Referenda

Marijuana: After Success With Pot Law Reform in St. Louis, Activists Look to Kansas City

A successful marijuana reform effort in St. Louis could pave the way for policy changes across Missouri -- and key cannabis advocates say they are now looking toward Kansas City. Statewide advocacy group Show-Me Cannabis says it is in the very preliminary stages of pushing for so-called "decrimina ... More >>

Popaganda: In No, it's the ad men vs. the dictator

Marijuana: Poll Says Majority of Missourians Favor Legalizing Pot, Regulating Like Alcohol

When advocates of marijuana legalization in Missouri successfully get a measure on the ballot to end pot prohibition -- voters of the state will support it. So says new polling data released by advocacy group Show-Me Cannabis Regulation, which says that the legalization of pot could pass as early ... More >>

Rex Sinquefield Group Fights Teacher Tenure; Will His Ku Klux Klan Comment Pose Obstacle?

In Missouri, there's a renewed push to end teacher tenure, which supporters say would ensure that the best teachers stay in the classroom. But opponents argue that abolishing tenure amounts to an unfair attack on teachers, and it doesn't help that the initiative's backer, Rex Sinquefield, last year ... More >>

Missourians for Equality Seeks LGBT Anti-Discrimination Law for 2014 Ballot

The dust has barely settled on last week's presidential election, but a new political action committee is looking ahead to 2014. Missourians for Equality are poised to begin collecting signatures for a new ballot initiative that would make discrimination based on sexual-orientation or gender identi ... More >>

New York Times: Sinquefield and Missouri Could Reveal Future of American Politics

In Missouri, you can basically contribute as much as you want to candidates and causes, meaning that one rich guy with big ideas could radically alter a state -- a reality here at home that "could be coming to a campaign near you," the New York Times is telling the rest of the nation today.  

Cap the Rate! Raise the Wage! Campaign Believes Signatures Improperly Tossed

While some politicos spent last night celebrating a clear path to the November ballot, others hit an impasse. One of them was not a candidate, but a campaign coalition calling itself Cap the Rate! Raise the Wage! The campaign wants two ballot initiatives in front of voters this fall -- one to raise ... More >>

Sinquefield Donates $1.3 Million to Let Voters Decide; Files Lawsuit Against State Officials

​Rex Sinquefield has done it again. On Monday the St. Louis financier opened up his wallet and donated $1.3 million to Let Voters Decide, the campaign committee he's bankrolling that seeks to repeal Missouri's state income tax. Such gifts are not uncommon for Sinquefield. Last October he cut a sin ... More >>

Lawsuit Filed Against Latest "Fair Tax" Proposals

Lawuit: Ballot language provides bad road map for voters.​Missourians for Fair Taxation last week filed a lawsuit attempting to change the ballot language for two recent proposals that will ask voters to eliminate state income tax in favor of higher sales taxes in Missouri.The group -- composed of ... More >>

Local Control Bill Passes House, Moves to Senate

The local control bill's passage seems like a sure bet... but then again, so was Tyson over Douglas. Its fate lies in the hands of the State Senate. ​On Friday the Missouri House of Representatives passed the bill that would return control of the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department back to th ... More >>

Missouri Realtors Lead Fight Against "Fair Tax" Initiative

Missouri realtors not sold on so-called "Fair Tax." ​Financier Rex Sinquefield may have found his most formidable (and numerous) opponent yet: Missouri's licensed real-estate agents. Last week the Missouri Association of Realtors (representing some 18,000 brokers in the state) renewed its oppositi ... More >>

Missouri Top 10 State for CO2 Emissions

Missouri legislators want to overturn a 2008 ballot initiative requiring state utilities to produce 15 percent of their energy from clean sources in 2021.​Missouri's carbon-dioxide output from coal-fired power plants increased last year by nearly nine percent, to more than 83 million tons. The ris ... More >>

Puppy Mill Pushback: Bill to Gut Prop B Advances in Missouri House

Kase WickmanThe legislature could undo the measure that anti-puppy mill groups spent more than $4 million to push to voters.​A bill that would repeal key provisions of the voter-approved Puppy Mill Cruelty Prevention Act, better known as Proposition B, sailed through a committee of the Missouri Ho ... More >>

Missouri's New Republican Auditor Shows His Stripes on Income Tax

Tom Schweich: Would you believe this guy is an accountant?​Missouri's new state auditor, Tom Schweich, said yesterday that he would not provide a financial impact statement to nine different ballot measures calling for the elimination of the state's income tax. The effort to replace Missouri's inc ... More >>

Sinquefield's Tax Reform Labeled "Fiscally Untenable"; Could Require 12% Sales Tax

jamesrmoody.comJames Moody​An analysis of nine ballot initiatives financier Rex Sinquefield submitted to state officials this month calling for the elimination of Missouri's income tax has concluded that the state would require a sales tax of 12 percent in order to make up for lost revenue if any ... More >>

Missouri Senator Bill Stouffer Files Bill to Repeal Puppy Mill Law

stoufferforcongress.comDog gone it, Bill Stouffer.​Last week, we told you how Missouri legislators were howling that they would repeal a ballot initiative passed November 2 placing new restrictions on dog breeders. Proposition B, aimed to tackle Missouri's designation as the Puppy Mill Capital of ... More >>

