Missouri News

Politically Speaking: On Freeholders, Abortion Policy And Krewson’s Policing Deliberations

St. Louis Public Radio | By Jason Rosenbaum

Published October 4, 2019 at 5:24 PM CDT

St. Louis County Executive Sam Page and St. Louis Mayor Lyda Krewson were arguably the top newsmakers of the week of Sept. 30, 2019.

We’re trying something new on the latest episode of Politically Speaking. Instead of interviewing a single guest or zeroing in on a single topic, St. Louis Public Radio’s political team is introducing a show that rounds up the week’s news.

This week, St. Louis Public Radio’s Julie O’Donoghue, Jason Rosenbaum and Jaclyn Driscoll talk about the latest developments with the Board of Freeholders — a 19-person body that could place a plan before voters shaking up St. Louis and St. Louis County government.

The three reporters also discussed how Planned Parenthood built a large abortion facility in Fairview Heights, Illinois. That building is coming about as Missouri has passed more abortion restrictions and only has one clinic left open in the state that provides abortions, Planned Parenthood's facility in St. Louis.

St. Louis Post-Dispatch reporter Jeremy Kohler joined the second half of the show to talk about how St. Louis Mayor Lyda Krewson sent a letter to a Centene executive about how the region should substantially change policing and crime statistics.

In the final segment, O’Donoghue, Driscoll and Rosenbaum talked about the books they’ve been reading lately:

Rosenbaum just finished Tim Alberta’s "American Carnage," which features some notable cameos from prominent Missouri behind-the-scenes players.
Driscoll is reading Andrew Gelman’s "Red State, Blue State, Rich State, Poor State." That book details American voting patterns.
O’Donoghue’s book of choice is A.J. Baime’s "The Accidental President: Harry S Truman and the Four Months That Changed the World." It chronicles the first few months of Truman’s eventful presidency.