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Latest
News
August 31, 2006
Carnahan to aid speaker
series
Congressman hopes to bring international
figures
Andy Dierker
Congressman
Russ Carnahan met with former Missouri
Governor and Webster professor Bob Holden
to discuss the Holden Public Policy Forum
Aug. 29. The HPPF, announced last spring,
is Webster's speaker series and one of
Holden's pet projects on campus.
Holden hopes Carnahan,
who sits on the House's International
Relations Committee, can help bring more
international figures to Webster campuses.
"Russ has input
that could be helpful on Webster's behalf,"
Holden said. "The International Relations
Committee is one of the biggies. He's
one of just two or three on that committee
that aren't from the East or West coasts."
Carnahan, a Democrat
from the congressional district encompassing
St. Louis and Webster Groves, said he
had to fight hard to secure his spot on
the committee.
"I had to really
make a case that besides my personal interest
in international relations, we also have
a big international interests in St. Louis,"
Carnahan said. "One of (those interests)
is Webster University."
Holden emphasized that
Webster's status as an international institution
is one of its strongest selling points
in getting big names to speak in the HPPF.
© Copyright 2006 The Journal
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July
22, 2006
House Democratic
Leader Pelosi Addresses College Democrats:
Introduces 2006 Legislative Agenda
ST. LOUIS-
House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi gave
a rousing address at the College Democrats'
National Convention. After an introduction
from Congressman Russ Carnahan and a student-member
of College Democrats, Leader Pelosi brought
convention attendees to their feet with
calls to change the majorities in the
United States House of Representatives
and the US Senate.
Leader Pelosi congratulated
Congressman Carnahan on several accomplishments
including his recent appointment to the
International Relations committee and
the sub-committee on terrorism. She also
focused on the Congressman Carnahan's
support of life-saving cures in medical
innovation, particularly focusing on his
efforts to support stem-cell research
in Missouri.
Leader Pelosi went on
to promote the legislative agenda that
Democrats will pursue if they take over
leadership in the House of Representatives
following November 2006 elections. The
Democratic legislative agenda outlined
by Leader Pelosi includes: rolling back
tax breaks for oil companies, lowering
interest rates for student loans, following
the 9/11 Commission findings, promoting
alternative energy sources to end international
oil dependence, opposing the privatization
of Social Security and making healthcare
affordable for all citizens.
She finished her
address by highlighting a number of races
around the United States that Democrats
need to win in order to take control of
the House of Representatives. She encouraged
College Democrats to work on Congressional
races in Pennsylvania, Iowa and Ohio among
other contested states around the country.
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May
30, 2006
Work begins on next
leg of Hwy. 21
By Tim Rowden
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
State and county officials
had a groundbreaking ceremony Tuesday
to mark the start of work
on the next leg of improvements to Jefferson
County's notorious "Blood Alley,"
otherwise known as Highway 21.
"This is going
to be a transformational project for Jefferson
County," said Rep. Russ Carnahan,
D-St. Louis, before joining county officeholders
and state highway officials in turning
over ceremonial shovels full of dirt near
the spot where improvements to Highway
21 currently end beneath the Highway A
overpass in Hillsboro.
Highway 21 cuts a north-south
swath through central Jefferson County
and earned the nickname of Blood Alley
in the 1980s because of the high number
of deaths occurring on the highway between
the St. Louis County line and Hillsboro.
Officials say about 16,000 motorist a
day use the highway as it travels through
Jefferson County.
Completing improvements
on the highway, Carnahan says, will allow
the name of Blood Alley to be retired
and allow Highway 21 to be removed from
the list of the most dangerous roads in
the nation.
Officials opened a 2.33-mile,
four-lane divided expressway section of
Highway 21 between Highways A and B west
of Hillsboro in December. However, a 4.5-mile
gap of narrow two-lane highway still separates
the improved sections between Lake Lorraine
Road and Highway A.
The new $14.7 million
improvement project will extend the four-lane
divided highway about 1.4 miles from Highway
A to Hayden Road.
Fred Weber Inc. was
awarded the construction contract for
the project in May and is expected to
complete the project by the fall of 2007.
Work to improve the
section between Lake Lorraine and Hayden
Road is scheduled to begin in spring of
next year.
