St. Louis Beacon

Thursday
Sep 02nd
           | 
 
Home arrow Issues/Politics
Issues/Politics
Campaigns play political football with bailout, stimulus -- but did they help the economy? Print E-mail
By Mary Delach Leonard, Beacon staff   
Posted 11:35 am Wed., 09.01.10
moneysrbicharasxchu.jpgTwo years after economists and policy-makers prescribed massive emergency injections of taxpayer dollars to stabilize the nation's banks and a critically ill U.S. economy, a bitter aftertaste has stuck with pessimistic voters. The discontent and anger over the bailout and economic stimulus have spilled into the political campaigns for U.S. Senate where accusations are tossed back and forth. Neither campaign seems to consider: Did the bailout and stimulus work? What were the alternatives? (illustration from sxc.hu)
 
The nation's economic hangover: Two years down, and two years to go, says local Fed economist Print E-mail
By Mary Delach Leonard, Beacon staff   
Posted 11:11 am Mon., 08.16.10

hangover100toulouse-lautrec.jpg

Just as there is no magic pill to cure a hangover, it will take time -- at least two more years -- for the United States to recover from the economic binging of the last decade, says a local economist who was sounding the alarm about over-leveraging and cash-out home refinancing back in 2005 and 2006. "We had a giant party, and this is the hangover," he said. (Image from "The Hangover" | Toulouse-Lautrec)

 
Coffee high: Local entrepreneur works to bring back Thomas Coffee -- and city's coffee district Print E-mail
By Mary Delach Leonard, Beacon staff   
Posted 12:19 pm Thu., 08.12.10

thomas100coffee.jpg

Thomas Coffee -- yes, the one with the dog -- got a new lease on life when Bob Betz and his business partners cut the ribbon in April after buying the old plant for $1.2 million and spending 14 months getting the business in order. Despite opening a business in the middle of a deep recession, Betz says the company is breaking even, and he's working to make it St. Louis' premier gourmet coffee.

 
Job talk: Employment growth remains slow go Print E-mail
By Mary Delach Leonard, Beacon staff   
Posted 4:25 pm Fri., 08.06.10

job100line.jpgFriday's employment news from the U.S. Department of Labor was sobering:Even though the nation's unemployment rate for July remained unchanged at 9.5 percent, the nation gained just 12,000 jobs overall for the month-- a drop in the economic recovery bucket. According to the report, private employers added a net total of 71,000 jobs in July, but that was offset by government cuts at the local, stateand federal levels.

 
Local housing counselors say they are helping homeowners left in wake of NACA's Save the Dream tour Print E-mail
By Mary Delach Leonard, Beacon staff   
Posted 10:40 am Wed., 07.28.10
krehmeyer100chris.jpgSome St. Louis nonprofits that provide foreclosure counseling say that they have been counseling clients who attended NACA's "Save the Dream Tour'' last year and appear to have fallen through the cracks. Chris Krehmeyer (left) of Beyond Housing estimates that his agency has helped more than 100 such homeowners in the past year. Part 2 of two parts, click here for part 1 .
 
40,000 sought help at St. Louis foreclosure event, but how many homes were saved? Print E-mail
By Mary Delach Leonard, Beacon staff   
Posted 10:25 am Mon., 07.26.10
naca100signmdl.jpgOn a miserably hot and steamy weekend last summer, struggling homeowners turned out by the thousands for an event called "Save the Dream," a multi-city foreclosure-prevention tour put on by the Neighborhood Assistance Corporation of America (NACA), a Boston-based nonprofit that touted its "same-day permanent solutions.'' Nearly one year later, it is unclear how many St. Louisans were helped because NACA has declined to share its numbers. (Part 1 of two parts)
 
The BounceBack kids: RCGA programs help professionals to weather unemployment Print E-mail
By Mary Delach Leonard, Beacon staff   
Posted 10:49 am Thu., 07.15.10
creative150comebackslogo.jpgBounceBack and Creative Comebacks are designed by the St. Louis Regional Chamber and Growth Association to help the region's displaced science, technology and engineering professionals find new jobs. It's taken months -- and months -- but Jake Callis and Leland Crenshaw are back in the labor force with hard-won advice to share. (Video inside)
 
