Hey folks - please take the back and forth over to private messages. Thanks in advance.
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Repost. Because this is why have this thread.
https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/cri ... -top-story
https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/cri ... -top-story
St. Louis charity got $4M to fight opioid crisis. Neighbors wonder where the money went.
https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/gov ... -top-story
https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/gov ... -top-story
EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. – The interim director of the East St. Louis Housing Authority was dismissed in the wake of inappropriate spending of hundreds of thousands of dollars.
https://fox2now.com/news/you-paid-for-i ... -backlash/
https://fox2now.com/news/you-paid-for-i ... -backlash/
Federal funding to St. Louis housing nonprofit EHOC suspended amid a misspending investigation.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/they- ... r-AA1jfaiM
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/they- ... r-AA1jfaiM
https://fox2now.com/news/missouri/north ... r-do-over/
Comptroller Darlene Green: “The public has lost trust in SLDC’s Northside ARPA-funded grant process,” Green said. “And the taxpayers are not being protected. The best way to fix this is to immediately course correct and improve the vetting and selection processes to avoid potential risks of loss of federal dollars, potential court challenges and to restore public trust.”
Cara Spencer: “The faith in the program, at least on my end, is completely gone,” Spencer said. “We’re two and a half years in. These funds were set-aside specifically to help businesses get through the pandemic. And here we are; the program is still knee-deep in problems and knee-deep in lack of oversight.”
Also, how is this a North Side only thing? Like everything just fine in Dutchtown and Carondelet and Gravois Park? How is that "fair"? But that's the least of the problems really.
Here's the portal for this whole scam:
https://www.developstlouis.org/nstlsmallbizgrant
This has been in the news for months. Has this even been barely mentioned on this forum? Talk about whistling past the graveyard.
Let's not forget recent disasters within SLPS with the cronyism and total waste of money and the failures (also very little mention on this forum).
Somehow the City manages to be a kinda decent place to live DESPITE the presence of the people who are apparently "in charge". They are just in the way in my opinion. Complete cronyism and corruption. I would just completely scrap the entire thing and start over. Most of the city is essentially a corrupt welfare state run by totally corrupt thieves and idiots.
Comptroller Darlene Green: “The public has lost trust in SLDC’s Northside ARPA-funded grant process,” Green said. “And the taxpayers are not being protected. The best way to fix this is to immediately course correct and improve the vetting and selection processes to avoid potential risks of loss of federal dollars, potential court challenges and to restore public trust.”
Cara Spencer: “The faith in the program, at least on my end, is completely gone,” Spencer said. “We’re two and a half years in. These funds were set-aside specifically to help businesses get through the pandemic. And here we are; the program is still knee-deep in problems and knee-deep in lack of oversight.”
Also, how is this a North Side only thing? Like everything just fine in Dutchtown and Carondelet and Gravois Park? How is that "fair"? But that's the least of the problems really.
Here's the portal for this whole scam:
https://www.developstlouis.org/nstlsmallbizgrant
This has been in the news for months. Has this even been barely mentioned on this forum? Talk about whistling past the graveyard.
Let's not forget recent disasters within SLPS with the cronyism and total waste of money and the failures (also very little mention on this forum).
Somehow the City manages to be a kinda decent place to live DESPITE the presence of the people who are apparently "in charge". They are just in the way in my opinion. Complete cronyism and corruption. I would just completely scrap the entire thing and start over. Most of the city is essentially a corrupt welfare state run by totally corrupt thieves and idiots.
Not to beat a dead horse, but Kim Gardner has admitting to using public funds to pay some of her legal bills.
https://www.justice.gov/usao-edmo/pr/fo ... blic-funds
https://www.justice.gov/usao-edmo/pr/fo ... blic-funds
^Which was apparently only a Federal crime by $4.34. Talk about bad luck on her part. Not that she should have done it official crime or not. Or ever have even been prosecutor. I'm still a little amazed she ever won her first election to start with.
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Shaking her fist full of receipts and yelling "YOU SCREWED ME AGAIN, SALES TAX!"MattnSTL wrote: ↑Oct 24, 2024^Which was apparently only a Federal crime by $4.34. Talk about bad luck on her part. Not that she should have done it official crime or not. Or ever have even been prosecutor. I'm still a little amazed she ever won her first election to start with.
