Federal judge issues scathing order in Green's police takeover suit
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Yahoo
02-07-2025
- Yahoo
Jami Cox Antwi wins Ward 8 election with 55% of the vote
ST. LOUIS – Jami Cox Antwi, backed by Mayor Cara Spencer, won the Ward 8 election, securing 55% of the vote. The election saw a total of 1,935 voters, with Antwi receiving 1,070 votes. Five candidates competed for the position, including Shedrick Kelley, who was endorsed by Aldermanic President Megan Green; Jim Dallas, a retired insurance executive; Alecia Hoyt, a photography studio owner and Cam McCarty, the Libertarian Party nominee. Greater St. Louis, Inc. CEO Interim Dustin Allison released a statement, saying 'Our sole focus must be getting St. Louis growing again. We supported Jami Cox Antwi in this campaign because we believed she was the best candidate to act with focus and urgency to advance policies necessary to drive inclusive growth and move St. Louis forward. 'We are pleased to congratulate Jami Cox Antwi on her victory in today's special election,' his statement concluded. All facts in this report were gathered by journalists employed by KTVI. Artificial intelligence tools were used to reformat from a broadcast script into a news article for our website. This report was edited and fact-checked by KTVI staff before being published. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Hill
23-06-2025
- The Hill
Supreme Court turns away Virginia's appeal in felon voting ban lawsuit
The Supreme Court turned away Virginia's appeal on Monday that sought to quash a challenge to the state's lifetime felon voting ban, allowing the lawsuit to move ahead toward trial. Two disenfranchised voters claim the ban violates the Virginia Readmission Act, a federal law that set conditions for Virginia to regain congressional representation following the Civil War. Lower courts allowed the suit to move forward, saying courts can enforce the Readmission Act and the state doesn't have 11th Amendment immunity. But Virginia's Republican-controlled attorney general's office argued to the justices that would open the 'floodgates' and mark a 'radical change in the law.' 'The Fourth Circuit's ruling that the Readmission Acts are judicially enforceable invites courts to wade into the political decisions that restored the rebel States to federal representation more than 150 years ago, calling into question Congress's continuing determination that the States have republican governments and are entitled to representation,' the state wrote in its petition. In a brief order, the Supreme Court declined to take up the case. A federal district judge is set to hold a bench trial in October in the case. It was filed in 2023 by two convicted felons who are ineligible to vote under the Virginia Constitution's lifetime voting ban for felons. Tati Abu King was originally convicted of robbery in 1988 before the governor restored her voting rights. She later lost them again after being convicted of felony drug possession. Toni Heath Johnson has various felony convictions dating back to the 1980s, including forgery, credit card theft and bigamy. Her voting rights, too, were restored, but she was subsequently convicted of drug possession and child endangerment. Their suit points to the Virginia Readmission Act, which was signed in 1870 following the Civil War and allowed the state to regain congressional representation. But it was conditioned on the state never changing its constitution to disenfranchise voters except for those convicted of 'such crimes as are now felonies at common law.' The two Virginians, represented by the American Civil Liberties Union and law firm Wilmer Hale, argue that exception only covers a handful of long-recognized felonies like murder, arson and rape. But they say their convictions weren't recognized at common law in 1870, so they should be able to vote. They urged the Supreme Court to turn away Virginia's appeal so the case can move forward. 'The Act's purpose was to prevent Virginia from manipulating statutory criminal law to disenfranchise Black voters—specifically, from convicting and disenfranchising newly freed Black residents based on statutory crimes that were not felonies at the time Virginia entered the Union,' their attorneys wrote.
Yahoo
07-06-2025
- Yahoo
St. Louis plans $30M, Missouri $100M for tornado relief. How will they spend it?
ST. LOUIS – Three weeks after a devastating tornado tore through St. Louis, destroying thousands of homes and buildings, urgency is growing to secure the financial support needed to recover and rebuild. It remains unclear when and how much federal aid may be available for St. Louis. However, on a local and state level, two plans are gaining momentum to help mobilize major funding for recovery efforts. Those plans – one from the City of St. Louis and one from the State of Missouri – aim to inject tens of millions of dollars, upwards of nine figures, into the recovery process. If both plan are ultimately approved, how will the money be used to aid St. Louis in tornado recovery? To extents, that's still to be determined, but the city's and state's new bills offer some early clues. Proposed through St. Louis Board Bill 31 (Primary sponsor: Megan Green) On Friday, the St. Louis Board of Aldermen formally introduced Board Bill 31, which calls to allocate $30 million from the the NFL Rams relocation settlement toward a 'tornado relief and recovery fund.' The fund would be maintained by the city treasurer and exclusively available toward services and resources considered part of the tornado recovery effort. 'Eligible uses' under the bill include: Providing services to 'prevent homelessness and displacement' for homeowners impacted by the tornado, such as home repairs, temporary housing, help with insurance deductibles and storage of personal belongings. Repairing tornado-damaged public infrastructure, such as streets, sidewalks, water systems, lighting and trees. Providing residents with financial and legal support through an 'Impacted Tenants Fund.' Matching funds for federal or state grants tie to infrastructure and housing recovery. Providing money to nonprofits for critical tornado-response gaps in staffing, shelter, technology and warehousing. Procuring goods and services eligible for FEMA reimbursement. Compensating city staff and administrative costs related to disaster response (capped at 5% of fund annually) The bill aims to prioritize underinsured or uninsured households. It also outlines 26 neighborhoods or landmarks as 'impacted areas' eligible for assistance through the relief fund, mainly in northside and westside neighborhoods. The bill expresses that the aid must be used to help impacted people, properties or public infrastructure and may not be used for personal expenses. Proposed through Missouri 2025 Special Session Senate Bill 1 (Primary sponsor: Lincoln Hough) At the state level, lawmakers have proposed $100 million for a Missouri 'disaster relief fund,' a key component to a broader $360 million emergency spending package (Senate Bill 1) passed by the Missouri Senate on Thursday amid the ongoing special legislative session. The bill authorizes the Missouri Department of Public Safety to distribute funds to 'any city not within a county' – a phrase that applies solely to the City of St. Louis – for disaster-related expenses. Though the bill doesn't outline exact uses, it ties funding to Gov. Mike Kehoe's request for a presidential disaster declaration. Kehoe's request includes FEMA individual assistance to support temporary housing, housing repairs, and replacement of damaged property and vehicles, among other things. With that in mind, it's possible the $100 million could cover the following such services or resources: Emergency response Cleanup and debris remobal Housing, shelter and storage assistance Infrastructure repairs Out-of-pocket expenses related to storm damage The funds would be available for use between July 1, 2025 and June 30, 2026 and must comply with Missouri constitutional guidelines for emergency expenditures. The broader spending package would also authorize $25 million in emergency housing assistance, though that's not directly tied to the $100 million in tornado-specific funds. Both proposals – the city's and the state's – still need full approval. The St. Louis board bill would require a series or reviews and approvals from the Board of Aldermen and Mayor Cara Spencer. The Missouri special session bill still needs to clear the House before it could possibly be sent to Gov. Kehoe for review. With uncertainties on timing and dollars still looming with federal assistance, these local and state bills could represent some of the largest coordinated public investments in recovery since the May 16 St. Louis tornado. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
