Government, Politics & Issues

A group known as Better Together is proposing a plan to merge St. Louis and St. Louis County. They're planning to get the measure on the 2020 ballot.

After decades of contemplation and debate, a group known as Better Together is recommending an end to the “Great Divorce” between St. Louis and St. Louis County.Better Together is proposing an ambitious plan to create a unified metro government and police department and limit municipalities' ability to levy sales taxes. The plan would be decided through a statewide vote.Proponents contend it will scrape away layers of local government that has been holding the St. Louis region back. Opponents believe the plan will create an unwieldy and large centralized government that could be implemented against the will of city and county residents.

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 developmentswith 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 abouthow 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.