Jill Biden took a day off from teaching English and came to St. Louis to warm up the faithful for Saturday's appearance here by Sen. Barack Obama, husband Joe Biden's running mate on the Democratic ticket. She was welcomed by a rainbow crowd at the Obama-Biden office on Olive, close to St. Louis University. (Photo by Charlene Leona Marks for the Beacon)

Dr. Steven Sauerberg, 55, the Republican family physician who is running against Democratic Sen. Richard Durbin of Illinois this year, may be forgiven if he feels like he picked an inopportune time to enter politics. The latest Rasmussen Report polling shows Durbin's share of the electorate creeping up to exactly double that of Sauerberg: 62 percent to 31 percent. So how does a family doctor in his first political run wind up campaigning against a popular and powerful senator?

Already defending itself against a lengthy series of allegations over voter registration fraud, ACORN has faced some of its toughest days in the past week. The community-based organization has become the focus of vote fraud allegations from prominent Republicans. Local director Jeff Ordower defends ACORN's work registering voters.

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Republican John McCain, as expected, took an aggressive approach toward Democrat Barack Obama in their third and last debate, but focused on the same arguments he's been making about taxes and character. Obama countered vigorously but maintained the even demeanor that has characterized his previous appearances. Among the topics: the economy, energy, education, the tone of the campaign and the taxes of Joe the Plumber. | Los Angeles Times

Joe (the Plumber) Wurzelbacher was in the spotlight Thursday, and the details of his story raised questions. His company's taxes might or might not go up under Obama's plan. | New York Times

With Jay Nixon running for governor, the office of Missouri's attorney general is an open one -- and Republican Mike Gibbons (left) and Democrat Chris Koster, both state senators, are competing hard for the job. Gibbons, the state senate's majority leader, is stressing his leadership experience and legislative credentials, while Koster, a newly-minted Democrat, is stressing his experience as a county prosecutor.

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Updated 11:30 p.m., Tues., Nov. 4: Metro, the St. Louis area's public transit system, went to St. Louis County voters and asked for a half-cent sales tax to fund the agency's operations and expand them. With 93 percent of the vote counted, it looked like county voters weren't buying. Prop M was failing: Almost 52 percent of the voters opposed the tax, while 48 percent voted for it. The tax's prospects had widely been considered shaky. 

Former Missouri Sen. Jack Danforth (right) called on the Obama campaign to work to resolve irregularities in ACORN voting registrations. Meanwhile, ACORN said the accusations are overblown.

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When St. Louis County voters go to the polls on Nov. 4, they will vote on Proposition H, a measure to allow goods purchased online, by catalog or mail order from out-of-state vendors to be taxed. Currently St. Louis County residents and businesses don't always pay county sales tax on these purchases. To help voters understand Proposition H, the Beacon talked with Tim Fischesser, executive director of the St. Louis Municipal League. A simple majority is required for passage. Updated 11:30, Nov. 4. With 93 percent of the vote Proposition H was losing 55.79 percent to 44.21 percent.