2006

The president of the St. Louis teachers union addressed the school board and the district's superintendent last night to defend her members from what she said were unwarranted attacks.Mary Armstrong, president of Local 420, reminded…

A story in today’s New York Times calls attention to the shift on K Street following last week’s elections. Quoted in the story is Steve Elmendorf, a longtime aide to former St. Louis Congressman Richard…

It’s Election Day on Tuesday, Nov. 7, and St. Louis Public Schools students will exercise their right to vote in a mock election. Students will be casting their ballots for candidates in key state and…

Take a look at St. Louis a half a century ago in this 9 minute promotional video from the old St. Louis Community Chest fund. Keep up with St. Louis politics at www.pubdef.net Video_Reports

BREAKING NEWS Pub Def has learned that a bomb threat resulted in at least one downtown courthouse being evacuated this morning. We are told police received the threat by telephone and evacuated the City Courts…

The first thing to make note of about this year's Missouri Assessment Program (MAP) test scores is that the grading is different. Instead of the usual five Achievement Level categories (Step 1, Progressing, Nearing Proficient,…

COMMENTARY We observed back in January that the 20% increase in St. Louis’ crime rate coincidently matched the proposed pay increase for Police Chief Joe Mokwa. Perhaps now that St. Louis has once again been…

Is St. Louis poised to be the only American city with no control over its police force or its public schools? UPDATE: Click here to download the Special Advisory Committee’s report recommending state intervention in…

PUB DEF EXCLUSIVE Two days before Election Day, then-U.S. Senate candidate Claire McCaskill met with a small group of black elected officials representing an area of north St. Louis City and was asked to make…

After weeks of rumors, the St. Louis Board of Education has placed a resolution on the agenda of next week's regular meeting to close Cleveland JROTC Academy.At an administrative meeting tonight, Superintendent Creg Williams told…