Posted 11:20 a.m. Fri., 03.19.10 - January's overall unemployment rate jumped to 10.7 percent in the St.
Louis metropolitan area, with Illinois communities the hardest hit,
according to preliminary numbers released Friday by the U.S. Department
of Labor. Unemployment spiked to 19.7 percent in East St. Louis.
The jobless rate for the metro area was 10 percent in December and 9.3 percent in January 2009.
Posted 10:26 a.m. Fri., 03.19.10 - The author of a new biography of Joseph Pulitzer notes that new things turned up in his research that allowed this book to paint a broader picture of the Gilded Age icon. For instance, the real publisher was not a warmonger as he is usually portrayed in relation to the Spanish-American war.
Posted noon Fri., 03.19.10 - In this installment: Ranking cities where young workers want to live; a call to keep teams with low graduation rates out of March Madness; racial disparity in grad rates among NCAA tournament teams; enrollment rises at for-profit colleges and trade schools, but at what cost?; the rise of mixed-gender dorms; spring break deals for all; young potential donors aplenty; falling out of love with wedding websites.
Posted 10:15 a.m. Fri., 03.19.10 - This year, the Greater St. Louis Book Fair is putting out at least a million books, says one of the event's co-chairs. But two books donated this year have a different fate. One, a first edition of Ernest Hemingway's "A Farewell to Arms," has gone to Ivey-Selkirk's, to be auctioned this weekend. The other is returning to its owner, by a somewhat circuitous route.
Posted 9:40 a.m. Thurs., 03.18.10 - In Kansas City, the School Board voted to close 26 out of 61 schools. In north St. Louis County, Normandy is absorbing the Wellston School District. Meanwhile, in St. Louis, the panel whose recommendations led to a takeover of the city schools by the state is trying to figure out next steps. No one is promising -- or expecting -- quick results, but urban education has finally become a priority in a state where for a long time, city schools have seemed to be a hopeless cause.
Posted 1 p.m. Thu., 03.18.10 - Devoted fans of roller derby, a sport that mixes speed skating with
strategic blocking, might be familiar with the Arch Rival Roller Girls, which formed in St. Louis four years ago. Now comes a men's squad, the StL GateKeepers, which hopes to spark the first all-male roller derby league in St. Louis. In contrast to the women, one skater promises that the men's "bouts will have harder hitting and be more chaotic."
Posted 10:39 a.m. Fri., 03.19.10 - On March 11, Eli joined the herd. The Bactrian camel, son of Minnie and Elvis, weighed 98 pounds and,
according to the St. Louis Zoo, is a critically endangered species. Fewer than 1,000 are believed to live in the wild. Eli, says the Zoo, is "very well and is happily living with his herd mates."
Posted 9:30 a.m. Thurs., 03.18.10 - "The Art of the Steal" does not flinch from a strong point of view. The documentary contends that the powerful in
Philadelphia have hijacked one of the greatest private collections of
art in the world, defying the intent of the eccentric manufacturer who assembled the collection and who detested the
Philadelphia establishment. While compelling, that may be a too one-sided view of the controversy over the Barnes Foundation.
Editors' Picks
- Top News
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House drops "deem and pass" plan for health-care bill in favor of straight vote on Senate bill on Sunday: The House will take three votes: on a resolution to set terms of debate, on a package of amendments to the Senate bill demanded by House members, then on the Senate bill itself. | Washinton Post
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Thousands rally in Washington on seventh anniversary of start of Iraq war: Some carried signs reading "Indict Bush Now" and flag-draped cardboard coffins. | Associated Press
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Pope rebukes Irish bishops for their handling of sex abuse cases: He cited "grave errors of judgment" but he laid no blame for the problem on the Vatican's policies of keeping such cases secret. | Associated Press
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Camera will monitor speeds on I-170 in Charlack: It will be the first of its kind on a highway in Missouri. | STLtoday
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- Region
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Illinois House votes to ban monkeys as pets: The issue was prompted by the mauling of a Connecticut woman by a pet monkey. | STLtoday
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St. Louis Zoo welcomes baby camel: Eli, born last week to parents Minnie and Elvis, will be in the zoo's Red Rocks exhibit. | KWMU
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Charges stand against Illinois state trooper in deaths of two Collinsville sisters in 2007: A judge refused to dismiss charges of reckless homicide and reckless driving against Matt Mitchell. | Belleville News-Democrat
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Former lawmaker Mildred Huffman dies at age 89: The Republican was the first woman to run for statewide office in Missouri, losing her race for secretary of state in 1976. | STLtoday
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- Science
