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Jaylyn Brown has been missing since June 30.

PHILADELPHIA (July 15, 2022) – Simmons Hanly Conroy , one of the nation’s largest mesothelioma law firms, has secured a $3.8 million verdict against Washington Penn Plastics (Wash Penn) on behalf of the estate of Daniel “Dan” Rugg and his wife Sandra Rugg. Mr. Rugg died of mesothelioma, an occupational cancer caused by asbestos, after working for approximately thirty years as a maintenance worker at the Pennsylvania plastics factory. The jury found Wash Penn failed to provide a reasonably safe workplace and awarded $1.4 million in compensatory damages to the family’s estate, $1.65 million in wrongful death damages, and $750,000 in loss of consortium to Sandra Rugg. “After examining hundreds of pieces of evidence, the jury found that Wash Penn failed to provide a reasonably safe workplace by using industrial talc that contained asbestos,” said Shareholder James Kramer , who served as trial counsel with Shareholder Donald P. Blydenburgh

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ALTON - After the tragic passing of Yvonne Campbell, owner of My Just Desserts, many people and businesses are looking for ways to help out. This Saturday, July 16 from 8 a.m. to 9:15 a.m. U Fit Fitness And Wellness will be holding the 'West Camp Boot Camp' with all proceeds going directly to Campbell's family. The boot camp will be located at 1513 State St. in Alton. A $10 donation is the given asking price, however, donations of any kind will be welcomed. Anyone may attend and show support to one of the nicest business owners this town has ever had.

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Brad Bakker, former treasurer of Page’s political action committee, was picked by Page for a four-year appointment to the St. Louis Zoo's governing board.

A familiar family name is bringing a new “lifestyle” retail store to the St. Louis area this fall.

Recently released footage of a May 28 traffic stop involving Hazelwood Police Chief Gregg Hall shows that the O'Fallon officer who pulled him over described him as "hammered drunk" to a supervisor before ultimately releasing him with no charges. What's more, then-O’Fallon Police Chief John Neske appeared on the scene as well, and is seen on the video hugging Hall before telling his subordinate he's going to give his fellow chief a ride home. The footage, which was obtained by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch through an open records request, also shows Hall struggling to maintain his balance, slurring while reciting the alphabet, and taking a breathalyzer test administered by O'Fallon officer Nathan Dye, who subsequently noted that his blood alcohol content was more than two and a half times the legal limit.

Recently released footage of a May 28 traffic stop involving Hazelwood Police Chief Gregg Hall shows that the O'Fallon officer who pulled him over described him as "hammered drunk" to a supervisor before ultimately releasing him with no charges. What's more, then-O’Fallon Police Chief John Neske appeared on the scene as well, and is seen on the video hugging Hall before telling his subordinate he's going to give his fellow chief a ride home. The footage, which was obtained by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch through an open records request, also shows Hall struggling to maintain his balance, slurring while reciting the alphabet, and taking a breathalyzer test administered by O'Fallon officer Nathan Dye, who subsequently noted that his blood alcohol content was more than two and a half times the legal limit.

This article originally ran in Saint Louis Construction News and Review on July 13, 2022.  Employees of the Terminal Railroad Association of St. Louis were recently recognized for exceptional safety performance by the American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association (ASLRRA). The Terminal Railroad Association of St. Louis was the recipient of the President’s Award for the best safety record […]

The post TRRA Receives American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association (ASLRRA) President’s Award appeared first on St. Louis Regional Freightway.

This article originally ran in Site Selection Magazine in July 2022.  Sometime later this year, a century-old rail bridge that crosses the Mississippi River at St. Louis is expected to reopen after a four-year transformation. Originally opened in 1899, the Merchants Bridge is a key link in one of the primary East-West rail corridors in the country, leading into and out […]

The post Bridge to The Future: St. Louis is building a better platform for transport & logistics appeared first on St. Louis Regional Freightway.

ALTON - The make-shift memorial in front of My Just Desserts in Downtown Alton on Broadway has continued to spread. The photo above was taken during the lunch hour Friday, July 15, 2022. Yvonne Campbell, the My Just Desserts store owner, died early in the week from complications in a van accident in Jamaica. Many throughout the region and beyond have donated tributes with flowers, cards, bears, etc., in front of the My Just Desserts restaurant, which is closed for the week. Campbell's death has sparked a reaction across the Riverbend area for her selfless and caring nature. Community members have been visible in prayer and mourning at the location since her death was announced.

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U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin III on Friday held open the prospect of Congress passing significant climate legislation yet this year, denying reports he’s tanked the effort by walking away from talks with leadership. The reports have brought a flood of criticism for Manchin from fellow members of Congress, who say the very survival of the […]

The post Climate change legislation still could pass Congress this year, Manchin insists appeared first on Missouri Independent.

by Paige Pfleger

This article was produced for ProPublica’s Local Reporting Network in partnership with Nashville Public Radio. Sign up for Dispatches to get stories like this one as soon as they are published.

For two decades, Judge Donna Scott Davenport oversaw the illegal arrests and detentions of more than a thousand children in her Rutherford County courtroom.

Her decisions eventually caught up with her: The county settled a multimillion-dollar lawsuit, and an investigation by Nashville Public Radio and ProPublica brought to light what had been happening for years, unchecked. Tennessee lawmakers called for her ousting, the governor asked for a review, and Middle Tennessee State University cut ties with the judge, who taught criminal justice at the school. There were nationwide calls for reform.

