newslady's Blog

Our latest FOX 2 polling shows health care is the second most important issue to voters following the economy. It's not surprising to me. Three quarters of a million Missourians are uninsured. As the economy slows there's the potential of job layoffs and with that the threat of losing employer supplied health insurance.

Both major candidates for Missouri governor offer health care plans to help lower income residents. But they are starkly different. Democrat Attorney General Jay Nixon would restore Medicaid health care to those cut from the program by GOP Governor Matt Blunt and the legislature in 2005. Republican Congressman Kenny Hulshof's proposal provides financial help so the needy can buy private health insurance.

Nixon points out Missouri has walked away from one point five billion dollars in federal matching funds for Medicaid since 2005. His plan would use 261 million dollars from the state's current budget surplus to provide a match for new federal health care dollars. He wants to restore Medicaid services to those who lost them in 2005.

Hulshof's HealthMAX plan uses 50 million dollars in state revenue and a variety of federal funds, some that currently go to hospitals, to cover care given to the uninsured. He would help low income Missourians build health savings accounts and open the plan to higher income Missourians who wanted to buy into it.

The two candidates disagree over how many Missourians would benefit from each other's proposals and whether the state can afford the the plans without raising taxes. Each offer detailed information on their campaign web sites.

Senator Barack Obama brought his presidential campaign to St. Louis Friday (Oct. 26) but the only thing the public got to see was a fairly stock political speech at Union Station.  He made no news here.  How does Senator Obama expect to overcome Senator Clinton's huge lead (Rasmussen Poll :  Clinton : 46% to Obama : 18%) if he keeps talking in general terms about what he would do if elected ?

I made numerous requests for a personal interview with the candidate...after all Ilinois is part of our viewing  area and he does represent Illinois.  But I was told there was no time in his schedule.  He did have time to meet privately with politicians and some ministers at his headquarters before the rally.  If the campaign had allowed TV cameras there for even 10 minutes we could have brought you a much more personal view of a man who wants to be president.

 I wanted to ask the senator about the U.S. decision to increase sanctions against Iran, about how he would handle an incursion into Iraq by Turkey  and whether he believes we are facing a long term war on terror or just a conflict aggravated by our attack of Iraq.  On the domestic side... we know he thinks the "No Child Left Behind" program is underfunded.  Where would Obama get the money he thinks it needs and how should it be spent ?  Do we need national tests for our kids? 

Our Morning news crew has also been offering him time on the air live.   This is all "free" air time and part of our responsibility to let voters see him in a less controlled setting.  Why should he only answer questions from network reporters ?  St. Louis isn't the only town where his staff keeps the local media at bay.  It happened in Columbus, Ohio this morning.

In fairness, the other Democratic candidates have yet to hold a news conference in St. Louis or offer one one one interviews.  But recent visits by Republicans Governor Mitt Romney and former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani included at least twenty minute sessions with the local media.

 

 

It's Saturday afternoon and I'm trying to find Chrysler workers or their families to talk on camera about both locals in Fenton turning down the national contract.  How do you feel about the offer?  Can anyone expect iron clad job security nowadays ?

Anyone willing to be interviewed call me PRONTO at 314-644-7546.  Thanks, Betsey Bruce

Only 48 percent of the members of the St. Louis City Police Officers' Association returned the ballot  expressing confidence or no confidence over Police Chief Joe Mokwa's performance.  More than half never voted.  Is this bad news for the union or just human nature ?

The elected St. Louis City School Board approved a resolution Thursday night supporting St. Louis City Fire Chief Sherman George and urging Mayor Francis Slay to "refrain from micro-managing the fire department and allow Chief Sherman George to do his job without interference."
The resolution praises the fire chief for his work with school students. But behind all this is a long standing feud between a majority of the school board and the mayor. Some board members have repeatedly complained about Mayor Slay trying to take over the district by sponsoring candidates for the school board. Several blame his "chosen" board members who are no longer on the board for damaging the district and causing its loss of accreditation. How political do you think the vote was ?

