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Jacob Barker

@jacobbarker27.bsky.social
233 followers 70 following 191 posts

St. Louis Post-Dispatch reporter covering local politics, development, etc. Rooting for the Rust Belt, particularly the River City. www.stltoday.com/users/profile/jbar…

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Jacob Barker @jacobbarker27.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
"There comes a point where even people who tend to believe that everyone's acting in good faith, I think, struggle to explain all of the behavior in this case.” www.stltoday.com/news/local/g...
stltoday.com
Federal judges in St. Louis kept GOP-drawn voting map alive with 'novel' orders
"Where the courts really start to get into trouble is when their rulings don't have neutral explanations."
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Jacob Barker @jacobbarker27.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
"We don't want changes to RAC's statute that would reduce its independence, that would reduce its share of the hotel occupancy tax. We don't want changes to the statute that would negatively impact the amount of public funding that goes to arts organizations." www.stltoday.com/news/local/g...
stltoday.com
Arts chief calls her exit a 'reasonable sacrifice' to protect funding in St. Louis
"If that means that this role needs to be eliminated to ensure that RAC can exist another 40, 50, 60, years, for me, that's a reasonable sacrifice," said Vanessa Cooksey.
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Jacob Barker @jacobbarker27.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
"This is not a gray area; it is a black and white area. What is happening is gravely immoral, which means seriously sinful." www.stltoday.com/news/local/g...
stltoday.com
St. Louis Archdiocese wants end to 'mass deportation,' says immigrant treatment 'sinful'
Archbishop Mitchell Rozanski called for a path to legal status for those without documentation.
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Jacob Barker @jacobbarker27.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Supreme Court again blocks GOP's attempt to reinstate its congressional map, ending fight www.stltoday.com/news/local/g...
stltoday.com
Supreme Court again blocks GOP's attempt to reinstate its congressional map, ending fight
The ruling, the high court's third in as many weeks, appeared to finally end a saga that began a year ago when Missouri Republicans undertook an unprecedented mid-decade redistricting.
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Jacob Barker @jacobbarker27.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
"A lower court cannot demand the same relief this Court has stayed by cloaking it in a new order." www.stltoday.com/news/local/g...
stltoday.com
Missouri congressional map before U.S. Supreme Court for third time this month
The U.S. Supreme Court will again hear a case about Missouri's redistricting efforts amid a relentless push by Missouri Republicans to overturn a state supreme court ruling.
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Jacob Barker @jacobbarker27.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
“You're not going to get a remand, so you can write more briefs until the election passes." www.stltoday.com/news/local/g...
stltoday.com
Federal appeals court questions whether opponent of Missouri's GOP map can stay on case
A lawyer for Congressman Bob Onder, R-Lake Saint Louis, asked the court to vacate the court actions from People Not Politicians, the group that successfully gathered signatures to suspend Republican's
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Jacob Barker @jacobbarker27.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
"Healthcare worker 2026 earnings and benefits barely budged from the year before. At the same time, labor costs for administration and other non-healthcare work rose by 10 percent." www.stltoday.com/news/local/b...
stltoday.com
Mercy posts $500 million earnings, lauds efforts to control labor costs
Mercy executives lauded efforts to control hospital labor costs in a presentation to prospective bondholders.
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Jacob Barker @jacobbarker27.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
Judge condemns NorthSide land in win for city looking to spur development www.stltoday.com/news/local/b...
stltoday.com
Judge condemns NorthSide land in win for city looking to spur development
The ruling is a blow to the Bank of Washington, a politically-connected lender that financed much of NorthSide's land acquisitions and had taken the lead in the fight against the
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Jacob Barker @jacobbarker27.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
"The war's over, but there's still soldiers fighting." www.stltoday.com/news/local/g...
stltoday.com
Missouri GOP says its preferred voting map still has a chance. Experts aren't so sure.
An attorney for the signature gatherers suggests the Missouri Supreme Court consider appointing someone other than Attorney General Catherine Hanaway to represent the state in the U.S. Court of Appeal...
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Jacob Barker @jacobbarker27.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
"We can't go back to the way it was, where you have this sense of invincibility. It's not like terrorism is something of a bygone age. The only reason it feels that way is because of all the work that's happened since then." www.stltoday.com/news/local/m...
stltoday.com
St. Louisan Mike Chapman was in the Pentagon on 9/11. He doesn't want US to get complacent
Mike Chapman, a longtime St. Louis County official, was in the Pentagon on 9/11.
