April 18th, 2019 Edition

Saving Dunbar Elementary

Preschoolers from Dunbar Elementary School parade through the JeffVanderLou neighborhood on Friday, April 12, to bring attention

the school’s

to remain open for the upcoming school year.

By Chris King Of The St. Louis American

The leadership of Saint Louis Public Schools and Dunbar Elementary School have joined a community movement to keep open the school, which had been considered for closure. Dunbar Principal Anthony Virdure was one of the leaders of a community-organized parade through the school’s surrounding neighborhood on the afternoon of Friday, April 12. “Dunbar must retain at least 180 children,” Carla Alexander, one of the community

n “We need to keep the school in the community. It brings a lot of people into our neighborhood.”

– Trashay Rucker

organizers, explained the purpose of the parade, which was meant to alert the community that it’s in danger of losing its neighborhood school. Though the Jeff-Vander-Lou

Neighborhood surrounding Dunbar is a relic of its heyday, when composer Scott Joplin and Negro League ballplayer James “Cool Papa” Bell lived there, the residents alerted by the parade were unanimous in their support of the school.

Kimberly Barton, who lives in an upstairs apartment on the street memorably named for Bell, stuck her head out the window at the sound of the Vashon High School drumline leading the parade with the high school’s JROTC color guard.

“Dunbar!” Barton shouted in solidarity,

2019 SALute to exceLLence HeALtH cAre

Eight excellent awardees

Salute to Excellence in Health Care is April 26

Crystal Brown is a speech therapist at Ranken Jordan Pediatric Bridge Hospital, where she helps patients with a variety of conditions, from head injuries to developmental delays, transition from hospital to home. She said, “There are so many small things we can do that have major results.” Brown started working at Ranken Jordan in 2018. For the previous 16 years, Brown

worked at the Rehabilitation Institute of St. Louis. Brown earned a master’s degree in communication disorders from Saint Louis University.

Renee Foote is the chief compliance officer at CareSTL Health, where she makes

SLPS goes local

American staff

n “It’s a story about how to do something the right way over an extended period of time.”

– Mike Jones

The Missouri State Board of Education voted unanimously on Tuesday, April 16 to return governance of the Saint Louis Public School District (SLPS) to the voter-elected St. Louis Board of Education, effective July 1. SLPS has been under the governance of the three-member Special Administrative Board (SAB) since 2007, when the district lost accreditation. In advance of the vote, State Board member Mike Jones thanked members of the SAB for their service. The SAB is currently made up of Richard Sullivan, Darnetta Clinkscale and Richard Gaines. Jones praised them for putting together a stable, productive team under the leadership of Superintendent Kelvin Adams. “It’s a story about how to do something the right way over an extended period of time,” Jones said. The state’s accountability system in 2007 outlined challenges linked to school finance, governance, and academic instruction and rigor. Since that time, the district has taken meaningful strides to improve academics, restore fiscal stability, expand educational options, upgrade aging facilities, develop community partnerships, and provide enhanced professional development

Cheryle

Celebration of her life Friday at Centennial Christian Church

By Chris King Of The St. Louis American

F. Dyle-Palmer transitioned on Saturday, April 13. A proud member of the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, she held multiple leadership roles at Parents as Teachers National Center, headquartered in St. Louis, and received a 2006 Stellar Performer in Education award from the St. Louis American Foundation. A celebration of her life will be held on

is not enough,” Dyle-Palmer told The American about her life work in 2006 when she received her Salute recognition. “Parents are the first and most important teachers of children, and education begins at the prenatal stage.”

Countless parent educators – including many

Photo by Wiley Price

to

fight

Cheryle F. Dyle-Palmer

By Sandra Jordan Of The St. Louis American

The St. Louis American Foundation will honor eight outstanding health professionals from area hospitals, federally qualified health centers, and a nonprofit health organization at the 2019 Salute to Excellence in Health Care on Friday, April 26, at the Frontenac Hilton.

Wendy Williams gifts divorce papers, discusses future during ‘Hot Topics’ Daytime talk show host Wendy Williams filed for divorce from her husband/manager Kevin Hunter on Thursday, April 11.

Sources close to B. Scott news and gossip blogger that Williams disguised the divorce papers as a present wrapped with big bow.

“When Kevin excitedly opened the box, thinking it was a gift of some sort, the process server uttered those famous words, ‘you have been served,’” the show insider told B. Scott.

Williams reportedly reached her breaking point after Hunter’s longtime mistress gave birth to a child last month, and hunter reportedly gifted the mistress a $200K Ferrari. Williams reportedly had the car repossessed –and fired Hunter.

Hunter released an official apology “taking

full accountability” for what he had done on Tuesday, April 16.

Williams used part of her popular “Hot Topics” segment – which is devoted to the latest celebrity gossip –to speak on her own drama.

“My business has become your business,” Williams said while sipping from her cup.

“I’m moving out of sober house in just a few days. It’s gonna be Wendy on her own. You know I’ve been dealing with addiction – alcoholism. And I have a whole new life that I have planned with my son. When you lay in a room with no TV with four gray walls everyday and no telephone. Honestly, it’s one of the best things to ever happen to me.”

She didn’t directly speak on the divorce, her estranged husband’s affair or rumored love child, but gave insight on her recent experiences.

“Everybody has things in their life that they are embarrassed to share with the world,” Williams said. “Addressing my sobriety, my addiction, head on has really helped me sort out every single compartment of my life. I have a commitment to

me and my son to come out of here better stronger and faster.”

J-Hud attempting to halt Otunga’s palimony requests

The drama between Grammy and Academy Award winning singer/ actress Jennifer Hudson and her child’s father, David Otunga, have heated up again following his latest demands, which according to The Blast include a housing subsidy.

The Dreamgirls star says she has no duty to support Otunga and, “denies that the child support should extend to housing subsidies for David when the parties were never married,” according to documents reportedly obtained The Blast.

The two were set to go to trial later this month but agreed to postpone in an attempt to reach a settlement. A hearing has been set for next month.

Eartha Kitt once put the smackdown on Jackee

Television star Jackee Harry took to Twitter to deliver some throwback tea regarding herself and stage, film and music icon Eartha Kitt out of the blue over the weekend.

In response to a Michael Segalov tweet which solicited the, “the most surreal

encounter you’ve had with someone famous,” Harry won the game.

“Eartha Kitt slapped the [expletive] out of me,” Harry responded. “She thought I was sleeping with her boyfriend – which I was, but I didn’t know he was taken.”

Harry, star of “227” and “Sister Sister” then went into graphic details about the man’s sexual prowess.

“He was a dual piano “playa,’” Harry tweeted. “We didn’t know that he would tickle both our keys.”

R. Kelly’s bank account reportedly in the red

Last week, it was revealed that R. Kelly’s former landlord was allowed to seize funds from his bank accounts to retrieve unpaid rent. Celebrity legal news site The Blast says there is nothing to grab.

“According to court documents obtained by The Blast, Wintrust Bank, where Kelly holds an account, informed one of his creditors (his former landlord) that the singer currently has a balance of negative $13 with them,” The Blast reported. “Kelly did have two other accounts with Bank of America — holding $44,595.58 and $110,056.64, for a grand total of $154,527.22 — but everything but $625 was seized by his former landlord to settle a massive debt owed.

Sources: The Blast, TMZ.com, Twitter.com The Daily Sun

For fifth graders considering an independent school education May 4

Wendy Williams

David Otunga

‘Literacy is a civil right’

Helping students read on grade level is ‘everyone’s problem,’ Karessa V. Morrow says

By Charlene Goston Ferguson-Florissant School District

Karessa V. Morrow, an ELL

(English Language Learners) instructor at Wedgwood Elementary School in the Ferguson-Florissant School District, has published her first book Ring the Bell: Literacy Is Everyone’s Problem, which addresses the literacy gap among students.

She will host a book signing 1-4 p.m. Saturday, April 27 at the Maryland Heights Community Center, 2300 McKelvey Rd. Ring the Bell: Literacy Is Everyone’s Problem is written for administrators, educators, reading specialists, literacy specialists, academic instructional coaches, counselors, social workers, school psychologists and parents. Morrow said that one of the most vexing problems confronting educators is helping students read on grade level.

A veteran educator, Morrow shares her own story of how she rallied teachers, parents, community members, and students to tackle low reading achievement in an urban elementary school where she served as principal. She also offers a blueprint for how educators and parents can utilize best practice strategies to improve reading achievement.

“After high school graduation, K-12 students, regardless of where they come

from and where their career paths lead, will be expected to read more complex texts, do more with different types of texts, and handle larger amounts of reading,” said Morrow.

“Ensuring that all students acquire the literacy skills they need to compete and thrive in the world they will face is a moral imperative for educators, policymakers and families. Failing to live up to this imperative is simply not an option.”

Ring the Bell: Literacy is Everyone’s Problem offers proven strategies for helping students to read on grade level. Morrow takes an unflinching look at how poverty hurts children, families, and communities. She provides reading tips on how to improve reading achievement of economically disadvantaged students.

“Individuals will find this book to be an insightful resource that addresses the root causes of low reading achievement and provides practical tools on how to change the trajectory for low performing students,” said Morrow.

Morrow is a 30-year education veteran. She has experience as a principal, assistant principal, literacy coach, and a reading specialist. She holds a doctorate in Educational Leadership from Maryville University in St. Louis. She has received numerous awards including the

Pettus Award of Excellence, which recognizes principals for inspiring students and staff to perform at high levels in academic achievement, and the Peabody Energy Leader in Education award, which honors dedicated educators who inspire and motivate youth to succeed. She is a member of

the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated.

“I believe literacy is a civil right,” Morrow said, “and that educators must accept the challenge to ensure all children are able to read on grade level.”

Morrow’s book is available through her website, www. kmorrowconsulting.com.

She will host a book signing from 1-4 p.m. Saturday, April 27 at the Maryland Heights

Community Center, 2300 McKelvey Rd., 63043.

Karessa V. Morrow, a teacher at Wedgwood Elementary School, will sign her first book Ring the Bell: Literacy Is Everyone’s Problem 1-4 p.m. Saturday, April 27 at the Maryland Heights Community Center.

Photo by Charlene Goston

Editorial /CommEntary

Messenger deserves Pulitzer for commentary

Tony Messenger, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, and anyone who cares about the St. Louis region or Missouri should applaud Messenger’s winning the 2019 Pulitzer Prize “For distinguished commentary.” Messenger –who has the best surname ever for a journalist – was recognized, according to the judges, “for bold columns that exposed the malfeasance and injustice of forcing poor rural Missourians charged with misdemeanor crimes to pay unaffordable fines or be sent to jail.” Of course, Messenger has exposed injustice impacting poor urban and ring-suburban people in the St. Louis region as well as “poor rural Missourians,” but he chose his selection of columns submitted for the prize wisely in the context of Trump’s America. Our community often finds an adversary in the Post-Dispatch and we frequently are compelled to rise to its defense against the region’s daily newspaper, but Messenger provides a “bold” (as the Pulitzer judges rightly noted) and progressive voice that often counters

the more conservative, racially obtuse editorials that appear in the newspaper’s own voice. Indeed, though Messenger is a daring and brilliant columnist who deserves this crowning accolade, he failed to improve the paper’s editorial positions when he edited the section. As a columnist, his reporting on the Steve Stenger administration is now undoing some of the damage he did as an editor listening to and being swayed by Stenger’s slanders against Charlie Dooley and his administration.

But Messenger’s disappointing stint as Editorial page editor at the Post was a regrettable blip between the fearless and biting reporting he did on state government for the Springfield News-Ledger (Ed Martin works for Phyllis Schlafly Eagles and not a Missouri governor because of Messenger’s brutal takedown of Martin) and the columns he continues to write for the Post, which do so much to improve this region, state and the fortunes of the most vulnerable here.

SLPS and community wise to work together on Dunbar

We live in a moment of bitter division, when calls for change often come from far outside structures of power in the form of protest – often with demands calculated without any informed sense of what is possible. Protest remains necessary, and the insistence on what is equitable yet practically impossible may change, over time, what is possible. But we have a clear and pressing need, in the immediate moment and near future, for more engagement with authority informed by real practical obstacles and with a strategy to overcome them. Further, we need to get better at identifying allies within power structures and taking measured risks to work cooperatively with agents within the systems we aim to change.

