The Dispatch

A guest column in the Richmond Times-Dispatch examines whether open primaries and ranked-choice voting could reduce political polarization in the United States. The piece weighs electoral reforms that let independents vote in primaries and allow voters to rank candidates, arguing such changes could incentivize politicians to appeal beyond their partisan base rather than to the most extreme primary electorate.

Rock Island, Illinois is considering hiring temporary travel dispatchers to fill gaps in its 911 emergency communications center, which is short-staffed. The move would bring in contracted or traveling dispatchers on an interim basis to keep emergency call coverage at required levels while the city works to recruit permanent staff.

A St. Louis Post-Dispatch Messenger column asks why Missouri is not repurposing vacant hospital buildings to address the state's mental health crisis. The argument: as hospitals consolidate and close facilities, empty beds and wards could be converted into treatment space at a time when demand for psychiatric care far outstrips capacity. The piece frames the idea as a practical fix for a shortage that leaves many Missourians without timely care.