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DEF is a non-partisan, independent political blog based in the
City of St. Louis, Missouri. Our goal is to cast a critical eye
on lawmakers, their policies, and those that have influence upon
them, and to educate our readers about legislation and the political
processes that affect our daily lives.
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For today's photo caption contest, we'll have a little good-natured fun with State Senator (and candidate for Attorney General) Chris Koster* and state rep candidate Don Calloway.
As usual, only contestants who log-in to post their entries will be eligible for the special prize. Anonymous commenters are not eligible.
Have fun. Be creative.
*Koster is a client of A D French & Associates (website design)
Photographer Rosalind Guy was one of 130 Missourians who traveled to Iowa last week to campaign for Barack Obama. We've posted some of her great photos from the event on our .Mac web gallery.
Click here to view, download, and even upload your own photos from the trip.
St. Louis Congressman Lacy Clay was all smiles Friday night as he and visiting House majority whip Congressman James E. Clyburn (D-SC) helped raised over $100,000 for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. The fundraiser was held at the home of Bob and Ellen Clark. Bob Clark is the founder, chairman and CEO of Clayco Construction Company.
Pictured are Lewis McKinney, an executive with Anheuser-Busch, James Clyburn and Clay.
Saturday night, the St. Louis Democratic Central Committee and the Young Democrats of Greater St. Louis hosted their annual Halloween party at the Glazier's Union Hall.
Circuit Attorney Jennifer Joyce and her husband.
A much slimmer Circuit Clerk Mariano Favazza.
Under all that hair gel is State Senator Jeff Smith.
Here are some photos from last night's mixer of Young Democrats. We only sprinkled in a few embarrassing shots. The rest are for our blackmail file (Look out, Wahby!).
FLICKR:Click here to see all of these pics on Flickr. Have fun. Rate 'em! Comment on 'em! Add us as a contact!
Singer Mya at the "Get Your Money Right" Hip-Hop Summit on Financial Empowerment in Washington, D.C.
From left to right: Martin Luther King III, Dr. Ben Chavis, Mya, Cong. Barbara Lee, Cong. G.K. Butterfield, Valeisha Butterfield, and a representative of sponsor Chrysler Financial.
Mya with Congresswoman Barbara Lee from California.
PHOTOS: Missouri Walk of Fame Reception in Washington, D.C.
By Antonio D. French
Filed
Monday, October 01, 2007 at 7:42 AM
On Friday, September 28, Missouri Congressmen Wm. Lacy Clay (D-St. Louis) and Emmanuel Cleaver, II (D-Kansas City) hosted their annual Missouri Walk of Fame reception at the National Association of REALTORS® building in Washington, D.C.
This year's inductees were Kansas City businessman Samuel J. Cornelius, former Kansas City mayoral candidate Alvin Brooks, baseball great Buck O'Neil, and the late John F. Bass, former St. Louis Comptroller, alderman and state senator.
Congressman Clay with Howard Dean.
Clay with Dr. Ben Chavis.
Clay with awardee Samuel J. Cornelius.
Carrie Brooks-Brown, daughter of awardee Alvin Brooks.
Darryl Piggee, chief of staff to Cong. Clay.
State Rep. Rodney Hubbard, Alonzo Byrd of Enterprise Rental, and Congressman Russ Carnahan.
With even less fanfare than the first time, 6th Ward Ald. Lewis Reed again announced yesterday he is running for Aldermanic President -- this time in a hastily produced press release.
"It’s time to make a change as to who is should be [sic] seated in the next four years in the Aldermanic President’s chair," Reed is quoted in the press release prepared by local PR man Gentry Trotter, who's identified as Reed's new director of communications.
"The economic growth of our city indicates that a successful team approach works better in the re-building of one St. Louis. The next Aldermanic President must represent all of the people and all of the interests which will help lay a deep structural foundation that we and our kids can build on."
License Collector-elect Mike McMillan and 6th Ward Committeewoman Bev Buchheit are co-chairing Reed's committee. And fellow aldermen Dionne Flowers and Jennifer Florida are listed as supporters.