As pressure mounted, Davenport announced her retirement as ​​juvenile court judge one afternoon in January, leaving voters to pick a new judge to fill her seat. Early voting starts today and runs through July 30, and election day is Aug. 4.

From the outside, her retirement might seem like the end of a painful chapter. Within the community, local pastor Vincent Windrow said, it’s far from over.

“Those young children who were victimized, that’s not closure for them,” Windrow said. “Just because she’s off the bench and retired, does that mean that they won’t have nightmares? Does that mean that suddenly, miraculously, they’re going to start trusting in law enforcement again?”

That’s the level of distrust that the candidates to replace her must confront, on top of convincing voters that they have the skills for the job.

The challengers are assistant district attorney Travis Lampley and pastor and Legal Aid Society attorney Andrae Crismon.

Rutherford County juvenile judge candidate Andrae Crismon, middle, talks with voters during last month’s Juneteenth celebration in Murfreesboro. (William DeShazer, special to ProPublica)

In a Republican-dominated district, Lampley has the benefit of having the letter “R” next to his name. He’s worked for a decade in juvenile courts.

In a recent WGNS radio forum, he was asked how he would rebuild trust.

“I would like to think that my experience would restore confidence,” he said.

He doesn’t dwell on the controversy over Davenport’s legacy. Instead, he is sharing ideas about other aspects of the job, like shortening the court’s months-long backlog.

“Justice delayed is justice denied,” Lampley said. “So the biggest obstacle is just to get in there, right the ship and plow forward.”

He said he wants to establish a family preservation court, which would connect people to support systems like substance abuse programs.

Lampley comes at the position from his experience inside the courtroom. Crismon, on the other hand, is vowing to be accessible to the community.

“I earnestly believe that there’s nothing wrong with Rutherford County that cannot be turned around by what’s right with Rutherford County,” Crismon said during a meet-and-greet at a coffee shop forum.

He is running as an independent because he believes it’s nonpartisan to do the right thing for kids.

And he doesn’t shy away from talking about the last judge. Crismon said Davenport operated behind closed doors. He said he hopes to turn the position inside out by hosting regular community and school meetings and educating people about what the role of juvenile court judge could be.

“We don’t want to be insular,” Crismon said. “We want to be leading the conversation of how to best deliver juvenile care services in the state. And we can do that and we can make that turnaround. But we’ve got to be willing to listen.”

Both candidates are focused on early intervention, but Crismon has proposals to keep kids out of the justice system altogether. For example, he said he’d like to work with law enforcement to create a list of juvenile offenses that would be handled with citations, instead of arrests.

That resonates with community member Robbie Snapp.

“It’s not always about a child being in trouble and you need to lock them up,” Snapp told Nashville Public Radio. “Everybody doesn’t need to be locked up. Somebody needs to be helped and have a hand up, instead of pushing them down.”

She said Crismon’s history as a legal aid lawyer and a pastor demonstrates his ability to bring compassion to the bench.

Increased Oversight

Whoever wins will be stepping into the role under more scrutiny than their predecessor, and more oversight.

One concrete change is that a newly appointed board will take over supervision of the county’s juvenile detention facility. That responsibility was taken away from Davenport after what happened.

But a more difficult change will be getting people to believe that the system will treat them fairly, said Dylan Geerts. He was locked up illegally by Davenport when he was 15, and was denied medication he had been prescribed for his bipolar disorder.

“A normal human being forgives when people apologize,” Geerts said. “But I mean, there’s not much to forgive, because at the end of the day, she doesn’t even think she did anything wrong.”

In announcing her retirement, Davenport said she was proud of her legacy on the court. She has since declined to be interviewed.

Without her taking responsibility, making amends will fall to the candidate who takes her seat.

But Windrow, the local pastor, warned that change cannot stop there. The new judge, he said, needs to be part of reforms to Rutherford County’s criminal justice system — a system that allowed illegal detentions to happen for so long. Otherwise?

“We’re just still the same horse,” he said. “We’re just changing riders.”

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Meribah Knight, Nashville Public Radio, contributed reporting.

Over the last few months we’ve been covering this bizarre story of how Republican politicians, pushed by their preferred spamming provider (which misrepresented a study on how email providers treat political spam), have been falsely claiming that Google is “censoring” their political emails. They’ve also been pushing a law that would require email providers not […]

Here is Hilbert looking entranced by . . . Charlie, of course. Charlie was chasing a moth around and Hilbert was pondering whether to join him. Sometimes he does, but this time he just watched.

Today on TAP: Negotiations with Joe Manchin are over. Let’s keep it that way.

Chicago's new studio album, Born for This Moment, arrived on Friday. The 14-track collection is the band's 38th official album and was mostly recorded remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic, although…

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ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. - A $1,000 reward is being offered for the safe return of a woman who was reported missing from her Dellwood home on Thursday, June 30. The North County Police Cooperative (NCPC) is asking for the public's help finding Jaylyn Brown, 22. She was last seen walking in the 1700 block [...]

From Ruy Teixeira, a longtime progressive scholar, on why he's gotten tired of the relentless identity politics among the left: I’m just a social democrat, man. Trying to make the world a better place. I don't know if Teixeira is right about conditions at the Center for American Progress, where he worked for the past ...continue reading "Quote of the day: “I’m just a social democrat, man.”"

The development at 416 North Kirkwood Road is slated to open in 2024.