Aggregator

A surveillance camera captured the assault of three nonverbal children between the ages of 5 and 7, police said.

SPRINGFIELD – A monument in Alton dedicated to noted abolitionist Elijah Lovejoy has received a much-needed facelift thanks to efforts by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) and local supporters. The 110-foot-tall Lovejoy monument was in dire need of repair and restoration. IDNR completed lower elevation masonry repairs in the fall, including cleaning, tuckpointing, and caulking seams and cracks to stop further weathering and damage to the granite and limestone. The department initially invested $42,944 into the project and expects to invest more than $50,000 total after the initial condition assessment and graffiti removal. In addition, an outside retaining wall and steps leading up to the monument had been defaced by vandals. IDNR is partnering with the City of Alton, Alton Area Landmarks Association , and volunteer Brandon Hall to remove the graffiti from the retaining wall leading up to the memorial. “Lovejoy became a martyr to the abolitionists’

Continue Reading

by Dr. John Gaal Editor’s Note: Each week, Dr. John Gaal, director of worker wellness for the Missouri Works Initiative, a non-profit workforce formed by the Missouri AFL-CIO, collects and comments on news and trends in workforce wellness and life balance. Construction Forum carries the Worker Wellness & Well-Being Blog as a regular feature. The […]

We’re not your lawyers and this article isn’t legal advice. Talk to your attorney before taking any legal action.

Paramount executives are currently grappling with the decision of whether to settle President Donald Trump’s $20 billion lawsuit against the media conglomerate’s CBS News unit for allegedly editing an interview in favor of Kamala Harris. Companies including ABC’s parent, Disney, and Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta have already settled Trump’s legally dubious claims.

Federal Communications Commission Chair Brendan Carr has opened an investigation into CBS’ alleged “distortion” in conjunction with Trump’s lawsuit against Paramount, and has even threatened media outlets’ license renewals pending compliance with the administration’s policies. Paramount executives reportedly fear that Trump’s FCC will block its proposed merger with movie studio Skydance if it doesn’t settle Trump’s lawsuit.

Yet, The Wall Street Journal has reported that at least some Paramount executives are hesitant to write a check. Not because they care about the First Amendment or the precedent that settling would set for journalists. It’s because they’re scared of getting sued. As they should be — here’s why.

A settlement of a frivolous lawsuit by Trump to secure approval of a merger could amount to bribery. The case would be especially strong if Trump’s team has made clear to CBS, as it reportedly did to Meta before the social media platform settled its own litigation with Trump, that it needs to pay to play. Penalties can be imposed under both U.S. criminal law and the Sherman Antitrust Act.

But the Trump administration is unlikely to prosecute bribes it solicits. So the burning question (and the one that’s likely giving those executives cold feet) is: Can shareholders of Paramount, or other news publishers the administration extorts, do anything about it? After all, this is up to $20 billion of company funds we’re talking about.

The short answer is yes.

Shareholders can file what are known as derivative lawsuits when the company and therefore the values of their shares are harmed, even if the shareholders are not directly harmed. Any shareholder has the option to step into the shoes of Paramount and sue the board or officers on behalf of the company. The court docket would read Paramount v. Paramount.

That means shareholders who care about press freedom and want the press to thrive don’t need to worry about the economic implications of “suing the press” the way they might in other kinds of litigation. If the shareholder wins, the news outlet wins and recovers the monetary damages, not the shareholders.

Yes, the company might need to incur legal fees (although it can later sue to recover those from the executives), but in many cases that’s a drop in the bucket compared to the value recovered by holding executives accountable for waste and illegality.

A settlement of a frivolous lawsuit by Trump to secure approval of a merger could amount to bribery.

There are a few important legal requirements to be able to file a derivative suit. For example, one must be a shareholder at the time of the settlement and throughout the entire lawsuit. Selling all of one’s shares at any point in the process would invalidate the suit.

Technically, shareholders must also file a presuit demand letter on the company. This is a letter demanding that the board of directors bring the suit themselves instead of the shareholders. We say “technically” because filing this letter can be a strategic mistake that can cost the lawsuit, and there are exceptions to the requirement that can help avoid the land mines. It’s important to consult your lawyer about this requirement.

