With retirement looming, many people choose to coast. Not U.S. Sen. Kit Bond, who acknowledges facing an assortment of uphill battles during his final term as a member of the Senate.

Almost 500 people were in attendance at Monday’s health care listening forum in Hannibal. Many who came with preconceived notions about the options under consideration in Washington and U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill’s position in regard to the health-care debate may have been surprised by what they heard during the event. That would not come as a surprise to Missouri’s junior senator.

As he watches the Democratic majority in Congress pushing legislation that he knows will hurt residents in the 9th Congressional District, U.S. Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer’s message to his constituents is simple.

When a recent health care forum turned into a shouting match, U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill told the crowd, “I don’t understand this rudeness. I honestly don’t get it.”

The federal health care discussion will be centered in Hannibal next week when U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill conducts a listening forum.

Ruth Hart and Nancy Strohl believe divine intervention saved them from a horrible death.
 

At first glance, it would seem that Hannibal, Mo., and Park City, Utah, have little in common. That could be changing after the Hannibal City Council gave its blessing to organizers hoping to host the American Artists Film Festival in Hannibal this summer.

As he travels around Missouri, U.S. Sen. Kit Bond is hearing a similar message from small business owners in regard to President Barack Obama’s proposed budget.

At first glance, one might wonder if a Republican Congressman from Missouri and a Democrat member of the U.S. House from Connecticut would have much in common. Both, however, are united in their desire to generate funding for sites dedicated to keeping the legacy of Mark Twain alive.

In a bipartisan effort to recognize Mark Twain’s connections to Hannibal, while enhancing the author’s American legacy, U.S. Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer is sponsoring legislation, along with U.S. Rep. John Larson of Connecticut, to create the Mark Twain Commemorative Coin that will not cost taxpayers a dime, but will provide funding for Mark Twain historical sites.