This past August, I held 23 town hall meetings across the district. I heard over and over again that my constituents did not want a government takeover of health care. That message was not delivered by slick television ads or special interest lobbyists. Instead, it was delivered by everyday people who had finally had enough. I heard the message loud and clear, but that was not the case for everyone.

Over the last several months, we have witnessed unprecedented action at unprecedented levels as the taxpayers of this great nation have paid the bills to bail out some of our country’s largest industries.

Last week Gov. Nixon announced an additional $204 million cut to the budget in an effort to cope with the decline in revenue coming into the state treasury. Total budget cuts for the fiscal year now total $634 million. Missouri was on solid footing going into this recession three years ago, but now experiencing the decline in revenue that all states are experiencing. 

At the Java Joint rally on Wednesday morning, more than 40 individuals joined State Senator Brad Lager and State Representative Mike Thomson to talk about the Missouri economy and the obstacles they as legislators are facing because of upcoming job losses and the termination of stimulus or “stabilization” money in 2011.

A young deer got a police escort out of Eldon earlier this week after being chased from a business where the animal had sought refuge after crashing through a plate-glass window.

Gen. George W. Casey Jr. toured the ammunition plant – Eastern Jackson County’s largest manufacturing employer – as the senior leader of the U.S. Army. The tour, Casey’s first at Lake City, aimed to educate him on the production of small-caliber ammunition and the plant’s modernization efforts.

With concerns rising about health care costs and insurance, a number of employers are taking steps to improve workers' health by implementing wellness programs and encouraging lifestyle changes that reduce the risk of heart attack, stroke and other kinds of illness.

Prolonged wet weather increases chances that grain crops will start sprouting before harvest this fall, according to a University of Missouri Extension agronomist. Plentiful moisture and temperatures above 50 degrees are what farmers want after planting in the spring, not before harvest in the fall, said crops specialist Bill Wiebold. “Sprouting could ruin the grain quality.”

When President Barack Obama sits down with tribal leaders in Washington, D.C., on Thursday, Eastern Shawnee Tribal Chief Glenna J. Wallace will be there to represent the concerns of her people.

Some of the earliest bridges were built by the Romans. They built simple arch bridges out of cement, which held up in conditions that destroyed other bridges. In fact, some of the bridges built by the Romans are still standing and in use today.

As individuals, there are many things we can do to influence our quality of health, and while we cannot control all of the factors that determine our physical condition, our behavior and our lifestyle choices do have a significant impact on our overall health. Therefore, any meaningful health care reform must address this fundamental understanding.

This time of year Missouri glows with stories of ghosts and things that go “bump in the night.”
All Hallows Eve (today’s Halloween) was set aside as a time to honor and commemorate the dead.

Today, it’s a night for scary adventures. The strange feelings that are prevalent at Halloween, actually, surround us all the time.

Just ask Freddy Bee who is the present owner of the Iberia Academy in Miller County.

A Nixa man already serving a total of 17 years in prison for child abuse and child sexual abuse charges for acts committed in Newton, Webster and Christian counties has had more time added to his sentence.

A judge ruled on Monday that the trial for Darren Winans and Matthew Laurin, the men accused of killing Bob and Ellen Sheldon last October, will be held in Jasper County but a jury would be brought from a county to decide the case. Judge Gayle Crane also decided not to separate the trials of the two men for now, although she said she may change that decision later.

The sea of red that fills Arrowhead Stadium when the Kansas City Chiefs football team plays at home was fringed with a ring of green on Sunday. Green fatigues, worn by hundreds of soldiers, sailors, Marines and airmen, ringed the inside of the massive stadium as the Chiefs honored all veterans during the organization’s annual Veterans Appreciation Day.

First-year Crowder College nursing students buzzed around the lab caring for their new SimMan 3G and waiting for a visit from Gov. Jay Nixon.

Now more than ever, citizens across this great state fear not having access to affordable, high quality health care. In rural Missouri, the challenges can be even greater as geographical barriers and provider presence create huge obstacles. Therefore, we have to work even harder to find innovative solutions to ensure that all Missouri’s citizens have access to the same health care opportunities.

The Tri-County Lodging Association and the Lake of the Ozarks Convention and Visitor Bureau are joining with other organizations across the state in an early effort to persuade officials to re-think funding for tourism in 2010.

After hanging out with the Obamas for a couple weeks, Mary Apple's now-famous heart-shaped potato has returned home.

Several fisherman have gotten quite the surprise while casting a line at Table Rock Lake - an alligator trying to take a chomp at their bait.