🌱 N-95 Mask Scammer Pleads Guilty + STL Mardi Gras Events

Hello again, St. Louis! Important update: You all, as readers, have made the St. Louis Daily so successful that it is my honor to announce the next stage of the newsletter. Patch is looking for a local writer and entrepreneur to take the helm of the St. Louis Daily. Although I have loved getting to know this community, we want to pass the torch to someone truly local to write about St. Louis long term. So if you’re interested in earning extra income while making this newsletter a more valuable resource for your neighbors, learn more and apply here.

First, today's weather:

A little snow and sleet. High: 28 Low: 25.

Here are the top three stories in St. Louis today:

1. A St. Louis man has admitted to participating in a series of frauds, one of which included swindling a Wisconsin company out of $159,000 they paid for N-95 masks. Prince J. Vamboi pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis Tuesday to bank fraud and three counts of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. He could face 15 to 21 months in prison. (STLtoday.com)
2. Ready for Mardi Gras, St. Louis?! KSDK has rounded up a full list of the top local Mardi Gras events you can be a part of this weekend, including Soulard. Preparations are already underway for the festivities with crews working on sites. Organizers hope this weekend will feel like it did "pre-pandemic." (KSDK.com)
3. An appeals court has declined to revive criminal charges against a St. Louis police officer, stating that prosecutors missed the deadline. Sgt. Jatonya Clayborn-Muldrow had been charged with witness tampering in March 2021, but the charge was dismissed because it had been filed the day after the one-year statute of limitations had expired. According to the current appeals court ruling, “The State failed to provide a record of the oral argument proceedings on the motion to dismiss. Without meaningful transcript preserving this issue, there is nothing for us to decide.” (KSDK.com)

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Today in St. Louis:

• Wellness Kits: Sensory Bottles - Central Branch Library (All Day)
• SLPL Community Blood Drive with ImpactLife - St. Louis Public Library (10:00 AM)
• Vaccine Clinic - Lewis and Clark Branch Library (1:00 PM)
• Grab and Go After School Meals - Lewis and Clark Branch Library (3:30 PM)

From my notebook:

• H.E.R. has added a St. Louis date to her Back of Mind 2022 tour! The Grammy and Academy Award-winning artist will perform at Saint Louis Music Park on Wednesday, May 4. (KTVI Fox 2 St. Louis)
• Join the St. Louis Science Center on Friday, March 4 from 5-9 p.m. for First Friday: Batman. The evening will feature trivia, feature presentations, a building-wide Riddler game, and the premiere of The Batman in IMAX® on the OMNIMAX® screen! (Facebook)
• Dmitry Sinkovsky will conduct, play the violin, and sing at St. Louis Symphony Orchestra concerts on March 4-6, which feature the long-awaited return of the St. Louis Symphony Chorus. (Facebook)

More from our sponsors — thanks for supporting local news!

Events:

• Lowered Costs for 2022, Get Your Cannabis Card from Home! (February 26)
• Learn How To Reduce Your Risk For Heart Disease During American Heart Month (February 28)
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You're officially in the loop for today! See you all tomorrow for another update.

— Helen Eckhard

About me: Helen Eckhard is a marketing assistant at Lightning Media Partners. She is a self-professed logophile who is currently pursuing her master’s degree in library science. Outside of work, you can find Helen constructing crossword puzzles, knitting, or devising increasingly crafty ways to kill off characters in her mystery novels.