derrick rodgers, 21, and his brother rick laurel, 26 meet...

n’t do any consultingafter the consultantlearned of and threat-ened to expose thefraudulent arrange-ment.

The wording ofBenson’s plea agree-ment suggests morefraud will be prosecut-ed based on these inci-dents. The two “ghostemployees” are indi-cated by initials,

which suggests their identities are known butbeing withheld for a future indictment or pleaagreement. In charging documents the “ghost

COMPLIMENTARY

stlamerican.comVol. 84 No. 21CAC Audited

AUGUST 23 – 29, 2012

Bill Clay: ‘Power is the name of the game’A Q&A with 1st Congressional District godfather about Aug. 7 primary

Page A8

American staff

The St. Louis American, Saint LouisPublic Schools, the Normandy SchoolDistrict and the Saint Louis Science Center,

along with cor-porate partners,have collaborat-ed to create aunique class-room tool that isbeing launchedthis week.

The initialpilot project willbe directly tar-geted to theSaint LouisPublic Schoolsand NormandySchool districts.This NewspaperIn Educationprogram will

continue in the newspaper and online atstlamerican.com every week for the entire2012-2013 academic school year.

According to the National NewspaperAssociation (NNA), students with someNewspaper In Education (NIE) program in

AmericanlaunchesNIE programSTEM PRINT AND

ONLINE INITIATIVE

AIMS TO LOWER

ACHIEVEMENT GAP

Photo by Wiley Price

See FRAUD, A7

By Chris KingOf The St. Louis American

Tishaura O. Jones did not get long to savorher victory in the August 7 Democratic primaryfor City Treasurer – or to prepare her transitionteam, pending her almost certain win in theNovember general election – before more scan-dal hit in the troubled office she will soondirect.

On Monday, the local minority subcontractor

New fraud sting atTreasurer’s Office

See NIE, A6

Minority contractor bilked cityfor ghost employees, consultant

By Rebecca S. RivasOf The St. Louis American

For 13 days, Derrick Rodgers, 21, had been in “the hole,” or24-hour isolation, in the medium-security City Workhouse. Theonly time he came out was to shower in handcuffs.

“Meals come through the chuckhole,” Rodgers said. “Youdon’t get contact with anyone. I was lying there just thinking thatI only have a couple more days, and then I get my rights back andvisits.

‘Gladiators’of the city jailsInmates file class-action suit against city, jailers for forced fighting

See JAILS, A7

By Rebecca S. RivasOf The St. Louis American

Educators KynedraOgunnaike and Dana M.Watts are both building afoundation for underservedchildren to succeed – at twodifferent age levels.

On Friday, September14, Ogunnaike will receive

the SEMO Counselor of the Year award atthe St. Louis American Foundation’s 2012Salute to Excellence in EducationScholarship & Awards Gala. Watts willreceive the 2012 PNC Early Childhood

See SALUTE, A6

‘Salute’ tofoundationbuildersOgunnaike and Watts awarded forcounseling, early childhood education

� “It makes me concernedthat there ismore to comeand what elseis going on inthe office.”

- Tishaura Jones

Derrick Rodgers, 21, and his brother Rick Laurel, 26 meet with attorneyDaniel Brown, of Bosley and Associates, about the federal class-actionlawsuit filed on Aug. 17 against city correction authorities. Rodgers, aplaintiff in the lawsuit, was attacked by another inmate and plaintiff,who alleges that guards have threatened him repeatedly to fight otherinmates for their entertainment or betting purposes.

� Minority students who usea newspaper atleast once a weekscore 29 percenthigher on standardized teststhan minority students who don’tuse a newspaper,according to theNNA.

on the Treasurer’s contract to provide parkingservices for the city, Dannielle Benson, owner ofDankar Enterprises, pled guilty to defraudingmajority contractor Duncan Solutions and theTreasurer’s Office from June 2009 throughDecember 31, 2011.

Benson pled guilty to one felony count ofmail fraud for bilking the city and the majoritycontractor out of more than $328,000 by payingtwo unnamed people who didn’t do any workand then paying an unnamed consultant who did-

Song bird CherylBrown performed a

tribute to WhitneyHouston last night atthe Missouri History

Museum. Brown debutthe opening of the Fall

Twilight Tuesdaysschedule.

Tribute toWhitney

Photo by Wiley Price

INEDUCATION

2012