That is why we applaud the campaign that community advocates for Dunbar Elementary School are waging alongside the leadership of Saint Louis Public Schools to keep open the historic school, which had been considered for closure. Built in 1912, Dunbar looms as an only partly used giant in the Jeff-VanderLou Neighborhood and one of the struggling neighborhood’s strongest anchors. According

to the district, closing Dunbar was considered based on decreasing enrollment, housing trends (the number of kids predicted to be in the neighborhood next year and in the near future) and academic performance.

Dunbar and three other schools that had been considered for closure will remain open for the 2019-2020 school year. “But the problems still remain,” a district spokesperson told us, “so there has been a big push from Central Office, the school and the surrounding community to try to boost enrollment.” Whether this effort succeeds, ultimately, is up to the community now, given the district’s extended support. If enough families in the neighborhood see enough value to keeping the school open and enroll their students at Dunbar, rather than at a charter or county school, then Dunbar should remain open. We respect each family’s responsibility to decide what is best for their children. Whatever the outcome, this is a dignified and respectful attempt for the community and district to work together in seeking a solution. We hope to see more collaboration for constructive, immediate change in the region.

Commentary

Urban League rates Missouri ‘poor’ for education equity

By Marc H. Morial National Urban League

The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), the 2015 reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, establishes civil rights standards for educating students from historically underserved populations – like children of color, students with disabilities and those learning English as a second language –receive the resources they need Not every state is meeting its obligations, however.

The National Urban League reviewed the plans states are required to submit to the federal government, outlining how they will meet their commitments to ensure equity and excellence to every student and every community. We found that only nine state plans qualified as “Excellent.” We reviewed plans in the 36 states and the District of Columbia where Urban League affiliates are located.

The review comes at an important time in our history. The landmark 2016 election marked a shift in conversations about race, socioeconomic status, and the systemic impact of these social markers on the experiences of people across the nation. With education at the forefront, advocates and stakeholders are looking critically at what states have committed to do for students and how they are going to do it. The nine state plans

identified as “Excellent” are Colorado, Ohio, New Jersey, New York, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Kentucky, Illinois and Rhode Island. These states are off to a strong start making the most of opportunities to further advance equity with some areas for improvement and a small number of areas deserving urgent attention.

The eight state plans identified as “Poor” are Virginia, Florida, Arizona, Georgia, Missouri, Kansas, Michigan and California. These states missed opportunities to further advance equity in a majority of areas with several areas needing urgent attention. The other 20 states, rated “Sufficient,” were adequately attentive to opportunities to further advance equity while missing several opportunities, all of which having a few areas deserving urgent attention. The report cards are not meant as an or analysis of a state’s school system on the whole. Rather, they identify the extent to which states have addressed specific equity concerns, such as breaking the school-to-prison pipeline, expanding access to early

childhood education, cultural competence training for staff and disparate per-pupil spending in their state plans.

For example, California – one of the states ranked “Poor” – makes little mention in its plan of outof-school time learning. It sets the number of students of students needed to form a student subgroup for federal reporting and accountability purposes unreasonably high. The definition it uses for “consistently underperforming schools” is not specific enough to identify any schools for additional support under the law.

On the other hand, Louisiana – one of the states ranked “Excellent” – has set a goal of 63.5% of students proficient in reading and 56.5 percent of students proficient in math by 2025. That’s double the current rates, and it has set the same long-term goals for each “subgroup” of underserved students. Louisiana is also tackling the school-to-prison pipeline, targeting schools with unusually high suspension rates for support and improvement. These are just a few examples of what went into our evaluation of the plans. You can check out each state’s detailed report card along with our policy recommendations for improving education equity at www.naturbanleague.org.

Marc H. Morial is president and CEO of the National Urban League.

When I started making good decisions

By Howard Hughes For The St. Louis American

I can recall the day St. Louis County Prosecutor Bob McCulloch announced his decision not to prosecute Ferguson Police Officer Darren Wilson. I remember the news announcements that the schools, banks, and area stores would be closing early. I saw video of the streets surrounding the Ferguson Police Department and the St. Louis County courthouse street blocked off. It was then I knew the verdict.

By then I had already committed myself to the welfare of young black boys in the community. But after Ferguson, I recommitted myself to mentorship in my work as youth specialist at the Missouri Division of Youth Services. And I became community advocate and a representative for the young black men from the St. Louis community.

My story IS like what HomeGrownSTL has already began to study, assess, identify, and redress, and for that I thank the project.

Guest Columnist Howard Hughes HomEgrown BlaCk malEs

I started a family early out of wedlock, and I was not responsible enough to work to support a family. Thus, I learned very quickly that irresponsibly bearing children out of wedlock and being unemployed with no desire to provide for my children was the perfect recipe for accumulated child support debt, a future of wage garnishment, and a damaged relationship with my children.

I spent most of my childhood growing up in John DeShields Projects in East St. Louis and the rest of my adolescent years growing up in the streets of St. Louis. In both I had my fair share of gang and gun violence, and I lost friends

and family to both. I even had my fair share of delinquent and criminal behavior before I started making better decisions.

The first good decision I made was deciding to finish high school and go to college. I graduated from Roosevelt High School and enrolled into Harris-Stowe State University and then graduated from Harris-Stowe with my degree in Criminal Justice.

fatherhood, maintaining a job, providing for my family, and being a husband of any value.

After I made the decision to get married, I found my wife in Islam and got married and have been married for the past six years.

After getting married I decided to apply and work full time for the Missouri Division of Youth Services, primarily with young black men in residential group treatment. This work gave me great joy and I learned this work was its own reward. Prior to that I mentored young men as a volunteer.

The next good decision I made was to stop drinking and smoking. I made this decision my sophomore year at HarrisStowe. Then I began to make more good decisions while gaining a positive new group of friends. I had dodge the huge metaphorical craters that life readily seems to offer exclusively to young black males. I began to stay away from negative peers and the street element.

The next biggest decision that forever changed the course of my life was my decision to accept and follow the peaceful teachings of the Prophet Muhammad. With that came a 180-degree turn in my lifestyle, my diet, my circle of friends and major changes in where and how I spent my time.

Now my closest friends I see every day are working people – doctors, educators, civil servants, private contractors at Boeing or Monsanto. I know them because we worship the same God in the same place, regularly. In my mosque, I witnessed responsible married men who spend time with their family and children. I began to value and see the importance of

Letters to the editor

Truth is Trump’s enemy

Here’s a point to ponder when you’re discussing democracy with Trump followers: you must possess a shared reality in order to engage in reasoned discussions and deliberations. And this is the foundation of a healthy democracy.

But authoritarian regimes like that of Donald Trump are corrupt in nature and can survive only in an environment in which falsehoods prevail. Thus, truth is an enemy. In order for everything Trump to survive, truth must be eliminated and reason convoluted to such a degree that it is unrecognizable.

When the multi-faceted truths of shared reality and reason are put aside, they are often replaced by an emotional rage that devolves into fascist diatribe. Dictators create scapegoats, denounce those who oppose them as unpatriotic, and stand responsible for no failure or hardship. Falsehoods (lies) have been the currency of both historical and current fascist dictators, and the democracyabusing regime of Donald Trump is no exception.

Michael K. Broughton Green Park

Let’s take a deeper look

Excuse me if I seem bothered with these “We Must Stop Killing Each Other” and “I’m Alive Let Me Survive” slogans. In his commentary, Rev. Larry Brown stated, “We believe that many of the shooters have no respect for the value of human life” and “the shooter doesn’t care whether or not human life is preserved.”

Although I think his comments are both true and false, it’s not that simple.

I grew up in the Cochran projects during the 1970s and ‘80s and was not exposed to this level of violence that exists today. A big part of that was because the community support and the resources that were available to us. It wasn’t until the late ‘80s, early ‘90s when core families started moving out, community centers like Fellowship Center and SLATE youth jobs and summer programs started losing funding, and we were pushed out of our neighborhood schools that these things started to show up.

I personally knew young men with hearts of gold, but

After this I made another good decision and I enrolled in the six-week Family Formation Program at the Fathers Support Center. It highlighted the importance of responsible fatherhood, fathers working, proper parenting and co-parenting. This left a lasting impression on me. Today, I work at the Fathers Support Center, helping fathers gain employment and job training skills. I spend my free time as an assistant president for St. Louis chapter of the Muslim youth group MKA USA. I am a community advocate and mentor in the Walnut Park neighborhood, and I am a public speaker and role model to the young black men of the St. Louis.

Howard Hughes is a youth mentor and community advocate in St. Louis.

“Homegrown Black Males” is a partnership between HomeGrown STL at the Brown School of Social Work at Washington University in St. Louis and The St. Louis American, edited by Sean Joe, Benjamin E. Youngdahl Professor and associate dean at the Brown School, and Chris King, managing editor of The American, in memory of Michael Brown.

for length and style.

are

with so much internal trauma and torture that their defense mechanism became to act out their anger and pain with violence. It wasn’t that they didn’t care about human life, but their perception of preserving life became distorted. Please don’t take this as me defending those behaviors, I just want us to take a deeper look at the systems, structures and institution of racism that have contributed to creating this culture of violence.

Thomas Payton St. Louis

Columnist Marc Morial

Tony Messenger

Leroy Shumpert, president of 100 Black Men of Metropolitan St. Louis, recognized the SIUE Collegiate 100 Chapter recently for boosting its membership, increasing its collective GPA, participating in leadership development opportunities, and engaging in more than 250 hours of community service. The SIUE Collegiate 100 Chapter was formed April 20, 2015 in the aftermath of the Michael Brown shooting in Ferguson. Left to right: Dustin Judge-Hayes, Vernon Smith, Justin Truman, President Braxton McCarroll, Patrick Bowman, Trystin Nance and founding member Reginald Hamilton.

May 15 deadline to apply to serve free summer meals

The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) is looking for organizations to help feed thousands of children who would otherwise go without meals during the summer months when school is not in session.

The Summer Food Service Program reimburses organizations for meals they serve to children who are at risk of not having enough to eat. Organizations eligible to participate in the program include schools, faith-based organizations, camps, private nonprofit agencies, and local government entities. The sites are required to be located in areas where at least half of the children are eligible to receive free or reduced-price meals.

DHSS will accept applications to participate in the program through May 15. Organizations interested in becoming sponsors are required to attend training. For more information, visit www.health.mo.gov/sfsp or call 888-4351464.Potential sponsors may also write to DHSS, Summer Food Service Program, P.O. Box 570, Jefferson City, MO 65102.

Nest watchers needed for citizen science

Around the world, birds are building nests and raising families – even near homes, offices, or in local parks. Anyone who finds a bird’s nest can help scientists by reporting to the free NestWatch project at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. NestWatch collects, analyzes, and distributes data, serving as a warehouse of nesting bird information. NestWatchers, in turn, get to witness the start of new life and help to preserve it with their valuable information.

“Every year, scientists use data collected by NestWatchers in published studies,” says Robyn Bailey, NestWatch project leader. Register for the project and learn more about how to monitor nests without disturbing the birds at NestWatch.org. Download the NestWatch app in the Apple App Store or from Google Play

On borrowed time, in borrowed space

By Dorothy Dempsey For The St. Louis American

As a black person it seems often in this world of today that we matter less, not more, and I wonder how do we really make a difference and what is that difference all about.

Why do we have to be so different? We are humans, just as all other races of people are human. The world that we live in is not anyone’s to own. It is not paid and bought real estate; none of us own it. We are here on borrowed time, in borrowed space. We are the others, the ones that are chosen – separate churches, separate schools, separate neighborhoods, even the restaurants we frequent, everything separate.

What makes a white man in Florida feel so entitled that he would reach across a counter at a McDonald’s restaurant and yank a young black girl across a counter because he did not like the information she was giving him about straws? He insisted that she get fired then sat down to finish his food and kicked an employee before he left the restaurant after the police were finally called. Why was he not in handcuffs?