The improvements between
Highway A and Hayden Road will include
construction of a new diamond interchange
to enter the new highway on the north
side of Highway A.
A similar interchange
already is on the south side of Highway
A.
"We began this
process 15 years ago in 1991," said
Wayne Wiley, chairman of the Highway 21
Task Force, a group of Jefferson County
residents that organized to push for improvements
to the road.
"We were losing
five or six people a year," Wiley
said of the impetus for starting the effort.
"A lot of us are alive today because
this highway has been built."
Wiley said the goal
is to extend the improvements all the
way to Highway 110 in De Soto.
Other speakers at Tuesday's
groundbreaking included Missouri Transportation
Director Pete Rahn, Rep. Belinda Harris,
D-Hillsboro, Jefferson County Presiding
Commissioner Mark Mertens and Hillsboro
Mayor Frank Roland, whose wife, Evelyn,
died in an accident on Highway 21 in 1997.
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May
13, 2006
Region's disaster
readiness is criticized
By Elisa Crouch
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
The St. Louis region
has "glaring needs" in disaster
response and protection
from a terrorist attack, U.S. Rep. Russ
Carnahan said Friday.
Carnahan, D-St. Louis,
released a security analysis of the 3rd
District that says Congress is underfunding
homeland security needs, making the region's
ports, roads and waterways more vulnerable
to a terrorist-caused or natural disaster.
"There are obvious
holes in the security net," said
Carnahan, flanked by local public safety
officials and U.S. Rep. Joseph Crowley,
D-N.Y., who lost a cousin in the terrorist
attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.
Carnahan said such funding
reductions include a 50 percent cut this
fiscal year, to $550 million from $1.1
billion, in a program that provides equipment
and training for first responders. Since
2004, he said, reductions to a program
that buys equipment and training to firefighters
has decreased by 25 percent.
After criticizing his
Republican colleagues for approving the
cuts, Carnahan blamed fractured governments
in the St. Louis region for falling behind
in spending what they have.
Missouri Auditor Claire
McCaskill reported Thursday that the state
has received $175 million for homeland
security measures but has spent only $72
million.
Her audit found that
the state has distributed almost 19,000
pieces of protective suits or equipment
to local law enforcement statewide. Much
of the equipment was not readily available
and was still in warehouses at the time
of the audit.
"That's an
example of funds we've had allocated,
but it's not getting down to the first
responders who need it," Carnahan
said.
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May
11, 2006
Gathering of phone
call data worries some area legislators
By Deirdre Shesgreen
and Ron Harris
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
A report that the National
Security Agency has been collecting telephone
records of millions of Americans sparked
condemnation from many bistate-area Democrats
and concern from some local Republicans.
"We need to subpoena
members of this administration who've
been involved in these activities,"
said Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois, the
Senate's No. 2 Democrat. "I think
there are very important constitutional
questions about whether they have gone
too far."
Rep. Russ Carnahan,
D-St. Louis, called the report "stunning"
and said it raised "gigantic red
flags." He said it also cast doubt
on the president's earlier statements
that the NSA's warrantless wiretapping
program involved only domestic calls to
or from a location overseas.
"It's just another
step closer to a Big Brother society that
I think is not going to sit well with
the American people," Carnahan said.
"The bottom line is the American
people deserve to know what's going on,
and I hope that Congress will do a serious
job of investigating and exercising their
oversight."
Area Republicans did
not express as much alarm over the program,
and Missouri's two U.S. senators voiced
support for the administration.
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February
16, 2006
Carnahan gets seat on House International
Relations Committee
Associated Press
Rep. Russ Carnahan has
won a seat on the House International
Relations Committee, which oversees international
security, terrorism and other foreign
policy issues. The Missouri Democrat from
the St. Louis area is replacing New Jersey
Democrat Robert Menendez on the committee,
after Menendez was appointed last month
to fill an open Senate seat.
Carnahan, in his
first term in Congress, said the new assignment
will allow him to focus on issues such as
international terrorism and the threat of
nuclear weapons in Iran and North Korea.
