If you are concerned about the relentless attacks on our public schools and teachers, please consider attending this one day conference.  Details in the attached flyer.  Please forward the flyer to people you think would be interested.Save our Schools conference

more info here

Today I did something different. I attended a Public Service Commission hearing for the very first time.  I had received 2 phone calls over the weekend from a group named the Fair Electricity Rate Action fund.  I don’t know how they got my number but I am glad they did.  Their website is www.fairelectricityrates.com.  They publicized the hearing today at Harris Stowe.

Ameren UE has requested an 18% rate hike for its residential and commercial customers in St. Louis City, St. Louis County and St. Charles County as well as some other southeast Missouri counties.  The Public Service Commission is holding hearings about the request in St. Louis this week. They will have an open mike session at their offices in the Wainwright Building on Thursday during the day.

Ameren claims it needs the rate increase to cover the cost of improvements they have already implemented and paid for such as the recent tree trimming.  They want to be reimbursed for those expenses, higher financing costs, and higher fuel costs.  They have also been providing their investors with an 8.5% return.

The PSC staff has recommended giving Ameren an increase of between 9 and 10%

Can you afford an 18% increase or even a 9% increase?  Can our school district afford it?  Can our cities?  Our businesses?

A lot of people spoke at the hearing today.  No one spoke in favor of the request.  There was a pretty broad spectrum of people there, people on fixed incomes, unemployed people, disabled people, people who had to absorb pay cuts because of the economy.  There was a lot of testimony about wasteful spending by Ameren, such as their marketing expenses among others.

The PSC will make a decision in May or June.  If you cannot make it to a hearing, you can submit comments to them in writing or by phone.  There is a comment form available on their website www.psc.mo.gov.  Comments should include a reference to the case number which is ER-2010-0036

Their phone number is 1-800-392-4211

The PSC members present did seem interested in testimony about Ameren’s screw ups, especially how people were affected by outages and the kind of response gotten when calling Ameren about problems.  They also were interested in the affects of rate increases on people on fixed incomes and testimony about inadequate social service funding resources to help people with their bills.  There was a lot of testimony about this not being the right time for an increase given the economy and about Ameren’s asking for this outrageous amount in order to get half of it, which people said would still be too much.

Since this will affect all of us, I urge you to contact the PSC and also to spread the word through whatever networks you belong to.

Susan

The St. Louis Alliance for Homeownership Preservation earned the City of St. Louis a silver award. The alliance was formed in response to increased foreclosures in the City and provides initial homeowner screening, budget preparation, financial literacy courses, intervention/negotiations with lenders to restructure/refinance existing mortgages and case management to homeowners at risk of getting into foreclosure.

The City of St. Louis is proud of the St. Louis Alliance for Homeownership Preservation’s accomplishments and urges anyone purchasing a home or in danger of losing their home to foreclosure to contact the Alliance as soon as possible.

Homeowners in the St. Louis area seeking foreclosure help can contact the United Way, which will put them in touch with the St. Louis Alliance for Homeownership Preservation, a coalition of nonprofits pooling their expertise. The alliance includes: ACORN, Better Family Life, Beyond Housing, Catholic Charities and the Urban League.

The numbers to call are: 2-1-1 from a Missouri home phone or 1-800-427-4626 from Missouri or Illinois.

via Missourinet

The race for Missouri’s 4th District Congressional race is heating up beyond the campaigning. A Warrensburg man has filed complaints with both the Federal Election Commission and the Missouri Ethics Commission regarding the campaign practices of Republican candidate Bill Stouffer, a State Senator from Napton.

Central Missouri University political science major Chris Brockway of Warrensburg, who identifies himself as a Democrat and a supporter of Congressman Ike Skelton, had the complaints notarized and filed on Monday. He alleges several violations of federal and state election and ethics laws. Included in the allegations is a complaint that Stouffer’s state committee, Friends of Bill Stouffer, paid $7,500 in consulting fees to Axiom Strategies of Kansas City. Brockway contends the consulting work had nothing to do with a possible statewide political campaign by Stouffer, but was actually an effort to test the waters for a congressional run.

