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Missouri

Saturday, March 23, 2013

Former St. Louis Area State Senator/Talk Show Host Couple On 'Wife Swap'

Former State Sen. John Loudon, who represented parts of Chesterfield and Ballwin, and his wife Gina will apparently be featured in the ABC network reality show next week.

Politicos around Missouri are buzzing with word that a former Missouri state senator and his wife, a former area radio talk show host, will be featured in the ABC reality TV show "Wife Swap" next with a polyamorous plot twist. According to the network: Political pundit and Tea Party activist Gina Loudon trades lives with a mom in a polyamorous relationship, on "Wife Swap," THURSDAY, MARCH 28 (8:00-9:00 p.m., ET) on ABC. And in a first for the series, one of the families breaks the rules and refuses to reunite at the round table to discuss their experiences, leaving only one family to discuss things among themselves. Loudon was for a time featured on Truth Talk Radio, based in Creve Coeur. She and her husband John, a former state senator …

Thursday, March 21, 2013

Head of MoDOT Resigns Suddenly

The Missouri Department of Transportation announced MoDOT Director Kevin Keith's resignation today. Effective immediately, Chief Engineer Dave Nichols will serve as interim director.

Thursday afternoon, the Missouri Department of Transportation announced a change in leadership with the sudden resignation of MoDOT Director Kevin Keith who is taking medical leave immediately. MoDOT released details of the change in the following news release. The Missouri Department of Transportation will see a change in leadership as MoDOT Director Kevin Keith steps down and Chief Engineer Dave Nichols assumes the role of interim director for the department. Keith has submitted his resignation and will leave his role effective immediately, taking a medical leave of absence with plans to retire on July 1, 2013. Nichols will step in as interim MoDOT director for a minimum of one year, according to Missouri Highways and Transportation …

Friday, January 25, 2013

Governor Nixon Visits Parkway School District, Outlines Education Goals

Missouri's Governor was at Oak Brook Elementary School in Ballwin Thursday.

Missouri Governor Jay Nixon reinforced some already-stated education policy goals Thursday in a St. Louis County visit ahead of Monday's State of The State address, and also discussed school security in a visit to Oak Brook Elementary School in the Parkway School District. After meeting with district administrators in private and then visiting an Early Education classroom, he talked in the school's library of creating a "seamless" path of education from Pre-K programs to college. Governor Nixon said he would request "additional resources" to fund early education programs, noting the connection between Pre-K and success later in life. He did not identify a dollar amount, but called it a "smart investment with a very big return."   He …

Thursday, January 17, 2013

Advocates Demand Missouri Expands Medicaid Coverage by 2014

A campaign kicked off Wednesday to expand coverage to anyone making 138 percent of the Federal Poverty Level. Advocates say the move would cover an additional 250,000 Missourians.

Grassroots leaders and organizations in St. Louis converged Wednesday to announce a campaign to expand Medicaid coverage in Missouri, a move they say is critical for the state's working poor. During a press conference at Kirkwood Baptist Church, faith leaders, advocates and Medicaid customers called for Missouri to adopt legislation that expands coverage to anyone making 138 percent of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL). Under the current system, Missouri does not offer Medicaid to single adults, unless they are disabled, and parents or caretakers with dependent children must make 25 percent of the FPL to receive Medicaid. (See PDF for comparison of current eligibility requirements versus those under an expanded coverage system.) "Missouri …

Thursday, November 29, 2012

Dream On: How Would You Spend $580 Million Powerball Jackpot?

The Associated Press is reporting that two winning Powerball tickets were sold for last night's drawing.

No one has stepped forward yet, but the Associated Press is reporting that two winning tickets were sold for last night's Powerball lottery. The AP says the winning Powerball tickets came from Missouri and Arizona. The winning numbers are 5, 16, 22, 23, 29 with the Powerball number of 6, according to the Powerball website.  Missouri Lottery officials say the winning ticket came from the Kansas City area. An exact store location will be released later today, according to spokeswoman Susan Goedde. “It is so exciting to sell one of these Powerball tickets,” said May Scheve Reardon, executive director of the Missouri Lottery, in a press release. “In addition, we sold two tickets that matched all five white balls, which means they each win $1 …

Ms Anne Thrope

11:12 am on Saturday, December 1, 2012

I really liked Eric Bolling's idea to buy a thousand acre ranch for dogs (and cats) who are to be euthanized and hire a couple hundred people to look after them.   more ›

What are the Winning Powerball Numbers and Results in Missouri?

