St. Charles County Councilman Paul Wynn has signed up for a second year working in Iraq as a civilian employee of a U.S. military contractor - and says he’ll continue his long-distance service as an elected official via the Internet and telephone.
Wynn
But next…
[...]
Robert Baer
UPDATE: The County Council voted 4-3 to put the half-cent transit sales tax proposal on the April 6 ballot.
EARLIER: Metro would have to cut half of its transit service if St. Louis County voters don’t approve a half-cent sales…
[...]
JEFFERSON CITY — State auditor Susan Montee has chosen to go “light” in a YouTube holiday message made by her campaign. The video features Montee’s staff trying to “dress up” the video, but she’s having…
[...]
Being cooped up on Capitol Hill during the holidays doesn’t mean senators have to debate just one issue.
While the Senate remains in session to hammer out a deal on health care reform, Missouri U.S. Sen.…
[...]JEFFERSON CITY — The Missouri Republican Party pointed out in a news release today that another recent winner of a driver’s license fee office — this one in Clayton — is run by donors to Gov. Jay Nixon’s campaign.
The ongoing…
[...]
Durbin
WASHINGTON — Some might see a measure of justice in seeing this collection of profligate spenders, dedicated obstructionists and full-time bloviators away from home and hearth over the holidays.
But isn’t working on Christmas Day over the top even for the U.S.…
[...]ST. LOUIS — Members of the city’s delegation in Jefferson City will host a public forum Saturday on their bid to end state control of the police department.
The 1 p.. event at the Schlafly Library in the Central West End…
[...]UPDATE 2: Not surprisingly, the game of ethical tit-for-tat is going back and forth between Missouri political parties on this issue. The Missouri GOP, which had previously complained about Carnahan’s radio ads on fraud (see below), now says it might…
[...]
Colleen Wasinger
St. Louis County Councilwoman Colleen Wasinger, R-Town and Country, says Metro should have more oversight if county voters approve a half-cent sales tax for the transit agency on April 6.
Wasinger wants the county council to require that Metro do…
[...]WASHINGTON — The neck-and-neck race continues between Roy Blunt and Robin Carnahan for Missouri’s open U.S. Senate seat next year, according to the latest Rasmussen poll.
Carnahan, Missouri’s Secretary of State and the presumptive Democratic nominee, had 46 percent to Blunt’s 44 percent in a…
[...]ST. LOUIS — As an independent bid adds interest in the race to replace former State Rep. T.D. El-Amin, the city’s Central Democratic Committee has passed a resolution seeking to crackdown on those who oppose the party’s nominee.
Committee members approved…
[...]
Dan Lee
JEFFERSON CITY — Casino executive Dan Lee had a bad day. But he didn’t violate any state laws or gaming regulations.
That was the conclusion today of Missouri gambling regulators, who voted to let the former Pinnacle Entertainment Inc. chief…
[...]
Eckersley
JEFFERSON CITY — A former aide to Gov. Matt Blunt has been cleared of a complaint filed by his former boss with the Office of Chief Disciplinary Counsel that he violated legal ethics codes.
Scott Eckersley, the former deputy counsel who sued…
[...]
Danforth
UPDATE: Bill Lambrecht covered the announcement in Washington this morning.
ST. LOUIS — Washington University will announce today the creation of a new institute on the study of religion and politics named in honor of one their chief benefactors, John…
[...]The staff of the state auditor’s office today began auditing Florissant after introducing themselves to the Florissant City Council on Monday and appealing to the public for information that they could use in their work.
Allison Bruns, a spokeswoman for the…
[...]WASHINGTON — The Thomson Correctional Center in northern Illinois near the Mississippi River where the government intends to house Guantanamo terror suspects already has dual-sided electric stun fencing, hundreds of cameras and inner and outer towers with armed guards.
Preparing it for the Guantanamo arrivals,…
[...]The mayor’s race in University City is the only three-way one that developed in major cities this morning when filing for the April 6 local elections in the Missouri side of the region opened.
