Articles by Jim Salter

No Radioactive Contamination Found at Missouri School

FLORISSANT, Mo. (AP) – Testing by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers found no radioactive contamination at a Missouri school that was shut down last month amid fears that nuclear material from a contaminated creek nearby had made its way …

Mississippi River Low Water Level Threatens Barge Traffic

Parts of the Mississippi River are so low from weeks of drought that barge traffic is being limited at the worst possible time — as crop harvests begin. Some Mississippi River communities between St. Louis and New Orleans may see …

St. Louis Police Face Closer Scrutiny Under New Oversight Plan

Eight years after Michael Brown’s death pushed the St. Louis region front and center into the national debate over police accountability, the city’s elected officials and its police associations are at odds over a new oversight plan. St. Louis Mayor …

Record Rainfall Causes Widespread Flooding Across St. Louis Region

Record rainfall caused widespread flash flooding across the St. Louis area early Tuesday, closing multiple roadways and prompting rescues from vehicles and homes. There were no immediate reports of injuries, but damage was widespread after a massive downpour dropped more …

Experts Warn Central U.S. Needs to be Ready For Next Earthquake

Experts have warned for decades that a large swath of the central U.S. is at high risk for a devastating earthquake. They know that overcoming complacency is among their biggest hurdles. Hundreds of emergency managers, transportation leaders, geologists and others …

Experts Warn Central U.S. Needs to be Ready For Next Earthquake

Experts have warned for decades that a large swath of the central U.S. is at high risk for a devastating earthquake. They know that overcoming complacency is among their biggest hurdles. Hundreds of emergency managers, transportation leaders, geologists and others …

Fatal Fires in St. Louis Expose Vacant Home Risks

Thick smoke billowed from the vacant, crumbling St. Louis house, but Benjamin Polson knew homeless people might be inside taking refuge from the January chill. So the 33-year-old firefighter went in. It cost him his life. Eleven days later, three …

NFL Owner to Pay $750 Million over Rams’ St. Louis Departure

The NFL and Rams owner Stan Kroenke will pay $790 million to settle a lawsuit filed by St. Louis interests over the team’s relocation to Los Angeles, a joint statement from St. Louis city and county said last week. No …

Paper Uncovers Major Security Flaw in Missouri State Database

Republican Gov. Mike Parson condemned one of Missouri’s largest newspapers for exposing a flaw in a state database that allowed public access to thousands of teachers’ Social Security numbers, even though the paper held off from reporting about the flaw …

Missouri County to Pay $280K to Journalists Tear-Gassed in Ferguson

Three journalists with Al Jazeera who were tear-gassed during a protest in Ferguson, Missouri, after Michael Brown’s death in 2014 have settled a lawsuit with the county whose SWAT team fired the tear gas. St. Charles County agreed to pay …