Tony Messenger
@tonymess.bsky.social
Metro columnist for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Pulitzer Prize winner. Denver Broncos fan. St. Louis CITY fan. Order my book: https://read.macmillan.com/lp/profit-and-punishment/
Every decade or so when the @Broncos and @Patriots face off in the AFC Championship, @PDPJ.bsky.social and I make a bet. In 2015 I won. This year, I lost. So enjoy my week of pain as I wear his Pats gear. Starting easy, with a hat. Pray for my soul. And Go @Broncos!! #Bolieve
February 2, 2026 at 2:49 PM
Every decade or so when the @Broncos and @Patriots face off in the AFC Championship, @PDPJ.bsky.social and I make a bet. In 2015 I won. This year, I lost. So enjoy my week of pain as I wear his Pats gear. Starting easy, with a hat. Pray for my soul. And Go @Broncos!! #Bolieve
Messenger: Landlord won't fix tornado-damaged home in St. Louis but still wants rent: www.stltoday.com/news/local/c...
Messenger: Landlord won't fix tornado-damaged home in St. Louis but still wants rent
“Nobody should have to live like that."
www.stltoday.com
February 1, 2026 at 3:19 PM
Messenger: Landlord won't fix tornado-damaged home in St. Louis but still wants rent: www.stltoday.com/news/local/c...
Messenger: GOP lawmakers throw a fit because they have to follow Missouri constitution:
www.stltoday.com/news/local/c...
www.stltoday.com/news/local/c...
Messenger: GOP lawmakers throw a fit because they have to follow Missouri constitution
Politically, for Republicans, there was a lot riding on Senate Bill 22. All the more reason for them to get it right the first time, instead of throwing a tantrum.
www.stltoday.com
January 30, 2026 at 1:58 PM
Messenger: GOP lawmakers throw a fit because they have to follow Missouri constitution:
www.stltoday.com/news/local/c...
www.stltoday.com/news/local/c...
Messenger: State takeover of St. Louis police created a legal 'mess.' Can it be fixed? www.stltoday.com/news/local/c...
Messenger: State takeover of St. Louis police created a legal 'mess.' Can it be fixed?
“It blows my mind that nobody considered this. It’s a mess.”
www.stltoday.com
January 28, 2026 at 2:14 PM
Messenger: State takeover of St. Louis police created a legal 'mess.' Can it be fixed? www.stltoday.com/news/local/c...
Messenger: Cop's bill-of-rights lawsuit held up by state takeover of St. Louis police: www.stltoday.com/news/local/c...
Messenger: Cop's bill-of-rights lawsuit held up by state takeover of St. Louis police
Dozens of cases are in limbo as St. Louis argues it no longer has liability or control over police documents. The reason? The state takeover of city police.
www.stltoday.com
January 25, 2026 at 2:56 PM
Messenger: Cop's bill-of-rights lawsuit held up by state takeover of St. Louis police: www.stltoday.com/news/local/c...
Messenger: St. Louis prosecutor to skeptics: 'It's a fact' that crime is down www.stltoday.com/news/local/c...
Messenger: St. Louis prosecutor to skeptics: 'It's a fact' that crime is down
At crime panel discussion in St. Louis, the battle between crime statistics and the perception of crime is on display.
www.stltoday.com
January 23, 2026 at 2:39 PM
Messenger: St. Louis prosecutor to skeptics: 'It's a fact' that crime is down www.stltoday.com/news/local/c...
Messenger: Accused cop-killer's case shows the problem of delayed justice in Missouri: www.stltoday.com/news/local/c...
Messenger: Accused cop-killer's case shows the problem of delayed justice in Missouri
Man who shot two Hermann officers, killing one, never should have been free, but his cases lagged in clogged courts.
www.stltoday.com
January 21, 2026 at 1:39 PM
Messenger: Accused cop-killer's case shows the problem of delayed justice in Missouri: www.stltoday.com/news/local/c...
Messenger: He raised a fist and then ran away. That's the Josh Hawley way. www.stltoday.com/news/local/c...
Messenger: He raised a fist and then ran away. That's the Josh Hawley way.
Twice in the past year, Missouri's senior senator has stood against Trump in defiance, and then backed down.
www.stltoday.com
January 18, 2026 at 4:00 PM
Messenger: He raised a fist and then ran away. That's the Josh Hawley way. www.stltoday.com/news/local/c...
