Calumet City Drops Citations Against Reporter for Persistent Inquiries into Fall Flooding

Calumet City officials retract "interference/hampering" charges against Daily Southtown journalist, Hank Sanders, following his continuous inquiries into the city's preparations prior to historic fall flooding.

• Hank Sanders, a reporter for Daily Southtown, received municipal citations from Calumet City officials for his persistent inquiries into the city's stormwater facilities ahead of historic fall flooding.
• The city officials dropped the citations against Sanders, with city attorney Patrick K. Walsh sending a letter to a Tribune lawyer, acknowledging Sanders had the right to ask city's employees for comments.
• Sanders' reporting revealed that consultants had informed city officials that their stormwater facilities were in poor condition before the heavy rains, resulting in severe flooding in September.
• The citations were allegedly for 'interference/hampering of city employees', drawing complaints from various city officials, including Mayor Thaddeus Jones.
• The incident is among the recent challenges involving city officials and news outlets around the country regarding First Amendment rights.

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