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That's really super funny but based on her demonstrated knowledge of the legal system it is likely she had no idea. Or, wait! I bet she dined in some special taxing district and it screwed up her math! Either way, it's a tragedy.MarkHaversham wrote: ↑Oct 25, 2024Shaking her fist full of receipts and yelling "YOU SCREWED ME AGAIN, SALES TAX!"MattnSTL wrote: ↑Oct 24, 2024^Which was apparently only a Federal crime by $4.34. Talk about bad luck on her part. Not that she should have done it official crime or not. Or ever have even been prosecutor. I'm still a little amazed she ever won her first election to start with.
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Regarding the ARPR funding, once again our mayor is silent. The lack of courageous leadership from room 200 continues.
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DB, do you have any insight into what’s going on at the Sheriff’s Office? Is it falling into disarray or is this just normal regime change stuff?
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Friend of mine will be joining the staff as either Chief of staff or attorney for the office to help keep it upright. Leadership change is normal, this is the only patronage office left in the City, so the ones getting the boot got their jobs because Vernon liked them or knew them. I still don’t have much confidence in the new Sheriff himself but let’s see what happens come JanuaryJaneJacobsGhost wrote: ↑Dec 08, 2024DB, do you have any insight into what’s going on at the Sheriff’s Office? Is it falling into disarray or is this just normal regime change stuff?
Still stand by the idea that an incompetent sheriff is better than a corrupt sheriff.
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After watching Betts on KMOV calling Montgomery psychotic for giving people ample warning they were being laid off, as DB pointed out a common occurrence at a patronage office, makes me feel like it was a good thing to replace him. Betts really comes across as petty and vindictive
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Contractor earning $1M in St. Louis ARPA funds has ties to city building inspector
https://www.stlmag.com/news/st-louis-ARPA-banjo-popoola-tanya-garrett/
City building inspector has ties to second company earning $1M-plus in ARPA dollars
https://www.stlmag.com/news/farst-construction-st-louis-ARPA-popoola/
STL does seem to be infested with a disproportionate number of parasites.
And not a good look for the Jones administration.
https://www.stlmag.com/news/st-louis-ARPA-banjo-popoola-tanya-garrett/
City building inspector has ties to second company earning $1M-plus in ARPA dollars
https://www.stlmag.com/news/farst-construction-st-louis-ARPA-popoola/
STL does seem to be infested with a disproportionate number of parasites.
And not a good look for the Jones administration.
We finally get a program to stabilize privately-owned buildings whose owners can't or won't take care of and then this. So disappointing and frustrating.
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Banjo and Coplin both live in StL County. Can we bring back the rule that city employees have to live in the city? If we’re going to ripped off by our bureaucrats it’d be nice if they were at least paying city property tax
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Non-profit leaders accused of stealing more than $7M that was supposed to feed low-income kids in Missouri.
https://www.firstalert4.com/video/2025/ ... -missouri/
Leaders of another St. Louis nonprofit scammed kids food program, feds say
https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/cri ... p-homepage
https://www.firstalert4.com/video/2025/ ... -missouri/
Leaders of another St. Louis nonprofit scammed kids food program, feds say
https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/cri ... p-homepage
KMOV - Kirkwood used opioid funds on a Ford F350 snowplow. Why don’t records show it?
https://www.firstalert4.com/2025/03/13/ ... s-show-it/
https://www.firstalert4.com/2025/03/13/ ... s-show-it/
Transparency around government and accountability should always be front and center.
If you’re into holding bad actors accountable, this piece breaks down what actually counts as government contract fraud, stuff like fake invoices, bid rigging, overbilling, the whole shady list. It’s worth a look, especially if you’re serious about keeping government honest:
https://criminaldefense.com/fraud-crimes/government-contract-fraud/
If you’re into holding bad actors accountable, this piece breaks down what actually counts as government contract fraud, stuff like fake invoices, bid rigging, overbilling, the whole shady list. It’s worth a look, especially if you’re serious about keeping government honest:
https://criminaldefense.com/fraud-crimes/government-contract-fraud/
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The city tow lot situation is truly astounding. Truly astounding stuff but not at all surprising. This is how things operate in cities like St. Louis with rogue local governments for decades.
https://www.ksdk.com/article/news/local ... a0b60f334e
https://www.ksdk.com/article/news/local ... a0b60f334e