Daily Brief: Saturday, August 22, 2026

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

Missouri placed diabetic teen in a foster home not licensed to take him. He died 24 days later

It was after 5 p.m. on May 13, and 17-year-old Korbin Papadopoulos sat in the Macon County office of the Missouri Children’s Division waiting for his next foster placement. Korbin had type 1 diabetes… — Missouri Independent

‘Got to play the game’: Missouri doctors group jumps into state politics with $1.5M PAC investment

Missouri’s oldest business association is the state’s newest big political donor. On Aug. 14, the Missouri State Medical Association split $1.5 million between two newly created political action… — Missouri Independent

Dellwood Mayor Reggie Jones dies at 54, remembered as a steadfast servant

Reggie Jones spent much of his life serving young people, his church and the community he called home. That commitment carried him from the football fields of St. Louis to the halls of government… — St. Louis American

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

Armstead, Knight, McClure lead Salute honorees

Tamika Armstead, Dr. Paula Knight and Richard “Rich” McClure will receive the top honors at The St. Louis American Foundation’s 39th annual Salute to Excellence in Education Scholarship & Awards Gala… — St. Louis American

📼 From the PubDef archive: “Joan Barry Adds Campaign Staff” (May 2008)

Finding ways to brighter futures

In 1836, four white apprentices beat Frederick Douglass nearly blind in a Baltimore shipyard. He named them years later. Ned North. Ned Hays. Bill Stewart. Tom Humphreys. One came at him with a… — St. Louis American

📼 From the PubDef archive: “Bones in their Burgers (and other 1st Day news)” (Aug 2008)

Colorado city manager chopped for racist incident involving Snoop Dogg doll

A city manager in Golden, Colorado is out of a job after the city council voted unanimously to fire him over his handling of a racist incident involving a Snoop Dogg doll at the fire department. A… — St. Louis American

📼 From the PubDef archive: “PubDef is Heading to Denver Monday” (Aug 2008)

Panera refreshes its MyPanera rewards program with new points system and campaign featuring Keke Palmer

Panera Bread has rolled out a major update to its MyPanera rewards program — a shift to a points-based system designed to give members more choice, more flexibility and more value. The refresh… — St. Louis American

The Daily Brief runs every morning. Headlines and excerpts belong to the linked outlets — click through and support them. Missouri Independent stories are republishable under Creative Commons.