TL;DR
This week in St. Louis: the city said it will not pay police Chief Robert Tracy’s $110,000 raise until the state attorney general’s investigation is complete, and the police board’s lawyer resigned days later amid that investigation. St. Louis CITY SC won its first trophy, beating Columbus on penalty kicks to lift the U.S. Open Cup. BJC Health and WashU Medicine will leave Aetna and Anthem Medicare Advantage networks on Jan. 1, and Ferguson residents filed a petition seeking a repeal — or a public vote — on the city’s data-center incentives. Coming up: Boo at the Zoo through Oct. 30, The Dolly Show (Oct. 27), a Halloween party at the Missouri History Museum (Oct. 29), the legendary Central West End Halloween party (Oct. 31), Halloween weekend at City Museum (Oct. 31–Nov. 1), and Election Day (Nov. 3).
St. Louis News This Week
1. City won’t pay chief’s raise until state investigation is complete
Mayor Cara Spencer said late Friday the city will not pay police Chief Robert Tracy’s raise — a $110,000 increase to $295,000 approved by the state-controlled police board — until the Missouri Attorney General’s investigation is complete. The city formally notified the board, and Spencer cited the “apparent violation of state open records laws” in how the raise was approved. Gov. Mike Kehoe had asked Attorney General Catherine Hanaway to investigate whether the board violated the state’s Sunshine Law when it fast-tracked the raise at a hastily scheduled meeting. Whether the city has the legal ability to withhold the higher pay is unclear, the Post-Dispatch reported, and the dispute could trigger another legal fight between the city and the board.
Source: St. Louis Post-Dispatch
2. Police board lawyer resigns amid investigation into the chief’s raise
The St. Louis police board announced Sunday that its attorney, Chris Graville, had resigned amid the investigation into open-meetings law violations called by the governor. In his resignation letter, Graville said he was resigning “now that my legal advice, which I stand by, has become the subject of a political controversy.” The announcement came two days after Hanaway announced the investigation into whether the board violated the Sunshine Law as it negotiated Tracy’s raise. Spencer said Graville’s firm had spent more than $1.2 million, money she said “could have paid for officers, 911 call-takers, recreation centers, and street repairs.”
Source: St. Louis Post-Dispatch
3. CITY SC wins its first trophy: the U.S. Open Cup
St. Louis CITY SC won its first trophy in club history on Wednesday, Oct. 21, beating the Columbus Crew 5-3 on penalty kicks after a 0-0 draw through 120 minutes in Columbus, Ohio. Backup goalkeeper Ben Lundt — thrust in after captain Roman Bürki left on a stretcher after taking a knee to the head — saved Columbus’s first penalty, and Daniel Edelman converted the clinching kick. The win, the club’s first trophy and the first by a St. Louis team in the competition since 1988, also earned CITY SC a $600,000 first prize and a spot in next year’s CONCACAF Champions Cup. Bürki was taken to a hospital to be monitored for a concussion and was released and rejoined the team Thursday, the Post-Dispatch reported.
Source: St. Louis Post-Dispatch
4. BJC and WashU Medicine to leave Aetna and Anthem Medicare Advantage on Jan. 1
BJC Health and Washington University Medicine will leave the Medicare Advantage networks of Aetna and Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield on Jan. 1, after contract negotiations failed, officials confirmed Tuesday, Oct. 20. Aetna covers just over 72,000 Medicare Advantage enrollees in the 15-county bi-state metro area, and Anthem covers about 13,800, nearly all on the Missouri side, according to federal data cited by the Post-Dispatch. Patients could still use BJC and WashU facilities but would face higher out-of-network rates, and seniors can switch plans through Dec. 7, the end of Medicare’s annual enrollment period. People with traditional Medicare are not affected, and BJC’s talks on Anthem’s commercial, Medicaid and HealthLink plans are ongoing.
Source: St. Louis Post-Dispatch
5. Ferguson petition seeks repeal — or a vote — on data-center incentives
Opponents of a planned tech hub and data center in Ferguson filed a petition Thursday, Oct. 22, signed by 1,401 city residents, asking the city council to either repeal the plan or put it to a citywide vote. The petition targets the council’s 4-3 vote last month approving financing for the project, which would give up to $1.5 billion in tax incentives to developer Jim Onder to turn the 217-acre former Emerson campus into a center for technology, energy innovation, advanced manufacturing and research. Supporters said the project will bring tens of millions of dollars in revenue to Ferguson; opponents said it lacked protections against high energy consumption, rising utility bills and pollution. Organizers said they exceeded the required signatures from at least 10% of registered voters by a few hundred.
Source: St. Louis Post-Dispatch
6. Federal suit alleges University City illegally towed cars from private property
A federal class-action lawsuit filed Thursday, Oct. 22, alleges University City illegally towed more than 150 cars parked in driveways, carports and other areas of private residential properties. The suit, filed by ArchCity Defenders, alleges officers were given “unbridled discretion to tow vehicles” and accuses city leaders of enabling the practice by increasing code surveillance in certain areas. It alleges vehicles were seized for registration or condition violations without warrants and without adequate notice or a real opportunity to challenge the towing, and that the practice disproportionately harmed residents struggling financially. These are allegations in a lawsuit, not findings by a court; University City officials do not comment on pending litigation, the city’s communications manager said.
