Two airports in Missouri -- Columbia and Branson -- as well as five in Illinois will see their control towers close as of April 7, because of sequestration, the FAA has announced. U.S. Sens. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo.; Roy Blunt, R-Mo., and Dick Durbin, D-Ill., lament the closures -- but disagree over who's to blame.
The St. Louis region’s lack of immigrants has hurt its economy and its growth – and its civic leaders are out to change the trend. That is the message that the St. Louis immigration and innovation steering committee is bringing to Washington, as it meets with area members of Congress.
Details are still lacking as officials in Washington continue to spar over the "sequester'' budget cuts to go into effect on Friday, unless a deal is cut. President Barack Obama’s administration released figures Sunday showing a state-by-state breakdown of the $85 billion in cuts.
U.S. Sen. Roy Blunt says he is considering placing a Senate 'hold' on an Environmental Protection Agency nominee as a tactic to spur federal action on the long-delayed St. John's Bayou-New Madrid Floodway project to close a levee gap in the Missouri Bootheel. But Sen. Claire McCaskill called such a tactic "premature," considering that the EPA nomination hasn't even been made.
U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill, who has earned a reputation for investigating wartime contracting, is adding a new position to her Senate portfolio: the new chairperson of the Senate Commerce subcommittee that oversees consumer protection, product safety and insurance issues. Her separate contracting panel also will expand its reach and add subpoena power.
In the wee hours of New Year's Day, U.S. Sens. Roy Blunt, Dick Durbin and Claire McCaskill voted for the fiscal cliff compromise, saying it would help protect the nation's middle class and provide more certainty for the American economy.
Several dozen people, including retirees and union activists, braved Monday's cold to call for U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., to oppose any proposed benefit cuts to Medicare, Medicaid or Social Security as part of the talks to avoid the "fiscal cliff."
The Army Corps of Engineers now says expedited dredging, blasting and other steps – combined with more favorable rain forecasts – are now likely to guarantee a deep enough channel to sustain barge traffic on the middle Mississippi River (from St. Louis to Cairo, Ill.).
Lawmakers plan to ask the White House to issue an emergency declaration that would aim to ease low-water navigation problems on the Mississippi River by allowing the Corps of Engineers to increase water releases from reservoirs on the Missouri River. (Wikipedia photo of the Gavins Point Dam on the Nebraska-South Dakota border)
Three major labor groups are targeting U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., and U.S. Rep. Jo Ann Emerson, R-Cape Girardeau, in new TV and radio ads in Missouri aimed at pressuring the two officials to oppose any major changes in Social Security, Medicare or Medicaid.
sequestration · Federal budget · Tariffs · fiscal cliff · Energy policy · Keystone pipeline · Strategic petroleum reserve · South Flanagan pipeline · Child farm labor · military defense
Roy Blunt · Dick Durbin · Ann Wagner · Roy Blunt · Jay Nixon · Tom Harkin · John Boehner · Barack Obama · Rodney Crim
Missouri River · Mississippi River · St. Louis · Birds Point-New Madrid Floodway
Army Corps of Engineers · Enbridge · Child Labor Coalition · Missouri Farm Bureau · U.S. Congress · AFSCME
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Meeting in St. Louis next week, the Leadership Conference of Women Religious will have its first opportunity as an assembled group to consider what to do after the Vatican issued a mandate for change this spring. It calls on the conference to reorganize and more strictly observe church teachings.
When a family of four goes to the St. Louis Zoo, they can be forgiven for not knowing it will cost them $60, $72 if they park. If they can't pay, the alternative is to tell the kids they can't do what kids do at the zoo.
Missouri House Speaker Steve Tilley gave reporters less than a half-hour’s notice today when he announced that conservative commentator Rush Limbaugh’s sculptured bust will be formally installed in the Capitol at 1 p.m.
Developers on the south side come in all shapes and sizes, with ambitions that vary from single buildings to entire city blocks. In the first of a two-part story, Jason Deem talks about building community.
Author M.M. Costantin, who has lived near the Loop for more than 40 years, compiled a photo book that shows Delmar when it was bustling, when it was dangerous and when it came back to life.
They arrived four years ago as fifth-graders, behind in their work and not used to rigorous classes, but they've advanced rapidly and have a strong academic grounding for high school.
The Beacon's Mary Delach Leonard and Rob Koenig extensively covered flooding in 2011 in Missouri. Now this coverage is compiled in an iBook. Read the stories.
Organizers aren't trying to replace the rib fest, but music lovers will be able to find tangy sustenance as they listen to such greats as Mavis Staples (pictured), Big George Brock, Trombone Shorty, Kim Massie and Marquise Knox take the stage.
Isley, a world-class guitarist as well as a gifted songwriter, communicates and connects swith an audience on an intimate level at "An Evening of Music and Discussion." He is hosting the event on Thursday in O'Fallon, Mo.
Like many artists, dancer Antonio Douthit hears a different drummer. But the drumbeat that changed his life at 16 wasn’t in his head. It wafted from a window on Washington Avenue. Douthit comes home for a May 25 performance in "Spring to Dance."
Donna Korando is the Beacon's arts and features editor. You can contact her at dkorando@stlbeacon.org.
Developers on the south side come in all shapes and sizes, with ambitions that vary from single buildings to entire city blocks. In the first of a two-part story, Jason Deem talks about building community.
Speaking to reporters at Monsanto, Howard Buffett warned that future generations would foot the bill for irresponsible soil use. He urged leaders to address thorny issues such as malnutrition and environmental destruction.
Twenty winners will split a million dollars and a wide array of professional services after this year's Arch Grants competition. Victors will also see one-on-one business mentoring in their prize package. The diverse group includes everything from biotech concerns to fashion enterprises.
Innovation and entrepreneurial activity are on the rise in St. Louis, especially in bioscience, technology and alternative energy. The Beacon's InnovationSTL section focuses on the people who are part of this wave, what they're doing and how this is shaping our future. To many St. Louisans, this wave is not yet visible. InnovationSTL aims to change that. We welcome you to share your knowledge, learn more about this vibrant trend and discuss its impact.
The Academy of Science-St. Louis hosts tours of EarthDance, an organic farm, and the Monsanto Agronomics and Breeding Facility May 21-22. The workshop is meant to prompt discussion and answer questions about these two competing philosophies of food production.
Speaking to reporters at Monsanto, Howard Buffett warned that future generations would foot the bill for irresponsible soil use. He urged leaders to address thorny issues such as malnutrition and environmental destruction.
Vernon Bowman's challenge to Monsanto Co.'s patent on its Roundup Ready soybean seeds was billed as a David vs. Goliath contest. Goliath won and won big. The Supreme Court ruled unanimously that an Indiana soybean farmer had violated Monsanto's patent on its genetically engineered soybean seeds.
Sally Altman is the Beacon's Health and Science editor. You can contact her at saltman@stlbeacon.org.
You have to know your audience: McDonald's regulars don't need free-range chicken or a certain breed of beef; a second-chance high school needs personally motivated students as opposed to people ordered to attend and low-income Democrats by and large don't want a cigarette tax.
Last week, Grandmaster Hikaru Nakamura sacrificed his crown as the King of America. He faced an individual decision to play against the best in the nation or the best on the planet. Find out what happened at that world-level tournament.
Our world sees rapid change in many ways -- how we view women, races, sexual minorities and other populations, for instance. While a daily delivery of new and different can be exhausting, it can force us to reflect and consider how to move forward, often incrementally, toward what is good and what bring value to our lives.
Donna Korando is the Beacon's Voices editor. You can contact her and submit opinion pieces for possible publication at dkorando@stlbeacon.org.