Showing posts with label St. Louis. Show all posts
Showing posts with label St. Louis. Show all posts
Saturday, July 05, 2025
Thursday, July 03, 2025
Saturday, May 17, 2025
Sunday, January 12, 2025
St. Louis prosecutor spent weeks away from office while in nursing school, audit finds
St. Louis Prosecutor© David Carson
Story by SUMMER BALLENTINE
COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — St. Louis’ embattled former Democratic prosecutor Kim Gardner spent the equivalent of seven weeks in nursing school classes during business hours, according to a scathing report released Tuesday by the state auditor.
Republican Auditor Scott Fitzpatrick's review also found widespread staff turnover, misuse of public funds and a significant drop in cases filed, referred and closed before Gardner resigned under fire in 2023.
“In my view, the driving force was Kim Gardner’s failure to make her job as circuit attorney her top priority,” Fitzpatrick told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
The audit found Gardner spent “34.5 working days, or approximately 7 weeks” doing nursing school coursework at Saint Louis University during business hours.
Gardner told auditors that she was pursuing a family nurse practitioner post-master’s certificate “to improve the office and bring mental health awareness” to the office.
The Associated Press left phone and email messages with lawyers for Gardner on Tuesday.
Other issues cited in the audit include more than $58,000 in public funds spent on flowers, a disc jockey, car detailing, an office picnic, a chili cookout and Gardner's personal legal expenses.
Getting information from the office while Gardner was in charge was difficult, according to auditors. Employees denied or delayed audit requests for two years until subpoenaed, and “full access to documents, personnel, and the office itself was only given after the new administration took over,” according to the audit report.
Related video: 'Taxpayers should be outraged': Missouri releases audit of Kim Gardner's office (KSDK-TV St. Louis)
Criticism of Gardner is not new.
At the time of her resignation, she was targeted for removal by Missouri Republican Attorney General Andrew Bailey. And GOP lawmakers were considering a bill allowing the Republican governor to appoint a special prosecutor to handle violent crimes, effectively removing the bulk of Gardner’s responsibilities.
Gardner was part of a movement of progressive prosecutors who sought diversion to mental health treatment or drug abuse treatment for low-level crimes, pledged to hold police more accountable, and sought to free incarcerated people who were wrongfully convicted.
Republican leaders often criticized Gardner for a low homicide conviction rate, among other concerns. She frequently butted heads with police and conservatives.
In 2018, Gardner charged former Gov. Eric Greitens, then a rising star in GOP politics, with felony invasion of privacy, accusing him of taking a compromising photo of a woman during an affair. The charge was eventually dropped. Greitens resigned in June 2018.
Scrutiny of the case led to the conviction of Gardner’s investigator, and Gardner received a written reprimand from the Missouri Supreme Court for how her office handled documents in the case.
Gardner got into more trouble after she directed her employees to issue checks to pay off a $5,004 fine related to that case, although she wasn’t entitled to the additional compensation. She agreed to repay the money with her own funds to avoid federal prosecution.
COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — St. Louis’ embattled former Democratic prosecutor Kim Gardner spent the equivalent of seven weeks in nursing school classes during business hours, according to a scathing report released Tuesday by the state auditor.
Republican Auditor Scott Fitzpatrick's review also found widespread staff turnover, misuse of public funds and a significant drop in cases filed, referred and closed before Gardner resigned under fire in 2023.
“In my view, the driving force was Kim Gardner’s failure to make her job as circuit attorney her top priority,” Fitzpatrick told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
The audit found Gardner spent “34.5 working days, or approximately 7 weeks” doing nursing school coursework at Saint Louis University during business hours.
Gardner told auditors that she was pursuing a family nurse practitioner post-master’s certificate “to improve the office and bring mental health awareness” to the office.
The Associated Press left phone and email messages with lawyers for Gardner on Tuesday.
Other issues cited in the audit include more than $58,000 in public funds spent on flowers, a disc jockey, car detailing, an office picnic, a chili cookout and Gardner's personal legal expenses.
Getting information from the office while Gardner was in charge was difficult, according to auditors. Employees denied or delayed audit requests for two years until subpoenaed, and “full access to documents, personnel, and the office itself was only given after the new administration took over,” according to the audit report.
Related video: 'Taxpayers should be outraged': Missouri releases audit of Kim Gardner's office (KSDK-TV St. Louis)Criticism of Gardner is not new.