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Jacob Barker @jacobbarker27.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
Contempt hearing is on for tomorrow at Mo. Supreme Court after Judge Clark's rejects SOS Hoskins and AG Hanaway's request to block it. "No profit would be gained by upsetting the federalism and comity principles at hand," Clark wrote. stltoday.com/news/local/g... via @stltoday.com
stltoday.com
Missouri Supreme Court orders Hoskins to appear for contempt hearing over voting maps
The court ordered Hoskins to address why he instructed local election authorities to use the 2025 map and how that is not a violation of the court's ruling.
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Jacob Barker @jacobbarker27.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
Fight over Missouri congressional map heads back to U.S. Supreme Court www.stltoday.com/news/local/g...
stltoday.com
Fight over Missouri congressional map heads back to U.S. Supreme Court
Some legal scholars believe there are procedural and other issues with St. Louis District Judge's Stephen Clark's order that make it unlikely to hold up. But the Republican-dominated Eighth Circuit
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Jacob Barker @jacobbarker27.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
"If I'm a lawyer advising the county right now today, I tell them this this federal court ruling might not last 24 hours, but for the moment, it's binding." www.stltoday.com/news/local/g...
stltoday.com
Federal judge's order for Missouri to use gerrymandered districts stands, for now
Some legal scholars believe there are procedural and other issues with St. Louis District Judge's Stephen Clark's order that make it unlikely to hold up. But the Republican-dominated Eighth Circuit
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Jacob Barker @jacobbarker27.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
U.S. Supreme Court declines to block Mo. high court's ruling against GOP redistricting www.stltoday.com/news/local/g...
stltoday.com
U.S. Supreme Court declines to block Mo. high court's ruling against GOP redistricting
Experts said the Missouri Supreme Court sought to "insulate" its ruling from Supreme Court review by sticking to state law and deciding the new map was never in effect.
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Jacob Barker @jacobbarker27.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
"The secretary’s review ... is ministerial only ... which does not include a determination of whether the proposed amendment, if approved, will or might lead to constitutional violations." www.stltoday.com/news/local/g...
stltoday.com
Missouri high court: Voters can decide measure protecting citizen-passed laws
The court's ruling overturns unilateral action from Missouri Secretary of State Denny Hoskins declaring unconstitutional a ballot measure with enough signatures to go before voters.
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Jacob Barker @jacobbarker27.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
Representatives with Stop the Ban, the campaign opposing Amendment 3, accused Hanaway of being among anti-abortion politicians “using our tax dollars to bankroll their latest attempt to overturn the will of the voters and ban abortion.” www.stltoday.com/news/local/g...
stltoday.com
Missouri AG spends $167,000 in state funds on abortion PSA ahead of November vote
Missouri’s attorney general says the PSA provides consumer information. Abortion-rights advocates say taxpayers are funding messaging tied to the November ballot fight.
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Jacob Barker @jacobbarker27.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
Since the adoption of work requirements for adults receiving food stamps, enrollment in Missouri SNAP has dropped by nearly 40,000 people, as of Aug. 1, according to data provided by the department. www.stltoday.com/news/local/g...
stltoday.com
Missouri will require more paperwork for food stamp recipients
New work requirements for SNAP benefits have resulted in a drop in enrollment statewide
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Jacob Barker @jacobbarker27.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
"They're run like Wall Street businesses... As American healthcare has turned from a million-dollar, to a billion-dollar to a trillion-dollar industry, everything's gotten bigger, and the money has gotten enormous." (gift link) www.stltoday.com/news/local/b...
stltoday.com
St. Louis hospital CEOs got raises in COVID era despite pay cut pledge
The leaders of the region's three major tax-exempt hospital chains furloughed thousands of frontline workers during the pandemic and said executives would take pay cuts, too. Instead, they got raises.
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Jacob Barker @jacobbarker27.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
League can't register voters in St. Louis federal courthouse, court says www.stltoday.com/news/local/g...
stltoday.com
League can't register voters in St. Louis federal courthouse, court says
The league was also stopped from registering voters last year before the decision was reversed.
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Jacob Barker @jacobbarker27.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
Kirkwood residents now pay higher electric bills than they would with Ameren. www.stltoday.com/news/local/g...
stltoday.com
Kirkwood took millions from its electric utility, treated it like 'slush fund' before crash
For years before it crashed, officials used Kirkwood Electric's money to repair roads, build their new performing arts center and purchase the city's new public works building.
