Eric Schmid
Economic Development ReporterEric Schmid covers Economic Development for St. Louis Public Radio. He's primarily focused on examining policies and ideas to drive population and business growth throughout the St. Louis region.
He previously covered the Metro East writing about many topics in the Illinois counties adjacent to St. Louis, but regularly returns to stories about the environment, public policy, and the census and demographics.
Eric came to the station through Report for America in 2019 and was tasked to develop STLPR’s coverage east of the Mississippi. Before joining St. Louis Public Radio, Eric held internships at Fox News Channel, NPR-affiliate WSHU Public Radio and AccuWeather. He graduated from Stony Brook University in New York with a degree in Journalism in 2018.
-
The region’s growing geospatial and established agriculture and plant sciences sectors put it in a unique position to drive the innovations that will help farmers adapt to new climate conditions while reducing carbon emissions at the same time. -
Spending from consumers largely held up in the face of concerns of a recession or that it would just drop off, but there’s a limit to how much people are willing to shoulder higher costs.
-
Nearly 54% of UAW Local 2250 workers voted to reject the proposed deal, joining workers at several other auto plants who say it’s not enough.
-
The EPA found SA Recycling stored scrap metal, gas cans and other waste material in a way that could transport them into the river during a rain event.
-
“You cannot move forward if everybody else does not have the opportunity to move forward. That was a major philosophical shift to address racial and spatial inequities that have held this region back for far too long,” said one leader.
-
The region’s urban core has struggled to rebound since the pandemic, with a slew of companies relocating their offices away from downtown. Urban centers with more diverse economic sectors have shown to be more resilient coming back from the pandemic.
-
The state may not be known for clean energy, but it has many of the raw materials that will be necessary for the transition away from fossil fuels.
-
Ameren Missouri has plans for solar starting next year, wind in 2026 and battery storage in 2027, with various projects to add capacity in those categories lasting through the mid-2030s.
-
The new initiative aims to help Latin American startups in agtech or geospatial land in St. Louis and also help similar companies in St. Louis more easily expand to those international markets.
-
Resuming payments at pre-pandemic levels, which were on average $236 a month, could hit revenue from general sales tax and selective sales tax as people shift how they spend.
-
Amazon employees, nurses and workers rights advocates gathered to call out working conditions they say don’t help employees stay healthy.
-
“What we really need is a cold, wet and snowy winter to help recharge this river,” said one climatologist.