At the time of her resignation, she was targeted for removal by Missouri Republican Attorney General Andrew Bailey. And GOP lawmakers were considering a bill allowing the Republican governor to appoint a special prosecutor to handle violent crimes, effectively removing the bulk of Gardner’s responsibilities.
Gardner was part of a movement of progressive prosecutors who sought diversion to mental health treatment or drug abuse treatment for low-level crimes, pledged to hold police more accountable, and sought to free incarcerated people who were wrongfully convicted.
Republican leaders often criticized Gardner for a low homicide conviction rate, among other concerns. She frequently butted heads with police and conservatives.
In 2018, Gardner charged former Gov. Eric Greitens, then a rising star in GOP politics, with felony invasion of privacy, accusing him of taking a compromising photo of a woman during an affair. The charge was eventually dropped. Greitens resigned in June 2018.
Scrutiny of the case led to the conviction of Gardner’s investigator, and Gardner received a written reprimand from the Missouri Supreme Court for how her office handled documents in the case.
Gardner got into more trouble after she directed her employees to issue checks to pay off a $5,004 fine related to that case, although she wasn’t entitled to the additional compensation. She agreed to repay the money with her own funds to avoid federal prosecution.
Saturday, July 28, 2012
Saturday, April 23, 2011
St. Louis Airport Closed After Reported Tornado Rips Through Facility
Published April 23, 2011
FoxNews.com
An apparent tornado ripped through St. Louis' International Airport Friday, injuring several people and forcing the airport to be closed indefinitely.
There was extensive damage to the airport's busiest terminal, where 40 to 50 percent of glass was blown in, according to Lambert-St. Louis International Airport Spokesman Jeff Lea.
Mayor Francis Slay said Lambert would be shut down "indefinitely," impacting 256 daily departures and arrivals from the facility.
Gov. Jay Nixon announced late Friday he had declared a state of emergency, allowing state agencies to assist local jurisdictions with their emergency responses to the storm's aftermath, including the destruction at Lambert.
"The state of Missouri is ready to assist at every stage of this emergency to keep Missouri families safe and help communities recover," Nixon said.
Friday evening's storm at Lambert-St. Louis International Airport ripped away a large section of the main terminal's roof, forcing the airport to close indefinitely and diverting incoming flights to other cities.
"We have all hands on deck here," Mayor Francis Slay said at the airport. "This is something we're putting a lot of attention to."
But amid all the damage, there was relief that things could have been worse. Only four people with minor injuries were taken to the hospital from Lambert, while an unspecified number of others were treated at the scene for cuts blamed on flying glass.
"We're fortunate we didn't have larger (numbers) of injuries," said airport director Rhonda Hamm-Niebruegge.
The airport's main terminal sustained the most damage. Hamm-Niebruegge said roughly half of that structure's windows were blown out, sending glass and rain into that building. Elsewhere on the property, trees were toppled and power lines downed, further limiting access to the airport even hours after the storm left its destruction.
Passengers from at least two planes were stranded briefly on the Lambert tarmac because of debris but were later taken away by buses. An Air National Guard facility at the airport was reportedly damaged.
Installation and roofing tile was strewn about the inside and outside of one terminal. Large, plate-glass windows were blown out. A shuttle was teetering precariously from the top level of a parking garage.
Dianna Merrill, 43, a mail carrier from St. Louis, was at Lambert waiting to fly to New York with a friend for vacation. She said her flight had been delayed by weather and she was looking out a window hoping her plane would pull up. But the window suddenly exploded.
"Glass was blowing everywhere. The ceiling was falling. The glass was hitting us in the face. Hail and rain were coming in. The wind was blowing debris all over the place," she said. "It was like being in a horror movie. Grown men were crying. It was horrible."
Merrill said she felt lucky to be alive and that airport workers quickly moved people to stairwells and bathrooms to get them out of harm's way.
St. Louis County Police Chief Tim Fitch, who was at the airport when the storm was closing in, said he saw gawkers watching the weather outside as the tornado sirens blared. Moments later, they hastily scrambled inside the building and sought shelter in a restroom.
"About the time we came into the building, the doors blew off," he said. "Literally 10 seconds later, it was over. It's amazing to me more people weren't hurt."
