Mark Harder – St. Louis Call Newspapers

County officials divided on how to spend $175 million in COVID-19 funds

St. Louis County Council Chairwoman Lisa Clancy, D-Affton, reacts as her preferred full appropriation of coronavirus funding fails to move forward as she chairs the council meeting April 21.

April 28, 2020

With $175 million in hand in federal stimulus money for the coronavirus response, St. Louis county government is deeply divided over how to decide how to spend it. The federal government sent the money to St. Louis County by wire transfer April 22. It totals nearly a third of the county’s total b...

St. Louis County Council Republicans call on Page to reopen parks

Bicyclists enjoying the paved path at the new Cliff Cave Trail in 2018. Bikers also have the option of an unpaved trail.

By Gloria Lloyd, News Editor

April 13, 2020

The St. Louis County Council’s Republicans are calling on County Executive Sam Page to reopen county parks. Initially, parks and outdoor exercise were allowed under Page’s stay-at-home order issued March 21 to combat the coronavirus. That order expires April 22. But Page, a Democrat, ordered the parks closed April 3 ...

Deer set to be hunted in county parks, Jefferson Barracks

January 15, 2020

By Erin Achenbach Staff Reporter eachenbach@callnewspapers.com Deer hunters in Missouri will be able to hunt in St. Louis County parks, including Jefferson Barracks, this fall after legislation passed by the St. Louis County Council went into effect the day after Christmas. The County Council vo...

Clancy elected chair of council; GOP rejected as vice chair

New 5th District Councilwoman Lisa Clancy, center, listens to members of the St. Louis Economic Development Partnership board testify Jan. 15, 2019, along with 6th District Councilman Ernie Trakas, left, and 7th District Councilman Mark Harder. Photo by Erin Achenbach.

January 13, 2020

By Gloria Lloyd News Editor glorialloyd@callnewspapers.com Democrats are officially back in control of the St. Louis County Council, with 5th District Councilwoman Lisa Clancy, who represents Affton and Crestwood, unanimously elected last week as the 2020 council chair. She succeeds Presiding Officer Ernie Trak...

Our Call: Council GOP fumbles its chance to shine for voters

December 12, 2019

Editorial In the 30 years The Call has been covering St. Louis County government, it has historically been the Democrats on the County Council who have repressed free speech and public comment, while Republicans have been the voice of reason arguing that residents should have more access to their publ...

Eight of Page’s nine appointees to Board of Freeholders approved; city nods still in limbo

County Council Presiding Officer Ernie Trakas questions County Executive Sam Page's Board of Freeholders appointees. Photo by Erin Achenbach.

October 28, 2019

By Gloria Lloyd News Editor glorialloyd@callnewspapers.com The status of the Board of Freeholders that could approve a city-county merger is up in the air after St. Louis County approved its nominees, but the city still hasn’t approved its half of the board. The County Council approved eight of the...

Freeholders grilled by council; city ones fail

October 22, 2019

By Gloria Lloyd News Editor glorialloyd@callnewspapers.com The St. Louis County Council grilled County Executive Sam Page’s nine prospective appointees to the 19-member Board of Freeholders last week on issues ranging from their views on a potential city-county merger to whether they feel they can ...

Loop Trolley set to derail without new county cash

Then-County Executive Steve Stenger did not attend the March 12, 2015 groundbreaking for the Loop Trolley. Officials in attendance, from left, were Les Sterman of the Loop Trolley Committee; Susan Trautman, executive director, Great Rivers Greenway; former St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay; Joe Edwards; Mokhtee Ahmad, region administrator of Region 7 for the Federal Transit Authority; former University City Mayor Shelley Welsch; and former Metro CEO John Nations.

October 15, 2019

By Gloria Lloyd News Editor glorialloyd@callnewspapers.com The Loop Trolley could clang, clang, clang into insolvency if it doesn’t receive an emergency cash infusion of $700,000 by the end of the year and $200,000 before the end of November — and trolley operators want the money from St. Louis...

Page declares ‘pay to play is dead’ in St. Louis County with his reform

County Executive Sam Page signs ethics reform executive orders into law Sept. 18 in the county executive's office. Photo by Erin Achenbach.

September 25, 2019

By Gloria Lloyd News Editor glorialloyd@callnewspapers.com As his disgraced predecessor was set to head to prison for public corruption last week, County Executive Sam Page announced a series of ethics reforms that, among other things, will require county employees to report corruption or risk being fi...

St. Louis County ‘cone of silence’ legislation would ban contractors from contacting officials during bidding

County Executive Sam Page signs ethics reform executive orders into law Wednesday in the county executive's office. Photo by Erin Achenbach.

September 20, 2019

By Gloria Lloyd News Editor glorialloyd@callnewspapers.com St. Louis County Executive Sam Page asked the County Council this week to pass legislation that would ban anyone seeking a county contract from contacting government officials during the bidding process. Page called the law a “cone of silence”...