Political Rewind: Gov. Nixon Logs $600k in Taxpayer-Funded Travel Expenses

Patch prides itself on local coverage, but Missouri politics can have just as much an effect as local government. Here's an easy guide to what happened this week on the state political scene.

Editor's Note: This article was created by aggregating news articles from Missouri Watchdog. McCaskill leads congressional candidates in out-of-state campaign donations Although Claire McCaskill is Missouri’s senator, they seem to love her in such places as New York, Los Angeles and Washington, D.C. An examination of election donations shows that McCaskill, a Democrat, is the only Missouri congressional candidate who gets more individual campaign support from outside the Show Me State than from within its borders. Fifty-seven percent of the $6.3 million that McCaskill has raised for the 2012campaign from individual donations comes from other states. The next highest is District 5 incumbent Democrat Emanuel Cleaver, who has raised 41 …

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McCaskill: Rape Comment 'Window Into Akin's Mind'

Claire McCaskill appeared on MSNBC Monday to discuss Todd Akin's comment on 'legitimate rape,' which she calls a 'gut-check' for Missourians.

Claire McCaskill has been quick to respond to Todd Akin's comment Sunday in an interview with Patch news partner FOX2 that aired on Sunday with Charles Jaco in which Akin suggested the female body has ways of shutting down to prevent pregnancy during a "legitimate rape." See: Rep. Todd Akin On Hot Seat Over 'Legitimate Rape' Comment in FOX2 Interview After calling Akin's comment 'offensive' and 'outrageous' in a statement released Sunday, the Missouri Senator appeared on MSNBC Monday. "For the state I love, I hope this is a moment where everyone who hasn't been paying close attention, um, this statement is kind of a window into Todd Akin's mind," McCaskill said on Morning Joe.  McCaskill went onto note that Akin won the Republican primary …

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Nixon Visits St. Charles, Touts Tax Deduction for Job Creation

Businesses with fewer than 50 employees could qualify for the $10,000 tax deduction for each new job added.

Gov. Jay Nixon stopped at the Greater St. Charles Chamber of Commerce on Tuesday as part of his statewide tour to promote bipartisan efforts at job creation.    Nixon spoke briefly to a small crowd about House Bill 1661, a bill which provides a tax deduction for businesses that create new jobs in the next two years.  Small businesses with 50 employees or fewer can receive a $10,000 tax deduction for each new job they create. The jobs must pay the county prevailing wage, which varies for each profession, or the state average wage. See the prevailing wage list for St. Charles County here.  The business must keep employees for 52 weeks and the bill includes a look-back provision. Businesses can receive a $20,000 tax deduction if the employer …

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Leaving Pets and Kids in the Car: Should the Law Do More?

According to one organization, a child can die from heat stroke on a 72-degree day if left unattended in a car.

Each summer, the same old story comes up—irresponsible parents and pet owners leaving their children or pets in the car during times of extreme heat. The result can be devestating. According to the Department of Geosciences at San Francisco State University, more than 500 children have died because of being left in a hot car since 1998—11 have been reported thus far in 2012. Most of the time, parents or pet owners tragically forget about their kids or pets. But the incident rarely finds sympathy amongst the public. According to SafeKids.org, a child can die from heat stroke on a 72-degree day. That's because their bodies aren’t the same as adults and a child’s body can heat up five times faster than an adult’s. And according to the Weather…

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Denise Bertacchi

8:45 pm on Wednesday, July 18, 2012

The way Patch is formatted right now, the cutlines only show up when you click the photos. Its there.   more ›

Randy Jotte, Republican Candidate For U.S. House of Representatives

Jotte is one of four seeking the Republican nomination for the second congressional district.

Name : Dr. Randy Jotte Also known as : Randy Place of residence : Webster Groves Attended college : Yes College : Vanderbilt University Degree : B.S. in Molecular Biology Year of graduation : 1982 University : M.D. Harvard University Area of research : N/A Year of graduation : 1987 Job titles held : Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine Employers : Washington University School of Medicine Party affiliation : Republican Running for a: Federal office Running for position: U.S. House of Representatives Chamber/district: 2nd Congressional District Incumbent: No Previous elective offices : Village Council, Chagrin Falls, OH (1996-2001) City Council, Webster Groves, MO (2004-2008) Unsuccessful bids for elective offices: 5th District Seat, St…

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Patch Political Potpourri

Missouri Voters Will Decide a Bevy of Ballot Issues This Year

Plus: A goodbye and a thank you from your purveyor of Potpourri.

