Illinois sues inmates to recoup cost of their incarceration
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) – The Illinois Department of Corrections is bringing a small but increasing number of lawsuits against inmates to recoup the cost of their imprisonment with an intention to help fund operations. The Chicago Tribune reports some lawsuits target inmates serving lengthy prison terms. Many cases are brought against less serious offenders who…
17 yr old charged in connection with 4 church burglaries
( KTRS ) The St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office has charged a 17-year-old in connection with a recent spate of church burglaries. According to Sgt. Brian Schellman, a spokesman for the St. Louis County Police Department, the burglaries occurred between November 24 and November 28, at two churches in Crestwood and another two in…
Lincoln museum to mark 150th anniversary of end of slavery
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) – The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum is marking the 150th anniversary of the end of slavery. The Springfield museum is displaying a copy of the 13th Amendment signed by Lincoln beginning Sunday. That’s the anniversary of the ratification of the amendment ending slavery. The museum also will show a video…
Missouri forms new office for discrimination investigations
COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) – The University of Missouri has formed a new office to centralize reports and investigations of discrimination complaints. The university announced Wednesday that the new Office for Civil Rights and Title IX will reduce the number of offices involved in handling discrimination complaints. Ellen Eardley, assistant vice provost and Title IX administrator,…
AG Koster pushes for reforms to debt-collection actions
ST. LOUIS (AP) – Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster is pushing for changes to state court rules in an effort to halt what he calls abusive debt-collection actions that often target minorities and the poor. Koster says he has asked the Missouri Supreme Court’s Commission on Racial and Ethnic Fairness to change court rules, forcing…
Federal agency to study contamination concerns at Coldwater Creek
ST. LOUIS (AP) – A federal agency has announced that it plans to study radiological contamination at a north St. Louis County creek that some residents are concerned may be linked to several cases of cancer. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry plans to gather information on contamination…
Former Illinois judge imprisoned for heroin nears release
BELLEVILLE, Ill. (AP) – A former southern Illinois judge serving a two-year prison sentence for heroin possession and a weapons charge has been assigned to a St. Louis halfway house as his release date nears. Michael Cook was presiding judge for St. Clair County’s drug court. He was arrested in May 2013, two months after…
Shots Fired At Police Investigating Crime Scene
St. Louis, MO (KTRS) Police are searching for a suspect accused of shooting at officers who were investigating a crime scene in north St. Louis. Authorities say this happened around 7:30 a.m. Thursday in the 5100 block of Labadie Avenue when shots rang out from a gangway. No officers were injured. The crime scene…