William Lacy Clay

The Pros and Cons of "Local Control," a.k.a. Prop A

All right, Missourians! What should we do about "local control" of the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department, also known as Proposition A?Advocates of the measure insist that the current system of oversight -- under which the cops ultimately answer to a board appointed by the governor -- is a sha ... More >>

Todd Akin's Greatest Hits -- Coming Soon to a Mailbox Near You!

Forget Mitt Romney's "binders full of women." The joke will be totally passe by next week. But Todd Akin -- now that is a gift to Democrats that keeps on giving. From his explanation of "legitimate rape" to his complaint that his opponent Claire McCaskill was not sufficiently "ladylike" during their ... More >>

Odds Stacked Against Black Candidates, According to Some Operatives

If black candidates do not win these elections, where the odds are stacked against them, St. Louis, a city that is roughly 50 percent African American, will have no black representatives in Congress, the Missouri Senate or in the state House.

Boot camp makes men of deadbeat dads

Your Weekly St. Louis Bestseller List

Here's your weekly St. Louis bestseller list for the week ending February 12, as compiled by the St. Louis Independent Booksellers Alliance and based on sales at Left Bank Books, Main Street Books, Pudd'nhead Books, Subterranean Books and Sue's News. It was a fine week on the bestseller list for St ... More >>

St. Louis Wins World Series, Barbecue, Dr. Pepper, "Irish" Nachos, More

Screenshot: www.nolanryanbeef.comNolan Ryan wouldn't have smiled so broadly if he'd known how this World Series would end.​St. Louis didn't just win the World Series on Friday night. The Cardinals' victory ensured that the city would collect on friendly wagers with counterparts in the Dallas-Fort ... More >>

James Clark and Norm White want their Neighborhood Alliance to save St. Louis' worst neighborhoods. Then they want it to save America.

Let the Dems keep hating: Jamilah Nasheed could pull off the political coup of the century

Russ Carnahan Honored by St. Louis Firefighters

Carnahan (with Rep. William Lacy Clay Jr.) will soon be adding an axe to his tool shed.​We can officially say it now: Representative Russ Carnahan is getting the axe. What? Don't we have to wait for the 2012 elections for the fallout from redistricting -- when Missouri's shrinking population ... More >>

Rematch for Ed Martin and Russ Carnahan?

Carnahan v. Martin: Once more with feeling?​Ed Martin announced today that he's running for Congress in Missouri's newly reconfigured 2nd Congressional District. Last November, the Republican with strong ties to the Tea Party lost a close race against incumbent Democrat Russ Carnahan for the 3rd C ... More >>

Missouri Redistricting Map Kills Carnahan's District, Favors Republicans

Photo: Chad GarrisonRuss Carnahan just had the rug pulled out from under him.​Yesterday state representative John Diehl (R - Town & Country) proposed the first redistricting map for Missouri following the 2010 Census. Due to faster growth elsewhere in the nation, Missouri is to lose a congress ... More >>

St. Louis Suburbs Shockingly Happy, Gallup Says

Is Todd Akin your congressman? If so, you're probably pretty happy. ​The city of St. Louis may be a crime-ridden abyss. But our west-county suburbs ... whooboy, are they another story!That's latest from pollster Gallup, which (unlike those Daily Beast polls proclaiming random cities the "fattest" ... More >>

And Then There Were Eight: Missouri Loses Congressional Seat

​Question: What do Arizona, Indiana, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Washington, Tennessee and Maryland have in common? Answer: They're all states that either matched or eclipsed Missouri in electoral clout yesterday. That's right, Mizzourah. By dropping one electoral seat as a result of the new censu ... More >>

"Don't Ask, Don't Tell" Is Dead. How Did Our Congresspeople Vote?

