Post-Dispatch columnist finds self-dealing drained Taum Sauk fund

Missouri gave Iron County more than $3 million to recover after the devastating December 14, 2005 flood triggered by the bursting of the Taum Sauk reservoir. Today, the money is nearly gone. Its funded projects included a coffee shop and bike park, but they made little impact to repair the damage. Tony Messenger, a columnist for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, investigated the fund and found that most of the money has gone to insiders. Whistleblower Erich Jett, who worked for the board overseeing the fund, reveals what he saw as early as 2015 that led him to raise an alarm.