Yet some white people try to get insulted when you mention their white privilege.

We as the others live in neighborhoods that are riddled by the sounds of gunshots and theft and murders and all kinds of crime. The newspapers and the media splash the news for all to see. The news media does not tell the whole story of beautiful, proud black people who are at the top of their game despite all obstacles that might come their way.

There seems to be no end in sight as their once-beautiful neighborhoods deteriorate. The silence of the Penrose area in North St. Louis is deafening. The residential buildings are deteriorating, school buildings vacant, children bused out of the neighborhood at break of dawn and returning home at dusk of evening. Money is leaving the city schools with investors and eminent domain on stand-by. Black folks’ parents who worked hard to move into North St. Louis would turn over in their graves If they could see it now.

The Penrose area once an area of professionals – doctors, lawyers, school principals, teachers, pharmacists, McDonnell-Douglas employees, postal workers, staff from the federal records center. These are the black folks that I knew in the Penrose area of North St. Louis. They were all hard-working, dedicated people who raised their children in the North St. Louis area at a time when the children walked to school every morning, and back home at daylight instead of at dusk of night on a school bus, with none of the fear that is so prevalent now.

If North St. Louis were given half as much care as South St. Louis by its residents, police and city government, what a wonderful place it could be. If we could learn to live together in the neighborhoods and co-exist together it would also be a wonderful thing.

The borrowed time that we have on this earth and the borrowed land that we live on are gifts from God we must use wisely.

Black men of SIUE recognized

Dorothy Dempsey

Photo courtesy of Darryl Cherry

after reading the hand-lettered signs held by the students marching in the parade that read “Dunbar Forever” and “Dunbar Matters.” Three of her 19 grandchildren attend Dunbar, Barton said.

Trashay Rucker walked her 1-year-old daughter Chloe to the corner to see the parade, summoned by the drums. They live on Thomas Street, one block south of the school –where Rucker intends to send Chloe when she is old enough for kindergarten.

“We need to keep the school in the community,” Rucker said. “It brings a lot of people into our neighborhood.” The neighborhood is sparsely populated. The parade passed as many vacant lots and derelict buildings as it did inhabited dwellings.

Gregory Farmer, who attended Dunbar from preschool to fifth grade and graduated from high school in 2001, watched the parade pass and said he hopes for his old school to stay open.

“It’s in the neighborhood for all the kids in the neighborhood,” Farmer said. Stephanie Harvey, whose son helped to summon the neighborhood to the parade as a marching member of the Vashon drumline, said a neighborhood school is especially needed in JeffVanderLou because many area parents lack transportation.

“If they shut down the school, the effect on the neighborhood would be really big,” Harvey said. “It needs to stay open.”

PALMER

Continued from A1 who were themselves raised by parent educators who were trained by Parents as Teachers – mourn her along with her family, church family, sorors and former colleagues.

“On behalf of the Parents as Teachers National Center’s administration, the Board of Directors and staff, we’d like to extend our heartfelt condolences to the family and friends of our beloved Mrs. Cheryle Dyle-Palmer,” Constance Gully, Parents as Teachers president and CEO, said in a statement.

“Mrs. Dyle-Palmer retired from the National Center in December 2017, after 15 years of dedicated leadership and guidance to the international organization. Her contributions

Once word got around the neighborhood that there was a parade advertising the danger of losing Dunbar, residents got motivated. Barton, who watched the parade from her upstairs apartment on “Cool Papa” Bell, came running down Webster Street looking for The St. Louis American reporter who had interviewed her from the ground.

over the years have led to many of the important Parents as Teachers efforts and programs in place today.”

Over the years, DylePalmer served as chief operating officer, interim chief executive officer, and chief diversity officer at Parents as Teachers. She wrote about her work with Parents as Teachers in The St. Louis American in 2014 after President Obama’s announcement of “My Brother’s Keeper” as a national initiative.

“Operating in Missouri through the public school districts, Parents as Teachers’ programs use home visits to connect families to trained parent educators. Each visit is personalized depending on the child’s age, the parents’ interests and needs, and the family culture,” Dyle-Palmer wrote.

She said her neighbor Evelyn Stabler, 76, attended Dunbar, graduating from the school at age 13. (The school was built in 1912, when William Howard Taft was U.S. president.) Stabler was in pajamas, her neighbor said, and preferred not to be interviewed but wanted her support to be known. Barton called another neighbor, Gloria Winder, 69, who also

“Visiting the parents of a newborn may be more about providing experiences to help build strong brain pathways and connections, as well as helping the parents manage stress and newborn safety issues. Visiting the parents of a two-yearold may focus on language development and establishing routines. Visiting the parents of a four-year-old probably involves preparing the child for school transition. And through it all, parent educators make sure they are providing culturally adaptable materials that honor family and ethnic traditions.”

attended the school and now lives in apartments across Webster Street. Winder, too, is rooting for her old school.

Jill Toney, an instructional school at Dunbar, understands that the district must make tough choices, given its struggles. But she hopes the community rallies around its school and that shuttering it is one tough choice the district can avoid making.

n “Her contributions over the years have led to many of the important Parents as Teachers efforts and programs in place today.”

the 2009 Missouri Business Leader Summit on Early Childhood Investment, which brought together nearly 50 business leaders to discuss the role of early childhood education in strengthening Missouri’s workforce for the 21st century.

– Constance Gully, on Cheryle Dyle-Palmer

“Many who had the privilege of working with Mrs. Dyle-Palmer will recall the passion and deep commitment she had for the mission of Parents as Teachers and, more importantly, the families touched,” Gully stated.

She helped to spearhead

“Her vision led to community impact efforts

“I know the community is small, I know Dunbar is small,” Toney said. “But it’s because the school is small that it has that close-knit feel. I don’t want our kids to lose that.” Patricia Dora’s granddaughter is one of those kids in first grade at Dunbar. The district may not project population growth in the neighborhood needed to support keeping the huge, old

in our own back yard, what we now know as our Show Me Strong Families affiliate (now serving families in the Normandy Schools Collaborative and the City of St. Louis) and our organizational commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.”

Dyle-Palmer was awarded the St. Louis Business Journal’s Diverse Business Leaders Award and Most Influential Business Woman Award; the 1995 Program Innovator of the Year award by the Literacy Council of Greater St. Louis; Southern Christian Services’ It Only Takes a Spark award; Annie Malone Children and Family Services Center’s Child Advocate of the Year award; and was recognized as a distinguished alumna of the University of Missouri-St. Louis.

by

school in operation, but Dora knows the children who are here now and growing up in the neighborhood.

“We have too many babies coming up to close this school,” Dora said. “We’ve got a nice neighborhood, and we’re trying to keep it together. We want our kids to be able to come outside and play and be safe. We are trying to keep our community together.”

One of her crowning achievements was her membership at Centennial Christian Church, where she served as moderator for 12 years until her passing. Together with her church and sorority, Delta Sigma Theta, Dyle-Palmer championed an adult literacy effort through Saint Louis Public Schools.

“Parents as Teachers National Center has grown organizationally because of the tireless work of Mrs. DylePalmer, and her legacy will continue as the organization moves forward. Each of us not only grieves the loss of a tremendous individual, but also a member of the Parents as Teachers family,” Gully stated.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with Mrs. Dyle-Palmer’s husband, Barry, her son William, sisters Alexis, Karen and Donna and their entire family.”

Photo

Wiley Price

Students from Dunbar Elementary School parade through the JeffVanderLou neighborhood on Friday, April 12, asking residents to support the school’s enrollment.

SALUTE

Continued from A1

sure the organization conforms to federal mandates, internal policies and contracts. She has been with CareSTL Health for five years and was promoted from director of compliance in 2018. She previously worked at Washington University School of Medicine. Foote earned master degrees in health administration and in business administration from Webster University and a bachelor’s degree in health information management from Saint Louis University.

Stephanie Hester is a nurse manager Barnes-Jewish Hospital. She has been with BJH since 2004. She manages a 14-room operating unit with more than 100 staff members, with experience in general, orthopedic, plastics, colorectal, urology, gynecologic, minimally invasive, robotics and vascular surgery. She is co-leader of the BJC Diverse Nurses Connection group. Hester earned a master of science in management and leadership from Webster University and a bachelor’s degree in nursing at Chamberlain University. Hester is a U.S. Navy veteran.

Jacquelyn Renee McFadden, M.D. is an internal and family medicine physician at Betty Jean Kerr Peoples Health Centers, where she emphasizes lifestyle

SLPS

Continued from A1 and ongoing support to teachers and staff. Based on those improvements, the State Board of Education granted SLPS Provisional Accreditation on October 16, 2012 and Full Accreditation on January 10, 2017.

modifications as a portal to improving overall health. She volunteers at health fairs to educate on the detrimental effects of hypertension and diabetes and is also a volunteer at Girls Incorporated of St. Louis. Dr. McFadden has been with People’s since 2006 and has been practicing for 17 years. McFadden’s undergraduate degree is in biology from Fisk University, and she earned her medical degree from University Of Missouri-Columbia School of Medicine.

Shontay McKay is a

Reaching that milestone triggered the SAB’s next task: to make a recommendation to the State Board about future governance of the district. In late 2017, the SAB convened a 10-person special committee to study board governance and make a recommendation regarding the future governance of SLPS. After reviewing the committee’s findings and extensive feedback from

family nurse practitioner at iFM Community Medicine, where she has worked since 2018. McKay holds regular clinics at several area schools and children’s centers. She previously worked as an FNP at We Care Clinic, Madison County Health Department and Advance Health. McKay was also an instructor at the School of Nursing at Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville. She has participated in medical mission trips to Haiti and Costa Rica. McKay earned her bachelor of science in nursing from Saint Louis University and her master of science

the community, the SAB unanimously approved a motion on February 13, 2018, to recommend the State Board of Education transfer governance back to the elected board.

The St. Louis City Board of Education will regain power with the start of the new fiscal year on July 1. Five board members – Board President Dorothy Rohde-Collins, Donna Jones, Susan Jones, Natalie

in nursing from Maryville University.

April Tyus-Myles, M.D. is a pediatrician at SSM Health Medical Group in North St. Louis County. She previously she was co-owner of Rainbow Pediatrics in Florissant. Dr. Tyus-Myles teaches pediatric residents, volunteers at community health events and speaks to young women and girls, encouraging them to pursue careers in the sciences. She is a member of a number of organizations and physician committees. She earned a bachelor’s degree in biology

Vowell and Joyce Roberts – have completed several months of training provided by the Missouri School Boards’ Association. Two members elected on April 2 – Adam Layne and Tracee Miller – will complete 16 hours of training, as well. Jones welcomed the elected board and encouraged them, “Put in the work, prepare yourself, and then trust your judgment.”

, M.D.

from Washington University and graduated from Saint Louis University School of Medicine with a residency in pediatrics at Southern Illinois University School of Medicine.

Patrice L. Pye is a clinical psychologist and behavioral health consultant at Family Care Health Centers. Much of her career has focused on interpersonal violence, trauma and chronic pain management. Through grant awards, Pye developed a manual treatment for chronic pain for women veterans and adopted that treatment for patients at FCHC,

The elected board has its work cut out for it, as members of the SAB will tell them.

“Our number-one goal was every child reading at grade level, and we’ve never achieved that goal, and there’s still a lot of work to be done to accomplish that,” St. Louis Public Radio reported Sullivan saying earlier this year.

where she was worked since 2014. Pye earned a bachelor’s degree in biology at Spelman College and masters and doctoral degrees in clinical psychology from Saint Louis University. She interned in Texas with service as an officer in the U.S. Air Force. Pye served as adjunct faculty at SLU and worked several years in the women’s veteran’s clinic at the St. Louis VA Health Care System.

Beverly Van Buren is a registered nurse and has worked at SSM Saint Louis University Hospital for more than 33 years. Her knowledge and expertise in scrubbing and circulation of trauma, abdominal transplant and large vascular procedures earned her a promotion to become an abdominal transplant specialty nurse. Van Buren was involved in pioneering the liver transplant program at SLUH in its infancy. She did this in conjunction with serving as an officer in the U.S. Army Reserve. The Vashon graduate has an associate’s degree in nursing from St. Louis Community College at Forest Park.

