Monday including searchability for 48 Hour [...]
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  Posted: October 27, 2009, 2:22am EDT
  by MPNblog.com | Missouri Political News

• Schweich to lead NATO training, campaign momentum grows

  Number of comments: 0
  

  
  

  Missouri State Auditor Candidate Tom Schweich (R) is touting endorsements of leading state Republicans in a recent message to supporters, and mixing into that message his international credentials as a former ambassador to Afghanistan.
  
  Schweich is slated to take a few days off [...]
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  Posted: October 27, 2009, 1:08am EDT
  by MPNblog.com | Missouri Political News

• Montee files amended finance report, correcting errors identified by MPN

  Number of comments: 0
  

  
  

  Last week MPNblog.com identified errors in Missouri State Auditor Susan Montee's (D) third quarter campaign finance report. On Thursday, Oct. 22, 5 days after our initial post, the Montee campaign filed an amended report with the Missouri Ethics Commission.
  
  "Montee's non-political committee contributions" [...]
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  Posted: October 26, 2009, 6:55pm EDT
  by MPNblog.com | Missouri Political News

• House District 1: Cottrell raises $3200 with no clear Republican challenger

  Number of comments: 0
  

  
  

  Missouri House Candidate Keri Cottrell (D) raised $3,200 during the third fundraising quarter of 2009, bringing total fundraising for her campaign to $4,600.
  
  Cottrell is an outspoken supporter of public schools and a 4th grade teacher in the Canton School District, [...]
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  Posted: October 26, 2009, 6:24am EDT
  by MPNblog.com | Missouri Political News

• McCaskill dishes on H1N1 and health care; reiterates support for public option

  Number of comments: 0
  

  
  

  U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill's (D) interview with George Stephanopoulos on ABC's This Week Sunday morning touched on two issues -- H1N1 preparedness and the health care debate.
  
  Reports of widespread flu symptoms are due to a successful public awareness campaign, according [...]
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  Posted: October 25, 2009, 8:05pm EDT
  by MPNblog.com | Missouri Political News

• MPNblog.com joins BlogNet's Top 10, two weeks after return

  Number of comments: 1
  

  
  

  It's been two full weeks since MPNblog.com re-entered Missouri's blog network, and we're proud to announce we have penetrated the top ten sites on BlogNet.com's influence index.
  
  Our official return to the listing came last week. Since then, MPNblog.com jumped 5 slots [...]
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  Posted: October 25, 2009, 7:47pm EDT
  by MPNblog.com | Missouri Political News

• McCaskill to talk health care on ABC morning show this Sunday

  Number of comments: 0
  

  
  

  U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill (D) will talk health care on ABC's Sunday morning show This Week with George Stephanopoulos.
  
  According to ABC, McCaskill will be featured in a health care exclusive segment with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, the top' [...]
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  Posted: October 24, 2009, 1:53pm EDT
  by MPNblog.com | Missouri Political News

• Bond slams federal cap-and-trade legislation

  Number of comments: 0
  

  
  

  U.S. Sen. Kit Bond (R) reiterated his opposition to federal cap-and-trade legislation in a statement to supporters on Friday.
  
  Bond maintains the legislation would increase energy prices and stymie job growth.
  
  “The [cap-and-trade] bill is a giant new energy tax on America’s families [...]
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  Posted: October 24, 2009, 6:30am EDT
  by MPNblog.com | Missouri Political News

• Senate District 8: Dusenberg ends quarter with $53k cash-on-hand

  Number of comments: 0
  

  
  

  Rep. Gary Dusenberg (R), a candidate for State Senate District 8, raised just $8,300 during the last fundraising quarter.
  
  Dusenberg received 23 percent of the itemized contributions from political committees, and the remainder from 12 individuals and businesses. All but [...]
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  Posted: October 23, 2009, 6:39pm EDT
  by MPNblog.com | Missouri Political News

• Senate District 8: Pratt raises one-quarter of funds from out-of-state

  Number of comments: 0
  

  
  

  State Rep. Brian Pratt (R), a candidate for District 8 state senator, raised a total of $76,000 during the third quarter of fundraising, substantially more than either of identified potential primary opponents.
  
  Just over 28 percent of Pratt's total contributions' [...]
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  Posted: October 23, 2009, 7:00am EDT
  by MPNblog.com | Missouri Political News

• House District 21: Schultz exceeds $25k in receipts for 2010 election

  Number of comments: 0
  

  
  

  Missouri state House Candidate Kelly Schultz (D) received $15,000 in contributions during the third fundraising quarter of 2009.
  
  Schultz is a candidate in an open seat being vacated by term-limited State Rep. Steve Hobbs (R).
  
  Schultz was defeated [...]
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  Posted: October 23, 2009, 6:00am EDT
  by MPNblog.com | Missouri Political News

• Senate District 8: Yates raises less than $10k during 3Q

  Number of comments: 0
  

  
  

  Rep. Brian Yates (R) raised less than $10,000 during the most recent fundraising period ending Sept. 30.
  
  Yates is currently registered with the Missouri Ethics Commission for a primary race against long-time friend Rep. Brian Pratt (R). Pratt raised more than [...]
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  Posted: October 22, 2009, 9:29pm EDT
  by MPNblog.com | Missouri Political News

• MoDOT director blames Congress for loss of funds

  Number of comments: 0
  

  
  

  The Missouri Department of Transportation, MoDOT, is criticizing the loss of $200 million in federal funds.
  
