President Bush’s first term saw a number of his judicial nominees filibustered by Senate Democrats who refused to allow the chamber to give the appointees up or down votes. This filibustering went on even though, in many cases, those appointees had the support of a majority of Senators and would have been confirmed. The new session of the Senate that begins in January will see Republicans trying any number of options to put an end to the delaying tactics. Senator Kit Bond says one of those is the so-called “nuclear option,” which would lower the number of Senators needed to end filibusters from 60 to 51. Bond says he would favor such a move because he believes the Constitution requires nominees to be given up or down votes … adding the appointments are not legislation that can be filibustered.
Dems Lose Another State Senator
Democrats in the State Senate, already down 2-1 to Republicans, are now thinner by one. State Senator Steve Stoll of Festus is leaving the state senate early to become the city adminstrator of his home town. His departure means Democrats will start the session with only ten members. Republicans have 23 Senators. He would have been forced out of the senate by term limits in two more years anyway. He ran unsuccessfully for Congress this year but lost in the August primary. A special election will be held to replace him. Stoll’s resignation means only two members of the State Senate remain from the 20th century.
150,000 Kills In First Weekend Of Deer Hunting Season
Missouri’s deer herd has been thinned by about 150,000 deer in the early days of the fall firearms hunting season. A lot of them have been killed by younger hunters. The general firearms hunting season started last weekend with an estimated one-million deer in the woods. Knock that number down to about 850,000 after the first regular weekend. The Conservation Department’s Lonnie Hanson says the record has been set even though the Department is restricting hunting in several counties to deer with at least four points on one antler. Before the general season began, young hunters had a weekend and they set a record that’s about 50 percent higher than the one set last year. The usual counties have been the best – Callaway, Texas, Howell, Montgomery, Pike. Macon County is usually in that top list, but its killings might be down because of the antler point restrictions. The season goes for another week.
Mizzou Beats Houston, Advances To Semi’s Of Guardians Classic
The Missouri Tigers earned a spot in the semi-finals of the Guardians Classic with a 77-61 win over Houston at Paige Sports Arena Tuesday night. The Tigers struggled through a tough stretch in the first half where they scored just two points in over nine-and-a-half minutes. But the Tigers picked things up scoring 11 points final 3:22 of the first half. That burst continued on into the second half as Mizzou went on a 20-1 run. In their win over Brown the Tigers shot just 35%, but on Tuesday they upped that mark to 50% and hit 12-23 three-pointers. Against Brown, they hit 7-of-26 from behind the arc. The Tigers defense stepped up over the final 20 minutes, holding the Cougars to just 36% from the floor in the second half. Linas Kleiza led Mizzou with 19 points, 14 rebounds and five assists. Thomas Gardner had 18 points, Jimmy McKinney had 16 and Jason Conley chipped in 14, hitting 4-of-6 three pointers. While the outside game got a lot of attention, Kevin Young played what head coach Quin Snyder called his best game. Young scored eight points and pulled down seven rebounds. Mizzou will face Creighton in the semi-finals in Kansas City on Tuesday….Leo Criswell, a 6-9 forward from Coastal Christian Academy had signed a letter of intent to play at Mizzou. As a junior, Criswell averaged 18 points and 10 rebounds per game. He chose MU over UNLV, Kentucky and St. Johns.
Missouri Hall of Fame Announces Class of 2005
The Missouri Sports Hall of Fame will induct 14 people in its Class of 2005. Leading the class is former Kansas City Royal and two-sport star Bo Jackson, former Cardinal catcher Ted Simmons, former Chiefs Pro Bowl selection Art Still, Chiefs president and general manager Carl Peterson, former Cardinal head coach and Rams assistant Jim Hanifan, and former Mizzou linebacker Gus Otto. John Kadlec, who was an assistant under Dan Devine and Al Onofrio at Mizzou, will also be inducted. Kadlec currently provides color commentary on Missouri radio broadcasts. CMSU Athletic Director Jerry Hughes, Springfield Public Schools and Drury University Athletic Director Edsel Matthews, former Missouri Western head basketball coach and Missouri assistant Gary Filbert, long-time Raytown football coach Ted Chitwood and auto racers Jeffrey Clinton and Matsen Gregory round out the class. Induction ceremonies will be in Springfield on February 13.
