johncombest.com

Missouri's political news website since October 2001.

Archive - June 2015



  


        Tuesday, June 30
       
KWMU:  Supreme Court says EPA should have considered costs when it set pollution limits for power plants
          The Missouri Times:  SCOTUS rulings on lethal injection, EPA have Missouri impact
          JCNT:  Missouri officials generallly applaud ruling on EPA regulations X
          KWMU:  Supreme Court case upholding Oklahoma's execution protocol could impact Missouri cases
          Missourinet:  Supreme Court's Mary Rhodes Russell explains death-penalty process;  Missouri ended 2014 execution season in first-place tie with Texas
          Missourinet:  30 Missouri counties still not issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples
          The Missouri Times:  More SCOTUS Obamacare reactions:  Missouri Health Care for All's Jen Bersdale, Sen. Bob Onder (R-Lake Saint Louis)
          SNL:  Daughter's Hodgkin's lymphoma leads Billy Long to push for FDA to update rules on drug advertising X
          AP:  13 states, including Missouri, sue over rule giving feds authority on state water
          AP:  Unrelenting rain leads to more flooding in Midwest
          Catanese:  GOP presidential candidates deal with political reality of changing cultural values, sense of "rights";  Comments from Ted Cruz's Jeff Roe
          KCPT:  Former MLB umpire lends support to Missouri cigarette tax increase campaign
          Drebes:  Bill Eigel puts six figures into state Senate primary versus Mark Parkinson, Anne Zerr
          KWMU:  Transportation chief says I-70 is 'completely falling apart' and 'used up'
          P-D:  Interstate 70 is 'falling apart,' says transportation commission chair
          SE Missourian:  Governor signs bill allowing savings accounts for disabilities +
          AP:  Nixon OKs saving accounts for Missourians with disabilities
          The Missouri Times:  Legislators continue autism successes with Nixon's signature
          P-D:  School superintendent pay continues to rise
          Missourinet:  Mystery items in Missouri Capitol time capsule
          AP:  Missouri Press Association names new executive director;  Mark Maassen will replace stalwart Doug Crews
          Columbia Missourian:  Missouri Press Assocation names new executive director
          KC Star Public Editor Derek Donovan:  KC Star print redesign will better help distinguish between reporters' news stories and reporters' opinion pieces +
          KBIA:  Missouri Department of Conservation says Emerald Ash Borers threaten Missouri trees;  Invasive pests burrow deeply, drain valuable resources
          AP:  Lacy Clay takes aim at "this country's racist, oppressive past," wants Mayor Francis Slay to take down Confederate Memorial
          P-D:  Justice Department faults Ferguson protest response
          P-D:  ACORN/MORE complain about 'good old boys' network, target area employers
          CDT's Waters:  Boone County's same-sex posturing is political puffery, but also a commendable statement X
          KC Star letter:  Free-market Missouri Republicans are "darkly ironic" when they cut services for students and the infirm +
          Disclosure


          X = Think before you click;  this site has chosen to limit its reporters' access to you and holds every one of your clicks against a monthly pageview limit.
         + = This site has chosen to provide its reporters with access to you by waiving its pageview limit for all links posted on johncombest.com.




        Monday, June 29
       
P-D:  Congressional delegation's votes for the week
          KC Star health reporter Alan Bavley:  Obamacare will grow faster and stand stronger following Supreme Court ruling +
          Kraske:  The Chat:  McCaskill says Bernie Sanders deserves more scrutiny +
          Missourinet:  McCaskill says that in workforce, olds "have just as much to offer" as youngs;  Senior senator criticizes state Republicans for not expanding Medicaid
          St. Joseph News-Press:  Local members of Silver Haired Legislature meet to discuss "legislation" they'll recommend as policies to real legislators X
          This Week in Missouri Politics:  David Barklage (R), Jane Dueker (D), Mike Kelley (D), Lou Hamilton (D) on Dem split on mimimum wage, media's "TMZ" obsession with Jefferson City life, 'right to work,' Uber, Blunt vs. Kander, more
          KWMU:  Politically Speaking podcast:  Mannies & Rosenbaum chat with Scott Dieckhaus about HRCC's success, Hillary's Missouri campaign, Jeb Bush, Diehl, 'right to work," more
          Drebes:  Missouri School Boards Association gives a plug for the Raise Your Hand for Kids initiative
          P-D:  Nixon tours flooded areas of Lincoln and Pike counties
          Missourinet:  Next for LGBTQIA activists and allies:  Missouri Non-Discrimination Act
          AP:  Missouri changes insurance requirements for eating disorders
          P-D:  Former Rep. Rick Stream (R-Kirkwood) praises changes in insurance requirements for eating disorders
          P-D:  Missouri takes districts for a bumpy ride when it comes to bus funds
          Rosenbaum:  Minimum wage split puts new focus on Slay-Stenger relationship
          Neosho Daily News:  Missouri Department of Conservation joins with pallid sturgeon project to tag movements
          SNL:  High-quality pot from legal states flooding market in Springfield X
          JCNT editorial:  Mary Rhodes Russell showed leadership, stewardship of Missouri's court system X
          St. Joseph News-Press editorial:  Housing credits improved X
          Disclosure


          X = Think before you click;  this site has chosen to limit its reporters' access to you and holds every one of your clicks against a monthly pageview limit.
         + = This site has chosen to provide its reporters with access to you by waiving its pageview limit for all links posted on johncombest.com.



        Sunday, June 28
       
P-D:  After court ruling, Obamacare faces more certain path;  Comments from Sen. Kurt Schaefer (R-Columbia), Missouri Foundation for Health
          Washington Missourian:  Local WIC program adds more dependents;  406 additional people added to the dole
          Nicklaus:  As economy changes, teen summer jobs become scarce;  Taxpayers foot part of the bill for "STL Youth Jobs" placements
          KC Star:  Local civil war buffs, others pontificate over the symbolism of the Confederate flag +
          JCNT:  Keith Schafer leaving Missouri Department of Mental Health for retirement X
          P-D:  Gifted students shouldn't expect as much support from state of Missouri;  In many districts, high-achieving kids are still lumped in daily with the average and the slow
          JCNT:  Capitol time capsule included unexpected glimpse into past X
          CDT:  Grain belt supporters make late push for project X
          P-D:  New eastbound Daniel Boone Bridge span opens
          P-D:  Obituary:  Wayne Withers:  Stepped up to save Missouri's non-partisan court plan
          St. Joseph News-Press editorial:  Area residents' opposition to Obamacare and same-sex marriage doesn't meant they are uncaring or bigoted X
          SE Missourian editorial:  'Major' flood brings annoyance, not disaster +
          JCNT editorial:  Nixon wise to veto student transfer bill X
          CDT's Waters:  On the black community:  A Juneteenth celebration was held, and hardly anyone came X
          Disclosure


          X = Think before you click;  this site has chosen to limit its reporters' access to you and holds every one of your clicks against a monthly pageview limit.
         + = This site has chosen to provide its reporters with access to you by waiving its pageview limit for all links posted on johncombest.com.




        Saturday, June 27   Rep. Genise Montecillo (D-Marlborough) hospitalized after suicide attempt
       
CDT:  Local residents, legislators respond to Supreme Court ruling on Obamacare;  Grown man "skipped in a circle and hoisted a colorful poster board above his head" X
          The Guardian (UK):  Obamacare tales:  Missouri woman says, "I am more scared right now that Republicans ... might kill me rather than my cancer," then weeps
          Drebes:  How long can GOP run against Obamacare?  One more time at least.
          Missourinet:  Missouri leaders react to Supreme Court ruling making same-sex marriage legal
          KWMU:  Missouri same-sex couples rejoice as U.S. Supreme Court upholds their right to marry
          AP:  Elected officials react to same-sex marriage ruling
          SNL:  U.S. Rep. Billy Long reacts to same-sex marriage ruling X
          Missourinet:  Missouri counties issuing same-sex marriage licenses
          P-D:  Missouri counties prepare to comply with sweeping same-sex marriage ruling
          AP:  Missouri moves swiftly to begin same-sex marriages
          CDT:  Boone County begins issuing same-sex marriage licenses X
          KWMU:  Committee OKs loan for NGA property;  some aldermen don't want McKee to profit
          JCNT:  River's rise continues in mid-Missouri X
          KWMU:  Nixon vetoes school bill, says it doesn't solve transfer problems
          P-D:  Another attempt to fix school transfers is vetoed
          KC Star:  Nixon vetoes Missouri student-transfer bill, blocking charter and virtual school expansion +
          AP:  Nixon vetoes Missouri student transfers legislation
          Columbia Missourian:  UM's Tim Wolfe reviews accomplishments, goals after curators approve budget
          CDT:  UM curators approve FY 2016 budget X
          KC Star:  Dozens of women say they were harassed while working in Jefferson City;  Gals tell tales of clueless Capitol creepers making unwanted advances +
          KWMU:  St. Louis minimum-wage push on life support after Democratic alderman cancels hearings
          P-D:  Alderman Joe Vaccaro (D) cancels all future hearings on minimum-wage bill
          KWMU:  Critics of Ferguson mayor fail to gather valid signatures for recall
          P-D:  Post-Dispatch lays off nine employees
          SNL editorial:  Same-sex marriage good for Missouri X
          JCNT editorial:  Law reflects fair solution on tip taxes X
          KC Star Public Editor Derek Donovan:  Star's website design doesn't differentiate between opinion, news well enough +
          CDT's Waters:  If Missouri Republicans want to keep being standoffish on Obamacare, they should at least establish an exchange X
          KC Star op-ed:  Brian Noland:  Lawyer says minimum-wage hike long overdue, quotes Shakespeare +
          Disclosure


          X = Think before you click;  this site has chosen to limit its reporters' access to you and holds every one of your clicks against a monthly pageview limit.
         + = This site has chosen to provide its reporters with access to you by waiving its pageview limit for all links posted on johncombest.com.