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Jacob Barker @jacobbarker27.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
"In our current budget crisis, I look forward to hearing the reason from the council for rejecting the lowest cost option." www.stltoday.com/news/local/g...
stltoday.com
St. Louis County moves toward HQ lease in St. Ann
Page administration says council is passing up a better deal for county taxpayers.
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Jacob Barker @jacobbarker27.bsky.social · 17/08/2026
The Dutchtown neighbors say they are frustrated by a lack of response from city officials. “It’s bringing down the value of the community." www.stltoday.com/news/local/m...
stltoday.com
Neighbors try to secure abandoned St. Louis hospital. One says she's owed $140,000.
The old South City Hospital, also known as St. Alexius, closed two years ago. Neighbors say the burden is on them to keep the property from falling apart.
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Jacob Barker @jacobbarker27.bsky.social · 13/08/2026
'Trying to hide:' Landlord asked St. Louis assessor to take his name off records www.stltoday.com/news/local/m...
stltoday.com
'Trying to hide:' Landlord asked St. Louis assessor to take his name off records
Lester Hubble, a lawyer for Joey Chianese, told the St. Louis Assessor he wanted his client's name off of property records.
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Jacob Barker @jacobbarker27.bsky.social · 10/08/2026
The state of Missouri and most of its counties have authorized the collection of their sales taxes on internet purchases, where consumer spending increasingly is concentrated. www.stltoday.com/news/local/g...
stltoday.com
Page warns of police layoffs after St. Louis County voters reject internet tax
St. Louis County is one of a dwindling number of Missouri counties that haven't yet authorized sales taxes on internet purchases.
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Jacob Barker @jacobbarker27.bsky.social · 06/08/2026
Critics say Secretary of State Denny Hoskins' declaration Tuesday that the measure, from a group called Respect Missouri Voters, is unconstitutional was a remarkable new use of the office's powers. www.stltoday.com/news/local/g...
stltoday.com
Missouri Secretary of State deems initiative unconstitutional. Critics cry foul
His declaration Tuesday that the measure, from a group called Respect Missouri Voters, is unconstitutional was a remarkable new use of the office's powers.
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Jacob Barker @jacobbarker27.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
Missourians have overturned redistricting maps before. In 1922, Missouri Democrats gathered enough signatures to put a Republican gerrymander to a public vote. State GOP leaders now say that was unconstitutional. www.stltoday.com/news/local/g...
stltoday.com
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Jacob Barker @jacobbarker27.bsky.social · 03/08/2026
"My kid's the same age as Giovanni. I keep thinking about what it would be like to be bound and shot next to my 16-month-old kid." www.stltoday.com/news/local/m...
stltoday.com
Hundreds gather to mourn Overland parents murdered after deportation to Guatemala
"I keep thinking about what it would be like to be bound and shot next to my 16-month-old kid...It didn't have to happen."
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Jacob Barker @jacobbarker27.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
"The big question that always came up in my head, you know, when making the decision was, if I don't buy it, then who would?" www.stltoday.com/news/local/g...
stltoday.com
A St. Louis CEO bought, rebranded Dominion Voting. He's still fighting conspiracies.
Scott Leiendecker, a former Republican St. Louis elections director and founder of trailblazing election equipment company, is trying to move past GOP's attacks.
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Jacob Barker @jacobbarker27.bsky.social · 28/07/2026
In filings with the state, Ameren said it intends to have customers shoulder costs associated with the West Alton plant upfront, through the state’s recent adoption of a policy called “Construction Work in Progress.” www.stltoday.com/news/local/b...
stltoday.com
Ameren pitches its third gas power plant in two years, this time in West Alton
Ameren is pitching another natural gas-fired power plant to state regulators, and wants customers to pay for costs of the project before it's in service.
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Jacob Barker @jacobbarker27.bsky.social · 27/07/2026
“I can’t imagine that any billionaire wants to be seen as the face of Amendment 5 or as a major source of the money behind it, given that they would stand to reap large tax savings from its passage while most Missourians wouldn’t see any benefit." www.stltoday.com/news/local/g...
stltoday.com
Who's funding the campaign to scrap Missouri's income tax? Supporters aren't saying
The campaign pushing for the income tax phaseout in Amendment 5 has accepted over $15 million in secretive contributions.
