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The auditor's office served Francis Howell with a subpoena this week after it "impeded" an investigation into the school district's separation with former Superintendent Mike Dominguez.

A Warrenton, Missouri, man will spend nearly two years in federal prison for temporarily blinding a police helicopter pilot with a laser pointer.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

The federal appellate court for the D.C. Circuit recently affirmed a ruling requiring investigative journalist Catherine Herridge to disclose the sources for her reporting on scientist Yangping Chen’s alleged ties to the Chinese military while an online college Chen founded received federal funds.

The court got it wrong by holding Herridge in contempt for not burning her sources, and Herridge is rightly seeking a rehearing. Worse yet, the misguided ruling was informed by documents about the FBI’s investigation of Chen that were filed under seal, even though the investigation is over and the documents aren’t classified. The appellate court even held a portion of its hearing to decide whether to order Herridge to testify in closed court.

Freedom of the Press Foundation (FPF), represented by Schaerr | Jaffe LLP, filed a motion to intervene and unseal the documents and hearing transcript yesterday.

The following statement can be attributed to Seth Stern, director of advocacy for FPF.

“Journalist-source confidentiality is about safeguarding the public’s right to be informed. Its fate should not be decided in secret hearings about secret documents. Americans deserve to know whether the damages Chen claims to have suffered were because of alleged leaks to Herridge or because of the outcome of the government investigation she reported on. If the latter, it raises the question of whether the court is ordering Herridge to out her sources to aid Chen in pursuing a baseless lawsuit. Surely the bar for compelled disclosure of journalistic sources must be higher than that.

“Opponents of the reporter’s privilege often dream up convoluted hypothetical scenarios to call it a national security risk. But here we see someone suspected of ties to a foreign military able to use the courts to try to find out who in the government U.S. reporters are talking to and the content of those conversations. It goes to show that the real national security risk is the lack of a statutory privilege, which allows courts to issue misguided rulings. Congress should step up and reintroduce and pass the PRESS Act.”

H. Christopher Bartolomucci, a partner at Schaerr | Jaffe, added:

“Public access and government accountability are fundamental to the rule of law, and the notion of ‘secret law’ is anathema to our system of justice. By denying the public access to important judicial records in this case, the court is keeping members of the public from judging for themselves the strength or weakness of the court’s reasoning.”

You can read FPF’s motion here.

Please contact us if you would like further comment.

Hawley introduces bill requiring Afghans allowed into U.S. since 2021 to be interviewed in person, with federal benefits withheld until vetting process is done

National Park Service officials are asking for help locating a St. Louis woman missing for more than two weeks at Olympic National Park in Washington State.

On July 1st, 2025, St. Louis voters chose a new representative for one of the city’s most complex and consequential areas: the 8th Ward. Stretching from Downtown through diverse historic neighborhoods, the ward offers a microcosm of St. Louis. The person now leading the ward is Alderperson Jami Cox Antwi, a third-generation native St. Louisan […]

The post The 8th Ward as a Lens: Jami Cox Antwi’s View of St. Louis appeared first on NextSTL.

St. Louis County Executive Sam Page objected to the Dome board asking state lawmakers to direct more of the county's hotel tax money for the dome and downtown convention center.

GODFREY – Lewis and Clark Community College recently forged a new agreement with University of Illinois Springfield (UIS) that will allow Legal Studies transfer students to earn guaranteed acceptance while saving thousands on tuition during their first two years of college. This 2+2 pathway will allow students who have earned an Associate in Applied Science (AAS) in Paralegal Studies from LC to transfer to the Legal Studies program at UIS. The agreement establishes a clear pathway,

Lanora Arnold was found guilty in October by a jury of second-degree murder, armed criminal action, burglary, unlawful use of a weapon and tampering evidence.

Airport officials say the planned $2.8 billion consolidation and overhaul of the airport's terminals would be too disruptive for new vendors.

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Senate committee that oversees health care started coalescing around an approach to lower costs for Americans during a Wednesday hearing, though several hurdles lay ahead. Republicans and Democrats on the panel appeared to accept that enhanced tax credits for people who purchase their health insurance from the Affordable Care Act marketplace […]

ALTON - Alton Main Street presents First Fridays, a late night art and shopping experience which spans 20 locations across the Downtown Alton district. This series is held on the First Friday of October, November and December, providing shoppers with an opportunity to check out new shops and galleries and visit familiar favorites to experience art and great specials at each business during special, late night shopping hours. Participants are offering a variety of discounts, refreshments, an

Missouri U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley is introducing a bill called the "No Taxes on Healthcare Act," which aims to eliminate taxes on a wide range of healthcare costs.

BRECKENRIDGE HILLS, Mo. – Homicide detectives are investigating Tuesday’s fatal shooting in Breckenridge Hills. According to Breckenridge Hills Police Chief Scott Robinson, the shooting happened before 11:45 a.m. in the 3300 block of Chaucer Avenue. Officers arrived to find a man suffering from an apparent gunshot wound. He was taken to the hospital, where he [...]

Jimmy Buffett was posthumously inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2024 in the Musical Excellence category, and even though he passed away in 2023, it turns out he…

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The former mayor formed Oneda (Jones' middle name) Consulting in May, less than a month after losing re-election bid to Mayor Cara Spencer

The campaign to repeal Missouri’s newly gerrymandered congressional map says it will turn in signatures to put the issue on the statewide ballot next week. If enough signatures were collected, the map will be placed on hold until voters decide its fate at the ballot box next year.  “This unprecedented show of grassroots power signals […]

Two of St. Louis’ biggest sports teams are teaming up with Schnucks and The Salvation Army this week to raise money for families in need during the holiday season. Staff and former players from the St. Louis Blues and St. Louis Cardinals will volunteer as bell ringers at local Schnucks stores, with all funds benefiting The Salvation Army of Greater St. Louis.

First, let’s dispense with the theater: the question of whether DOGE “still exists” as a formal entity completely misses the point. The always-misleadingly-named “Department of Government Efficiency” was never really about efficiency. It was Elon Musk’s excuse to gain access to the federal government’s fundamental systems and wreak havoc, Twitter-style—smashing anything that got in his […]

EDWARDSVILLE – An Alton man faces a felony for his latest DUI offense after he reportedly drove under the influence of drugs and alcohol in Edwardsville. Shawn O. Bell, 42, of Alton, was charged with a Class 4 felony count of aggravated driving under the influence and a Class A misdemeanor count of driving while license is revoked. Bell allegedly drove a Hyundai Tiburon on New Poag Road in Edwardsville while under the combined influence of alcohol and or other drugs or intoxicating compounds