Kavahn Mansouri
@kavahnmansouri.bsky.social
Economic Development Reporter @ St. Louis Public Radio | Iranian American | St. Louis till I die. | #COYG | Have a tip? Let's chat. Kmansouri@stlpr.org
FESTUS FOR THE REST OF US: CRG eyes Festus for new data center projects, claims $30-40 million economic impact.
“It's unlike anything that any of these, certainly the city, or any of those institutions, those organizations, have ever seen before."
www.stlpr.org/government-p...
“It's unlike anything that any of these, certainly the city, or any of those institutions, those organizations, have ever seen before."
www.stlpr.org/government-p...
Data center developer eyes Festus after St. Charles debacle
Data center developers eye Festus in Jefferson County as a site for future data center development as the city annexes properties for these projects.
www.stlpr.org
November 13, 2025 at 7:18 PM
FESTUS FOR THE REST OF US: CRG eyes Festus for new data center projects, claims $30-40 million economic impact.
“It's unlike anything that any of these, certainly the city, or any of those institutions, those organizations, have ever seen before."
www.stlpr.org/government-p...
“It's unlike anything that any of these, certainly the city, or any of those institutions, those organizations, have ever seen before."
www.stlpr.org/government-p...
"Some files mother..."
I know the city is slow walking my records requests. I just can’t prove it
a bald man is sitting in the driver 's seat of a car and looking at the camera .
ALT: a bald man is sitting in the driver 's seat of a car and looking at the camera .
media.tenor.com
November 13, 2025 at 7:17 PM
"Some files mother..."
Reposted by Kavahn Mansouri
I know the city is slow walking my records requests. I just can’t prove it
a bald man is sitting in the driver 's seat of a car and looking at the camera .
ALT: a bald man is sitting in the driver 's seat of a car and looking at the camera .
media.tenor.com
November 13, 2025 at 4:03 PM
I know the city is slow walking my records requests. I just can’t prove it
Reposted by Kavahn Mansouri
When St. Charles sold Mueller Park for $3 million without a public vote, some residents decided they’d had enough.
Now, they’re pushing to change the city charter and give voters a say before any city-owned park can be sold.
Now, they’re pushing to change the city charter and give voters a say before any city-owned park can be sold.
St. Charles residents want rules on the sale of parks. In St. Louis, some say the rules are ignored
As St. Charles petitioners vie to add rules that would require a public vote for the sale of any city-owned parks, the very same rules in St. Louis face challenges as the city moves to sell a…
www.stlpr.org
November 12, 2025 at 3:10 PM
When St. Charles sold Mueller Park for $3 million without a public vote, some residents decided they’d had enough.
Now, they’re pushing to change the city charter and give voters a say before any city-owned park can be sold.
Now, they’re pushing to change the city charter and give voters a say before any city-owned park can be sold.
Reposted by Kavahn Mansouri
Remember how The Last Hotel abruptly closed and we learned it was b/c the owners hated each other?
Yeah, still closed.
But the owner offered to house tornado victims for just $700,000... www.stltoday.com/news/local/g...
Yeah, still closed.
But the owner offered to house tornado victims for just $700,000... www.stltoday.com/news/local/g...
Homeless shelter in the Armory? St. Louis gets creative in hunt for winter housing
Also considered: the Post-Dispatch's building on North 10th Street.
www.stltoday.com
November 12, 2025 at 3:28 PM
Remember how The Last Hotel abruptly closed and we learned it was b/c the owners hated each other?
Yeah, still closed.
But the owner offered to house tornado victims for just $700,000... www.stltoday.com/news/local/g...
Yeah, still closed.
But the owner offered to house tornado victims for just $700,000... www.stltoday.com/news/local/g...
Reposted by Kavahn Mansouri
I could not be more proud to be a part of my team.
Read this one, out today, from @meredithnewman.bsky.social
Read this one, out today, from @meredithnewman.bsky.social
Illinois defendants who have been found unfit for trial – and are in need of inpatient fitness restoration – are waiting nearly twice as long for a state hospital bed as they did five years ago.
