Good morning! Here are some of today's starting headlines:
St. Louis County attitude survey results presented
Last night members of the St. Louis County Council heard the results of a survey that measured how the attitudes of residents have changed over the past five years. Many don't think the county is going in the right direction but don't place the blame on their county government.
Five years ago, a little over 60 percent of people thought the county was going in the right direction; today that number is 44 percent.
And like the rest of the nation, residents are concerned about the economy.
University of Missouri St. Louis Political Science Professor Terrance Jones presented the survey findings to the council.
"Even in a more challenging environment St. Louis County residents think their government is doing a good job, and they approve of the of the kind of programs that its offering and think those things that county government should be doing."
The survey findings will be used to update the strategic plan for the county, which is proposed to take place this year.
Ill. Gov. Quinn addresses Democratic National Convention
Reporting for this story from WBEZ's Tony Arnold - in Charlotte the DNC.
Pat Quinn had some harsh words for Mitt Romney during the Illinois Governor’s address to the Democratic National Convention.
Quinn’s first ever address to the DNC echoed one line of criticism against the Republicans following their convention last week.
"Tonight, I want to talk to you about a scary subject for many, many Republicans," Quinn said. "I want to talk about facts."
The Democratic governor accused Romney of distorting Barack Obama’s record on welfare and Medicare.
After he finished his seven-minute-long speech, Quinn told reporters he had one thing in mind when he walked to the podium.
"Don’t make a mistake," Quinn said. "Don’t want to do that on the big stage. I spoke from the heart. I’ve known Barack Obama a long time and I thought it was important to set the record straight."
Quinn said he also had to wear his glasses - something he hardly ever does - or else he wouldn’t have been able to read the Teleprompter.
Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon is heading to the Democratic National Convention, but don't look for him in the spotlight. Nixon was not at the convention Tuesday in North Carolina, but said he be there Wednesday night and Thursday as one of Missouri's delegates. He expects to speak to Missouri's delegation on Thursday morning and also expects to see many of his fellow Democratic governors.
Former Charlack police chief and city administrator accused of corruption, stealing
The former police chief and city administrator for the St. Louis County town of Charlack is accused of corruption and stealing from the city. A grand jury indictment of Tony Umbertino was announced Tuesday. He has long been at the center of a dispute over Charlack's finances and was fired by aldermen in July.
Umbertino is free on bail. His attorney, David Gregory, says the charges are false and his client is innocent. The indictment accuses Umbertino of felonies for stealing at least $500 between June 11, 2008, and Dec. 31, 2010, and of corruption during the same period.
The same grand jury indicted former Mayor James Beekman of similar offenses in June. Beekman resigned in October, citing health.
Follow St. Louis Public Radio on Twitter: @stlpublicradio
