2005

Peter Downs, publisher of St. Louis Schools Watch and a parent of SLPS students, will be announcing his candidacy for a seat on the St. Louis School Board on Saturday, Dec. 10.Downs' supporters hope the…

A Letter to the Editor from Helen Louise HerndonToday's leading editorial in the Post-Dispatch, a scathing criticism of the school district, is somewhat overdue. All along, its editors and commentary page editor refused any articles…

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Senator Kit Bond was one of only 6 senators to vote against an agreement to give up annual pay raises for U.S. senators. The agreement came out of the need to control the growing budget…

by Peter DownsNovember 9, 2005 -- The regular monthly meeting of the St. Louis Board of Education, originally scheduled for Wednesday, was moved to Tuesday on a day's notice. Here are the highlights:>> In-School Suspension:…

The Washington Post today reported that the U.S. Senate Agriculture Committee dropped $500 million in proposed food stamp cuts, thanks in part to the protests of Jim Talent (R-MO) and Rick Santorum (R-PA). According to…

The Post-Dispatch is reporting that the St. Louis City elections board has gone with Diebold as its new supplier of electronic voting equipment.The selection of Diebold is somewhat controversial. The company's machines have been thrown…

PUB DEF Weekly is pleased to announce it is now hosting a blog for Peter Down's informative St. Louis Schools Watch.The URL is http://slswatch.pubdef.net and it will be updated often, so check it regularly.This continues…

October 31, 2005 -- According to Deb Peterson's column in Sunday's Post-Dispatch, State Senate Minority Leader Maida Coleman is still "waffling on the decision" to run in the Democratic primary for state auditor.As we reported…

November 9, 2005 -- Alderman Jennifer Florida (15th Ward) was the target of Elliot Davis' "You Paid For It" segment on Channel 2 Monday night.The southside alderman spent 58,000 taxpayer dollars to install some pretty…