Daily Brief: Wednesday, July 8, 2026

St. Louis news worth your time today — curated by PubDef, with receipts from the archive. Click through for the full stories.

Abortion and policing divide Democrats in St. Louis Senate primary

The Fourth of July holiday week found both Gina Mitten and Steve Butz pounding the pavement through a heat warning, making their final case in a Democratic primary where their priorities are often at… — Missouri Independent

📼 From the PubDef archive: “MoveOn: The Facts on McCain’s VP Pick” (Aug 2008)

With control of US Senate in play, national Dems rush to dump Maine’s Platner

A host of high-profile Democrats called for Graham Platner, the party’s nominee to take on Republican U.S. Sen. Susan Collins of Maine in November’s election, to drop out of the race as they tried to… — Missouri Independent

📼 From the PubDef archive: “Irene, Maida and Mike — a Tale of Delusion, Promise and Possibility” (Nov 2008)

Missouri governor to sign porn site age verification bill

Gov. Mike Kehoe has announced he will sign legislation Thursday requiring pornography websites to verify that users are adults before allowing them to access sexually explicit content. The bill,… — Missouri Independent

George E. Johnson, architect of the Ultra Sheen empire, dies at 99

George E. Johnson, a hair care magnate whose rise from a Mississippi sharecropper’s cabin to the helm of a groundbreaking Black owned company reshaped an entire industry, died Monday at his home in… — St. Louis American

📼 From the PubDef archive: “Green announces run for mayor (No, not that Green)” (Nov 2008)

Coco Gauff advances to Wimbledon semifinals for the first time

American tennis star Coco Gauff advanced to the semifinals at Wimbledon with a three-set victory over fellow American Jessica Pegula on Tuesday. Gauff, the No. 7 seed defeated her former doubles… — St. Louis American

📼 From the PubDef archive: “O'Brien Asks State to Step In” (Nov 2006)

STL Sites and Sounds

CONCERTS  Thur., July 16, 7:30 p.m. MATI presents Jon Baptiste Live: A Fantastical Musical Journey, The Fox Theatre, 527 N Grand Blvd, St. Louis, MO 63106. For more information, visit… — St. Louis American

📼 From the PubDef archive: “How to disenfranchise (um, disenchant) a voter in 59 easy steps” (Nov 2008)

Looking back at a memorable prep sports year 

It was another exciting year of high school sports in the St. Louis metropolitan area. As we always do at the beginning of the summer, we take a look back at what happened in our annual St. Louis… — St. Louis American

📼 From the PubDef archive: “Nixon picks Kelvin Simmons to lead Office of Admin.” (Nov 2008)

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