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$180K in Credits for Dignity House

By Antonio D. French

Filed Wednesday, October 03, 2007 at 1:32 PM

State Sen. Jeff Smith (D-St. Louis) today announced that the Board for Inner City Missions of the UCC Metro St. Louis, commonly known as Neighborhood Houses, has been approved to receive $182,925 in state tax credits.

From the press release:
The credits, in conjunction with funds raised in a capital campaign launched by the group, will help make possible the renovation of Dignity House in order to provide added after-school programming and other services to disadvantaged young people in the community.

“Dignity House, along with the two other two community centers under the Neighborhood Houses umbrella, serve as important resources to men, women and children looking to improve their conditions and brighten their futures,” Sen. Smith said. “From housing to health; exercise to education, Neighborhood Houses been here for working families for nearly 100 years and, under its continued dynamic and innovative leadership, will continue to be a positive part of the community landscape for generations to come.”

The nearly $200,000 in tax credits stem from the Neighborhood Assistance Program administered by Missouri’s Department of Economic Development.

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Sources: Aull to Be Charged

By Antonio D. French

Filed Wednesday, September 19, 2007 at 12:02 AM

BREAKING NEWS

Sources tell PubDef that State Rep. Joe Aull (D-Marshall) will be charged tomorrow in conjunction with providing State Senator Jeff Smith (D-St. Louis City) a false identification during a July 31 visit to the Isle of Capri Casino in Booneville.

(Our sources may be the same sources that told The Source, who beat us in reporting this story. We really hate being beaten.)

Smith is not expected to be charged tomorrow, but sources say the Cooper County prosecutor is still weighing the possibility.

It is also unclear if lobbyist Lynne Schlosser will be charged this week. She was the Isle of Capri employee who gave Smith Aull's players card to allow him to stay in the casino following a legislative tour, despite not having his own identification with him.

Earlier Stories:

Smith Busted for False ID

Casino Night: That's Not "Aull"

Casino-Gate Update

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Casino-Gate Update

By Antonio D. French

Filed Tuesday, August 07, 2007 at 8:00 AM

PubDef.net's request for a copy of the surveillance tape from the Booneville casino where State Senator Jeff Smith was cited for using another legislator's ID card to make bets has been denied.

According to a Gaming Commission official responding to our request, the requested video tape was "seized as evidence by the Missouri Highway Patrol pursuant to a criminal investigation and is part of an investigative report. Therefore, pursuant to Section 610.100.1(5)RSMo, these records are presently closed records and not open for inspection or duplication."

We have amended our request to include a copy of the report from the Commission's own investigation.

Meanwhile, the Turner Reports reveals that Smith, a member of the Senate Judiciary and Civil and Criminal Jurisprudence Committee, has received quite a bit of cash from the gaming industry.
An examination of Missouri Ethics Commission records shows Smith received $2,600 which can be directly traced to casinos during 2006, as well as $5,400 from casino lobbyists or their clients.

Another $4,800 appears to have come from Ameristar Casinos after being legally laundered through a Democratic party committee. On Aug. 12, 2006, the 94th House District Democratic Committee received a $5,000 contribution from Ameristar Casinos. Three days later, the committee gave $4,800 to Smith. Oddly, Smith's own committee disclosure form says the 94th Committee contribution came Aug. 11...the day before the committee received the Ameristar Casinos contribution.

Other casino or casino-related contributions for Smith include:
  • 30 days after general election 2006- Harrah's Operating $650, Isle of Capri Casinos $650
  • Eight days before the election 2006- $500 contributions from Missouri Dental PAC, Missouri Pharmacy PAC, and Missouri Association of Nurse Anesthetists, all clients of Ameristar Casinos' lobbying firm Gamble & Schlemeier
  • October 2006- John Bardgett and Associates, lobbying firm for Pinnacle Entertainment and numerous other clients, $650; Penn National Gaming $650
  • 30 days after primary- Two $650 contributions from Missouri Pharmacy PAC and $650 from MORESPAC, clients of Gamble and Schlemeier, $650 from Bardgett, $650 from Bardgett's lobbying firm
  • 94th House District, $4,800
Jake Wagman, of the Post-Dispatch, also reports that Lynne M. Schlosser, the lobbyist for the Isle of Capri casino who supposedly gave Smith another legislator's players card to keep him in the game, may not have been fired as previously reported. But no comment from her or the casino makes it hard to find out for sure.

