Sherman A1
Sherman A1's JournalMichael Brown Sr. Calls For Reopening The Investigation Of His Son's Death
Michael Brown Sr. is asking the St. Louis County prosecutor to reopen the investigation into the death of his son, Michael Brown Jr.
Brown requested the reopening of the case Friday, five years after Brown, 18, was fatally shot by Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson.
“I stand here today to discuss the unsatisfaction with the way my son’s death was handled, and I am demanding evidence to be re-analyzed and accountability to be followed,” Brown said.
St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Wesley Bell did not say Friday whether he would reopen the case.
https://news.stlpublicradio.org/post/michael-brown-sr-calls-reopening-investigation-his-son-s-death
Stenger Gets Nearly 4 Years In Prison For Corruption Scheme
Former St. Louis County Executive Steve Stenger has been sentenced to nearly four years in federal prison for steering county business to a campaign donor in exchange for thousands of dollars in contributions.
The 46-month sentence Friday from U.S. District Judge Catherine Perry is at the maximum end of federal guidelines for Stenger’s crimes, in line with what prosecutors requested. He was also ordered to pay a $250,000 fine and will be on probation for three years after serving his sentence.
Prosecutors had argued that Stenger’s criminal conduct abused voters’ trust in a “substantial and harmful way,” while his attorneys countered that Stenger was remorseful. They pointed to his quick resignation and guilty plea.
Stenger will report to prison on Sept. 21, a date he requested so he could be present for the birth of his third child. The baby is due Sept. 13.
https://news.stlpublicradio.org/post/stenger-gets-nearly-4-years-prison-corruption-scheme
How St. Louis County's Jail Population Dropped 22% Over The Course Of A Year
St. Louis County has significantly reduced its jail population over the past year, as Missouri Lawyers Weekly reported last month. Officials say the drop from an over-capacity total of 1,242 inmates in July 2018 down to 965 as of May 2019 has a lot to do with justice reform efforts that began in the wake of Ferguson protests.
University of Missouri-St. Louis criminologist Beth Huebner has led research in collaboration with the county, its circuit court and service providers – an effort fueled by $4.5 million in grant funding from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.
On Tuesday’s St. Louis on the Air, Huebner joined host Sarah Fenske to discuss the progress she’s observed in the county system as well as aspects of it still in need of change.
Huebner touched on some key distinctions between jail and prison, noting that about 70% to 80% of people in jail are awaiting trial and have not been convicted of a crime.
https://news.stlpublicradio.org/post/how-st-louis-county-s-jail-population-dropped-22-over-course-year
Strong Economy Has Left Metro, Other Transit Agencies Desperate For Bus Drivers
A MetroBus driver shortage that prompted two days of delays for riders last month may be part of a larger, nation-wide problem.
On July 21 and 31, Metro told St. Louis mass transit customers on both sides of the river to expect delays due to a shortage of drivers.
The shortages were caused when Metro found its workers were unwilling or unavailable to work an extra shift.
“From time to time we’ve had challenges with workforce shortages, as have our peers,” said Metro Executive Director Jessica Mefford-Miller. “Right now it is very pronounced.”
https://news.stlpublicradio.org/post/strong-economy-has-left-metro-other-transit-agencies-desperate-bus-drivers
Yang surpasses Beto in Iowa, qualifies for fall debates
Andrew Yang, the entrepreneur running an outsider presidential campaign centered on the promise of a universal basic income, has qualified for the fall Democratic primary debates.
Yang crossed the second of two required debate thresholds on Thursday, when he polled at 2 percent in a Monmouth University poll in Iowa. He had previously received at least 2 percent in three other polls approved by the Democratic National Committee and has hit the required 130,000 unique donor mark.
Yang is the ninth candidate to qualify for a pair of debates: one in mid-September and one sometime in October. He joins Joe Biden, Cory Booker, Pete Buttigieg, Kamala Harris, Amy Klobuchar, Beto O’Rourke, Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren on stage.
Biden leads the field in the Monmouth poll in Iowa, the first DNC-approved poll in the key early state taken since the second round of debates last month. He has 28 percent to Warren’s 19 percent. Harris is in third with 11 percent, Sanders has 9 percent and Buttigieg has 8 percent.
https://dnyuz.com/2019/08/08/yang-surpasses-beto-in-iowa-qualifies-for-fall-debates/
Days And Dunaway Win St. Louis County Council Seats, Democrats Regain Majority
Updated at 10:50 p.m., Aug. 6 with comment from Rita Days and Kelli Dunaway —
Two Democrats captured vacant St. Louis County Council seats Tuesday, giving their party control of the governing body that was shaken up by Steve Stenger’s resignation as county executive.
