Jay Nixon

JEFFERSON CITY | Gov. Jay Nixon is announcing a deal to cut higher education funding but freeze tuition for most students in a flyaround today.

Under the arrangement reached with university leaders, higher-ed funding for the 2010-11 budget year would be cut a relatively modest 5.2 percent -- about $42 million -- and tuition would be held steady for in-state undergraduate students.

"To turn this economy around, Missourians must be trained, educated and ready to work, and that’s why it was vital that we kept tuition flat for Missouri families," Nixon, a Democrat, said in a statement.

The deal isn't exactly a sure thing, though.

The higher education budget must still go through the appropriations process in the legislature, which could completely disregard the deal and cut more (or less) than the 5.2 percent.

JEFFERSON CITY | There's a rumor going around the Capitol that Joe Bindbeutel, the former DNR deputy who was washed out of state government last month in connection with Dirty Watergate, may find a new-old job in the office of Attorney General Chris Koster.

We don't usually report on mere rumors, but this one is interesting because the AG's office isn't trying very hard to quash it.

Prime Buzz (and other reporters) caught up with spokeswoman Nanci Gonder. Her response: "He has not joined the attorney general’s office and no decision has been made."

When pressed on whether Bindbeutel is being considered for a position, Gonder said she couldn't comment further, not even to clarify her statement that sure makes it seem like he is being considered.

JEFFERSON CITY | Gov. Jay Nixon on Monday appointed Gerald E. Winship to the Jackson County Sports Complex Authority.

Winship, 75, of Lee's Summit, works in public relations for Bank Liberty. He previously served on the authority for less than a full term earlier this decade. He is identified by Nixon's office as an independent, although he ran for state treasurer in 1980 and last served on the authority as a Republican. Nixon is a Democrat.

The authority oversees maintenance and operation of the Harry S. Truman Sports Complex. Winship will join the authority immediately, but must be confirmed by the Senate after the legislature reconvenes in January. If confirmed, his term ends in 2014.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — A friend and the ex-husband of Missouri Auditor Susan Montee have amassed millions of dollars of contracts from Gov. Jay Nixon’s administration under a new competitive bidding system that was supposed to eliminate political favoritism in awarding state license offices.

 Attorney James Montee and business associate James Ryan Williams won several of the lucrative contracts despite scaling back initial promises to pay the state sizable chunks of their profits. The difference to their pocketbooks could be an extra $360,000 they otherwise would have paid to the state.

By KAREN DILLON

The Star 

Three top Missouri Department of Natural Resources administrators were dismissed in what some believe was continuing fallout over the E. coli controversy, officials said Thursday.

The three were in the inner circle of DNR Director Mark Templeton. Templeton was suspended for more than two weeks this month after providing Gov. Jay Nixon with incorrect information about when Lake of the Ozarks beaches were closed because of high bacterial levels.

Laverne Brondel, director of administrative services, said Templeton and Bill Bryan, DNR’s deputy director, told her on Wednesday “my services were no longer needed.”

Brondel said she believed the dismissals were related to the E. coli controversy. She oversaw human resources and carried out disciplinary actions ordered by the governor and Templeton.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Gov. Jay Nixon is cutting an additional $200 million from Missouri's budget and eliminating nearly 700 state employee jobs.

Nixon said the cuts are necessary because of a continued decline in state tax revenues.

The cuts announced Wednesday come on top of $430 million that Nixon eliminated earlier this year. That's out of $23.7 billion budgeted by lawmakers for state operations and capital improvements during the current fiscal year.

The latest round includes the second-semester elimination of state aid for Missouri's online school program. Arts and humanities also will lose half their year's funding; some health care providers will see reductions in their Medicaid payment rates; and the state will stop taking new non-Medicaid clients for certain mental health services.

JEFFERSON CITY | Missouri Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder has a video on YouTube today warning of dire consequences for the state should Congress pass health-care legislation currently under consideration.

In the four-minute clip, available here , Kinder calls the bills in Congress an "economic nightmare" and says they could create an unfunded mandate of $2.3 billion over five years for the state.

Those costs would have to be paid either through cuts to existing services or higher taxes, he said.

"How will we pay for this health care experiment?" Kinder asks in the video. "Will we release all the prisoners and fire more than 11,000 corrections employees? Will we close our state's universities? Or will you be forced to pay more of your hard-earned dollars in higher taxes?"

From the AP

JEFFERSON CITY -- The Missouri Department of Natural Resources late Friday announced that it had suspended two employees over the failure to close a beach at the Lake of the Ozarks despite high E. coli levels.

The agency announced the decision after-hours on Friday. A DNR spokesman said he could not identify the suspended workers or describe their job duties.

Both employees have been placed on administrative leave without pay for five days.

Earlier this week, Gov. Jay Nixon sharply criticized the department for not closing a public beach at the lake after tests in May showed high levels of bacteria. No beaches were closed at the lake until June 5.

In addition, Nixon suspended without pay for two weeks the head of the DNR, Mark Templeton. Nixon blamed him for providing inaccurate information on beach closings.

JEFFERSON CITY | Don't get too comfortable, Joe.

Missouri state Sen. Kurt Schaefer, a Columbia Republican, this morning announced he was "holding" his support for Joe Bindbeutel's nomination to the state's Administrative Hearing Commission.

Bindbeutel was appointed to the commission by Gov. Jay Nixon, a Democrat, early this summer, after serving for several months as a deputy director of the Department of Natural Resources.

The appointment came after the legislature had adjourned for the year, allowing Bindbeutel to move into the post immediately. He must still, however, win Senate confirmation next year to remain on the job. As Bindbeutel's senator, Schaefer carries significant sway in how the nomination proceeds.

