This week in Briefings: This week in Briefings: We’ll LEAF the final decision to you, but local leaders share their favorite spots across the region to enjoy peak fall color. Take a look and start planning your autumn adventure! Plus, headlines, events, and local government jobs around the region. (BTW we’d love to see your amazing fall photos. Post them in the comments!) Read to learn more and remember to subscribe! mailchi.mp/ewgateway/local-g…

Due to popular demand, EWG has extended the registration period for the 2026 East-West Gateway Annual Meeting Luncheon and OLGA Awards Ceremony! Reserve your spot through Nov. 5. Join local leaders from across the St. Louis region as we celebrate the partnerships that are making a difference and honor this year’s Outstanding Local Government Achievement award winners. Donnybrook "provocateur" Charle Brennan will emcee the luncheon. Purchase individual tickets or tables of eight through Eventbrite at tinyurl.com/wt8htmr6

Today, @GreatRiversSTL provided the East-West Gateway staff a comprehensive look at its regional mission, impact, and current and future plans to connect our communities through a growing network of greenways. It offered a great opportunity to learn how one of our valued partners creates meaningful connections, enhances quality of life, and helps move our region forward.

Last chance! Registration for the East-West Gateway Council of Governments 2026 Annual Meeting luncheon and OLGA Awards Ceremony ends this Thursday. Join local leaders from across the St. Louis region as we celebrate the partnerships that are making a difference and honor this year’s Outstanding Local Government Achievement award winners. Donnybrook "provocateur" Charlie Brennan will emcee the luncheon. Purchase individual tickets or tables of eight through Eventbrite at tinyurl.com/wt8htmr6

East-West Gateway proudly announces that Chief Brian Hendricks of the Mehlville Fire Protection District has been selected for an Outstanding Local Government Achievement (OLGA) award for his statewide advocacy in creating Safe Haven Baby Box drop-off points for infants at risk of abandonment. Hendricks helped expand the program throughout Missouri, working with local governments, first responders, donors, and community advocates to inspire the installation of 14 Safe Haven Baby Boxes in the state. He played an integral role throughout the program's implementations, aiding in the navigation, planning, testing, training, education, funding, and operation of the launch. His efforts also led to significant legislative achievements, including the establishment of the Safe Place for Newborns Fund, increased tax incentives for maternity homes and diaper banks, and the creation of the Zero-Cost Adoption Fund to support adoptive families. Read the full list of this year's OLGA honorees at ewgateway.org/olgas

Sold out! Our "Connecting the Dots" panel discussion on emerging regional initiatives on Nov. 13 was such a hot ticket that we reached capacity. Panelists for the event include Dr. Jason Purnell, who will present on his work with the James S. McDonnell Foundation and its collaborative effort to build an Inclusive Prosperity Partnership aimed at increasing access to well-paying jobs and economic mobility.

Chances are you might see a few social media posts and reels asking you to take part in a survey on your everyday travel habits to get from points A to points B in the St. Louis region. Should you stop and click for more information, or just keep scrolling? Please stop and click! The offer is real and East-West Gateway encourages you and your household to participate in the St. Louis Region Travel Survey. Your participation can help drive decisions to develop a more efficient regional transportation system. Ready to participate? Learn more at stlareatravelsurvey.com/

This week in Briefings: Trails of success! Plus headlines, events, and local government jobs around the region. Read to learn more and remember to subscribe! mailchi.mp/ewgateway/local-g…

East-West Gateway proudly announces our 2026 Outstanding Local Government Achievement (OLGA) Award recipients. These awards honor the extraordinary work of individuals, municipal and county governments/departments, special purpose districts, and public educational institutions in the EWG regional boundaries. Recipients will be honored at EWG's 61st Annual Meeting & OLGA Award Luncheon on Nov. 13. Single tickets and table reservations remain available. For more information and to secure a spot, visit: tinyurl.com/wt8htmr6. Stay tuned to learn about each recipient as we celebrate their outstanding efforts to make our region better.

SOLD OUT! Our "Connecting the Dots" panel discussion on emerging regional initiatives on Nov. 13 was such a hot ticket that we reached capacity. Panelists include Ryan McClure, executive director of the Gateway Arch Park Foundation, who will talk about the organization's next steps as it works to better connect Gateway Arch National Park to downtown St. Louis and East St. Louis.

