Latest news with #CaraSpencer
Yahoo
16 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Mayor Spencer: Rams settlement funds eyed for tornado aid
ST. LOUIS – St. Louis City is finalizing plans on a six-month lease of a 140,000-square-foot warehouse to store large donations and supplies for tornado recovery efforts, Mayor Cara Spencer said Monday. 'We're very, very pleased that this will be a hub site that will allow us to receive very large-scale donations and then to distribute them to the smaller hubs throughout the community. That will really act as the point of contact for the community who is going to need these resources,' Spencer said. The mayor provided updates on the immediate and long-term plans of the tornado recovery during a news conference Monday. She also announced that the city is planning on using $5 million of ARPA funds for the tornado recovery. Daycare death case now in hands of special prosecutor 'We've obligated all of those funds at the end of last year. So, making sure that we are in full compliance and not changing anything of the allocations but rather working within those to ensure that we are targeting here the folks that were impacted by the tornado is really the goal,' Spencer said. The mayor said the city identified other funds they are potentially looking to use for the recovery, including Rams settlement money. 'When it comes to Rams funds, you'll see a proposal this week going to the Board of Aldermen that should get us through the summer. This is a very, very long recovery process and we want to be very thoughtful and deliberative in how we deploy the funds that are going to be required,' she said. Spencer did not release specifics but said the Board of Alderman is looking into how they can legally spend the funds. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Leaders address ordinance preventing storm victims from getting insurance claim payouts
ST. LOUIS – For nearly two decades, Cheryl Walker's family has owned and rented out the middle unit of this row house in The Ville neighborhood. 'My tenant calls and says, 'Mrs. Walker, it's bad,' Walker said. The May 16 tornado damaged but didn't destroy Cheryl's property. She said she spoke with her insurance company, filed a claim and planned on using the payout for repairs. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now 'But I have to let you know, you won't get all of it. The city is going to take 25%. They told us we have to send it to them. And I said, 'What?' That's not fair. That's my money,' Walker explained. Cheryl's claims adjuster was referencing state statute and a complimentary city ordinance adopted in the 90s. St. Louis Mayor Cara Spencer explained its traditional use in a news conference this week. 'When an insurance company pays out to a property owner, the city holds 25% of that insurance payout in escrow. These laws have been very effective at essentially protecting the community from property owners who walk away from totaled properties, leaving the community to deal with the rubble,' Spencer said. But when it comes to the way this ordinance would be applied to storm-related insurance claims, Spencer acknowledges that homeowners with property damage could be further victimized by not being able to receive the full amount they're paid out. Donate here: Help support St. Louis storm victims Governor Kehoe's Office and the Missouri Department of Commerce and Insurance shared a joint statement with FOX 2 regarding the matter: 'Director Nelson has advised the City of St. Louis to consider waiving the holdback on all owner-occupied residential property and keep it in place for rentals and commercial properties. If the City chooses to do so, DCI will work with insurance companies to ensure that these funds are available to residents working to recover and rebuild.' While it's still unclear exactly how the city of St. Louis will handle it, Walker believes there's a simple answer. 'My city, which takes my taxes on all the properties I've owned because I've decided to live, work, play, build the city of St. Louis. And you're the one hurting me,' Walker said. 'You're the one hurting me. Give it to me. It's mine. You can waive it. It's a disaster. I'm your constituent. How about that?' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
St. Louis City Board of Aldermen expected to pass two tornado relief bills
