Local journalism is in crisis. Across the nation, local news outlets are disappearing, and media coverage of community events and local public decision-making is shrinking dramatically. According to research by the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University, 203 counties in the United States are now “news deserts,” meaning they lack any source of local…
The city of Carbondale, Illinois, once again found itself at the center of celestial excitement as more than 50,000 eager spectators descended to witness the much-anticipated total solar eclipse of 2024. Known as the “Eclipse Crossroads of America,” Carbondale offered a prime viewing location for this rare astronomical event. As dawn broke over the horizon,…
Illustration courtesy of Art Lien. The Supreme Court oral argument in Dobbs, in which the court overturned Roe v. Wade.
Tony Messenger delivers Millstone Lecture at Saint Louis University Law School If you look on Missouri’s court website today, you’ll see that I have a bad muffler. Or had one, anyway. In fact, the muffler on my 2016 Camry Hybrid is just fine. It’s pristine. The truth is, I have a lead foot. A couple…
Judging from the comments this week from conservative justices on the U.S. Supreme Court, Missouri and its far-right ally The Gateway Pundit are likely to lose their attempt to silence federal officials who press social media companies to take down false or dangerous posts. Justices Brett Kavanaugh, Amy Coney Barrett and Chief Justice John Roberts…