NextSTL

The Case for Accessory Commercial Units in St. Louis

Dillon Colbert — Wed, 20 May 2026 15:27:01 +0000

Cities around the US are easing regulations for businesses in residential neighborhoods. With last September’s accessory dwelling unit ordinance as precedent, should St. Louis be next? Policymaker Summary: Cities like Austin, TX and Raleigh, NC are permitting commercial activity in their residential neighborhoods to encourage innovation and entrepreneurship, particularly in working-class and immigrant communities. St. […]

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Grassroots and non-profit organizations are leading the way to improve St. Louis’ public transit problem

Sana'a Abouantoun — Sat, 16 May 2026 17:30:09 +0000

In September of 2019, July Hampton’s life took a sudden unexpected turn. “One day I had a bus in front of my high school, and the next day I did not.” The metro bus that usually made a stop in front of his high school stopped showing up. This came with the implementation of the 2018 […]

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Chicago to St. Louis High-Speed Rail: A looming deadline could be the end of high speed rail in Illinois — or the beginning of an entire midwest network, a top advocate argues.

Dillon Colbert — Sun, 12 Apr 2026 18:40:54 +0000

The Chicago to St. Louis corridor could someday become the midwestern backbone of a national high-speed rail network — but an upcoming political deadline could sink the project before it starts, advocates fear. Lawmakers in Illinois are fighting to pass new legislation governing Illinois’ High Speed Rail Commission, which will sunset in 2027 unless House Bill […]

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Driver entitlement trumps public safety in St. Louis

Richard Bose — Fri, 03 Apr 2026 16:40:12 +0000

Curb bumpouts at Broadway and Market downtown installed last year were removed at lightning speed, after complains from drivers after a concert and from the Hilton Hotel. Mayor Spencer ordered them removed this week. This is a huge disappointment after years of effort to make safety improvements to streets around the city. Cars first policies […]

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St. Louis’ earnings tax and why it matters

Jackie Dana — Mon, 30 Mar 2026 20:01:32 +0000

On April 7, voters in the City of St. Louis will decide a single question: whether to continue the city’s earnings tax. It’s a straightforward item on the ballot, but the implications are not. To understand what’s at stake, I looked at the tax’s history, how it fits into the city’s finances, and what could […]

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Green Line BRT community engagement begins next week, Metro needs to rebuild trust first

Richard Bose — Fri, 30 Jan 2026 17:40:08 +0000

The proposal for the North-South Metrolink line has devolved over the decades. Since the heady days of the opening of the Cross County Blue Line in 2006, it has shrunk from a 28-station line from Florissant Valley Community College to Butler Hill & I-55 connecting with the existing lines at14th street to an 8-station line […]

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Exclusive: Inside the tornado recovery effort with St. Louis’ Chief Recovery Officer

Jackie Dana — Mon, 26 Jan 2026 19:10:21 +0000

Julian Nicks joined City Hall to assist with a mayoral transition. Within weeks, he was helping with the city’s tornado recovery. Months after the storm, residents across St. Louis have many questions: when will debris be cleared, how and when will damaged homes be stabilized or demolished, and what will recovery look like in neighborhoods […]

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City moves to unlock stalled development near the NGA

Jackie Dana — Tue, 20 Jan 2026 23:34:53 +0000

Mayor Cara Spencer announced that the City of St. Louis will begin exercising eminent domain on 89 properties owned by Paul McKee’s NorthSide Regeneration. The announcement was made on Thursday, January 15, alongside St. Louis Development Corporation Executive Director Otis Williams and Alderman Rasheed Aldridge. City officials described the move as a response to the […]

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The 8th Ward as a Lens: Jami Cox Antwi’s View of St. Louis

Jackie Dana — Wed, 03 Dec 2025 21:48:55 +0000

On July 1st, 2025, St. Louis voters chose a new representative for one of the city’s most complex and consequential areas: the 8th Ward. Stretching from Downtown through diverse historic neighborhoods, the ward offers a microcosm of St. Louis. The person now leading the ward is Alderperson Jami Cox Antwi, a third-generation native St. Louisan […]

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Fire Destroys Crunden-Martin Complex, Raising Questions for Gateway South

Jackie Dana — Sat, 29 Nov 2025 02:07:59 +0000

One of the best-known historic warehouse complexes in St. Louis, and the one with the most anticipated glow-up, has burned down. In the early hours of Friday, November 28th, a fire broke out in one of the Crunden-Martin warehouses in the vicinity of 2nd St. and Gratiot. Before long, several buildings were burning, prompting the […]

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