On the latest episode of Politically Speaking, St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum and Julie O’Donoghue break down some of the week’s biggest stories.
To do that, Rosenbaum and O’Donoghue enlisted the help of St. Louis Public Radio colleagues Corinne Ruff and Kae Petrin. Ruff talked about the ongoing process of potentially getting a private operator to run St. Louis Lambert International Airport. And Petrin discussed Paul McKee’s bid to redevelop parts of north St. Louis.
The airport privatization effort has heated up in the past couple of weeks. For one thing, the city received responses for requests for qualifications from potential bidders. Eighteen companies ended up responding, which Ruff wrote about earlier this week.
Ruff also talked about a controversy over a documentary "Hard Landing At Lambert." Some members of the group looking into the privatization effort are raising sharp questions to Travis Brown, the lead consultant to the city’s Airport Advisory Working Group and the executive producer of the documentary. Brown has also been the go-to person for retired financier Rex Sinquefield’s political pursuits for years.
Here’s what else was discussed on the show:
- Ruff detailed where the airport privatization process is expected to go from here.
- O’Donoghue discussed a Missouri House hearing looking more closely into whether to legalize sports betting in the state.
- Petrin, Rosenbaum and O’Donoghue talked about a St. Louis Post-Dispatch article on how Attorney General Eric Schmitt handled a lawsuit over McKee’s use of state tax credits.
- O’Donoghue and Rosenbaum touched on Democrat Trish Gunby’s win in Missouri’s 99th House District — and also detailed their favorite documentaries about elections. O’Donoghue picked "The War Room" and "Street Fight." Rosenbaum suggested "Can Mr. Smith Get To Washington Anymore?" and Seth Ashley’s "Election."
The podcast is sponsored by the St. Louis-based law firm of Capes Sokol.
Follow Jason Rosenbaum on Twitter: @jrosenbaum
Follow Julie O’Donoghue on Twitter: @jsodonoghue
Follow Corrine Ruff on Twitter: @corrinesusan
Follow Kae Petrin on Twitter: @kmaepetrin
Music: “Come Fly with Me” by Frank Sinatra