Elsewhere around St. Louis, residents in suburbs were waking to damaged homes, fallen trees and downed power lines -- the remains of a fierce line of storms that moved through central and eastern Missouri.
Unconfirmed tornadoes were reported in several counties in the St. Louis area, and at one point utility company Ameren Missouri reported more than 47,000 power outages, with another 7,000 reported in Illinois.
In the suburbs of Maryland Heights and New Melle, the storms damaged several dozen homes but there were no immediate reports of major injuries. Some playground equipment in New Melle was left in a twisted heap by the storm that also tore up roofs and ripped off siding.
Brandon Blecher, 16, said he was home watching the storm out his window in Maryland Heights when he spotted the tornado coming toward his house. A gust of wind knocked out his window.
"The giant wooden swing set in my neighbor's yard came into my yard and a shed landed on my deck," he said. "The tornado was right on top of us."
Maryland Heights police were dealing with reports of gas leaks and downed trees that were blocking roadways.
The city's community center was opened as a shelter Friday night for residents affected by the storm.
"We have electricity, and everything's fine," Vaughn said. "We have heat and air. We'll be here as long as we need to be."
Damage, possibly from a tornado, was also reported at several towns near the airport -- Bridgeton, St. Ann, Ferguson and Florissant. Interstate 270 in that area was closed. Trees and power lines were down. A tractor-trailer was sitting on its end.
In downtown St. Louis, Busch Stadium officials hurriedly moved Cardinals fans to a safe area as tornado sirens blared. The game with the Cincinnati Reds was delayed for hours but later resumed.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
FoxNews.com
April 22: Storm damage is seen next to a parking garage outside terminal one at St. Louis International Airport in St. Louis. Several people at Lambert Airport in St. Louis were injured Friday after an apparent tornado touched down, spewing debris over the airfield, bursting glass in the concourse and damaging cars atop a parking garage. (AP)
An apparent tornado ripped through St. Louis' International Airport Friday, injuring several people and forcing the airport to be closed indefinitely.
There was extensive damage to the airport's busiest terminal, where 40 to 50 percent of glass was blown in, according to Lambert-St. Louis International Airport Spokesman Jeff Lea.
Mayor Francis Slay said Lambert would be shut down "indefinitely," impacting 256 daily departures and arrivals from the facility.
Gov. Jay Nixon announced late Friday he had declared a state of emergency, allowing state agencies to assist local jurisdictions with their emergency responses to the storm's aftermath, including the destruction at Lambert.
"The state of Missouri is ready to assist at every stage of this emergency to keep Missouri families safe and help communities recover," Nixon said.
Friday evening's storm at Lambert-St. Louis International Airport ripped away a large section of the main terminal's roof, forcing the airport to close indefinitely and diverting incoming flights to other cities.
"We have all hands on deck here," Mayor Francis Slay said at the airport. "This is something we're putting a lot of attention to."
But amid all the damage, there was relief that things could have been worse. Only four people with minor injuries were taken to the hospital from Lambert, while an unspecified number of others were treated at the scene for cuts blamed on flying glass.
"We're fortunate we didn't have larger (numbers) of injuries," said airport director Rhonda Hamm-Niebruegge.
The airport's main terminal sustained the most damage. Hamm-Niebruegge said roughly half of that structure's windows were blown out, sending glass and rain into that building. Elsewhere on the property, trees were toppled and power lines downed, further limiting access to the airport even hours after the storm left its destruction.
Passengers from at least two planes were stranded briefly on the Lambert tarmac because of debris but were later taken away by buses. An Air National Guard facility at the airport was reportedly damaged.
Installation and roofing tile was strewn about the inside and outside of one terminal. Large, plate-glass windows were blown out. A shuttle was teetering precariously from the top level of a parking garage.
Dianna Merrill, 43, a mail carrier from St. Louis, was at Lambert waiting to fly to New York with a friend for vacation. She said her flight had been delayed by weather and she was looking out a window hoping her plane would pull up. But the window suddenly exploded.
"Glass was blowing everywhere. The ceiling was falling. The glass was hitting us in the face. Hail and rain were coming in. The wind was blowing debris all over the place," she said. "It was like being in a horror movie. Grown men were crying. It was horrible."
Merrill said she felt lucky to be alive and that airport workers quickly moved people to stairwells and bathrooms to get them out of harm's way.