  The funding was rescinded from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) by Congress in P.L. 109-59. The rescission targeted unobligated balances, or funds not committed to [...]
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  Posted: October 22, 2009, 7:49pm EDT
  by MPNblog.com | Missouri Political News

• House Minority Leader raises $6,500 for unknown statewide bid

  Number of comments: 0
  

  
  

  Missouri House Minority Leader Paul LeVota (D) raised $6,570 over the last fundraising quarter, according to a report filed last week with the Missouri Ethics Commission.
  
  LeVota, who is term-limited out of the house after his fourth term, amended paperwork [...]
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  Posted: October 22, 2009, 7:04pm EDT
  by MPNblog.com | Missouri Political News

• House District 124: Scavuzzo fundraising minimal in 3Q

  Number of comments: 0
  

  
  

  
  State Rep. Luke Scavuzzo (D) raised just $7,250 during the most recent fundraising period.
  
  Three-quarters of the itemized contributions originated from political committees, including a large number of unions.
  
  Scavuzzo does not currently face opposition in the 2010 [...]
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  Posted: October 21, 2009, 9:46pm EDT
  by MPNblog.com | Missouri Political News

• Missouri stimulus payments top $1 billion

  Number of comments: 0
  

  
  

  
  Missouri's total payments from the federal stimulus package topped $1 billion last week.
  
  According to Missouri's Map Your Taxes website, the state received $1.46 billion to date from the federal government and, as of Oct. 19th, has outlaid $1.08 billion. [...]
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  Posted: October 20, 2009, 8:26pm EDT
  by MPNblog.com | Missouri Political News

• Nixon team announces 15% reduction in state park employees

  Number of comments: 0
  

  
  

  
  Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon’s (D) Administration announced Monday a cut of at least 100 jobs in the state Department of Natural Resources Division of Parks.
  
  The cuts are reportedly due to a slump in revenues from the conservation sales [...]
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  Posted: October 20, 2009, 7:09am EDT
  by MPNblog.com | Missouri Political News

• Congress considers extension of tax credit for new homebuyers

  

  
  

  
  Congress is considering multiple proposals to extend the $8,000 First Time Home-buyers Tax Credit, which is set to expire at the end of November.
  
  Discussion of an extension gained steam this week as Sens. Chris Dodd (D-CT) and Johnny [...]
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  Posted: October 19, 2009, 4:00am EDT
  

• YouTube Duel: Icet and Schweich post endorsement videos

  

  
  

  Endorsements are no longer just static lists on candidate websites -- they're now interactive. The Republican candidates for state auditor are posting a variety of endorsements on YouTube.
  
  State House Budget Chairman Allen Icet posted first, with a video touting endorsements from fellow elected' [...]
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  Posted: October 18, 2009, 8:51pm EDT
  

• Sinquefield donates $165k to campaigns in last 3 months

  St. Louis millionaire and free-market proponent Rex Sinquefield dumped $165,500 into 12 campaign funds during the third quarter of 2009, including both Republicans and Democrats.
  
  The reports released by the Missouri Ethics Commission come as The Kansas City Star this week called attention to the free flow of [...]
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  Posted: October 18, 2009, 6:51pm EDT
  

• MPNblog.com jumps back onto BlogNet influence index

  After one week of publication following our one-year hiatus, MPNblog.com jumped back onto BlogNet.com's influence index.
  
  Throughout the week our campaign finance series has been reflected in BlogNet's "Most Clicked Posts" category. As of the time of this post, our story yesterday on Missouri's 4th House District' [...]
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  Posted: October 18, 2009, 10:40am EDT
  

• Rep. Skelton maintains comfortable lead over challengers

  
  Congressman Ike Skelton (D-MO4) reported 2009 campaign receipts three times above either of his Republican challengers, as the third fundraising quarter of the year closed last week.
  
  According to reports filed with the Federal Election Commission, Skelton raised a total of $616,000 so far during [...]
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  Posted: October 17, 2009, 12:30pm EDT
  

• Montee falls behind Republican challengers in 3Q fundraising

  
  Incumbent State Auditor Susan Montee, a Democrat, raised $106,000 in campaign contributions during the most recent quarter of fundraising, but failed to outraise either of the main Republican contenders.
  
  House Budget Chairman Allen Icet (R) reported raising $128,000 while former Ambassador Tom Schweich (R) raised [...]
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  Posted: October 17, 2009, 10:49am EDT
  

• Icet trounced by opponent in past fundraising quarter

  
  State Rep. Allen Icet was soundly out-fundraised by his State Auditor primary opponent during 2009's third quarter of fundraising, according to data released Thursday by the Missouri Ethics Commission.
  
  Icet, the State House Budget Chairman, reported raising $192,000 for the election and $128,000 during the' [...]
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  Posted: October 16, 2009, 6:00am EDT
  

• Recovery Act contracts create 475 jobs in Missouri

  
  Missouri gained 475 jobs from the 274 contracts funded by the federal Recovery Act, according to data released Thursday by the White House.
  
  To date, $204.6 million in contracts have been awarded to recipients in Missouri. The jobs estimate covers $146 million of that total [...]
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  Posted: October 15, 2009, 8:36pm EDT