Importantly, if a court agrees that the settlement payment constitutes an illegal bribe, company officials cannot claim that paying was in the company’s best interests. An illegal act like bribery negates such defenses. The “business judgment rule,” which generally requires courts to refrain from second-guessing corporate officers’ good faith decisions, does not apply to bribery.

Derivative suits — and board elections — are the only real tools available to shareholders to keep their company executives in check. On their face, derivative suits seem complex and difficult to maintain, but in practice they’re an effective tool for regulating the behaviors of company officials.

For example, Trump ally and former casino boss Steve Wynn — another fan of frivolous defamation lawsuits against the press — knows a thing or two about shareholder’s derivative suits. Wynn Resorts’ officers and directors, including Wynn, agreed to pay $41 million in 2019 following a derivative shareholder suit for their failure to stop Wynn’s alleged sexual misconduct. It meant that the officers and directors, and not the shareholders, incurred the losses the company faced due to their wrongdoing.

At the end of the day, Paramount and its shareholders will be severely affected by a bribe costing even a fraction of the $20 billion Trump’s lawsuit demands, especially if paying off the government undermines CBS’ ability to report on it effectively or otherwise harms its reputation and reduces its viewership.

If those costs are borne by the company itself and not its directors, they could even lead to budget and job cuts, harming CBS journalists and journalism. It would also establish a dangerous precedent: that this administration can abuse its power to pressure media companies into doing its bidding.

Filing a derivative claim immediately after any settlement takes place could not only help shareholders minimize damages to media companies but also could help put a stop to these arguably illegal and definitely unethical settlement agreements. Corporate executives know that — they’re hoping you don’t.

Investigation revealed the motorcycle had struck a utility pole off Mexico Road, and both the driver and the 4-year-old boy were ejected.

Butler only got support from a quarter of primary voters, but the mayor needs every vote she can get after finishing well behind Alderwoman Cara Spencer.

From St. Louis City to St. Charles County, voters will be deciding on new mayors and major propositions for the area. Here's a guide on the key races to be in the know about.

Neil Young is worried he may not be able to tour America as planned due to his feelings about President Donald Trump.The rocker writes on his Neil Young Archives website that…

Source

The Missouri House gave first-round approval to a package of spending bills Tuesday, setting the stage for negotiations with the Senate over Republican Gov. Mike Kehoe’s budget request.

Superintendent Millicent Borishade said last month that the audit would “absolutely” be submitted by March 31, which is the federal deadline for government agencies.

When officers arrived at the scene, they found an adult male and the boy with serious injuries. They had been thrown from the motorcycle.

Support us on Patreon » If you’re a Techdirt reader, you’re probably familiar with Senator Ron Wyden. In January, he released his new book It Takes Chutzpah, offering up a call for political boldness that feels even more relevant with every day that passes. This week, Senator Wyden joins Mike on the podcast to talk about […]

A Missouri Senate committee heard testimony Tuesday on a bill to deregulate the state’s energy market. Sen. Nick Schroer, R-Defiance, is the sponsor.

BELLEVILLE - Five art students from Belleville East High School were selected to showcase their work at the 2025 Regional High School Juried Art Exhibition at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (SIUE). This annual event, organized by the Department of Art and Design, invites junior and senior students from high schools within a 50-mile radius of Edwardsville to submit their artwork for consideration. The selected Belleville East students and their respective pieces were: Aubrey Heins with “Hope Persists,” a colored pencil work; Aleah Ingram, who created “Sleeping Like He The One Who Gave Birth” using acrylic on fabric; Ramiya Fowler, who submitted “Be Sweet,” also in colored pencil; Gabby Patterson with her digital photography piece “Rainbow Glass”; and Liam Collins, whose work “Without Bees, Humans Couldn’t Survive” is a digitally manipulated photograph. This year’s exhibition continues a tradition

Continue Reading

Foreigner’s Lou Gramm and Mick Jones have had a troubled relationship over the years, with Gramm leaving the group in 1990 over their differences. But Gramm now says the band’s…

Source

In its 30th season, the St. Louis Jewish Film Festival returns to its new home at the B&B Theatres in Creve Coeur for two weeks of cinema excellence from March […]

The post The 2025 St. Louis Jewish Film Festival appeared first on Explore St. Louis.