Federal agencies continue to wrangle with finding ways to trim $85 billion from their budgets, despite outcries from public employees and special interest groups. One analyst suggests that negative public perceptions about federal workers have made them low hanging fruit and popular targets for budget cuts.
U.S. Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., says he continues to support the overall aim of the sequester cuts to reduce federal spending. But he stopped by a St. Louis meat-producing plant Monday to highlight his efforts to tweak the mandated across-the-board cuts so they don't affect certain federal workers.
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.
Former U.S. Sen. Jim Talent, R-Mo., and now a national-security expert, is emphatic that the defense cuts required by "sequestration'' are putting the nation's security at risk -- and threatening its necessary role as the world's strongest military power.
The Clayton event is part of a national day of protest organized by the American Federation of Government Employees to draw attention to the impact of the mandated federal budget cuts. About 37,000 federal workers work in eastern Missouri and southern Illinois.
A survey by Gallup found that 55 percent of respondents say they still don’t know enough about the federal budget cuts to make a judgment. The poll noted that Republicans tended to be more positive about the cuts than independents or Democrats.
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.
Although critics contend the effects of the cuts are being exaggerated, the numbers indicate that Missouri and Illinois stand to lose well over $100 million in federal money, either directly or indirectly.
As the fiscal cliff looms, some initial signals – including Friday’s closed-door White House meeting between President Barack Obama and congressional leaders – indicated that a way might be found to stop the automatic tax increases and spending cuts. Lawmakers from Missouri and Illinois weigh in.
WASHINGTON – If Congress can’t come up with a deficit deal, $1 trillion in automatic cuts is scheduled for January. If it happens, Missouri’s defense industry would be hurt as sequestration’s biggest hits would strike Pentagon spending.
Federal budget · federal debt · deficit · National security · Airport control towers · military defense
Claire McCaskill · Roy Blunt · Dick Durbin · Roy Blunt · William Lacy Clay · John Boehner · Jay Nixon · Barack Obama · Ann Wagner · Fred McDuff
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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.
The St. Louis County Council gave its final blessing to merge some duties of city and county economic development agencies, a move that ratifies the plan announced earlier this year. The partnership will focus on business retention, expansion and entrepreneurship.
Some in Missouri and Illinois were singled out for excellence; others were branded with a consumer alert, that would-be teachers should be wary. The national group that did the survey said it will be repeated annually, said the evaluating group's president Kate Walsh.
Fifty years ago this week, President John F. Kennedy confronted Cold War tensions in Wall-divided Berlin and bolstered the confidence of its beleaguered residents by telling them, "Ich bin ein Berliner." On Wednesday, President Barack Obama will face eastward from the Brandenburg Gate for the latest address of an American president in the city that has been a flashpoint of East-West relations.
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.
The Kranzberg Arts Center, the Ethical Society and the Tavern of Fine Arts have been added as venues this year, with the last location hosting a free concert. The programs, which feature established works and new composers, will also be at the Wool Theater at the Jewish Community Center.
Bryan Payne, a St. Louis native, and Kristin Cassidy, who is not, use their city dwelling as a continually evolving canvas to display their finds. Here, Payne says, people can readily find the tools for art so "it's just up to them if they want to make it."
Duff's, a mainstay of the Central West End since Karen Duffy opened it in 1972, is closing its doors this month. Over the years, Duff's developed a reputation for reasonably priced, imaginative menus and a good selection of wines. But what made Duff's invaluable were the poetry readings on Monday evenings.
Donna Korando is the Beacon's arts and features editor. You can contact her at dkorando@stlbeacon.org.
As St. Louis gears up to be a part of events for National Small Business Week in which local entrepreneurs Jack Dorsey and David Steward will play prominent roles, the area's SBA director feels that the Gateway City's climate for entrepreneurs and small businesses is improving.
Mark Lynas, a noted British author and environmentalist, spoke Thursday at the Donald Danforth Plant Science center about his conversion from an anti-genetically modified crop activist to a proponent of GM plants.
St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay said the initiative is about keeping start-up businesses “here when they become successful and grow jobs here as well, rather than just being some sort of training ground for Silicon Valley companies.”
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.
Tossing a high school graduation cap into the air typically signals the launch of a bigger life. But a new study shows that's often not the case for young people with autism.
Recent research out of Mizzou suggests that excessive use of Facebook can have negative effects on romantic relationships, including cheating, breaking up and divorce. The negative impact tends to be on newer relations, under three years duration. Doctoral student Russell Clayton advocates more moderate Facebook use to prevent its threats.
The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled against a company that had patents on genes linked to higher risks for breast and ovarian cancers. The ruling is disliked by a biotechnology industry group, but is praised by university researchers.
Sally Altman is the Beacon's Health and Science editor. You can contact her at saltman@stlbeacon.org.
The Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis will bring in four of the world’s top-10 chess players for the strongest-ever tournament on U.S. soil. This September matchup will feature Hikaru Nakamura and Gata Kamsky -- America’s top-two players -- as well as Norway’s Magnus Carlsen and Armenia’s Levon Aronian – the world’s top-two.
When the mining company filed for bankruptcy, 22,000 workers and retirees lost their earned and negotiated benefits and joined the nearly 50 million Americans without health insurance. The cost of treating the uninsured adds to insurance and health costs for everyone.
Asking for contributions for a child’s college education is legal in Missouri. But not right. Because a parent should help his or her children in almost any way they can, such obligations must be kept far away from a politician’s public responsibilities — it is not hard to figure out which one would lose if they conflicted.
Donna Korando is the Beacon's Voices editor. You can contact her and submit opinion pieces for possible publication at dkorando@stlbeacon.org.