The complaint further alleges State Senate staff members Aaron Baker and Heidi Kolkmeyer are state employees who are working for Stouffer’s federal election campaign. It is also claimed that Baker is attending Republican events during normal working hours.

Brockway’s closing paragraph in both the FEC and MEC complaints reiterates his concerns:

“I firmly believe that Senator Stouffer and his Senate staff have violated the public’s trust. Senator Stouffer is clearly using his state campaign funds to benefit his federal campaign. This is a major violation of federal campaign laws. The most serious charge is that taxpayer-paid staffers are not working for the State of Missouri, but are working for Stouffer for Congress.”

The Stouffer campaign has released a statement in response to the filing:

“The Stouffer for Congress campaign and the Friends of Bill Stouffer campaign has properly complied with all federal and state laws. Trumped up accusations from Democrat operatives is meant to distract folks from talking about Ike’s bad votes on cap and trade, deficit spending with Wall Street bailouts, so-called stimulus plans and his 95% voting record in support for Nancy Pelosi’s agenda. This kind of political smear is exactly the kind of Washington, DC politics rural Missouri is sick of and is yet another reason why Ike Skelton needs to go home after 3 decades in Washington.”

Both the Missouri Ethics Commission and Federal Election Commission are required, within five days, to notify Brockway of receipt of his complaint and to notify the Stouffer campaign that complaints have been received and will be investigated.

Consider this: a British juror was dismissed from a trial after posting details of the case on her Facebook page and then asking friends if they thought the defendants were guilty. And in Arkansas, a $12 million judgment is being appealed after it was discovered that one of the jurors tweeted about the case during the trial.
The increasing popularity of social media has caused St. Louis judges to seek a change to Missouri’s official jury instructions. The proposal calls for jurors to be given specific warnings about using Twitter and other Internet sites during a trial. “Twitter asks one simple question – what are you doing?” says court spokesman Matt Murphy. “But if what you’re doing is serving on a jury in our courthouse, then obviously we don’t want you discussing that.”

Since juror misconduct can lead to a mistrial, and the added expense of trying a case all over again, more courts across the country are taking the problem seriously. However, evolving technology makes it increasingly simple for people to communicate quickly and easily through a cell phone or BlackBerry, meaning judges have to be more vigilant about reminding jurors when to sign off.

I am proud to announce my nominee for the next Justice of the United States Supreme Court: Judge Sonia Sotomayor.

This decision affects us all — and so it must involve us all. I’ve recorded a special message to personally introduce Judge Sotomayor and explain why I’m so confident she will make an excellent Justice.

Judge Sotomayor has lived the America Dream. Born and raised in a South Bronx housing project, she distinguished herself in academia and then as a hard-charging New York District Attorney.

Judge Sotomayor has gone on to earn bipartisan acclaim as one of America’s finest legal minds. As a Supreme Court Justice, she would bring more federal judicial experience to the Supreme Court than any Justice in 100 years. Judge Sotomayor would show fidelity to our Constitution and draw on a common-sense understanding of how the law affects our day-to-day lives.

A nomination for a lifetime appointment to the highest court in the land is one of the most important decisions a President can make. And the discussions that follow will be among the most important we have as a nation. You can begin the conversation today by watching this special message and then passing it on:

http://my.barackobama.com/SupremeCourt

Thank you,

President Barack Obama

Published: April 27, 2009

WASHINGTON — Ellen D. Katz is a liberal law professor and a big fan of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which she calls the most effective civil rights legislation in American history. “It’s sacred,” she said. “It’s holy.”

But Professor Katz is torn about what the Supreme Court should do in a case asking it to strike down a central part of the law. She cannot shake the feeling that the election of the nation’s first black president has changed everything.

“This election was momentous,” said Professor Katz, who teaches voting rights and legal history at the University of Michigan, “and it arguably presents the moment when Congress should close out this regime.”

read more via On Voting Rights, Test of History v. Progress – NYTimes.com.

This summer, hospitals have a great opportunity to put young people to
work and provide them with exposure to future health care careers.