Tickets for the 19th Annual Salute to Excellence in Health Care Awards Luncheon on Friday, April 26 at the Frontenac Hilton are $750 per table for VIP/Corporate seating and $50 each or $500 per table for Individual seating. To order tickets, call 314-533-8000 or visit www. stlamerican.com.

SLPS student test scores are below state averages; St. Louis Public Radio reported that only 19 percent of thirdgraders were reading at grade level in the most recent state assessments. The current enrollment of SLPS is just under 21,000 students. Since the state takeover in 2007, St. Louis Public Radio reported, the district has lost more than 10,000 students as more enroll in charter schools and the city loses population.

Beverly Van Buren

Patrice L. Pye

April TyusMyles, M.D.

Shontay McKay

Jacquelyn

Stephanie Hester

Renee Foote

Crystal Brown

Board of Aldermen achieves gender parity; president can’t pass rules

The St. Louis Board of Aldermen made history on a few fronts this week. And the EYE agrees with Alderwoman Sharon Tyus, D-1st Ward, that the good news should be told first: for the first time, there are 14 alderwomen and 14 aldermen on the St. Louis Board of Aldermen.

“I don’t want to highlight the missteps,” Tyus said. “I want to highlight that as women, we’ve taken our rightful positions of power.”

On Tuesday, April 16, Shameem Clark Hubbard became the 14th woman on the board, when she was sworn in as the new 26th Ward alderwoman. The other newly elected aldermen sworn in on Tuesday were Bret Narayan, who will take Scott Ogilvie’s 24th Ward seat, and Jesse Todd, who will replace longtime alderman Terry Kennedy in the 18th Ward.

“We have gender equality,” said Tyus, who has served on the board a total of 18 years. “I’ve been there longer than any other woman. I watched it happen.”

Alderwoman Megan Ellyia Green, D-15th Ward, was the one to say it on the record.

“The buck stops at the president’s office,” Green said. “The president’s office should be ensuring that all staff is doing their jobs and that we are prepared to conduct business in a professional way.” Reed’s office did not return The American’s request for comment.

#WhoseBalcony

She also adds that she’s watched as women have won five of the nine citywide elected positions –mayor, comptroller, circuit attorney, treasurer and license collector.

In the late ‘90s, Tyus said she pushed to change the language in the City Charter that stated that women had to be called “aldermen.” She got it done and, though it was officially stated, it took more than another decade for the rule to stick.

“I ran as an alderwoman,” she said. “I refused to be called an alderman.”

Rules, smules

Speaking of rules. For the first time that aldermen can remember – and some have been there for more than 30 years – the Board of Aldermen did not pass a set of rules on the first day of session. At the beginning of every session, the aldermen have to establish and pass a set of rules – which includes things like when the meetings are held, which aldermen are leading the committees, and overall decorum. It’s how legislative bodies function.

Several aldermen felt that the fact that they didn’t pass the rules showed the “complete and utter dysfunction” at the board itself – and a lack of leadership from President of the Board of Aldermen Lewis Reed’s office.

This set of rules was a bit more controversial than the norm. It included a rule that would ban lobbyists from having access to the board floor, where the aldermen conduct business and where the public is not allowed. The rule was proposed by Alderman Jack Coatar, D-7th Ward. Two alderwomen had attempted to accomplish this through board bills – Green in 2015 and Alderwoman Heather B. Navarro, D-28th Ward, in the fall. It was a bit surprising to both Green and Navarro when Coatar brought up the rule without consulting with them first. And he had added his own twist. He proposed that the gallery upstairs – where the public is free to enter and exit as they like to observe the proceedings down below – would now be only open to those who had passes. And each aldermen would have two passes each to give out.

“I think the establishment is learning that progressive policies are popular,” Green told The American. “They are trying to co-op them for their own uses.”

This rule was discussed at a closed Democratic Caucus meeting on Friday, April 12. The board traditionally discusses the rules during caucus meetings, and caucus meetings in general are mostly closed with any legislative body. So what was actually discussed may never be known. Even those present said that the room itself – Alderman Jeffrey Boyd’s event space, The Best Place – was cavernous and it was hard to hear. People were talking all at once. Some thought when they left that the passes portion had been taken out of the rule.

Apparently not. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch came out with an article about the rule on Saturday, and the pass portion was still in. Social media lit up, and the #WhoseBalcony hashtag was born. When the aldermen sat

down in their seats on Tuesday, April 16, there was nothing but an agenda on their desks. Normally, a set of rules would be sitting there so the aldermen could review them before voting – a responsibility of the president’s office. When the documents were finally printed, it didn’t include the new rules. The document was printed two more times, but the board still couldn’t move forward because of errors.

Finally, the board decided to pause the meeting and continue on April 26. The alders have until then to propose amendments to Coatar’s rule.

The other new rule is to establish a new committee – the Education and Youth Services Committee – which Alderwoman Cara Spencer D-20th Ward, would chair as the 15th most senior alder.

Pushback on the Port Monday was the last day of the previous session – and several aldermen were happy to see one bill die. It was a bill proposed by Alderwoman Marlene Davis, D-19th Ward, to expand the city’s port authority. Organizers behind St. Louis’ Major League Soccer franchise bid had been gunning for the expansion because it would have allowed for a 1 percent tax to be assessed inside a proposed soccer stadium near Union Station.

Yet, Alderman Dan Guenther, D-9th Ward, said it would have given a nonelected board –appointed by the mayor – the power to either use eminent domain or provide tax abatements throughout the city.

After a handful of people pushed back against the expansion, the mayor put an amendment on the bill saying

that such things would have to go through the Board of Aldermen.

“Yet the port authorities, they are actually run through state statute,” Guenther said. “So although it said that ‘the Board of Aldermen would have the final say,’ there is nothing in the state statute that was compliant with that. It was really ‘just trust us.’”

Guenther is told that the expansion will be brought up again this session, but he still considers its temporary defeat a victory.

“It was a win,” Guenther

said. “It’s making sure that, as elected officials, we answer to our constituents.”

Goodbye to Kennedy, black caucus chair

The board said goodbye and saluted the work of two retiring aldermen – Terry Kennedy and Scott Ogilvie. Kennedy never thought he would replace his father Samuel’s place on the board 31 years ago, but he then went on to win re-election eight times. Kennedy was also

the longtime chairman of the African-American Aldermanic Caucus.

As St. Louis Public Radio reported: Kennedy received much praise from colleagues on Monday.

“Even though we’re all typically in the same party down here, we are often polarized on issues,” Spencer said. “Alderman Kennedy, you lead us by example, by differing in opinion with humility and with humanity.” Alderman Shane Cohn, D-25th Ward, was the first openly gay person elected to the board. Kennedy, he said, was the first person he felt comfortable talking to about issues facing the LGBTQ community.

“Oftentimes in our society, there’s buzzwords of ‘diversity’ or ‘inclusion’ or ‘equity.’ Alderman Kennedy lives those values every single day,” he told the chamber.

Kennedy was a champion of public safety and civil rights issues, leading the 30-year effort to approve a civilian oversight board for the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department. He also helped establish the city’s minority contracting requirements for public projects and provided critical support to Cohn’s bill to boost the minimum wage in the city of St. Louis. (Missouri lawmakers later reversed the increase.)

But he was also a student of history, especially that of his own family and how it shaped him.

Kennedy’s mother’s family was descended from slaves brought over by a Frenchman. His father escaped the East St. Louis race riots. That history, he said, makes the fact that he was elected to the Board of Aldermen even once “a miracle.”

“If we’ve done anything of beauty and value, all praise is due to the ancestors,” he said. “For only the mistakes were mine.”

Kennedy will remain at the board as its first AfricanAmerican clerk.

Alderwoman Christine Ingrassia tweeted this photo on April 16, noting, “For the first time in history the Board of Aldermen has 14 women and 14 men elected. Welcome, @schubbard26! #WhenWomenLead.”

Washington U. commits $100M to MD scholarships, education

Investment provides free or reduced tuition to majority of incoming students

Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis has committed $100 million over the next decade to provide scholarships

as many as half of its future medical students to attend tuition-free and many other students to receive partial tuition support.

By Kristina Sauerwein Washington University

Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis has committed $100 million over the next decade to provide scholarships allowing as many as half of its future medical students to attend tuition-free and many other students to receive partial tuition support. The funding also will support current efforts to enhance and modernize the school’s medical education program. The scholarship program will begin with the 2019-20 entering class.

The investment aims to reduce concerns about medical school debt, while attracting highly qualified students from diverse backgrounds.

“For most medical students, debt is a significant factor in selecting a school and a career path,” said Eva Aagaard, MD, senior associate dean for education and the Carol B. and Jerome T. Loeb Professor of Medical Education.

“We want to help alleviate that financial burden and instead focus on training the best and brightest students to become talented and compassionate physicians and

future leaders in academic medicine. There, they will teach and inspire future medical trainees to reimagine health through scientific discovery and innovation, and work to help improve the health of people everywhere. This is an investment in our students and in our institution, as well as in the health of St. Louis and the greater global community.”

Dirty Water Rule will worsen clean water crisis for black communities

By Dr. Niva Lubin-Johnson National Medical Association

Clean water is a basic human right. Still, too many low-income communities and communities of color are not receiving their right of clean water. They are being wronged and are suffering from contaminated drinking water due to failing infrastructure and polluted water and air.

At the National Medical Association (NMA), we see firsthand how this crisis in clean water creates a variety of healthcare problems for black patients and their families. The NMA represents the voices of African-American physicians and patients nationwide. We are your doctors in community hospitals, clinics and private practice who are on the frontline of healthcare for black Americans. Our focus is health equity and closing gaps in disparity, a mission grounded in a baseline belief that we all have a right to healthy lives no matter our status or skin color.

n Black children are often disproportionately exposed and affected by these environmental contaminants.

That’s why our mission demands we support and advocate for strong policies and funding around clean water and environmental health. As president of NMA and an active member of the organization for over 30 years, I will continue to focus on the work of my predecessor by paying close attention to environmental health hazards that impact our communities. I grew up on the South Side of Chicago, where I continue to live and practice.

Approximately 93 percent of the residents of Chicago’s South Side are black and, for the last 29 years, my private practice in internal medicine has seen the effects of air and water pollution on my patients.

In addition to Flint, Michigan, high levels of lead in drinking water have been found in black communities in Washington, D.C.; Durham and Greenville North Carolina; Jackson, Mississippi; and many other cities. Many other substances contaminate our water, including fracking contaminants, PFOAS, pesticides, PAHs, PCBs, and pharmaceuticals. Black children are often

The funding for the scholarship program and revised curriculum comes primarily from the School of Medicine, through new funding from its departments and the university’s See JOHNSON, A11

See WASH. U, A11

Women help one another move ‘Beyond Breast Cancer’

By Sandra Jordan Of The St. Louis American

Wherever a woman is in her breast cancer journey – from diagnosis to treatment through survivorship – women gather to talk and support one another. They talk about things they may find easier to talk about among other women who have gone through the same experiences. On the second Friday evening of each month, Kelly Meade RN, a breast navigator at Christian Hospital, facilitates the Beyond Breast Cancer support group at Northwest HealthCare, 1225 Graham Rd. in Florissant. The next meeting is 7-8:30 p.m. on Friday, May 10. While she can chime in on the more clinical

n “The women are really leading the group, being able to help each other and talk through situations. They can be personal, they can be social, they can be very clinical.”

– Kelly Meade RN

matters, Meade said, it’s really about the women hearing a perspective of someone else in a very similar situation.

“The women are really leading the group, being able to help each other and talk through situations,” Meade said. “They can be personal,

they can be social, they can be very clinical about treatment.”

Each meeting begins with an open forum for discussion or to see if anyone has any immediate needs. The size of the group varies each month as each woman decides how often and how long she

participates.

