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COVID-19 policies that emptied jails not linked to violent crime spike

2 years 6 months ago
Did pandemic policies that reduced jail populations lead to an increase in violent crime? Two new reports say “no.” Criminologist and professor Beth Huebner and the Freedom Community Center’s Mike Milton discuss the data, and provide an update on how local courts are returning to their pre-pandemic policies — and throwing more people in jail before trial.

Comedian Tru Wag wants St. Louis to be proud of its unique accent

2 years 6 months ago
First impressions can tell you a lot about a person. The first few words out of a person’s mouth can give you an idea of where somewhere has come from and where they’ve been. Comedian Tru Wag, born Brandon Wagner, is so proud to be from St. Louis that he began making skits and “accent challenges” celebrating his accent on Tik Tok and Instagram, where he has amassed a combined 208,000 followers.

Granite City, Collinsville Part Of Swatting Calls: Fake Threats Made To Communities Across Illinois

2 years 6 months ago
SPRINGFIELD – As of 3 p.m. Friday, the Illinois State Police (ISP) is reporting local law enforcement in 19 counties, totaling 21 calls, received threats directed towards schools throughout the state. Granite City and Collinsville in Madison County were part of the fake threat calls. Responders have not located any actual threats as a result of these calls. The ISP Statewide Terrorism and Intelligence Center currently has no information concerning credible threats related to school safety. Law enforcement, public safety, and private sector security officials are encouraged to remain vigilant and report all suspicious behavior to local police agencies. Granite City Superintendent Stephanie Cann had this statement about the fake threat at their high school: "As communicated on Thursday, the Granite City Police Department was alerted to a possible threat at Granite City High School. Granite City Police responded, swept the complex, and found the threat to be non-credible." Collinsville

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Did COVID rescue funding push up inflation? Yes, but . . .

2 years 6 months ago
After the pandemic started we immediately passed a $3.5 trillion rescue bill. Later we passed two more rescue bills, bringing the total to over $6 trillion. Was that responsible for the spike in inflation that began in 2021? Yes and no. It was responsible for some of the inflation, but for a very specific reason: ...continue reading "Did COVID rescue funding push up inflation? Yes, but . . ."
Kevin Drum