​Unless you've been hiding out under a rock, you probably heard that Saturday, the Senate followed the House in voting to repeal "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." DADT, signed into law in 1993 by President Bill Clinton, was meant to be a compromise on allowing lesbian, gay and bisexual soldiers to serve in ... More >>

Cecilia Velazquez: Ambitious and driven, the publisher of Red Latina doesn't always play nice with others

We Had Sneakers, They Had Guns: Remembering Freedom Summer, Mississippi, 1964

In the summer of 1964, hundreds of young northerners descended upon Mississippi to register black voters and teach in "Freedom Schools." Among them were Charles McLaurin, Chris Hexter and Tracy Sugarman, who were all based in the town of Ruleville in Sunflower County. McLaurin was the project direct ... More >>

Documentary Looks to Change Life on St. Louis Streets

www.tvproinc.com/hoodchroniclesLangford Cunningham interviews a woman with HIV in Hood ChroniclesA trailer to the documentary Hood Chronicles begins with these disturbing 2008 crime statistics for St. Louis: 4,345 assaults, 2,634 robberies and 167 homicides. Not mentioned -- but implied -- throughou ... More >>

Map Locations At A Glance: Miscellaneous

Forget Dying for the Pro-Life Cause. Let's Send Postcards Instead!

In November St. Louis' archdiocesan administrator, Bishop Robert Hermann, made headlines when he told church clergy: "I think any bishop here would consider it a privilege to die tomorrow to bring about an end to abortion." The bishop went on: "If we are willing to die tomorrow, then we should be ... More >>

Paul McKee's Yard-Maintenance Update: Mow Your Own Lawn, Mister!

Mow Your Lawn, Mister?: A squadron of youth is set to cut the grass for north-side land magnate Paul McKee. On your dime!

Road Warrior

The ride’s been bumpy, but Pete Rahn has made quite an impression since taking over at the reins at the Missouri Department of Transportation.

All Aboard!

Unreal gets the first crack at the new 'Link. Plus, Bill McClellan takes pride in "his band," and being named one of the nation's angriest cities really pisses us off. Grr.

Irons in the Fire

Critical audits zero in on Vashon's storied basketball program

L Is for L. Ron

The state approves a tutoring program linked to Scientology, and everybody cries foul

Dead Reckoning

Police and prosecutors say they know who brutally murdered Cassandra Kovack. But no one has answered the question: Why?

News to Muse

The Year in Review: A Quiz

The Lamest Duck

In his final term, Dick Gephardt goes AWOL

All Aboard!

We get political with Kerry and Dean, feel the bite of a "Mad Dog" and discover something amazing about Prius ownership. Plus, confidential to Unreal readers: Parking downtown is easy!

Letters

Week of April 14, 2004

The Kings of Kingshighway

The Roberts brothers fight to bring back life to north St. Louis

For the Defense

Terry Niehoff, one of the city's top criminal-defense lawyers, makes his money the old-fashioned way -- he earns it, one client at a time

St. Hatchet

Callow still feared despite backing another loser

Dixie Chicken

Racial appeals of last week's primary are reminders of St. Louis' Southern streak

Numbers Game

Tax exemption for fat cats is the only issue Shrewsbury and Krewson won't talk about

Tyus Up

The new mayor, in backing a winner, likely will end up a loser

Jerry's Stringer

Just how many items in Jerry Berger's column come from PR man Richard Callow?

Bully on the Block

The Humane Society stands in the way of a grant that could step up spay-and-neuter efforts in St. Louis

Letters

Week of April 18, 2001

White Fright

The race for mayor is, once again, all about race

Slimin' the City

When it comes to Election Day problems in St. Louis, the politicians' rhetoric doesn't match the reality

Pipe Schemes

The powerful Pipefitters union has a simple plan to provide job security for its members: It wants to take away other people's work.

A Primary Primer from a Bad Attitude Guy

Published the week of August 2-8, 2000

The Albatross

St. Louis has a long and tortured history with the Admiral, home of the President Casino, but the city is about to gamble another $3 million to keep it afloat. It's a risky bet.

A LOAD OF SCRAP

Tony Ribaudo's failed effort in the scrap-iron business leaves the former state lawmaker and mayoral candidate with citations for illegal dumping and a $28,000 debt to the city

Short Cuts

The Rainmaker

Public-relations pro Jeff Rainford helped end a 27-year drought in the St. Louis school- desegregation case, but he's still bothered by the bucket of cold water Mayor Clarence Harmon threw on the victory celebration

The Privileged Class

As a Feb. 2 reckoning approaches for city voters and schools, an escape clause surfaces for Ladue

Inhumane Society

St. Louis scores failing grades on a report card of compliance with the U.N.'s Universal Declaration of Human Rights

Alarm Clock

With the implementation of term limits just four years away, Missouri Pro-Vote is looking for a few good men and women to consider entering politics