The latest revenue figures for Missouri government, released Thursday, showed the state has taken in $400 milllion more than expected this fiscal year. The news prompted Gov. Jay Nixon to propose $86 million in one-time capital improvement spending. House Republicans upped the total to $121 million.
The latest Missouri income numbers show that Missouri’s general-revenue collections for the current fiscal year are running at a pace that’s up 8.3 percent overall, compared to a year ago. That's well above the 4.8 percent predicted for the fiscal year.
Missouri’s finances are continuing to improve, with state Budget Director Linda Luebbering reporting that the current fiscal year’s revenue collections have increased 9.5 percent so far, compared to a year ago.
December 2012 was a very good month for the state of Missouri’s bottom line, with tax collections up 10.5 percent from December 2011 -- evidence that the state’s economy is coming back.“It’s definitely good news,’’ said state Budget Director Linda Luebbering.
Unlike the last few years, Missouri's state leaders charged with crafting a new state budget can focus less on spending cuts and more on how they want to spend a little extra money that’s expected to come in.
The state of Missouri’s revenue collections continue to be slightly larger than projections for the current fiscal year, which state Budget Director Linda Luebbering cautiously agrees is a good sign.
When it comes to Missouri’s budget, most leaders in both political parties agree that several fiscal issues are looming in the short term, including how to tackle the rising costs of the state’s tax credits and whether to expand the state's Medicaid rolls in line with federal recommendations.
More Missourians are working, and fewer are gambling, according to the latest income and budget numbers for the state of Missouri. This fiscal year’s general revenue collections so far are up 6.6 percent from the same period a year ago. But the increase in gambling is only 3 percent.
The state of Missouri’s revenue collections in July are up almost 12 percent from July 2011, thanks to a one-time $39 million check that the state received under a national $26 billion mortgage settlement with five major lenders accused of mishandling tens of thousands of homeowners.
Missouri has ended its 2012 fiscal year with a balanced budget and possibly a small surplus after revenue increased by 3.2 percent compared to fiscal year 2011. The amount of a surplus may not be known until later this summer.
Jay Nixon · Dave Spence · Kurt Schaefer · Rich Stream · Tim Jones · Rick Stream
Missouri state government · Missouri House Of Representatives · Missouri Senate · State of Missouri
2012 election · 2013 fiscal year · 2013 Missouri legislative session
When you register with the Beacon, you can save your searches as news alerts, rsvp for events, manage your donations and receive news and updates from the Beacon team.
Take a look at our tutorials to help you get the hang of the new site.
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.
With the exception of its laser focus on gun rights, the 97th session of the Missouri General Assembly that ended at 6 p.m. Friday pretty much reflected the recent tradition: The Republican majority portrayed it an “immense success,’’ the Democrats called it an extremist failure and Gov. Jay Nixon declined to say.
The school, which was designed to help students who had dropped out come back to class to earn their degrees, started three years ago. But founder Stephanie Krauss said it was unable to overcome obstacles that had kept its target audience from succeeding in school.
When the first group of students who entered KIPP Inspire charter school in south St. Louis were ready to be promoted out to area high schools, seeing how they've done was a natural follow-up.
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 feeling is openness, with soaring, airy spaces planned for easy and logical circulation and planned to reveal art not only to its best advantage but also appropriately and respectfully. Still, the building is notable more for its architectural reticence than its audacity.
When a Chicago photographer found more than a thousand unidentified slides, he set out to discover the couple behind them -- with a little help from social media.
The first reunion came about after Tom Hall broke his collarbone and musicians came together for a fundraiser. Then came two more. Hall simply says, “We decided that it’s fun to pay. We make good music. And people want to hear it.”
Donna Korando is the Beacon's arts and features editor. You can contact her at dkorando@stlbeacon.org.
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.
Eleven IT entrepreneurs vied for the attention of more than 70 investors at Capital Innovators' annual Demo Day. This year's crop of hopefuls wooed potential investors with eight-minute presentations on a wide variety of business ideas.
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.
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.
St. Louis theater artist Andrea Purnell dramatizes mental health issues for a living. For her efforts and potential, she'll receive a Grand Center Visionary Award for Emerging Artist in May 13 event at The Sheldon.
Sally Altman is the Beacon's Health and Science editor. You can contact her at saltman@stlbeacon.org.
When the first group of students who entered KIPP Inspire charter school in south St. Louis were ready to be promoted out to area high schools, seeing how they've done was a natural follow-up.
Much as Americans may disagree over politics, we share a belief in the public's right to know. This week's controversies were a reminder that a healthy press is vital to a healthy democracy.
Hegel may explain the trajectory of politics: A thesis breeds its antithesis. The dissonance between these polar opposites results in a new state of affairs called a synthesis. That synthesis becomes the new thesis as the process repeats itself. Thus does history travel its tangled paths.
Donna Korando is the Beacon's Voices editor. You can contact her and submit opinion pieces for possible publication at dkorando@stlbeacon.org.