Connect with us

Midwest

Former St Louis prosecutor Kim Gardner spent hundreds of work hours on nursing degree, scathing audit finds

Published

on

Former St Louis prosecutor Kim Gardner spent hundreds of work hours on nursing degree, scathing audit finds

Former St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kimberly Gardner failed “to make her job as circuit attorney her top priority,” according to a report.

Republican Missouri State Auditor Scott Fitzpatrick released a 71-page report on Tuesday, as well as a press release, that supported a previous statement of Gardner being the captain of a “rudderless ship of chaos” as she pursued a nurse practitioner certification during the hours she should have been doing her job.

The former Democratic prosecutor spent 34.5 working days, or about seven weeks, in the office during business hours working on her studies at Saint Louis University, the state auditor’s office said in the statement. 

“In my view, the driving force was Kim Gardner’s failure to make her job as circuit attorney her top priority,” Fitzpatrick told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

JUDGE SHREDS SOROS-BACKED PROSECUTOR, MOVES TO HOLD HER IN CRIMINAL CONTEMPT: ‘RUDDERLESS SHIP OF CHAOS‘

Advertisement

Kim Gardner took nursing classes during business hours as St. Louis Circuit Attorney, an audit says.  (Adobe Stock )

His review also found widespread staff turnover, misuse of public funds and a significant drop in cases filed, referred and closed before Gardner resigned under fire in 2023. 

Other issues cited in the audit include more than $58,000 in public funds spent on flowers, a disc jockey, car detailing, an office picnic, a chili cookout and Gardner’s personal legal expenses.

FORMER SOROS-BACKED ST. LOUIS PROSECUTOR ADMITS TO MISUSING PUBLIC FUNDS

In a Jan. 13, 2020 file photo, then-St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner speaks in St. Louis.

In a Jan. 13, 2020, file photo, then-St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner speaks in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jim Salter)

Gardner told auditors that she was pursuing a family nurse practitioner post-master’s certificate “to improve the office and bring mental health awareness” to the office.

Advertisement

She was part of a movement of progressive prosecutors who sought diversion to mental health treatment or drug abuse treatment for low-level crimes, pledged to hold police more accountable and sought to free incarcerated people who were wrongfully convicted.

Kim Gardner

Former St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner, right, and Ronald Sullivan, a Harvard law professor, arrive at the Civil Courts building on May 14, 2018.  (Christian Gooden/St. Louis Post-Dispatch/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)

Republican leaders often criticized Gardner for a low homicide conviction rate, among other concerns. She frequently butted heads with police and conservatives.

“Our audit report paints a clear picture of an office that was far better off before Kim Gardner took over and has quickly rebounded after her departure. Despite her efforts to stand in the way of the audit process, we were able to obtain the information necessary to give taxpayers the full story on the damage she did to the office,” Fitzpatrick said in a statement.

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

Advertisement

Read the full article from Here

Continue Reading
Advertisement
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Milwaukee, WI

Spurs get blown out in Milwaukee to drop third straight game

Published

on

Spurs get blown out in Milwaukee to drop third straight game


Following a frustrating loss in Chicago, the Spurs looked to get back in the win column against the Bucks on Wednesday night. Unfortunately, Milwaukee’s hot shooting led them to a 121-105 blowout victory, pushing San Antonio’s losing streak to three.

Despite the disappointing result, the Spurs started the game with a bang. Wemby was unsurprisingly at the center of attention, as he blocked Giannis on the first defensive possession before making a one-legged three. San Antonio used their ball movement to score from all three levels, while the Bucks relied on their outside shooting due to Wemby’s interior presence. As soon as the Alien was subbed out, though, Milwaukee went on a mini-run to break open an otherwise close game.

That trend continued in the second quarter as the Bucks built up an insurmountable lead. Milwaukee was only up by a point when Wemby sat halfway through the quarter, but by the time he came back, San Antonio was already down by 15. The offense completely stalled without Wemby’s interior presence, and it’s not a coincidence that San Antonio scored on their first possession with the big man back on the court. Unfortunately, the Bucks continued to build momentum, as they hit four threes in the final minutes of the half to build a double-digit lead.

Even so, the Spurs didn’t give up. CP3, specifically, caught fire in the third by hitting multiple threes to cut the deficit to under 10. San Antonio began playing with renewed vigor and looked to make a comeback, but it wasn’t meant to be. The Spurs’ execution was just a bit off all night: their passes and timing were always an inch short and a second late. As a result, Milwaukee soon rebuilt their lead, and the competitive portion of the game was over.

Advertisement

The starters for both teams stayed in the game at the beginning of the fourth, before the result became inevitable and key players started subbing off. It was a disappointing result in what was a highly anticipated game, and San Antonio is now left to regroup before their showdown in LA on Saturday night.