        Friday, June 26
       
KWMU:  Reactions to Supreme Court Obamacare ruling;  Comments from elected officials, liberal academic Timothy McBride, two women with struggle stories
          Columbia Missourian:  Missouri Rural Crisis Center holds event to celebrate ruling;  MU grad student explains pressure of having to work and pay bills
          KOMU:  Rep. Kip Kendrick (D-Columbia) joins group of ladies at Central Missouri Community Action to cheer Obamacare ruling
          AP:  Obamacare supporters cheer Supreme Court ruling;  Republicans not pleased
          Missourinet:  Dem, GOP staffers write statements on Obamacare ruling
          P-D:  Congressional delegation's reaction to Supreme Court ruling
          The Hill:  McCaskill:  Media giving Bernie Sanders a free pass
          KWMU:  McCaskill proposes pay increase for VA facility directors
          KWMU:  Ann Wagner blasts sex-trafficking offenders, calls trafficking 'modern-day slavery'
          Missourinet:  Nixon speaks against EPA proposal to lower ethanol mandate
          KC Star:  Renewable-fuel advocates turn out at hearing, give EPA an earful +
          AP:  Nixon urges EPA to keep renewable fuel standards intact
          Kraske:  The Chat:  Jack Oliver and Jeb;  Sam Graves on rural roads;  Rep. Joshua Peters (D-St. Louis) on Confederate flag;  Mike Parson on Obamacare +
          Drebes:  Nixon's Emily Kalmer headed to Auditor Nicole Galloway's office
          Missourinet:  Lawmakers:  Nixon to veto school-transfer bill today
          Missourinet:  Transfer-bill sponsor Rep. David Wood (R-Versailles) predicts Legislature is done trying to address issue
          KWMU:  Nixon plans veto of school-transfer bill
          P-D:  Nixon staff says governor will go on veto tour tomorrow, nix school-transfer bill
          AP:  Nixon to veto student transfers bill
          SNL:  Lawmaker says Nixon will veto transfer bill X
          KC Star:  Students in KC Public Schools still underperform versus peers across Missouri;  District will make case that recent uptick means accreditation is deserved +
          SE Missourian:  Former state Rep. Patrick Naeger (R-Perryville) seeks to clarify intent of tax-exemption law he helped write +
          P-D:  Judge hears public vote arguments on St. Louis NFL stadium funding
          KWMU:  Legal fight over NFL stadium heads to judge
          P-D:  MoDOT readies opening of new eastbound Daniel Boone Bridge span
          KWMU:  New river bridge bolsters link to St. Charles County
          CDT:  Former state Rep. Harold Reisch (R) dies at age 94 X
          AP:  Vandals deface Confederate memorials in a half-dozen states, including Missouri
          AP:  Ferguson police chief trying to add diversity;  Black woman promoted to sergeant, with an additional woman and a black guy starting soon
          P-D editorial:  Obamacare ruling gives opening to Missouri Republicans;  GOP should drop its "stubborn and ill-informed reticence" and flip-flop on health-care policy
          P-D op-ed:  Missouri Farmers Union's Richard Oswald:  New 'Clean Water Rule' needs to be law of the land;  Also, too many foreigners own Missouri land
          Disclosure


          X = Think before you click;  this site has chosen to limit its reporters' access to you and holds every one of your clicks against a monthly pageview limit.
         + = This site has chosen to provide its reporters with access to you by waiving its pageview limit for all links posted on johncombest.com.




        Thursday, June 25
       
KWMU:  Blunt supports hike in research funding for National Institutes of Health
          JCNT:  Blunt, McCaskill still working for federal transportation funds X
          SNL:  McCaskill:  Drone warfare taking toll on pilots X
          KC Star's Steve Paul:  In Florissant, Hillary Clinton hits a sour note;  Democrat makes the mistake of saying "All lives matter" rather than correct "Black lives matter" +
          CDT:  Obamacare supporters await Supreme Court decision X
          AP:  EPA to hold hearing on Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS) in KC, KS;  Nixon to speak at rally, will outline opposition to proposed changes
          KWMU:  National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency could cost city and state $130 million
          The Missouri Times:  Sen. Ryan Silvey (R-Kansas City) talks balanced budgets before U.S. House Budget Committee
          Washington Post:  Missouri native Jack Oliver to serve as Jeb Bush's national finance co-chairman
          The Missouri Times:  What's Catherine Hanaway been up to?
          KWMU:  Americans for Prosperity funds TV campaign in support of 'right to work'
          KC Star:  New ad backing 'right to work' runs in Missouri +
          Drebes:  Dan Reuter, running for Mike Leara's open House seat, to kick off campaign today
          KCUR:  Audio:  Steve Kraske, KC Star's Derek Donovan, others discuss Post-Dispatch's decision to run Brittany Burke story (segment begins at 7:50)
          KWMU:  Longtime Missouri Budget Director Linda Luebbering to retire
          The Missouri Times:  State Budget Director Linda Luebbering to retire
          AP:  Linda Luebbering set to retire
          The Missouri Times:  Medicaid enrollment increases, expansion debate continues
          Missourinet:  Nixon signs bill increasing crime victims' compensation
          AP:  Nixon signs bill to up compensation for Missouri crime victims
          CDT:  Colleagues remember former UM Chancellor Elson Floyd X
          Missourinet:  Nixon:  Decision on student-transfer bill in 'days, not weeks'
          The Missouri Times:  Missouri receives No Child Left Behind waiver
          JCNT:  Missouri corrections officials defeat Muslim inmate in Ramadan-complaint case X
          SE Missourian:  MO DNR:  "Trucks Gone Wild" off-road event polluted river +
          KWMU:  City aldermen delay vote on minimum wage proposal;  Ald. Antonio French (D) says bill would exacerbate already-high unemployment among poor
          The Missouri Times:  Board of Aldermen hold lengthy hearing on minimum-wage hike;  Democratic bill faces Democratic opposition
          P-D:  Stadium task force started work a year ago, quietly
          CDT:  St. Louis stadium plan challenged in Jefferson City, St. Louis courtrooms X
          KWMU:  "5 Things" journomeme:  "Five things to know about the legal fight over a new NFL stadium"
          P-D:  Army Corps says low-level radioactive matter near Coldwater Creek not a threat;  Group of North County natives blames various health maladies on pollution
          P-D:  Vandals deface historic Forest Park Confederate memorial with "BLACK LIVES MATTER" graffiti
          P-D editorial:  St. Louis region finally adopts underperforming Normandy children as its own
          P-D op-ed:  "Women's Voices Raised for Social Justice" founder Barbara Finch:  School's out, but now's the time to solve problems in the region
          P-D letter:  Warning:  Disregarding science and urging mandatory GMO labeling may make you sound like a Republicans on climate change
          P-D letter:  Missouri House committee puts funding for Title X, related advances in jeopardy
          P-D letter:  Clayton's Rachel Eidelman:  Can you imagine any urbanite teenager being worth $15/hr.?
          Disclosure


          X = Think before you click;  this site has chosen to limit its reporters' access to you and holds every one of your clicks against a monthly pageview limit.
         + = This site has chosen to provide its reporters with access to you by waiving its pageview limit for all links posted on johncombest.com.




        Wednesday, June 24
       
KWMU:  Hillary Clinton makes campaign stop in Florissant
          P-D:  Hillary Clinton makes campaign stop at church near Ferguson
          AP:  At campaign stop, Clinton calls for "common sense" gun control, universal voter registration, even more help for minority entrepreneurs
          Missourinet:  SLU prof Ken Warren says Hillary Clinton has a chance to win Missouri
          St. Joseph News-Press:  Lawmakers make another run at highway bill;  Comments from McCaskill, Blunt X
          Bloomberg:  McCaskill blasts Highway Safety Agency, air bag maker Takata Corp. at hearing
          The Hill:  Auto regulators grilled for 'incompetent mismanagement'
          GovExec.com:  McCaskill, others want GSA to catch feds who use plastic at strip clubs
          KWMU:  Kansas company buys McKee properties in National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency site for $3.2 million
          SE Missourian:  Floodwaters won't go away soon +
          Kraske:  The Chat:  McCaskill on feds and auto safety, Nixon on failing schools, Kansas commerce chief on border war, more +
          The Missouri Times:  Dawn Nicklas starts new consulting firm
          Drebes:  Paul Harper moves from DOR to Galloway's office;  Jeffrey Earl leaves auditor's office, moves to Department of Corrections
          P-D:  Satan worshippers sue Nixon, Koster over abortion law
          Missourinet:  Chief Justice Mary Rhodes Russell says better efficiency, going 'undercover' important
          JCNT:  Mary Rhodes Russell reflects on two years as chief justice X
          KWMU:  Mary Russell reflects on term as Chief Justice of Missouri Supreme Court
          KC Star:  FBI is asking about a Jackson County health-care consulting contract awarded to Brittany Burke
          KWMU:  Diehl says FBI has not talked to him about alleged Jackson County probe
          P-D:  FBI asking officials whether Diehl helped Brittany Burke get contract
          The Missouri Times:  Nixon signs tip tax bill
          The Missouri Times:  UMSL wants tax increase, purchases golf course
          SE Missourian:  Some school districts still waiting for end-of-year assessments +
          KWMU:  State, other districts will aid Normandy and Riverview Gardens
          P-D:  22 school districts offer help to Normandy and Riverview Gardens schools
          AP:  St. Louis-area schools agree to help failing districts
          KC Star:  KCP&L's energy-efficiency letters shake up some customers +
          SNL:  Area lawmakers weigh in on Confederate flag X
          P-D:  Backers, foes give St. Louis aldermen another earful on proposed minimum wage hike
          KWMU:  St. Louis County Executive Steve Stenger (D) on why urban minimum-wage push is not realistic for his county, more
          KWMU:  Army Corps finds no significant radioactive contamination along Coldwater Creek;  Data raises zero "red flags or alarms"
          Columbia Missourian:  Death row inmates turn to neuroscience to bolster their appeals
          KWMU:  Ferguson working group recommends big structural changes to municipal courts
          P-D:  Ferguson Commission seeks 'transformational' changes to municipal courts
          P-D:  As revenue from court fines drops, so does Ferguson's budget
          AP:  Activists that failed to oust Ferguson Mayor James Knowles tries again
          LA Times' David Lazarus:  More help - like McCaskill bill - is needed to stop robocalls, including ones from eBay and PayPal
          CDT op-ed:  Rep. Kip Kendrick (D-Columbia):  Nixon should veto school transfer bill X
          P-D op-ed:  Assistant SLU prof:  The empty rhetoric of increasing the rigor of Missouri teachers
          Jensen:  Conservative columnist offers sarcastic "liberal" take on issues, mocks minimum-wage push, gun control, pantywaist approach to "bruised feelings," more +
          KC Star letter:  Woman says birth-certificate legislation was derailed by a rude Missouri female legislator who shall not be named +
          Disclosure


          X = Think before you click;  this site has chosen to limit its reporters' access to you and holds every one of your clicks against a monthly pageview limit.
         + = This site has chosen to provide its reporters with access to you by waiving its pageview limit for all links posted on johncombest.com.



