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An 18-year-old has been charged with spray-painting racist graffiti on two schools in the Affton School District within the past week.

ST. LOUIS - Residents in the area should prepare for potentially severe thunderstorms on Friday, March 14, 2025, as the National Weather Service has issued a severe thunderstorm risk warning. The storms are expected to bring widespread damaging winds, with gusts exceeding 70 mph possible, according to Marshall Pfahler of the National Weather Service in St. Louis. The threat of tornadoes cannot be ruled out, Pfahler said, and large hail is also a concern. Pfahler emphasized that the most significant risk is associated with damaging winds, which are anticipated to be the primary hazard. The NWS predicted timeframe for these storms is projected to occur between 7 p.m. and 10 p.m. Friday, March 14, 2025. Pfahler noted that the storms are expected to move quickly, impacting locations for only a short period but delivering intense conditions. He advised residents to have a reliable method for receiving weather warnings and to be prepared with a plan in case of severe weather alerts. As

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Letter To The Editor: The residents of Alton are lucky to have Cheryl Ingle as their City Clerk and would be wise to reelect her for a second term. I had the great pleasure of working with Cheryl Ingle in the City’s Community Development Department for several years. Prior to that, I was aware of Cheryl’s friendly disposition and her willingness to help anyone in need, but it wasn’t until I worked alongside her that I became truly aware of her intelligence, vast knowledge and dedication to the City of Alton. Cheryl’s technical expertise regarding government guidelines, her ability to work on complicated budgets, and her immense number of personal contacts were a huge benefit to our department. These skills, abilities and relationships are what have led her through a successful first term as City Clerk. Cheryl possesses all the traits that make someone a great public servant: she has a desire to work for the good of the people of the City of Alton, she is

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ALTON – The Alton Police Department is currently investigating a burglary that took place at Funky Cards and Collectibles shortly after 11 p.m. on Tuesday, March 11, 2025. Officers responded to a report of a broken window at the store, located at 104 W 3rd Street. Upon their arrival, officers found evidence of further damage inside the business and confirmed that several items had been stolen. No suspects were present at the scene when law enforcement arrived. The case has been assigned to the Criminal Investigation Division of the Alton Police Department, which is actively pursuing leads related to the incident. Authorities are urging anyone with information about the burglary to contact the Alton Police Department at 618-463-3505 ext. 634.

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Bayer within a week will lift the veil of secrecy on some documents detailing its campaign to influence public opinion regarding the safety of its herbicide Roundup, attorneys said Wednesday. In a hearing in Jefferson City before Clifford Cornell, a special master assigned to deal with pre-trial disputes, Bayer attorney Anthony Martinez said records delivered to a plaintiff’s attorney under seal are being reviewed. The hearing focused on 46 of those records, which attorney Matt Clement contends…

A family member and multiple witnesses identified Patrick Sloan as the suspect shown in surveillance video, charging documents say.

Letter To The Editor: I am writing this letter in support of Godfrey Village Clerk, Susan Robbins. I first met Susan in October 2021 at a week-long training. During that week, I was impressed with Susan’s knowledge of City government, her very kind demeanor, and professionalism. My opinion of Susan has not changed since that week, and as I have gotten to know her over the past 4 years, I am 100% confident she is the best choice to continue as the Godfrey Village Clerk. What you may not know is that Susan is a Certified Municipal Clerk. That is an extraordinary accomplishment, and an achievement that requires dedication, determination and a willingness to devote a lot of time outside of work to achieve. In addition to that, she is working on the Masters Municipal Clerk certification, a designation that few Clerks achieve. I am so proud of what she has accomplished and am excited to see what she will accomplish in the future for the Village. Beyond a doubt, Susan Robbins is

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WOOD RIVER — Camden Seibert, a senior at East Alton-Wood River High School, is being recognized for his dedication to baseball, a sport he has played for approximately 10 years. Seibert, who has consistently demonstrated a strong work ethic both in athletics and academics, attributes much of his success to the unwavering support of his mother. Seibert expressed gratitude for his mother's encouragement throughout his baseball journey. "She’s been my biggest supporter throughout my baseball career and I wouldn’t be anywhere without her support and her belief in me through the years," he said. Under the guidance of Coach Tim Bond, Seibert has developed skills that have contributed to his recognition. He noted that balancing sports and academics has honed his time management abilities, allowing him to excel in both areas. Seibert is a Midwest Members Male Athlete of the Month for the Oilers. "You’ll never see me half-working for anything," he said, emphasizing

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The severe storms are expected to spin up 'nocturnal' twisters. Here's why the timing heightens the danger.

