On the eve of the final votes of the 112th Congress, U.S. Rep. Russ Carnahan gave his farewell speech Monday morning, on the floor of the United States House of Representatives. Carnahan lost the August primary race against Rep. William Lacy Clay for the 1st Congressional District seat. University City is in the 1st District. Carnahan was redistricted out of his 3rd District seat. In the speech, Rep. Carnahan thanked members of his staff, those he has worked with in the St. Louis community, and the voters who sent him to Washington. “To the Missourians I’ve had the great honor to represent, I…

Rep. Jo Ann Emerson, R-Missouri, announced Monday that she would resign from the U.S. House of Representatives in February 2013, nearly a month after winning reelection. Emerson represents the 8th Congressional District in southeastern Missouri, stretching north into Jefferson County and west to include Rolla. She plans to become the president and CEO of the National Rural Electric Cooperative.  She first took office in 1996, replacing her husband, Bill Emerson, after his death. With Emerson's retirement, Rep. William Lacy Clay, D-Missouri, becomes the longest serving member of the Missouri …

It is nearly a month after voters went to the polls and elected Missouri U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill to a second term over U.S. Rep. Todd Akin, but actor Jamie Foxx has become something of a campaign talking point in the race. His comments at the Soul Train Awards referring to President Barack Obama as "our lord and savior" over the weekend are the subject of a mass email Akin's campaign sent Thursday to subscribers following his just-completed Senate campaign: Article after article has been written about a no-name filmmaker who produced a short video mocking Islam. How much do you think …

Hailed by some as the “end of race as we know it” and the beginning of a “post-racial” America, the 2008 election of Barack Obama sparked a measurable bump in feelings of political empowerment among black Americans.  But those sentiments have faded considerably over the last year or so, according to a new analysis of political survey data, with the sharpest declines in perceived political power coming from blacks who identify themselves as conservatives or “born again” Christians. “The election of a black American to the U.S. presidency did seem to empower African Americans, causing an …

Welcome to your home for local November 2012 election news for University City. Patch visited area polling places, talked to voters and checked to see if there's anything amiss at the polls.  To see how Election Day 2012 went in University City, follow our Storify at: University City Voters Hit the Polls. The Races Here's how the races which matter to University City shook out: Election Results: Todd Akin Concedes to Claire McCaskill in Missouri Senate Race Missouri's 1st District: Clay Defeats Hamlin Nixon Wins Re-Election; Spence Concedes Governor's Race Clint Zweifel Re-elected as Missouri…

Are you heading to the polls to cast your vote in Tuesday's election?  There is a lot a stake. In addition to electing our president for the next four years, St. Louis County voters are also picking a U.S. senator. At the state level, voters will pick a governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of state, attorney general, state treasurer, along with state senators, representatives and judges. For a big picture look at it all, check out our Patch Election Guide. Need to find your polling place? We have that too. So what will we be doing? We'll be visiting area polling places, talking to voters …

Are you heading the polls to cast your vote in Tuesday's election? There is a lot a stake. In addition to electing our president for the next four years, St. Louis County voters are also picking a U.S. senator. At the state level, voters will pick a governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of state, attorney general, state treasurer, along with state senators, representatives and judges.  A number of issues will also be voted on Tuesday, including Proposition S, which would approve an operating tax levy for the Special School District of St. Louis County and Proposition B which would …

With less than a week to go before the election, Sen. Claire McCaskill made her rounds Wednesday in Arnold and South County. This was McCaskill's first day back campaigning following the death of her mother on Monday. Her last campaign stop of the day included a visit to the VFW Post 2593 in Arnold where she personally thanked the veterans for their service. She told Patch Jefferson County is an important county in the race for U.S. Senate. "We have a very complicated campaign strategy here: keep Todd Akin talking," she joked at the Arnold campaign stop. She told veterans that Akin voted to …

The full Twitter list is available here. See anyone missing? Send me a tweet at@ryanmartin87.

Betty Anne Ward McCaskill, 84, died today from natural causes, surrounded by her family at her home in St. Louis, according to the McCaskill campaign. Senator Claire McCaskill released the following statement: I am very sad to announce today the passing of my mother, Betty Anne McCaskill. For some time, mom's health has not been good, and our family takes comfort that she is now at rest. People all over the state have asked about her, and their prayers and concern have been greatly appreciated. Mom never met a stranger and lived life with enthusiasm that none of us could match. We were …

Washington University professors Steven Fazzari, David T. Konig and William J. Whitaker participate in a panel discussion on the U.S. presidential debates between Barack Obama and Mitt Romney. The video was recorded on Oct. 18, 2012 at Washington University in St. Louis.

