Jacob Barker
@jacobbarker27.bsky.social
St. Louis Post-Dispatch reporter covering local politics, development, etc. Rooting for the Rust Belt, particularly the River City. https://www.stltoday.com/users/profile/jbarker/
Missourians have overturned redistricting maps before. In 1922, Missouri Democrats gathered enough signatures to put a Republican gerrymander to a public vote. State GOP leaders now say that was unconstitutional. www.stltoday.com/news/local/g...
stltoday.com
"My kid's the same age as Giovanni. I keep thinking about what it would be like to be bound and shot next to my 16-month-old kid." www.stltoday.com/news/local/m...
Hundreds gather to mourn Overland parents murdered after deportation to Guatemala
"I keep thinking about what it would be like to be bound and shot next to my 16-month-old kid...It didn't have to happen."
stltoday.com
"The big question that always came up in my head, you know, when making the decision was, if I don't buy it, then who would?" www.stltoday.com/news/local/g...
A St. Louis CEO bought, rebranded Dominion Voting. He's still fighting conspiracies.
Scott Leiendecker, a former Republican St. Louis elections director and founder of trailblazing election equipment company, is trying to move past GOP's attacks.
stltoday.com
In filings with the state, Ameren said it intends to have customers shoulder costs associated with the West Alton plant upfront, through the state’s recent adoption of a policy called “Construction Work in Progress.” www.stltoday.com/news/local/b...
Ameren pitches its third gas power plant in two years, this time in West Alton
Ameren is pitching another natural gas-fired power plant to state regulators, and wants customers to pay for costs of the project before it's in service.
stltoday.com
“I can’t imagine that any billionaire wants to be seen as the face of Amendment 5 or as a major source of the money behind it, given that they would stand to reap large tax savings from its passage while most Missourians wouldn’t see any benefit." www.stltoday.com/news/local/g...
Who's funding the campaign to scrap Missouri's income tax? Supporters aren't saying
The campaign pushing for the income tax phaseout in Amendment 5 has accepted over $15 million in secretive contributions.
stltoday.com
"I don't know if it's going to pass or not, but people in my business will become extremely wealthy next January if this is going to become every industry has to go to Jeff City to protect their tax exemption." www.stltoday.com/news/local/g...
Amendment 5 would be good for lobbyists. But would it help Missouri grow?
Amendment 5, which would phase out Missouri's income tax and raise and broaden an already high sales tax rate, could fundamentally alter the state's political and economic landscape.
stltoday.com
"Legal Services is impressed with how quickly the mayor's office has responded, and their lawsuit, I'm sure, will be effective in combatting this scourge in our low-income housing community." www.stltoday.com/news/local/c...
St. Louis sues to block housing contracts that put tenants on hook for repairs
The contracts offer a path to homeownership, but tenants are on the hook for repairs and can't build equity in the property. They are evicted and lose it all if
stltoday.com
Bank urges court to reject condemnation of McKee land, calling city's plan vague www.stltoday.com/news/local/g...
Bank urges court to reject condemnation of McKee land, calling city's plan vague
Judge Thomas McCarthy will decide whether the city can finally wrest some land away from longtime owner NorthSide Regeneration.
stltoday.com
“At one point, if you wanted to get elected to anything in St. Louis County, you came to that little store on the corner, and you had a conversation with Dorothy Moore." www.stltoday.com/news/local/g...
Dorothy 'Mama' Moore, who ruled tiny Hillsdale for 50 years, dies at 94
Dorothy "Mama" Moore, the 94-year-old leader of the tiny North St. Louis County village of Hillsdale for half a century, died over the weekend, a city clerk confirmed Monday.
stltoday.com
Tax-exempt hospital chain BJC's financial assistance to patients fell 40% in 2024, a year its net revenue nearly quadrupled to $630 million. Last week, it waived bills for a woman three days after a news story about her medical debt www.stltoday.com/news/local/b...
BJC waives medical bills for Swansea woman after news story of her bankruptcy
BJC approved Angie Salvador's financial assistance request days after the Post-Dispatch highlighted her struggle with medical bills. The system has been provided less assistance in 2024 than the year ...
stltoday.com
"They want to fight as much as possible to avoid transparency." www.stltoday.com/news/local/c...
St. Louis police appeal judge's order to release records to the Post-Dispatch
A judge last month ordered the city to turn over the records. But in appealing, the police department has opted to continue the fight.
stltoday.com
St. Louis-based owner of former Dominion Voting settles with My Pillow, Mike Lindell www.stltoday.com/news/local/g...
St. Louis-based owner of former Dominion Voting settles with My Pillow, Mike Lindell
Scott Leiendecker's Liberty Vote settled most of Dominion's defamation lawsuits against those who claimed its machines rigged the 2020 election against President Trump. It still had two left, includin...
stltoday.com
"I'm assuming that you can get excellent quality healthcare in the United States. I just don't know anybody that's able to afford it." www.stltoday.com/news/local/m...
A Swansea woman's health insurance saga: Breast cancer leads to bankruptcy
Angie Salvador was diagnosed with breast cancer a year ago. Her odyssey through the healthcare system led to bankruptcy.
stltoday.com
"I'm perfectly willing to take on as many new cases as people would wish to retain me for the purposes of seeking compensation from this fund." www.stltoday.com/news/local/g...
Mark McCloskey dropped his Jan. 6 clients. 'Anti-weaponization' fund lured him back.
McCloskey said his illness is not as dire as he first thought.
stltoday.com
St. Louis Public Schools 'ghosted' developer on sale. Now it may pay $2M for demolition. www.stltoday.com/news/local/e...