“We have some that come for a few days, and some for a few cycles and never come again because they get through their treatment, or we have some that stay all the way through survivorship,” she said. Meade will also bring in presenters on topics the women decide upon, such as clinical experts, insurance and finance tips, stress relief and self-care, guided meditation and yoga.

“This past summer they had a retired ballet dancer come and work with them on some very light exercises,” Meade said. “There are a range of activities we can do, and I like to have

See WOMEN, A11

Dr. Niva LubinJohnson

WASH. U

Continued from A10

affiliated training hospitals, Barnes-Jewish Hospital and St. Louis Children’s Hospital, Aagaard said.

It has long been a priority of the School of Medicine to send its graduates into the field with as little debt as possible. The average debt of Washington University School of Medicine graduates over the past five years was $99,088, versus a national median of $166,239. And in four of the past five years, the School of Medicine has ranked second lowest nationally in average medical school debt. Further, each year the school’s tuition is frozen for the entering class, meaning the cost for each student is the same each year for all four years of medical school.

others will provide partial tuition.

“Some scholarships will be based on financial need and some on merit or even a combination of the two,”

Aagaard said. “Ultimately, the scholarships will help us build a class that reflects our school’s values and allows us to educate the very best future physicians so that they will go on to have an indelible impact on health and society. We intentionally have not earmarked a certain amount to financial need or educational merit because our goal is to recruit high-caliber students who are passionate about – or who show great potential for – improving health care in the community and across the world.”

n “We want deeply committed students who may not have considered our school because of cost concerns.”

The new scholarship funding expands upon existing efforts to help ease the financial burden for the university’s four-year MD training program. Each incoming class has about 120 medical students. Currently, about 20 medical students in each class receive full tuition scholarships, and some 40 more receive partial tuition scholarships. Of each class, about 25 of the 120 students are MD/PhD candidates. These students receive full tuition and stipends for living expenses that are covered by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the School of Medicine. That program will continue unchanged.

– Eva Aagaard, MD, senior associate dean for education

Aagaard explained that easing concerns about high medical school debt may encourage more students to select academic medicine as a career path.

“This is a clear goal of our school,” she said. It also may attract students from more diverse ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds, she said. “We want deeply committed students who may not have considered our school because of cost concerns,” Aagaard said. “We want to channel their enthusiasm and brilliance into medical and scientific excellence.”

“As a top 10 medical school, we have a responsibility not only to our students, but to the future of medicine,” said David H. Perlmutter, MD, executive vice chancellor for medical affairs, the George and Carol Bauer Dean of the School of Medicine, and the Spencer T. and Ann W. Olin Distinguished Professor. “Driven by our focus on excellence in research, education, patient care and community advocacy, we are making investments to ensure that we train tomorrow’s physician leaders who will transform medicine.”

n The new curriculum will provide more integrated clinical, basic and social sciences content, as well as an emphasis on addressing the social and economic factors that influence individual health.

The new scholarship program will determine the number of scholarships awarded and level of support on an individual basis by an admissions scholarship committee. Some scholarships will cover the entire tuition;

JOHNSON

Continued from A10

disproportionately exposed and affected by these environmental contaminants.

However, the Trump administration continues to slash the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Clean Water Rule. The administration has proposed deep budget cuts to the EPA, close to 30 percent, which would result in dirty air and water and hazardous pollution. Sources of drinking water are already facing incredible stress from the impacts of extreme weather, toxic chemicals, plastic waste, and more.

The EPA’s proposed Dirty Water Rule will put drinking

In recent years, some medical schools have instituted steep tuition-reduction programs, including New York University School of Medicine, Columbia University’s Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and Kaiser Permanente School of Medicine in Pasadena, Calif., the latter of which is scheduled to admit its first class of students in 2020. Some of these programs were meant to offset the high cost of living in New York and California; by comparison, cost of living in the St. Louis region is below the national average.

Revising the curriculum: more social determinants

A significant portion of the $100 million investment in medical education at Washington University will focus on revising the medical school curriculum The funding will help envision and implement new programs that provide training and support to faculty in

water at increased risk of pollution by stripping clear Clean Water Act safeguards from small streams and wetlands. This means unhealthy water flowing through our taps, our communities and our bodies. Too many black communities are in areas exposed to environmental health dangers from highly toxic pollutants, extreme weather conditions, and failing infrastructures. Where you live shouldn’t determine if you get clean water.

The Dirty Water Rule will heighten the water crisis for black communities. It will turn back the clock to a time when fewer protections existed to safeguard people and wildlife from harmful pollution in our waters. The Dirty Water Rule would wipe out protections for

Touchette Hospital teaches Cahokia students

Touchette Regional Hospital in Centreville, Illinois hosted the Cahokia High School Exploring Post on Saturday, April 6. Doctors, nurses, and administrators taught students about health care, with hands-on demonstrations on how to suture, dissect, intubate. Real medical equipment and other simulations will be used for hands-on learning.

how best to teach medical students and trainees. For the students, the new curriculum is expected to provide more integrated clinical, basic and social sciences content, and experiences throughout the four years of medical school, as well as an emphasis on addressing the social and economic factors that influence individual health. The medical field refers to such circumstances as “social determinants of health.”

n Black communities need to be at the forefront for advocating the government to clean up toxic pollution and invest in badly needed water infrastructure.

vital parts of our natural water infrastructure, exacerbating this unjust situation. It would leave our communities facing greater health risks with more sick children and families.

The NMA is a longtime advocate for environmental justice. Our NMA Commission on Environmental Health continues to address the

A critical component of the investment is the commitment to training medical students to one day become academic physicians. “The term ‘academic physician’ doesn’t have meaning for a lot of entering students because it’s not something most have been exposed to. Academic physicians – meaning those who care for patients while also teaching medical students and residents, conducting

increasingly negative effects of the environment on public health and health disparities in black communities. We will continue to be a voice for justice in medicine and the elimination of health disparities, and we will continue to hold this administration accountable.

If we are to uphold our purpose of protecting public health, preventing ailments and disease, and promoting healthier lives, it’s imperative that the administration upholds its EPA mission to protect public health and the environment by investing in badly needed water infrastructure and maintaining environmental policies that good for everybody’s health. Although the EPA downsized its environmental

research, or leading health system change – often tend to the sickest and most disadvantaged populations battling complex illnesses such as cancer, multi-organ failure and rare pediatric diseases,” Aagaard said.

“Our new curriculum will make continuous learning and excellent teaching a priority on the Washington University Medical Campus,” Aagaard added. “It’s imperative

justice division, black communities need to be at the forefront for advocating the government to clean up toxic pollution and invest in badly needed water infrastructure.

Email your representative in Congress and the Senate and tell them that you do not support President Trump’s Dirty Water Rule.

Niva Lubin-Johnson, M.D., FACP, is the 119th president of the National Medical Association.

WOMEN

Continued from A10

participant involvement in what those activities are.”

that academic hospitals are staffed by the world’s finest physicians, who can help improve the diagnosis and treatment of diseases through high-quality clinical care, groundbreaking research and teaching the next generation of physicians and health-care providers.”

The new curriculum is expected to be implemented at the beginning of the 2020-21 school year.

Beyond Breast Cancer is also safe space to open up. And what happens at the support group stays among the support group.

“We maintain the confidentiality of everyone who comes, and it is an open-sharing environment,” Meade said. “We make it a safe environment. There is no judgement. Anything you have to say is treated very seriously and everyone’s there to help, not to hurt.”

For more information about the Beyond Breast Cancer support group, contact breast navigator Kelly Meade at 314-653-5523 or kmm8393@bjc.org.

Smart Holiday Eating!

Easter Egg Treasure Hunt

Here are a few Easter holiday eating tips.

> Ask your parent (or the “cook” for your Easter dinner) if you can help, and if you can prepare a healthy dish.

> Eat a healthy snack such as an apple or granola bar while waiting for the big meal. This reduces the temptation of overeating on all of the rich holiday foods.

Healthy Kids Healthy Kids

> Focus on fresh fruits and vegetables and baked meats, avoid the super-cheesy and starchy side dishes.

> If you want a dessert, try just a very small slice, taking your time to really savor the yumminess.

Easter Candy Temptations

— As a class, discuss ways to not overeat when there is candy all around you. Can

Ask your parents if you can create a fun, fitnessfilled egg hunt. This is how it’s done.

1. First think of 10 different fun exercises you can ask your family/friends to do. (These could include jumping jacks, push-ups, etc.)

2. On the first clue write, “This egg hunt is different than the ones you’ve done before. First do 10 jumping jacks then look by the back door.”

Hand this clue to the participants.

3. Near the back door you’ll have an egg filled with a similar kind of rhyme and fitness challenge.

Continue this rhyme/challenge pattern until you have filled and hidden 10 eggs. Remind your

Safety In Numbers

Anytime you are walking to the store, school or anywhere, take a friend along! Not only can it be more fun, it is safer to be with a group of friends than walking alone. Also, avoid

you share with guests? Perhaps allow yourself one treat per day? What else can you do?

Learning Standards: HPE 2, HPE 5, NH 1, NH 5

participants to leave each egg in its hidden location for the next person to find. Visit http:// www.rhymezone.com for help.

4. The last egg should say something like, “Congratulations! You made it to the end. Now you get to choose a prize, my egg-hunting friend!”

5. Have a basket filled with small little prizes (tattoos, fruit, balloons, stickers, etc.). The first to arrive gets to select their prize first, and so on.

Learning Standards: HPE 1, HPE 2, HPE 5, NH 5

Shawndra Y. Hill, FINANCE/ACCOUNT OPERATIONS SPECIALIST

Where do you work? I am a finance/account operations specialist for HealthLink, Inc. Where did you go to school? I graduated from Southwest High School in St. Louis. I then earned an associate’s degree in applied science from Allied College.

What does a finance operations specialist do?

I’m responsible for working with doctors and hospitals to collect payments for the services they receive from HealthLink, so I spend a lot of time on the phone talking to people. I also spend time acting like a detective. Sometimes a doctor or hospital will say they already made a payment, but I have no evidence of a payment, so I have to investigate.

shortcuts that include dark, empty alleys, parking lots or buildings. Instead, choose a route that is filled with other people that are also out walking.

Why did you choose this career? When I went to college I knew I wanted to work in health care and help people, so I planned to become a medical assistant. But as I started out in my career and began working in doctor’s offices, I found myself working more and more with the financials of the office. I decided the best way to help as many doctors as possible would be to move to the insurance side of the industry.

Learning Standards: HPE 2, HPE 5, NH 1, NH 5

Cut the boiled eggs in half lengthwise and remove the yolks. Mix the yolks, mayo and mustard. Add just a pinch of salt and pepper. Fill the egg whites with the egg yolk mixture. Share with your friends.

What is your favorite part of the job you have? I really enjoy working with numbers, doing research and coming up with solutions to solve issues. I also enjoy talking to people and working with doctors and hospitals to resolve payment issues they are having.

Learning Standards: HPE6, NH3

Questions or comments? Contact Cathy Sewell csewell@stlamerican.com or 314-289-5422

At Annette Officer Elementary School in East St. Louis, IL., Ms. May’s 3rd grade math students work on a STEAM assignment found using the NIE page in the newspaper.

American.

A satellite is an object that orbits around a planet. Some satellites, such as moons, occur naturally in our solar system. Other satellites are man-made. Since 1957, there have been thousands of satellites launched.

Satellites are built to be as strong and light as possible. They come in many different shapes and sizes, but each satellite has a platform, an antennae, and a power source. Sometimes the power source is battery generated, sometimes it is solar powered from the sun. Most satellites are sensitive to extreme heat and cold, so their design has to protect from the heat of the sun, and add heat when it is cold. Layered blankets that resemble aluminum foil keep heat in, while radiators release heat.

They are used for many purposes, such as collecting data. Satellites measure gases, monitor wildfires and volcanoes,

SCIENCE INVESTIGATION

Background Information: Have you ever wondered about meteorites? In this experiment, you will collect meteorites and examine them.

Materials Needed:

• Bowl • Fine Fabric • Water • Magnet Process:

q Fill the bowl with water and leave it outside for several days.

w Remove particles such as leaves and insects. Use the fabric to filter

Did

z If you live ½

from

and it takes you

minutes to

what speed are you walking? ______ mile per minute, ______ miles per hour

x Your family is traveling by car to visit relatives who live 360 miles away. It takes your

DID YOU KNOW?

