Steph Kukuljan

Buyer proposes $1.8 billion renovation of former Emerson campus in Ferguson The Ferguson City Council will meet Saturday to consider whether to award up to $1.8 billion in bonds to help finance the project.

Friday news dump 📣 and it's a big one:

Buyer proposes $1.8 billion renovation of former Emerson campus in Ferguson www.stltoday.com/news/local/b...

GJR didn't interview Hoffmann (never responded). GJR got a hold of the transcript from an interview Hoffmann did with the Biz Journal. Not sure whether the Biz Journal pushed back.

Simpler times

David Hoffmann, the new majority shareholder of P-D parent Lee Enterprises, misunderstands the purpose of journalism.

"These businesses - you can't attack them" is such a farce. gatewayjr.org/post-dispatc...

St. Louis building inspector steered $1.67M in rehab cash to himself, family, feds say Adebanjo "Banjo" Popoola funneled dozens of contracts from two city programs to companies created by his wife and sister, charges say.

Adebanjo "Banjo" Popoola funneled dozens of contracts from two city programs to companies created by his wife and sister, charges say.

Was told they needed more time to prepare. They pushed it to April

Construction starts on apartments at Cortex district in St. Louis Keeley Properties also is expected to build a new office building and parking garage in the project's second phase,

Keeley Properties also is expected to build a new office building and parking garage in the project's second phase.

Seems worth appreciating big Domino's franchisee Mark Ratterman's commitment to adaptive reuse of STL buildings rather than teardowns & cheap rebuilds

Busted out window of the Railway Exchange Building

Another busted out window of the Railway Exchange Building

In St Louis, where there’s a will, there’s a way

Ilona Lowen, wife of St. Louis City SC midfielder Eduard Lowen, dies of brain cancer at 28 Ilona Lowen, wife of City SC midfielder Eduard Lowen died of brain cancer at age 28

Ilona Lowen, wife of City SC midfielder Eduard Lowen died of brain cancer at age 28

Midtown St. Louis group seeks tax money to fix 'awful' streets Business leaders promised transparency, no tax increases if tax increment financing is approved.

Biz leaders in Midtown area are hoping to get a new kind of TIF approved www.stltoday.com/news/local/b...

David Hoffmann, the new majority shareholder of P-D parent Lee Enterprises, misunderstands the purpose of journalism.

"These businesses - you can't attack them" is such a farce. gatewayjr.org/post-dispatc...

Oh?

Is this a new STL definition of "condemnation"? Could this not impact any court case the city has against absentee owners? www.stlpr.org/government-p...

OK sure most of us aren't James Baldwin.

But having someone who can report and write isn't rare unless you're in broadcast journalism.

This is such a nihilist take 🥸

“If [wealthy, powerful people] can get us to accept that the future’s already settled, AI is already here, the end is already here, then we will create that for them. My most daring idea is to refuse.” — @tressiemcphd.bsky.social

“I would guess a lot of state legislators don't even realize how much money could be going out the door with a program like this. This isn't something that shows up in the budget, it's just money that no one really knows that much about except for the businesses that are benefitting." #datacenterSTL

Data centers have invested billions in Missouri. They've cost $77 million in tax breaks. Missouri leaders are hot on data centers. State leaders are banking on a decade-old subsidy program to woo Big Tech.

I finally got records on a little-known tax incentive program the state of Missouri has been using to lure data centers here.

It's the first $$ we've gotten from officials www.stltoday.com/news/local/b...

Black Mirror episode

New York starts accepting applications to support newsroom jobs with tax credits | The NewsGuild - TNG-CWA New York opened applications for tax credits supporting journalism jobs. The state was the first to pass a journalism jobs tax credit in 2024.

Interesting newsguild.org/new-york-sta...

FWIW, I think AI tools can be helpful in journalism. But I don't believe having AI write up stories is the best use of it.

Data collection and analysis would be far more beneficial.

Being "chained to production" doesn't happen in a vacuum. It's set by editors. Sounds like the Plain-Dealer had a workflow issue and, perhaps, unrealistic expectations of its understaffed newspaper www.cjr.org/news/clevela...

I've been putting off saying this, but we're not going to be doing the STL Soccer Talk podcast this season. :( If you still want to hear me, you can find me most weeks on KTRS 550 on Thursday nites on St. Louis Soccer Weekly. Thanks to everyone for listening over the past 3 years; I had a great time

St. Louis pushes to demolish Tina Turner's historic Club Imperial. 'In terrible shape' The North Side music venue helped launch the careers of Ike and Tina Turner. But costs have ballooned to $18 million.

www.stltoday.com/news/local/g...

Board approves LRA’s ask to seek demo & deconstruction bids for historic Club Imperial.

LRA chief says roof, 1st and 2nd floors have collapsed. Costs to stabilize would be around $18M.

I stopped by this week. The building really is in bad shape

St. Louis Public Schools sells Cleveland, Marshall schools to development agency The city's economic development agency has finalized its deal to buy two long-vacant St. Louis school buildings.

SLDC closes on deal to buy Cleveland, Marshall schools www.stltoday.com/news/local/e...

St. Louis pushes to demolish Tina Turner's historic Club Imperial. 'In terrible shape' The North Side music venue helped launch the careers of Ike and Tina Turner. But costs have ballooned to $18 million.

8 years ago, Robert Vroman sought to demo Club Imperial. The city denied his permit, saying losing it “would be a real loss for our cultural history.”

Now, the city says it should come down. Costs could come via ARPA funds. Ope. www.stltoday.com/news/local/g...

Inside Missouri's prison nursery, some women finally find the help they need Feb. 1 marked the one-year anniversary of Missouri’s only prison nursery program at the state lockup for women in Vandalia.

Inside Missouri's prison nursery, some women finally find the help they need www.stltoday.com/news/local/c...

Here’s a link to the full data center Conditional Use app for 525,000sf facility on Market St. New construction replaces most of 1925 Famous-Barr warehouse on Nat’l Register of Historic Places. Vacant former JJ’s parcel to be consolidated into the property (1/2)
drive.google.com/file/d/1hbAE...

Do you remember the addy or cross streets?

He's lining up times for his golf game. Can't compete.