        Tuesday, June 23
       
KWMU:  Clinton to discuss racial issues in visit to North St. Louis County, then will head to South County to eat dinner and raise money
          P-D:  Clinton to attend "community meeting" at black church, then raise money at private event at scenic Grant's Farm
          Washington Times:  Clinton to join racial debate, campaign near Ferguson
          AP:  Clinton to meet with black leaders
          Horrigan:  Tongue-in-cheek suggestions for how Hillary Clinton should spend her hours-long trip to St. Louis
          Helling:  Does the 2016 Dem nominee stand a chance in Missouri?  "The quick answer is no." +
          P-D:  Clinton Foundation has tapped some of the region's top corporations:  Monsanto, Anheuser-Busch, Centene
          Kraske:  The Chat:  NRSC tweaks Jason Kander over support for Hillary Clinton;  Rep. Eric Burlison (R-Springfield) on weaning welfare recipients off the taxpayer teat +
          Missourinet:  Blunt wants Democrats to allow defense bill to advance
          KWMU:  St. Louis City may take out $20 million loan to buy land for proposed North City site of National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency
          AP:  Nixon signs bill aimed at keeping National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency in St. Louis
          SE Missourian:  High water causes more problems, including port operations +
          P-D:  Photo gallery:  Rivers remain high around St. Louis region
          Drebes:  Bill Eigel, running against Anne Zerr and Mark Parkinson for state Senate, has strong turnout at fundraiser
          Riverfront Times:  UPDATED:  P-D editor Christopher Ave responds to Sarah Fenske's take on Post-Dispatch's Brittany Burke 'slut-shaming,' takes to KMOX to defend Virginia Young's piece
          AP:  Governors' trade missions have uneven record of success
          AP:  For Missouri firm, trade trip brings sales but no big deals
          KRCG:  Progress Missouri challenges state Senate on Sunshine Law (link via @ssnich on Twitter)
          AP:  Nixon signs bill to ease tip tax requirement on restaurants
          Columbia Missourian:  UM system to hold memorial ceremony tomorrow for Elson Floyd
          KWMU:  Retiring Missouri School Board President Peter Herschend reflects on tenure
          CDT:  Rep. Chuck Basye (R-Rocheport) attends Civil War-era remembrace;  Democrats unhappy X
          Columbia Missourian:  Basye addresses Democratic hearsay that he saluted a Confederate flag
          Missourinet:  Missouri conservators working with Capitol time capsule contents
          KWMU:  Aldermen enter 'critical' week for bid to raise St. Louis' minimum wage
          P-D:  'Great Streets' plan advances for West Florissant;  $37,000,000 could be spent to rehab major North County thoroughfare ravaged by looters, arsonists
          P-D:  Ferguson Commission sends its municipal courts group back to the drawing board, seeks 'transformational' changes
          P-D editorial:  A waterlogged nation fails to learn from its repeated floods
          SNL op-ed:  U.S. Rep. Billy Long:  Setting the record straight on trade policy X
          CDT letter:  'Right to work' effects would be tantamount to living in Missouri but not paying any taxes X
          P-D letter:  Richmond Heights man attempts analogy between John Diehl attempting to help Brittany Burke and GOP policy on government handouts
          Disclosure


          X = Think before you click;  this site has chosen to limit its reporters' access to you and holds every one of your clicks against a monthly pageview limit.
         + = This site has chosen to provide its reporters with access to you by waiving its pageview limit for all links posted on johncombest.com.



        Monday, June 22
       
KWMU:  Roy Blunt's campaign zeroes in on Hillary Clinton on eve of her Missouri visit
          KC Star:  Families USA, Kaiser Family Foundation hopeful of Supreme Court ruling on Obamacare;  Aged local "actress," adult couple with daughter on Medicaid tell hard-times tales +
          Drebes:  St. Louis Area Young Republicans form PAC
          This Week in Missouri Politics:  Special guest Tom Dempsey;  Panel includes John Hancock (R), Kurt Witzel (R), Tishaura Jones (D), Aaron Willard (R)
          KWMU:  Politically Speaking Podcast:  Mannies & Rosenbaum chat with former Rep. Rodney Hubbard (D) on taking on teacher unions, Chappelle-Nadal vs. Lacy Clay, Antonio French and Chris Carter, Paul McKee, more
          Riverfront Times editor Sarah Fenske:  With the Brittany Burke story, the Post-Dispatch demonstrates the very worst of journalism's "slut-shaming"
          Missourinet:  Missouri bill to better cover eating disorder treatment becomes law
          SNL:  Welfare limits go into effect Jan. 1;  Comments from Rep. Eric Burlison (R-Springfield), Missouri Association for Social Welfare ("Empower Missouri"), German immigrant with sad story X
          Rosenbaum:  St. Louis County Executive Steve Stenger (D) says county won't go along with city push to raise minimum wage;  Comments from St. Louis Regional Chamber's Hart Nelson, others
          P-D:  Video:  Seasoned-citizen business reporters David Nicklaus and Jim Gallagher drink beer at hipster bar Foam, act out caricatures of minimum-wage debate
          SNL:  Limitations, 'non-compete' clause part of Missouri State University name change X
          KODE (Joplin):  State website offers beach-condition status updates
          KMOX:  'De-stress' is the theme of Ferguson Commission meeting tonight;  Social worker claims that stress is the cause of urbanites' diabetes
          KC Star editorial:  Nixon should veto HB 722 (minimum wage and grocery bags), HB 42 (charter school expansion) +
          SNL editorial:  Best way to address traffic-stop "problem" is to all agree there is a problem X
          SE Missourian letter:  Missouri House Banking Committee Chairman Rep. Sandy Crawford (R-Buffalo):  Changing debit card security +
          JCNT letter:  State legislators should put a moratorium on CAFOs X
          JCNT letter:  Area man constructs narrative involving George Orwell's "1984," Jay Nixon and Common Core X
          Disclosure


          X = Think before you click;  this site has chosen to limit its reporters' access to you and holds every one of your clicks against a monthly pageview limit.
         + = This site has chosen to provide its reporters with access to you by waiving its pageview limit for all links posted on johncombest.com.



        Sunday, June 21   Happy Father's Day!
       
P-D/Kaiser Health News:  Health insurance companies look to consolidate and boost leverage;  Comments from Kaiser Family Foundation, Missouri advocacy group
          Washington Missourian:  City tourism director says area businesses will suffer if Amtrak route is canceled;  McCaskill, Blunt pushing to give Amtrak an extension
          SE Missourian:  River still rising, but forecasted levels drop +
          KRES/KWIX (Moberly):  Missouri Ag Director Richard Fordyce optimistic about what rains will mean to farmers' soil-moisture profile
          CDT:  Juneteenth celebration with music, free hot dogs draws less than 20;  Area man says paltry turnout shows how little the black community supports each other X
          AP:  Republicans continue criticizing $50K union contribution to Nixon
          KRES/KWIX (Moberly):  AG candidate Scott Sifton speaks to Randolph County Democrats
          Kraske:  The Chat:  Nixon on bill refining insurance coverage for eating disorders +
          KMZU (Carrollton):  Interview with new Mental Health Director Mark Stringer
          AP:  Former UM President Elson Floyd dies at 59
          Columbia Missourian:  Former UM President Elson Floyd was 'an apostle for public higher education'
          P-D:  Chesterfield residents sound alarm for a sound wall;  MoDOT says it would be too expensive
          P-D:  Special municipal-courts feature:  "A progress report on reforms"
          St. Joseph News-Press editorial:  MoDOT pleas for public input might be desperate, but maybe a good idea is out there X
          SNL letter:  Cattleman disagrees with Billy Long on Country of Origin Labeling (COOL) X
          SNL letter:  Area man says entire MO congressional delegation should be "fired," with governor taking control of all state and federal matters;  Author is not named Jay Nixon X
          P-D letter:  Instead of making "bias" excuses for poor grades, prospective teachers should study a little harder
          P-D letter:  Employers won't be able to afford higher city minimum wage
          Disclosure


          X = Think before you click;  this site has chosen to limit its reporters' access to you and holds every one of your clicks against a monthly pageview limit.
         + = This site has chosen to provide its reporters with access to you by waiving its pageview limit for all links posted on johncombest.com.



        Saturday, June 20
       
The Hill:  McConnell calling Dem bluff on trade;  GOP leader banking on support from pro-trade Dems, including McCaskill
          NY Times health blog:  McCaskill targets Alzheimer's supplements
          Daily Dunklin Democrat:  Pemiscot-Dunklin Cooperative representatives meet with Missouri delegation in D.C. +
          SNL:  New disclosure shows federal lawmakers' wealth, educational trips X
          Kraske:  The Chat:  Blunt on Trump;  Eric Greitens' pre-campaign tour
          SE Missourian:  Corps of Engineers mobilizes to fight flooding +
          Drebes:  Nixon vs. Human Rights Commission over a fired employee
          AP:  Nixon releases more than $22M in blocked funding
          Missourinet:  Arguments presented in Progress Missouri's open-records lawsuit against Missouri Senate
          Columbia Missourian:  Columbia officials urge governor to veto bill restricting local governments
          Washington Missourian:  GOP county commissioners disappointed Nixon appointed a Democrat to fill GOP slot
          KC Star:  Action revs up for and against the Kansas City minimum wage proposal +
          The Missouri Times:  Former lawmakers dot local KC elections
          Columbia Missourian:  Retiree Otto Fajen applies Conservation Department experience to his own land
          CDT's Waters:  Nixon should veto bill that would take away local decision-making from city officials X
          CDT letter:  Anonymous letter writer, unable to pay his/her own bills despite living in subsidized housing, thanks McCaskill for voting to expand Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) X
          CDT letter:  Salisbury, Mo. woman supports Grain Belt Express X
          Disclosure


          X = Think before you click;  this site has chosen to limit its reporters' access to you and holds every one of your clicks against a monthly pageview limit.
         + = This site has chosen to provide its reporters with access to you by waiving its pageview limit for all links posted on johncombest.com.



        Friday, June 19   Happy Juneteenth!
       