ST. LOUIS – Two bills aimed at providing financial assistance to tornado victims are expected to pass Friday morning through the St. Louis City Board of Aldermen. The bills are designed to support residents affected by the recent tornado that caused significant damage in St. Louis. One bill focuses on helping renters, while the other provides relief for homeowners. The tornado resulted in the deaths of five people and damaged 5,000 structures, with Mayor Cara Spencer estimating the total damage at $1.6 billion. 'Will you marry him?': 3rd grade teacher proposed on last day of school The Board of Aldermen fast-tracked Board Bills 23 and 24, ensuring they were ready for passage as soon as possible. In a special meeting Wednesday, the board had a second reading of the bills and perfected them, steps usually taken at separate meetings. Board Bill 23 provides renters with one month's rent to help them find a new place to live if their apartment or house was destroyed. Board Bill 24 offers homeowners whose homes were destroyed a reduction in property taxes. With unanimous support from the aldermen, these bills represent a crucial step in aiding residents as they recover from the tornado's devastation. All facts in this report were gathered by journalists employed by KTVI. Artificial intelligence tools were used to reformat from a broadcast script into a news article for our website. This report was edited and fact-checked by KTVI staff before being published. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
26-05-2025
- Yahoo
Market looted in storm-damaged STL neighborhood
ST. LOUIS – The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department (SLMPD) said it arrested four people, including a minor, over the weekend after catching them stealing from the market. According to probable cause statements, the police caught the suspects with at least 9 2-liter bottles and 48 alcoholic drinks. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now According to St. Louis mayor Cara Spencer, SLMPD is taking incidents of looting very seriously. 'They will continue to do so and I'm grateful for that because we don't want people to be further traumatized, further victimized as we move through what's going to be some vulnerable spaces,' Spencer said. Jerry Moore with Clean Cutts Lawncare was working across the street from the market on Monday. Moore is offering free lawn services to his clients who were hit by the tornado. He worries that people are taking advantage of storm victims. 'They come here just to start stuff and tear our neighborhoods up. This is a good place to stop and get cold drinks or chips or something just to keep you going. Everybody needs this store,' Moore said. Spencer says looting incidents have been minimal so far. But there have been a few. Last week, FOX 2 reported that six people were arrested for various wire thefts involving power lines. 'As you see continued arrests related to copper theft and people that are trying to prey on our community when it is most vulnerable, you'll see that we have deployed our resources in an adequate and effective way,' said Mitch McCoy, SLMPD director of Public Affairs. Police reported that many suspects in these incidents are not from St. Louis. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
USA Today
22-05-2025
- Climate
- USA Today
St. Louis emergency official removed after tornado kills five without warning siren
St. Louis emergency official removed after tornado kills five without warning siren Mayor Cara Spencer said residents were not alerted to 'the most horrific and deadly storm our city has seen in my lifetime.' Show Caption Hide Caption St. Louis construction workers survive tornado in their truck St. Louis construction workers took shelter in their truck when a tornado ripped through the area. St. Louis Mayor Cara Spencer will seek a new top emergency official after warning sirens failed to be activated ahead of what she called 'the most horrific and deadly storm our city has seen in my lifetime,' including a tornado that killed five people and injured dozens. Spencer placed Sarah Russell, commissioner of the City Emergency Management Agency, on administrative leave and said the department would be led by Fire Captain John Walk 'until a permanent commissioner has been found,'' according to a statement from the mayor's office. Russell and her staff were away from the office May 16 as the expected storm bore down on St. Louis, and they could not press the button to activate the alarm warning residents of the impending tornado danger, the statement said. The mayor's office said Russell reached out to the fire department but 'the directive to activate the sirens was ambiguous, which cannot happen when a tornado is sweeping through our City and St. Louisans' safety depends on being alerted immediately.'' Spencer has since changed the protocol so the fire department will be in charge of activating the sirens, her office said. The National Weather Service said at least half a dozen tornadoes struck Missouri and neighboring Illinois. According to officials, at least 5,000 properties were damaged in St. Louis. The twisters were part of a major system of severe weather that tore through the Upper Midwest and some of the eastern states on May 16, killing more than 30 and leaving many damaged homes and downed power lines. Spencer estimated the damage in St. Louis at around $1 billion. She and other Missouri officials have complained that federal response to the disaster hasn't mobilized quickly enough, saying the Federal Emergency Management Agency had no presence on the ground as of May 19. 'On the local level, every organization, community member, elected official, has been on point,'' Spencer told MSNBC. 'What we need right now is federal assistance. This is what the federal government is for.'' Contributing: Mike Snider and Sarah D. Wire, USA TODAY
