News briefs:
Pilgrim church to dedicate restored gymnasium
Pilgrim Congregational Church UCC will dedicate its restored gymnasium on Friday, recognizing two men who helped shape a youth basketball program that influenced more than 1,000 St. Louis-area young people.
The gym, which sustained significant damage during the 2025 tornado, has been renovated and will be named in honor of William Dewitt Coby Sr., a coach, mentor and league leader. The dedication will also recognize the Rev. Rudy Raber, who launched the West End Youth Basketball League in 1969.
The dedication is scheduled for 2 p.m. at the church.
Police urge residents not to confront people setting off fireworks
As fireworks complaints increase ahead of the Fourth of July, St. Louis police are urging residents to call 911 rather than confront people illegally discharging fireworks.
The warning follows a June 14 shooting in the 900 block of Rutger Street. Police said a man was shot after confronting a group that had been setting off fireworks in his neighborhood. His injuries were not considered life-threatening.
Mitch McCoy, public affairs and information director for the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department, said residents should report fireworks activity and provide details about the location, people involved and whether weapons are visible.
Police plan to increase enforcement efforts around the holiday and said people caught illegally discharging fireworks could receive a summons.
Missouri Supreme Court blocks $2.5 million award
The Missouri Supreme Court has ruled that the city of St. Louis is not required to pay a $2.5 million judgment awarded to Michael Holmes, who spent five years in prison after a 2003 drug arrest later tied to police misconduct.
In a unanimous decision issued Tuesday, the court found the city is protected by sovereign immunity. Holmes won the judgment in 2016 after a federal jury concluded former officers Shell Sharp and Bobby Lee Garrett falsely claimed they found him with drugs during a raid.
The ruling leaves unresolved who, if anyone, is responsible for paying the judgment.
St. Louis County Port Authority accepting grant applications
The St. Louis County Port Authority is accepting applications for its 2026 Community Investment Fund grant program, which supports economic and community development projects led by nonprofit organizations.
Eligible applicants must have 501(c)(3) status and be located in St. Louis County or primarily serve county residents or businesses. Grants of up to $300,000 are available for programmatic and construction-related projects.
Applications are due Aug. 11. Grant recipients are expected to be announced in early 2027.
June Fowler named to Lambert CEO search committee
June Fowler, retired vice president of corporate and public communications at BJC HealthCare, has been appointed to the St. Louis Airport Authority search committee overseeing the recruitment of the next CEO of St. Louis Lambert International Airport.
Current CEO Rhonda Hamm-Niebruegge is scheduled to retire in August. Mayor Cara Spencer will select the airport’s next chief executive from candidates identified through the national search process.