Missourinet:  McCaskill, Blunt back infrastructure bill
          JCNT:  Blunt watching budget, environmental issues X
          KWMU:  Bill sponsored by Rep. Emanuel Cleaver (D-Kansas City), four other Missouri lawmakers would set national standards for voluntary labeling of GMOs
          Kraske:  The Chat:  Cleaver on WWI commemorative stamps, Danforth on campaign finance +
          KWMU:  Mercy lays off up to 350, sites issues related to Obamacare and lack of Medicaid expansion in Missouri
          KWMU:  Obit:  Loretto Wagner, mother-in-law of U.S. Rep. Ann Wagner, who fought for decades to end abortion
          Columbia Missourian:  Rep. Stephen Webber (D-Columbia) kicks off campaign for state Senate
          Missouirnet:  Nixon declares state of emergency for flooding, rains
          AP:  Nixon declares state of emergency due to flooding
          The Missouri Times:  Rain and flooding impacting Missouri soybean, corn plantings
          P-D:  Weather woes worry Missouri farmers as planting delayed by heavy rain
          KWMU:  Nixon defends veto of 'right-to-work' bill, dismisses Republican criticism over large union donation
          AP:  Nixon appoints Mark Stringer to head Missouri Mental Health Department
          Missourinet:  Missouri House panel hears testimony on move to statewide managed care
          SE Missourian:  Nixon approves $10 million for renovations at Southeast +
          P-D:  Police report reveals past Diehl relationship with Nixon staffer
          Missourinet:  Gallery:  Contents removed from 1915 Missouri Capitol time capsule
          The Missouri Times:  Time capsule opened via Periscope
          KWMU:  Time capsule from Missouri Capitol opened
          The Missouri Times:  Slay continues push to require businesses to pay a higher minimum wage
          P-D:  Police union:  Clear link between Ferguson lawlessness and increased crime city rate;  State-school professor says he sees no clear proof
          Washington Missourian editorial:  Missouri schools have reached the point of too much testing
          Washington Missourian's Bill Miller:  Print journalism will never die, especially in smaller communities
          SNL letter:  Nixon made good call with veto of 'right to work' X
          JCNT letter:  Man questions value taxpayers are receiving by subsidizing spendthrift state schools X
          Disclosure


          X = Think before you click;  this site has chosen to limit its reporters' access to you and holds every one of your clicks against a monthly pageview limit.
         + = This site has chosen to provide its reporters with access to you by waiving its pageview limit for all links posted on johncombest.com.




        Thursday, June 18
       
KWMU:  McCaskill, Blunt propose new agency to leverage private dollars for infrastructure
          SE Missourian:  Provisions by Sen. Blunt would corral ozone, water regulations +
          KMOX:  Committee cuts EPA budget;  Comments from Blunt
          The Hill:  Blunt on latest presidential candidate announcement:  "I have given no thought to Donald Trump's candidacy"
          AP:  McCaskill probes retailers on dubious 'brain' supplements
          P-D:  Big, small beermakers get behind push to lower excise taxes
          Sports Illustrated:  McCaskill calls for no special treatment for athletes in criminal cases
          USA Today:  McCaskill tells college athletic directors:  'Protecting athletes needs to be over'
          KC Star:  Danforth to receive award today;  Prepared remarks list complaints about politics these days +
          Missourinet:  Remnants of Tropical Storm Bill to cause flooding in Missouri
          KWMU:  Rain continues in Missouri;  flooding concerns grow
          SE Missourian:  'Major' river flooding predicted in region +
          Missourinet:  MoDOT:  With more rain coming, avoid flooded roads
          JCNT:  Rains, threat of flash flooding close roads X
          Drebes:  Steve Stoll as next PSC chairman would make the most sense
          St. Joseph News-Press:  Eric Greitens mulls run for governor;  Unannounced candidate "declined to discuss policy specifics" (link via @ssnich on Twitter)
          Missourinet:  Missouri Capitol time capsule to be opened Thursday;  Live streams available
          KWMU:  Thanks to its income tax, Missouri ends fiscal year with budget in good shape
          SNL:  Enhanced school background checks in Missouri speed results, flag new arrests X
          JCNT:  Lawmakers reject bid to drop Nixon from stadium lawsuit X
          P-D:  Program gives Missouri pregnant women diapers as incentive to stop smoking
          P-D:  New Ferguson judge hopes DOJ concerns addressed 'in a month'
          JCNT editorial:  Changes in public education complicate pressing choices X
          P-D letter:  Minimum wage solution:  St. Louis executives should put part of their salary in a pot, and that money should subsidize workers who can't support themselves
          P-D letter:  Fans of the 2nd Amendment should have patience - shrill anti-gun narratives are eventually disproven
          KC Star letter:  Area woman attempts 'right to work' analogy involving country clubs and freeloaders +
          Disclosure


          X = Think before you click;  this site has chosen to limit its reporters' access to you and holds every one of your clicks against a monthly pageview limit.
         + = This site has chosen to provide its reporters with access to you by waiving its pageview limit for all links posted on johncombest.com.




        Wednesday, June 17
       
P-D/Kaiser Health News:  Missouri, unlike other states, has limited options if health subsidies struck down
          SE Missourian:  Report from pro-Obamacare group:  Supreme Court ruling could drop 200,000 from health-insurance subsidy rolls +
          St. Joseph News-Press:  Pro-Obamacare group's report forecasts impact of health care ruling X
          JCNT:  Families USA:  Trouble ahead if Obamacare blocked X
          St. Joseph News-Press:  VA town hall tomorrow to address health care questions X
          Kraske:  The Chat:  McCaskill on Missouri's transportation infrastructure needs +
          St. Joseph News-Press:  Weather conditions, actual precipitation lead Army Corps of Engineers to declare state of emergency in area X
          SE Missourian:  Port, landowner work with FEMA on Scott City floodplain +
          P-D:  Hazelwood USPS employees stole packages;  North County men, girlfriend Che'yron Robinson overlabeled items they hoped contained electronics and drugs
          Columbia Missourian:  'Am I white? Am I black?' event celebrates culture, identity;  Comments on Juneteenth celebration from organizer Curtis "Boogie Man" Soul
          Jensen:  Timing of union donation to Nixon stinks +
          The Missouri Times:  Former Rep. Vicki Englund (D-St. Louis County) running for Sen. Scott Sifton's seat
          AP:  Questions dropped, time added for Missouri teaching exams;  Black candidates scored 18-43 points lower on tests
          P-D:  More prospective teachers in Missouri failing exit exams;  After only 6 percent of black teachers passed all four tests, board to look for signs of "bias"
          Missourinet:  Missouri School Board to ask for funding of district support plan
          KWMU:  State school officials acknowledge they need to do more to build trust in Normandy
          The Missouri Times:  Noranda finalizes Bootheel expansion project after PSC rate relief case
          Missourinet:  Missouri Supreme Court:  Ameren not liable for Lake of the Ozarks deaths
          KWMU:  Missouri Supreme Court says Ameren not liable for electrocutions on Lake of the Ozarks
          The Missouri Times:  City of St. Louis to receive $45 million in New Market Tax Credits
          KWMU:  State tax credits helped McKee buy land;  Now the city of St. Louis wants to buy it
          KWMU:  Aldermen hear stark divide over increasing city minimum wage
          P-D:  Proposed St. Louis minimum wage hike presented to aldermanic committee
          KC Star:  Tropical Storm Bill could make it rough for camping, floating in parts of Missouri +
          P-D:  Bridgeton Landfill owner will continue monitoring carbon monoxide
          KC Star:  Judge tosses lawsuit that alleged racial discrimination at the Power & Light District;  Plaintiffs complained about dress code, etc. +
          St. Joseph News-Press editorial:  To improve rural mail service, measure on-time delivery X
          JCNT editorial:  Schmitt's bill to protect seniors and the disabled from fraud is reasonable and practical X
          SE Missourian editorial:  Vet home upgrades a bipartisan success +
          P-D editorial:  Neighboring Legislatures miraculously make Missouri's look good
          SE Missourian editorial:  Join the discussion on higher-ed challenges +
          SNL op-ed:  U.S. Rep. Billy Long:  COOL reaches a boiling point X
          KC Star letter:  By refusing to expand Medicaid, legislators are hereby responsible for "any health problems" of those unable to pay their own way +
          P-D letter:  MoDOT should focus on big issues, not padlocks on a chain-link fence
          P-D letter:  Messenger's column continues paper's vendetta against police departments
          P-D letter:  Area woman says editorial on campus rape was wrong about women's responsibility;  In fact, females never joke in private about "scoring" with men
          Disclosure


          X = Think before you click;  this site has chosen to limit its reporters' access to you and holds every one of your clicks against a monthly pageview limit.
         + = This site has chosen to provide its reporters with access to you by waiving its pageview limit for all links posted on johncombest.com.



        Tuesday, June 16
       
Kraske:  The Chat:  McCaskill on budget compromise +
          KRES/KWIX (Moberly):  Hartzler on ending County of Origin Labeling (COOL);  Lacy Clay the only member of Missouri delegation to vote against bill
          P-D:  Recap of Washington Post party-line vote analysis posted here last week
          KWMU:  Politically Speaking podcast:  Mannies & Rosenbaum talk to David Barklage about Brunner and Kinder, GOP success with non-urbanites, 'right-to-work' prospects, much more
          KC Star:  UAW sends $50,000 to Nixon in wake of 'right to work' veto;  Comments from James Harris +
          KMOX:  Nixon picking up $50K check after veto "business as usual," says Rep. Eric Burlison (R-Springfield)
          Drebes:  Who's next on the PSC?  Nixon will face pressure to find a female
          Rosenbaum:  Kansas' and Illinois' budget brinksmanship not likely in Missouri
          KODE (Joplin):  Nixon signs Senior Savings Protection Act into law;  Comments from Rep. Charlie Davis (R-Webb City)
          AP:  Correction to student-transfers story:  Measure would save the state - not cost the state - $72M in 2017-18
          SNL:  Springfield Public Schools board to Nixon:  Veto school transfer bill now X
          KWMU:  Battle lines drawn over St. Louis, Kansas City efforts to raise the minimum wage
          P-D:  Lawmakers say Nixon is accountable for stadium financing plan
          The Missouri Times:  Courts will likely decide the fate of an NFL stadium in St. Louis
          P-D:  Gun rights dispute at St. Louis Zoo could test Missouri's muddled gun laws
          P-D:  Legal action needed to fix up dilapidated cemetery in North St. Louis County, Koster says
          Missourinet:  Missouri Department of Conservation extends chronic wasting disease combat zone, changes regulations
          CDT letter:  Area woman expresses anger over lack of Medicaid expansion, calls opponents "reckless," "unscrupulous," "irrational" and "mean-spirited" X
          KC Star letter:  Jobs With Justice's Robert Minor:  It's not fair that the women and men who run corporations succeed "on the backs of working people" +
          SNL letter:  Blunt wrong about EPA and power plants;  Meanwhile, unlike income tax, sales taxes are "poorly understood and capriciously applied" X
          Columbia Missourian letter:  Grain Belt Express line essential for Missouri energy
          Disclosure


          X = Think before you click;  this site has chosen to limit its reporters' access to you and holds every one of your clicks against a monthly pageview limit.
         + = This site has chosen to provide its reporters with access to you by waiving its pageview limit for all links posted on johncombest.com.



