St. Louis Mayor Lyda Krewson has announced she will not be seeking re-election and plans to retire in April.

Krewson has been the city’s mayor for four years. In a press conference Wednesday afternoon Krewson said after 23 years of serving as an elected official she had decided to step away. The 68-year-old said her birthday over the past weekend had made her reflect on what she wanted to do with the rest of her life.

Krewson had been expected to face St. Louis treasurer Tishuara Jones and Alderwoman Cara Spencer in next year’s election. Jones, a Democrat, declared her candidacy earlier this month.

https://news.stlpublicradio.org/government-politics-issues/2020-11-18/lyda-krewson-wont-seek-reelection-as-st-louis-mayor-will-retire-from-post-in-april

Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced new statewide restrictions on retailers as cases, deaths and hospitalizations from COVID-19 surge uncontrollably.

The new restrictions fall under Tier 3 of the state’s plan to slow a resurgence of the virus in Illinois. Starting Friday, there will be new rules for retailers, and museums, casinos and video gambling will have to close.

“Tier 3 boils down to this,” Pritzker said Tuesday at a news conference in Chicago, “if you don’t need to do it, don’t.”

State health officials attempted to find a balance in the restrictions that would help flatten the exponential spread of the virus while not shutting the economy down entirely, said Illinois Department of Public Health Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike.

https://news.stlpublicradio.org/health-science-environment/2020-11-17/illinois-gov-j-b-pritzker-announces-statewide-covid-19-restrictions-on-retailers

Missouri has the cheapest gas prices in the country because fewer people are driving during the coronavirus pandemic.

Gas prices in St. Louis average about $1.82 per gallon, 45 cents less than a year ago and 30 cents below the national average. Drivers across the state have not seen such low prices since November 2003.

People in the St. Louis region are expected to travel more by car this holiday season because of low gas prices. AAA Missouri predicts that families will hit the road this fall to help keep the virus from spreading.

Many people are working from home and limiting travel to help keep the virus from spreading. Those changed routines and low crude oil prices make for cheap gas at the pump, said Nick Chabarria, the Missouri spokesperson for AAA.

https://news.stlpublicradio.org/economy-business/2020-11-10/aaa-holiday-travelers-to-see-low-gas-prices-as-the-coronavirus-keeps-many-home

But computer puns made his motherboard...........................

Celebrate 🎉 Safely!

More than 50 restaurant and bar owners are signing on to a lawsuit, the organizer said, against St. Louis County Executive Sam Page in an effort to keep their indoor dining rooms open.

Page recently issued a “safer at home” public health order, which goes into effect Tuesday and is expected to last for a month. Among other things, it orders bars and restaurants to restrict services to outdoor patios, curbside and delivery. The county executive said it’s a necessary move as coronavirus cases surge across the region.

Michael Saracino, who co-owns Italian restaurant Bartolino’s South, is spearheading the legal action, which has not yet been filed. He said Page’s order puts county businesses at a disadvantage.

“We're not being treated fairly and equitable, as far as all restaurants go. We are being singled out as the main spread of the virus. And so we just feel it's unfair, and we're going to try to right a wrong,” he said.

https://news.stlpublicradio.org/economy-business/2020-11-17/dozens-of-restaurants-to-sue-st-louis-county-executive-over-indoor-dining-ban

Looking back on her long career in mental health and crisis intervention, Amy Hilgemann remembers the job she had in the early 1980s as among the most fulfilling work she ever did. At the time, she directed Crisis Intervention Services, a collaboration with the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department.

The experimental, United Way-funded program ran for about 3½ years under the oversight of the Magdala Foundation, a local organization focused on serving socially and intellectually disadvantaged people. Police officers were empowered to hand off certain situations to a dedicated group of six social workers, including Hilgemann, whom they could call on from 7 a.m. to midnight seven days a week.

And as Hilgemann recalls it, the program got quite a few rave reviews — both from community members and some people in the police department.

“We would deal with a problem that the police had been dealing with for like five years, and they’d never call the police again,” Hilgemann told St. Louis on the Air.

https://news.stlpublicradio.org/show/st-louis-on-the-air/2020-11-16/police-regularly-called-on-social-workers-for-help-in-early-1980s-st-louis

But, he never had the “chants”.....................

Celebrate safely.

The Missouri Senate is postponing its portion of the special legislative session related to COVID-19 liability and federal funding because of positive coronavirus cases in the chamber.

Senate Majority Leader Caleb Rowden, R-Columbia, tweeted on Monday that the decision is “in the best interest of protecting members, staff, and the public.”

Minority Leader John Rizzo, D-Independence, said that on top of the special legislative session, the Senate was supposed to hold orientation for new members, which also has been postponed.

“Those staffers usually conduct the orientation to teach the senators how and when to file bills, go through their office budget,” Rizzo said. “They could not do that because, I understand, that they had people that work in those departments test positive or have been around people that have.”

https://news.stlpublicradio.org/government-politics-issues/2020-11-16/missouri-senate-postpones-special-session-after-coronavirus-outbreak