I met some very brave parents today who faced challenging times with the birth of premature babies. Despite family needs and demands of their own, they are reaching out to Gary and Paige Solomon whose 8 month old baby boy needs a small bowel, liver and pancreas transplant. Zachary Solomon was born prematurely and then lost most of his small bowel to a rare disease. Now he survives on a liquid diet as he waits for donated transplant organs.

Watch or Read My Story Here 

Controversial School Board President Veronica O'Brien has been voted out by her peers. At a meeting Thursday morning, the six board members voted to remove her as the president of the School Board. Veronica was not present for the meeting.

Many people say it's the best thing for the board, but others say the problems of the district stretch far beyond this one person.

While O'Brien will remain a board member, the board is not expected to vote on a new president until sometime in June.

The board also wants to appeal the state's impending takeover. The takeover is scheduled to take place June 15th.

So, what do you think? Is Veronica's out a good thing and do you think the district should fight the state?

Read or Watch The Story Here

  It seems kids have found a new way to be mean to their peers by mocking them on the internet or even posting video of kids attacking other kids.  After the Fox Two story Monday about Parkway Northeast Middle School students video taping a beating and placing it on the "YouTube" site, I wanted to find out how districts are handling such incidents.  The kids have gotten ahead of the grownups when it comes to technology so there are no specific rules about something like that.  But most districts say they can discipline students for an off-campus or after hours violation if repercussions from it disrupt  the school day or interrupt instruction.

  We also learned of a statewide video conference teaching online safety Tuesday night.  Fourteen schools and libraries offered parents and students an opportunity to watch experts speaking from Columbia and then talk to local police and counselors. For additional information and to watch my story click here .

I've been covering the controversy over BJC HealthCare's desire to build new medical facilities on a small section of Forest Park east of Kingshighway ( just south of Barnes Jewish Hospital )  Citizens upset over the idea got the plan stalled at St. Louis City Hall Wednesday.  They insist citizens were left out of the planning process.  Thursday (today) City Comptroller Darlene Green brought BJC and the Citizens to Protect Forest Park to the table for a second meeting to see if some compromise could be worked out.  More meetings are expected.
Other citizens liked the original plan because BJC was promising to pay $2 million a year to help maintain the rest of Forest Park.  BJC is the city's largest employer.
Who's right and can there be a compromise ?
 

HI...WE'RE HANGING OUT AT COFFEE CARTEL RIGHT NOW...TALKING TO BLOGGERS WHO'VE COME BY TO SAY HELLO. IS BLOGGING A HOBBY FOR YOU OR A WAY TO KEEP UP WITH THE NEWS ?

It's been a tough week for everyone in town..especially if your family lost power. Thought you might get a smile looking at what "glamorous" work we've been doing... Check out the hard hat and orange life vest ...mandatory equipment for anyone boarding an Army Corps of Engineers work barge on the Mississippi River. (By the way the story had a happy ending..a 65 year old worker who fell into the river when a safety chain gave way managed to get out on his own...and was back at work in a few hours!)

Now that the dust has settled from the election have you noticed any changes in how the winners or losers are talking ?
Or perhaps their lifestyle ?

DO YOU HAVE A FAVORITE POLITICAL TERM..OR WORD ?
MINE IS "BELLWETHER" SINCE MISSOURI IS OFTEN CALLED A "BELLWETHER" STATE. THAT'S BECAUSE WE HAVE VOTED FOR THE WINNER IN 25 OF THE LAST 26 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS. BUT DO YOU KNOW THE ORIGIN OF THE TERM ? TUNE IN MONDAY.

As a reporter I do get to know many candidates in the course of a campaign. Naturally I have even more contact with those who are elected and serve in government. So people often ask me what are these people really like. I can tell you, despite the nasty advertising in the Missouri U.S. Senate race, both Claire McCaskill and Jim Talent are pleasant people who generally give straight answers with a mimimum of political spin to reporters' questions. Both have worked hard in their current jobs (McCaskill as MO State Auditor and Talent as the incumbent U.S. Senator). They express themselves well and appear to be able to understand complicated issues. The real issues for voters in this race are political ones.