Former state Sen. Rita Heard Days easily won the race in the heavily Democratic 1st District, which takes in parts of central and northern St. Louis County — including Ferguson and University City. Days beat Republican Sarah Davoli with 84% of the vote.
In the 2nd District, which includes municipalities like Maryland Heights, Hazelwood, St. Ann, Chesterfield and Creve Coeur, Democrat Kelli Dunaway bested Republican Amy Poelker with nearly 60% of the vote.
In addition to Democratic control, the wins mean the county council has a majority of women members for the first time since the end of 2010.
https://news.stlpublicradio.org/post/days-and-dunaway-win-st-louis-county-council-seats-democrats-regain-majority
All 700 St. Louis County Police Officers Will Wear Body Cameras By Early 2020
St. Louis County is about to become the largest police department in Missouri to equip all of its officers with body cameras.
“I think this is an example of how we’re forward-looking and how we try to set an example for law enforcement in the state,” Police Chief Jon Belmar said in an interview on Wednesday updating the status of the body camera plans.
The County Council approved $5 million for the cameras and unlimited storage space on July 2. Funding for the five-year contract comes from a half-cent sales tax increase for public safety that voters approved in November 2017.
The department ran a body camera pilot program with 75 officers in 2014, just after Michael Brown was fatally shot by a Ferguson police officer. Belmar says the county had to wait for funding to be able to expand the program.
https://news.stlpublicradio.org/post/all-700-st-louis-county-police-officers-will-wear-body-cameras-early-2020
Less Sex, Fewer Babies: Blame The Internet And Career Priorities
Nate Koch isn't sure what to make of the online dating scene.
"There's no rules," the 23-year-old Colorado resident says. "We don't know what to do on these apps. It feels like kind of, like, the Wild West."
And it can often feel extremely time-consuming and unproductive, says Koch, a recent college graduate. "I'm literally applying to jobs at the same time that I'm dating. The similarity between the two is a little, like, horrifying to me," he says.
The confusion over the rules of romance in the digital age shared by Koch and so many others might explain why millions of Americans are having less sex than previous generations did at the same age. Add in a focus on building a career before having a family, and it all may be contributing to a national birthrate that keeps falling.
https://www.npr.org/2019/08/06/747571497/less-sex-fewer-babies-blame-the-internet-and-career-priorities
Access To Pig Manure-Powered Energy Grows In Northern Missouri
Hog producer Smithfield Foods has completed its third pipeline in Missouri to transport natural gas derived from pig manure.
The company announced Monday that it finished building a pipeline that connects one of its farms to Milan, a city located 130 miles north of Columbia. Smithfield farms also built pipelines for two other northern Missouri cities, Bethany and Princeton. The latest pipeline means more than 6,000 residents will now receive natural gas from pig manure.
Capturing gas from pig manure is a key part of the pork producer’s goal to reduce 25% of the greenhouse gas emissions it produced in 2010 by 2025. Many of the company’s farms capture the methane and carbon dioxide created from pig manure, said Kraig Westerbeek, senior director of Smithfield Renewables and Hog Production Environmental Affairs.
“Capturing those emissions is clearly the biggest benefit from these projects,” Westerbeek said.
https://news.stlpublicradio.org/post/access-pig-manure-powered-energy-grows-northern-missouri
Access To Pig Manure-Powered Energy Grows In Northern Missouri
Hog producer Smithfield Foods has completed its third pipeline in Missouri to transport natural gas derived from pig manure.
The company announced Monday that it finished building a pipeline that connects one of its farms to Milan, a city located 130 miles north of Columbia. Smithfield farms also built pipelines for two other northern Missouri cities, Bethany and Princeton. The latest pipeline means more than 6,000 residents will now receive natural gas from pig manure.
Capturing gas from pig manure is a key part of the pork producer’s goal to reduce 25% of the greenhouse gas emissions it produced in 2010 by 2025. Many of the company’s farms capture the methane and carbon dioxide created from pig manure, said Kraig Westerbeek, senior director of Smithfield Renewables and Hog Production Environmental Affairs.
“Capturing those emissions is clearly the biggest benefit from these projects,” Westerbeek said.
https://news.stlpublicradio.org/post/access-pig-manure-powered-energy-grows-northern-missouri
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