Messenger: City works overtime trying to avoid accountability in Lamar Johnson case:
www.stltoday.com/news/local/c...
www.stltoday.com/news/local/c...
Messenger: City works overtime trying to avoid accountability in Lamar Johnson case
Like other cases involving past police liability, city of St. Louis argues new local control bill shifts responsibility to the state.
www.stltoday.com
January 16, 2026 at 12:57 PM
Messenger: City works overtime trying to avoid accountability in Lamar Johnson case:
www.stltoday.com/news/local/c...
www.stltoday.com/news/local/c...
Messenger: At 17, he was sent to prison for life. Now he's a St. Louis homeowner.
www.stltoday.com/news/local/c...
www.stltoday.com/news/local/c...
Messenger: At 17, he was sent to prison for life. Now he's a St. Louis homeowner.
Henry Ross and his wife recenty bought their first home. It's an accomplishment that just a few years earlier seemed impossible.
www.stltoday.com
January 14, 2026 at 2:16 PM
Messenger: At 17, he was sent to prison for life. Now he's a St. Louis homeowner.
www.stltoday.com/news/local/c...
www.stltoday.com/news/local/c...
Messenger: Do apples, peaches belong in same legislative basket? Missouri court to decide: www.stltoday.com/news/local/c...
Messenger: Do apples, peaches belong in same legislative basket? Missouri court to decide
A lawyer hopes the Missouri Supreme Court will send a message to lawmakers: Stop taking short cuts.
www.stltoday.com
January 11, 2026 at 3:13 PM
Messenger: Do apples, peaches belong in same legislative basket? Missouri court to decide: www.stltoday.com/news/local/c...
Messenger: Crime is down again in St. Louis. Why aren't we talking about it? www.stltoday.com/news/local/c...
Messenger: Crime is down again in St. Louis. Why aren't we talking about it?
"Save Lives Now!" and other efforts are taking root. St. Louis elected and corporate leaders should be talking about it.
www.stltoday.com
January 9, 2026 at 2:13 PM
Messenger: Crime is down again in St. Louis. Why aren't we talking about it? www.stltoday.com/news/local/c...
Messenger: Air Force veteran turns citizenship classes into labor of love in Metro East: www.stltoday.com/news/local/c...
Messenger: Air Force veteran turns citizenship classes into labor of love in Metro East
Retired USAF veteran spends his free time teaching American citizenship classes. Why isn't the government helping him?
www.stltoday.com
January 6, 2026 at 9:02 PM
Messenger: Air Force veteran turns citizenship classes into labor of love in Metro East: www.stltoday.com/news/local/c...
Messenger: Senior moment with a prescription sparks thoughts about US health care: www.stltoday.com/news/local/c...
Messenger: Senior moment with a prescription sparks thoughts about US health care
As 2026 begins, a lot of Americans are worried about where they'll get their healthcare amid massive Medicaid cuts.
www.stltoday.com
January 4, 2026 at 2:29 PM
Messenger: Senior moment with a prescription sparks thoughts about US health care: www.stltoday.com/news/local/c...
Messenger: Afghan immigrant jailed by ICE. St. Louis mentor wants answers. www.stltoday.com/news/local/c...
Messenger: Afghan immigrant jailed by ICE. St. Louis mentor wants answers.
America, and St. Louis, put out the welcome mat for Afghan immigrants. Now ICE is shutting the door.
www.stltoday.com
December 31, 2025 at 3:20 PM
Messenger: Afghan immigrant jailed by ICE. St. Louis mentor wants answers. www.stltoday.com/news/local/c...
Messenger: Will the next generation save the American Dream for immigrants? www.stltoday.com/news/local/c...
Messenger: Will the next generation save the American Dream for immigrants?
Two remarkably similar stories of Irish immigrants help explain the dysfunction of the U.S. immigration system.
www.stltoday.com
December 28, 2025 at 3:40 PM
Messenger: Will the next generation save the American Dream for immigrants? www.stltoday.com/news/local/c...
Messenger: Restraint chair no longer being used at St. Louis jail: www.stltoday.com/news/local/c...