The changes will take effect on March 17 as part of the quarterly service change.

EDWARDSVILLE - At a recent candidates forum, candidates for the Lewis and Clark Community College District 536 Board of Trustees introduced themselves to voters. On Wednesday, March 12, 2025, community members gathered at The Wildey Theater in Edwardsville for the forum, hosted by the League of Women Voters and the NAACP. There are four candidates running for three seats. Tammy Smith-Williams was unable to attend the forum. Abigail Eilerman, Donna Ware and George Ellis introduced themselves and answered questions about their goals for the students and administration at LCCC. Abigail Eilerman is a first-time candidate and lifelong Riverbend resident. She graduated from Jerseyville High School and attended SIUE School of Pharmacy. She opened and managed a specialty pharmacy for Walgreens in Springfield. Currently, she teaches at the SIU School of Dental Medicine. She has four children and lives in Jerseyville. “I think that I’m kind of uniquely qualified for a

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Thursday is bringing another day of warm temperatures and sunshine, but also with a side of haze.

WOOD RIVER - Camey Adams, a senior at East Alton-Wood River High School (EAWR), is being recognized for her outstanding achievements in softball. With a decade of experience in the sport, Adams has dedicated herself to honing her skills year-round, supported by her coach, Mike Beachum, and her family. Adams is a Midwest Members Credit Union Female Athlete of the Month for the Oilers. Adams attributes much of her success to the encouragement from her mother and younger sister, who have been her steadfast supporters throughout her athletic journey. “My mom and my little sister have always been there to support me,” she said. Playing softball for approximately 10 years, Adams has developed a passion for the sport, particularly enjoying its competitive nature. “I love the competitiveness of it,” she said, highlighting how the sport has shaped her character and leadership abilities. In addition to her accomplishments on the field, Adams has excelled academically.

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This is the second in our series of Q&As with people who have firsthand experience with the Texas Citizens Participation Act. Read the first Q&A with Carol Hemphill here.

ProPublica’s Charles Ornstein knows a thing or two about why laws protecting reporters from meritless lawsuits are so important.

In 2018, Dr. O.H. “Bud” Frazier sued Ornstein and another reporter, Mike Hixenbaugh, over an article they wrote reporting both on Frazier’s medical breakthroughs, and on accusations that he violated federal research rules and skirted ethical guidelines.

To defend themselves, the journalists and their outlets turned to the Texas Citizens Participation Act, a law that protects defendants from meritless lawsuits based on speech, known as strategic lawsuits against public participation, or SLAPPs. In 2024, the case was dismissed under the TCPA.

Ornstein has written about the impact of the lawsuit before. But as the Texas legislature considers proposals to change the TCPA in ways that would make it more expensive for SLAPP victims to defend themselves and more difficult to recover their attorneys fees, we wanted to revisit the case and get Ornstein’s take on why these parts of the law matter. Here’s what he had to say.

The lawsuit brought by Dr. Frazier against you took six years and two appeals to resolve. You’ve written about how the litigation wore on you. What were some of the impacts on you, personally, and professionally?

Being sued is a really nerve-wracking process. Every time we were sent a legal document, I felt a huge pit in my stomach. I also quickly learned that the simple fact of being a defendant has a ripple effect. When my wife and I applied for a mortgage, I answered truthfully that I was a defendant in a lawsuit. And even though ProPublica agreed that they would cover any liability within the scope of my employment, I was denied the mortgage and had to scramble to find another lender willing to “take the risk” of having me as a client.

More than that, the way I was portrayed in the legal papers filed by Dr. Frazier bore no resemblance to the careful journalist I have spent my whole career trying to be. Much of my reporting was based on official legal documents, correspondence involving a hospital’s board, federal records and on-the-record interviews. And yet I was portrayed as a callous journalist without regard for facts. It was a vindication when the court ruled that our story was a true representation of the proceedings.

The trial court twice denied motions to dismiss the case under the TCPA. You appealed, and the Court of Appeals said the trial court got it wrong both times and ultimately ordered that the case be dismissed. Under the TCPA, the trial court proceedings were stayed during your appeals. Why is the stay of trial court proceedings important to defendants like you?