My latest for @illinoisanswers.bsky.social
illinoisanswers.org/2025/11/11/t...
My latest for @illinoisanswers.bsky.social
illinoisanswers.org/2025/11/11/t...
Too mentally ill for trial, she spent months in an Illinois jail as the state looked for a hospital bed. She died waiting.
Many defendants declared unfit for trial have often waited three months or longer to be transferred to a hospital – regularly exceeding the state’s deadline, an Illinois Answers Project investigation ...
illinoisanswers.org
November 12, 2025 at 1:12 AM
I could not be more proud to be a part of my team.
Read this one, out today, from @meredithnewman.bsky.social
Read this one, out today, from @meredithnewman.bsky.social
As residents in St. Charles push for more say in public park sales, advocates and officials in St. Louis say the city is skirting the rules put in place by the STL city charter.
St. Charles residents want rules on the sale of parks. In St. Louis, some say the rules are ignored
As St. Charles petitioners vie to add rules that would require a public vote for the sale of any city-owned parks, the very same rules in St. Louis face challenges as the city moves to sell a troubled...
www.stlpr.org
November 12, 2025 at 3:40 PM
As residents in St. Charles push for more say in public park sales, advocates and officials in St. Louis say the city is skirting the rules put in place by the STL city charter.
Reposted by Kavahn Mansouri
Scoop from me:
Peabody Energy is leaving downtown St. Louis after 70 years.
Co. had sought to leave several years ago when gunfire busted several of its windows.
But now it's a done deal www.stltoday.com/news/local/m...
Peabody Energy is leaving downtown St. Louis after 70 years.
Co. had sought to leave several years ago when gunfire busted several of its windows.
But now it's a done deal www.stltoday.com/news/local/m...
Peabody Energy to leave downtown St. Louis after 70 years
The move undercuts boosters' efforts to change the narrative that downtown is improving and hasn't been abandoned by the business community.
www.stltoday.com
November 7, 2025 at 7:20 PM
Scoop from me:
Peabody Energy is leaving downtown St. Louis after 70 years.
Co. had sought to leave several years ago when gunfire busted several of its windows.
But now it's a done deal www.stltoday.com/news/local/m...
Peabody Energy is leaving downtown St. Louis after 70 years.
Co. had sought to leave several years ago when gunfire busted several of its windows.
But now it's a done deal www.stltoday.com/news/local/m...
Reposted by Kavahn Mansouri
VENICE, Ill. — A food desert eliminating grocery store planned to open in the small Metro East town next summer will soon start construction. @stlpublicradio.bsky.social
www.stlpr.org/economy-busi...
www.stlpr.org/economy-busi...
Venice grocery store, backed by state grant, will soon begin construction
The developer hopes construction can start before the end of the year and be complete by next August. The new store will eliminate a food desert in the Metro East community.
www.stlpr.org
November 6, 2025 at 1:07 PM
VENICE, Ill. — A food desert eliminating grocery store planned to open in the small Metro East town next summer will soon start construction. @stlpublicradio.bsky.social
www.stlpr.org/economy-busi...
www.stlpr.org/economy-busi...
Reposted by Kavahn Mansouri
Long live the jury trial in America.
Jury finds D.C. ‘sandwich guy’ not guilty of assaulting officer
Sean C. Dunn admitted he flung the hoagie at a federal agent. His attorneys called it a “harmless gesture” of protest as Trump commandeered D.C. police.
www.washingtonpost.com
November 6, 2025 at 7:52 PM
Long live the jury trial in America.
“It’s been a year and a half since we passed the impacted tenants’ funds; it's been six months since the tornado."
www.stlpr.org/government-p...
www.stlpr.org/government-p...
A St. Louis program to help displaced tenants and tornado victims has yet to take applications
The Board of Aldermen originally approved spending for the Impacted Tenants Fund through American Rescue Plan Act money in 2023. It sought to provide financial aid to tenants who have been displaced f...
www.stlpr.org
November 6, 2025 at 3:37 PM
“It’s been a year and a half since we passed the impacted tenants’ funds; it's been six months since the tornado."
www.stlpr.org/government-p...
www.stlpr.org/government-p...