        Monday, June 15
       
Missourinet:  McCaskill warns of federal budget debate conflict, less money for Missouri
          KMOX:  Help Wanted:  VA can't fill 30 key director positions, including St. Louis
          P-D:  Monsanto in the middle of upcoming congressional fight over GMO labeling;  Wagner, Luetkemeyer among 60 co-sponsors of bill
          KWMU:  North City woman living on National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency site doesn't want to move
          Kraske:  The Chat:  Things were better back in my day, 78-year-old Jack Danforth says, again +
          Warrensburg Daily Star-Journal:  Missouri Boys State boasts impressive speaker lineup:  Karl Rove, Jay Nixon, Nicole Galloway, gov candidate Eric Greitens, Ameren's Warner Baxter, more
          KODE (Joplin):  At Joplin GOP picnic, Catherine Hanaway says she's against Medicaid expansion
          This Week in Missouri Politics:  Guest Kurt Schaefer (R-Columbia);  Panel of Gate Way Group's David Jackson, Progress Missouri's Sean Nicholson, Rep. John Wiemann (R), union president David Cook
          Missourinet:  Measure meant to protect seniors' savings becomes Missouri law
          SNL:  Sen. Mike Parson (R-Bolivar):  Bond projects not dazzling, but needed X
          Missourinet:  More Missouri Lottery money for education this year, still off projection
          AP:  Analysis:  Lawmakers and their families make a living outside of the Legislature, and some legislation could impact those industries or occupations
          Missourinet:  State Fair concert tickets go on sale Wednesday
          St. Joseph News-Press editorial:  U.S. Rep. Sam Graves offers sensible ideas for helping veterans with employment and medical care X
          P-D editorial:  To combat 'rape culture,' Mizzou should offer self-defense classes to co-eds
          Warrensburg Daily Star-Journal's Jack Ventimiglia:  Safety push could derail Amtrak service in Missouri
          Columbia Missourian op-ed:  Financial services professional Steve Spellman:  Maybe Missouri should get rid of the death penalty, or maybe not
          JCNT letter:  Clean Line Energy project deserves support X
          P-D letter:  Raising the minimum wage is inflationary
          P-D letter:  Post-Dispatch ignores the harm that anti-police rhetoric does to law enforcement families
          Disclosure


          X = Think before you click;  this site has chosen to limit its reporters' access to you and holds every one of your clicks against a monthly pageview limit.
         + = This site has chosen to provide its reporters with access to you by waiving its pageview limit for all links posted on johncombest.com.



        Sunday, June 14   Flag Day
       
KWMU:  Blunt joins budget battle in weekly Republican address
          KMZU (Carrollton):  Audio:  Blunt's weekly conference call;  Junior senator addresses defense spending, Obamacare, Hastert contributions, more
          JCNT:  14 initiative petitions await circulation for Missouri voters' signatures X
          KODE (Joplin):  Catherine Hanaway, in Joplin, talks 'right to work' and its impact on Missouri
          AP:  Nixon gets $50K from UAW days after veto on 'right to work'
          P-D:  Missouri faces hard choice:  Renewable energy highways, or property rights?
          KC Star:  Transgender student visibility has UMKC, other Missouri colleges making accomodations;  All-female Stephens College may begin admitting humanoids with male genitalia who say they are actually women +
          AP:  Missouri lawmakers address "concerns" about their families' occupations and livelihoods being impacted by legislation;  Holsman (D) on charter-school bill, Parson (R) on livestock bill, etc.
          KWMU:  Ohio gun-rights activist enters St. Louis Zoo with empty holster;  next steps unclear
          P-D:  On hot day, gun-rights activist decides not to pack heat at zoo
          JCNT editorial:  Nixon should veto the student transfer law X
          St. Joseph News-Press editorial:  Nixon, legislators showed they understand the need for capital improvements X
          JCNT editorial:  The meaning of Flag Day in an era of perceived "injustice," an omnipresent selfie mentality and the "outrage industry" X
          Washington Missourian's Bill Miller:  Chronic complainers may occasionally disrespect our flag, but the vast majoriy of Americans pay respect to Old Glory
          CDT op-ed:  Columbia Public Schools Superintendent Peter Stiepleman:  Nixon must veto school transfer bill X
          SNL op-ed:  Area man attempts humor, says state legislators work only 70 days each year while taking frequent naps and visiting "cafeteria" a lot X
          P-D letter:  Missouri Coalition for the Environment:  Claire McCaskill should take a stand against coal
          P-D letter:  Legislators should expand Medicaid
          P-D letter:  Lacy Clay keeps perpetuating the myth of Michael Brown as a decent, 'hands-up' youth
          Disclosure


          X = Think before you click;  this site has chosen to limit its reporters' access to you and holds every one of your clicks against a monthly pageview limit.
         + = This site has chosen to provide its reporters with access to you by waiving its pageview limit for all links posted on johncombest.com.



        Saturday, June 13
       
The Hill:  Blunt:  Defense spending a 'moral imperative'
          P-D:  Area congressional delegation's votes for the week
          Washington Post:  Here are the members of Congress who vote against their party the most;  McCaskill the only member of Missouri delegation listed
          KC Star:  Washington Post analysis ranks McCaskill as fourth most likely Democrat to buck her party on votes
          WGEM (Hannibal):  McCaskill discusses bill to crack down on unwanted robocalls
          KWMU:  Home health care workers protest outside Paraquad for higher wages
          The Missouri Times:  Sen. Kurt Schaefer (R-Columbia) takes lead in fight against higher minimum wage proposals
          KODE (Joplin):  Area small-business owner says he'd reduce staff if minimum wage is raised
          AP:  Nixon signs bill aiming to protect seniors from fraud
          KC Star:  Missouri teaches families how to camp as fewer choose to spend the night at state parks +
          KWMU:  Judge blocks attempt to carry handgun at St. Louis zoo;  legal experts discuss current gun law
          P-D:  City fires back at Dome authority, says it can't build new stadium
          P-D:  Secretary of State's office investigating Shaun Hayes, his day care business and a business partner
          AP:  Missouri eases hunting rules to slow deer disease
          St. Joseph News-Press editorial:  Plug $50,000 hole in MWSU budget X
          P-D editorial:  Slay's go-it-alone minimum wage plan is too much, too fast
          SE Missourian editorial:  "Neighborhood Roll Call" program may help Cape police avoid riotous behavior by those inclined to perceive "injustice" +
          KC Star's Steve Paul:  Raising minimum wage won't cure poverty, but it will lift up many families and give KC a reputation for "fairness" +
          SNL op-ed:  U.S. Rep. Billy Long:  Defeat domestic violence in Ozarks X
          P-D letter:  Response to Planned Parenthood comments on decrease in number of abortions
          Disclosure


          X = Think before you click;  this site has chosen to limit its reporters' access to you and holds every one of your clicks against a monthly pageview limit.
         + = This site has chosen to provide its reporters with access to you by waiving its pageview limit for all links posted on johncombest.com.




        Friday, June 12
       
The Hill:  Spending panel moves toward sequestration relief;  Comments from Blunt on making national defense top priority
          Kraske:  The Chat:  Hastert contributions to Blunt don't reach big-deal status;  McCaskill on robocalls targeting seasoned citizens +
          KWMU:  Jason Kander portrays himself as business-friendly as he takes aim at Obama, Brownback
          P-D:  Democrat Kander chides Democrat Obama on business regulations
          KMOX:  McCaskill fights to find do-not-call violators overseas
          Washington Examiner:  McCaskill bill targets telemarketing scammers
          KMOX:  McCaskill supports the Small Brew Act to lower taxes on craft breweries
          KY3:  Interim Christian County sheriff asks for delegation's help in getting Dept. of Defense to take back armored military vehicle
          SNL:  Interim sheriff wants to ditch military truck X
          Drebes:  New state rep campaign committees formed:  Crystal Quade (D) for Charlie Norr's seat, David Cort (R) for Eric Burlison's seat
          The Missouri Times:  Scott Faughn's "This Week in Missouri Politics" expanding to northeast Missouri, will air on KTVO
          SNL:  Intern inquiries won't impact MSU's Capitol program X
          AP:  Taxpayers provided more than 37,000 Missouri kids "free" food handouts on an average summer day last year
          KWMU:  School districts, charters sign up for new collaboration
          P-D:  Board votes to restructure Normandy schools
          AP:  Board votes to restructure Normandy schools
          KC Star:  Trooper who questioned Missouri patrol after Brandon Ellingson drowning hit with discipline +
          Missourinet:  Missouri trooper critical of Highway Patrol after drowning of Iowa man is disciplined
          KC Star:  Interstate 70 to St. Louis will be more constricted this summer +
          P-D:  MoDOT will remove padlocks placed on Page Avenue Bridge fence
          Washington Missourian:  Hearing draws supporters, opponents of coal ash landfill plan
          KWMU:  Franklin County coal ash landfill hearing highlights differing viewpoints, strong emotions
          P-D:  Death row inmate gives chilling murder confession;  David Zink was on parole and driving drunk when he rear-ended a 19-year-old woman, so he killed her
          P-D:  Ferguson protesters charged in City Hall incident must perform community service
          Washington Missourian editorial:  Industrial concerns:  'Right-to-work' would be a factor in attracting businesses to Missouri
          P-D editorial:  Progress on the 'Fix the Legislature' front:  Getting rid of term limits and limiting campaign contributions might make the ballot
          Washington Missourian editorial:  Nixon still dragging his feet on naming commissioner replacement
          Washington Missourian's Bill Miller:  Fixing I-70 through "crowdsourcing" is a neat idea, but back to reality:  Allow private industry to fix the problem via toll stations
          P-D op-ed:  Missouri Coalition Against Common Core:  Response to P-D "Republicans continue to peddle the Common Core lie" editorial
          KC Star's Mary Sanchez:  It's time to take on predatory lenders +
          P-D letter:  Slay wants to raise minimum wage to put more tax money into City's coffers
          Disclosure


          X = Think before you click;  this site has chosen to limit its reporters' access to you and holds every one of your clicks against a monthly pageview limit.
         + = This site has chosen to provide its reporters with access to you by waiving its pageview limit for all links posted on johncombest.com.