Running are former Councilwoman Shelley Welsch, 2nd…
[...]
Blackwell
A funeral was held Monday in Jefferson County for Earl Blackwell, a former Missouri Senate president pro tem and a major state political figure in the late 1960s and early 1970s.
Blackwell, 85, died Thursday at his home in Hillsboro.
Despite his Democratic…
[...]UPDATE: Missouri House Minority Leader Paul LeVota, D-Independence, weighs in on Tilley’s ethics proposal with a question: What about campaign finance limits? LeVota pushed last year, and will push again this year, a proposal to bring limits back to Missouri…
[...]
Bond
WASHINGTON — Before the Obama administration announced $500 million in stimulus money awards to community health centers last week, several in St. Louis had high hopes for winning grants.
Grace Hill Neighborhood Health Centers hoped that the $6.8 million requested would pay for radiology…
[...]
Incognito
ST. LOUIS — What happens when a football team has one win in its last 23 games?
Even the mayor joins in to pile on the misery.
After Sunday’s 40-point drubbing by the Tennessee Titans — filled with mental errors that kept…
[...]
JEFFERSON CITY — Announcing they were seeking a “cultural shift” at the state capitol, state Reps. Tim Flook, R-Liberty, and Jason Kander, D-Kansas City, announced the provisions of their ethics bill today.
The bill would create the…
[...]
2005 rendering of River City casino
The earlier-than-anticipated opening of the River City casino in Lemay in March could bring more than $2 million in additional revenue to St. Louis County this year.
Pinnacle Entertainment, the casino owner, said this morning that…
[...]
Quinn
Ryan
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. - A new poll on Illinois’ top election races for the Feb. 2 primary shows Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn and Republican former Illinois Attorney General Jim Ryan leading their respective parties for the nomination for governor.
Not a huge surprise…
[...]
JEFFERSON CITY — At a Legislative news conference intended to set the Legislative table for economic development issues, the most significant proposal was one that House Speaker Ron Richard indicated was still in progress.
Appearing with state…
[...]
U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill will not support health care if it means putting people or the nation in a financial hole, the Missouri Democrat said over the weekend.
Speaking on Fox News Sunday, McCaskill said she would…
[...]
Feier
University City City Manager Julie Feier may have had her most trying week yet on the job.
Three University City Council members, a council minority, took the unusual step Monday of issuing a public statement of no-confidence in the city manager’s performance.…
[...]
Charlie Dooley
St. Louis County Executive Charlie Dooley is pleased with the reconstruction of Highway 40 between west of Spoede Road and Kingshighway. Traffic congestion that followed the opening of the eastern half of the project last Monday should ease after sightseers…
[...]
John Mulligan Jr.
Six University City residents have dropped their appeal of a judge’s ruling against them in a class action suit against AT&T. The $65 million suit was settled last month.
Edward “Ted” Luby, a lawyer from University City who…
[...]
WASHINGTON – It has the backing of a strong coalition of senators from both political parties and support from lawmakers in Missouri and Illinois. Barack Obama supported it as a senator and a presidential candidate. It would save Americans billions in prescription costs and lop…
[...]
Durbin
Kirk
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Newsmax Magazine has put out a list of the “most loved” and “most hated” members of Congress, as determined by a survey of “a wide spectrum of congressional staffers, lobbyists, and even former members of Congress.” (An…
[...]
Wainwright
ST. LOUIS — Cardinals strikeout artist Adam Wainwright, who came thisclose to winning his first Cy Young Award this year, will speak at the governor’s prayer breakfast next month.
Gov. Jay Nixon’s office announced Thursday that Wainwright will provide the keynote address at…
[...]
Rep. Ike Skelton
WASHINGTON — In his latest departure from the Democratic majority and liberals in his party, Missouri Rep. Ike Skelton, D-Lexington, joined congressional Republicans who voted against a wide-ranging $447 billion spending bill Thursday.