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New AIDS cases and AIDS-related deaths decline in D.C.: The continuation of a four-year decline is a credit to aggressive testing and treatment efforts. Still, the disease is at epidemic rates in the district, hitting the African-American community the hardest. l Washington Post
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Incidence of TB declining to historic low in U.S.: But drug-resistant strains of the disease are increasing across the world. l Los Angeles Times
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Revised cyber security bill limits presidential authority: A bill that protects the nation's cyber system has been reintroduced in the Senate without a provision allowing the president to shut down the internet in case of a massive cyber attack. l Information Week
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V.A. hospital fined for radiation errors on prostate patients: 97 of 116 radiation procedures had dosing errors, demonstrating a lack of safety protocols at the Philadelphia hospital. l New York Times
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- A+L
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Dance St. Louis presents Azure Barton & Artists: Contemporary choreographer headlines performances at Touhill Performing Arts Center; 8 p.m., March 26, 2 p.m. and 8 p.m., March 27. Tickets are $30-$50 for general admission and $27-46 for students, seniors, and groups of 20 or more. | Dance St. Louis
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St. Louis County Library hosts author Roy Morris Jr.: Writer discusses new book, "Lighting Out for the Territory: How Samuel Clemens Headed West and Became Mark Twain;" 7 p.m., Monday, March 22, at Library headquarters, 1640 S. Lindberg Blvd. | St. Louis County Library
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Christiane Amanpour switches to ABC from CNN: News maven will be new anchor of "This Week," replacing George Stephanopoulos. | New York Daily News
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Fess Parker, TV's Davy Crockett, dies at age 85: After he hung up his coonskin cap, he became a real estate magnate in California. | Los Angeles Times
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- Voices
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Health-care debate reaches its final lap: My bet is that the president will find his votes. If only Ted Kennedy were still here to be one of them. | Susan Estrich/Rasmussen Reports
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Jihad Jane, international woman of mystery: Does this drab housewife really represent the changing face of terrorism? | Froma Harrop/Rasmussen Reports
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It's time for black leaders to lead: Instead of hosting forums, perhaps they should be promoting a vision – one with a consistent, inspirational message and down-to-earth, step-by-step methods. | Sylvester Brown Jr./New American Media
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Real genius in D.C.: In Washington, the national pastime is not baseball but gotcha. And the more you try to do, the more likely you are to be gotten. | Susan Estrich/Rasmussen Reports
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Gatekeepers
Video by Elia Powers
Rollerderby isn't just for women in St. Louis anymore. The StL Gatekeepers team lets men get out on the rink. Read the story and see a larger video .
Topics
Health Check | Race, Frankly | Facing the Mortgage Crisis | Uneasy Street: Granite City, O'Fallon MO, MaplewoodVoices
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Beacon Columnists
Posted 9:30 a.m. Thurs., 03.18.10 - The University of Chicago is a prestigious institution and the intellectual home of both the atomic bomb and the bombastic economic and political theories that caused the great financial meltdown in 2008, writes columnist M.W. Guzy, who wonders which "bomb" caused the most damage.
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In the News
Posted 2:45 p.m. Mon., 03.15.10 - The congressional ethics committee can't be trusted to demand high standards. The Supreme Court says wide-open corporate spending cannot be curtailed in elections. And President Barack Obama raised more than anyone else. D.C. can't say no to money, so Matt Vianello says the people should say no to the big spenders
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Beacon Columnists
Posted 6 a.m. Sun., 03.14.10 - Mike Lawrence calls for support for amending the Illinois constitution to do away with the draw-from-the-hat mechanism that for three consecutive decades has permitted the lottery winner to dictate the new boundaries required after every census.
Beacon Roundtable
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Posted 5:00 p.m. Thu., 03.11.10 - In this week's Beacon Roundtable, Dick Weiss, Robert Joiner, Jo Mannies and Dale Singer sit down to talk about President Obama's trip to…
Read more...
The Lens
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Posted 6 a.m. Thurs., 03.18.10 - It's called Anyclip (www.anyclip.com ), and according to its publicity, it will "empower you to find and relive any moment from any film, instantly." It sounded promising, but a search of the site itself, which launched on March 15 proved to be far less successful.
Lawscoop
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Posted 10:47 a.m. Mon., Feb. 15 - On March 2, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments in an Illinois gun case that could end up pleasing liberals and conservatives…
Read more...
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