"For our St. Louis region and the state
of Missouri, there will be great opportunities
in relation to business and promotion as
well as serving a growing international
community," Carnahan said. Carnahan
will stay on the House Transportation Committee
but will have to request permission to remain
on the House Science Committee, spokesman
Glenn Campbell said. |
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January
30, 2006
Democrats
Say Federal Budget Cuts Will Hurt College
Loan Program
KSKD
"Paying for college
is a key issue, as the U.S. House prepares
to vote on a $42-billion budget cutting
plan. Democratics warn that the bill could
be bad news for families, but Republicans
disagree.
At issue is 12-point-five
million dollars in student aid. Missouri
Congressman Russ Carnahan and his fellow
Democrats say if the bill passes, it will
result in the largest cut to student loans
in history.
More than 160,000 Missouri
students have borrowed fedeal money to
attend college. Keisha Young was among
about 50 students who heard Congressman
Russ Carnahan say passage of the current
budget bill could make it harder for families
to pay for a college education because,
he says, of expected higher interest rates.
But Republicans say
the cuts are necessary to help balance the
budget. Carnahan says, "Right now in
this country, the average student debt winds
up costing about $17,000. so already there
is a large debt being carried by American
students. So this would, by all accounts,
add several thousand dollars to that existing
debt."" |
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September
14, 2005
Jefferson County Roads
Jefferson County Journal,
Chris Campbell
County roads are safer
and smoother, but there remains much work
to be done. That was the message U.S.
Rep. Russ Carnahan, D- St. Louis, brought
to a group of civic leaders and state
Department of Transportation (MoDOT) officials
assembled at Festus City Hall Monday for
a roundtable discussion on future county
road improvements. Earlier this year,
Carnahan helped pass the federal transportation
bill, which provides approximately $21
million in funds for Jefferson County
roads. Carnahan said this figure represents
an increase of nearly 30 percent from
the previous bill, about half of the funds
allocated to Carnahan's district. "Frankly,
Jefferson County is the area of greatest
need," Carnahan said.
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August
17, 2005
Fact
Finding
St. Louis Post-Dispatch,
by Deborah Peterson
U.S. Rep. Russ Carnahan,
D-St. Louis, and his wife, St. Louis Municipal
Judge Debra Carnahan, spent Sunday in
Israel meeting with Prime Minister Ariel
Sharon, after lunching Thursday on a kibbutz
with Israeli Vice Premier Shimon Peres
and dining Thursday night at the Tel Aviv
residence of the U.S. Ambassador to Israel,
Dan Kurtzer. The Carnahans returned to
St. Louis on Monday after a two-week trip
to the Mideast as part of a 14-member
Democratic delegation.
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July
22, 2005
Carnahan School At Wash U
St. Louis Post-Dispatch, By Jo Mannies
The Congressman said the camp brings "future
campaign staffers and volunteers, issue
advocates and candidates together to hone
their political skills and learn new strategies
to put Democrats in the best position to
win elections" |
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July
19, 2005
Local War On Meth Isn't Over:?Trend Is
Fewer Meth Labs, But More Youthful Users
St. Genvevieve Herald
"While I am proud of the job that our
local law enforcement officials are doing,
I believe that the U.S. Congress also has
a responsibility to address the problem,"
Carnahan said. "Methamphetamine abuse
can have an overwhelming, harmful effect
on local communities...on children, neighbors,
and first responders such as police officers
and social workers. Local officials are
doing all they can to combat meth, but they
need more resources. We have to help." |
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July
18, 2005
Missouri
lawmaker likens public service to relative
craftsmanship
St. Louis
Daily Record/St. Louis Countian, By Mike
Nixon
Since going to Washington, Rep. Carnahan
said he has learned a great deal, encountered
some disappointments and has been exposed
to positive opportunities. "Washington,
I would say, is a real mixed bag. There
are some things out there that are just
completely partisan and contentious, where
people just bang their heads all the time,"
he said as he confirmed seeing less bickering
among the majority of Congress and more
bickering among those commonly seen in television
sound bites. |
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June
23, 2005
Woman Tells How Meth Hurt Family
St. Louis Post-Dispatch, By Steve Taylor
Carnahan said later that Shultz's story
summed up the meth situation. "It's
so highly addictive on one hand, and on
the other hand, it's highly toxic to families,
to neighborhoods," the congressman
said. "It affects schools, health care.
