This is my first posting from my new iPhone.

Check back later for video from Rodney Hubbard’s state senate campaign kick-off last night.

Michael Moore’s latest documentary, Sicko, comes out today. A critical look at America’s failure to provide for the health and welfare of its people, the film has received praise from both sides of the political aisle.

Show times at the Chase Park Plaza are: (12:00), (1:15), (2:30), (4:00), (5:00), 6:30, 7:30, 9:00, 10:00

For your outdoor viewing pleasure, Martin Casas‘ Frontyard Features will being showing A Night at the Museam in Francis Park, 5399 Donovan Ave, next to the tennis courts tomorrow night.

Click here to listen to KWMU’s story on Casas’ mission to bring St. Louis’ movie lovers outdoors this summer.

And for those of us who are patiently waiting for the 6:00 release of the iPhone, might we suggest this great program for converting those Netflix DVDs to iTunes viewable movies.

As expected, State Rep. Fred Kratky has resigned.

According to an email obtained by PubDef.net, written from St. Louis City Elections Director Scott Leiendecker to the Governor’s Office, Kratky resigned “on or about Friday, June 29.”

We reported last week that Kratky, who resides in the City of St. Louis, had been making moves to try to ensure his wife, Michele, received the nomination to succeed him.

Leiendecker is concerned about the timing of the required special election and any additional cost to city taxpayers.

“I am asking at the request of the Chairman of the Board [of Elections] Carol Ann Wilson that if a special election is to be called prior to the August 2008 Election that it would be called on February 5, 2008,” wrote Leiendecker.

“At that time the City of St. Louis as well as the State of Missouri will already be holding an election set for the Presidential Preferential Primary. This combination will in fact save time and cost for the City of St. Louis Election Board as well as the city taxpayers,” he wrote.

Leiendecker estimates calling a special election anytime before that date could cost taxpayers approximately $50,000.

“I am a great admirer of Paul McKee,” Slay writes on his blog. “He is a generous donor of time and money to a range of civic enterprises. He is a mainstay of several Catholic charities. In fact, until he decided to spend money acquiring privately owned vacant lots and empty buildings in north St. Louis, he has been either feted or unnoticed. For whatever reason, this particular good deed has earned him the enmity of the local newspaper.”

The mayor, who last year called for a group of local investors to buy the paper, goes on to criticize the Post’s City Hall reporter.

“The story, by political writer/blogger Jake Wagman, is a thin web of half-facts, rumors, and tenuous connections that would have benefited from better editing and less careless reporting,” Slay writes.

The mayor goes on to deny that he knows any details about what McKee has in mind for the 400-plus properties he has acquired so far – but, “I do know that he is buying properties that no one else has even looked at in decades.”

By a vote of 46 to 53, the U.S. Senate today refused to close debate and advance President Bush’s controversial immigration legislation. Sixty votes were needed to end debate.  

St. Louis Public Schools Superintendent Diana Bourisaw recently announced the hiring of three principals to head the district’s new alternative schools. SLPS will launch a new K-12 initiative, designed specifically for disruptive students, at the start of the 2007-2008 school year.

Bonita Jamison has been named principal of Des Peres Elementary, 450 Des Peres Ave. Jamison previously served as a principal intern for the district, as well as a classroom teacher for SLPS and the Riverview Gardens School District.

Sean Nichols will be principal of Turner Middle School, 2615 N. Billups Ave. Before his new appointment, Nichols served as an SLPS assistant principal.

Kacy Seals will take the reins of Kottmeyer High School, 1530 S. Grand Blvd. Seals previously worked as an SLPS assistant principal and principal intern.

The East-West Gateway Council of Governments Board of Directors Wednesday approved the designation of $3 million in Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality funds to help the City of St. Louis optimize its traffic signals.

Southwest currently operates 11 daily nonstop flights from Lambert Airport to Chicago Midway; one flight to Columbus; and two daily flights to Las Vegas. Southwest also currently offers five daily flights to Houston, but the Business Journal reports that will reduce to four on Nov. 4.

Southwest operates more than 60 daily nonstop departures from St. Louis and has more than 320 employees locally.

Before she was brightening the views on KMOV Channel 4, news-achor Vicki Newton was paying her dues on the other side of the state in Kansas City. 

Are you or someone you know interested in joining PubDef.net? We are offering 8-week internships for college students or recent college grads interested in new media.

These internships offer students a chance to:

1) Witness and record public meetings of local and state government bodies;

2) Practice and improve their journalism, video production and blogging skills;

3) Learn the players in local politics;

4) And participate in (and even lead) online discussions of current events.

These internships unpaid and require approximately 10-15 hours per week of work.

About PubDef.net:

PUB DEF is a non-partisan, independent political blog based in the City of St. Louis, Missouri. Our goal is to cast a critical eye on lawmakers, their policies, and those that have influence upon them, and to educate our readers about legislation and the political processes that affect our daily lives. Our reports have been featured on NBC’s “Meet the Press”, Fox News, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the Kansas City Star, and numerous other mainstream and new media outlets. The St. Louis Business Journal recently named PubDef.net as one of the most influential players in local media. Our exclusive reports and innovative use of video has made PubDef.net one of the most read political blogs in the state. Our new project, PubDef.TV, is Missouri’s first and only 24-hour political news channel.

Please send resume and references to editor@pubdef.net with the word “INTERNSHIP” in the subject line. As we review these resumes, we will be asking one question: “How can this person help make Pub Def better?”

These are the skills we have in mind as we look for the ideal candidate:

A top-notch reporter

and/or

Adobe Flash design experience

and/or

Video production experience

Now please keep in mind, potential applicants, that there are probably other skills that we can greatly use to make Pub Def even better. If you have them, tell us about them and how they can be used to keep Pub Def on the cutting edge.

If you have any questions or would like to present yourself in person, email editor@pubdef.net.