It's been almost two years since the city cleared the way for the return of automated photo enforcement, better known as red light cameras. Ryan Krull went digging into the holdup, and found its roots could well be within the very legislation that supposedly enabled the cameras' return. Get up to speed below.
We also have the scoop on a local comedian about to be seen in primetime for weeks on end, the perhaps surprising results from our game asking readers to identify prominent St. Louisans, and news on the local protests that followed a shocking killing in Minnesota. Read all about it as warmer temps return today, with sun and a high of 51.
P.S. SLM launched a merch store! To celebrate, we're giving five loyal readers of this newsletter a St. Louis Daily mug — enter by Wednesday for a chance to win yours!
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Protestors filled the streets of Clayton on Sunday following the death of Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis. Photography by Mike Fitzgerald
THIS JUST IN
St. Louisans protest ICE after fatal MN shooting
For the fourth day in a row, large numbers of St. Louis-area residents showed up Sunday to protest an ICE agent’s fatal shooting of a Minneapolis woman last week. At least 800 people converged Sunday afternoon on Shaw Park for a spirited rally and march through the streets of Clayton.
Renee Nicole Good, 37, was fatally shot by ICE agent Jonathan Ross in Minneapolis on Jan. 7 . Protests have since taken place across the U.S., including in the Grove on Thursday, Brentwood on Friday, and Mid Rivers Mall in St. Peters on Saturday.
Former U.S. Rep. Cori Bush (D-St. Louis) delivered a fiery speech Sunday, calling on listeners to stand up to ICE. Bush said that the shooting of an innocent victim“most likely will happen again. It’s the people who will resist. It’s the people who will stop it. It’s you who will cause this to end.” —Mike Fitzgerald
A plague of car crashes helped inspire city leaders to contemplate the return of automated photo enforcement, better known as red light cameras. Photography by GummyBone / iStock / Getty Images Plus
DEEP DIVE
Red light cameras’ return faces headwinds in the City of St. Louis
Two years ago, St. Louis’ then mayor, Tishaura Jones, made a big push to bring red light cameras back to the city. The Board of Aldermen signed off on a plan. Current Mayor Cara Spencer also says she’s on board. But the effort has seemingly stalled out before the selection of a vendor, thanks to two problems: turnover at City Hall and stipulations by city officials that could alienate any potential vendors.
The stipulations may well prove the bigger problem—and they’re baked into the very legislation that enabled the cameras in the first place.
A trio of Missouri Supreme Court victories in 2015 determined any automated photo enforcement system must include a way to provide probable cause that the person issued a ticket from the cameras was in fact driving the car—not just its registered owner.
Vendors could do that by employing some sort of AI-powered facial recognition software to match the face in the photo to a specific individual. However, the 2024 bill that supposedly cleared the way for the camera’s return includes language banning AI’s use. “In no instance shall artificial intelligence systems…be used to identify the individual,” it says under a section titled “probable cause.” That means the city or its vendors will have to pay humans to match the driver in the red light camera to an actual person, and those personnel hours, unlike AI, don’t come cheap.
Hugh Eastwood is the attorney who successfully won the 2015 court ruling that effectively stopped the city’s previous program. He questions whether a program could ever be cost-effective. “It would be an odd thing for the city of St. Louis and its current fiscal circumstances to be looking to put in a system for red light camera enforcement, and have it end up actually costing the city money,” he says.
Why It Matters: When the Missouri Supreme Court struck down red light cameras in 2015, their demise was not particularly mourned by St. Louisans, who generally viewed them as a revenue generating scheme, a police cheat, or some combination of the two.
But a lot has changed in 10 years. There’s now a palpable exhaustion with reckless driving in the city—one reason Jones was moved to restart the program.
What’s Next: Spencer, herself an avid cyclist, campaigned on curbing traffic violence—a nomenclature that was not in wide use in 2015. Spencer spokesman Rasmus Jorgensen tells SLM that while red light cameras are not among their top priorities for the Streets Department, they do plan to move ahead with them so long as they can find a vendor who can meet the city's “high legal, privacy and operational standards.” Therein may lie the rub. —Ryan Krull
Local chefs remix toasted ravioli at the Missouri History Museum
There will be sauce. The rest is up to STL’s best chefs, creating T-ravs like you’ve never had before. Who knows what they’ll come up with? Be there to find out!