In a statement entered into the…
[...]
Bond
WASHINGTON — It’s taken awhile for St. Louisans and the Chinese to get to know one another, and many in the region hope that a two-year flirtation has St. Louis in line to win China’s Midwest cargo hub at Lambert-St. Louis International Airport.
If close ties are the…
[...]
Malek, left, and Black
A pair of Washington’s most consummate insiders — Fred Malek and Charlie Black, whose resumes are as long as any Republicans in D.C. — are hosting a fundraiser this evening for GOP Senate hopeful Roy Blunt.
Black is…
[...]
Ehlmann
St. Charles County Executive Steve Ehlmann’s request to increase the county government’s financial stake in a regional effort to drum up more trade with China has run into trouble on the County Council.
At least three council members say the request for…
[...]
D'Agrosa
ST. LOUIS — Former State Rep. Talibdin “T.D.” El-Amin, who pleaded guilty to federal bribery charges in September, could get a new sentencing date thanks to his lawyer’s wounded ligament.
El-Amin, who faces as much as two years in prison, was originally set…
' [...]UPDATE: A response to the lawsuit from Laura Egerdal of the Secretary of State’s office:
Our office authors ballot summary language so that the people of Missouri can clearly understand what they are voting on. In fact, the Cole County Circuit…
[...]JEFFERSON CITY — Because of the failure of a Springfield nonprofit’s company to disclose it’s relationship to a for-profit management company, the state will re-bid 10 driver’s license fee offices that had been awarded to that company.
The decision was made…
[...]
JEFFERSON CITY — Missouri’s biggest companies have a message for Ameren:
We’re back.
The Fair Electricity Rate Action Fund, a cobbling of big utility users that include Monsanto, Doe Run, Noranda, and other, pro-consumer groups (such as AARP and Missouri Industrial Energy…
[...]UPDATED: The Senate Judiciary Committee approved Callahan’s nomination this morning, according to an expert who follows the committee. Carl Tobias, a law professor at the University of Richmond in Virginia, said there was no debate. “There weren’t any objections on…
[...]
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…
[...]
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…
[...]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…
[...]
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…
[...]
Charlie Dooley
MetroLink expansion – a major selling point in past transit tax campaigns – is taking a back seat in the campaign for a half-cent sales tax that is likely to be on the April 6 ballot in St. Louis…
[...]
Sen. Roland Burris
WASHINGTON — If the Afghan people are to embrace more American presence in their country, the two sides need to be speaking the same language — literally — Sen. Roland Burris, D-Ill., said this afternoon.
During questioning of Gen.…
[...]
Jim Lembke
The Legislature next year probably will not provide Metro additional money for its transit system, state Sen. Jim Lembke, R-south St. Louis County, says.
“There won’t be funding beyond the around $1.3 million” that the transit agency usually receives from…
[...]
Blunt
WASHINGTON — After University of Missouri system president Gary Forsee declared opposition to cap-and-trade legislation, Democrats on the House Energy and Commerce Committee responded with a withering critique of Forsee’s claim that the bills would heavily burden his school.
In a memo last…
[...]
Jetton's booking photo
JEFFERSON CITY — A day after he was charged with felony assault for a Nov. 15 incident in Scott County, former Missouri Speaker of the House Rod Jetton closed down his political consultant business, Rod Jetton and Associates.
Jetton’s lawyer, Steven…
[...]
Judge Wolff
JEFFERSON CITY — In a much-awaited ruling, the Missouri Supreme Court said today that the state’s overburdened public defender system went too far by rejecting certain categories of criminal cases.
Instead, public defenders should work with prosecutors and judges on…
[...]
Brady
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. - Illinois’ earliest-ever television ad war for the 2010 governor’s race has a new participant today: State Sen. Bill Brady, R-Bloomington, who’s got a 30-second cable spot going up in Chicago, the suburbs on downstate, “primarily on the…
[...]UPDATED AT 3:55 p.m.
