🌱 Car Theft Gone Wrong + WU Transgender Center Refuses Moratorium

Hello, St. Louis. I'm here in your inbox this morning to get you up to speed on everything you need to know about what's going on in town.

But first, today's weather:

Partly to mostly sunny. High: 40 Low: 26.

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Here are the top three stories today in and around St. Louis:

1. A gas station customer fatally shot a man who tried to steal his car just after 6 a.m. Wednesday, police say. The 48-year-old was a customer at a Zoom Gulf station on Tucker Boulevard. He shot the suspected thief, in his 20s, once in the chest, police said. The man ran off, collapsed and died a block away. It is the latest example of victims acting in self-defense in the St. Louis region, as car thefts skyrocketed over the past year. (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)
2. The leaders of the Washington University Transgender Center at St. Louis Children’s Hospital will not place a moratorium on puberty-blocking medication for new patients despite calls from Missouri's attorney general to do so. Attorney General Andrew Bailey called for a moratorium on the medications for new patients last week in the wake of an article from a former employee at the center and an investigation from his office. In a letter to Bailey's office Tuesday, BJC HealthCare CEO Richard Liekweg and Washington University Chancellor Andrew Martin said the facility would not be instituting a moratorium because a moratorium would "deny critical, standards-based care to current and new patients." (The Business Journals)
3. Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker proposed universal schooling for three- and four-year-olds, starting with $440 million to finance 5,000 additional seats this fall, more childcare opportunities and facility construction in his State of the State address. Pritzker outlined his “Smart Start Illinois” program in his fifth annual State of the State and budget address before a joint session of the House and Senate Wednesday. “It will take a whole a government-interagency approach to truly provide the care that our children deserve,” Pritzker said. Pritzker will be at Vivian Adams Early Childhood Center in East St. Louis Thursday at 12:30 p.m. to discuss universal preschool for the area. (KMOV 4)

Today in St. Louis:

• Black Poets Pocket Poem Board At St Louis County Library Virtual Events (9:00 AM)
• Healthy Living for Seniors - Arthritis Goal Setting At St Louis County Library Virtual Events (10:00 AM)
• Crafted: Debussy and Ravel – St. Louis Symphony Orchestra At Powell Symphony Hall (5:30 PM)

From my notebook:

• The third Bass Pro Shops location in the St. Louis area is expected to open in Sunset Hills in late April or early May! The store will be located at Lindbergh Boulevard and Watson Road. The company is looking to hire 130 part-time and full-time employees. They are holding a two-day job fair at the Sunset Hills Holiday Inn, located at 10709 Watson Road. On-site interviews continue Thursday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the hotel. (KTVI Fox 2 St. Louis)
• MoDOT District Maintenance Engineer Bob Becker is reminding drivers to watch out for potholes in the St. Louis area. He also urges people to report them. MoDOT has an online form and a phone hotline (888-ASK-MODOT). Residents can also report potholes via email at comments@modot.mo.gov. (KTVI Fox 2 St. Louis)
• U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland will be in St. Louis today to speak at the Community Violence Intervention and Prevention Conference. It is the first meeting of its kind! (KTVI Fox 2 St. Louis)

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You're officially in the loop for today. See you all tomorrow for another update!

— Miranda Fraraccio

About me: Miranda Fraraccio is a staff writer for content creation agency Lightning Media Partners. She is a graduate of the University of Rhode Island, where she earned degrees in Writing & Rhetoric and Communication Studies. In her free time, you can find her traveling, drinking tea, or practicing film photography.