        Thursday, June 11
       
KWMU:  McCaskill, Blunt take different approaches when it comes to controversial campaign donations
          SNL:  Blunt won't return Hastert money X
          P-D:  Blunt says he'll keep Hastert donations
          CDT:  McCaskill survey:  Patients generally pleased with Truman VA service X
          KWMU:  McCaskill to reintroduce bill penalizing phone scams and robocalls
          McClatchy:  As robocalls evolve, McCaskill introduces legislation to keep up
          The Hill:  McCaskill, others pile on the robocall criticism
          P-D:  Blunt, McCaskill weigh in on upcoming Monsanto-Syngenta combination and jobs staying in St. Louis
          Kraske:  The Chat:  Emanuel Cleaver on body cameras, Lacy Clay on racial divisions +
          KWMU:  People's Health Center in St. Louis City to get $2 million in federal taxpayer dollars for psychiatric center
          SE Missourian:  Governor hopeful Mike Parson (R) finds support in Cape +
          The Missouri Times:  In Cape, GOP Sens. Gary Romine, Doug Libla, Wayne Wallingford endorse Mike Parson
          Drebes:  "Maverick PAC" names unannounced AG candidate Joshua Hawley (R) to its "Future 40" list
          AP:  Scott Eckersley, at center of Blunt e-mail/employment issue, charged with felonies;  Grown man caught repeatedly stealing competitor's Utah tourism brochures from resort lobby
          Washington Missourian:  Franklin County commissioner frustrated with Nixon's delay in appointing replacement to vacant seat
          AP:  Nixon heading to Paris Air Show
          KC Star:  Former University of Missouri President Elson Floyd battling cancer +
          KWMU:  Normandy says it can continue to operate schools for another year
          AP:  Nixon's office receives hundreds of e-mails, letters regarding student transfers bill
          P-D:  Koster moves to dismiss Nixon from stadium lawsuit
          CDT:  Capitol time capsule removed in preparation for centennial celebration X
          Missourinet:  Nixon says he's still weighing clemency for 14 women
          SE Missourian:  State taking applications for managed deer hunts +
          P-D editorial:  Ann Wagner puts brokers (and contributors) ahead of investors
          Helling:  Brownback, like Jay Nixon, sees national aspirations disappear +
          CDT's Waters:  To be consistent, conservatives should stop trying to block local governments from setting minimum wage and other policies X
          Disclosure


          X = Think before you click;  this site has chosen to limit its reporters' access to you and holds every one of your clicks against a monthly pageview limit.
         + = This site has chosen to provide its reporters with access to you by waiving its pageview limit for all links posted on johncombest.com.



        Wednesday, June 10
       
SNL:  Billy Long seeks reform of Medicare auditing program X
          Washington Post:  Homeland Security looks for leaker of report on air-checkpoint failures;  McCaskill notes that TSA's budget keeps getting cut
          The Missouri Times:  Missouri Chamber continues to make the argument in favor of 'right to work'
          P-D:  Transfer bill leaves some families in a lurch
          Kraske:  The Chat:  Jay Nixon on Capitol Cornerstone;  Rep. Michael Butler (D-St. Louis) on GOP preference to focus on things other than Ferguson +
          Missourinet:  Time capsule removed from Missouri State Capitol Cornerstone
          The Missouri Times:  Time capsule extracted from cornerstone
          JCNT:  State officials remove time capsule from Missouri Capitol Cornerstone X
          AP:  Time capsule removed from cornerstone of Missouri Capitol
          KWMU:  Residents weigh in on plans to scale back Franklin County's coal ash landfill restrictions
          CDT:  Moberly Monitor-Index follows trend of small Missouri papers, eliminates delivery carriers and will reply upon USPS X
          Missourinet:  Missouri carries out execution of Richard Strong
          Missourinet:  Richard Strong's victims' families thank Missouri for his execution;  Comments from Gov. Jay Nixon (D), AG Chris Koster (D)
          KWMU:  Richard Strong chooses fried chicken, cheeseburger and doughnuts for last meal;  Pentobarbital works flawlessly
          AP:  Murderer Richard Strong executed
          P-D:  Slideshow:  Missouri execution scorecard since 2000:  Jay Nixon (18), Bob Holden (15), Matt Blunt (5), Mel Carnahan (4 in 2000), Roger Wilson (1)
          KWMU:  Adversaries of Ferguson mayor fail to gather enough signatures to trigger recall;  Election board says anti-Knowles gang submitted 1,125 invalid signatures
          P-D:  Effort to recall Ferguson mayor hits roadblock
          AP:  Recall effort targeting Ferguson mayor hits snag;  "Ground Level Support" gets 10 more days to find valid signatures
          P-D:  Lacy Clay:  Ferguson revealed 'staggering divisions' in America
          CDT's Waters:  Hammerschmidt and Ron Calzone's lawsuit on "Christmas tree" bill X
          SNL op-ed:  Rabbi Barbara Block, others:  Payday loan laws must be reformed X
          Jensen:  Ferguson looting and other examples of miscreant behavior help reveal progressives' true agenda:  Undermine law enforcement +
          KC Star letter:  Marshall, Mo. farmer thanks McCaskill and Blunt for supporting Trade Promotion Authority, hopes Cleaver does the same +
          SNL letter:  Billy Long should change his position on energy policy, support "fee and rebate strategy" to target carbon X
          CDT letter:  Area woman believes that voting for a state rep candidate based upon their Medicaid-expansion position will totally make a difference X
          P-D letter:  Planned Parenthood's Linda Raclin:  Abortion restrictions only harm Missouri women
          P-D letter:  Post-Dispatch fans racial flames by reporting ridiculous "proportionality principal" on arrests
          Disclosure


          X = Think before you click;  this site has chosen to limit its reporters' access to you and holds every one of your clicks against a monthly pageview limit.
         + = This site has chosen to provide its reporters with access to you by waiving its pageview limit for all links posted on johncombest.com.



        Tuesday, June 9
       
KMOX:  McCaskill, Blunt pressure VA for a permanent St. Louis director
          Washington Post:  Justice watchdog will publicize employee misconduct investigations online;  McCaskill bill would strengthen independent inspectors general
          SE Missourian:  Area farmers concerned over new EPA clean-water rules +
          P-D:  Washington Post fact-checker says Ann Wagner's statistics on sex-trafficking are exaggerated
          P-D:  Military sexual assault dispute between McCaskill, Gillibrand could arise again
          The Missouri Times:  Preview:  2016 Missouri State Senate races
          Kraske:  The Chat:  Former Sen. Scott Rupp (R) on campaign limits;  Rep. Stephen Webber (D-Columbia) on the struggle of Capitol women +
          Drebes:  Help Wanted:  Missouri Senate seeks communications director
          P-D:  Judge rules that Missouri "Right to Farm" law does not protect potheads
          Drebes:  Ferguson Mayor James Knowles to speak to St. Louis Area Young Republican Club on Thursday
          KWMU:  Diehl kept his word and avoided "Ferguson agenda";  Rep. Michael Butler (D-St. Louis) says Republicans would prefer to not deal with black issues
          KWMU:  For Normandy Middle School students, words of encouragement and apology
          KMWU:  Missouri ranks 10th in high school graduation rate;  A closer look at the numbers
          CDT:  Missouri's Bowen Loftin makes list of highest-paid college executives of 2014 X
          Missourinet:  Proposal aims to help Missouri domestic violence survivors
          The Missouri Times:  PSC Chairman Robert Kenney steps down
          JCNT:  PSC Chairman Robert Kenney announces August departure X
          The Missouri Times:  Celebrations planned to mark centennial of laying of Capitol cornerstone
          P-D:  Gun-rights advocate challenges St. Louis Zoo policy barring weapons
          Missourinet:  Appeals of murderer Richard Strong all before U.S. Supreme Court
          KMWU:  Missouri prepares to execute Richard Strong for double slayings in 2000
          AP:  Execution nears for murderer Richard Strong
          St. Joseph News-Press editorial:  Bullying law still needed X
          P-D letter:  Local school boards bear responsibility for America's substandard education system
          Disclosure


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         + = This site has chosen to provide its reporters with access to you by waiving its pageview limit for all links posted on johncombest.com.



        Monday, June 8
       
Politico:  U.S. Rep. Billy Long wants FDA to update drug-promotion rules to include companies' social-media pitches
          KMZU (Carrollton):  Audio:  Sen. Claire McCatskill [sic] on defense bill, national security reforms, St. Louis VA hospital, more
          Washington Post's Cillizza:  The 10 U.S. Senate seats most likely to switch parties in 2016:  Not Missouri
          Rosenbaum:  Why Missouri's no-limit campaign contribution culture may be here to stay
          KWMU:  Missouri may join the states embracing pot, or not
          KWMU:  Politically Speaking podcast:  Rep. Stephen Webber (D-Columbia) talks with Mannies & Rosenbaum about political courage, "gender pay equity" and corrosive capital culture
          This Week in Missouri Politics:  Rep. Elijah Haahr (R-Springfield);  Opinion panel of reporter Collin Reischman, KMOX's Mark Reardon, Joe Keaveny (D), David Barklage (R)
          KODE (Joplin):  Nixon signs bill to help fund renovations in veterans' homes
          AP:  Abortions decline in nearly all states, including Missouri
          CDT:  Once covered, Jesus symbol placed on Missouri vets memorial X
          KTRS:  Video:  What will happen if St. Louis raises its minimum wage to $15?  Thoughts from Gate Way Group's David Jackson
          SNL:  MO DNR officials sign off on $200 million Springfield sewer plan X
          Missourinet:  Richard Strong carved up a 2-year old girl, then stabbed the mother of his daughter 21 times and left the tip of the knife in her skull;  Daughter says Nixon should grant clemency
          KTTS:  Execution opponents to hold vigil tomorrow at noon in Springfield
          P-D editorial:  Republicans continue to peddle the Common Core lie
          JCNT editorial:  Time to submit ideas for Capitol time capsule X
          The Missouri Times' Collin Reischman:  Gov. Jay Nixon racks up wins, is poised for successful summer
          P-D letter:  Nixon correct to veto 'right to work'
          JCNT letter:  Let the free market deal with payday lenders X
          P-D letter:  Slay, socialist Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders are right on minimum wage
          Disclosure


          X = Think before you click;  this site has chosen to limit its reporters' access to you and holds every one of your clicks against a monthly pageview limit.
         + = This site has chosen to provide its reporters with access to you by waiving its pageview limit for all links posted on johncombest.com.