African -American Inventor and Engineer

Jocelyn Harrison

and provide information about clouds, oceans, land and ice.

According to NASA, “All this information helps scientists predict weather and climate. The information also helps public health officials track disease and famine; it helps farmers know what crops to plant; and it helps emergency workers respond to natural disasters.”

To Learn More About the Different Types and Uses of Satellites, Visit: http://satellites.spacesim.org/ english/function/index.html.

and supporting details. I can make text to world connections.

Jocelyn Harrison was born in 1964 in Chattanooga, Tennessee. She followed her passion for science and exploration to earn a bachelor’s degree in Chemistry from Spelman College in 1987. Later that same year, she earned her bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering from Georgia Institute of Technology. Harrison stayed at Georgia Tech to earn her master’s degree and doctoral degree in Chemical Engineering. She finished her education in 1993.

After earning her doctoral degree, Harrison worked at NASA’s Langley Research Center in Virginia. Concerning her research Harrison has stated, “We’re working on shaping reflectors, solar sails and satellites. Sometimes you need to be able to change a satellite’s position or get a wrinkle off of its surface to produce a better image.” Harrison’s research has also helped to produce parts for robotics, heart pumps and audio speakers. In 2009, she became the manager of the Low Density Materials program at the Air Force Office of Scientific Research in Arlington, Virginia. While there, she worked to reduce the weight of aerospace systems and improve their effectiveness.

the remaining contents in the bowl. Let the contents air dry. There should be small black particles.

e When the particles are dry, hold the magnet above them. The particles that are attracted to the magnet are small meteorites.

Learning Standards: I can

Harrison has received patents for her inventions, and numerous awards, including the 1996 R&D 100 Award presented by R&D magazine, NASA’s Outstanding Leadership Medal, NASA’s Exceptional Achievement Medal, and the Technology All-Star Award from the National Women of Color Technology Awards.

Learning Standards: I can read a biography about a person who has made a contribution in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and math. I can make text to world, text to text, and text to self connections.

6 hours to arrive. How fast were you traveling?

If you continued at the same rate of

how many more miles could you expect to travel if you drove another 2 hours? miles

c The length of a marathon is 26.2 miles. If a runner finishes the race in

If you put all of the data that our satellites collect in a year on DVDs, it would form a stack about 4 times the height of the Empire State Building.

MAP CORNER

Enjoy these activities that help you get to know your St. Louis American newspaper.

Activity One —

Relevant Information:

Find an interesting news story to evaluate. Read the story and identify the main ideas. Number the main ideas in order of importance. Explain why you chose that order.

Activity Two — Future

Artifacts: Artifacts help us learn about our history. Locate a picture of something in the newspaper that could someday be used as an artifact. Paste the picture on a piece of paper and write about what future scientists could learn from the artifact.

Learning Standards: I can use text features to locate information in a newspaper. I can evaluate main idea and supporting details. I can make text to world connections.

satellites in orbit around the Earth.

Photo by Wiley Price/ St. Louis

The St. Louis American’s award winning NIE program provides newspapers and resources to more than 8,000 teachers and students each week throughout the school year, at no charge.

ealtHy Smile

WITH ATSU-MOSDOH DEAN DWIGHT E. MCLEOD, DDS, MS

To

Oral healthcare is critical to your overall health and wellbeing.Atoothache can be seriously painful and is the body’s way of saying there is a problem, such as a deep cavity or a gum or root tip abscess.

Ongoing pain, whether acute or chronic, which presents as a toothache, a gum-ache, sores, or lesions in any areas of the mouth, can lead to chewing problems, weight loss, and uneasiness, which may affect the quality of life and general health.

It is important to address all dental pains. Delaying examination and treatment could make the matter worse; for example, a small sensitive cavity that is not filled in a timely manner could get worse, leading to the need for a vastly more expensive root canal treatment and crown. Untreated dental diseases may become life threatening due to bacteria entering into the bloodstream resulting in serious health problems.

Most common causes of dental pain are treated and managed by general dentists,

and more complex causes are usually referred to specialists, such as gum or root canal specialists, oral surgeons, or oral pathologists.

You can keep your mouth healthy by addressing urgent dental needs. Providers in our Urgent Care Center see patients experiencing severe pain and provide same-day treatment. Patients can make follow-up appointments to receive comprehensive or routine dental care.

The St. Louis Dental Center is a state-of-the art community-based oral healthcare clinic providing urgent and comprehensive dental care and is a partnership of A.T. Still University-Missouri School of Dentistry & Oral Health (ATSU-MOSDOH) faculty/ students and Affinia Healthcare dentists/staff.

Groove to Twilight Tuesdays in May

Kim Massie pays tribute to Aretha Franklin to open series on May 7

By Shakia Gullette For The St. Louis American

The Missouri Historical Society is excited to celebrate the arrival of spring and announce that Twilight Tuesdays in Forest Park are back. This free outdoor concert series takes place starting at 6 p.m. every Tuesday from May 7 to May 28 on the Missouri History Museum’s north lawn (facing Lindell Boulevard). This spring brings a spectacular musical lineup featuring some of St. Louis’ top musical talent.

Space is available on a first-come, first-served basis, so grab your blankets and lawn chairs or set up a table (smaller than three feet by three feet, please) for a picnic. Coolers are also welcome, though we ask you to refrain from bringing glass bottles into the park.

You can also purchase food from some of St. Louis’s favorite food trucks, including Farmtruk, Seoul Taco, My Big Fat Greek Truck, Slide Piece by Tommy Lee, Taco Truck STL, St. Louis Kettle Corn, and Sarah’s Cake Stop. Head to mohistory.org to see which trucks will be on hand each concert night.

Kim Massie’s Tribute to Aretha Franklin

Our first Twilight Tuesday on May 7 will honor Aretha Franklin with an uplifting tribute by legendary St. Louis diva Kim Massie. Massie is one of the most recognizable vocalists in the Midwest. Her exquisite singing ranges from blues and gospel to rock, pop, country, and R&B. The Riverfront Times has twice named her the city’s best female vocalist, and she has also received the Grand Center Visionary Award. During her tribute to Aretha Franklin, Massie is sure to wow the crowd with hits from “Respect” to “Chain of Fools” and remind everyone why Aretha Franklin will forever be the Queen of Soul.

‘Dreamgirls’ Performed by Willena Vaughn

Come prepared to sing your favorite songs from the Broadway hit “Dreamgirls” when the Missouri Historical Society welcomes vocal powerhouse Willena Vaughn on May 14. You may remember Vaughn from the Black Rep’s 2006 production of the show, when she played

the role of Effie. A reviewer in this paper said of her “Dreamgirls” performance, “Vaughn was a strong Effie and extremely well received by the audience. She seemed to put any doubts they may have had about her tackling such a demanding role to rest and had the entire house on its feet when she sang ‘(And I’m Telling You) I’m Not Going’ at the end of Act One.” Vaughn’s other career highlights include roles in “Café Chanson” and “Ain’t Misbehavin’.”

R&B and Jazz Night with Love Jones the Band May 21 brings V. Kent Jones, Melvin Moore, Ryan Jones, Gypsy Brown and Tracy Mitchell – also known as Love Jones the Band – to Forest Park. Love Jones is a staple at BB’s Jazz, Blues and Soups, and the group is known for its amazing covers of artists ranging from Stevie Wonder to Erykah Badu –performances so incredible that the band won an RFT Music Award in the R&B category in 2015. Concertgoers are in for an absolute treat with Love Jones, whose motto is: “It’s always beautiful when you see a group of musicians who absolutely LOVE what they do . . . you might even say they JONES for it!”

A Tribute to the Isley Brothers With the 1959 hit “Shout,” the Isley Brothers rocketed to stardom. Some 60 years later, the group is still active and continues to inspire generations of lovers with classics such as “Between the Sheets” and “For the Love of You.” On May 28 join Terrence “Terry” Coleman has he celebrates the Isley Brothers’ legacy for the final Twilight Tuesday concert of the season.

During each concert night families are invited to step inside the Missouri History Museum and play in the History Clubhouse, a space designed just for kids. There they can learn about St. Louis history in a hands-on way: They can dress up in costumes, put on a puppet show, fish over the edge of a canoe, pull a steamboat whistle, and more. The History Clubhouse will remain open until 7:30pm each concert evening. Be sure to also stop by the History Clubhouse gallery, where kids can take part in make-and-take craft activities.

The Missouri Historical Society would like to extend our gratitude to our generous sponsors for supporting this wonderful event, including Anthem, 100.3 the Beat, 103.3 KLOU, Majic 103.7, the Riverfront Times, and OUTINSTL. For more information about the Twilight Tuesday Concert Series, please visit mohistory. org for more details. We can’t wait for you to join us!

Business

Introducing: World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway

David Steward’s passion for racing leads to naming rights commitment to motorsports park

By Chris King

Of The St. Louis American

How does your Fortune 100 technology company become the naming sponsor of a racetrack? If you are David Steward, founder and chairman of World Wide Technology (WWT), it starts by volunteer service with a children’s charity. As a longtime board member and former board chair of Variety the Children’s Charity of St. Louis, Steward was surprised at a birthday party thrown by his wife Thelma. The husband of a leader at Variety gave him the gift of serving as grand marshal of a major race at Gateway Motorsports Park in Madison, Illinois, just five minutes from downtown St. Louis and covering more than 340 acres. That was

n “Every company now looks at itself as a technology company first and then a company that happens to be in the area they are in.”

– David Steward, founder and chairman of World Wide Technology

how he met Curtis Francois, CEO of Gateway Motorsports.

“I spent time with Curt Francois,” Steward told The American. “I toured the track, went in the pits. I fell in love again with racing, that whole environment.”

That love affair is now greatly intensified with the rebranding of the motorsports facility as “World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway.”

The multi-faceted racing venue serves as home to NASCAR, IndyCar and NHRA racing in the St. Louis region, where WWT was founded and is headquartered. The long-term naming rights commitment – for an undisclosed sum – was announced during a press event at the park on Wednesday, April 17.

“The support of WWT will help ensure that our track will compete for North America’s most elite races and offer an innovative and exhilarating fan experience for years to come,” Francois said.

WWT also becomes the official technology

See WWT, B6

Halbert Sullivan was awarded Community Leader of the Year by the Children’s Trust Fund of Missouri. He is the founder & CEO of Fathers Support Center, which provides a comprehensive program of services including life skills development, counseling and legal help for parents and youth who want to learn to be responsible parents. To date, it has reached over 15,000 fathers and made a difference for 40,000 children.

Geraldine Johnson was honored as a 2019 Pillar of Parkway. She is an Oasis tutor at McKelvey Elementary School. This prestigious award is presented to individuals who have provided extraordinary service to the Parkway community and go beyond what is expected. Individuals who have made a long-term commitment and provided outstanding leadership and service to Parkway can be nominated to be honored.

Frank Wilson received the 2019 Chairman of the Year Award from the Associated General Contractors (AGC) of America for his work in founding and promoting the effort of diversity and inclusion in contracting across the United States. He is the first African American to receive this highest honor in AGC’s 100 years. He is owner and founder of BFW Contractors and specializes in construction management, demolition and site preparation.

Tameka Randle was named the American College Testing (ACT) Postsecondary Champion for Missouri. She is assistant director of educational access and outreach programs with Southeast Missouri State University’s Academic Support Centers. The honor recognizes high school seniors, K-12 professionals, postsecondary professionals and workforce professionals who are making a positive impact on their communities through their efforts to advance college and career readiness for all.

By Nicole Galloway Missouri State Auditor

n Not only could taxpayers expect to pay an additional $134 million in state taxes when they filed this year, there will be $232 million less in tax refunds.

to be worried. Over the past year, the Missouri Department of Revenue quietly made several changes to the state’s individual income tax withholding tables, impacting paychecks and the bottom line for many Missouri taxpayers when it came time to

See PARSON, B6

explained how the

administration broke state law in making changes to state tax withholdings without ever explaining the matter to taxpayers at a press conference in St. Louis on Tuesday, April 2.

