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It's unclear how successful the latest attempt to “defund” Planned Parenthood will be.

ST. LOUIS – United Way of Greater St. Louis is awarding over $9,900 to 12 philanthropic, service-based, student-led programs. The grants were awarded through the Student United Way program, which offers funding to student-led projects at colleges and universities across the region to equip students with skills in the areas of project development, evaluation, budgeting, and grant writing. The following programs were awarded up to $1,000 each in one-time grants: Food Recovery Network (Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville) is an area leader in community service for students and the future of hunger relief. Cougar Cupboard’s (Southern Illinois University -Edwardsville) mission is to minimize food insecurity and mitigate its associated stress through an inclusive and engaging environment. Girl Scouts of Southern Illinois (Southern Illinois University -Edwardsville) works with facilities directly to determine what their immediate needs are. They deliver care

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St. Louis County man plans to swim the English Channel in July.

There are things people expect the government to do. And then there are the things the government actually does. The government assumes many people are comfortable with things it does that are technically legal, but certainly not how the average government user expects the system to behave.

Some of this can be seen in the Third Party Doctrine, which says people who knowingly share information with third parties also willingly share it with the government. But very few citizens are actually cool with this extended sharing, no matter what the Supreme Court-created doctrine says. This tension between people's actual expectations and the government's portrayal of the people's expectations is finally being addressed by the nation's top court. Recent rulings have shifted the balance back towards actual reasonable expectations of privacy, but there's still a whole lot of work to be done.

So, when rape victims report sexual assaults to law enforcement, they certainly don't expect their DNA samples will be run through crime databases to see if these victims of crimes have committed any crimes. But that's exactly what the San Francisco PD has been doing, according to this report from Megan Cassidy of the San Francisco Chronicle.

The San Francisco police crime lab has been entering sexual assault victims’ DNA profiles in a database used to identify suspects in crimes, District Attorney Chesa Boudin said Monday, an allegation that raises legal and ethical questions regarding the privacy rights of victims.

Boudin said his office was made aware of the purported practice last week, after a woman’s DNA collected years ago as part of a rape exam was used to link her to a recent property crime.

Shocking to the conscience, as the courts say? You'd better believe it. No one reporting a crime expects to be investigated for a different crime. And there are already enough logistical and psychological barriers standing between rape victims and justice. Knowing their rape kit might be processed in hopes of finding the accuser guilty of other crimes isn't going to encourage more victims to step forward.

On top of that, it might be illegal. California has pretty robust protections for crime victims. The state has a "Victims' Bill of Rights" that guarantees several things to those reporting crimes. Nothing explicitly forbids police from running victim DNA through crime lab databases, but this clause directly addresses the outcome of successful searches, which would result in publicly available records as police move forward with arresting and prosecuting the crime victim for crimes they allegedly committed.

To prevent the disclosure of confidential information or records to the defendant, the defendant’s attorney, or any other person acting on behalf of the defendant, which could be used to locate or harass the victim or the victim’s family or which disclose confidential communications made in the course of medical or counseling treatment, or which are otherwise privileged or confidential by law.

Prosecuting a crime creates plenty of paperwork and arrest records are public records. A defendant could easily access records about their accuser -- records that wouldn't have existed without the assistance of this completely extraneous search.

Fortunately, this revelation has prompted an internal investigation by the SFPD. Unfortunately, an internal investigation is also the easiest way to bury incriminating documents, stiff-arm outsiders seeking information, stonewall requests from city officials for more information, and, most importantly, find some way to clear anyone involved of wrongdoing.

SFPD police chief Bill Scott at least has the presence of mind to comprehend the problem this practice poses.

Scott said, “We must never create disincentives for crime victims to cooperate with police, and if it’s true that DNA collected from a rape or sexual assault victim has been used by SFPD to identify and apprehend that person as a suspect in another crime, I’m committed to ending the practice.”

Good. And: whatever. Don't be "committed" to "ending the practice." Just fucking do it. You're the police chief. There's no reason you can't issue a mandate immediately forbidding running DNA searches on rape victims. I'm no expert on police protocol, but it seems like a memo beginning with "EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY" would end the practice, um, immediately and inform future violators of the potential consequences of their action. A wishy-washy "commitment" that's accompanied by no action tells the rank-and-file they're free to do whatever until the internal investigation is completed and its results handed over to city officials. Waiting until the facts are in (and thoroughly massaged) is a blank check for months or years of abuse.