For the first time in six years, the Special School District of St. Louis County, which provides staffing for 22 school districts in the area in addition to the district's own schools, will ask voters to approve a tax levy increase that on a $100,000 house would equate to roughly $36 annually. The increase, which at $0.19 would bring the overall tax levy to $1.19 per $100 assessed valuation, comes at a time when district superintendent John Cary said, for the first time in his more than 30 years in education, all sources of district revenue have gone down during the economic slowdown. As a …

In the final debate between Missouri Senate candidates Claire McCaskill and Todd Akin, sharply worded barbs flew as the candidates pushed their talking points. Sen. McCaskill painted the race as one between a moderate vs. extremist. Rep. Akin pushed McCaskill as someone who votes with President Barack Obama "98 percent of the time." The debate, moderated by Mike Bush of KSDK and held at Clayton High School, featured one question each from a panel of local media, the Clayton Chamber of Commerce and a Clayton High School journalism student. Questions from the audience were then read. Akin's "…

Incumbent Sen. Claire McCaskill faced off tonight against challenger Rep. Todd Akin at Clayton High School. The event began at 7 p.m. and was aired live on KSDK NewsChannel 5.  The race has been hotly contested with its fair share of national coverage since Akin's remarks in August regarding legitimate rape. Dueling poll numbers released this week claim a lead for both candidates. What did you think of tonight's debate? Tell us in the comments.

The town hall debate between President Barack Obama and former Massachussetts Gov. Mitt Romney isn't the only big debate this week. Incumbent Sen. Claire McCaskill faces off against challenger Rep. Todd Akin tonight at Clayton High School. The event begins at 7 p.m. and will be aired live on KSDK NewsChannel 5. The debate is sponsored by KSDK, the School District of Clayton, the St. Louis Business Journal and the Clayton Chamber of Commerce. According to KSDK, all of the tickets for the debate have been handed out but there will be a waiting list for anyone who still wants a seat. To put …

Tuesday, Nov. 6 is Election Day across the United States. There are several ballot issues and races which will be decided.  University City Patch is devoted to bringing you the information you need about every race in town. Here are the candidates and issues on the November ballot.  U.S. Senate Claire McCaskill's bid for re-election will be closely watched by the entire nation in part because of her close ties to President Obama's 2008 campaign.  The fiercely-fought GOP primary saw U.S. Rep. Todd Akin (R-Wildwood), emerge victorious, only to be under fire a few weeks later because of comments…

The Associated Press is reporting that two of Mitt Romney's senior advisors have reversed course and now say they will back Todd Akin in his bid for a Missouri Senate seat.  The support comes from a trio of Missouri statesmen, according to the article. Former Missouri senators Jim Talent, now an adivsor to Romney on Russia and defense policy, and Kit Bond both said Friday that they were behind Akin. Missouri Senator and Romney's liason to Congress Roy Blunt said he would back Akin on Tuesday.  All three senators had previously called on Akin to drop out following controversial statements he …

From a birth control costume to a sign that read "Voting Vagina," it was pretty clear why participants of a voters' rally outside a Todd Akin fundraiser thought the U.S. Senate candidate was the wrong man for the job. "It's disgusting we have a congressman who doesn't understand science," said LaDonna Appelbaum, of Creve Couer. "We need women making decisions for women, not men."  Protesters lined the street of South Kirkwood Road outside Woodbine Center near Trattoria Branica where Akin was holding a fundraising event after a press conference at the Kirkwood Train Station.  Many protesters …

Saying U.S. Rep. Todd Akin's race against incumbent Claire McCaskill is a key in the Republican Party's quest for control of the United States Senate, former House Speaker and 2012 Presidential candidate Newt Gingrich came to Kirkwood for a fundraiser Monday and compared the current contest to the uphill fight Harry Truman faced in getting re-elected to the Senate in 1940 and later as President in 1948. Gingrich told reporters gathered at the Kirkwood Train Station for a news conference prior to a mid-day fundraising lunch at Trattoria Branica that he expected party organizations, including …

It's election day, part two for Democrats Stacey Newman and Susan Carlson. The incumbent candidants are seeking election as the state representative in the 87th District. The two candidates were forced into running in the same district after redistricting altered their district boundaries.  Vote totals after the Aug. 7 primary election showed Newman winning the contest by one vote, but a review of ballots found that 102 voters in Brentwood received the wrong ballot on election day. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported that only 12 percent of the 30,000 registered voters in the district voted …