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Missouri students head back to the classroom in the shadow of the Delta surge
Fourth graders Addison, Reagan and Lauren Harper are no strangers to catastrophes or challenging circumstances. Five days after they were born in May 2011, a tornado swept through Joplin and leveled their home, destroying a chance at normalcy for their family — along with the entire community — for a long time. Ten years later, […]
St. Louis judge halts city evictions until Oct. 3, following CDC’s order
St. Louis City Circuit Court has halted evictions for city residents through Oct. 3, mirroring the federal eviction moratorium issued this week. The new federal prohibition on evicting renters behind on their payments covers those living in counties with high or substantial rates of community COVID-19 transmission, or places with more than 50 COVID-19 cases […]
Missouri’s eviction crisis could be a ‘humanitarian tragedy,’ advocates say
Melissa Pashia is hoping for any kind of good news today. The federal eviction moratorium ended Saturday, and she’s got her fingers crossed one of her clients will finally get approved for the rental assistance that they applied for in April through the State Assistance for Housing Relief Program (SAFHR). The aid approval would come just […]
New Missouri law mandates private space and break times for breastfeeding teachers
Eight months after her son was born, Webster Groves High School teacher Jaime Adamski broke down in tears at her doctor’s office. Her breast milk had declined significantly since she had gone back to work. “I was depressed, angry, frustrated,” she said. “I felt like I was not a good enough mother because I wasn’t […]
New law aims to help get more services to homeless teens in Missouri
Trysta Herzog owns a successful marketing business in Springfield. But when she was a teenager, she was homeless. At 15, Herzog and her older brother decided that living with their stepfather who was addicted to heroin was not the safest place for them. Learning from other teens like her, she knew she couldn’t tell her […]
St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones reflects on success, challenges of first 100 days
It’s been nearly 100 days since St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones stood on the white marble staircase of City Hall’s rotunda and was sworn in as mayor — becoming the first Black woman to hold the position. The city has not always protected its children, she said in her inauguration speech, nor has it fought […]
Betty Thompson and Hazel Erby became matriarchs of Black politics in St. Louis
The neighborhood children would affectionately call them “Mama Erby” and “Mama Thompson.” For decades, Former St. Louis County Councilwoman Hazel Erby and Former State Rep. Betty Thompson lived right behind each other in University City, a close-knit community in the St. Louis region. The neighborhood’s “mothers” would be the first ones to hear about any […]
St. Louis family sues police after 63-year-old disabled father is killed in ‘no-knock’ raid
Don Clark, a 63-year-old veteran from St. Louis, walked with a cane because his diabetes caused him to have swollen limbs, poor hearing and fading eyesight. On Feb. 21, 2017, he was exhausted from traveling by bus to his doctor’s appointment, Clark told his son on the phone that day. After he fell asleep that […]
Can Missouri get out rental assistance fast enough to prevent evictions?
Missouri has more than $300 million available in federal housing relief assistance and another $270 million on the way. But with the federal eviction moratorium set to expire July 31, can the state get this money out the door fast enough to keep Missourians in their homes? Since Feb. 15, the state has put $17.4 […]
Judge appoints new prosecutor in perjury case against Eric Greitens investigator
A St. Louis circuit judge has approved attorney Gerard Carmody’s motion to withdraw as the special prosecutor in the case of an ex-FBI agent charged with perjury and evidence tampering during the 2018 criminal investigation of former Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens. Johnson County Prosecutor Robert Russell will take Carmody’s place in the case of William […]
Gov. Parson signs bill to establish two new funds related to public safety
Missouri Gov. Mike Parson signed legislation Tuesday creating two new funds: one to support nonprofits working in high-crime areas and another to establish a stress management program for law-enforcement officers. The legislation, Senate Bill 57, also requires that all law-enforcement officers go through a mental health check-in every three to five years. “At the heart […]
St. Louis judge to decide whether special prosecutor can withdraw from Tisaby case
A St. Louis circuit judge on Thursday heard attorney Gerard Carmody’s motion to withdraw as the special prosecutor in the case of an ex-FBI agent charged with perjury and evidence tampering during the 2018 criminal investigation of former Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens. Judge Bryan Hettenbach will decide whether to allow Carmody to step away from […]