Messenger: Restraint chair no longer being used at St. Louis jail
New commissioner of corrections Nate Hayward aims to improve safety at City Justice Center after series of deaths.
www.stltoday.com
December 23, 2025 at 5:51 PM
Messenger: Restraint chair no longer being used at St. Louis jail: www.stltoday.com/news/local/c...
Messenger: Should a traffic case break apart an immigrant family in St. Louis? www.stltoday.com/news/local/c...
Messenger: Should a traffic case break apart an immigrant family in St. Louis?
“If there was ever a case where you might want to exercise some discretion and show a little mercy, it’s this case," the man's lawyer says.
www.stltoday.com
December 21, 2025 at 2:58 PM
Messenger: Should a traffic case break apart an immigrant family in St. Louis? www.stltoday.com/news/local/c...
Messenger: Immigration judge frees Missouri woman from prison, ends effort to deport her: www.stltoday.com/news/local/c...
Messenger: Immigration judge frees Missouri woman from prison, ends effort to deport her
Donna Hughes-Brown got caught up in the Trump Administation's deportation net. She didn't belong there.
www.stltoday.com
December 19, 2025 at 10:55 PM
Messenger: Immigration judge frees Missouri woman from prison, ends effort to deport her: www.stltoday.com/news/local/c...
Messenger: Judge avoids rational ruling for St. Louis immigrant to make a point on Biden:
www.stltoday.com/news/local/c...
www.stltoday.com/news/local/c...
Messenger: Judge avoids rational ruling for St. Louis immigrant to make a point on Biden
Judge could have deported the Honduran national, as lawyers on both sides agreed was best. But he's keeping the man in the U.S. to make a political point.
www.stltoday.com
December 19, 2025 at 2:04 PM
Messenger: Judge avoids rational ruling for St. Louis immigrant to make a point on Biden:
www.stltoday.com/news/local/c...
www.stltoday.com/news/local/c...
Messenger: Missouri mental health crisis hits home. 'She doesn't need to die in jail' www.stltoday.com/news/local/c...
Messenger: Missouri mental health crisis hits home. 'She doesn't need to die in jail'
"Missouri’s jails have become de facto mental health wards, with terrible outcomes."
www.stltoday.com
December 17, 2025 at 1:54 PM
Messenger: Missouri mental health crisis hits home. 'She doesn't need to die in jail' www.stltoday.com/news/local/c...
Messenger: Missouri man goes to Congress to fight deportation of his Irish wife: www.stltoday.com/news/local/c...
Messenger: Missouri man goes to Congress to fight deportation of his Irish wife
Jim Brown, a 20-year Navy combat veteran who lives in Bowling Green, describes himself as a “right-wing redneck.”
www.stltoday.com
December 14, 2025 at 2:43 PM
Messenger: Missouri man goes to Congress to fight deportation of his Irish wife: www.stltoday.com/news/local/c...
Messenger: City picks fight with St. Louis law firm over restraint chair death records: www.stltoday.com/news/local/c...
Messenger: City picks fight with St. Louis law firm over restraint chair death records
Samuel L. Hayes was strapped into a restraint chair and left to die. Now his mom's attorneys are struggling to get records from St. Louis.
www.stltoday.com
December 12, 2025 at 2:15 PM
Messenger: City picks fight with St. Louis law firm over restraint chair death records: www.stltoday.com/news/local/c...
Messenger: Panhandling fight moves to Des Peres. Are First Amendment rights at stake? www.stltoday.com/news/local/c...
Messenger: Panhandling fight moves to Des Peres. Are First Amendment rights at stake?
Robert Fernandez and his attorney have fought for people who stand on medians and ask for money. It’s the people's 1st Amendment right to do so, they say.
www.stltoday.com
December 10, 2025 at 1:37 PM
Messenger: Panhandling fight moves to Des Peres. Are First Amendment rights at stake? www.stltoday.com/news/local/c...
Messenger: Judge in St. Louis inserted politics into immigration case. It backfired. www.stltoday.com/news/local/c...
Messenger: Judge in St. Louis inserted politics into immigration case. It backfired.
A federal judge in St. Louis engaged in some Biden bashing. Then Trump pardoned a drug dealer.
www.stltoday.com
December 7, 2025 at 2:30 PM
Messenger: Judge in St. Louis inserted politics into immigration case. It backfired. www.stltoday.com/news/local/c...