Just to Clarify, Russ Carnahan Opposes Puppy Mills

And they call it puppy love...​Updated at 1:58 p.m. with comment from Ed Martin's campaign.We weren't able to attend last Friday's debate between Congressman Russ Carnahan and Republican challenger Ed Martin (and token Constitution Party candidate Nicholas Ivanovich). That said, one thing from the ... More >>

Opposition to Repeal of St. Louis Earnings Tax Predicts Win on Proposition A

Prop. A loses -- barely.​A group fighting financier Rex Sinquefield's ballot measure to eliminate earnings taxes in St. Louis and Kansas City believe they have a good shot at defeating Proposition A in November. Today the group United for Missouri's Priorities released figures from a poll suggesti ... More >>

Obamacare Litigation Update: Missouri's Vote Today Could Actually Count

Today, Missouri voters will weigh a measure that would reject a key provision of President Barack Obama's health care reform package -- the provision mandating that individuals either find insurance coverage, or pay a fine. Missouri votes on a referendum to stop Obama's plan today.â ... More >>

Watchdog Group Questions Integrity of Missouri's Ballot Initiative Process

Before heading to the primary polls today to vote on Prop C and the Blunt-Carnahan senate seat, you probably ought to peruse the 2010 "Report Card" from the Ballot Initiative Strategy Center.In their annual report, the Washington D.C.-based think tank assigned letter grades for the 24 states that al ... More >>

Missourians to Vote in August to Accept or Reject Federal Health Care Law

Don't call it childish. Call it politics.​The Missouri House today passed legislation calling for a referendum on the federal health care law signed by the president earlier this year. As St. Louis Public Radio reports, the legislation approved today does not require approval from the governor or ... More >>

The Humane Society and big agriculture slug it out over animal rights

"Mayor-Juana" Cottleville's Don Yarber A Hit At Missouri NORML Meeting

photo by Keegan HamiltonDon Yarber's mustache also supports medical marijuana in Missouri​Riverfront Times founder Ray Hartmann had to cancel his speaking engagement Saturday at Missouri NORML's Spring Conference on Cherokee Street.Maybe it was just the mellow attitudes of the two dozen or so peop ... More >>

The Controversy of Tim Tebow's Super Bowl Ad is Old News in St. Louis

Amen. Here in St. Louis we like to think we clap for the other team when they make a good play. We're gracious and forgiving of our pro athletes (fans here give needle-in-the-butt guys like Mark McGwire minutes-long standing ovations.) We love them, even when they're not talking about sports a ... More >>

The Latest from Birther Conspiracist, "World's Worst Person" -- Mo. Rep. Cynthia Davis

On the positive side, Rep. Davis' new bill would guarantee they'll never be another politician just like her.​We here at Daily RFT love state Rep. Cynthia Davis (R - O'Fallon). Why? 'Cause she provides great copy. First time was back in June when Davis made headlines for a newsletter to her consti ... More >>

Legal Challenge to Smoking Ban Would Be Tough Sell, Say Law Experts

​Even before voters in St. Louis County overwhelmingly approved a smoking ban last week, opponents of the ban warned that they might challenge the statute in court.  At a press conference in October, Bill Hannegan of "Vote No on Proposition N" and Keep St. Louis Free said he and others were e ... More >>

St. Louis Post-Dispatch Gets Political With Its Online Advertising

On the eve of Election Day two weeks ago, some online readers of the Post-Dispatch opened their inboxes to find an intriguing note from the local daily: an e-mail touting Proposition A, the controversial gambling ballot initiative that aimed to do away with the $500 loss limits enforced at the state ... More >>

Prop 8 Leaves Some Missourians in Marital Limbo

Crowds huddled around the Old Courthouse Saturday afternoon to protest California's recently passed ban on same-sex marriage. More Photos The high temperature was 39 degrees, but when in the middle of a crowd of a couple hundred people, the temperature was warmer, as the audience reacted to the w ... More >>

Prop 8 Protest Set for Saturday at Old Courthouse

Update: Coverage and photos of the protest: "Prop 8 Leaves Some Missourians in Marital Limbo" A protest against California's Proposition 8, which bans gay marriage, is set for noon Saturday on the steps of the Old Courthouse. Show Me No Hate has been set up to inform people about the demonstrat ... More >>

¡Ask a Mexican! Disappearing act: Why does his Mexican boyfriend pretend like he doesn't exist?

Sports Teams Cheer for Proposition M

Slayer

Could the mayor's uncanny habit of making enemies wreck the charter-reform effort?

Mood Indigo

Amy Ray and Emily Saliers, better known as the Indigo Girls, still strike the right chord

Wal-Mart World

Callow's handiwork in Maplewood may spell money trouble for the city

Déjà Vu

The Cards overreached -- now San Francisco shows them the way

School Daze

Tom Bauer's "student bill of rights" stirs up a storm over the future of the city's public schools

Splish-Splash

Busted waterworks balloon shows Slay hasn't learned a Cardinal rule

Nowhere Road

What Slay was willing to give up for the stadium deal that died

Show Me E.T.

UFO ballot initiative has Carnahan aide calling for Ashcroft's abduction

Clearing the Air

Challenged by pro-business groups more interested in profit than in clean air, attorney Lewis C. Green fights to make the government enforce its own air-quality standards

Animal Kingdom

A proposal before the Missouri Legislature seems tailored to make the Department of Conservation, already a fiefdom unto itself, even less answerable to citizens