Local News
Tower Grove Park Fires Staffer Amid Toxic Workplace Accusations

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Allegations of misconduct have roiled Tower Grove Park in recent months — and have apparently led to its director of development being fired.
In February, a group of Tower Grove Park employees wrote a letter to the board of commissioners alleging problems with three senior leaders, claiming “serious instances of sexism, racism and a pervasive lack of professionalism in various manners of communication.”
The three senior leaders named in the letter are Executive Director Bill Reininger, Director of Operations and Special Projects William Rein and Director of Development David Lauber.
The employees wrote that the Community Programs Team was prepared to present these issues along with proposed resolutions to Reininger. They wrote that they were denied a meeting when they requested a third party to be present.
As conversations among staff continued, the letter says they learned that the issues with the workplace were more pervasive than previously thought and included “some extreme examples of verbal abuse,” allegedly from Rein and Lauber.
Lauber has since been terminated. Lauber and his attorney have said they do not wish to provide comment for this story or regarding Lauber’s tenure at the park.
The letter leaked to the RFT said that in response to staff complaints Reininger and Board President Bob Herleth hired a law firm to conduct a fact-finding investigation.
“Throughout the investigation, it became apparent that nearly every person on Tower Grove Park’s staff has repeatedly been a victim of the aforementioned issues with [the] named staff members,” the letter says. “Most troubling, several current and former staff did not get the opportunity to share their experiences in an interview before the end of the investigation.”
During the investigative process, staff members wrote that they did not feel supported or safe and were made uncomfortable by the fact that Rein and Reininger remained on site “despite being named as leaders who promote a hostile work environment.”
Rein did not respond to RFT’s request for comment.
Reininger provided a quote about the allegations made against him in the letter, saying: “I am fully supportive of the Board’s position on this and I am committed to a work environment that is respectful and equitable – where every team member can do their very best work. ”
When asked about the investigation and Lauber’s termination, Reininger said the park can’t comment on personnel issues but did acknowledge the investigation saying, “Over the last few months, the Board has asked a third-party expert in employment law and a firm that has expertise in human resources to examine concerns about the work environment raised by individual team members. Engaging outside experts was required to fully examine the issues raised by individual staff members. Each of their concerns was shared in detail with the Board of Commissioners.”
He added:
“That third party employment expert’s review did not indicate any legal violations or issues, but all of us who care about this Park want to have a culture that goes above and beyond requirements. So, the Board and Park administration have already taken a number of steps to protect and grow the culture. For example: The Park has increased its investment in human resources — which includes support from a local consulting firm with expertise in human resources and training; all Park staff will receive additional training in Diversity and Inclusion and Anti-Harassment in the Workplace; an onsite human resources expert is now dedicated to support the team; we have added a dedicated email address where team members can anonymously report any concerns.”
Shortly after RFT heard from Reininger, Tower Grove Park staff were pulled into a meeting and told employees were not allowed to speak to the media, according to an employee who wishes to remain unnamed due to fear of retaliation.
The employee says Board President Herleth and Erin Barr, the HR consulting representative, were both present during the meeting. After the meeting and following pushback from employees, Barr clarified that it was not a blanket prohibition from talking to the media, but that any statements must not be defamatory or confidential information and that people cannot represent themselves as talking on behalf of the park.
Employees wrote in February that the measures taken by the park at that time were not enough to correct an environment they suggest is toxic.
“This does not address the hostility, illegal and unprofessional behavior from the leaders of the park, nor the retaliation that has already started,” they say.
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Fenton Man Charged in Sword Attack on Roommate

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A warrant is out for a Fenton man’s arrest after he allegedly attacked his roommate with a sword.
Police say that on Sunday, Angelus Scott spoke openly about “slicing his roommate’s head” before he grabbed a sword, raised it up and then swung it down at the roommate.
The roommate grabbed Scott’s hand in time to prevent injury. When police arrived at the scene, they found the weapon used in the assault.
The sword in question was a katana, which is a Japanese sword recognizable for its curved blade.
This isn’t the first time a samurai-style sword has been used to violent effect in St. Louis. In 2018, a man hearing voices slaughtered his ex-boyfriend with a samurai sword. His mother said he suffered from schizoaffective disorder.
As for Scott, 35, the St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office was charged yesterday with two felonies, assault first degree and armed criminal action. The warrant for his arrest says he is to be held on $200,000 bond.
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Caught on Video, Sheriff Says He’s Ready to ‘Turn It All Over’ to Deputy