Reposted by Kavahn Mansouri
Reposted by Kavahn Mansouri
After a monthslong standoff, China has agreed to buy 12 million metric tons of U.S. soybeans this year — less than half of what the country has historically purchased. @stlpublicradio.bsky.social
www.stlpr.org/economy-busi...
www.stlpr.org/economy-busi...
Some Midwest soybeans are headed to China again, but farmers still need other buyers
Some Midwestern soybean farmers are selling their beans to be crushed and turned into soybean meal and oil. But economists say domestic processing won’t be enough to offset the drop in Chinese demand.
www.stlpr.org
November 3, 2025 at 5:11 PM
After a monthslong standoff, China has agreed to buy 12 million metric tons of U.S. soybeans this year — less than half of what the country has historically purchased. @stlpublicradio.bsky.social
www.stlpr.org/economy-busi...
www.stlpr.org/economy-busi...
A blighting determination on the Cortex district will continue after all, extending the nearly 20-year determination on the district in the Central West End.
Aldermen approve Cortex bill on second try, extending 20-year blight determination
The St. Louis Board of Aldermen reconsidered a bill that extends a blighting determination from the 2000s on the Cortex district in the Central West End.
www.stlpr.org
October 31, 2025 at 5:56 PM
A blighting determination on the Cortex district will continue after all, extending the nearly 20-year determination on the district in the Central West End.
The board took this bill back up and approved the blighting for another five years.
The board may reconsider the extension in coming weeks, but it will need a two thirds majority for it to pass.
www.stlpr.org/economy-busi...
www.stlpr.org/economy-busi...
Board of Aldermen says no to extension of blight determination on Cortex district
The St. Louis Board of Aldermen said no to a bill to extend a blight determination on the Cortex Innovation District, marking an end to nearly two decades in the area.
www.stlpr.org
October 31, 2025 at 4:53 PM
The board took this bill back up and approved the blighting for another five years.
Board of Aldermen President Megan Green said the city legislature will fast-track the legislation, suspending board rules on Friday to introduce the bills. The bills will be heard in committees next week and then voted on again next Friday.
www.stlpr.org/government-p...
www.stlpr.org/government-p...
St. Louis invests $14M in winter sheltering amid expectation of greater need after tornado
Mayor Cara Spencer and other officials announced a “historic” investment of $14 million in funds to bolster the city’s winter sheltering amid fears the homeless population will grow due to the May 16 ...
www.stlpr.org
October 30, 2025 at 6:45 PM
Board of Aldermen President Megan Green said the city legislature will fast-track the legislation, suspending board rules on Friday to introduce the bills. The bills will be heard in committees next week and then voted on again next Friday.
www.stlpr.org/government-p...
www.stlpr.org/government-p...
"Every minute the city delays is another minute a family continues to suffer without the support that they desperately need," said a Ward 10 resident.
Angry residents at the meeting called for the city to allocate the full $280 million of Rams settlement funding.
www.stlpr.org/government-p...
Angry residents at the meeting called for the city to allocate the full $280 million of Rams settlement funding.
www.stlpr.org/government-p...
Nearly six months after tornado, only $4 million of Rams settlement funds for recovery spent
City officials say only $4 million of the $30 million of Rams settlement funds allocated toward tornado relief has been spent due to bureaucratic issues. Residents and city leaders urged staff to expe...
www.stlpr.org
October 30, 2025 at 3:54 PM
"Every minute the city delays is another minute a family continues to suffer without the support that they desperately need," said a Ward 10 resident.
Angry residents at the meeting called for the city to allocate the full $280 million of Rams settlement funding.
www.stlpr.org/government-p...
Angry residents at the meeting called for the city to allocate the full $280 million of Rams settlement funding.
www.stlpr.org/government-p...
The funds come from the city’s economic development sales tax, which dedicates 10% of sales tax revenue to neighborhood plan implementation awards.
www.stlpr.org/government-p...
www.stlpr.org/government-p...