St. Louis County Police Chief Tim Fitch, who was at the airport when the storm was closing in, said he saw gawkers watching the weather outside as the tornado sirens blared. Moments later, they hastily scrambled inside the building and sought shelter in a restroom.
"About the time we came into the building, the doors blew off," he said. "Literally 10 seconds later, it was over. It's amazing to me more people weren't hurt."
Elsewhere around St. Louis, residents in suburbs were waking to damaged homes, fallen trees and downed power lines -- the remains of a fierce line of storms that moved through central and eastern Missouri.
Unconfirmed tornadoes were reported in several counties in the St. Louis area, and at one point utility company Ameren Missouri reported more than 47,000 power outages, with another 7,000 reported in Illinois.
In the suburbs of Maryland Heights and New Melle, the storms damaged several dozen homes but there were no immediate reports of major injuries. Some playground equipment in New Melle was left in a twisted heap by the storm that also tore up roofs and ripped off siding.
Brandon Blecher, 16, said he was home watching the storm out his window in Maryland Heights when he spotted the tornado coming toward his house. A gust of wind knocked out his window.
"The giant wooden swing set in my neighbor's yard came into my yard and a shed landed on my deck," he said. "The tornado was right on top of us."
Maryland Heights police were dealing with reports of gas leaks and downed trees that were blocking roadways.
The city's community center was opened as a shelter Friday night for residents affected by the storm.
"We have electricity, and everything's fine," Vaughn said. "We have heat and air. We'll be here as long as we need to be."
Damage, possibly from a tornado, was also reported at several towns near the airport -- Bridgeton, St. Ann, Ferguson and Florissant. Interstate 270 in that area was closed. Trees and power lines were down. A tractor-trailer was sitting on its end.
In downtown St. Louis, Busch Stadium officials hurriedly moved Cardinals fans to a safe area as tornado sirens blared. The game with the Cincinnati Reds was delayed for hours but later resumed.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
.
.
Thursday, January 07, 2010
Police: 3 people shot at St. Louis factory
January 7, 2010 10:18 a.m. EST
A spokesman for ABB Inc. confirms there was a shooting at the St. Louis, Missouri, plant.
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
NEW: No info so far to indicate shooter was an employee, company spokesman says
Police surround building near factory; factory evacuated, company says
Shooter was armed with assault rifle; shooter's location unknown, say police
RELATED TOPICS
Shootings
St. Louis
Police surround building near factory; factory evacuated, company says
Shooter was armed with assault rifle; shooter's location unknown, say police
RELATED TOPICS
Shootings
St. Louis
(CNN) -- Three people have been shot at a transformer manufacturing facility in St. Louis, Missouri, police said Thursday.
St. Louis police said they did not know the location of the shooter, who they said was armed with an assault rifle. Police said they have surrounded a nearby building.
"It's pretty sketchy at this point," ABB spokesman Bob Fesmire told CNN. He said police had evacuated the building.
KSDK: Police search for shooter, additional victims
A 911 call was made to police about 6:30 a.m., Fesmire said.
Normally, there are about 100 employees inside the facility, but because of heavy snow, some of them likely were unable to reach work, he added.
He said there was no information so far to indicate that the shooter was an employee.
. St. Louis police said they did not know the location of the shooter, who they said was armed with an assault rifle. Police said they have surrounded a nearby building.
"It's pretty sketchy at this point," ABB spokesman Bob Fesmire told CNN. He said police had evacuated the building.
KSDK: Police search for shooter, additional victims
A 911 call was made to police about 6:30 a.m., Fesmire said.
Normally, there are about 100 employees inside the facility, but because of heavy snow, some of them likely were unable to reach work, he added.
He said there was no information so far to indicate that the shooter was an employee.
.
Sunday, November 08, 2009
3 Women Shot to Death as They Sat in Car With Kids
Sunday, November 08, 2009
EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. — Investigators on Sunday captured a man they believe opened fire on a car parked at a gas station, killing three women, including an acquaintance of the suspect, state investigators said. Children inside the bullet-riddled vehicle escaped harm.
All the wounded in Saturday night's shooting outside the Crown Food Mart in East St. Louis were shot several times, mostly in the torso, and died later at a hospital, Illinois State Police Lt. James Morrisey said. At least one victim knew the gunman, Morrisey said, though the precise relationship was not clear.
Jay Makhluf, a co-owner of the convenience store, told The Associated Press he was working behind the counter when he heard what sounded like about 14 gunshots.