This week in Briefings: We have a tree-mendous region! Plus headlines, events, and local government jobs around the region. Read to learn more and remember to subscribe! mailchi.mp/ewgateway/local-g…

Registration remains open for the East-West Gateway Council of Governments 2026 Annual Meeting luncheon and OLGA Awards Ceremony. Join other local leaders as we celebrate regional collaboration and honor this year’s Outstanding Local Government Achievement award winners. Donnybrook "provocateur" Charle Brennan will emcee the luncheon. Purchase individual tickets or tables of eight through Eventbrite at tinyurl.com/wt8htmr6

SOLD OUT! Our "Connecting the Dots" panel discussion on emerging regional initiatives on Nov. 13 was such a hot ticket that we reached capacity. Panelists for the event include Ron Kitchens, CEO of Greater St. Louis, Inc., who will speak about his organization's mission to change lives and move the St. Louis region forward by creating more and better jobs, leveraging collaborative partnerships, and revitalizing downtown St. Louis.

Today marked the grand opening of the new 5.2-mile MetroLink rail extension to MidAmerica St. Louis Airport! The Illinois Department of Transportation joined Illinois Governor JB Pritzker and state, local, and community leaders in a ribbon-cutting ceremony to commemorate the landmark completion of the segement and its affiliated road and bike trail improvements. The extension connects MidAmerica with St. Louis Lambert International Airport and distinguishes the St. Louis bi-state region for having the only transit system in the country that spans two states and directly connects two major airports some 45 miles apart. Led by the St. Clair Country Transit District, the project marks the first MetroLink expansion in 20 years! For more information on the project and today's ribbon-cutting, visit: gov-pritzker-newsroom.prezly…

Our friends at @CMT_STL are launching Transit Tuesdays, a new initiative encouraging St. Louisans to hop on public transit on the first Tuesday of each month! The challenge kicks off tomorrow as part of Week Without Driving, a national initiative encouraging people to experience their communities without getting behind the wheel. Visit transittuesdays.com to learn more and claim a free one-day transit pass.

Congratulations to Daizjah Day-Reese and Eleanor Witter for earning full scholarships from the St. Louis Metro Section of the American Planning Association (APA) to participate in the 2026 UMSL Chancellor’s Certificate in Fundamentals of Planning and Zoning program! Each year, the St. Louis APA chapter provides two scholarships for professionals seeking to address needs in disinvested areas of the region. The scholarships reflect the section’s emphasis on the importance of finding positive impacts for underserved communities, and the use of effective planning and zoning to empower community members to ensure stronger outcomes. Learn more about the recipients and course at ewgateway.org/news

This week in Briefings: St. Louis is in pursuit of trivia (nights)! Plus headlines, events, and local government jobs around the region. Read to learn more and remember to subscribe! mailchi.mp/ewgateway/local-g…

Made His MARC! East-West Gateway Council of Governments wishes David Warm, executive director of @MARCKCMetro (MARC), an outstanding and well-deserved retirement after 36 years with our sister agency that serves the Kansas City region. Warm's last day is today. Geraldine Ide Gardner, most recently the executive director of the Centralia Regional Council in Charlotte, North Carolina, takes on her new role as MARC's executive director tomorrow, October 1. Warm announced his retirement last November. He began his role as executive director in July 1990 and led the agency's work as both a regional convener of governments and as a metropolitan planning agency.

Act fast! Monday, October 5 is the LAST DAY to register for Early Bird ticket pricing for East-West Gateway Council of Governments' 2026 Annual Meeting luncheon and OLGA Awards Ceremony. Join us in celebration of regional collaboration and the presentation of our 2026 Outstanding Local Government Achievement awards, emceed by Donnybrook "provacateur" Charle Brennan. Purchase individual tickets or tables of eight through Eventbrite at eventbrite.com/e/2026-east-w…

All aboard! The 2027 @Assoc_MPOs Annual Meeting is coming Union Station in St. Louis! Check out this special video we presented to announce St. Louis as the next location for the conference. The event will bring together about 900 practioners in transportation and community planning from across the country. As the host metropolitan planning organization (MPO), East-West Gateway Council of Governments will work to showcase the planning, partnerships and investments that have helped shape our region! Hat tip to Explore St. Louis, St. Louis Mayor Cara Spencer, and EWG Board of Directors Chair Chris Slusser for their help in producing the video. Learn more about AMPO and the 2027 conference: ewgateway.org/news