Sunday's business section was almost devoid of all local content as well. Look at the other sections though. The Sunday Metro section, which is where the Post usually puts regional (Metro East and St. Charles Co. stories) has exactly two Metro East stories, but it has about half a dozen with datelines of Kansas City, Independence and Columbia, Mo. It doesn't look like the Post cares much about local coverage. I was hoping that would change as Lee took over ownership, but I haven't seen any signs of it yet.

I am not the P-D's staunchest defender, but I suspect that the generally understaffed newsroom and summer vacations, not indifference to local coverage, explain the low local by-line count. Last August was the same.

Still, I don't think we can count on Lee to make things better: (1) the P-D is the best paper Lee owns; and (2) change costs money, Lee owns debt.

It's been well documented in the press that the City is having a tough time keeping/attracting prosecutors and a residency requirement is a no-cost way to broaden the pool -- doesn't seem like big news whatever day it is announced.

This Friday is Pink Slip Day at the Circuit Attorney's office. Support staff are being laid off to pay for increased assistant circuit attorney salaries.

If so . . .

The circuit attorney's office does have a higher ratio of support-to-attorney than the STL county prosecutor's office. Making the office more efficient(or at least as efficient as the STL county prosecutor's office) will strengthen the CA's case in the next round of budget talks.

True, the big bucks efficiency expert was in the house. But think Pink Slip Day more a result of budget politics and Mr. All The Power N None Of The Responsibility not playing well with others.

There are many dramas playing in the City but the PD mostly only covers theater applicable to A&E section.

Jennifer Joyce will be on The Wire on KDHX 88.1 fm tonight, from 7:30-8:00. If you have questions you'd like asked of her, drop a me a line directly, or add to the conversation here. Regards, TC.

The Judiciary, from State Supreme Court to Circuit Courts, gets everything it wants and then some, goes first class. The prosecutors and public defenders, however, do not get what they need, are treated like baggage. It's a statewide problem requiring a statewide solution.

If the Post would let Callow Dick ghostwrite a gossip column again, maybe we'd see some more local coverage. Then again, his hands are probably full ghostwriting the mayor's blog.

I agree. That Callow would be a great addition to the P-D.

Who?

To publiceye: I don't think anyone could ever consider the Post's newsroom to be understaffed, not even during summer vacations. Watch the frequency of the bylines of some Post reporters. Many of them get byline stories published less than once a week. I doubt they get overworked by having to pick up the slack for vacationing coworkers.

The mayor doesn't write his own blog? Gaaaaaaaassssspppppp....

In most organizations, most of the work is done by a few people. The P-D is no different.

When those people -- key reporters, editors, photographers, writers -- are gone, coverage suffers.

(PS When the Lee cost-cutting finally begins, who do think is more likely to get RIF'd or to leave: slugs or worker bees?)

The business section was the first topic of discussion, but then I mentioned the Metro section. The PD does not staff its St. Charles County or Metro East bureaus with its highest caliber staff. There is no reason the half dozen or more reporters in each of those bureaus should be getting as little local copy into those editions as they do. In the Metro East, it really doesn't appear that the PD tries very hard to get in local copy. It's almost like they've conceded that the two Metro East daily papers are always going to beat them in local news coverage. Of course, that doesn't stop the PD from trying to sell subscriptions to the east siders while not giving them any local bang for the buck.

And when Lee does start cost-cutting at the PD, I can see some high-paid worker bees getting cut along with the "slugs." How else is Lee going to eventually break the Guild.

"The PD does not staff its St. Charles County or Metro East bureaus with its highest caliber staff."

I agree that the P-D's business section needs enterprise, leadership, and broader scope.

I disagree that the P-D remote bureaus lack high-caliber staffers. St. Charles has Mark Schlinkmann (a former City Hall beat reporter), Tim Bryant, Marianna Riley, Tommy Robertson (who is the institutional memory every bureau needs), and others; Metro East has Doug Moore (a particularly sly former City Hall beat reporter), Mandy Davis, and others.

And Kevin McDermott who covers Springfield (IL version) is one of their best reporters period.

Oops. I'm sorry. Pink Slip Day at Circuit Attorney's is next Friday. I'd also like to apologize again to the woman I accidentally injured decades ago at Arthur Murray's.