Jason Rosenbaum

Missourians will experience some déjà vu on Nov. 3.

St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner is the latest guest on Politically Speaking, where the Democratic official talked with St. Louis Public Radio’s Rachel Lippmann and Jason Rosenbaum about her re-election bid.

Gardner is running against Mary Pat Carl in the Aug. 4 Democratic primary. Carl recorded an episode of Politically Speaking that will be posted Friday. Those interviews occurred before Gardner made national news by charging Mark and Patricia McCloskey with unlawful use of a weapon when they confronted protesters outside their home. That issue will be addressed in a story next week.

If there’s any proof that St. Louis County government can be a vital force in the lives of everyday people, it’s the coronavirus crisis.

The COVID-19 pandemic prompted St. Louis County Executive Sam Page to take unprecedented action. These moves stoked stark emotions: Some felt Page’s actions were too onerous, while others contended they were inadequate.

Page, however, said his decisions made a difference in combating a historic health care emergency that hit the county harder than anywhere else in the state.

Democratic state Auditor Nicole Galloway’s campaign committee took in nearly twice as much money as Republican Gov. Mike Parson’s between the beginning of April and the end of June.

Still, a political action committee helping Parson that can take in donations of unlimited size raised more money than one helping Galloway over that same time period. Parson’s PAC and candidate committees still have more money in the bank than Galloway on the brink of their respective August primaries. The two are expected to face off in November.

Recent polling is showing that President Donald Trump has a single-digit lead against former Vice President Joe Biden in Missouri.

And while Trump still has the inside track to take Missouri’s electoral votes this fall, a narrow margin of victory could have a significant impact on the gubernatorial race between Gov. Mike Parson and state Auditor Nicole Galloway.

St. Louis County Executive Sam Page is the latest guest on Politically Speaking. The Democrat spoke with St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum about why he’s seeking two more years in office.

Page is one of four Democrats running. All four will appear on Politically Speaking in separate episodes released this week.

St. Louis County Assessor Jake Zimmerman is the latest guest on Politically Speaking, where he talked with St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum about his bid for county executive.

Zimmerman is one of four Democrats seeking the post. All four candidates will appear on Politically Speaking in separate episodes released this week.

On the latest episode of Politically Speaking, Mark Mantovani joins St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum to talk about his campaign for St. Louis County executive.

Mantovani is one of four Democrats seeking the post. All four candidates will appear on Politically Speaking in separate episodes released this week.

Jamie Tolliver, St. Louis County executive hopeful, is the latest guest on the Politically Speaking podcast. The University City resident talked with St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum about her bid. 

Tolliver is one of four candidates running in the Aug. 4 Democratic primary. All four candidates will appear on Politically Speaking in separate episodes released this week. 

Citing her responsibilities as Jackson County prosecutor, Jean Peters Baker is stepping away from her duties as Missouri Democratic Party chairwoman and turning over control to former state Rep. Clem Smith.

In a statement released Thursday evening, Baker said Smith, vice chairman of the party, “is the right person to lead our party at this critical moment.”

St. Louis County Executive Sam Page is backing a privately funded study of the county police department.

It’s a move that comes a few weeks after the county’s police chief denied there was systemic racism within her agency, comments that drew widespread criticism.

State Rep. Kevin Windham Jr. is the latest guest on "Politically Speaking." The Hillsdale Democrat talked with St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum about how the Missouri Legislature expanded absentee balloting this session — and the prospects for policy change amid protests for police accountability.

Windham represents the 85th District, which takes in roughly 20 municipalities in central and north St. Louis County. When he won his seat in 2018 at age 25, he became the youngest African American man ever elected to the Missouri House.

On the latest episode of Politically Speaking, Democratic Missouri attorney general candidate Elad Gross talks about his bid for the office — and the steps he would take to reshape the post. 

Gross is running against Rich Finneran in the Aug. 4 Democratic primary. You can listen to Finneran’s appearance on Politically Speaking here. The winner of that contest will take on Republican incumbent Eric Schmitt.

On the latest episode of Politically Speaking, Democratic attorney general candidate Rich Finneran talks about his bid to unseat Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt — and his priorities for the office. 

Finneran is running against Elad Gross in the Aug. 4 Democratic primary. Gross’ appearance on Politically Speaking will be posted later this week.

James Knowles III was taking down tents with his father at the Ferguson Farmers Market on Aug. 9, 2014, the day one of his city’s police officers shot and killed Michael Brown. He learned about the shooting that would spark months of protests in his town and elsewhere through a phone call from Ferguson’s city manager.

“It was one of those things at 12:30 or so on an August Saturday … if the city manager’s calling me, it’s probably nothing good,” Knowles said.

Nearly six years after Brown’s death sparked change and protests in the north St. Louis County city, Knowles is stepping down as mayor tomorrow due to term limits and turning the job over to Ella Jones. On the latest episode of Politically Speaking, Knowles reflected on a consequential tenure in office that changed his town — and his life.

Updated at 9:20 p.m. June 10 with additional information from the protest 

Florissant police detective Joshua Smith has lost his job, days after video of him hitting a man with an SUV sparked outrage throughout the region — and protests in one of St. Louis County’s largest municipalities.

Florissant Police Chief Timothy Fagan fired Smith on Wednesday, said Sgt. Craig DeHart. He had been suspended after Real STL News released footage from a residential video camera showing an unmarked police car that Smith was driving hit a man. 

