SUMMARY: The 4th Annual Midwest Easter Car & Bike Show, hosted by King’s Auto Repair at Westside Missionary Baptist Church, brought together car enthusiasts, families, and local residents for a celebration that went beyond traditional Easter activities. Hundreds attended, enjoying a mix of classic, vintage, and modern cars, along with live music, go-carts, and food. The event featured giveaways, including $8,000 worth of bikes, Easter baskets, and more. The celebration, which also included a luxury cigar lounge, has grown into one of the most anticipated community events in North County, surpassing organizers’ expectations.

While some spent the morning in church, others revved their engines for a different kind of celebration, as Kings Auto Repair hosted the Fourth Annual Midwest Easter Car & Bike Show at West Side Missionary Baptist Church.

St. Louis News: FOX 2 covers news, weather, and sports in Missouri and Illinois. Read more about this story or see the latest updates on our website https://FOX2Now.com

Follow FOX 2 on social media:

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/FOX2Now
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FOX2Now/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/FOX2Now/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fox2now/
TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@fox2now
SnapChat: https://www.snapchat.com/add/fox2now

Source

by Jason Hancock, Missouri Independent
April 19, 2025

Former Missouri Congressman Billy Long received $137,000 in campaign contributions — just enough to pay off a personal loan to his campaign — soon after he was tapped to lead the Internal Revenue Service.

Some of the donations are connected to companies that will be policed by the agency Long has been nominated to run.

According to recently filed financial disclosures, which were first reported on by the investigative journalism site The Lever, Long only raised roughly $36,000 in the last two years. 

He was named as President Donald Trump’s pick to lead the IRS in December, and in January received $137,000 in donations. He then paid back the remaining $130,000 in debt from a $250,000 loan he made to his unsuccessful 2022 U.S. Senate campaign.

The donations, and their timing, have renewed criticism of Long’s appointment, which still awaits Senate confirmation. Senate Democrats have already called for a criminal investigation of firms with ties to Long that they allege are involved in fraudulent tax credit schemes. 

Among the donors to Long’s campaign are financial advisers from some of those firms.

“When they told Billy he’d be in charge of revenue collection, did they forget to tell him that meant for the American people, not his own bank account?” said Sean Nicholson, a longtime progressive activist and campaign consultant in Missouri. 

Jordan Libowitz, vice president of communications for the liberal watchdog Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, said the timing of the donations and the “explicit knowledge that they’d end up directly in Long’s bank account, it’s hard to see them as anything other than an attempt to curry favor with the future head of the IRS.”

Long did not respond to a request for comment. 

Billy Long, Trump’s nominee to lead IRS, touts credential tax experts say is dubious

After a career as an auctioneer and conservative radio host, Long served six terms representing a Southwest Missouri congressional district. He gave up his seat to run for U.S. Senate in 2022, losing in the GOP primary to now-Sen. Eric Schmitt. 

Long then worked for Lifetime Advisors and earned at least $5,000 in income from White River Energy. Both companies have drawn scorn from Senate Democrats, and intense media scrutiny, over their involvement in controversial tax credit programs. 

In 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a limit on the amount of post-election funds a candidate can use to pay back personal loans. The majority found the limit an unconstitutional restriction on the freedom of speech, while the dissenting justices argued removing it would pave the way for political corruption.  

“Even if our broken campaign finance system allows this behavior,” Libowitz said, “it raises serious questions about future conflicts of interest and needs to be addressed in any hearings (Billy Long) has before Congress.” 

Missouri Independent is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Missouri Independent maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Jason Hancock for questions: info@missouriindependent.com.

The post Billy Long’s bid to lead IRS under scrutiny over donations that paid off personal debt appeared first on missouriindependent.com

SUMMARY: An Illinois family is urgently seeking answers after 52-year-old Shane Bear fell into the Mississippi River while being chased by police over the Stan Musial Veterans Memorial Bridge on Wednesday night. The family fears that the search efforts have slowed and that their loved one may still be alive. Bear, who had mental health struggles and outstanding warrants, was reportedly attempting to climb under the bridge when he slipped and fell into the river. Illinois State Police, alongside the Coast Guard and local fire departments, have conducted aerial and boat searches, but the family demands more thorough efforts.

An Illinois family is demanding police do more after they said their loved one fell into the Mississippi River.

They said it happened as he was being chased by police Wednesday night over the Stan Musial Veterans Memorial Bridge.

St. Louis News: FOX 2 covers news, weather, and sports in Missouri and Illinois. Read more about this story or see the latest updates on our website https://FOX2Now.com

Follow FOX 2 on social media:

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/FOX2Now
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FOX2Now/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/FOX2Now/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fox2now/
TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@fox2now
SnapChat: https://www.snapchat.com/add/fox2now

Source