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Lots of new numbers today. By coincidence, the PCE figures were released the same day as the latest quarterly reading of the Employment Cost Index. According to the ECI, real wages were up at an annualized rate of 1.3% in Q2 but still well below their pre-pandemic level: In most measures of wages, we see ...continue reading "Wages are up, but still below their pre-pandemic level"

A pharmaceutical company in Town and Country is carving out a niche for itself, as it works to develop medications for defense agencies.

In the predawn hours of July 29, 1993, I sat with Earl Buck outside his New Franklin mobile home as the Missouri River rose two inches an hour on a sandbag levee he built with help from neighbors and volunteers. After three days of stacking, there were no more bags. In the darkness, when water […]

The post Great Flood of 1993 remains a vivid memory for those who experienced the long-running disaster appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Light and windows are deeply intertwined with my work as a ceramicist and photographer. My porcelain hand-built sculptures blend an organic and contemporary style that takes shape using a traditional

The post Light from a Window by Susan Zimmerman appeared first on Explore St. Louis.

Alexis Lowery's mother was murdered by her stepfather in 2010. More than a decade later, Lowery is now president of the Mary Daniels Foundation.

The number of “violence interrupters” in three key areas of St. Louis city has decreased significantly, albeit temporarily, after a city contract with the Cure Violence program ended earlier this month.  In 2019, the city entered into a $7 million, three-year contract with Employment Connections to run two Cure Violence sites, one in the Dutchtown neighborhood of  south city and the other covering parts of the Wells Goodfellow and Hamilton Heights neighborhoods in north city.

Consumer spending grew at an annualized rate of 4.7% in June but remained well below its pre-pandemic trend: Since the start of the year, spending has increased only 0.65%, an annualized rate of 1.3%. That's a big slowdown from the 4.4% annual rate of the previous two years.

Miles Mikolas was ejected from Thursday's series opener against the Chicago Cubs after plunking Ian Happ with a pitch, just moments after an errant backswing from Happ hit Willson Contreras on top of his mask, led to sudden pain and forced him to leave early.

SPRINGFIELD – Public squirrel hunting opportunities are available Aug. 1 through Sept. 15 at more than 30 private land hunting sites enrolled in the Illinois Department of Natural Resources’ popular Illinois Recreational Access Program, commonly known as IRAP. IDNR has leased more than 4,400 acres of private land for 2023 squirrel hunting through IRAP, creating more than 30 public access squirrel sites in 18 counties. Sites are available at no cost to participants. Hunters simply must register, sign a liability waiver, and reserve a site through IRAP’s online registration system at https://dnr.illinois.gov/conservation/irap/irapregistration.html. All registered participants have the option of adding up to three additional registered hunters to their reservation for a group hunt. All hunters will receive a valid site permit that must be carried on their person and a windshield card that must be placed in their vehicle after reserving their site. Youth hunters 1

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Sherrita Jackson was a bus driver for 21 years before she got fed up with abuse from passengers and switched careers in 2021. At the time, a year into the COVID-19 pandemic, passengers were required to wear masks. A passenger not wearing a mask boarded Jackson’s bus and refused to comply with the mandate. “He […]

The post ‘We can’t keep putting our lives on the line’: KC bus drivers detail safety risks they face appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Now that the Barbenheimer blitzkrieg has finally touched down at multiplexes all over the place, collectively bringing in more audiences than any superhero flick in the past six months, we can talk about the other big-screen showdown that is currently popping off in theaters across the country: Disney’s Haunted Mansion and A24’s Talk to Me, two scary movies that involve grieving Black folk who see dead people. Let’s start with Haunted, the — shall we say — lighthearted one of the pair.

SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois State Police welcomed 17 new Troopers today from Cadet Class 142 at a graduation ceremony at the Illinois State Police Academy in Springfield. The new Troopers will report to three different Troops throughout the state on Sunday July 30, 2023. The total number of ISP Troopers added since 2019 now stands at 445. Cadet Class 142 marks the 14 th cadet class graduation under Governor JB Pritzker. “On behalf of the State of Illinois, I’m proud to congratulate Cadet Class 142 on their graduation from the Illinois State Police Academy,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “Since I first took office over four years ago, we’ve added 445 ISP Troopers—and I am confident that this latest class of 17 women and men will protect and serve with integrity and dedication.” “It’s another proud day for the Illinois State Police,” said ISP Director Brendan F. Kelly. “The men and women of Cadet Class 142 have

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CHICAGO – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), a member of the Senate Appropriations Defense Subcommittee, today released the following statement after the Senate voted to pass the Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which includes an authorization of more than $886 billion for national defense: “Today, the Senate passed the NDAA as a strong, bipartisan show of support for our national defense and for the commitment of our men and women in uniform. I’m pleased to see the inclusion of significant investments in Illinois, as well as in the service members stationed at the state’s military installations. “While I am frustrated that the bill continues restrictions on closing the prison at Guantanamo Bay, this version of the NDAA contains many important provisions—including funding to support Ukraine and to modernize our military installations—and rejects the poison pills included in the House version.”

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CHICAGO - Governor JB Pritzker signed SB1909 into law, also known as the Deceptive Practices of Limited Services Pregnancy Centers Act. This law bars so-called “crisis pregnancy centers” from using misinformation, deceptive practices, or misrepresentation in order to interfere with access to abortion services or emergency contraception. The law allows the Illinois Attorney General to investigate complaints against centers using such tactics and strengthens the AG’s Offices power to prosecute incidences of consumer fraud in such cases. “Women need access to comprehensive, fact-based healthcare when making critical decision about their own health—not manipulation or misinformation from politically motivated, non-medical actors,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “By empowering the Attorney General’s office to battle deceptive practices, we’re ensuring Illinoisans can make their own decisions about their bodies using accurate and safe information.”

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CHICAGO - Attorney General Kwame Raoul, on the 75th anniversary of the desegregation of the U.S. military, joined Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell and New Hampshire Attorney General John Formella in co-leading a bipartisan coalition calling on Congress to pass the Sgt. Isaac Woodard, Jr. and Sgt. Joseph H. Maddox GI Bill Restoration Act of 2023. The proposed federal legislation, named in honor of two Black World War II veterans, would extend eligibility for housing loans and educational assistance administered by the secretary of Veterans Affairs to Black World War II veterans, their surviving spouses, and certain direct descendants if the veteran was previously denied benefits on the basis of race. In a letter to Congress , Raoul and 23 attorneys general said the legislation, through expanding access to homeownership and education, would help rectify past wrongs and fuel continued economic growth in communities across the country. “After serving their

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WASHINGTON, DC – Today, U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) joined Patty Murray (D-WA) in reintroducing the Reproductive Healthcare Accessibility Act, legislation to help people with disabilities—who face discrimination and extra barriers when seeking care—receive better access to reproductive healthcare and the informed care they need to control their reproductive lives. “For too long, Americans with disabilities have faced persistent barriers to healthcare services, equipment and providers,” said Duckworth. “With right-wing efforts underway to go even further to undermine these rights in the wake of the overturning of Roe , many are rightfully worried about having an even harder time accessing the reproductive care they need. Today, I’m proud to join Senator Murray and my colleagues in reintroducing the Reproductive Healthcare Accessibility Act to help ensure all of us in the disability community are not left behind in getting the car

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PCE inflation figures were released this morning and they're nothing but good news: The Fed likes to look at the core PCE rate, and in June it finally fell significantly. It's now running at an annualized rate of 2.0%, which is right at the Fed's target. The headline rate is also running at 2.0%. On ...continue reading "Inflation drops to 2%, hitting Fed goal"