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The St. Louis Department of Public Safety is alleging the Sheriff's Office failed to transport about a half dozen inmates emergency trips to the hospital in the past week.

The special session bills to fund professional sports stadiums in Kansas City and provide disaster relief to St. Louis passed House committees easily on Tuesday, setting up final votes that will send them to Gov. Mike Kehoe. There were no changes from the Senate-approved versions as the stadium financing bill passed the House Economic Development […]

Authorities said that this is not the first time these fire incidents have occurred in the North County neighborhood. 

A Republican effort to repeal a federal law barring violence against reproductive health clinics and houses of worship won the backing of the U.S. House Judiciary Committee on Tuesday and now heads to the full House for consideration. The Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act was passed by Congress in 1994, one year after […]

The Trump administration’s deployment of National Guard troops and U.S. Marines to protests over immigration raids in Los Angeles will cost the federal government about $134 million, a Pentagon budget official said Tuesday, as the response to the protests further divided officials in California and Washington, D.C. The situation in the country’s second-largest city captured […]

U.S. consumer protection (or what’s left of it after several devastating Supreme Court rulings and Trump executive orders) is on life support. But one bright spot continues to be the “right to repair” movement, which is working to fight repair monopolies and make it cheaper and easier to repair the tech you own. Washington state […]

In a 5-2 ruling Tuesday, the Missouri Supreme Court rejected a transgender student’s claim that he faced sex discrimination when the Blue Springs School District denied him access to single-sex locker rooms and bathrooms. The case did not seek a ruling on the constitutionality of school districts barring transgender students from sex-designated spaces. Instead, it […]

ALTON - Alton couple Dale and Carol Neudecker were recently honored by Pride Inc. with the Legacy Award for their decades of dedication to beautifying the community. The Neudeckers have been instrumental in numerous projects in Alton, including the creation of the Bucket Brigade, which has organized volunteers to paint more than 1,500 houses over the years. Their efforts also include installing planters and lampposts with hanging baskets, inspired by a city in Wisconsin, which have become a notable feature of the Upper Alton area. The Bucket Brigade idea has been emulated across the country by those who have heard of what Dale started here. In an interview following the award presentation, Dale Neudecker reflected on the origins and impact of their work. “One of the main things was the Bucket Brigade. I came up with that idea and we have churches, businesses involved and everyone I could corral to paint houses,” he said. “After all these years, past 1,500 houses

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Residents in Cahokia Heights are dealing with even more roadway construction in an already busy area. Railroad crossings are shut down at three separate intersections while crews work on the tracks.

A former St. Louis County middle school principal is facing multiple charges related to child sexual abuse of former students. On Tuesday, attorneys representing the victims announced plans to file civil lawsuits and are looking for additional victims.

ALTON – Summer is here, and temps are warmer, and that means one thing – more fun in the sun. Riverbend region residents will be outside enjoying time at the lake or on the river, playing in backyards or spending time at parks. But more fun in the sun can also pose health risks and dangers – particularly when speaking of skin cancer. With our calendars telling us warmer weather is on the way, OSF Moeller Cancer Center (2200 Central Ave, Alton, IL, 62002) will be hosting a FREE skin cancer screening event on Monday, June 23, 3:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. This screening event is “first come, first serve.” Individuals will be seen in order of arrival. The last person to be seen will be checked in no later than 5:30 PM. For more information, interested individuals can contact: Karen Boyd at 618-433-7609 or email Karen.K.Boyd@osfhealthcare.org Jessica Williams at 618-433-7610 or email Jessica.R.Williams@osfhealthcare.org Skin cancer is the out-of-control

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by María Inés Zamudio, Invisible Institute

This article was produced for ProPublica’s Local Reporting Network in partnership with the Invisible Institute and co-published with the Chicago Sun-Times and WBEZ. Sign up for Dispatches to get stories like this one as soon as they are published.

A former Chicago police officer pleaded guilty on Tuesday to felony charges in connection with two incidents of sexual misconduct involving female colleagues — one that occurred while at the police training academy and one at a police precinct.

The case against Eric Tabb was highlighted in an Invisible Institute-ProPublica investigation that found that Chicago police officials have frequently failed to vigorously investigate allegations of sexual misconduct made against city officers.

Tabb, 35, pleaded guilty to two counts of aggravated battery in a public place, a Class 3 felony, and was sentenced to 30 months of probation. As part of a plea agreement, some of Tabb’s charges were dropped and he was required to enroll in a sex offender program.

Tabb, who was arrested in December 2023 and fired, is one of 14 officers accused of sexual assault in the past decade who we found had been accused at least once before of sexual misconduct. Investigative files show that five of 17 women in his academy class have given similar accounts of inappropriate sexual contact involving Tabb.

A team of Invisible Institute reporters reviewed more than 300 sexual misconduct and assault complaints against Chicago officers. The complaints were often downplayed or ignored, sometimes allowing officers to abuse again and again. The Chicago Police Department said in a statement for that story that it “takes all allegations of sexual assault seriously, including allegations against CPD members.”