"He just emptied the whole gun," said Makhluf, who hustled outside to offer medical assistance but quickly found it was futile. "The women were already dead. It didn't take long for them to die. They were shot in the head, in the chest, in the neck. It's sick."
Makhluf said it looked like one of the women had covered a child with her body to shield the youngster.
Police in neighboring St. Louis arrested the suspect Sunday night at an apartment after an intensive search for the white, four-door 1993 Mercury Grand Marquis he supposedly drove to and from the shooting, Morrisey said.
The suspect's name was not released because charges had not been filed.
Police accounts conflicted Sunday night about how many children were in the car at the time. Morrisey said the children numbered three, one more than East St. Louis police Detective Ken Berry's number reported by the Belleville News-Democrat.
Their ages and relationships to the slain women — Canikia Harvey, 26, Raykel Gathing, 26, Jaimaca McDaniel, 24, all of East St. Louis — were not readily available.
"It's a bad enough tragedy as it is, but I think it's very fortunate none of the children were struck," Morrisey said.
Messages left with East St. Louis police and St. Clair County Coroner Rick Stone were not immediately returned.
Morrisey said the women and children were sitting in a car about 9:30 p.m. Saturday on the convenience store's lot when the suspect drove up, exchanged words briefly with at least one of the women and began firing with a handgun. The shooter then sped away, Morrisey said.
By Sunday night, Makhluf said, the gas pump where the women were gunned down was a makeshift memorial, adorned with flowers and a teddy bear. The pump was out of service for the day as a sign of respect for the victims' families, Makhluf said.
McDaniel's father, Willie Holmes, told the Belleville newspaper the murdered women were good friends and that his daughter had three sons. It was not clear whether those boys were the children in the car.
The killings bring the number of homicides in East St. Louis this year to 27. There were 19 in 2008.
Source: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,573046,00.html
.
EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. — Investigators on Sunday captured a man they believe opened fire on a car parked at a gas station, killing three women, including an acquaintance of the suspect, state investigators said. Children inside the bullet-riddled vehicle escaped harm.
All the wounded in Saturday night's shooting outside the Crown Food Mart in East St. Louis were shot several times, mostly in the torso, and died later at a hospital, Illinois State Police Lt. James Morrisey said. At least one victim knew the gunman, Morrisey said, though the precise relationship was not clear.
Jay Makhluf, a co-owner of the convenience store, told The Associated Press he was working behind the counter when he heard what sounded like about 14 gunshots.
"He just emptied the whole gun," said Makhluf, who hustled outside to offer medical assistance but quickly found it was futile. "The women were already dead. It didn't take long for them to die. They were shot in the head, in the chest, in the neck. It's sick."
Makhluf said it looked like one of the women had covered a child with her body to shield the youngster.
Police in neighboring St. Louis arrested the suspect Sunday night at an apartment after an intensive search for the white, four-door 1993 Mercury Grand Marquis he supposedly drove to and from the shooting, Morrisey said.
The suspect's name was not released because charges had not been filed.
Police accounts conflicted Sunday night about how many children were in the car at the time. Morrisey said the children numbered three, one more than East St. Louis police Detective Ken Berry's number reported by the Belleville News-Democrat.
Their ages and relationships to the slain women — Canikia Harvey, 26, Raykel Gathing, 26, Jaimaca McDaniel, 24, all of East St. Louis — were not readily available.
"It's a bad enough tragedy as it is, but I think it's very fortunate none of the children were struck," Morrisey said.
Messages left with East St. Louis police and St. Clair County Coroner Rick Stone were not immediately returned.
Morrisey said the women and children were sitting in a car about 9:30 p.m. Saturday on the convenience store's lot when the suspect drove up, exchanged words briefly with at least one of the women and began firing with a handgun. The shooter then sped away, Morrisey said.
By Sunday night, Makhluf said, the gas pump where the women were gunned down was a makeshift memorial, adorned with flowers and a teddy bear. The pump was out of service for the day as a sign of respect for the victims' families, Makhluf said.
McDaniel's father, Willie Holmes, told the Belleville newspaper the murdered women were good friends and that his daughter had three sons. It was not clear whether those boys were the children in the car.
The killings bring the number of homicides in East St. Louis this year to 27. There were 19 in 2008.
Source: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,573046,00.html
.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)