Reed is running against incumbent Jim Shrewsbury in the March 6, 2007 primary.
The Congressional Black Caucus Foundation's 36th Annual Legislative Conference ended last night with their annual Awards Dinner. More than 400 tables -- at up to $750 per seat -- filled the Washington Convention Center as members of the CBC honored and were honored by current and former members.
It seemed that every black player in national politics was in the room last night. But no one drew the crowds -- or the opportunistic photo seekers (this reporter included) -- like U.S. Senator Barack Obama.
PUB DEF bumped into St. Louis State Rep. Rodney Hubbard among the thousands of people at the dinner and we followed him as he worked the room. See some of our photos from the night at www.pubdef.net/photos/cbc_weekend/9-9-2006.html
To some, the Congression Black Caucus Weekend is as much about play as it is about work -- Well, actually, depending on who you talk to, those work sessions are just excuses for "partying and hooking up" afterwards -- much like the Democratic and Republican Conventions every four years. Since this reporter is happily hitched, there won't be any hooking up. But my first night in D.C. did see plenty of parties.
We started off at the Hotel Monoco where the IMPACT Group hosted a CBC party in a beautiful outdoor courtyard filled with live music and upper class black people. There we bumped into Congressman Lacy Clay and his wife. We also rubbed elbows with Cousin Jeff from BET.
We then moved over to the exclusive ticket-only Fannie Mae party at Union Station. Crossing the street on our way to the shin-dig, we passed Senator John McCain in the crosswalk, just walking alone like any other guy. In the party we ran into Clay's aide, Darryl Piggee, and his wife.
From there we headed to the Ronald Reagan International Trade Center, which we were told is the second largest government building in D.C. (the Pentagon is the first). With VIP tags hanging around our neck (hey, we know people), we rubbed elbows with NAACP President Bruce Gordon and lobbyists and executives from just about every kind of corporation you can think of. We left before Ashford and Simpson took the stage for a concert sponsored by Southern Company.
Then we hit California Congresswoman Maxine Waters' invitation only party at the Fairmont Hotel (she didn't invite me, but again, I know people -- don't hate). Also in attendance were Congress members Barbara Lee, Al Green and William Jefferson (whose legal woes have made news recently). Lee Brown, former Mayor of Houston, and Mayor Johnnie Ford from Tuskegee, Alabama were also spotted. After snapping a couple of pictures of Waters (a St. Louis native whose sister was my 8th grade teacher) and Jefferson doing the Electric Slide, we split.
But before heading back to our hotel room to do a little writing, we stopped by one last party at the Hyatt Conference Hotel (sponsored by Remy Martin, no ticket necessary) and made a quick pass through Butler's Cigar Bar. On our way out, we bumped into Congressman Emanuel Cleaver from Kansas City and Congressman William Jefferson again.
And as I write this, in my pocket is a coveted ticket to one of the most exclusive parties of the week, The Black Party at D.C. hot spot, H2O Restaraunt and Lounge. But too little sleep and too many drinks mean this ticket won't get used and will instead become just another momento of one memorable night.
Reminder: I will be co-hosting an event today called Tastes for Tunes: A Restaurant Event to Benefit KDHX Community Media. Restaurants throughout the St. Louis area will donate a percentage of their sales to benefit KDHX 88.1 FM and KDHX-TV (Channels 21 and 22 in the City).
I'll be at The Royale Food & Spirits, 3132 S. Kingshighway, and would love your help in supporting the cause. To do so, all you need to do is show up and eat! (Pretty easy, huh?)
Come between 11:00 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. for good food, get your picture taken, whisper some tips in my ear, and help support independent community media in St. Louis.
UPDATE: Thanks to everyone that came by this afternoon. The event was an absolute success!
