State Senator Paula Carter of St. Louis has died after a long fight with cancer. She was 61. For several years, Carter, a Democrat, had been chairman of the legislature’s Black Caucus. Carter was in the Missouri House from 1987 until she was elected to the state Senate in March of 2000 to replace Jet Banks, who resigned after facing criminal charges. She was elected to a full term a year ago, but missed most of this year’s legislative session due to her illness.