Bernard Long Jr. received the St. Louis Suburban Music Educators Association Certificate of Merit Award. He is the band director at Normandy High School. The award recognizes an individual who has worked to advance the cause of music education in the St. Louis County area. He also was recognized for teaching excellence at the St. Louis American Foundation’s 2018 Salute to Excellence in Education.

Leonora Muhammad along with 18 other fearless women is an Amazon bestselling author in seven categories for “Fearless Visionaries: Tear the Veil” book series published by African Oscar Winner Princess Fumi Hancock. “Tear the Veil” is a global book of missions to help women around the world heal from social issues such as abuse and mental illness.

Bernard Long Jr.

Geraldine Johnson

Leonora Muhammad

Tameka Randle

Halbert Sullivan

Frank Wilson

Missouri State Auditor Nicole Galloway

Parson

Photo by Wiley Price

Photo by Wiley Price

City treasurer to banks: do more

By Chris King Of The St. Louis American

As chair of the City of St. Louis’ Funds Committee, Treasurer Tishaura O. Jones is leading the process to determine which financial institutions hold the city’s money. The committee, which also includes the mayor and comptroller, must finish its work in June.

Jones has some advice for financial institutions that want the city’s business: “Do more.”

“Previously, we evaluated their lending habits, but that’s only part of a bank’s business,” Jones said in a statement.

“What about workforce diversity, locations in underserved areas, and performance within the Community Reinvestment Act? It’s time for both the city and our partners to do more.”

Jones said she drives her staff to show her the data –how high of an interest rate the city earns on a bank account balance, of course. But she also looks at Home Mortgage Disclosure Act reports, which show where banks and credit unions are lending. Are these institutions offering credit only to affluent areas? Or are they also lending in low- and moderate-income

Pressures them on diversity, locations in underserved areas, community reinvestment

neighborhoods, which may have been previously denied credit due to discriminatory redlining?

Those are the question Jones said she is finding answers to as the committee deliberates on the city’s choices for banks. Though Jones has been in

n “What about workforce diversity, locations in underserved areas, and performance within the Community Reinvestment Act?”

– St. Louis Treasurer Tishaura O. Jones

the local news mostly due to fights over the city’s lucrative Parking Division, which her office manages, the treasurer also controls and monitors all the city’s bank accounts. There are currently 50 accounts under this office’s control. In addition, the office is by ordinance the depository for all receipts of the city and provides a means for departments to make daily deposits. It also issues all payroll checks and deposits

funds for federal and state taxes, funds for savings bonds, and other payroll deductions. Finally, the treasurer is responsible for making all investments for the city. This includes purchasing, selling and auditing the earnings on these investments.

When Jones took office as the city’s banker in 2013, she found an underperforming investment strategy and a lack of accountability for financial partners.

She quickly changed the strategy. In May 2013, she selected a joint venture of PFM Asset Management LLC as investment advisors and CCG Asset Management LLC as sub-advisors to manage short and intermediate-term fixedincome securities for the city. The new hire was both less expensive and minority-owned, she said. She also encouraged city departments to invest more of their money and pursued secure, higher-yield investments.

She said the city has seen a return of nearly $20 million more on its investments since then.

Now Jones said she will use her power to encourage banks and credit unions who hold the city’s money to “do more.”

Reliance Bank merged into Simmons Bank

Simmons First National Corporation has completed its acquisition of Reliance Bancshares, Inc., headquartered in the St. Louis metropolitan area. Reliance Bank (the subsidiary bank of Reliance) was merged into Simmons Bank (the subsidiary bank of Simmons), with Simmons Bank as the surviving institution. With the completion of the merger of Reliance, Simmons now has approximately

$17.6 billion in consolidated assets and more than 200 branch locations across Arkansas, Colorado, Illinois, Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Texas.

continued from page B1

file their taxes with the state.

And, as I found out in a recent audit, at least one of the tax changes the administration made was unlawful.

First, the good news from the audit. Because my previous audit on the timeliness of tax refunds called attention to the increasing delays taxpayers had in getting refunds, there have been improvements. In fiscal year 2018, 80 percent of total refunds were paid by early May, as opposed to it taking until late June in 2016 and 2017 to reach the same point.

That’s how it should be – taxpayers getting the money they are owed from the government in a timely manner, and with any interest owed. Unfortunately, the administration’s handling of withholdings is another issue.

The decisions made by the Department of Revenue about withholdings affect the money coming out of our paychecks –a real impact on our daily lives. That’s why it is so important any changes to withholdings take place transparently, so taxpayers clearly understand how their bank accounts will be affected.

During the course of the audit, my team found multiple changes were made, yet the administration failed to

effectively inform the public.

As a result, not only could taxpayers expect to pay an additional $134 million when they filed this year, there will be $232 million less in tax refunds. That’s a nearly $400 million impact on taxpayers they weren’t expecting.

The vast majority of taxpayers only learned of this when they filed their returns.

While Department of Revenue officials took the time to contact employers and a few payroll agencies directly about the changes, they left individual taxpayers in the dark.

Despite bipartisan calls for answers, the Parson administration attempted to downplay taxpayers’ concerns.

After consistently referring to an ongoing “error,” their story changed, leaving taxpayers with more questions than answers. Lawmakers from both sides of the aisle have made it clear they’ve had it with the administration’s mistakes, evasion and attempts to cover up the truth.

Even after all of this, the Department of Revenue continues to operate in secrecy. Additional changes made in January will result in overwithholding for the majority of individual taxpayers. An additional $63 million is expected to come out of the paychecks of Missourians, affecting over half of taxpayers – primarily middle- and lowerincome families.

Schnucks partners in donation of Learning Garden

Students from the

when representatives from the local grocer,

Foods and the Captain Planet Foundation visited the school on Thursday, April 11 to announce the donation of a Learning Garden. The Project Learning Garden program provides a context for multidisciplinary learning, ranging from nutrition and science to social studies, math and language arts.

Under state law, the modifications to the withholding formula should have been approved through the rulemaking process. This would have given elected officials notice of the changes and the opportunity for input, and more importantly, allowed for notice and comment from the public – the very taxpayers affected by the change. Instead, the Department of Revenue didn’t follow the law.

On March 8, the Department of Revenue received the draft report of this audit. Less than a week later, the governor announced the resignation of the Department of Revenue director. The governor’s statement didn’t acknowledge the ongoing problems and failed to take responsibility for these mistakes. The decision to take more money out of paychecks without following the law shows a clear pattern of mismanagement. And the resignation of one unelected bureaucrat does not equate to accountability.

This Tax Day, I’m calling on the Parson administration to treat taxpayers with the respect they deserve by being candid about what changes are made and exactly how they will affect Missourians’ paychecks. It should be simple: follow the law, get it right and stop misleading taxpayers.

PARSON

Nicole Galloway, CPA, is Missouri state auditor.

Photo by Wiley Price

St. Louis Treasurer Tishaura O. Jones leads a staff meeting in February 2017.

Biome School, 4471 Olive St., cuddled with the Schnucks mascot

Dole Packaged

n “If you’re going to boo, stay on that side.”

— Philadelphia 76ers guard Ben Simmons, reacting to the booing from his home team

fans

Sports

Tiger Woods’ masterful performance turned back the clock

~ See ‘Sports Eye’ page B4 ~

Victories on the track

It was a cold and windy couple of days at last week’s Henle Holmes Invitational at Parkway Central, but that did not stop the athletes from putting on an excellent show at the two-day meet.

Earl Austin Jr.

Hazelwood West standout Justin Robinson led the Wildcats to a pair of victories in the 4x200- and 4x400-meter relays. One of the top 400-meter runners in the country, Robinson turned in a sizzling 45.8-second anchor leg in the 4x400 to close out the meet. He also turned in a wind-aided time of 10.32 seconds in the 100meter dash prelims on the first day of the competition. Robinson did not run in Friday’s finals. There were three athletes that were double-winners at Henle Holmes. Junior Jah-son McCarter of Riverview Gardens won the 200- and 400-meter dash. Senior Stephen Beeler of Eureka won the 110-meter high hurdles and 300-meter intermediate hurdles and Lafayette’s Harrison Brown won the 1,600 and 3,200-meter runs. McCluer North girls’ standout Michelle Owens won the 100-meter high hurdles in a swift, wind-aided time of 13.83 seconds. Owens also finished third in the long jump and ran a leg on the Stars’ first-place 4x200-meter relay. Junior standout Alicia Burnett of Parkway North won the 100-meter dash in a time of 11.79 seconds. One of the top sprinters in the country, Burnett is back in action after sitting out last season after transferring to North from Fort Zumwalt South. Lafayette won the girls’ team championship with a close margin over Webster Groves. The Lancers showed strength in the field events as senior Elizabeth Schilling won the pole vault and high jump while senior Brittany Hawthorne won the discus. Webster Groves was led by senior thrower Nia Lyles, who won the shot put and

When four-time NBA All-Star DeMarcus Cousins signed with the Golden State Warriors, many basketball fans declared the 2018-19 season a mere formality. Cousins brought an embarrassment of riches to Warriors, a team that has won three championships in the past four seasons. On paper, the Warriors simply could not be beaten. The entire starting five participated in the 2018 All-Star Game. The Warriors roster contains two top-five talents in Steph Curry and Kevin Durant. It also features two elite defenders in Draymond Green and Klay Thompson. If that weren’t enough, add in Cousins, who, before his Achilles rupture, was perhaps the most-dominant offensive center this side of Anthony Davis With Cousins on board, the Warriors’ championship recipe seemed as simple as a trendy meal-kit delivery service.

Unfortunately for the Warriors, basketball games aren’t played on paper and there’s no guaranteed delivery for the Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy. The team survived a scare due to a minor foot injury to Curry during the team’s last regular-season game. Unfortunately, the Warriors could not escape calamity when Cousins collapsed after suffering a torn left quadriceps muscle in Game 2 of its firstround playoff matchup against the Los Angeles Clippers. In addition to the loss of Cousins, the Warriors blew a 31-point lead (the largest in playoff history), which left the juggernaut seeming suddenly less intimidating. It seems that Clippers guard Patrick Beverly has gotten into the head of Kevin Durant Both Durant and Beverly were ejected from Game 1 after receiving two double technicals. Durant remained flustered

(center)

Kevin Durant and Patrick Beverley were both ejected from

Photo by Wiley Price

SportS EyE

With Alvin A. Reid

Tiger Woods’ masterful performance turned back the clock

How historic, dramatic and spectacular was Tiger Woods’ Masters victory last Sunday?

It made me thank my lucky stars that I turned off I-70 East in, of all places, Columbia and got to watch the final holes. Ironically, I was heading home from a trip to Lawrence, Kansas.

With Les Miles at the helm of the KU football program for his first spring football game, there is a genuine buzz heading into the 2019 season. My Jayhawks will remain one of the nation’s worst teams for another season, but the entertaining and electric Miles is winning over the fan base.

with three holes left to play.

I had to see it. I turned off on Stadium Boulevard and found a place to view history. When Woods sank his final putt, the Champions restaurant erupted with a thunderous cheer. High fives everywhere. Strangers hugging strangers. It was cool.

I immediately called Earl Austin to tell him where I was at the moment of Woods’ triumph.

There was a K-Club golf outing on Friday, a social gathering Friday night and hospitality tent before the game – which for the first time in KU history was held at night. Rapper Rick Ross braved a chilly, windy night to perform following the game and Miles joined him on stage for a bit.

I was so wrapped up in a wonderful weekend that I had not followed Woods’ Friday and Saturday rounds too closely. Going into Sunday he was two strokes down. He had a chance and I figured to be home by the time the final holes were played. Somehow, I missed the announcement that Sunday’s round would begin an hour earlier because of pending inclement weather in Augusta, Georgia.

After enjoying my kingsize bed until check out time, I hit the highway a bit after 11 a.m. and had no idea what was transpiring. By the time I got to Columbia, Woods had the lead

Twenty-two years ago, when Woods won the first of five Masters titles, I sat next to Austin at the St. Louis American office at 4144 Lindell.