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Video of St. Louis Sheriff Vernon Betts taken by a former deputy suggests that the sheriff has a successor in mind to hand the reins of the department over to, even as Betts is in an increasingly heated campaign for reelection.
“I ain’t here for all this rigmarole,” Betts says in the video while seated behind his desk at the Carnahan Courthouse. “The Lord sent me here to turn this department around and I’m doing the best I can and I think I’ve done a good job. I’ve got about eight months and I’m going to qualify for my fourth pension.”
He goes on, “Right now I can walk up out of here and live happily ever after and forget about all this…and live like a king.”
The sheriff then says his wife has been in Atlanta looking at houses and that the other deputy in the room, Donald Hawkins, is someone Betts has been training “to turn it all over to him.”
Asked about the video, Betts tells the RFT, “My future plans are to win reelection on August 6th by a wide margin and to continue my mission as the top elected law enforcement official to make St. Louis safer and stronger. Serving the people of St. Louis with integrity, honor and professional law enforcement qualifications is a sacred responsibility, and I intend to complete that mission.”
The video of Betts was taken by Barbara Chavers, who retired from the sheriff’s office in 2016 after 24 years of service. Chavers now works security at Schnucks at Grand and Gravois. Betts’ brother Howard works security there, too.
Chavers tells the RFT that she was summoned to Betts’ office last week after Betts’ brother made the sheriff aware that she was supporting Montgomery. It was no secret: Chavers had filmed a Facebook live video in which she said she was supporting Betts’ opponent Alfred Montgomery in the election this fall. “Make the judges safe,” she says in the video, standing in front of a large Montgomery sign on Gravois Avenue. “They need a sheriff who is going to make their courtrooms safe.”
In his office, even as Chavers made clear she was filming him, Betts told Chavers he was “flabbergasted” and “stunned” she was supporting Montgomery.
“I don’t know what I did that would make you go against the preacher man,” he says, referring to himself. He then refers to Montgomery as “ungodly.”
Betts goes on to say that not long ago, he was walking in his neighborhood on St. Louis Avenue near 20th Street when suddenly Montgomery pulled up in his car and, according to Betts, shouted, “You motherfucker, you this, you that. You’re taking my signs down.”
Montgomery tells the RFT that he’s never interacted with Betts outside of candidate forums and neighborhood meetings.
“I don’t think anyone with good sense would do something like that to a sitting sheriff,” Montgomery says.
Montgomery has had campaign signs missing and on at least two occasions has obtained video of people tearing them down. (Chavers notes that the sign that she filmed her original Facebook video in front of is itself now missing.)
One man who lives near Columbus Square says that he recently put out two Montgomery signs, which later went missing. “If they keep taking them, I’ll keep putting them up,” he said.
Betts says he has nothing to do with the missing signs. In the video Chavers filmed in Betts’ office, Betts says that his campaign isn’t in a spot where it needs to resort to tearing down opponents’ signs.
“If you sit here long enough, a man is getting ready to come across the street from City Hall bringing me $500, today,” Betts says. “I’m getting that kind of support. I don’t need to tear down signs.”
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St. Louis to Develop First Citywide Transportation Plan in Decades

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The City of St. Louis is working to develop its first citywide mobility plan in decades, Mayor Tishaura Jones’ office announced Tuesday. This plan seeks to make it easier for everyone — drivers, pedestrians, bikers and public transit users — to safely commute within the city.
The plan will bring together other city projects like the Brickline Greenway, Future64, the MetroLink Green Line, and more, “while establishing new priorities for a safer, more efficient and better-maintained transportation network across the City,” according to the release.
The key elements in the plan will be public engagement, the development of a safety action plan, future infrastructure priorities and transportation network mapping, according to Jones’ office.
The overarching goals are to create a vision for citywide mobility, plan a mixture of short and long-term mobility projects and to develop improved communication tools with the public to receive transportation updates. In recent years, both people who use public transit and cyclists have been outspoken about the difficulties — and dangers — of navigating St. Louis streets, citing both cuts to public transit and traffic violence.
To garner public input and participation for the plan, Jones’ office said there will be community meetings, focus groups and a survey for residents to share their concerns. The city will also be establishing a Community Advisory Committee. Those interested in learning more should check out at tmp-stl.com/
“Everyone deserves to feel safe when getting around St. Louis, whether they’re driving, biking, walking or taking public transit,” Jones said in a news release. “Creating a comprehensive transportation and mobility plan allows us to make intentional and strategic investments so that moving around St. Louis for jobs, education, and entertainment becomes easier, safer and more enjoyable.”
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