Opponents of a new cross-state recreation trail along the old Rock Island Railroad corridor have the upper hand in the Missouri General Assembly after the state Senate Appropriations Committee on Monday cut the funds needed to develop it for use.
Supporters of the only attempt to add money to the state's record operating budget during Senate debate Tuesday also complained loudest that the state is spending too much.
A conservative in the Missouri Senate decried the "death of fiscal conservatism" while a Democrat hailed the "most progressive budget" ever. The spending plan for the year that begins July 1 has big differences from the House version, with major items for negotiations to come.