This election cycle brought about an unprecedented flow of initiative petitions -- 143 to be exact. Even though an innumerable amount of trees were sacrificed in paperwork, only four items have any chance of making it to the ballot. Earlier in May, Secretary of State Robin Carnahan announced that various groups had turned in signatures for the following ballot initiatives: It’s not known yet whether any of these items will actually be put up for a vote. For one thing, several of the items, including the cigarette tax increase and the payday loan measure, are tied up in litigation. Arch City Chronicle writer Dave Drebes indicated earlier this month that the cases may be heard later in June. The other wrinkle is that the proposals need a …

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Nate Birt

9:27 am on Saturday, June 2, 2012

Jason, you're a credit to your industry. Keep up the good work, and have a blast at your new gig.   more ›

Should Rush Limbaugh Be in the Hall of Famous Missourians?

Rush Limbaugh was inducted into the Hall of Famous Missourians this week. An honor well deserved? Or a mistake on the part of Missouri lawmakers?

Rush Limbaugh, the controversial conservative commentator, was enshrined into the Hall of Famous Missourians this week, sparking controversy across the state and country on whether Limbaugh should be worth of such an honor. Limbaugh's name now sits amongst such famous Missourians as Mark Twain, Dred Scott, Jack Buck and Stan Musial. According to the St. Louis Beacon, Missouri House Speaker Steve Tilley gave reporters less than a half-hour’s notice of the ceremony. From the Beacon: Tilley’s decision to honor Limbaugh, a Cape Girardeau native, has sparked opposition from Democrats and progressives because of Limbaugh’s often strong words when he talks about people with whom he disagrees. Limbaugh’s bust will be placed in the Capitol’s Hall …

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Sonny Pondrom

10:49 am on Monday, November 5, 2012

I don't think Missourians should be proud of just anyone born here. I think a famous person should be someone our children should look up to. Putting this Missouri boy on a pedestal with people who have made great contribution to this country is a mistake and demeaning to the current group of heros.   more ›

Patch Political Potpourri

Getting Primed For Next Month's Presidential Caucus

Plus, filing dates for Congressional races might be moved back and Steelman gets on the air.

The word “non-binding” was thrown around often when either previewing or analyzing Missouri’s GOP primary. And with good reason: The real battle for delegates will take place at the party’s March caucuses. Although former U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum easily won Missouri's Republican primary, it doesn't necessarily ensure that he'll get the Show Me State's delegates. Santorum's primary victory – along with wins in the Minnesota and Colorado caucuses – helped revive the former Pennsylvania senator’s campaign against former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney. The delegate situation will be decided at the Missouri Republican Party's caucuses, which begin in March. It's a complicated process that involves participation at the county, congressional and …

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Santorum is Crowned Mr. Missouri in Republican 'Beauty Contest'

Santorum more than doubles Romney's vote total; however primary victory doesn't mean Missouri is his.

If Tuesday’s presidential primary was nothing but a Republican beauty contest, then Rick Santorum was crowned Mr. Missouri and Mr. Congeniality. Santorum cruised to an easy 30-percentage point win over Mitt Romney, and received more than half the Republican vote in the state. “Conservatism is alive in Missouri and Minnesota,” Santorum told the crowd attending his victory party at the St. Charles Convention Center. “I hope you have been listening to our message. Mitt Romney has the same positions as Barack Obama,” Santorum said in his victory speech. Santorum said he isn’t claiming to be the conservative alternative to Romney, but he is claiming to be the conservative alternative to Obama. With 99.6 percent of the precincts reporting, the …

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It's Primary Day; Who Has Your Presidential Vote?

St. Charles County Patch sites are polling readers on a weekly basis to gauge their interest in the election, its candidates and what issues are most important to them.

The funny thing about today's Missouri presidential preference primary? It matters just as much as this unscientific poll in terms of who will capture the Republican presidential nominee.  It's true, the today's Republican primary is nonbinding, meaning the GOP nominee will be chosen at a March 17 caucus rather than at the polls today.  But there's still plenty to be interested in. While today's primary is largely a beauty contest, it will still show who Missouri voters favor at this point. Should one nominee do better or worse than expected, you can surely expect to see attack ads on their character. With Newt Gingrich sitting the Missouri primary out, Nevada winner and front-runner Mitt Romney took aim at rival Rick Santorum, according …

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