Here’s the description of a story for Thursday’s Post-Dispatch: “St. Louis’ Board of Alderman is poised on Friday to toughen the city’s begging laws by outlawing ‘aggressive’ panhandling, creating panhandling-free zones and banning begging at night. The push comes from the city’s entertainment district, which says brazen beggars threaten business. It’s part of a national trend against panhandling.”

I was approached by a panhandler this morning on my way to a downtown meeting. I’ve been approached at downtown gas stations while filling my tank. If I have time (and money!), I have refused to give money, but offered to buy food….

Sylvester Brown’s column for Thursday’s Post-Dispatch gives me an opportunity to talk about one of my favorite subjects: Customer service. Or the lack of it.

Sylvester shares the story of a 70-year-old woman’s dispute with DirecTV — in contrast to some good service she got from Ameren. He notes in the column a theme that I’ve often noted: “It doesn’t take much to make a customer feel appreciated.”

I’ve got loads of stories. I loved the McDonald’s clerk who listened to my daughter’s request for a small iced coffee. “We don’t have small,” she said. “Only medium and large.” I’ve also had good…

Population of downtown St. Louis is growing and getting hipper.
So, is the city moving in the right direction? What’s it got to do to develop the diversity of his hipster crowd?

A two-story-tall mural painted on the side of a building just north of Interstate 55, on 13th Street, is sparking a federal lawsuit that challenges the city’s zoning code.

St. Louis officials say the sign is too big and is a nuisance that needs to be removed. But supporters say it is a political statement — maybe even art — and should remain.

In Monday’s story, Sign pits the city vs. policy critic, David Hudson, a scholar at the First Amendment Center in Nashville, Tenn., says the issue is a tricky constitutional dilemma — fighting clutter versus protecting free speech — that…

A story in Sunday’s Post-Dispatch explains how the city will begin installing a network of surveillance cameras downtown in an effort to reduce crime.

Eight wireless video cameras that will be mounted from elevated vantage points and can pan 360 degrees, tilt just about any direction, and can zoom-in close enough to magnify a license plate from two city blocks away.

Despite the ability to give police an extra set of eyes in an effort to solve crime, some believe the cameras, if abused, could jeopardize privacy rights.

Actually, private citizens will monitor all video captured by the cameras and will call police if…