When students and faculty at Truman State University come back for the fall semester, they might notice more stars in the sky.

After four years of research on how artificial light brightens the night sky, scientists are planning to change lighting on campus to direct light away from the sky. That could limit light pollution, which prevents people from seeing stars and galaxies, and also can disrupt sleep patterns.

NASA satellite imagery also has shown that light pollution around the world has increased over time, and scientists predict that it could get worse in the future. There are nebulae and other objects in the sky that aren’t easy to observe anymore, said Vayujeet Gokhale, a physics professor at Truman State.

“In really dark skies, you can see the Andromeda Galaxy with your naked eye, and I doubt in any of the cities or even small towns now you can see that at all,” Gokhale said.

https://news.stlpublicradio.org/post/scientists-change-light-bulbs-truman-state-darken-night-skies

When students and faculty at Truman State University come back for the fall semester, they might notice more stars in the sky.

After four years of research on how artificial light brightens the night sky, scientists are planning to change lighting on campus to direct light away from the sky. That could limit light pollution, which prevents people from seeing stars and galaxies, and also can disrupt sleep patterns.

NASA satellite imagery also has shown that light pollution around the world has increased over time, and scientists predict that it could get worse in the future. There are nebulae and other objects in the sky that aren’t easy to observe anymore, said Vayujeet Gokhale, a physics professor at Truman State.

“In really dark skies, you can see the Andromeda Galaxy with your naked eye, and I doubt in any of the cities or even small towns now you can see that at all,” Gokhale said.

https://news.stlpublicradio.org/post/scientists-change-light-bulbs-truman-state-darken-night-skies

It was the end of 2017, and St. Louis Police Chief John Hayden was looking at some troubling numbers.

Violent crime in the city had jumped more than 7% from 2016. Homicides had hit a 20-year high — 205. There were more than 2,600 shootings, and nearly 2,000 robberies.

Hayden had been the commander of North Patrol before taking the department’s top job, so he had an idea where to begin. Starting in January 2018, he flooded a seven-square-mile area bordered by Goodfellow, West Florissant, Martin Luther King and Vandeventer with as many as 50 additional officers from special units like Mobile Reserve, SWAT and Traffic Safety.

“At the time, 64% of the violent crime citywide came from that area, and so I knew that it was safe to focus there because I knew that there was a lot of low-hanging fruit with respect to violent crime in that region,” Hayden said. “It was basically a lot more visibility, and a lot more enforcement.”

https://news.stlpublicradio.org/post/after-18-months-haydens-rectangle-shows-promise-reducing-violent-crime

Just months after a new liquor law put into place stricter rules for bars and restaurants on North Main Street in St. Charles, some owners want the law changed or repealed.

The city council passed the new liquor law in September 2018, and the rules went into effect Jan. 1. Part of the law only affects establishments on the three blocks of North Main Street between Clark and Jefferson street.

The law has proven unpopular with bar owners who feel the rules target North Main Street unfairly. City Councilwoman Mary Ann Ohms, whose first district includes Main Street, said she is planning to introduce an amendment to the law.

Under the rules implemented in January, bars and restaurants must generate half their revenue from the sale of food, not alcohol. Previously, there was a firm minimum of $200,000 in annual food sales.

https://news.stlpublicradio.org/post/bar-and-restaurant-owners-st-charles-main-street-want-changes-new-liquor-ordinance

https://www.comicskingdom.com/retail/2019-06-27

The St. Louis County Police Department is closer to having its officers use body cameras.

The St. Louis County Council gave initial approval Tuesday night to bills cementing a five-year agreement with Utility Associates Inc. County officers would get newer technology over the life of the roughly $5 million deal — as well as cameras that will be in police cars.

Police Chief Jon Belmar says the cameras can turn on automatically if an officer is running — or if there’s a gunshot.