UPDATE: Nope, she was fired.

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Casino Night: That's Not "Aull"

By Antonio D. French

Filed Thursday, August 02, 2007 at 7:03 PM

READ IT HERE FIRST

As we first reported yesterday, State Senator Jeff Smith was issued a summons Tuesday night for gambling at the Isle of Capri Casino in Booneville using someone else's identification, a Class B misdemeanor. Smith told PubDef.net that an Isle of Capri employee gave him someone else's player card so that he could enter the casino even though he didn't have his identification on him (ID is needed for a card).

We also learned last night that that employee had been fired. As it turns out, that "employee" was in fact a lobbyist for the Isle of Capri and that "someone else" whom the card belonged to was State Representative Joe Aull (D-Marshall).

Sources tell PubDef that Smith would have gotten away with playing on Aull's card had it not been for his Blackberry addiction.

Those who have seen Smith either in person or on the big screen know that the freshman senator is more often than not seen with his Blackberry close by his ear. That's a no-no at the card table.

According to a source close to the situation, Smith was thumbing his phone at the Texas Hold 'em table when a gaming official told him that was not allowed (some people use the devices to cheat, you know). They then asked for his ID to make sure his name was not in the list of known cheaters. That's when they noticed Smith was not "Aull" he appeared.

PubDef has filed a request with the Gaming Commission for a copy of the casino surveillance tape to see for ourselves what happened.

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Smith Busted for False ID

By Antonio D. French

Filed Wednesday, August 01, 2007 at 6:09 PM

PUB DEF EXCLUSIVE — READ IT HERE FIRST

PubDef.net has learned that State Senator Jeff Smith (D-St. Louis) was issued a summons last night after trying to entering the Isle of Capri Casino in Booneville using someone else's identification player's card.

According to a sources at the Missouri Gaming Commission, at 11:45 p.m. last night, Smith was cited for presenting false identification to enter a gambling boat, a Class B misdemeanor.

Developing...

UPDATE: Smith tells PubDef that he and a group of state legislators had taken a guided tour of the casino that evening, learning about the economic impact on the City of Booneville. After the tour, the group decided to head back into the casino for a little recreation when Smith, who had hitched a ride, realized he left his drivers license in Jefferson City.

Smith said an Isle of Capri employee gave him someone else's player card to allow him to enter the casino. Soon after, a gaming officer tapped Smith on the shoulder and asked him to follow him. The officer ticketed Smith and escorted him from the casino.

"It was a case of lapse in judgement," Smith told PubDef. "It won't happen again."

The St. Louis senator says he plans to pay his fine and never leave home without his ID again.

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Smith Joins Koster at Announcement

By Antonio D. French

St. Louis State Senator Jeff Smith was by Chris Koster's side today as the Harrisville senator announced his crossover to the Democratic Party this morning in Columbia.

"Sen. Chris Koster is one of the most respected and capable members of the Missouri Senate," said Smith in a written statement. "For him to change political party shows that Republicans are in trouble."

Smith is responsible for leading Senate Democratic Campaign efforts for the 2008 elections. His involvement with Koster may ruffle the feathers of some in his party if Koster jumps into the Democratic Primary for Attorney General as he is expected to announce later today.

In another Smith-Koster connection, Elisabeth Smith, Jeff Smith's girlfriend and a former staffer to U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill, is handling communications for Koster. (Readers may recall this great video featuring a victory kiss between the Smiths on Election Night 2006.)

"The Republican Party has become anti-research, anti-working families and anti-progress – while Democrats seek to move Missouri forward, Republicans want to hold our state back. Sen. Koster’s decision to leave the GOP is another sign that Republicans have become out-of-touch with the average Missourian," said Senator Smith.

Koster's change in party brings the number of Democrats in the Senate to 14 Democrats, with 19 Republicans and 1 vacancy.

And fueling allegations by Republicans of a Koster-Nixon conspiracy is a report from a source at this morning's Columbia announcement that Chuck Hatfield, Jay Nixon's former chief of staff, not only attended the event but physically carried the podium behind which Koster made his historic announcement.

Just a reminder: Koster will hold a press conference in St. Louis today at 3:00 p.m. in front of St. Louis University High School. Check PubDef.net later today for video.

UPDATE: No video. SLUH shooed us off.

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