ST. LOUIS — Following up.
It’s a hard thing for journalists to do these days, as newsrooms continue to shrink.
But readers and viewers always ask, “Hey, whatever happened to?” and fill in the blank.
This week, I wanted to bring you a few tidbits and updates from the stories I reported on.
The coronavirus in the line of duty death
Michelle Lynch is married to St. Louis Police Officer Ryan Lynch.
She bravely opened up publicly about their decision to live apart during the pandemic because he fears he is likely to be exposed to the virus and doesn’t want to bring it home to her or their 3-year-old twins, who have special needs.
So, he’s essentially swapped houses with his mother-in-law.
Along with protecting his family from the virus, the decision brought with it an unspoken advantage: Bolstering his case should he contract the virus on duty to get line-of-duty death benefits for his family should the worst happen.
Proving the virus came from someone other than his family could be key.
Hours after his story ran, Gov. Mike Parson announced on Twitter that he was directing the state’s Department of Labor to create an emergency order that would presume any first responder who contracts the virus did so on duty. That way, the onus is on the employer to try and prove otherwise, and not the first responder to prove it came from an exposure while on duty.
President Donald Trump announced a similar measure to ensure the same is true for first responders nationwide.
But one wrinkle not included in the president’s and governor’s emergency orders was police pensions.
Should a first-responder survive the virus, but it leaves them unable to return to duty, then what?
I’ve done several stories about officers trying to prove to the pension board that their reasons for leaving the department have to do with line-of-duty injuries or illnesses.
For some officers, that process has dragged on for years and involved litigation as pension system doctors disagree with other doctors on whether the injury is a career-ender. Whether it came from a tour of duty or some old unrelated injury. Or whether it’s even legit in the first place.
I’ll be keeping an eye on how this develops.
Despite the news from Parson and Trump, Officer Lynch is still self-isolating.
No emergency orders can stop the spread of the virus to his family.
Back in business
The Taco Boss is busy once again.
Earlier this week, Gerard LaRuffa told us his business at Club Taco in Kirkwood had slowed significantly after we published a story saying he was one of the 42 businesses that St. Louis County sent letters to, ordering them to shut down their business or face jail time, a $2,000 fine and/or even exclusion from any financial help for businesses affected by the coronavirus outbreak.
He, and several other businesses who received the letters, said the county did no prior investigation before sending the letters.
If they had, they would have seen that LaRuffa was in compliance with the county’s essential business regulations and that some of the other businesses, including Meyer’s Country Cottage & Pub in Black Jack, were already closed.
County Executive Sam Page’s spokesman Doug Moore confirmed that the letters were based on complaints filed through a county website.
St. Louis City also has issued similar letters to businesses, but Mayor Lyda Krewson's spokesman Jacob Long said city officials relied on some proof of a violation before issuing them.
Now, the verification process the city used doesn't sound like it has the depth of a homicide investigation or anything, but Long said the city received multiple first-hand accounts, sometimes videos or other photographic evidence or documentation before issuing the letters.
Department of Health workers then worked with the businesses to ensure they were compliant and could continue operating within the guidelines, he said.
In the county, LaRuffa said the county’s attorney took him off the list with a simple phone call, and, that since our story aired, the tacos are flying out the door once again.
At an appropriately socially-distanced pace, of course.