        Sunday, June 7
       
P-D/Kaiser Health News:  Stakes are high as Supreme Court nears key Obamacare decision;  Comments from Missouri Foundation for Health, others
          Missourinet:  McCaskill pleased with TSA leadership change after weapons are snuck through checkpoints
          KMIZ (Columbia):  McCaskill survey says veterans content with VA hospital care in Boone County
          SE Missourian:  U.S. Rep. Jason Smith takes a look at Cape's sinkhole problem +
          P-D:  Damage to Doe Run mine caused sinkholes
          P-D:  After switching positions, Dick Gephardt and his lobbying firm have taken $8 million from Turkish government
          KOMU (Columbia):  Missouri's seven veterans homes to receive money
          CDT:  Bill extends protection order coverage to sexual assault victims X
          P-D's Nicklaus:  Minimum wage hike will cause the most vulnerable workers to lose their jobs;  Instead of magical thinking, Mayor Slay should talk to the people who make payrolls work
          KOMU:  Neighbors file lawsuit against MO DNR, allege misconduct in CAFO appeal
          KWMU:  Proposed stadium plans would demolish four historic registry buildings
          SE Missourian:  Ex-con employment series:  Attitude, programs help felons find jobs +
          St. Joseph News-Press:  What the police arrest-disparity index means for St. Joseph X
          KWMU:  Anti-Jennifer Joyce (D) rally draws 25;  Protesters refuse Joyce's standing offer to meet for civilized discussion
          JCNT:  News Tribune celebrates 150 years in print X
          Washington Missourian editorial:  Intern handbook is a good idea, but what Missouri legislators really need is Common Sense 101
          SNL editorial:  Rep. Lynn Morris (R-Nixa) must take real responsibility for actions to win back public trust X
          JCNT editorial:  Watch for MoDOT highway-striping operations as you drive this summer X
          SE Missourian's Bob Miller:  Anonymously, we find out what teachers think about testing;  Anonymous survey sheds lights, while state government's stonewalling leads only to darkness +
          CDT op-ed:  AME pastor:  Nixon should spare the life of Richard Strong;  Condemned murderer sliced up a two-year old girl and the mother of his daughter, but he had a really rough upbringing X
          P-D letter:  Child Care Aware's L. Carol Scott:  True partnership needed to fill preschool needs
          P-D letter:  Area man analogizes Show-Me Institute and minimum wage debate to plantation owners and cotton-picking
          Disclosure


          X = Think before you click;  this site has chosen to limit its reporters' access to you and holds every one of your clicks against a monthly pageview limit.
         + = This site has chosen to provide its reporters with access to you by waiving its pageview limit for all links posted on johncombest.com.



        Saturday, June 6
       
P-D:  Area congressional delegation's votes for the week
          KWMU:  White House issues report supporting Medicaid expansion;  Comments from Tim McBride, Sen. Rob Schaaf (R-St. Joseph), Vinita Park woman with sad story
          KFVS (Cape Girardeau):  McCaskill on VA system, Medicare Advantage, USPS site closures, 2016 presidential race
          SNL:  Blunt:  Springfield fortunate to have a facility like the Jordan Valley Community Health Center X
          KY3:  Jordan Valley Health debuts new wellness center and building expansion
          SE Missourian:  U.S. Rep. Jason Smith addresses federal regulations, other issues during chamber event +
          Missourinet:  U.S. Senate votes to end defense spending on military salutes at sporting events;  Chiefs have received $250k over last four years, while Rams received $60k
          Chicago Sun-Times:  DSCC calls for Blunt to return Hastert cash
          Drebes:  Mark Parkinson, Anne Zerr might have company in state Senate primary
          CDT:  Effort to raise cigarette tax would fund early childhood education;  Comments from Raise Your Hand for Kids' Linda Rallo, others X
          KWMU:  Nixon signs capital improvement bills into law
          JCNT:  Budget bills include mid-Missouri projects X
          AP:  Nixon OKs more than $300M in bonding for building repairs
          KY3:  State leaders push for quality veteran care;  Comments from Blunt
          Columbia Missourian:  Prescription disposal bin removed from police station lobby per EPA, MO DNR request;  No one from DNR available to provide comment on Friday afternoon
          P-D:  After handing out checks for $2,750 each to 17 Ferguson protesters, Jeff Ordower out as head of ACORN/MORE;  Spokesman Kennard Williams says "no comment"
          P-D:  Proposed St. Louis minimum wage hike could be headed to court
          KC Star:  At City Hall, groups call for a higher minimum wage in Kansas City +
          P-D:  Ferguson Commission to meet in St. Charles City next week
          Warrensburg Daily Star-Journal editorial:  Who watches the watchers?  McCaskill making effort X
          JCNT editorial:  'To boldly go' forward on I-70 X
          P-D editorial:  A challenge to 'right-to-work' backers:  Put it on the 2016 ballot
          KC Star letter:  D.C.-based group says 'right to work' is wrong for Missouri +
          P-D letter:  "Protester class" of malcontents thinks rules of civility don't apply to them
          SNL letter:  Consequences for Rep. Lynn Morris (R-Nixa) underwhelming X
          P-D letter:  Fulton man unhappy with Legislature, attempts state-motto punchline
          Disclosure


          X = Think before you click;  this site has chosen to limit its reporters' access to you and holds every one of your clicks against a monthly pageview limit.
         + = This site has chosen to provide its reporters with access to you by waiving its pageview limit for all links posted on johncombest.com.



        Friday, June 5
       
P-D:  White House issues report highlighting "missed opportunities" for Missouri not expanding Medicaid
          The Hill:  White House urging Dems to back possible Obama defense veto;  Comments from McCaskill
          KOLR (Springfield):  Blunt and Billy Long in town today to dedicate health and wellness center;  Nixon in for VFW convention, will sign bills
          Drebes:  Diehl fallout:  Dems might have been better off with a damaged Speaker hanging around - and impending LeVota coverage ensures intern-indulging isn't a partisan issue
          Drebes:  Dems line up to replace departing Rep. Bill Otto (D-Maryland Heights)
          Missourinet:  Initiative petitions seeking Missouri minimum wage increase cleared for signatures
          CDT:  Muleskinners, a Democratic group, invites Republican lawmakers to speak;  Rep. Caleb Rowden (R-Columbia):  "I think it'd be fun" X
          KWMU:  Advocacy group for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender olds merges with PROMO
          Missourinet:  Nixon vetoes 'right to work' bill, sponsor Rep. Eric Burlison (R-Springfield) 'disappointed'
          SNL:  Rep. Eric Burlison (R-Springfield) jabs Nixon over 'right to work' veto, says Missouri's status as RTW state is 'inevitable' X
          The Missouri Times:  Nixon vetoes 'right to work'
          KWMU:  Nixon vetoes 'right to work' legislation
          AP:  Nixon vetoes 'right to work' legislation
          P-D:  'Right to work' proponents to face uphill battle in overriding Nixon's veto
          AP:  Nixon to sign $300M in bonds for building repairs
          KC Star:  Missouri wants ideas for fixing Interstate 70, and how to pay for it +
          SE Missourian:  Public hearing addresses higher-ed challenges in Southeast Missouri +
          KWMU:  Slay unveils minimum wage push amid murky legal environment
          The Missouri Times:  Slay to push for minimum wage hike despite legislature's objectives
          Columbia Missourian:  Missouri Health Facilities Committee to hold hearing Monday;  Boone Hospital opposes plan for Fulton Medical Center expansion
          Miklasz:  On stadium deal, Nixon says Missouri will be ready
          AP:  Grand juror in Michael Brown case fights gag order anew
          KC Star editorial:  Lawmakers should uphold Nixon's veto on 'right to work' +
          St. Joseph News-Press editorial:  Restrain stadium subsidies;  Nixon "can do better than simply argue he has the authority to do what's best' X
          Washington Missourian's Bill Miller:  McCaskill announces victory in Postal Service restructuring
          SNL op-ed:  U.S. Senate candidate Jason Kander (D):  Proposed EPA water regulations would hurt Missouri farmers and ranchers X
          SE Missourian op-ed:  Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder:  Right to work is good for Missouri business and workers +
          P-D letter:  University City woman says Missouri should abolish the death penalty
          P-D letter:  Ameren, MO DNR, and legislators all conspire to make Missouri dirty
          Disclosure


          X = Think before you click;  this site has chosen to limit its reporters' access to you and holds every one of your clicks against a monthly pageview limit.
         + = This site has chosen to provide its reporters with access to you by waiving its pageview limit for all links posted on johncombest.com.



        Thursday, June 4
       
Politico:  Democrats consider filibuster of huge defense bill;  Comments from McCaskill
          Politico:  Democrats steer toward highway funding cliff;  Comments from Blunt
          P-D:  Matt Blunt reiterates Senator Blunt's claim - they don't talk about business
          P-D:  University of Michigan-Flint prof:  Size of Missouri's economy tantamount to Philippines
          The Missouri Times:  This Week in Missouri Politics to air in mid-Missouri
          KWMU:  Ballot initiatives to raise Missouri's minimum wage approved for circulation
          CDT:  Local NEA leader Susan McClintic to run against freshman Rep. Chuck Basye (R-Rocheport) X
          AP:  Missouri Senate adopts new workplace policy manual with details on reporting harassment
          P-D:  First the Missouri House, now Senate joins in to review intern policies
          Missourinet:  Missouri officials ask for outside ideas to rebuild I-70, fund transportation
          AP:  Missouri officials want I-70 to become innovation lab
          KC Star:  Missouri transportation officials solicit ideas, and money, for the future of Interstate 70 +
          KC Star:  Nixon says his St. Joe, St. Louis stadium comparison related to lawsuit, not projects' costs +
          P-D:  Help Wanted:  Judge, to hear stadium funding case
          AP:  Missouri Higher Education Commissioner David Russell announces retirement
          P-D:  Missouri higher ed chief to retire in January
          The Missouri Times:  Bowen Loftin has become a powerful force as Mizzou chancellor
          KWMU:  Departing Hazelwood superintendent was caught between friction on board
          Missourinet:  Missouri to mark 100th anniversary of State Capitol Cornerstone with new time capsule
          AP:  Ameren moves to end contract with New Madrid smelter
          CDT:  Moberly won't 'bail out' Jefferson City contractor for Mamtek losses X
          AP:  St. Louis attorney James M. Dowd picked as Missouri Court of Appeals judge
          Columbia Missourian:  Missouri Association for Social Welfare, rebranded as "Empower Missouri," holds event at AME church to discuss traffic-stop report
          JCNT:  Activist groups want Koster's office to plan statewide summit on "racial profiling" X
          P-D:  Ferguson protesters disagree over who should receive donations;  One sect demands that ACORN, rebranded as "MORE," "cut the check"
          AP:  Man who admitted shooting police at Ferguson protest pleads not guilty
          KWMU:  St. Louis Circuit Attorney Jennifer Joyce (D) says protester histrionics only encourage her to run again, keep standing up for law-abiding citizens
          Columbia Missourian's David Rosman:  Forcing religion into government is wrong
          SNL letter:  Billy Long right to sponsor safe food labeling act X
          P-D letter:  MO DNR caving to Ameren and political pressure
          JCNT letter:  Don't want to deal with a municipal court system?  Try following the law. X
          P-D letter:  P-D editorial board puts down law enforcement and sides with criminal element
          Disclosure


          X = Think before you click;  this site has chosen to limit its reporters' access to you and holds every one of your clicks against a monthly pageview limit.
         + = This site has chosen to provide its reporters with access to you by waiving its pageview limit for all links posted on johncombest.com.