The Next-Generation Jobs program announced by Gov. Jay Nixon last week,
matches motivated young people with interested employers. This program
offers you a great opportunity to help build your own pipeline of young
workers with an interest in health careers. Using federal economic
stimulus dollars, these summer employees will be paid wages through the
state of Missouri and can be matched to your hospital soon.

To participate, register for the Next-Generation Jobs Team on-line at
http://transform.mo.gov/summerjobs/employers.php and start building the
pipeline today! The program only runs to September 30, so register soon
to take advantage of this new program aimed to assist in filling 21st
Century jobs in health care.

This summer, you have a unique opportunity to benefit from talented,
motivated young workers and help build a 21st-century workforce for
Missouri. The Next-Generation Jobs Team is a new initiative to connect
youth and young adults, ages 16 to 24, to an exciting work experience or
internship at your medical facility this summer, using resources from the
federal Recovery Act.

The best part is, we pay the wages and make sure you get the right
candidate.

The Next-Generation Jobs Team was created with a specific focus on the
employers and fields that will move Missouri’s economy forward into the
21st Century.  We’ve formed partnerships with employers in transformative
and growing fields, like health care, manufacturing, energy efficiency
and life sciences.

With Missouri’s Next-Generation Jobs Team, you can provide a summer work
experience to a youth or young adult with an interest in your business
while helping develop the next generation of highly trained workers for
your health care industry. Give an invaluable learning opportunity to a
youth or young adult while growing your future workforce.

This opportunity is only available between May 1 and September 30, 2009,
so register today!  Use this simple on-line application or call us at
1-800-592-6020.

For more information or brochures to distribute to interested students,
contact Maura Browning, director of workforce development, at
573/893-3700, ext. 1333 or mbrowning@mail.mhanet.com.

via Republicans under fire for votes on grocery tax bill | montgomeryadvertiser.com | Montgomery Advertiser.

By Bob Johnson • The Associated Press • April 7, 2009

Republican House members from districts with high unem­ployment have come under po­litical attack from Democrats for joining the GOP’s bloc vote against a measure to remove the state’s 4 percent sales tax on gro­ceries.

1. In 2009, women make up what percent of the U.S. Congress?
A. 3%
B. 17%
C. 33%
D. 50%

2. How many CEOs of Fortune 500 companies are female?
A. 12
B. 28
C. 59
D. 84

3. Who was the first First Lady to create her own media presence (ie hold regular press conferences, write a daily newspaper column and a monthly magazine column, and host a weekly radio show)?
A. Eleanor Roosevelt
B. Jacqueline Kennedy
C. Pat Nixon
D. Hillary Clinton

4. The Equal Rights Amendment was first introduced to Congress in:
A. 1923
B. 1942
C. 1969
D. 1971

5. Who was the first African-American woman to win the Nobel Prize for Literature?
A. Phyllis Wheatley
B. Alice Walker
C. Toni Morrison
D. Maya Angelou

6. What percentage of union members are women today?
A. 10%
B. 25%
C. 35%
D. 45%

7. What year did the Griswold v. Connecticut decision guarantee married women the right to birth control?
A. 1960
B. 1965
C. 1969
D. 1950

Answers after the jump…

ANSWERS: 1:B, 2:A, 3:A, 4:A, 5:C, 6:D, 7:B

The event is free, family-friendly, and open to the public. Visit our
website: wupa.wustl.edu/africanfilm for more details about each film and
the film schedule. Please contact wtoliver@artsci.wustl.edu or (314)
935-7879 for more information. Brown Hall is located at the corner of
Forsyth and
Chaplin Drive

ST. LOUIS, Mo. – One hundred public school supporters held a Save Our Schools Rally at Shepard Elementary School at 3405 Wisconsin this morning to show support for keeping the school open. They then marched to Monroe Elementary, Carnahan High School, Meramec Elementary, three schools that have been recommended to stay open, with a concluding rally at Cleveland High School on S. Grand (which was closed three years ago).

via CQ Politics | Political Gender Bias Remains Alive and Well.