During a hearing before Cook County Judge James B. Novy, Tabb’s two victims, both of whom are police officers, read impact statements in court.

“The women I speak for today, including myself, were women that trusted Eric Tabb, spending eight months with him forming that trust in a police academy. As of today, there is hope that all us women affected can put this in the past,” one of the officers read from a prepared statement.

The judge said he agreed to the plea deal to allow the women to put the cases behind them.

“The only reason I went along with this deal is because of the victims,” said Novy, who warned Tabb that he will send him to prison if he doesn’t follow the terms of his probation. “Everyone wants closure. They want to put this behind them. I’m going to keep a close eye on this.”

The Cook County state’s attorney’s office, in a statement Tuesday, noted the courage of the survivors to come forward after “a horrific betrayal of trust.”

“Despite the trauma they endured, these women stood firm in their pursuit of justice, and it is because of their strength and resolve that prosecutors were able to secure this conviction,” the prosecutors’ office said. “As a result, Eric Tabb is prohibited from ever serving as police officer again.”

The charges stemmed from two incidents. At a birthday party in August 2023 at a Wrigleyville bar, Tabb allegedly approached a fellow female recruit on the dance floor, whispered to her that he wanted to have sex with her, touched her breast, buttock and crotch, and then grabbed her face and tried to kiss her. Tabb was charged with two counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse from that incident.

The second incident took place after roll call inside a police precinct in December 2023. Tabb allegedly touched a fellow probationary police officer’s crotch several times when she stood up to adjust her duty belt, according to court records. She had attended the training academy with him.

At an earlier hearing, prosecutors had asked Novy to include two additional incidents that were not charged but were described as part of a pattern of behavior by Tabb. Tabb attended a “star party,” an unofficial celebration for graduating recruits receiving their badge number. At the party, a witness told investigators he saw Tabb grabbing another female recruit’s crotch. That same night, Tabb touched a second recruit’s buttocks, according to interviews with police investigators and court records.

Alexus Byrd-Maxey was the first recruit to report Tabb a few months after she and Tabb started at the academy, but her accusation never became part of the prosecution’s case. According to Byrd-Maxey, she was leaning over a classmate’s computer in March 2023 when Tabb walked behind her. She said she felt his hands on her waist and his body pressed up against her.

Byrd-Maxey tried to report Tabb several times but was unsuccessful. Investigative files obtained by the Invisible Institute and ProPublica show that Tabb told other recruits that Byrd-Maxey overreacted and that he had only tapped her on the shoulder to get to his seat. Other recruits supported his story. Almost three weeks later, there was a confrontation in class in which she allegedly told Tabb to “shut your bitch ass up” and supposedly used gang-related language. Byrd-Maxey denied those allegations but was fired.

Tabb and his attorney, Dan Herbert, declined to comment, but Herbert had previously said Tabb was innocent and blamed Byrd-Maxey for the claims by the other women.

While Byrd-Maxey couldn’t attend the hearing, her mom, Jauntaunne Byrd-Horne, was in the courtroom and later told her daughter about the plea agreement. Byrd-Maxey said she was disappointed.

“He’s been given grace, time and time again. They let him be a free man,” she said. “I feel like it’s still not being taken seriously, again.”

Sebastián Hidalgo contributed reporting.

Update, June 11, 2025: This story has been updated to include a comment from the Cook County state’s attorney’s office, which handled the case. It also clarifies how charges were handled in the plea agreement.

Back in March KISS announced the KISS Army Storms Vegas fan event, which will feature an unmasked electric performance by Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons, but now Stanley says plans for…

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An open source music-sharing platform has been growing in popularity on the Fediverse. The next major milestone? Helping artists sell music.

SWANSEA - The Rotary Club of Swansea hosted their 22nd Annual “Service Above Self” 5K Run/Walk on Saturday, May 31, 2025, which began and ended at Wolf Branch Elementary School. More than 100 participants of all ages enjoyed the beautiful weather and helped to support the Chad Wood Memorial Scholarship Fund which benefits college scholarship programs for qualifying graduates of area high schools. "For our Rotarians, this event is deeply meaningful as it allows us to perpetually honor the memory of Chad, a truly remarkable young man whose absence is still felt keenly in our community," said event organizer and Swansea Rotarian Jim Riess."My sincerest thanks go out to all the volunteers and participants whose continued support ensures this event's success." The news of Chad Wood's sudden and unexpected death on Monday morning, May 9, 2005, took the breath away from all of the Swansea Rotary Club's members. Ray Wood was the Charter President when the Rotary Club of Swansea

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The Kirkwood phenom has offers from the best schools in the country. He's leaning on his impressive mentors and memories of those he's lost to carry him forward.

GOP leaders believe they have the votes to deliver Gov. Mike Kehoe a victory in his bid to keep KC’s pro teams from building new stadiums in Kansas.