The stay is crucial because it freezes the legal process known as discovery. During discovery, Dr. Frazier could have sought to depose us or try to obtain our reporting materials, including sensitive information about our sources. We might have had to fight over any agreements involving anonymity. For journalists, the ability to keep our sources confidential is a key reason people feel comfortable talking to us. If a plaintiff can force a journalist to identify a source before a final decision has been made on the TCPA motion, sensitive information could be disclosed unnecessarily. That’s not only unfair to journalists, it’s also unfair to whistleblowers and those who want to make their workplaces better and safer by trusting journalists with their stories. And remember the stay is not permanent. If the higher courts determine the lawsuit has a sound basis, discovery can begin. Also, it’s worth noting that our records were under a legal hold, meaning we couldn’t destroy them. So there was no risk that the records wouldn’t be there if discovery did begin.

If a plaintiff can force a journalist to identify a source before a final decision has been made on the TCPA motion, sensitive information could be disclosed unnecessarily.

Charles Ornstein

A new proposed bill would remove the automatic stay of proceedings during certain appeals of the denial of a TCPA motion, meaning that discovery and other trial proceedings could go forward while the case is on appeal. How would you and your co-defendants have been impacted if you had to continue your case in the trial court even as you were appealing it to the Court of Appeals?

As mentioned above, the idea of simultaneously being deposed and producing records while also trying to work on legal pleadings to prove the case was baseless would have been a lot for us and our lawyers. It also could have had a chilling effect on sources. The trial court judges in our case made clear errors of law in their rulings. In one instance, the judge adopted findings of fact written by the plaintiff even though we had established some of the evidence cited was mischaracterized by the plaintiff.

How much does a lawsuit like the one brought against you cost to defend, and why is it important that defendants who win a TCPA motion be able to recover the money they spend defending themselves?

These cases are so expensive. News organizations like ProPublica must take them incredibly seriously. Even with libel insurance, which we have, no news organization wants to lose a suit involving stories that are true and which were reported with integrity. Even if you win, they can cause premiums to go up, making it even more expensive to publish journalism in the public interest, as we do.

Recouping some of the funds it takes to defend against baseless suits to offset attorneys costs can be so important to cash-strapped newsrooms, and it hopefully acts as a deterrent for those who think that the mere threat of a lawsuit can head off a story they may not like. It’s fair to say that lawsuits like this cost many hundreds of thousands of dollars because, remember, it went up and down the Texas court system twice before being finally dismissed.

A new proposed bill would change the TCPA to make the award of attorneys fees to a winning defendant discretionary instead of mandatory. As someone who successfully used the TCPA to defend yourself but also had a trial court that ruled against you twice, do you have concerns about giving trial courts the option of denying fees to prevailing defendants?

Of course I do because, remember, the trial courts in our case erred twice in not throwing the case out under TCPA. The appeals court finally did that. If a lawsuit is determined to be baseless, the plaintiff should be required to pay for the attorney fees. (As I mentioned above, this can be extremely expensive as these cases can drag on for many years, even with the anti-SLAPP law.) If the whole goal is to reduce frivolous suits, then a finding that a suit was frivolous should automatically result in an award of attorney’s fees.

If the whole goal is to reduce frivolous suits, then a finding that a suit was frivolous should automatically result in an award of attorney’s fees.

Charles Ornstein

Do you think that weakening or repealing anti-SLAPP laws like the TCPA threatens journalism and free speech, and if so, why?

There’s a misperception that only journalists want anti-SLAPP laws. That’s not true. Businesses and others whose public participation can be seen as a threat want them, too. Speaking the truth should not subject you to drummed-up lawsuits, endless legal proceedings, and legal fees that, without an organization like ProPublica behind me, could have bankrupted me. Truthful articles like ours should be celebrated, not threatened, and weakening laws like TCPA sends the absolute wrong message.

Longtime David Bowie producer Tony Visconti is sharing details of the final conversation he had with Bowie before his January 2016 death from liver cancer.“He said, ‘I’ve got something to…

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Brad Dean replaces longtime Explore St. Louis president Kitty Ratcliffe, who retired roughly 10 months before her contract expired and in the middle of a troubled expansion of the America's Center downtown convention facility.