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Texas will look to win its fourth straight game and carry a measure of momentum into its inaugural season as a member of the Southeastern Conference when it hosts Northwestern State on Sunday afternoon in Austin, Texas. It's the final tune-up before the SEC gauntlet for the Longhorns (10-2), who roll into Sunday's game with 10 days of rest and after a 98-62 win over New Orleans on Dec. 19. Justin Pope led Texas with a career-high 42 points, the most for a member of the Longhorns since Reggie Freeman had 43 against Fresno State in 1996. Arthur Kaluma added 15 points and Chendall Weaver scored 12 for Texas, which played without star freshman guard Tre Johnson for the second straight game. Johnson has been listed as day-to-day for a return but would be a likely participant to get at least some playing time before the Longhorns' SEC opener at No. 13 Texas A&M on Jan. 4. Texas coach Rodney Terry is looking for focus on the defensive end from his team as it heads into league play. "We want to be playing Texas basketball defensively," Terry said. "We try to protect the paint, we try to keep the guys off the glass, (and be) physical (with our) block outs. Then try to get out and play to a strength of ours. We're a fast team but you've got to be able to get stops to be able to do that and play in transition." Northwestern State (5-6, 2-0 Southland Conference) heads to Austin after an 89-79 win at home over Southern-New Orleans on Dec. 20. Addison Patterson turned in a career performance in the win with 33 points, 10 rebounds and four assists as the Demons won for the third time in four games. The Demons have played four teams from power conferences -- Texas Tech, Oklahoma, LSU and, most recently, Cal on Dec. 14 -- and have lost by at least 16 points in each game. "Our guys are always ready to play," Demons coach Rick Cabrera said. "We had a really good Christmas break to decompress and recuperate. They are just ready and willing to play anyone regardless of conference. Texas is extremely talented, and we are looking forward to competing with one of the top programs in the country." The contest against Texas is the final non-conference game for Northwestern State, which returns to Southland Conference play at home against Nicholls on Jan. 4. The Longhorns have won all five previous games with Northwestern State, most recently a 105-57 victory at home in November 2017. --Field Level MediaCLAYTON — The daughter of a St. Louis County health administrator didn’t work hours she put on her time sheet and had help from a supervisor in falsifying records, according to a county audit. The report, by county Auditor Toni Jackson’s office, doesn’t name the employees involved. But it says the staffer worked as a food and pool inspector for the environmental services team from at least 2021 until resigning in March of this year. The audit also singles out her mother and a supervisor in the department. The director of the health department, Dr. Kanika Cunningham, has referred the matter to police in Berkeley, where the health department has an office. The audit shows: The daughter’s supervisor allowed her to record time for hours not actually worked: “Evidence shows years of deliberate falsification of time sheets and inspections reports.” From June 10, 2023, through Jan. 6, 10 of 16 time sheets did not have the supervisor’s signature. None of them had the correct dates. The daughter worked an internship at Webster University in 2021 but did not file for paid time off from her county job. Four food inspections by the daughter were missing temperature checks. Three lacked hepatitis immunization compliance data. Two inaccurately recorded food safety plans, and 10 didn’t include codes for violations. Four inspections indicated pools had safety signs when there were none, and another duplicated information. The mother completes and submits time sheets for employees who don’t directly report to her, including her daughter. In an interview with the auditor’s office, the daughter denied the accusations, saying “she would not falsify her time or her work.” The audit commends the health department for “taking swift action to address issues.” But it also recommends potentially firing or demoting the supervisor. “Field inspectors play a crucial role in ensuring the safety and compliance of food, pool and other establishments,” the audit says. “Violations of any kind can lead to serious health risks and consequences can be severe, impacting consumers and businesses, along with legal fees, penalties, other repercussions, and reputational damage to St. Louis County.” Others have worked in the health department with their parents. The Post-Dispatch reported earlier this year that Cunningham, the health director who started in January 2023, hired her daughter as an inspector and gave her a raise. The daughter of former department spokesman Christopher Ave also worked as an inspector in the summer. In the case reviewed in the audit, Jackson’s office received an anonymous email in early December 2023 about the daughter’s work practices. The tip said the daughter claims “40 hours of work on her timesheets, but only works 1-2 days per week on average,” the audit says. The tip also said her mother and the supervisor “are covering for her by falsifying inspections.” The auditor launched a yearlong investigation, interviewing employees, reviewing payroll records and time sheets, studying inspection reports, and analyzing management procedures. The audit is dated Dec. 18. Among other conclusions, the audit found the daughter had an orientation at Webster University on Aug. 24, 2021, but was not marked for paid time off from her county job. The audit also found she had an internship at the university; for four weeks between the end of May and the beginning of September last year, she didn’t take paid time off from her county job to cover time worked at the internship. In late June, the auditor received an envelope delivered anonymously. It contained a letter that said the daughter had resigned in March and was recommended in personnel records for rehiring. The audit, however, suggested changing her status to “not recommended rehire.” The audit made several other recommendations, including: conducting a comprehensive review of health department policies; creating a clear policy for payroll, timekeeping and training; defining disciplinary actions for violation of timekeeping and payroll rules; and monitoring compliance of timekeeping procedures. An employee fabricating hours on a time sheet “is committing theft,” the audit says. “This behavior should have severe consequences.” The health department is already addressing the problems, including potential disciplinary actions against the supervisor, Cunningham wrote in a response to the auditor. The county also plans to install new timekeeping software, conduct biannual training on inspections and notify employees of updated timekeeping policies. “Since first learning of this investigation, our teams have worked collaboratively to ensure all allegations were addressed appropriately,” Cunningham wrote. “Indeed, before this was brought to our attention, efforts were underway to address the issue of timekeeping, showing that our internal controls and processes work.” The environmental services team in the health department does thousands of inspections of pools, restaurants and stores. The team employs up to 24 field inspectors, who use data management software to track inspections and reports.
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