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Jacob Barker @jacobbarker27.bsky.social · 17/07/2026
"I don't know if it's going to pass or not, but people in my business will become extremely wealthy next January if this is going to become every industry has to go to Jeff City to protect their tax exemption." www.stltoday.com/news/local/g...
stltoday.com
Amendment 5 would be good for lobbyists. But would it help Missouri grow?
Amendment 5, which would phase out Missouri's income tax and raise and broaden an already high sales tax rate, could fundamentally alter the state's political and economic landscape.
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Jacob Barker @jacobbarker27.bsky.social · 16/07/2026
"Legal Services is impressed with how quickly the mayor's office has responded, and their lawsuit, I'm sure, will be effective in combatting this scourge in our low-income housing community." www.stltoday.com/news/local/c...
stltoday.com
St. Louis sues to block housing contracts that put tenants on hook for repairs
The contracts offer a path to homeownership, but tenants are on the hook for repairs and can't build equity in the property. They are evicted and lose it all if
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Jacob Barker @jacobbarker27.bsky.social · 10/07/2026
Bank urges court to reject condemnation of McKee land, calling city's plan vague www.stltoday.com/news/local/g...
stltoday.com
Bank urges court to reject condemnation of McKee land, calling city's plan vague
Judge Thomas McCarthy will decide whether the city can finally wrest some land away from longtime owner NorthSide Regeneration.
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Jacob Barker @jacobbarker27.bsky.social · 08/07/2026
“At one point, if you wanted to get elected to anything in St. Louis County, you came to that little store on the corner, and you had a conversation with Dorothy Moore." www.stltoday.com/news/local/g...
stltoday.com
Dorothy 'Mama' Moore, who ruled tiny Hillsdale for 50 years, dies at 94
Dorothy "Mama" Moore, the 94-year-old leader of the tiny North St. Louis County village of Hillsdale for half a century, died over the weekend, a city clerk confirmed Monday.
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Jacob Barker @jacobbarker27.bsky.social · 26/06/2026
Tax-exempt hospital chain BJC's financial assistance to patients fell 40% in 2024, a year its net revenue nearly quadrupled to $630 million. Last week, it waived bills for a woman three days after a news story about her medical debt www.stltoday.com/news/local/b...
stltoday.com
BJC waives medical bills for Swansea woman after news story of her bankruptcy
BJC approved Angie Salvador's financial assistance request days after the Post-Dispatch highlighted her struggle with medical bills. The system has been provided less assistance in 2024 than the year ...
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Jacob Barker @jacobbarker27.bsky.social · 25/06/2026
"They want to fight as much as possible to avoid transparency." www.stltoday.com/news/local/c...
stltoday.com
St. Louis police appeal judge's order to release records to the Post-Dispatch
A judge last month ordered the city to turn over the records. But in appealing, the police department has opted to continue the fight.
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Jacob Barker @jacobbarker27.bsky.social · 24/06/2026
St. Louis-based owner of former Dominion Voting settles with My Pillow, Mike Lindell www.stltoday.com/news/local/g...
stltoday.com
St. Louis-based owner of former Dominion Voting settles with My Pillow, Mike Lindell
Scott Leiendecker's Liberty Vote settled most of Dominion's defamation lawsuits against those who claimed its machines rigged the 2020 election against President Trump. It still had two left, includin...
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Jacob Barker @jacobbarker27.bsky.social · 15/06/2026
"I'm assuming that you can get excellent quality healthcare in the United States. I just don't know anybody that's able to afford it." www.stltoday.com/news/local/m...
stltoday.com
A Swansea woman's health insurance saga: Breast cancer leads to bankruptcy
Angie Salvador was diagnosed with breast cancer a year ago. Her odyssey through the healthcare system led to bankruptcy.
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Jacob Barker @jacobbarker27.bsky.social · 29/05/2026
"I'm perfectly willing to take on as many new cases as people would wish to retain me for the purposes of seeking compensation from this fund." www.stltoday.com/news/local/g...
stltoday.com
Mark McCloskey dropped his Jan. 6 clients. 'Anti-weaponization' fund lured him back.
McCloskey said his illness is not as dire as he first thought.
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Jacob Barker @jacobbarker27.bsky.social · 26/05/2026
St. Louis Public Schools 'ghosted' developer on sale. Now it may pay $2M for demolition. www.stltoday.com/news/local/e...
stltoday.com
St. Louis Public Schools 'ghosted' developer on sale. Now it may pay $2M for demolition.