Chad Livengood of the Springfield News-Leader offers a fact-check this morning on some of the claims that Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon made during a stop in Kansas City Monday.

The money graf:

"It appears Nixon or his staff is mixing the May 26 test that found high E. coli levels in 29 of 55 coves on the lake with the State Parks Division’s closure of two state beaches because of high E. coli levels during the month of June."

Meanwhile, over at Missourinet, Steve Walsh comes to this conclusion about Nixon's KC news conference:

Gov. Jay NixonGov. Jay Nixon today met with reporters and took questions on the ongoing controversy over how the governor's office handled reports of high bacteria levels at Lake of the Ozarks in May.

At several points, Nixon avoided direct answers.

The DNR did not inform the public of those high levels for several weeks. At issue is whether the governor's office also was aware of the high levels and, in effect, had the informaton squelched at the beginning of summer tourism season.

What follows is a word-for-word transcript of Nixon's answers during the Q & A that took place outdoors on a blustery afternoon at Wheeler Downtown Airport. In the background as Nixon spoke was a panoramic view of downtown KC.

Gov. Jay Nixon is touting big-time improvements in the awarding of driver's license fee offices, an issue of great controversy in recent years.

Nixon said today that the awarding of state license offices has reached two milestones.

• More than half (94) of the state’s 183 offices have been awarded under the new system.
• The amount of money that the reformed process will return to the state each year has surpassed $500,000.

"When I took office in January, one of the first actions I took was to implement long-needed reforms in the way that license offices were awarded," Nixon said in a statement.  "In the past, political patronage was the main reason certain people got an office. Now, we have a transparent system that embraces open competition and puts an emphasis on office efficiency and improved customer service."

Ryan Williams of Kansas City has won his fourth driver's license fee office under the Nixon administration's new competitive bid process.

This morning, the Revenue Department announced that it had awarded Williams the Gladstone office, one of the state's larger fee offices.

Williams, who ran the Liberty office for a dozen years during the Carnahan and Holden administrations, now will operate the Liberty, North Kansas City and, along with Jim Montee, the Lee's Summit offices.

In announcing the Gladstone office designation, the Revenue Department said Williams' bid was one of five submitted.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Missouri lawmakers are weighing possible attempts to override Gov. Jay Nixon’s vetoes of bills approved earlier this year.

 The House and Senate were scheduled to convene at noon Wednesday for the annual veto session. Overriding a veto requires at least two-thirds’ approval in both chambers.

 House Republicans have said they would try to override at least one veto by the Democratic governor, but they would need help from House Democrats.

 Nixon vetoed a bill that would give every lawmaker a key to the Capitol’s dome and create systems to track budget cuts and the use of federal stimulus money.

   JEFFERSON CITY | Missouri’s director of economic development resigned Monday after eight months on the job.

   Linda Martinez, a St. Louis lawyer, was among the most visible of Gov. Jay Nixon’s cabinet appointees, leading his efforts to counter the recession and pass job-creation legislation through the General Assembly.

   In her resignation letter, Martinez indicates a difference of opinion between her and Nixon, a Democrat.

   “I am sorry we have been unable to meet and therefore we have been unable to discuss and reconcile our different views on how to move the state that we both love forward,” Martinez wrote.

   Nixon Spokesman Scott Holste would not comment on any disagreements that may have led to Martinez’ resignation, and said the governor “appreciates the work she put in over these last eight months.”

JEFFERSON CITY | A Sept. 11 memorial ceremony on the Capitol lawn here this morning marked in deed if not word the distance this nation has come since that day eight years ago.

On the circle drive around the statehouse were parked emergency response vehicles, gleaming and bearing flags. On the limestone steps, Gov. Jay Nixon and Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder spoke to the sacrifice of the tragedy's victims. A military band played.

Arrayed across the Capitol's sweeping south lawn, though, were the tents of capitalism. Banks and credit unions gave away branded pens. Dish Network offered TV service. A local gym hawked memberships.

As Nixon spoke of "indelible images of unthinkable terror," a popcorn machine stationed at the Central Bank booth popped along merrily. As the band played patriotic tunes, masseuses gave free massages to passersby. Elsewhere, vistors could register to win a Wii Fit.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Missouri dairy farmers are asking Gov. Jay Nixon to bring lawmakers back to the Capitol to help a struggling industry.

 A collapse in milk prices has driven some farmers out of business while forcing others to slaughter their herds.

 The Missouri Dairy Association in August urged Nixon to use federal stimulus money to give farmers a one-time payment of $16.5 million.

Now dairy farmers are urging Nixon to call a special session to help get money flowing.

from AP 

A Missouri judge has blocked the firing of three administrative law judges who decide workers’ compensation cases.

 Cole County Circuit Judge Jon Beetem issued a permanent injunction Wednesday that bars the firing of the three judges. The order also prohibits the state from retaliating against the judges, and orders the state to pay their legal fees.

 Gov. Jay Nixon’s administration has said the three judges were dismissed because of budget cuts approved by the Legislature.

Gov. Jay Nixon was at 60 percent job-approval not too long ago.

Now he's at 50 percent.

What happened? E-coli-Gate? Or was it a lousy poll?

from the Sedalia Democrat

Politicos and dignitaries from across the state gathered Thursday morning at the Missouri State Fair for the Governor’s Ham Breakfast.

 The line snaking out of the Director’s Tent was a gauntlet of staffers handing out stickers and literature on candidates and issues. The two most popular stickers fairgoers donned at the breakfast were in support of U.S. Rep. Ike Skelton and Missouri Secretary of State Robin Carnahan, who is running for the U.S. Senate seat that will be vacated when Sen. Christopher “Kit” Bond retires at the end of his term.