Wallace Stegner, the late historian known as the dean of writers on the American West, once said that our national parks are “the best idea we ever had. Absolutely American, absolutely democratic. They reflect us at our best rather than…

AP Photo/Ron Edmonds

Anyone with human feelings couldn’t help but be heartsick at the sight of the now-notorious security video of Tuesday’s unprovoked taunting of and violent physical attack on a 17-year-old Belleville West High School student as he tried to take…

On Tuesday morning, President Barack Obama plans to give a nationally televised speech directed to school children. He wants to talk about the importance of working hard and staying in school. It’s a kind of presidential pep talk for kids.

Bitter partisans have…

The Missouri Supreme Court was correct — and politically wise — to beg off broadly intervening in Missouri’s system of funding public primary and secondary education.

The high court decided Tuesday that the state education funding formula enacted in 2005 satisfies state constitutional…

U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan was in St. Louis last week with Randi Weingarten, president of American Federation of Teachers, to visit city public schools. At a joint appearance at Lexington School, the secretary was happy to cede the spotlight to…

Photo by Bob Schorfheide

Ken Salazar was among the tourists who visited the Gateway Arch for the first time in July. He got the deluxe tour, inasmuch the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial is a national park and Mr. Salazar, a former Democratic…

The Show-Me Institute keeps flogging the idea that St. Louisans will do just about anything to save a penny. Researchers at the conservative advocacy group, bankrolled by wealthy political activist Rex Sinquefield, for years have been taking aim at the city…

-

Thousands of area workers and businesses who depend on public transportation endured a long, hot summer — and their problems are far from over.

St. Louis is in the depths of a public-transit crisis with no certain…

Soulard Mardi Gras Parade 2000 (Photo by Jerry Naunheim Jr.)

With municipal budgets expected to be stagnant or worse for years to come, and with police services usually the largest item on those budgets, how should cities set priorities?

Obviously, the first priority…

St. Louis Circuit Attorney Jennifer Joyce says that during her 15 years as a prosecutor, she’s worked with scores of St. Louis police officers. The “vast, vast majority” are “outstanding,” she said, and citizens can have the “utmost confidence” in their…

Bristol Elementary School Principal Nancy Zitzmann addresses students at assembly. Photo by Eddie Roth

Tuesday was the first day of the new school year at Bristol Elementary School in Webster Groves. The school is a red brick icon, with a pitched roof…

Sisters Carol Lemkuhl, Mary Ann Buhr and Mary Kay McKenzie stand in front of the Family Center in East St. Louis. Photo by Eddie Roth.

About 10 years ago, former California Gov. Jerry Brown spoke at Washington University’s Edison Theater as…

Sam Leone | Post-Dispatch

(T)he Postal Service needs to take a hard look at every major postal policy, from employee pay, to days of delivery, to the closing of postal facilities. Everything must be on the table. Because without major changes,…

Superintendent Kelvin Adams meets with students at McKinley Classical Junior Academy in 2008. Emily Rasinski | Post-Dispatch

When classes begin Aug. 20, some 1,300 students in five of the St. Louis Public Schools’ 51 elementary schools will embark on an even…

-

Last week, I passed along a proven method for tempering potentially angry public meetings — an invocation at the meeting’s start seeking patience, respect and understanding.

Here’s another strategy I have put to good use to help…

Frankie Freeman

St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay has been reaching out quietly, but broadly, for creative approaches to engaging the community on matters of race.

He wants ideas that are regional in scope because racial understanding is a regional goal and racial division…

Dawn Majors/Post-Dispatch

Several hundred citizens, virtually all of them of mid- to late-middle age, showed up at Bernard Middle School in Mehlville Thursday evening. Judging by their behavior, their object was to display their scorn and shout down U.S. Rep. Russ Carnahan,…

-

One of our favorite family stories arose out of an incident that occurred more than 10 years ago when my wife had been given a terrible time by a customer service representative at a local hospital.…

There have been a number of organized, disruptive demonstrations at town hall meetings being held by members of Congress on the topic of health care.

U.S. Rep. Todd Akin got a lot of laughs earlier this week when he told a seemingly…

Culinaria grocery under construction (Photo by Schnuck Markets)

Can an urban village with 11,000 full-time residents — and nearly 100,000 more daily visitors — support a 21,000-square-foot full-service grocery?

Schnuck Markets is about to find out.

Schnucks is making final preparations for the…