Rachel Lippmann
Justice Reporter, St. Louis Public RadioRachel Lippmann covers courts, public safety and city politics for St. Louis Public Radio. (She jokingly refers to them as the “nothing ever happens beats.”) She joined the NPR Member station in her hometown in 2008, after spending two years in Lansing covering the Michigan Capitol and various other state political shenanigans for NPR Member stations there. Though she’s a native St. Louisan, part of her heart definitely remains in the Mitten. (And no, she’s not going to tell you where she went to high school.)
Rachel has an undergraduate degree from the Medill School of Journalism, and a master’s in public affairs reporting from the University of Illinois at Springfield. When she’s not busy pursuing the latest scoop, you can find her mentoring her Big Brothers Big Sisters match, hitting the running and biking paths in south St. Louis, catching the latest sporting event on TV, playing with every dog she possibly can, or spending time with the great friends she’s met in more than nine years in this city.
Rachel’s on Twitter @rlippmann. Even with 240 characters, spellings are still phonetic.
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Missouri lawmakers in 2022 passed legislation requiring voters to show photo identification to cast a ballot and placing limits on the work of groups who hold voter registration drives. On Tuesday, the state Supreme Court ruled against the registration restrictions but allowed photo ID to continue. -
Last July, a judge struck down a 2017 St. Louis ordinance that required gun owners to use lock boxes if they wanted to leave firearms in unattended vehicles, saying that it violated Missouri's law banning local gun regulations. The city of St. Louis appealed. -
Ex-Florissant officer Julian Alcala admitted that he pulled over victims for minor traffic violations, then searched through their phones and sent intimate photos and videos to his own phone. -
Christopher Dunn was convicted of murder in 1991 based on the testimony of two adolescent boys who both later recanted. A judge threw out the conviction in 2024, but the Missouri attorney general's office has appealed the decision. -
Haddix pleaded guilty in March 2025 for crimes related to lying about having a chimp named Tonka. But her attorneys say the 46-month sentence is higher than federal sentencing guidelines. -
Riverview mayor Michael Cornell Jr. was arrested Thursday during a traffic stop. He's charged with assaulting four people over the course of 10 years, and is being held on a $1 million cash bond. -
In his 2026 State of the State address, Gov. Mike Kehoe said he wants a statewide vote in November on his plan to phase out the state income tax and allow for taxes on things like monthly subscriptions and digital services. Democrats have questioned whether that's possible without wrecking future budgets. -
A new photo shows the person being sought outside the Clayton home where the fires started on Aug. 5. The FBI, the Jewish Federation of St. Louis and other groups are offering rewards that total about $57,000. -
Florissant Police offier Julian Alcala pulled over victims for minor traffic violations then took their phones, ostensibly to check for electronic proof of insurance or vehicle registration. Instead, he searched through photo albums and sent intimate photos and videos to his own phone. -
Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway’s office argued that the anti-redistricting referendum attempt violates the state and U.S. constitutions by infringing on the legislature's sole authority to draw maps. The federal case is one of multiple legal battles over state lawmakers' mid-decade redistricting effort.
