Corinne Ruff
Economic Development ReporterCorinne Ruff joined St. Louis Public Radio as the economic development reporter in April, 2019. She grew up among the cornfields in Northern Illinois and later earned degrees in Journalism and French at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She has since reported at the international, national and local level on business, education and social justice issues.
Her written work has appeared in a variety of publications including: Retail Dive, The Chronicle of Higher Education, U.S. News & World Report, C-U Citizen Access and The News-Gazette. Before moving to St. Louis to join the public radio family, she worked in Washington D.C. for more than three years. There, she founded the business podcast Conversational Commerce and co-hosted a weekly show on the public radio station WPFW about the intersection of higher education and social justice. When she’s not on the hunt for a good story, you can find her scoping out the local music scene and looking for good eats that don't involve whatever Provel "cheese" is.
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St. Louis Community College released its annual State of the Workforce report Wednesday, which surveyed local employers on their top concerns. This year, COVID-19 fell down the list, while hiring and retaining employees ranked first.
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Last week, a federal lobbyist for the city said leaders are “inviting an audit” from the U.S. Treasury by including a provision that goes against its spending guidelines. He warns the city may be ordered to pay back some of the money.
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Some industry leaders say it's time to build on the momentum of the booming medical marijuana market, but others worry the campaigns are premature.
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A St. Louis resident who attended the St. Louis County Council’s meeting on a mask mandate has tested positive for the coronavirus. Health officials urge anyone who went to the meeting — even those who have received the COVID-19 vaccine — to isolate themselves and get tested.
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The city's top fiscal body failed Friday to approve a proposed $168 million spending plan ahead of a summer recess at the Board of Aldermen.
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The St. Louis Board of Aldermen gave initial approval to a coronavirus relief bill that lays out how to spend the first wave of the latest round of federal aid.
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The new industry has generated more than $70 million in less than a year. State officials said that amount is good but falls in line with expectations.
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The waivers could lead to the forgiveness of more than $100 million in federal money that the state has tried to recoup from 47,000 Missourians.
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Youth job training programs like STL Youth Jobs are helping connect young people looking to grow their skills with businesses that need to quickly staff up.
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The nonprofit United Women's Empowerment is leading the initiative, which will result in a series of policy recommendations for lawmakers.
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A wave of new city leaders are hoping to change the way the city uses tax incentives to do business with developers.
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Neal Richardson has worked in economic and community development over the past 14 years, both at U.S. Bank and the organization he co-founded, Dream Builders 4 Equity.