        Wednesday, June 3
       
Kraske:  How Missouri's congressional delegation fared in the Lugar Center/Georgetown bipartisan rankings +
          AP:  Congress sends NSA phone-records bill to president;  McCaskill votes yes, Blunt votes no
          KC Star:  Health insurance firms propose to increase rates in Missouri +
          Wall Street Journal's Pharmalot blog:  McCaskill, Collins (R-Me.) say FDA guidelines may restrict use of Roche's Avastin
          P-D:  McCaskill, Luetkemeyer help Webster Groves woman get medal of honor for her father
          KWMU:  Medal of Honor awarded to WWI vet is triumph over anti-Semitism, daughter says
          AP:  Proposed initiative petitions would increase Missouri minimum wage
          CDT:  Cock fight:  'Right to farm' defense fails in Boone County trial X
          Drebes:  Ben Murray, treasurer to term-limited Rep. Mike Colona (D-St. Louis City), to run for Colona's seat
          KWMU:  Politically Speaking podcast:  Steve Tilley talks to Mannies & Rosenbaum about his tenure and challenges as House Speaker, Diehl, and Rep. Robert Cornejo (R-St. Peters) possibly switching his vote on 'right to work'
          AP:  Budget director:  Missouri revenue collections up 7.5 percent
          Missourinet:  Missouri Senate GOP leaders to attempt override of veto of unemployment bill
          P-D:  Missouri Legislature throws Common Core out the window
          Columbia Missourian:  Missouri's gifted programs are struggling in era of education budget cuts;  Missouri districts not required to provide extra programs for smart kids
          P-D:  Grayling Tobias retires from Hazelwood schools;  Superintendent left in mid-April for "medical leave"
          AP:  Public Service Commission questions adding multistate wind energy line
          P-D:  Missouri regulators may block wind transmission project
          SE Missourian:  State Auditor Nicole Galloway's office estimates forfeiture money to area police agencies +
          Columbia Missourian:  Prepaid funeral plans on the rise in Missouri;  State regulations offer control over how money is handled
          KWMU:  Slay supports bill from Alderman Shane Cohn to provide $15-an-hour minimum wage for St. Louis City workers by 2020
          P-D:  Slay seeks to raise minimum wage in St. Louis City to $15 an hour
          AP:  St. Louis may be next city to raise minimum wage
          P-D:  Organization for Black Struggle, others want Koster to spend time listening to complaints about "racial profiling"
          AP:  Arraignment set for man who shot police at Ferguson protest;  Jeffrey Williams:  "Nobody aiming at no police"
          AP:  Two men plead guilty to foiled Ferguson bomb plot;  New Black Panther Party members Olajuwon Davis and Brandon Baldwin will be sentenced August 31
          P-D:  Two admit plot to blow up police station, McCulloch and Ferguson police chief;  Purchase of trigger mechanism was delayed until Brandon Baldwin could get his next unemployment check
          P-D editorial:  More training and police consolidation would improve racial profiling stats
          CDT's Waters:  Petition fraud discovered in early-voting campaign:  A rare but worthy criminal charge X
          Jensen:  Forged signatures on Missouri Democrat-funded petition show the need for voter ID laws - despite liberals' "disenfranchisement" caterwauling +
          P-D letter:  Missouri Health Care for All's Jen Bersdale:  Missouri legislators should expand Medicaid
          Disclosure


          X = Think before you click;  this site has chosen to limit its reporters' access to you and holds every one of your clicks against a monthly pageview limit.
         + = This site has chosen to provide its reporters with access to you by waiving its pageview limit for all links posted on johncombest.com.



        Tuesday, June 2
       
P-D:  Blunt one of 17 senators voting no on NSA surveillance overhaul
          P-D:  Lacy Clay's annual job fair next Monday in St. Louis
          Governing Magazine:  Rex Sinquefield's crusade to control Missouri politics sheds light on the power and limits of money in politics link via @ssnich on Twitter
          AP:  South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley (R) - the state's first female governor - to speak at Catherine Hanaway fundraiser this month
          KRES/KWIX (Moberly):  National Organization for Women - Missouri's Seileach Corleigh says Missouri conservatives are fighting an all-out war on women
          Drebes:  Help wanted:  Missouri House seeks budget analyst;  Candidates must be willing to work under pressure and deal with legislators, bureaucrats in exchange for $43k/year
          AP:  May economic report suggests slow growth ahead in Midwest
          Brownfield Ag News:  Gov. Jay Nixon recognizes Missouri's beef industry;  Missouri Beef Industry Council's Mark Russell says cattle numbers are growing
          AP:  Ron Calzone files lawsuit targeting wide-ranging "Christmas tree" bill
          JCNT:  Ron Calzone sues state over 2014 law X
          KRES/KWIX (Moberly):  MoDOT's Brian Haeffner says agency in danger of losing federal funds
          KWMU:  TV ads open summer battle over fate of right-to-work legislation
          Missourinet:  Normandy district's state Rep. Clem Smith (D-Velda Village Hills) wants transfer veto, special session
          The Missouri Times:  Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-Glendale) pushes for disability legislation
          CDT:  Appeals court ruling upholds denial of DNR grant to Trinity Lutheran X
          The Missouri Times:  Conservation Commission unveils mural, revokes hundreds of outdoor privileges
          P-D:  Black drivers in Missouri still stopped at higher rate
          AP:  Missouri police stopped blacks more than whites in 2014
          KWMU:  Missouri police stopping black drivers at increasingly higher rate
          JCNT:  Local lawmen:  Traffic stop rates reflect local population X
          SNL:  "Slight uptick" in number of black Springfield drivers stopped X
          P-D:  Two "Black Lives Matter" protesters unhappy about being subdued via taser
          P-D's Deb Peterson:  Say yes to free dental care for low-income Missouri residents
          Helling:  Missouri should follow Nebraska's lead and abolish the death penalty +
          P-D letter:  Area woman suggests Missouri legislators listen to lobbyists more than people
          Disclosure


          X = Think before you click;  this site has chosen to limit its reporters' access to you and holds every one of your clicks against a monthly pageview limit.
         + = This site has chosen to provide its reporters with access to you by waiving its pageview limit for all links posted on johncombest.com.



        Monday, June 1
       
SNL:  How Roy Blunt's work as chairman of the Rules Committee has made him "the de facto mayor" of the U.S. Senate X
        Politico:  Blunt on Rand Paul's approach to surveillance legislation
        KMOX:  Lugar Center/Georgetown issue "Bipartisan Rankings":  McCaskill and Blunt rank high, others not so much
        SE Missourian:  Regional Planning Commission's David Grimes says current ozone standard is appropriate, and EPA should leave it alone +
        KODE (Joplin):  U.S. Rep. Billy Long says EPA rule on water is too intrusive, could affect private landowners
        Brownfield Ag News:  Missouri Corn Growers' Gary Marshall says EPA took two actions this past week against agriculture
        Columbia Missourian:  Federal report:  Branson hospital to repay $123K
        SNL:  Feds:  Illegal alien found in Springfield;  El Salvador export Cipriano Jesus Gomez-Ortega had already been deported once for drug crimes X
        JCNT:  Speakers on topic of "Islamophobia" draw crowd of sixteen X
        Drebes:  Nicole Galloway hires Gena Terlizzi as comms director, Rebecca Gorley as public information officer
        KWMU:  Politically Speaking podcast:  Former state Sen. Jeff Smith (D-St. Louis City) talks to Mannies & Rosenbaum about Jefferson City life in the '00s, Jetton, Todd Richardson, Scott Sifton, more
        This Week in Missouri Politics:  Featured guest is SOS candidate Jay Ashcroft;  Discussion panel of Robert Cornejo (R), Shamed Dogan (R), Nasheed's Blake Lawrence (D), Anne Schweitzer (D)
        AP:  Jobless benefit cuts could test state constitution
        Rosenbaum:  Missouri lawmakers' rocky relationship with 'local control'
        KMZU (Carrollton):  Rep. Dean Dohrman (R-La Monte) on military bill, more
        KC Star editorial:  Congress loves the Highway Trust Fund, but it shirks responsibility +
        CDT op-ed:  Westminster emeritus professor David Collins:  Missouri lesbians, gays await ruling by U.S. Supreme Court X
        JCNT letter:  Member of National Organization for Women accuses anti-Medicaid-expansion legislators of "hysterical emotional resistance" X
        JCNT letter:  Area liberal says Tom Schweich killed himself because GOP state legislators were "a mess" X
        SNL letter:  Ozark man says Missourians are "insane" for electing an overwhelmingly GOP legislature X
        P-D letter:  St. Ann man says:  Don't like the way St. Ann and other municipalities fine lawbreakers?  Then stop breaking the law.
        Disclosure


          X = Think before you click;  this site has chosen to limit its reporters' access to you and holds every one of your clicks against a monthly pageview limit.
         + = This site has chosen to provide its reporters with access to you by waiving its pageview limit for all links posted on johncombest.com.




       



       



       




       



       



       



       

       


                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       

       



       


       E-mail John Combest at john {at} johncombest {dot} com.
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