Gov. Jay Nixon plans to tour the state Wednesday to unveil new proposed DWI legislation.
He’ll start at Hannibal City Hall at 9:30 a.m., visit the Overland offices of Mothers Against Drunk Driving at 11:15 a.m., and finally…
[...]
Catherine Werner
Catherine Werner, an environmental expert and lawyer, is St. Louis’s first sustainability director.
She will work on the city’s energy and environmental conservation projects and seek federal funds for more of them. She also will explain the benefits of such…
[...]
Calloway
ST. LOUIS — Last month, State Rep. Don Calloway plunged feet first into the turmoil surrounding the Northeast Ambulance and Fire Protection District, getting taken away in handcuffs after yet another one of the agency’s rowdy meetings last month.
There have been…
[...]
Jetton
UPDATE: The complaint against Jetton alleges that on or about Nov. 15, “the defendant recklessly caused serious physical injury to … by hitting her on the head, and choking her resulting in unconsciousness and the loss of the function of…
[...]
The Simmons Firm
The region’s most prominent class-action law firm is reaching across the river to fuel a campaign-funding spending spree.
As Missouri legislators prepare to begin their new session next month, one East Alton law firm — Simmons Browder Gianaris Angelides…
[...]
Sowers
ST. LOUIS — Local Democrats are throwing a Central West End fundraiser for Tommy Sowers, the young special-forces vet who is running for the Congressional seat representing Southeast Missouri.
Sowers, 33, ran counterinsurgency operations in Iraq, winning a pair of Bronze…
[...]
ST. LOUIS – Alderman Sam Moore, a first-term Democrat who represents the Ville neighborhood, reacts to news that Sumner High — whose students have included Chuck Berry, Arthur Ashe and Tina Turner – could be closed by the school district.
It…
[...]
Sarah Palin at Gridiron Club in Washington Saturday night
WASHINGTON – She makes a habit of skewering journalists as liberal elitists, especially those making a living in the nation’s capital.
But there was former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin on Saturday night hanging with a whole gaggle [...]
Foust
Dan Foust, a longtime St. Charles County Council member who lost his seat in the 2008 election, may soon launch a political comeback: a run for his old spot on the St. Charles City Council.
Foust said he’ll be a candidate…
[...]
Quinn
Hynes
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. - Any lingering hope that Illinois’ bitter contest for governor wouldn’t start to affect the operation of state government has been pretty much dashed today, as two of the state’s top Democrats thrash each over a $500 million…
[...]
Findlay
JEFFERSON CITY — Gary Findlay, executive director of the Missouri State Employees Retirement System, is getting an early Christmas present.
The board recently gave Findlay a $14,453 check as incentive pay for his work this year. The bonus equals about 6.4…
[...]
Wahby at the White House
Two Missouri Democrats visited 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue this week — but don’t call them crashers.
State Auditor Susan Montee and St. Louis Democratic Party Chairman Brian Wahby attended — with invitations — the annual White House Christmas Party on…
[...]
Durbin
WASHINGTON — They may have a filibuster-proof 60 votes, but finding agreement among themselves is proving to be a significant obstacle as Democrats plod toward pre-Christmas passage of their health insurance overhaul.
Dispute within their ranks over the public option is well-known but reaching consensus…
[...]
Crow
UNIVERSITY CITY — Late Thursday afternoon, University City councilman Terry Crow, a candidate for mayor, sent a note to supporters boasting about the city’s fiscal accolades — winning the “Distinguished Budget Presentation Award.”
Yawn. Sort of a wonkish memo for a…
[...]
Beck
ST. LOUIS — Love him or hate him, radio and television personality Glenn Beck has become a force in the national media landscape.
And, love or hate him, he’s coming to St. Louis.
Tickets went on sale Thursday for “An Evening with Glenn…
[...]
