St. Louis

Mayor-elect Tishaura Jones says race will no longer be an afterthought under her incoming administration.

Long Marred By Racism, St. Louis Elects 1st Black Female Mayor

12:40pm April 12, 2021

Amid unrest at local jails, surging gun violence and a pandemic that has disproportionately hurt people of color, Tishaura Jones says: "We are done avoiding race and how it holds this region back."

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St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner is the city's first Black Circuit Court attorney. On Thursday a circuit judge disqualified her and her staff from prosecuting the case against Mark McCloskey.

National

St. Louis Prosecutor Taken Off Case Of Couple Who Brandished Guns At BLM Protesters

8:40am December 11, 2020

by Vanessa Romo

A judge in St. Louis rules that in sending fundraising emails seeking reelection, Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner jeopardized Mark McCloskey's right to a fair trial.

Mark and Patricia McCloskey leave a court hearing Wednesday in St. Louis. The McCloskeys pleaded not guilty to unlawful use of a weapon and tampering with evidence.

Gun-Waving St. Louis Couple Plead Not Guilty To 2 Felony Charges

1:52pm October 14, 2020

by Laurel Wamsley

A grand jury indicted Mark and Patricia McCloskey last week on weapon and evidence charges. The case stems from a confrontation between the McCloskeys and protesters for racial justice on June 28.

"The government chooses to persecute us for doing no more than exercising our right to defend ourselves, our home, our property and our family," said Mark McCloskey, alongside his wife Patricia on Tuesday outside the Carnahan Courthouse.

National

White Gun-Wielding St. Louis Couple Reportedly Indicted By Grand Jury

9:48pm October 06, 2020

by Vanessa Romo

"I've been told they've been charged with exhibiting a firearm and tampering with evidence," Joel Schwartz, who represents Mark and Patricia McCloskey told NPR.

A 2016 photo of a sign for the Opera Theatre of St. Louis.

Opera Theatre St. Louis Administrator Accused Of Child Sex Trafficking

5:33pm August 11, 2020

by Anastasia Tsioulcas

Damon Bristo was arrested on July 22 on the suspicion of the sex trafficking of a child in the second degree. The opera company announced Tuesday that Bristo has resigned.

Mark and Patricia McCloskey of St. Louis who brandished firearms outside their home were charged on Monday with unlawful use of a weapon, a class E felony.

National

St. Louis Prosecutor Charges White Couple With Threatening Protesters With Guns

10:28pm July 20, 2020

by Vanessa Romo

"It is illegal to wave weapons in a threatening manner at those participating in nonviolent protest ... this type of conduct is unacceptable in St. Louis," Circuit Attorney Kimberly Gardner said.

Missouri's only clinic that provides abortions, located in St. Louis, will be able to keep operating after a state commission decided Friday, that the health department was wrong not to renew the license of the Planned Parenthood facility.

National

Missouri's Only Clinic That Provides Abortions Allowed To Remain Open

7:11pm May 29, 2020

by Vanessa Romo

"Planned Parenthood has demonstrated that it provides safe and legal abortion care," a state commission ruled. It said state health regulators wrongly blocked the St. Louis clinic's renewal in 2019.

Justice Buress, 4, hides under a table while demonstrating a drill at Little Explorers Learning Center in St. Louis. Tess Trice, head of the day care program, carries out monthly drills to train the children to get on the floor when they hear gunfire.

Health & Safety

Teaching Kids To Hide From Gunfire: Safety Drills At Day Care And At Home

9:00am May 24, 2020

by Cara Anthony

Sheltering in place isn't new for children who live in neighborhoods plagued by gun violence, and shootings haven't eased during the pandemic. St. Louis families improvise to keep kids safe.

Dr. Laurie Punch, a trauma surgeon at Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis, is adamant that violence is a true medical problem doctors must treat in both the operating room and the community.

Trauma Surgeon Battles Bullets In The Operating Room And The Community

5:00am December 05, 2019

by Laura Ungar

Weary of losing neighbors and patients to gunfire, St. Louis trauma surgeon Laurie Punch has a message: Gun violence is contagious, but so is healing. Doctors who teach can be part of the solution.

A jury awarded Sgt. Keith Wildhaber nearly $20 million in a discrimination lawsuit against the St. Louis County Police Department.

National

Missouri Cop Who Says He Was Told 'Tone Down Your Gayness' Wins Discrimination Case

4:11pm October 30, 2019

by Rachel Treisman

Sgt. Keith Wildhaber sued the St. Louis County Police Department in 2017, alleging he was passed over for promotions because he is gay. A jury agreed and awarded him nearly $20 million on Friday.