St. Louis awards $1.14 million to fund community projects in 7 neighborhoods
The Neighborhood Plan Implementation grants will fund projects across the city in neighborhoods like Skinker DeBaliviere, Jeff-Vander-Lou and downtown.
www.stlpr.org
October 29, 2025 at 7:29 PM
The funds come from the city’s economic development sales tax, which dedicates 10% of sales tax revenue to neighborhood plan implementation awards.
www.stlpr.org/government-p...
www.stlpr.org/government-p...
Me when I post economic development stories on Bluesky: "I know it's a banger."
DON JR: I was one of the early people calling out Twitter 1.0. Yesterday I was getting 5,000 RTs a post. Today I got 5. Something changed. I do my own social media.
EISEN: Maybe it was a bad post
DON JR: I can tell when it's a bad post. Sometimes I hit that send button, I know it's a banger.
EISEN: Maybe it was a bad post
DON JR: I can tell when it's a bad post. Sometimes I hit that send button, I know it's a banger.
October 29, 2025 at 3:58 PM
Me when I post economic development stories on Bluesky: "I know it's a banger."
Reposted by Kavahn Mansouri
As officials in Missouri try to attract data center proposals from companies, pushback grows in communities where the projects are planned. One expert says the economic benefit isn't clear — especially if they get tax breaks. (@stlpublicradio.bsky.social)
Missouri officials say data centers can be the state's economic future. But it's complicated
As officials in Missouri try to attract data center proposals from companies, pushback grows in communities where the projects are planned. One expert says the economic benefit isn't crystal clear — especially if local governments give them tax breals.
www.kcur.org
October 29, 2025 at 2:35 PM
As officials in Missouri try to attract data center proposals from companies, pushback grows in communities where the projects are planned. One expert says the economic benefit isn't clear — especially if they get tax breaks. (@stlpublicradio.bsky.social)
“For years we've been approving the security measures... whether it's a guard at the site, or this DAWG system … and it can't last. It can't go on forever. “
www.stlpr.org/government-p...
www.stlpr.org/government-p...
St. Louis officials commit $78,000 to secure Railway Exchange as plans for vacant structure stall
St. Louis’ Land Clearance for Redevelopment Authority approved a security contract worth thousands to secure the Railway Exchange building downtown, but plans for the building have stalled.
www.stlpr.org
October 29, 2025 at 2:21 PM
“For years we've been approving the security measures... whether it's a guard at the site, or this DAWG system … and it can't last. It can't go on forever. “
www.stlpr.org/government-p...
www.stlpr.org/government-p...
“It's incumbent on us at the local level to be strategic in terms of how we can deploy our limited resources to help fill some of those gaps in order to protect our residents and ensure that basic needs are met."
www.stlpr.org/government-p...
www.stlpr.org/government-p...
St. Louis tightens aid plan as it expects fewer federal grant dollars for community projects
St. Louis community development officials say the city will need to be more strategic about how it awards community development block grants as funding from the federal government becomes harder to pr...
www.stlpr.org
October 28, 2025 at 7:33 PM
“It's incumbent on us at the local level to be strategic in terms of how we can deploy our limited resources to help fill some of those gaps in order to protect our residents and ensure that basic needs are met."
www.stlpr.org/government-p...
www.stlpr.org/government-p...
YOU'RE GOING THE WRONG WAY!
October 26, 2025 at 2:16 AM
YOU'RE GOING THE WRONG WAY!
The board may reconsider the extension in coming weeks, but it will need a two thirds majority for it to pass.
www.stlpr.org/economy-busi...
www.stlpr.org/economy-busi...
Board of Aldermen says no to extension of blight determination on Cortex district
The St. Louis Board of Aldermen said no to a bill to extend a blight determination on the Cortex Innovation District, marking an end to nearly two decades in the area.
www.stlpr.org
October 24, 2025 at 7:30 PM
The board may reconsider the extension in coming weeks, but it will need a two thirds majority for it to pass.
www.stlpr.org/economy-busi...
www.stlpr.org/economy-busi...
Gotta remember this when I'm talking about golf carts in St. Louis.
October 24, 2025 at 4:20 PM
Gotta remember this when I'm talking about golf carts in St. Louis.