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.
Sen. Claire McCaskill revealed Tuesday that she's one of the moderates who talked with President Barack Obama about budget issues. She's optimistic about long-term budget reforms but says the $85 billion in sequester cuts appear likely to stay -- but might be re-targeted.
While area governments, hospitals and universities expect sequestration to require some reductions in programs financed by the federal government, some local research institutions say they are waiting to hear which specific programs will be cut.
The Senate failed Thursday to advance either the Democratic or the GOP alternate plans to replace the sequester, which goes into effect Friday. Earlier, there was plenty of posturing on Capitol Hill but no progress on reaching a deal to avert the across-the-board cuts.
No one wants it to happen. Absolutely no one wants to take the blame for it. And there are plenty of options to avoid it. But sequestration – the harsh spending provision inserted into a deficit-reduction law in 2011 to scare Congress into agreeing on more rational approach – is about to strike in three days.
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. Dick Durbin and U.S. Rep. Bill Enyart, both Illinois Democrats, sounded the alarm bells about the impact of impending budget cuts on Scott Air Force Base, one of the metro area’s largest employers.
U.S. Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., says he expects the federal spending cuts mandated by “sequestration” – a last-ditch budget deal agreed to in 2011 -- to go into effect in a few weeks. But Blunt indicated that the cuts might not curtail new spending that he considers worthy, notably more money for mental health services.
Federal budget · federal debt · deficit · fiscal cliff · mental health · gun violence · National security · Airport control towers · military defense
Claire McCaskill · Roy Blunt · Dick Durbin · Roy Blunt · Barack Obama · John Shimkus · Jerry Costello · Ann Wagner · William Lacy Clay · Jo Ann Emerson
Betty Jean Kerr People's Health Centers · Missouri Hospital Association
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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 world seems eager to learn more about Pope Francis, so learning that he admires St. Philippine Duchesne and her spiritual daughters — Argentinean nuns who have been under Francis' spiritual direction as they live among the poor — adds to understanding.
The celebration in Sikeston will reunite residents of the community which was destroyed in May 2011 when the Army Corps of Engineers opened the Birds Point-New Madrid Floodway to alleviate flooding on the Mississippi. Residents are still hoping for a FEMA buyout so they can relocate their village.
The Newman Money Museum at Washington University has a quirky pseudo-robot Ben Franklin in the basement that is essentially a TV screen projected into a plastic shell head.
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.
"Lost Egypt," at the St. Louis Science Center, combines real images shot in Egypt with art and artifacts as well as interactive and family-friendly features and explanations of the science used to uncover the ancient world. The exhibit will run through Sept. 2.
Opera is for snobs. Country music is for rednecks. Everybody loves Chuck Berry now that he's been around for a few decades, but what about Nelly? Why can't we simply respond to what's before us without dragging preconceptions and prejudices into play?
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.
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.
Opera is for snobs. Country music is for rednecks. Everybody loves Chuck Berry now that he's been around for a few decades, but what about Nelly? Why can't we simply respond to what's before us without dragging preconceptions and prejudices into play?
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.
Donna Korando is the Beacon's Voices editor. You can contact her and submit opinion pieces for possible publication at dkorando@stlbeacon.org.