Source: St. Louis Post-Dispatch
7. Police nix ‘Law & Order’-creator docuseries after public pushback
St. Louis police announced Thursday, Oct. 22, that they would not move forward with a proposed documentary-style reality series from the creator of “Law & Order,” citing negative public feedback. The A&E project would have followed homicide detectives, crime technicians and officers working with federal agencies to reduce gun violence. Mayor Cara Spencer had raised concerns that the series could tarnish the city’s reputation and raised privacy concerns for crime victims and legal questions about film crews at crime scenes. “After listening to our community’s concerns, we have decided not to move forward,” the department said in a social media post.
Source: St. Louis Post-Dispatch
8. Planned ‘Witness’ statue in south St. Louis draws attorney general’s criticism
The planned installation of an 18-foot sculpture called “Witness,” by artist Shahzia Sikander, at Rung for Women in the Fox Park neighborhood has drawn criticism from Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway, who said in a social media post that residents had described it as a “demonic affront to faith” and that there was minimal public notice or opportunity for neighborhood input. Rung for Women president and CEO Leslie Gill said the sculpture is being installed through a permanent loan from the Gateway Foundation and that Rung received approval for the placement through the Fox Park Neighborhood Association. The Gateway Foundation said it selected the piece “foremost for its artistic merit and beauty, and secondly for its exploration of women’s autonomy, belonging, and representation in public art.” The Fox Park association said its review focused on historic-district standards, not the artwork’s content or message.
Source: St. Louis Post-Dispatch
9. ‘This is the railroad’: regional leader warns cities not to turn down data centers
Greater St. Louis Inc. CEO Ron Kitchens warned at a Missouri energy summit in Jefferson City on Thursday, Oct. 22, that communities without large data centers may not be viable in the future, comparing hyperscale data centers to the railroad and to Route 66 and the interstates. “This is the railroad coming and deciding to come through some communities, and other communities that they don’t go through cease to exist,” Kitchens said. Data centers dominated the conversation at the summit, hosted by Missouri’s Public Service Commission, as speakers pointed to spiking electricity demand and new hyperscale projects — including Amazon and Google centers in Montgomery County and Nebius in Independence — that began work this year.
Source: St. Louis Public Radio
10. Interim Missouri education commissioner resigns after four months
Interim Missouri Education Commissioner Stacey Preis resigned Tuesday, Oct. 20, after four months in the role, and the State Board of Education named Lisa Sireno as her replacement the next day. Preis, who took over on an interim basis June 15 after Karla Eslinger’s retirement, wrote that “at this time, the board’s agenda is better served by a different commissioner” and did not give another reason. Sireno has spent more than a decade at the department and was selected in July to serve as deputy commissioner of learning services. At the same meeting, the board selected Texas-based K12 Search Group to help find a permanent commissioner; the board’s goal was to hire one by the end of the year.
Source: St. Louis Post-Dispatch
11. GalaxyCon brings ‘Twilight’ stars and George Takei to America’s Center
GalaxyCon St. Louis ran Oct. 23–25 at America’s Center Convention Complex, with four members of the cast of the “Twilight” films and George Takei among the guests, according to the Post-Dispatch’s preview. The three-day festival of fandom featured celebrity guests, comic artists, voice actors, panels and cosplay, with single-day memberships listed from $40 for Friday to $60 for Saturday.
Sources: GalaxyCon / Eventeny · St. Louis Post-Dispatch (Oct. 20 recap)
Events Around Town (Oct. 26–Nov. 3)
- Boo at the Zoo, select nights through Oct. 30, 5–8:30 p.m.: the Saint Louis Zoo’s non-scary nighttime Halloween experience, with fall decorations, entertainers and several exhibits open. Source: Saint Louis Zoo
- The Dolly Show starring Kelly O’Brien at The Factory, Tue., Oct. 27, 7:30 p.m. (doors 6:30 p.m.): a Dolly Parton tribute concert in Chesterfield, with $1 from every ticket donated to Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. Source: Sophisticated St. Louis
- History-Lovin’ Halloween Party at the Missouri History Museum, Thu., Oct. 29, 4–7 p.m.: a not-so-spooky, candy-free Halloween afternoon for families, with costumes, gallery trick-or-treating and the Haunted History Clubhouse. Free. Source: Missouri History Museum
- Legendary CWE Halloween Party, Sat., Oct. 31: St. Louis’s most legendary Halloween street party, centered on Maryland Plaza and Euclid Avenue — a children’s costume parade at 11 a.m., trick-or-treating at noon, a dog costume parade at 1 p.m., live music 2–5 p.m., and an adults-only street party and costume contest in the evening. Free and open to the public. Source: Central West End Scene
- Halloween Weekend at City Museum, Sat., Oct. 31–Sun., Nov. 1, 11 a.m.–3 p.m.: pumpkin carving, a strolling magician, treats at staffed slides, balloon animals and costume parades at noon, 1 and 2 p.m., included with general admission. Source: City Museum
- Election Day, Tue., Nov. 3: Missourians vote on four constitutional amendments (Amendments 3, 6, 7 and 8) and Proposition A, a referendum on the congressional district map passed in 2025. No-excuse in-person absentee voting runs through Nov. 2. Source: MOST Policy Initiative voter decoder
Looking for more? Browse our Top 10 St. Louis lists. Event details can change, so confirm with organizers before you go.