“It really is good tech,” Belmar said. “And I think it answers some questions on really where we’ve seen some holes in some of the tech with other departments over the years. So we’re trying to do a workaround on that so we have the most solid system we possibly can have.”

https://news.stlpublicradio.org/post/st-louis-county-council-gives-initial-ok-police-body-cameras

After a year of Fight for $15 protests, Washington University Chancellor announced on Tuesday, June 25 that he will raise the minimum hourly wage to $15 for regular employees and basic service contractors by July 1, 2021.

The decision affects about 1,200 regular and contracted workers, according to the Service Employees International Union Local 1.

“Housekeepers, graduate workers and campus workers at WashU came together across racial lines and different backgrounds to fight for the $15 we need to support our families and improve our neighborhoods,” said Local 1 WashU housekeeper Gary Johnson. “We showed our region that a $15 wage isn’t just possible, it’s essential in making St. Louis a better place for all working families.”

Chancellor Andrew Martin made the announcement on the university’s website and explained that the transition will start on July 1 with $12.65 an hour for regular employees and $12.25 an hour for basic service contractors. Then on July 1, 2020, the rate will rise to $13.80 an hour for both regular employees and basic service contractors.

https://news.stlpublicradio.org/post/washu-will-raise-its-minimum-hourly-wage-15-2021

Bishop Edward K. Braxton turns 75 on Friday, prompting supporters and critics to wonder how much longer he will be leading the Catholic Diocese of Belleville.

Canon law requires bishops to submit resignations at age 75, but it’s up to Pope Francis whether to accept them.

“The ministry of a bishop in a diocese requires a total commitment of energy, and anything, including age, that decreases the ability to dedicate oneself fully to serving the church and the faithful is the reason that retirements are offered at 75,” said Monsignor John T. Myler, diocesan spokesman and rector at the Cathedral of St. Peter in Belleville.

Braxton plans to submit his resignation on Friday, Myler said, but nothing will change with day-to-day operations until the pope makes a decision.

https://news.stlpublicradio.org/post/belleville-diocese-waiting-see-if-pope-accepts-resignation-controversial-bishop

The Toy Association testified yesterday that new tariffs would devastate the toy industry and cause a 10 percent reduction in the U.S. toy workforce.

Rebecca Mond, the Association’s vice president of federal government affairs said a 25 percent tariff applied to toys and games would cause 68,000 lost jobs and $3.4 billion in lost wages.

“Overall, tariffs on the toy industry would reduce the economic impact of the toy industry on the U.S. economy by approximately 10 percent, or $10.8 billion,” said Mond.

The Toy Association also noted that tariffs would have a severely negative impact during what is an historically inopportune time for the toy industry given the recent bankruptcy and liquidation of Toys“R”Us, which resulted in the closure of 800 stores and the elimination of 30,000+ U.S. jobs.

http://www.tabletopwire.com/toy-association-says-tariffs-will-devastate-industry-result-in-3-4-billion-in-lost-wages/

St. Louis County Prosecutor Wesley Bell is rolling out a new Conviction and Incident Review Unit with two mandates that will, he said, “safeguard the integrity of convictions” won by the office.

The Conviction and Incident Review Unit, which will stand as its own unit, independent from the rest of the office and answer solely to Bell, will employ a director who will be hired through a national search. Its mandates will be to review two sets of things: cases involving substantiated claims of wrongful prosecution or conviction, and all matters relating to police officer-involved shootings and alleged police misconduct.

“The obligation of every prosecutor is to pursue justice, an obligation that cannot be met if the public lacks confidence in the integrity of criminal convictions,” Bell said in a statement. “From the data we know wrongful convictions happen all over the country, which is why it’s imperative to critically review cases where credible challenges are raised.”

In the past 30 years, according to Bell, 2,446 people have been exonerated in the U.S. who were wrongfully convicted — and 50 of those exonerations were in Missouri, who served a combined total of 523 years incarcerated for crimes they did not commit.

https://news.stlpublicradio.org/post/st-louis-county-prosecutor-announces-new-conviction-and-incident-review-unit