With the Paseo Bridge already closed until November, Northland commuters are in for even more delays. So far this morning US 169 over the Broadway Bridge is getting most of the overflow, in addition to much of the overflow from the Paseo. The backup extends all the way to MO 9. Be sure to Scout before heading out the door.

The Pitch: Post Mortem.

The Star: Cleaver to halt hiring practice.

�I was very tempted about the prospect of facing incumbent Republican Sam Graves next year,� she said, �but in the end it did not take me to the point where I wanted to jeopardize what I’m doing here. The best contribution I can make to the citizens of Kansas City, Missouri, is to ensure that this momentum that we’ve achieved not only continues but accelerates over the next two years.� she said.

Missouri Dems were encouraging the popular KC mayor and St. Joseph native to challenge US Rep. Sam Graves in the 6th District. Meanwhile, local supporters and business bigwigs were considering a city charter amendment to allow her to run for a third mayoral term.

Biz Journal: Barnes: No mayoral, Congress campaign during term.
The Star: Mayor Barnes rules out run for Congress in 2006.

Update: Another twist in the story… The theory that Barnes was threatened by Republican leadership in Jeff City not to challenge Graves, or else KC’s ambitious legislative agenda would be in jeopardy. Items on that agenda include more state aid for the Truman Sports Complex, preservation of the historic tax credits that have been used to renovate many Downtown buildings, and an update to the bistate compact to allow for a regional sales tax for roads, public transportation, and trails.

Steve Kraske on Mayor Kay Barnes political future – a possible charter amendment for a third term, or challenge to US Representative Sam Graves in the 6th District. The Congressional bid looks most likely, but it’s unknown how the suburban and rural district would embrace a relative newcomer from the Ward Parkway corridor.

Kit Wagar interviews outgoing Governor Bob Holden.

2005′s Battle Royale for Republican legislatures in both Missouri and Kansas will be attempts to ban embryonic stem cell research. The party’s two biggest constituents, social conservatives and big business, will be at opposite ends of the debate. While other states are providing public money for stem cell research, the bistate region is struggling just to keep it legal.

Statewide… McCaskill failed to keep the rural vote that won her the primary, and scored surprisingly narrow victories in eastern Jackson and Boone counties. That helped Blunt offset her huge margins in KC and St. Louis. The Lt. Governor’s race is still too close to call, but Pete Kinder is leading. Looks like the Republicans have full control of Jeff City for the first time in 80+ years, except for Attorney General and Secretary of State.

In Kansas, US Rep. Dennis Moore hung on again and even seems to have carried Johnson County.

There are two good ol’ boy clubs in Kansas City — one black, one white. They both operate pretty much the same way, thorugh patronage and backroom favor trading, and they both are pitiful in terms of making KC a better place. The only difference, really, is that the whites are playing with a lot more money. White good ol’ boys tend to control major tax and development issues, black good ol’ boys tend to handle the less lucrative urban entitlement programs, the school district and the Housing Authority.