Rep. Roy Blunt
WASHINGTON — In the 2008 presidential election, Republican nominee John McCain narrowly won Missouri’s 11 electoral votes despite Democrat Barack Obama’s strength with African-American voters in the St. Louis and Kansas City areas.
While the African-American turnout in the 2010 midterm elections…
[...]
Forsee
WASHINGTON — University of Missouri system president Gary Forsee stirred up a ruckus on campus when he waded into the global controversy of climate change two weeks ago by declaring his opposition to legislation pending in Congress.
“We have grave concerns,” Forsee wrote…
[...]
Jim Lembke
Skip Mange
The campaign for a sales tax for an emergency communications system in St. Louis County is not over although 67.74 percent of county voters approved a 0.1-cent sales tax for the system on Nov. 4.
State Sen. Jim Lembke,…
[...]
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. - We’ve yet to see the first snowflake in Illinois this season, but the air is already thick with political campaign ads. Today, it’s Alexi Giannoulias, the third Democratic candidate for President Barack Obama’s former U.S. Senate seat…
[...]
The Chase Park Plaza
JEFFERSON CITY — The 23 Republicans who control the 34-member Missouri Senate will gather for a retreat starting Friday morning at the Chase Park Plaza in St. Louis.
The powers-that-be will meet at the Central West End landmark…
[...]JEFFERSON CITY - Gov. Jay Nixon wants insurers to cover $72,000 a year in “life-changing therapies” for the mounting number of autistic children in the state.
Flanked by a bipartisan group of legislators, Nixon held a press conference in his Capitol…
[...]
Karla May
ST. LOUIS — Democrat Karla May lost her party’s nod to fill the vacancy left by state Rep. T.D. El-Amin, but that doesn’t mean she is out of the running.
Last month, Democratic ward leaders nominated attorney Hope Whitehead to take the…
[...]
Wright-Jones, left, and Keaveny
If St. Louis officials are to end more than a century of state control over the city’s police department, they will need a coordinated approach from their delegation in Jefferson City.
So far, that’s off to a wobbly…
[...]WASHINGTON — With a $2 million grant announced this week, Missouri scored its first win in the nationwide competition for $4 billion in stimulus funding to expand broadband Internet access.
The $2 million, a small chunk of the state’s $142 million…
[...]
Richard, left, and Nixon
JEFFERSON CITY — House Speaker Ron Richard and Gov. Jay Nixon have continued their battle to be the champion of families with autistic children today, with competing announcements concerning legislation in the upcoming session of the General Assembly.
Richard, a…
[...]
Carnahan
WASHINGTON — Rep. Russ Carnahan, D-St. Louis, gained stature in Congress this afternoon when he was named to head a House Foreign Affairs subcommittee that can provide oversight on the nation’s escalated war effort in Afghanistan.
At a hearing this afternoon, it was announced that…
[...]
Dan Lee
JEFFERSON CITY — Winning re-licensure from the Missouri Gaming Commission was a snap this morning for the $564 million Lumiere Place casino in St. Louis.
Still undecided: whether regulators will mete out any discipline to the casino’s parent company, Las…
[...]
Sen. McCaskill
WASHINGTON — After praising President Barack Obama for his new war plan, Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., returned Wednesday to her refrain — abuses in government contracting.
During a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Secretary of Defense…
[...]
Hynes
ST LOUIS - Illinois Comptroller and governor candidate Dan Hynes today reiterated his stance that Illinois should expand gambling to help address the state’s budget crisis, by adding “two to three” new casinos in the state.
But he isn’t embracing the…
[...]JEFFERSON CITY — Perhaps tiring of continued Republican attacks that she won’t take firm positions on important national topics, U.S. Senate candidate Robin Carnahan, a Democrat, issued a news release today backing President Barack Obama’s Afghanistan strategy.
“I support the decision by…
[...]
Obama delivers his plan at West Point
Local Republicans offered a mix reaction to President Obama’s announcement last night that he will send an additional 30,000 troops to Afghanistan.
