Lawmakers decry Postal Service plan to cut Saturday delivery
The Postal Service plan to cut most Saturday delivery starting in August sparked a blame game on Capitol Hill, with some senators blaming the U.S. House for failing to approve a postal reform package last fall. House leaders said they hoped to approve such a plan soon.
Read Rob Koenig’s report in the St. Louis Beacon.
Weighing dollars and emotions in dome debate
Looking at the hard numbers is one thing when officials try to figure out whether the value of having the Rams in St. Louis is worth the expense it would take to keep them here. Emotional factors are something else. How much is it worth to be a “big-league city?”
Read Dale Singer’s report in the St. Louis Beacon.
Earlier:
“I don’t have a new stadium in this year’s budget, nor do I have any ongoing discussions on how to do that," Gov. Jay Nixon said.Republican leaders in the Missouri Senate are adamant that state funding will not be used to help build a new stadium for the Rams.
Read Marshall Griffin's report for St. Louis Public Radio.
O'Mara gets an earful on proposal to eliminate smoking-ban exemptions
St. Louis County bar owners have persuaded Councilman Mike O’Mara, D-Florssiant, to at least put off his plan to remove exemptions to a voter-approved smoking ban.
Read Jason Rosenbaum’s report in the St. Louis Beacon.
Read Rachel Lippmann’s report at St. Louis Public Radio.
Politically Speaking: Our trio looks at a hot House race and 'right-to-work' legislation
On this week's podcast, Chris McDaniel of St. Louis Public Radio joins Jo Mannies and Jason Rosenbaum to discuss the St. Louis mayoral campaign, "Right-to-Work" legislation and the crowded field in Missouri's 8th Congressional district. Listen to the podcast.
Nixon says expanding mental health services is a better solution than guns in classrooms
Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon hosted a town hall in his home base of Jefferson County to tout his $10 million proposal to expand the state’s mental health services as a key component of efforts to prevent a tragedy like the December mass shooting at a grade school in Connecticut.
Read Jo Mannies’ report in the St. Louis Beacon.
Hearing on right-to-work bill draws hundreds to Missouri capitol
Supporters and opponents of legislation that would make Missouri a right-to-work state crowded into a hearing room Wednesday at the State Capitol. House Bill 77 would forbid workers from being forced to join unions or pay union dues as a condition of employment. The bill’s supporters say that becoming a right-to-work state would result in more companies moving to Missouri and creating new jobs. Opponents say becoming a right-to-work state would allow “freeloaders” to enjoy union benefits without paying for them.
Read Marshall Griffin's report at St. Louis Public Radio.
Blunt joins bipartisan effort to bolster mental health services
Trying to address the mental health aspects of gun violence, a bipartisan group including U.S. Sen. Roy Blunt introduced a bill Thursday that seeks to bolster mental health services at the community level.
Read Rob Koenig's report at the St. Louis Beacon.
Sales tax proposed for Missouri transportation needs
Two Missouri state senators are proposing a 1-cent sales tax for 10 years to pay for transportation needs. It would require voter approval to enact and to continue after 10 years. Read the Associated Press Report at St. Louis Public Radio.
Kirkwood reflects on the end of innocence five years after mass shooting
Normalcy has crept back to Kirkwood five years after Charles Lee "Cookie" Thornton’s deadly assault on City Hall that led to the death of seven city officials and to Thornton. But one key ingredient is missing – the innocence that the people of Kirkwood lost on Feb. 7, 2008.
Read William Freivogel's report for the St. Louis Beacon.
Writing about Kirkwood after the City Hall shootings has been intensely personal for William H. Freivogel and his wife Margaret Wolf Freivogel, Beaon editor, both grew up in Kirkwood and live there now.
Read William Freivogel's report for the St. Louis Beacon.
Journalist Soledad O'Brien can't be put in one box
As an author and reporter for over two decades, CNN journalist Soledad O’Brien has made her career in reporting on all things diverse - African Americans, Muslims, gays, Hispanics, and numerous other aspects that compose American culture. She spoke at the University of Missouri-St. Louis Monday.
