Daily Brief: Wednesday, September 23, 2026

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

Rural Missouri families face longer drives, riskier births as maternity wards vanish

Melanie Pierce works with many pregnant women who know they’ll have a long drive ahead of them when labor starts. One of her jobs as a doula living in Mansfield, Missouri, is helping families answer… — Missouri Independent

📼 From the PubDef archive: “Blunt to Professor: Missouri McCain supporters aren’t racists” (Nov 2008)

The Muehlebach in Kansas City keeps coming back for taxpayer subsidies

Kansas City’s Muehlebach Hotel hosted every president from Theodore Roosevelt to Ronald Reagan. Harry Truman ran much of his political operation from the penthouse suite. It’s where he signed the… — Missouri Independent

📼 From the PubDef archive: “Lame Duck Gov makes a few appointments” (Nov 2008)

Missouri redistricting fight returns to US Supreme Court for third time

Backers of a Missouri redistricting referendum late on Tuesday asked the U.S. Supreme Court to intervene for a third time in three weeks in the fight over which congressional map must be used for the… — Missouri Independent

📼 From the PubDef archive: “VIDEO: McCaskill on Equal Pay” (Apr 2008)

Amendment 6 could make another Missouri congressional gerrymander much harder

The Missouri Supreme Court had barely settled the immediate question of which congressional map is legally in effect before some Republicans began looking ahead to drawing another one. Minutes after… — Missouri Independent

📼 From the PubDef archive: “Hubbard Fights Back Against Hypocritical Attacks” (Jul 2008)

Urban League celebrates women who lead

The success of the Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis’ annual gala, honoring an exceptional group of women in leadership, speaks to the reason the organization has received the National Urban… — St. Louis American

📼 From the PubDef archive: “Could Jay have done more for Obama?” (Nov 2008)

Former child actor Bobb’e J. Thompson headed to federal prison

A former child actor who appeared on TV shows including “30 Rock,” “Tyler Perry’s House of Payne” and “That’s So Raven,” has been sentenced to more than two years in federal prison by a judge in… — St. Louis American

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

Measles returns to St. Louis County after 20 years

A St. Louis County resident has tested positive for measles after riding a Chicago-bound Amtrak train, marking the county’s first confirmed case of the highly contagious disease in 20 years. The… — St. Louis American

📼 From the PubDef archive: “Lame Duck Gov makes a few appointments” (Nov 2008)

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