U.S. Sen. Kit Bond, who is retiring next year, was mostly positive, offering…
[...]
Palin's "Going Rogue" in Southwest Mo.
The “Going Rogue” tour hits Missouri today, with ex veep nominee Sarah Palin stopping in the heart of the state’s Republican corridor.
While the 2008 campaign season took Palin to St. Louis to debate her Democratic [...]
JEFFERSON CITY — Senate President Pro Tem Charlie Shields unveiled new ethics legislation today. But a key plank looks a lot like old ethics legislation that courts have twice thrown out.
Shields wants to bar lobbyists from contributing to legislators’ and…
[...]
Burris and his wife, Berlean, with the Salahis at a Black Caucus event
Looks like the senator who landed in Washington amid Rod Blagojevich’s spectacular political crash had a run-in with a pair of alleged [...]
Quinn
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. - Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn a few minutes ago told reporters in Chicago that he thinks the state should “take a look” at a controversial proposal by the horse racing industry to have slot machines at the tracks…
[...]WASHINGTON — For recently laid-off Missourians and Illinoisans, a federal subsidy for health insurance worth about $700 per month starts to expire today.
This year, an estimated 7 million people nationwide will benefit from a subsidy that eases the cost of maintaining…
[...]
From left, aldermen French, Triplett, Young and Cohn at Planned Parenthood
ST. LOUIS — The three youngest members of the city’s Board of Aldermen and their most tenured colleague were at Planned Parenthood today to mark World [...]
Charlie Dooley
St. Louis County officials today discussed with the county council a tight budget for next year that would barely keep reserves at the 10 percent level the county needs to preserve its highly-desirable AAA credit rating.
“We may get a…
[...]
WASHINGTON — They brought in Democratic Party muscle and a Minnesota Vikings linebacker to help make the case.
Even so, the ethanol industry and the St. Louis-based National Corn Growers Association took a jarring hit hit this morning when the Environmental Protection Agency announced that it would delay…
[...]
Drury
As President Obama prepares to make his big announcement on Afghanistan tonight, the work of one Mizzou political science teacher offers some insight into winning over the public: Use words that are easy to understand.
And be careful not to confuse any of…
[...]
Yates
UPDATED: The governor’s office says it’s too late to put the 56th District seat on the Feb. 2 ballot. The final certification date for that ballot was Nov. 24. April 6 is a more likely election date.
JEFFERSON CITY — The…
[...]
Arch City Deli enters the City Hall food market
ST. LOUIS — When it comes to purchasing lunch, City Hall employees can be a tough crowd.
For the third time in as many years, yet another food service provider will [...]
Blunt, left, and Carnahan
If you’re looking for info on where Democratic U.S. Senate hopeful Robin Carnahan is — or isn’t — these days, you’re in luck: There’s an app for that.
On the same day that Republican rival Roy Blunt continued his assertion…
[...]
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. - Horseracing tracks across Illinois, including Fairmount Park at Collinsville, are offering to bolster state revenue for Illinois’ struggling infrastructure improvement plan by allowing gaming machines at the horse tracks.
Not everyone is lauding their generosity.
State leaders, intent on…
[...]
Clay at a census announcement earlier this year
ST. LOUIS — Thanks to the 2010 census, you can count on a big year for U.S. Rep. Lacy Clay.
When new committee assignments were handed out last year, Clay became chair of [...]
City Hall
ST. LOUIS — The unions representing City Hall workers have formally agreed to a furlough plan, the mayor’s office announced this afternoon.
According to the agreement — which had been in negotiations for months — rank-and-file city workers will take…
[...]Tony Messenger, Jake Wagman, Virginia Young, Kevin McDermott, Jacob Carpenter, Phil Sutin, Bill Lambrecht, Margaret Gillerman, Mark Schlinkmann, Jeremy Kohler, Paul Hampel