On the latest episode of Politically Speaking, Yinka Faleti, the Democratic nominee for secretary of state, joins the program to discuss his bid for the office, as well as the burgeoning protest movement for police accountability. 

Faleti’s appearance on the podcast kicks off an effort to have all of Missouri’s major statewide candidates on Politically Speaking. The two Democratic contenders for attorney general, Elad Gross and Rich Finneran, are slated to record episodes later this month — and we’ll be reaching out to GOP and Democratic candidates to be on the show in the coming weeks. 

With protests surging throughout the country decrying police killings of African Americans, U.S. Sen. Roy Blunt wants the Department of Justice to resume action that was taken after the Ferguson unrest.

Blunt, R-Missouri, wrote a letter to U.S. Attorney General William Barr asking the Department of Justice to pursue more “pattern-or-practice” reviews of police departments — and, when necessary, enter into consent decrees with law enforcement agencies. He said such moves would have more impact than any legislation Congress could pass in response to George Floyd’s death.

On the latest episode of Politically Speaking, Creve Coeur Mayor Barry Glantz joins the show to talk about his run for the 2nd District St. Louis County Council seat. 

Glantz is facing incumbent Kelli Dunaway in the Aug. 4 primary. Dunaway was elected to represent the district that takes in Creve Coeur, Chesterfield, Maryland Heights, Overland and St. Ann in 2019. She filled the seat vacated by Sam Page when he was named County Executive. Dunaway was on Politically Speaking last week.

Voters in Ferguson shattered a barrier on Tuesday by electing Ella Jones as the city's first African American mayor, a milestone for a community that’s been at the center of race and policing issues in the St. Louis region for nearly six years.

Jones will also be the first woman to hold the position. 

Jones defeated fellow Councilwoman Heather Robinett to succeed James Knowles III, who was barred by term limits from running again. She’ll lead a city that’s struggling financially from coronavirus-related shutdowns — and repairing damage to businesses over the weekend that came after George Floyd protests.

Updated at 10 a.m., June 1 with information about arrests and police injuries

Demonstrations on Sunday continued throughout the St. Louis area over George Floyd’s death in Minneapolis and turned chaotic in Ferguson for a second straight night.

Police fired tear gas canisters to break up a group of several dozen protesters after some members of the crowd lobbed fireworks and water bottles at officers holding riot shields and batons outside the Ferguson Police Department headquarters. Boards covered many of the station’s windows, which protesters smashed the night before with baseball bats and rocks.

The protests continued for hours after an 8 p.m. curfew imposed by Ferguson Mayor James Knowles’ state of emergency declaration. 

St. Louis County could send roughly $47 million of federal coronavirus relief money to municipalities to help pay for police and fire-related services.

St. Louis County received $173.5 million in federal funds from the CARES Act, which Congress passed earlier this year to deal with the coronavirus pandemic. And St. Louis County Executive Sam Page and the Municipal League of Metro St. Louis appear to be in agreement that $47 million should be sent to municipalities to help with public safety costs.

Updated 7 a.m. May 31 with police information.

Protesters brought havoc and destruction to Ferguson’s police headquarters and the city’s downtown at the end of a night of protests against police brutality mirrored around the nation Saturday.

The demonstrations and their ensuing vandalism were sparked by the death last week of George Floyd, a black man who died after a Minneapolis police officer restrained him by kneeling on his neck. Protests began in that city and have since spread across the country.

On the latest episode of Politically Speaking, St. Louis County Councilwoman Kelli Dunaway talks with St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum about how the county is spending federal coronavirus money.

She also addressed how county police should respond to protests over George Floyd’s death.

Dunaway is a Chesterfield Democrat who represents the council’s 2nd District. That takes in cities like Creve Coeur, St. Ann, Maryland Heights and Chesterfield. She was elected to her post in 2019, filling out the rest of Sam Page’s term on the council after he became county executive.

Gov. Mike Parson said it made sense to give local governments like St. Louis County power to enact stricter coronavirus-related regulations than the rest of the state, saying a one-size-fits-all approach doesn’t work for every corner of the state.

This comes as some St. Louis County residents have been criticizing County Executive Sam Page’s administration for not reopening certain businesses, such as gyms and fitness centers.

Under normal circumstances, Heather Robinett and Ella Jones wouldn’t be running for mayor of Ferguson right now. 

But these aren’t normal times. The coronavirus pandemic pushed the April 7 municipal and school elections to June 2. 

These contests are taking place in a radically different electoral landscape than the beginning of the year. Not only are some jurisdictions increasingly gravitating toward absentee ballots, but candidates like Robinett and Jones are using social media, direct mail and phone banking to reach out to voters for Tuesday’s election.

Sen. Paul Wieland has seen a lot of startling events during his 12 Missouri legislative sessions.

The Imperial Republican has witnessed resignations of House speakers, deaths of statewide officials and implosions of gubernatorial administrations. But Wieland says he’s never gone through anything like 2020, when the coronavirus pandemic massively altered the Legislature’s workload and focus.

Missouri lawmakers capped an unprecedented 2020 legislative session by expanding access to absentee ballots during a pandemic and passing a wide-ranging crime bill — even as other priorities failed to get final approval.

And while the session featured some major budget moves aimed at combating the coronavirus, lawmakers from both parties expressed frustration about missed opportunities — and how the legislative process unfolded.