Game notes

  • Wemby had his worst game in over a month, finishing with just 10 points on 4-10 shooting. He actually started the game with three highlight reel plays in the first six minutes but looked quite lethargic the rest of the night. This is just one game, but it’s still worth monitoring how engaged he looks on Saturday against the Lakers. Remember, Wemby posted a 5×5 the day after he scored just six points on five shots back in late October.
  • Interestingly, the Spurs seemed to dislike the Wemby-Giannis matchup. Mitch Johnson made sure that Wemby was on the court at the start of the second quarter when Giannis sat, though that might just be both teams’ regular rotations. However, considering that Wemby looked the most engaged when guarding Giannis (he blocked him three times), it was still a bit surprising to see him play more as a roamer on defense. The Greek Freak was unsurprisingly most hesitant to attack the rim with Wemby on him, so the game might’ve been different had they been matched up more often.
  • Keldon Johnson had a great game off the bench, as he scored 24 points and grabbed 11 boards on 7-15 shooting. On a night when most of the team lacked energy, Big Body brought some much-needed juice.
  • Another bright spot? How about the Point God, who had 18 points and seven assists while making five out of six threes. Even at 39, CP tried to will the young team to make a comeback, and he’s at no fault for the end result.

Play of the game

What the heck even is this???

Next game: at Lakers on Saturday

The Spurs will look to get back in the win column on Saturday as they take on a Lakers team that has also lost two straight.



Source link

Continue Reading

Minneapolis, MN

'This is just not humane': Tenants in Minneapolis duplex left without heat for a week

Published

on

'This is just not humane': Tenants in Minneapolis duplex left without heat for a week


Tenants in Minneapolis duplex left without heat for a week

A Minneapolis duplex could be condemned after tenants say they were stuck without heat and hot water in freezing temperatures for a week.

The Verde Property Management Company property manager said as of Tuesday they’ve restored heat to about two-thirds of the building.

A tenant said she did not see a sense of urgency to fix the problem until the city of Minneapolis stepped in.

Advertisement

“This is just not humane to have anybody living like this,” Capri Rogers, tenant, said

For nearly a week, Rodgers said her family did not have heat or hot water.

“My son slept in his coat. My daughter’s room read at 48 degrees,” Rogers said. “My 8-month-old son is sick with a terrible cough.”

Rodgers showed us messages that confirmed she told Verde Property Management Company about the problem last Tuesday, Dec. 31. 

She said days later, the company insulated the windows with plastic and supplied space heaters, but it was still cold.

Advertisement

“I don’t feel like I’ve been heard and that’s why I called the news because I just feel like they’re very like inconsiderate,” Rogers said.

As a last resort, on Sunday, Rogers called the police for help.

On Monday, a city inspector slapped a “Notice Intent to Condemn” on the front door. The notice explained the property is unfit to live in because of the “lack of required heat” and the building would be condemned if the heat is not fixed by Friday, Jan. 10.

“This should be a message to tenants and landlords that we have rights and landlords need to uphold their bargain when it comes to tenants, regardless of where they come from, what neighborhood it’s in, or anything like that,” Rodgers said.

Jeremy Pekarek, Verde Property Management Company, said they’ve been sending out boiler technicians to fix the frozen pipes.

Advertisement

“We’ve been doing our best to try to identify the situation and figure out exactly what’s going on with the property,” he said. “I agree with her, it has been cooler than normal, and I know it’s a tough situation for them.”

During the interview, 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS saw a maintenance technician walk in to check the radiator.

Pekarek said they plan to use the space heaters to thaw the pipes so they can restore heat to the entire building.

He said the building’s heat will be fixed by the city’s deadline.

If a landlord or property manager does not take immediate steps to restore the heat in your building, you can report it to the city by calling 311 or 612-673-3000.

Advertisement

The city website says an inspector will respond to you the same day.



Source link

Continue Reading

Indianapolis, IN

Indianapolis City Market redevelopment to showcase historic catacombs

Published

on

Indianapolis City Market redevelopment to showcase historic catacombs


INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — The redevelopment of the City Market campus in downtown Indianapolis will start on the west side of the block this year, leaders say.

One of the most notable parts will be to take the historic catacombs and expose them for people to see from the street. The West Plaza will be sunken in to expose the catacombs, all while providing recreational green space.

Megan Vukusich, the director of the Department of Metropolitan Development, said Wednesday during a news conference, “We’re working with Indiana Landmarks, which really is helping provide that technical expertise from a historic preservation standpoint, but we are going to be daylighting the catacombs that sit below the West Plaza today, still retaining a portion of them.”

The City Market, located at 222 E. Market St. just south of the City-County Building, was closed March 1. Both the east and west wings of the building will be demolished as a part of this year’s project. They are not historic buildings, although the center Market House is.

Advertisement

Bill Taft, the senior vice president for economic development at the Local Initiatives Support Corp. in Indianapolis, said Thursday, “We were really happy to see this get used for 13 years or at least 12 years as a place where the community came together, and it has become a place that has a lot of great memories for me, and I am a little sad to see it going.”

The redevelopment of West Plaza will be part of the first phase of the project, which will also see a vacant office space known as the Gold Building transformed into 354 apartment units. About 10% of those apartments will be available as affordable housing. The cost will be $185 million, according to a Department of Metropolitan Development news release issued Thursday.

Vukusich said, “We’re excited to bring that building back online as residential units which addresses the need for housing in our community.”

Leaders says the West Plaza green space will serve as an amenity for the community and the people in the new apartments living directly above this area.

Redevelopment of the Market House will start in Phase Two.

Advertisement

A date to start redevelopment of the east side of the block has not yet been determined.

Previous Coverage



Source link

Continue Reading

Trending