Even as the federal number-crunchers are telling us that the recession is over, more bad economic news is coming to Missouri.

As my colleague Virginia Young reports today, Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon will be making more budget cuts today — probably at least $300 million and maybe more.

A comment from one state lawmaker in the story really struck me. Senate President Pro Tem Charlie Shields, R-St. Joseph, said: “The big places you go to get money are higher education and (elementary and secondary) education, but those are the untouchables.”

That’s because of Nixon’s pledge to keep funding for colleges stable.

I have a…

On the drive to work this morning, I heard a report that clipping coupons is back in vogue — and even younger people are doing it.

A story in today’s New York Times makes the argument that during our days of gluttonous consumption, coupons weren’t cool. But with the economy in the tank, it seems more people of all ages are happy to present their 50 cents off or 10 percent discount piece of paper.

I don’t know how to break it to the New York Times, but I never stopped using coupons. Saving money has always been cool for me, and…

Like so many other states, Missouri will begin budget cuts.

While the budget cuts will start at some of the state’s social services programs, the Tour of Missouri, a bike tour that starts Sept. 7,  will be safe. According to the Post-Dispatch the bike tour costs $1.5 million, a fraction of the $60 million in cuts that Nixon is studying.

The Post-Dispatch also reported that $475,000 will be cut from domestic violence programs and $2.25 million from Health Care centers for low income families.

The Missouri Water Patrol, for instance, faces the possibility of scaling back patrols on some of the state’s rivers and…

In these tough economic times, a pro-marijuana group is taking advantage of an opportunity to try and legalize marijuana in California once again. The group will launch a television ad claiming that taxing the drug could help solve the state’s budget problem.

With California’s state legislature eager to close a $26.3 billion budget deficit, the offer may be tempting.

The 30-second spot, airing Wednesday and paid for by the Marijuana Policy Project, features a retired 58-year-old state worker who says state leaders “are ignoring millions of Californians who want to pay taxes.”

“We’re marijuana consumers,” says Nadene Herndon of Fair Oaks, who says…

Unless you bury your head deep in the sand (and even then you might hear Mike Shannon’s voice) you know that today is Opening Day for the St. Louis Cardinals. The game is sold out, of course, and a few dozen people spent the night huddled in tents outside the stadium hoping to score tickets to today’s game against Pittsburgh — temperatures in the 30s be damned.

But take Opening Day and games against the Cubs out of the equation, and it seems like tickets will be easier to come by. The economy’s taking its toll everywhere, and baseball is no exception….