To hear this really heartbreaking story,
it really brings it home." |
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June
6, 2005
Carnahan is trying to land federal funds
to fix roads Congressman says both parties
are supportive
St. Louis Post-Dispatch, by Robert Kelly
"From the day we got there, we knew
that transportation was going to be the
key issue in our district," Carnahan
told a group of Jefferson County political
and civic leaders on a tour he organized
last week of county highways that are being
improved or still need improvements. |
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May 24,
2005
We cannot let politics, partisanship
put lives at risk
St. Louis Post-Dispatch Guest Commentary,
By Russ Carnahan
I am proud to be a co-sponsor of current
legislation in the U.S. Congress to increase
federal funding for embryonic stem cell
research. Stem cells hold great potential
for curing any number of diseases, including
diabetes, Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, ALS,
heart disease, and cancer, as well as spinal
cord injuries. Many in our community suffer
from these debilitating conditions, and
they and their families look to this groundbreaking
research with continued hope for cures. |
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May 4, 2005
Carnahan Brings Home Groceries
St. Louis Suburban Journals, By Joe Harris
"A member of Congress who is not on
the transportation committee has been able
to designate $15 million for their district,"
Carnahan said. "By being able to be
on this committee, I was able to designate
$52.5 million for my district. It really
makes a difference and we will be able to
address some serious issues." |
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April 19,
2005
Ste. Genevieve's French flavor could
prompt more national recognition
Associated Press, By Betsy Taylor
Democrat Rep. Russ Carnahan and Republican
Rep. Jo Ann Emerson will introduce a bill
on Wednesday asking the Secretary of the
Interior to conduct a study to see if a
section of Ste. Genevieve could become a
part of the national parks system.
"It may open up the possibility for
additional funds and preservation in the
future," said Carnahan. |
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April 4,
2005April 4, 2005
Seniors at Meeting Oppose Social Security
Changes
St. Louis Suburban Journals, By Jim Merkel
"What we need to do is look at Social
Security for what it was intended,"
Carnahan said. That is as the basis of a
retirement program. "Look at private
accounts on top of and in addition to the
Social Security system." |
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March 16,
2005
Carnahan visits troops in Iraq
St. Louis Suburban Journals, By Joe Harris
"The thing I took away from meeting
with the troops was the incredible respect
I have for the troops on the ground with
the dangerous work they are doing and the
difference they are making," Carnahan
said. |
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February
14, 2005
Carnahan vows to oppose Bush's plans
to make changes in Medicaid, Social Security
St. Louis Post-Dispatch, By Tim Rowden
"You and I will see what a lot of folks
are made of before this debate is done,"
Carnahan said. "President Bush wants
to cut $60 billion from Medicaid. I will
never back down from protecting Medicaid
funding for our kids and our families." |
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February
11, 2005
Carnahan Talks Social Security, Budget
Cuts
Webster-Kirkwood & South County Times,
By Don Corrigan
"The fact is Social Security is not
broken," added Carnahan. "From
the president's own words the system is
sound for another half century -- and with
some minor adjustments, it can be sound
for many more years." |
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January
6, 2005
Carnahan joins Democratic leadership
in the U.S. House
St. Louis Post-Dispatch, By Deb Peterson
Freshman U.S. Rep. Russ Carnahan, D-Mo.,
has been named an assistant minority whip
by Rep. Steny Hoyer, D-Md., Democratic whip
and 12-term congressman. "Rep. Carnahan
is one of Congress' bright young stars,"
Hoyer said Tuesday. "He will help bring
Missouri's common-sense values and middle-class
agenda to our organization. I am pleased
to have him as a member of my whip team."
Carnahan is one of few freshmen chosen for
such a leadership position, which usually
is given in recognition of skills and knowledge
about specific issues or of experience.
Carnahan says the post will allow him to
delve further into issues, establish better
relationships with other members and enable
him to play a bigger role in decision making.
Carnahan was appointed last week to the
powerful Transportation Committee and is
awaiting his appointment to a second committee. |
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Russ
Carnahan in Congress
7370 Manchester - Suite 20 - St. Louis, MO 63143
Phone: 314.534.2004 - Fax: 314.647.3332
Paid
for by Russ Carnahan in Congress Committee,
Tom Carnahan, Treasurer
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