And this sort of thing may not be an anomaly localized entirely within the SFPD. Other law enforcement agencies may be doing the same thing. The only difference is the SFPD was the first to successfully hit the middle of the Venn diagram containing rape victims and alleged criminals. Any other agency doing the same shady searching should probably knock it the fuck off. While it may seem like good police work to run searches on any DNA samples willingly handed to them, the optics -- if nothing else -- should be all the deterrent they need, especially when it comes to victims of sexual assault who are already treated with something approaching disdain by far too many law enforcement officers.

ALTON - Main Street UMC’s, Team Honduras, is pleased to announce that they will be hosting their 9th Annual Just For Chicks event on Saturday, March 12, 2022 from 10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. at the church located at 1400 Main Street in Alton. “This special fundraiser for the Team is a celebration of the ladies in our community,” said Greg Gelzinnis, Team Leader. Gelzinnis added “It will feature ladies-oriented vendors like Craft Garden, Sazzy Fashions, Tepen Hollow Designs, Everything’s Shiny Creations, Countryside Gardens, Window to my World Stained Glass, and The Bag Ladies just to name a few.” As in previous years, spa opportunities & chair massage by Fitness for the Soul will also be offered. An assortment of homemade soups and salads prepared by Team Honduras members will be on the lunch menu, and the day’s speaker will help the ladies unravel the kNOTS in their life. Just For Chicks IX Guest Speaker, Tammy Tiller-Hewitt FACHE, is the

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Anchor and political editor Casey Nolen has covered countless stories in St. Louis since joining 5 On Your Side in 2007. He now heads to WUSA in Washington, D.C.

Nominees include Yoli Tortilleria, Vicia, Brasserie and several more.

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The outspoken business manager's contract is set to expire in April, union officials say.

Dubbed 'Origin Expressions,' the new line will be released tomorrow at 4 Hands Brewing.

Break out of your winter hibernation and enjoy a packed weekend on Cherokee Street — complete with a new gallery opening at Monaco, a masquerade at Blank Space and a makers market at Earthbound beer feat. Fattened Caf Filipino bbq.

The post Your Weekend Plans: Feb. 25-27 appeared first on Cherokee Street.

Alex Ward started working with food delivery service Food Pedaler as a delivery biker in 2018. Just four years later, he owns the business and is navigating growing it in a Covid-impacted world.

EDWARDSVILLE — Madison County Treasurer Chris Slusser, announced that the County’s annual Tax Sale resulted in the lowest ever penalty rate recorded in Madison County, with a weighted average of just 0.43%. The previous record was 1.52% in 2021. Treasurer Slusser attributes the low penalty rate on the automated bidding system that the county currently utilizes, along with the high number of participating tax buyers. “We’ve come a long ways in ensuring the integrity of this process and achieving low penalty rates for those who are struggling to pay their taxes,” Slusser said. “The lower the rate, the less it costs a taxpayer to redeem their delinquent taxes. It’s great to see the penalty rate so low this year, which benefits those whose taxes were sold.” Each county in Illinois holds an annual Tax Sale to collect delinquent taxes which are distributed throughout their taxing districts. Illinois requires these sales, or auctions, so that

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LIVE: President Joe Biden addresses the nation as Russia continues its attack on Ukraine. Scheduled to start at 12:30 Central Standard Time

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SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois Grape Growers and Vintners Alliance today urged Illinois Senators to support Senate Bill 2976 to help provide relief for Illinois wineries that have experienced a drop in tourism and increase in licensing fees during the COVID-19 pandemic and provide an equitable pathway for growth for the industry. SB 2976, sponsored by Sen. Rachelle Crowe, would reduce a significant licensing fee increase imposed on Illinois wineries during the height of the pandemic when many wineries struggled to stay afloat. The bill would also provide balance for wine production and self-distribution limits compared to counterparts in the beer and spirits industries. “With ongoing challenges created by the pandemic, the wine industry in Illinois is still working to bounce back and prove its resilience,” Sen. Crowe said. “By increasing the production cap and allowing makers to sell more wine directly to retailers, Illinois can offer support to one of its

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The mix of weather is expected to make travel tricky all day Thursday.

Alice Windom, a fierce advocate for Black liberation, passed away on Thursday, Feb. 10, 2022, in St. Louis. She was 85. With her passing, we lost one of our greatest leaders, the likes of whom Missouri had never seen.

Our inaugural 2022 Startups to Watch program spotlights the expanding scope of startups that dot the St. Louis region. It profiles companies focused on a range of industries, including renewable energy, software, consumer goods, agriculture and health care. What binds these 10 companies together is their ambition for innovation and change, highlighted by their innovative products and disruptive business models.

The launch of Rebundle’s first product comes as the plant-based beauty market continues to strengthen. As the startup scales up production of its plant-based hair extensions, it is expanding its footprint in St. Louis.