Missouri, Illinois Up Ante To Lure Spy Agency

As a federal spy agency weighs where to relocate in the St. Louis area, it now is being offered free land at two sites. Several top political leaders from the Missouri side of the region say 99 acres of no-cost land is now part of the effort to woo the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency to north St. Louis. Illinois leaders are also offering free land near Scott Air Force Base and have pledged $115 million for transportation improvements. Two St. Louis County sites are also in the running. The agency's western regional headquarters are currently near the Anheuser-Busch brewery south of downtown, but a bigger, more modern facility is needed. The agency employs more than 3,000 workers. An announcement is expected next month.