2005

By Peter DownsSt. Louis Mayor Francis Slay yesterday unveiled his first major moves to retain control of the school board. He announced the resignation of Vincent Schoemehl from the board a mere four and a…

October 24, 2005 -- Looks like The Smith Campaign is the first out of the gate -- with a little help from some young friends.Instead of having their regular Monday meeting, Washington University Young Democrats…

November 16, 2005 -- Derio Gambaro has formed a campaign committee to run for the state senate seat being vacated by the term-limited Sen. Pat Dougherty.The former state representative and St. Louis Board of Elections…

October 24, 2005 -- The Washington Post reports that Phoenix-based New Times Media, the nation's largest publisher of alternative weekly newspapers (including the Riverfront Times), is buying the owner of the Village Voice and its…

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St. Louis School Board member Bill Purdy called the program "a national scandal" and "a travesty" and refused to vote for it at the school board meeting on October 11. Fellow school board member Ron…

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…

A new textbook committee began meeting October 17 to evaulate social studies textbooks for middle school. As of October 12, district administrators were still looking for parents to sit on the committee, but as one…

State senate candidate Jeff Smith reported a contribution of $2,400 from Marcus and Amber Raichle on his Oct. 15 campaign finance report. The limit for contributions in a state senate race is $1,200. In an…

December 1, 2005 -- Fifty years ago today, a 42-year-old Southern black woman made a decision to no longer be a party to her own disrespect. Rosa Parks said “no” to the question of her…