Revamping Missouri's financially troubled Second Injury Fund, which covers workers with pre-existing physical disabilities, is among a long list of business issues awaiting action -- or political burial -- during the General Assembly's final two weeks, which began Monday.
State Sen. John Lamping, a Ladue Republican, filed a bill to block Missouri from adopting the new standards because he said they were drawn up without proper input from the legislature.
Following on the heels of the Missouri Senate, the state House has approved a bill to restrict the use of union dues. But Tuesday’s vote of 93-62 was well below the number of votes needed to override a veto. The House also approved a bill to lower the prevailing wage in rural areas.
Republicans held on to their big majorities in the Missouri legislature. One bright spot for Democrats was Scott Sifton's defeat of incumbent Sen. Jim Lembke in south St. Louis County.
Recent legislative sessions have seen a lot of talk but little movement on major education topics in Missouri. Next year, some of the key lawmakers will be gone, but issues like teacher tenure and evaluation and the foundation formula remain.
The Missouri General Assembly took action Tuesday to revamp the state’s laws on charter schools to allow more of them throughout the state. All sides agree that the bill also provides more oversight than under current state law.
The Missouri General Assembly’s session adjourns Friday. While the GOP-controlled legislature has passed some noteworthy legislation, other bills deemed priorities have stumbled along the way. Here’s a list of bills passed or in play.
Nurse practitioners have been trying without success to gain more authority to treat patients. Missouri lawmakers refused to pass enabling legislation. Some groups say NPs and physician assistants offer an answer to the growing shortage of primary care doctors.
They effectively abandoned a bid to defund the Sue Shear Institute for Public Life, an entity that had aroused the ire of some Republicans in the General Assembly because they said it was too liberal.
As the Missouri General Assembly returns from spring break this week, state House Floor Leader Tim Jones, R-Eureka, predicts that economic development will re-emerge as a key issue. But legislators also will focus on education and the state budget.
Politics · Social Issues · Higher education · Missouri budget · Affordable Care Act · charter schools · At issue · Education standards · Labor · Missouri unions
Steve Tilley · Tim Jones · John Lamping · Timothy Wolfe · Dan Mehan · Jane Cunningham · Jason Crowell · Kiki Curls · Jeanne Kirkton · Jill Kliethermes
Institute Of Medicine · Missouri Nurses Association · Clayton Sleep Institute · Children's Education Alliance of Missouri · Missouri Department Of Elementary And Secondary Education · Missouri House Of Representatives · Missouri Foundation For Health
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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.
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."
Justin Leszcz started getting into the world of farming by foraging and tending a very small urban farm. He now sells miscellaneous product to various restaurants in town and can be seen at farmers' markets selling his popcorn and corn meal.
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.
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.
Paying professors less, increasing online courses and raising class size might make the bill cheaper, but the value of the degree will be less, as well. It's not that there are no solutions, but the easy ones create their own problems.
Donna Korando is the Beacon's Voices editor. You can contact her and submit opinion pieces for possible publication at dkorando@stlbeacon.org.