The jail director, who reports to St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones, was known to be at odds with the city's Detention Facility Oversight Board over the lack of transparency and conditions at the City Justice Center.

Eric DeValkenaere, who has been in prison for a year and two months, could be released by Christmas. The family of 26-year-old Black man Cameron Lamb, whom DeValkenaere killed, has long feared that Gov. Mike Parson would free the former police detective.

The three-year deal will increase starting pay for a police officer to $64,000. It also strengthens protections for officers facing discipline and sets up a new appeals process for minor disciplinary issues.

The Rev. Darryl Gray said he is more hopeful for reform after a recent conversation with Commissioner of Corrections Jennifer Clemons-Abdullah.

St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones called for investigations into the city’s building division after corruption allegations against inspectors.

St. Louis-based activists Omali Yeshitela, Penny Joanne Hess and Jesse Nevel will not face prison time. The three are connected with the African People's Socialist Party and Uhuru Solidarity Movement and were indicted last year for failing to register as Russian agents. A jury acquitted them of that charge.

St. Louis corrections chief Jennifer Clemons-Abdullah has returned after an unexplained three-month leave, and the former head of St. Louis County’s jail is working to assess and recommend fixes to the city jail.

The officer whose testimony led to Kurtis Watkins' 25 year sentence had a history of racist social media posts and a mistaken identification of another Black man that led to his death in custody.

Brentwood School District officials canceled classes for all students Friday following unspecified threats.

The 14 men worked for front companies that advertised fully remote IT workers. All told, prosecutors said, the scheme funneled $88 million to the North Korean nuclear weapons program.