Harris-Stowe State University commencement ceremony
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St. LouiS AmericAn The
CAC Audited MAY 30 – JUNE 5, 2019
91 years of serving the St. Louis community
COMPLIMENTARY
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Krewson, Reed try to starve Gardner’s defense City initiated suit against circuit attorney but doesn’t want to pay for her counsel By Rebecca Rivas Of The St. Louis American The attacks continue against St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner, a progressive prosecutor who has made some strides toward reforming the judicial system and the first African American to hold the position. Mayor Lyda Krewson and President of the Board of Aldermen Lewis Reed recently refused to approve a transfer of funds partially meant for Gardner’s legal fees to defend herself in the case brought against her by the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department
Vol. 91 No. 10
— one of Gardner’s biggest adversaries. The legal fees relate to the grand jury investigation that is currently reviewing whether Gardner’s investigator William Tisaby lied under oath in spring 2018 during then-Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens’ felonious Kim invasion of privacy case. Gardner What could have been handled at no cost to taxpayers has now exploded in legal fees from
both sides — all of which the City of St. Louis is on the hook for. At the May 15 Board of Estimate and Apportionment meeting, Krewson said that Gardner’s estimated defense costs appeared to be $180,000. And she criticized Gardner for “fighting the search warrants” for the investigation. “This is just a whole lot of money that we could use doing other things,” Krewson told the other two members on the board, Reed and Comptroller Darlene Green. “I just
See GARDNER, A6
Missouri could become first state with no abortion clinic Planned Parenthood files suit over state license expiration due on Friday By Sarah McCammon and Sam Gringlas Of National Public Radio Missouri is within days of losing its last remaining health center that provides abortions. Unless a court intervenes, it will become the first state in the nation without such a clinic. Planned Parenthood officials say they are filing a lawsuit in state court on Tuesday, May 28, asking for a restraining order to prevent its St. Louis clinic from being forced to stop offering the procedure after a state license expires on Friday, May 31. Planned Parenthood officials said they have been unable to reach an agreement with officials at the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, who want to require several doctors who perform abortions at the health center to submit to questioning as a condition of renewing the license. “This means that more than 1.1 million women of reproductive age in Missouri n “This is will live in a state where they a world we cannot receive the health care they need,” Planned haven’t seen Parenthood President, in nearly half Dr. Leana Wen, said in a a century.” statement to NPR. “This is a world we haven’t seen in – Planned nearly half a century.” Parenthood Planned Parenthood says President, state officials have indicated Dr. Leana Wen the questioning could lead to criminal proceedings or board review for those physicians, who provide the procedure at Reproductive Health Services of Planned Parenthood of the St. Louis Region. In her statement, Wen described the state’s actions as “harassment” meant to “intimidate” physicians who perform abortions. Bonyen Lee-Gilmore, director of State Media Campaigns for Planned Parenthood, said the
See ABORTION, A6
Photo by Wiley Price
Remembering those who served Cub Scout Jalen Robinson, 11, a student at Mason Elementary, places flags at the headstones of those who served our county and were laid to rest at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery on Sunday, May 26. The event was the 69th Annual Gravois Trail Memorial Day Good Turn.
Will Ross calls for grass roots coalition to take over for Better Together Some of its ideas were ‘quite valid and operational’ and should be pursued By Chris King Of The St. Louis American As a senior administrator and professor at the Washington University School of Medicine, Dr. Will Ross does not typically talk in the brash protestor’s language of shutting things down. But his experience as a board member for Better Together drove him to talk this way about the group pushing for a merger of St. Louis city and county. Ross called “for a halt to Better Together’s activities and a complete restructuring of its leadership.” If not, then, “it needs to be shut down.” This is not, however, a rejection of attempting to merge St. Louis city and county,
simply a rejection of one failed leadership effort to do so. “I am hoping we can build a grass roots coalition that can carry this effort forward,” said Ross, who is associate dean for Diversity Programs, principal officer for Community Partnerships, Will Ross and professor of Medicine in the Division of Nephrology at the Washington University School of Medicine. “That means engaging community groups such as St. Louis Strong, starting a meaningful community conversation that
includes all voices and opinions, especially that of the African American community, and completely restructuring the leadership at Better Together, if not frankly dismantling the organization altogether.” Ross said that any organization that purports to believe in accountability would have been prompted to initiate “corrective action plans and realignment” in the light of Better Together’s “extensive failures” and resulting community outcry. Ross gave a brief, “greatest hits” of those “extensive failures.” “For example, the recommendation that Steve Stenger serve as interim metro mayor
See ROSS, A7
Bell won’t charge nurses in deaths at County Justice Center Lamar Catchings’ family says decision was premature, his death preventable By Rebecca Rivas Of The St. Louis American St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Wesley Bell will not issue criminal charges against jail medical personnel in the two recent deaths at the St. Louis County Justice Center, he announced on Friday, May 23 after concluding his investigation. In a statement, Bell said that the “two terrible cases” involving John Shy, 29, and Lamar Catchings, 20, are “tragic and deeply troubling.” “However, neither the facts nor evidence presented to my office rise to the level of bringing a criminal charge based on proof beyond a reasonable doubt that anyone is guilty of criminal neglect,” Bell stated. The St. Louis County Health Department has
See BELL, A7