If you had the winning Powerball numbers, how would you spend the $550 million jackpot?

The sun has set on Nov. 28 and one lucky person might be several million dollars richer if he or she has the winning Powerball numbers. The winning numbers are 5, 16, 22, 23, 29 with the Powerball number of 6, according to the Powerball website.  The Powerball lottery drawing took place Wednesday night at 9:59 p.m. Central time. A live drawing was available on hundreds of TV stations and on YouTube. Each Powerball ticket cost $2. Players chose five numbers plus a sixth Powerball number. Players matching all six numbers can select an annuitized amount paid out over 29 years or a lump sum payment. For complete details, visit the Powerball website. For instant news updates follow Patch on Facebook and Twitter. ABC News reports lottery …

Friday, November 9, 2012

Tax Loophole For St. Louis County Country Clubs Has Homeowners Paying More

A loophole reportedly allows private country clubs in West County to pay less taxes, affecting what school districts like Parkway receive and forcing homeowners to pay more. Watch KMOV's story here.

According to a recent news report by KMOV invstigative reporter Chris Nagus, private country clubs in Missouri receive a "sweetheart deal" which allows them to pay less in taxes. (View Chris Nagus' report on KMOV here.)  As a result, homeowners pay more in taxes and school districts, including the Parkway School District, receive less money for education. According to Nagus' report, Town and Country's Bellerive Country Club, Meadowbrook, and Westwood are all country clubs located within the Parkway school district. He said Parkway is losing $218,850 a year due to the loophole. Parkway School District Board President Beth Feldman is interviewed in the KMOV report. She points out that any extra money would help Parkway because the district …

Tuesday, November 6, 2012

Clint Zweifel Re-elected as Missouri State Treasurer

Democratic incumbent Clint Zweifel gave his acceptance speech just before midnight Tuesday, after a night of number watching in a close race with Republican challenger Cole McNary.

Democratic incumbent Clint Zweifel and Republican challenger Rep. Cole McNary faced off in the Nov. 6 election for the position of Missouri State Treasurer.  As results came in Tuesday night, both candidates gathered with friends and family at St. Louis area watch parties. Initially, it was a tight race, but ultimately Zweifel declared victory and thanked his supporters just before midnight. "I think a lot of this illustrates hard work and investment in each other," Zweifel said. With 100 percent of the precincts counted early Wednesday morning, Zweifel had 50.3 percent of the vote and McNary had 45.5 percent of the vote. Zweifel tells Patch McNary did call him and concede Tuesday night. Both parties tell Patch they knew it would be a …

Wednesday, October 31, 2012

MoDOT Winter Weather Drill Puts Snow Plows on St. Louis Area Roads Wednesday

MoDOT is alerting drivers not to be alarmed if they see snow plows on the roads Wednesday. Severe weather is not on the way, MoDOT is performing a winter weather drill

The Missouri Department of Transportation warns drivers they may see snow plows on the roads Wednesday. It's part of a statewide snow drill taking place throughout the day, MoDOT stated in a news release. MoDOT officials said they began preparing for the area's first winter storm months ago. In rural areas, crews will take to the streets after 8 a.m. and in urban areas, the drill will begin after 9 a.m., according to MoDOT. As a response to a simulated snowfall event, trucks with snowplows and spreaders will deploy across state routes during the drill that is set to take approximately six hours. "We have a detailed plan and our trucks drive set routes that allow us to work efficiently and make the most of our resources," said State …

Thursday, October 25, 2012

More Ads and Accusations as McCaskill and Akin Battle For The Senate

Both campaigns are in full swing as Nov. 6 approaches. Sen. Claire McCaskill remains in St. Louis with her critically ill mother.

With only 12 days to go before Election Day, the campaigns of Sen. Claire McCaskill and Rep. Todd Akin continue to duke it out for Missouri's U.S. Senate seat. Today, McCaskill's campaign released three new ads highlighting the difference between the two candidates on Medicare, minimum wage and the middle class. To view the ads, click on the links below.  Meanwhile, Akin's camp released a statement blasting McCaskill for focusing on alcohol abuse and bar brawls in Afghanistan instead of investigating the death of the U.S. Ambassador to Libya. Quoting Rick Tyler, a senior advisor to the Akin campaign, the release state: Claire McCaskill claims to believe in 'oversight' and 'transparency' but apparently doesn't think those should be required…

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Tom Maher

5:03 pm on Friday, October 26, 2012

Akin - the guy just keeps on giving and giving; unfortunately, the gifts are to comedians...   more ›

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