St. Louis Public Schools plans to move forward with demolishing three historic buildings even as one developer says the district has for years failed to respond to his attempts to buy one of the prope...
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Jacob Barker @jacobbarker27.bsky.social · 21/05/2026
Bank wants St. Louis neighborhood groups' records in NorthSide eminent domain case. "Ridiculous," city lawyers say. www.stltoday.com/news/local/g...
stltoday.com
Bank wants St. Louis neighborhood groups' records in NorthSide eminent domain case
Lawyers for the city say the bank, facing the loss of its collateral, is looking to "impugn" neighborhood residents who are tired of Paul McKee's NorthSide Regeneration.
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Jacob Barker @jacobbarker27.bsky.social · 18/05/2026
Old Lutheran Nursing School headed to St. Louis LRA after tax sale finds no takers www.stltoday.com/news/local/b...
stltoday.com
Old Lutheran Nursing School headed to St. Louis LRA after tax sale finds no takers
A portion of the abandoned hospital campus on South Jefferson Avenue was up for auction for back taxes last week.
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Jacob Barker @jacobbarker27.bsky.social · 15/05/2026
Despite the ruling, the police won't say whether they will follow the judge's order and release the records. www.stltoday.com/news/local/c... via @stltoday.com
stltoday.com
St. Louis police unlawfully kept records hidden, judge rules in Post-Dispatch lawsuit
The judge's ruling should "send a warning to other law enforcement agencies" in Missouri, said Dave Roland, the Post-Dispatch's attorney on the case.
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Jacob Barker @jacobbarker27.bsky.social · 12/05/2026
Most governments in Missouri can't, over the weekend, notice a special meeting for Monday morning. But most governments aren't the St. Louis Board of Police Commissioners. www.stltoday.com/news/local/c...
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Jacob Barker @jacobbarker27.bsky.social · 12/05/2026
"The charter is too executive-centric and always has been. And we've seen what has happened." www.stltoday.com/news/local/g...
stltoday.com
Flaws still exist that allowed Stenger pay-to-play scheme, St. Louis County audit finds
Now, county leaders are negotiating plans for a new HQ without additional protections.
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Jacob Barker @jacobbarker27.bsky.social · 08/05/2026
A judge ordered them to produce evidence to the state. They disabled their website instead. www.stltoday.com/news/local/g...
stltoday.com
St. Louis developers operated without license, then hid evidence, state says
The Missouri Real Estate Commission says STL CityWide removed a website at the center of the state's lawsuit accusing the landlords' company of operating without a license.
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Jacob Barker @jacobbarker27.bsky.social · 06/05/2026
Messenger: A St. Louis 'slow flip' victim fights to stay in her home www.stltoday.com/news/local/c...
stltoday.com
Messenger: A St. Louis 'slow flip' victim fights to stay in her home
“These contracts are designed to fail,” one attorney says. “It’s abusive and predatory.”
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Jacob Barker @jacobbarker27.bsky.social · 04/05/2026
“They're just running them further into the ground. As maintenance issues come up, they delay them, they put them off. They're making their money. They'll be out someday.” @danarieck.bsky.social reports www.stltoday.com/news/local/b...
stltoday.com
An investor bought hundreds of St. Louis apartments, left millions in unpaid bills
Ohio-based Paul Kiebler IV hired companies to work on the St. Louis-area properties — from painting to plumbing to landscaping — and then never paid them, the suits say.
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Jacob Barker @jacobbarker27.bsky.social · 30/04/2026
Police say St. Louis blocked gun range sound wall. But the department had extra cash, @ahuguelet.bsky.social reports www.stltoday.com/news/local/g...
stltoday.com
Police say St. Louis blocked gun range sound wall. But the department had extra cash.
“They had the money,” said Nancy Cross, the city’s operations director under former Mayor Tishaura O. Jones.
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Jacob Barker @jacobbarker27.bsky.social · 24/04/2026
It was a "criminal referral" from Olsen that prompted the search warrant application earlier this year to seize Georgia's 2020 ballots, applied for not by a Georgia prosecutor but by the U.S. Attorney in St. Louis, Tom Albus. www.stltoday.com/news/nation-...
stltoday.com
Trump, aides chase vote-rigging claims even after latest probe finds nothing
Sources said the failure to find evidence in the Puerto Rico machines led the administration to expand the investigation to Georgia, where the FBI seized 2020 election ballots, and Arizona.
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