Figure skating legends rave about St. Louis as championships wrap (KSDK): An estimated 60,000 people came to Enterprise Center for the figure skating nationals, with larger crowds than in recent years.
Trial on abortion regulations begins today (Missouri Independent): Over two weeks, Missouri’s numerous abortion regulations will be under a microscope. Abortion rights supporters will argue that nearly every restriction is unconstitutional under the constitutional amendment approved by the voters in 2024, while the state argues the regulations are necessary protections.
South City Catholic Academy to close (stltoday): The “regional” grade school imed to be a more sustainable education model for the Archdiocese of St. Louis. Now it will close at the end of the school year.
Comedian Greg Warren is ready for his Ed McMahon moment. Courtesy photo
Around Town
😂 THE COMEDY SCENE
Greg Warren had been gearing up for the biggest gig in his career when he had to cancel it. The Kirkwood-based comedian had been booked to appear on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallonin November. But just one week before show time, Warren got a potentially life-changing call. His good friend Nate Bargatze’s assistant wanted Warren to come to Nashville that week to help with Bargatze’s new ABC show. Assuming Bargatze just wanted help writing jokes to punch up the show, Warren reminded the assistant he was booked on The Tonight Show. A few minutes later, Bargatze himself called. “Hey, man, I don't want you to write punch-up,” Warren recalls him saying. “I want you to be on the show.” That show, The Greatest Average American, takes its cue from Bargatze’s 2021 comedy special of the same name. Warren is the co-host, which he suggests is basically being the Ed McMahon to Bargatze’s Johnny Carson. While Warren has never done a network game show before, he says all of his podcast appearances were perfect preparation. “You’ve just got to learn to roll with stuff and be funny,” he says. That simple, eh? More about the show—and a link to Warren’s appearance on The Tonight Show, which ended up getting rescheduled for December, in our web story. —S.F.
🎮 GAME TIME
The game we debuted last week—The Who’s Who in the Lou: 2025, which asked people to identify last year’s 25 biggest newsmakers based only on photos and brief clues—stumped a whole lot of you. No one got a perfect score, although a few people came close (more on that in a second). But we knew this one was going to be hard. What we didn’t know is which faces would be a breeze, and which would prove most challenging.
Our takeaways? St. Louis Mayor Cara Spencer proved the most recognizable (79 percent of those who played got her right), followed by rapper Nelly (75 percent), County Executive Sam Page (70 percent), and Pope Leo (62 percent). Scandal helped a bit—Sheriff Alfred Montgomery notched 45 percent recognition, tied with former TV anchor Rene Knott and just above AI guru Sam Altman (43 percent). Judging by facial recognition alone, state Senator Brian Williams (25 percent) should have no trouble beating County Councilman Dennis Hancock (13 percent). The least-known face? Spencer’s new chief operating officer, Col. Ben Johnsson, known to just 8 percent of readers. (What, you don’t hang on Ryan Krull’s every word??) One last note: Despite hosting last year’s Oscars, just 61 percent of you managed to properly identify comedian Nikki Glaser—and that was with her name in the photo credit!
In any event, we’re happy to announce that reader Ryan Sparks got 24 right and wins a free St. Louis Daily coffee mug. And congrats to runners-up Ted Yemm andMichael Schmeer, who were achingly close behind. —S.F.
Find the perfect gift at Paramount Jewelers. Purchase a gift card for half-off and treat yourself or someone you love to something beautiful. Items start at under $100.
Heard on the Street
Smacked down: The St. Louis Board of Aldermen. The legislative body's attempt to intervene in the lawsuit to decide who will be the city's next sheriff was rejected by Judge Thomas McCarthy on Friday. Mayor Cara Spencer's attempt to get a declaratory judgment saying the city, not the state, has the power to make the appointment remains pending.
Spotted: The Saint Louis Art Museum, on CBS Sunday Morning. The morning show traveled to town to profile Anselm Kiefer (yes, he was here, too!) and the museum’s stunning retrospective, on display through Jan. 25.
Now No. 2 in the nation on Netflix: Soul on Fire. The John O’Leary biopic was filmed in St. Louis and features lovely shots of Tiffany's Diner, Saratoga Lanes, Saint Louis University, and more.
💬 Got a milestone to celebrate or gossip to share? Email sfenske@stlmag.com.
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