Stimulus or tighter reins? Economists debate on the one hand and the other Print E-mail
By Dale Singer, Beacon staff   
Posted 3:27 pm Wed., 07.07.10
With one eye on the growing deficit and another on the still-sluggish economy, economists are debating whether the United States needs more stimulus spending from Washington or a tighter grip on the reins to ease the deficit. The Beacon asked some prominent local economists for their point of view. money100stacks.jpg
 
Is financial regulation badly needed reform or an overreaction? Print E-mail
By Dale Singer, Beacon staff   
Posted 4:00 pm Fri., 06.25.10
money100stacks.jpgPresident Barack Obama calls the financial regulation package worked out by members of the House and Senate "the toughest financial reform since the ones we created in the aftermath of the Great Depression." Locally, the president would find some agreement and praise for taking "a big step forward." But some, including the head of the Missouri Banker Association, are "outraged."
 
Foreclosures draining wealth from minority communities Print E-mail
By Mary Delach Leonard, Beacon staff   
Posted 12:27 pm Fri., 06.18.10
for100salesxcsvilen001.jpgThe foreclosure crisis continues to drain wealth from the nation's communities of color, both in direct financial loss and in declining property values, warns a new report from a nonprofit research group. The report says that about 11 percent of African-American homeowners and 17 percent of Latino homeowners have either lost their homes to foreclosure or are at imminent risk of doing so -- a disaster that could eclipse Hurricane Katrina.
 
<< Start < Prev 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Next > End >>

Results 1 - 10 of 147

Editors' Picks

 
uneasystreet300.jpg

A bad economy hits home in different ways. In this Beacon series of community profiles, St. Louis area residents share their experiences on Uneasy Street and the fight for economic security in their home towns.

Granite City | O'Fallon, Mo. | Maplewood

Floods and Kaskaskia

Drew Canning talks with island residents Courtney "Manny" Brown and Dorothy "Dot" Brown, who recall what life used to be like on Kaskaskia Island. To read more about the island and see a larger version of the slideshow, click here .(Photos by Rachel Heidenry | Beacon intern)

Voices

Beacon Roundtable

Beacon Blog

  • Posted 1:40 pm Wed., 09.01.10

    Editor Margaret Wolf Freivogel discusses why combat troups in Iraq and a Muslim cultural center in Manhattan are news that matters for a regional news source.

    Read more...

The Lens


@

Register to receive our daily email of new content.  If you're already registered, email us at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it with the subject line "subscribe".

 

Barroom Conversations

The St. Louis Beacon sponsors every-other-weekly conversations on race, related to the publication's year-long special coverage of issues and situations related to race in the St. Louis region. The lightly-moderated discussions begin with a specific topic, but like all good conversations, veer off in different and rewarding directions. The Barroom Conversations are on summer break, and will resume in September. We look forward to seeing regulars and newcomers when the break is over. Everyone is welcome.

facebook2.jpg

Join the folks who have already found the Beacon on Facebook, the social networking site. See the most popular stories of the day, photos, videos and upcoming events. Visit the St. Louis Beacon page on Facebook and become a fan.

twitterbutton100sq.jpg

Twitter is a "microblogging" service where users can provide short updates about what they are doing. stlbeacon is our official Twitter feed – check it out to find our featured stories and the news that matters.

race100.gif

In St. Louis, race affects virtually every important aspect of community life. Yet it’s difficult to talk productively about race. Race, Frankly invites you to look at race with fresh eyes.

The Missouri History Museum, the Beacon and KETC/Channel 9 have partnered to create a yearlong series of events, in-depth articles and video pieces.

Read stories in the series.

rss75.gif

What's this icon? It's the standard icon for RSS.

RSS gives you another option for reading the Beacon, in a way that may be more convenient for you. As explained below, you can use our RSS feed to get alerts about new Beacon content. The Beacon's main RSS feed is here.

For more about RSS, read this quick introduction or watch this video: RSS in simple English.