Special thanks to the following attendees: (soon-to-be) State Senator Jeff Smith, (soon-to-be) State Rep. Talibdin El-Amin, Pam Ross and Brandyn Jones from the President of the Board's office, prolific blogger Shark Fu (aka "Angry Black Bitch"), Sal Martinez, Tim Person, Shirley Spencer, Teachers Union Pres. Mary Armstrong, my co-host Grace Woodard and her crew from the SLU student newspaper, Jessica the waitress, and Steve Smith the proprietor.
Click here to see some great photos from the event.
Despite the extreme heat, thousands of people came out today for the 3rd Annual Bosnian Festival in south St. Louis' Bevo neighborhood. See more exclusive PUB DEF photos of the families, rides and festivities at today's event at www.pubdefweekly.com/photos/bosnianfest.
Drivers and pedestrians traveling down Washington Avenue this afternoon saw something that -- well, you don't see everyday in St. Louis.
Three ladies, not wearing very much clothing, walked up and down the busy downtown street passing out flyers advertising the city's only weekly burlesque show.
They were kind enough to pose for a few photos for PUB DEF.
Hundreds of people gathered downtown in Keiner Plaza today to celebrate Cinco de Mayo with music, traditional foods and dance. Click here to see more exclusive photos from the festivities.
Latino-owned business along Cherokee Street in south St. Louis are closed today in recognition of the national "Day Without Immigrants" protest.
"We are tired of being treated like second-class citizens," said Carlos A. Dominguez, the owner of Latino Americana, a convenience store at the corner of California and Cherokee.
Several other shop owners have joined Dominguez by closing their doors today to draw attention to the economic impact of America's immigrants. Large demonstrations are expected across the country in cities like Los Angeles, Houston, Atlanta, Denver, and New York.
"We're not loving it!" they shouted. The protesters that gathered today on the corner of S. Grand & Winnebago said they want a McDonalds drive-thru restaurant to stay put and not move across the street behind several homes.
They say the move, which is supported by the ward's alderman, Jennifer Florida, would lower property values and change the character of the neighborhood.
In a joint report with UrbanReviewSTL.com, we present the following exclusive video from today's event. Click here to see more exclusive PUB DEF photos from the protest. Click here to read Steve Patterson's complete story.
Click here to see more exclusive PUB DEF photos from the protest.
Approximately 100 Central West End residents gathered in the Schlafly Branch library this morning to listen to Ald. Lyda Krewson (D-28th Ward) and representatives from developer Opus Northwest present a revised plan for a new high-rise condominium to be built on the corner of Lindell and Euclid.
In a joint report, Steve Patterson, of UrbanReviewSTL.com, has the story and PUB DEF has the photos. Click here to read the full story. Click here to see 45 exclusive PUB DEF photos.
Anti-abortion group makes graphic statement at State Capitol
By Antonio D. French
Filed
Tuesday, April 11, 2006 at 11:51 PM
Anti-abortion activists parked two large trucks in front of the State Capitol on Tuesday displaying graphic photos of aborted fetuses. They were meant to send a loud message to President George W. Bush and others during the President's visit to Missouri.
Operation Rescue, a controversial and vocal anti-abortion activist group, was responsible for the display. The organization released a statement Tuesday calling on Bush to change his position on abortion in cases of rape.
"Babies conceived in rape are no less human or deserving of life than those conceived through consensual relationships," said the group's statement.
They said that Bush's statements on opposing abortion except in the case of incest or rape sends "mixed signals about the sanctity of life, the humanity of the pre-born, and your overall concern for the well-being of women."
Click on the photo to see a close-up of the truck's image. Warning: It is very graphic.
Click here to see more exclusive photos from today's event.
President George W. Bush stepped out of Air Force One this morning at Columbia Regional Airport on his way to was in Jefferson City. Bush was in the state to discuss the Medicare prescription drug benefit (also known as Part D).
Greeting Bush this morning were Senators Kit Bond and Jim Talent, several state Republican leaders, and a small group of anti-war protestors.
Click here to see more exclusive photos from today's event.
Former Fire Chief Sherman George voting at Woodward Elementary.
School board member Bill Purdy gathering signatures to recall Mayor Francis Slay at Hodgen Elementary.