St. Louis Public Schools 'ghosted' developer on sale. Now it may pay $2M for demolition.
St. Louis Public Schools plans to move forward with demolishing three historic buildings even as one developer says the district has for years failed to respond to his attempts to buy one of the prope...
stltoday.com
Bank wants St. Louis neighborhood groups' records in NorthSide eminent domain case. "Ridiculous," city lawyers say. www.stltoday.com/news/local/g...
Bank wants St. Louis neighborhood groups' records in NorthSide eminent domain case
Lawyers for the city say the bank, facing the loss of its collateral, is looking to "impugn" neighborhood residents who are tired of Paul McKee's NorthSide Regeneration.
stltoday.com
Old Lutheran Nursing School headed to St. Louis LRA after tax sale finds no takers www.stltoday.com/news/local/b...
Old Lutheran Nursing School headed to St. Louis LRA after tax sale finds no takers
A portion of the abandoned hospital campus on South Jefferson Avenue was up for auction for back taxes last week.
stltoday.com
Despite the ruling, the police won't say whether they will follow the judge's order and release the records. www.stltoday.com/news/local/c... via @stltoday.com
St. Louis police unlawfully kept records hidden, judge rules in Post-Dispatch lawsuit
The judge's ruling should "send a warning to other law enforcement agencies" in Missouri, said Dave Roland, the Post-Dispatch's attorney on the case.
stltoday.com
Most governments in Missouri can't, over the weekend, notice a special meeting for Monday morning. But most governments aren't the St. Louis Board of Police Commissioners. www.stltoday.com/news/local/c...
"The charter is too executive-centric and always has been. And we've seen what has happened." www.stltoday.com/news/local/g...
Flaws still exist that allowed Stenger pay-to-play scheme, St. Louis County audit finds
Now, county leaders are negotiating plans for a new HQ without additional protections.
stltoday.com
A judge ordered them to produce evidence to the state. They disabled their website instead. www.stltoday.com/news/local/g...
St. Louis developers operated without license, then hid evidence, state says
The Missouri Real Estate Commission says STL CityWide removed a website at the center of the state's lawsuit accusing the landlords' company of operating without a license.
stltoday.com
Messenger: A St. Louis 'slow flip' victim fights to stay in her home www.stltoday.com/news/local/c...
Messenger: A St. Louis 'slow flip' victim fights to stay in her home
“These contracts are designed to fail,” one attorney says. “It’s abusive and predatory.”
stltoday.com
“They're just running them further into the ground. As maintenance issues come up, they delay them, they put them off. They're making their money. They'll be out someday.” @danarieck.bsky.social reports www.stltoday.com/news/local/b...
An investor bought hundreds of St. Louis apartments, left millions in unpaid bills
Ohio-based Paul Kiebler IV hired companies to work on the St. Louis-area properties — from painting to plumbing to landscaping — and then never paid them, the suits say.
stltoday.com
Police say St. Louis blocked gun range sound wall. But the department had extra cash, @ahuguelet.bsky.social reports www.stltoday.com/news/local/g...
Police say St. Louis blocked gun range sound wall. But the department had extra cash.
“They had the money,” said Nancy Cross, the city’s operations director under former Mayor Tishaura O. Jones.
stltoday.com
It was a "criminal referral" from Olsen that prompted the search warrant application earlier this year to seize Georgia's 2020 ballots, applied for not by a Georgia prosecutor but by the U.S. Attorney in St. Louis, Tom Albus. www.stltoday.com/news/nation-...
Trump, aides chase vote-rigging claims even after latest probe finds nothing
Sources said the failure to find evidence in the Puerto Rico machines led the administration to expand the investigation to Georgia, where the FBI seized 2020 election ballots, and Arizona.
stltoday.com
"I have no idea why the Hillsdale Police chief would want someone who engaged in a fraud working in his office, but that's his business." www.stltoday.com/news/local/c...
Former Velda City police chief sentenced to 27 months for theft
"I have no idea why the Hillsdale Police chief would want someone who engaged in a fraud working in his office, but that's his business," Judge Cristian Stevens said from
stltoday.com
"I still consider Dan to be an honest, ethical professional and valuable asset," Hillsdale Police Chief John Bernsen wrote in a letter to the court. www.stltoday.com/news/local/g...
Ex-Velda City chief works for Hillsdale police while awaiting sentencing in $300K theft
Paulino's continued employment is the latest questionable practice by the tiny Hillsdale Police Department.
stltoday.com
Alderwoman Jami Cox Antwi, whose ward includes the training facility, said she has been in contact with a liaison to the police board but she, as a local official, has no authority over the police department, which is under state control www.stltoday.com/news/local/c...
Gunfire from police training center rattles south St. Louis residents
Gunfire that goes on for hours started up after the facility reopened, Marine Villa residents say.
stltoday.com
a leader of the St. Louis County Police union, Matt Crecelius, has registered to lobby for the company — while simultaneously working for the police union.
Illegal slot operator built police connections. Most recent: St. Louis County union chief
It's the latest example of Torch cozying up to police in the St. Louis area.
stltoday.com
“It wasn’t clear, in some of the districts, not just in Creve Coeur, where the money was going. And it was going to hurt the poor.” www.stltoday.com/news/local/g...
Voters split on fire district tax across St. Louis. Party politics doesn't explain it all.
St. Charles County voters reject most fire and ambulance district sales taxes, while North St. Louis County voters approve them.
stltoday.com