Eric Schmid
Economic Development ReporterEric Schmid covers Economic Development for St. Louis Public Radio. He's primarily focused on examining policies and ideas to drive population and business growth throughout the St. Louis region.
He previously covered the Metro East writing about many topics in the Illinois counties adjacent to St. Louis, but regularly returns to stories about the environment, public policy, and the census and demographics.
Eric came to the station through Report for America in 2019 and was tasked to develop STLPR’s coverage east of the Mississippi. Before joining St. Louis Public Radio, Eric held internships at Fox News Channel, NPR-affiliate WSHU Public Radio and AccuWeather. He graduated from Stony Brook University in New York with a degree in Journalism in 2018.
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The windchill could hit 10 to 15 degrees below zero Fahrenheit on Sunday and Monday. In those conditions, frostbite can occur in 30 minutes and hypothermia can set in quickly.
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The region bucks the norm in most other major metropolitan areas: people from India make up the largest share of foreign-born people in the St. Louis region over people from Mexico.
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Many cities are already investing in nature-based solutions, such as removing pavement, building marshes and making room for rivers to flow. Now, St. Louis is looking to learn from Missouri’s neighbors in Dubuque, Iowa, on what the city can do with the River Des Peres.
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“Many employers have a requirement for a four-year degree, but slowly and surely they’re realizing a four-year degree doesn’t mean everyone that comes out has the skills and ability to do the role,” said one leader of a tech training organization.
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“We need to connect the environmental crisis that we’re currently facing with the company’s current and future operations," said a sustainability management professor. "All companies rely on natural assets to some degree, whether it’s clean water, clean air or even disease control."
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“How do we create conditions where it makes more sense for a company to either stay in St. Louis, or move here, if they want to do something related to agtech?” the innovation district’s executive director said.
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The center will enhance established regional sectors like aerospace, geospatial and biosciences, with its capacity to develop and prototype new ways of manufacturing, as well as provide a local workforce that understands those new techniques.
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The region’s growing geospatial and established agriculture and plant sciences sectors put it in a unique position to drive the innovations that will help farmers adapt to new climate conditions while reducing carbon emissions at the same time.
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Spending from consumers largely held up in the face of concerns of a recession or that it would just drop off, but there’s a limit to how much people are willing to shoulder higher costs.
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Nearly 54% of UAW Local 2250 workers voted to reject the proposed deal, joining workers at several other auto plants who say it’s not enough.
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The EPA found SA Recycling stored scrap metal, gas cans and other waste material in a way that could transport them into the river during a rain event.
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“You cannot move forward if everybody else does not have the opportunity to move forward. That was a major philosophical shift to address racial and spatial inequities that have held this region back for far too long,” said one leader.