Woods graced the cover of that week’s issue. It seems so long ago. It was so long ago. Sunday didn’t transport the sports world back in time. It was proof to many of us that we’re older. But it also reminded us that perseverance and the will to succeed can help men and women overcome embarrassment, rehab, injury, surgery and a host of other demons.

Seeing Woods’ win on television was better than listening on the car radio. Maybe I had to see it to believe it. His win and the remaining ride in the car back to St. Louis capped off a truly special weekend – one that will be hard to top. We’ll see next fall, I guess.

Stephen stepped in it

I doubted that Woods could win another major tournament before last summer. After he was tied for the lead on the 11th hole of the British Open in July, my opinion changed. Then, his Bellerive per-

formance on the back nine of Sunday’s final round of the PGA Championship and second-place finish in August convinced me that he was going to win at least one more.

Among the sports talking heads that said it would never happen was ESPN’s very loud and very opinionated Stephen A. Smith. After Woods’ PGA performance Smith stated emphatically that Sunday would never come.

“Remember my words, quote me accurately: I never said that the man couldn’t play,” Smith said then. “I never said that he wouldn’t put forth a good performance. What I said was: is he going to win (another major)? The answer is no.”

Smith seemed to have forgotten those words immediately after Woods’ Masters triumph. He said on Twitter, “And if ever there was an athlete who personified perseverance, about overcoming trials and tribulations, it is @ TigerWoods today. I never thought he’d win a major again. Now I think he’s gonna surpass (Jack Nicklaus’ record of major tournament wins. He’s the shark in blood-infected waters. Everyone else is the prey!#UhOh”

Thanks to Kansas City Chiefs safety correctly calling out Smith via Twitter for his flip-flop.

“Smh... save it

You was the first one to throw him down & drag him out...”

The 2019 PGA Tournament has been moved to the second weekend in May and it will be held at the Bethpage Black course in Long Island, N.Y. Woods won the U.S. Open there in dominant fashion in 2002 – he led all four rounds.

It’s a long, grueling course which is difficult to walk, let alone play championship golf on. Can Woods find some more magic and bring home his 16th major tournament win? Fans and oddsmakers seem to think so.

I’d be a fool to say he can’t do it. Just ask Stephen A. Smith.

This year’s U.S. Open in June is at famed Pebble Beach – another site of a Woods’ major championship. Could Woods be in contention? Darn right, he can.

I’ll leave you with this prediction. I think Woods will win at least one more major title. If he catches Nicklaus and wins 18, I would have to admit to being surprised. But not totally shocked.

MLB still lacks blacks

As Major League Baseball again put on its dog-and-pony show to celebrate Jackie Robinson on Monday April 15, it was doing so with the knowledge that it has few black players on its respective rosters.

Just 7.7 percent of the 882 players that were on Opening Day rosters are African American.

Eleven teams do not have more than one black player. That is more than a third of all MLB teams. Three teams do not have a black player. Disgraceful.

Hall of Famer Ken Griffey

Jr., told USA TODAY columnist Bob Nightengale baseball – not society – is falling short.

“Really, it’s not a black problem or a white problem, but it’s a baseball problem,” he said.

“I don’t think it’s the intent of baseball not to have black ballplayers. But we have to find a way to get these kids back. We lost them to football. We lost them to basketball. We lost them to golf. People don’t see how cool and exciting this game is.

“The NFL and NBA has done a better job than we have in showing the fun side of the sport, having people talk about it whether it’s on social media, commercials or the news.”

Reigning American League MVP Mookie Betts is black – and MLB does little or nothing to promote him to young, African-American fans.

Teammate David Price, a rare black starting pitcher, is dumbfounded as to why Betts is ignored by MLB and advertisers.

“Can you believe that,’’ Price asked.

“How can someone as likable as Mookie Betts is, as good a person as he is, and as marketable as he is, doesn’t have a commercial?”

Twenty years ago, there were twice as many black players in the Majors. Fifteen black players were on the respective All-Sar teams. Last year, there were just seven in the All-Star Game.

MLB has one black manager, Dave Roberts of the Los Angeles Dodgers. It has zero general managers.

“There’s a lot of work to be done, but we’re seeing a lot of change at the grass-roots level’’ said Tony Reagins, executive vice president of baseball and softball development in the

Commissioner’s office. Reagins is a former Anaheim Angels GM and became only the fourth in MLB history when hired in 2007.

“We’re getting there,” Reagins said. “We’re moving in the right direction. We’re becoming more culturally relevant. I think what we’re seeing now is more a celebration of the game, an energy, the uniqueness of the game. You don’t see the celebration of a bat-flip in any other sport.’’ As a lifelong black person and baseball fan, I certainly want to celebrate seeing more black players on the field. This would also lead to seeing more black people in the stands.

The Reid Roundup

Now that Jackie Robinson Day has passed, it’s time to honor the late Curt Flood. Fifty years ago Flood stood alone when he challenged MLB’s reserve clause and sought what is now called free agency. He lost his Supreme Court case and was blackballed out of baseball. But he is the reason players make hundreds of millions of dollars today… Donald Trump says he will give Tiger Woods the Congressional Medal of Freedom. He can always find a way to serve himself… If there is a such thing as a “wakeup call” for a player or team, the Golden State Warriors received one on Monday night against the L.A. Clippers after blowing a 31-point lead and losing DeMarcus Cousins for the entire postseason with a quad injury… I’ve been to Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. To see it in flames and its spire tumble was chilling… Second baseman Kolton Wong is the St. Louis Cardinals MVP so far this season… While his production is much higher, first baseman Paul Goldschmidt (.226) had a lower batting average than right fielder Dexter Fowler (.239) after Monday’s loss to the Milwaukee Brewers… Former St. Louis Rams wide receiver Isaac Bruce will host his annual football clinic at Gateway STEM High School on Saturday, June 29. The free, non-contact clinic offers opportunities for youths to hone their football skills, learn the value of sportsmanship and build self-esteem off and on the field. All participants receive a T-shirt and refreshments. Space is limited to the first 250 youth in each of the two sessions (8-10 years from 9-11 a.m. and 11-13 years from 12-2 p.m.). To register, visit www.isaacbruce.org. Alvin A. Reid was honored as the 2017 “Best Sports Columnist – Weeklies” in the Missouri Press Association’s Better Newspaper Contest and is a New York Times contributor. He is a panelist on the Nine Network program, Donnybrook, a weekly contributor to “The Charlie Tuna Show” on KFNS and appears monthly on “The Dave Glover Show” on 97.1 Talk.” His Twitter handle is @aareid1

Alvin A. Reid

man!!!

Tiger Woods celebrates after winning his fifth Masters title on Sunday.

Hard to argue with the ‘Tiger Effect’

By K. Michael Jones Of The St. Louis American

Ok Tiger Woods haters. Get your fingers ready to send a nasty email response. But in short, here it is: No single athlete has done more for his or her individual sport, as Tiger Woods has for golf. Period.

Yes, of course, what Serena Williams has done for tennis and women’s tennis in particular is remarkable. The influx of young girls of color into tennis is due to her tireless efforts and outstanding play, truly taking the sport to a level it had never seen. Some might argue what about Muhammad Ali and what he did for the world of boxing, making him and the sport a “world”-wide success. Same thing goes for Pele’. Without Babe Ruth who knows what baseball would look like today. And let’s not even get started on the MJ vs. LeBron deal. But let’s talk about Woods for a moment, even though he isn’t necessarily as well-liked or respected as a person as those referenced above.

When I was a teen in the

TRACK

Continued from C7

finished second in the discus.

A pair of talented freshmen girls’ also had big days as Kayelyn Tate of Parkway Central won the 200-meter dash and Amani Jones of Francis Howell North won the 300-meter low hurdles.

CLUTCH

Continued from C7 the season. It is hard for a team to stay dialed in when everyone expects the squad to moonwalk its way to a title. A key injury and a smack down in front of the home crowd should inspire the Warriors to turn it up a notch.

The next time the Warriors possess a big lead, don’t expect Steve Kerr to sit his starters for a long period of time. It is also unlikely that the players will put it in autopilot and attempt to cruise down the stretch. If anything, the losses should make them more dangerous and unrelenting. However, it will also give opponents hope.

Before the playoffs began, only a few teams could realistically believe they had any chance at dethroning the reigning kings. The Rockets are rolling and have pushed the Warriors in the past. The Bucks boast the best regular-season record in the league. Everybody else is —everybody else.

Now teams will examine the playoff landscape and wonder, “If the Clippers can do it, even

‘80s, I knew of no other teen that played golf or practiced golf. No way did any of them have their own set of clubs. It wasn’t cool. That’s not what we did. We’d occasionally mess around at the putt putt places, hitting colored balls under giraffes and around lion statues. But that was about it. That’s not true today, as golf enthusiasm continues to grow at a record pace among youth. My son got his first set of clubs when he was 14 because his friends all had them and he wanted to play. Golf-related manufacturers, golf courses, golf apparel companies, etc. can all thank one person for starting that trend, and now continuing it. Tiger Woods. Before Woods came on the scene in the late ‘90s, golf was dying. TV viewers of golf were older white men. Players of golf were older white men. The game’s legendary stars like Jack Nicklaus, Lee Trevino, Gary Player and Arnold Palmer were either off the tour or all but done.

Woods’ first win at the Masters was in 1997. He was

Corey Siebert Invitational Highlights

There were some excellent field event performances at the Corey Siebert Invitational at Rockwood Summit. Senior Rasheed Ricketts of Cardinal Ritter won the triple jump an impressive effort of 49 feet 4 inches, which is one of the best efforts in the state. Brooke Jenkins of Pattonville won both the girls

for a game, why can’t we?”

It was terrible to see Cousins go down for what appears to be the rest of the playoffs (He has been declared out indefinitely, not out for the season). After all the hard work and effort he put to come back from his Achilles injury, he deserved better. However, the uncertainty created by his absence and the ensuing collapse of one of the most-talented teams ever assembled was exactly what the league needed to make the playoffs great again.

Undisputed GWOAT

While ladies such as Ronda Rousey, Gina Carano and Cris Cyborg have gained fame, acclaim and accolades as MMA headliners, there hasn’t been a woman boxer who has dominated and captivated fight fans since Laila Ali walked away from the sweet science in 2007. (Ann Wolfe was known to hardcore boxing fans, but sadly never became a household name outside the sport.) That may be about to change.

Saturday night, twotime Olympic gold medalist

The junior sprinter was one of the top individual performers at last week’s Henle Holmes Invitational at Parkway Central. McCarter was a double winner as he took home first-place medals

19. He beat the runner up (Tom Kite) by a whopping “12” strokes. Twelve strokes.

That’s unheard of today, and in fact still sits as a record for largest margin of victory at the Masters. But let’s get back to why no single athlete has done more for his or her individual sport, as Tiger Woods has for

long jump and triple jump events. She won the long jump with a leap of 18 feet 4 inches and the triple jump by bounding 38-10. Pattonville teammate Diamond Richardson won the girls’ shot put with a heave of 44 feet 7 ½ inches.

On the track, Hazelwood Central’s Danielle Frank took home a couple of first place medals in the sprints. She won the 100 in 12.23 seconds and the 400 in an impressive time

Claressa Shields (9-0-0, 2 KO) cemented her status as the baddest woman on the planet by defeating Christina Hammer (24-1-0, 11 KO) by unanimous decision.

She used impressive combination punching and solid defense to dominate over 10 rounds. According to ComuBox, Shields landed 112 of 387 punches (29 percent) compared to just 49 of 366 punches (13 percent) by Hammer.

The victory earned Shields the title of undisputed women’s middleweight champion of the world. She now holds all the major middleweight titles including the WBA, WBC, IBF, WBO and The Ring

Atop the totem pole at just 24-years-old, Shields has an extremely bright future ahead. Like the Ali family, both Laila and her late-great father Muhammad, Shields is as nice on the mic as she is with her hands.

She possesses the rare blend of braggadocios, humility and humanity that all-time greats are made of.

“I am the greatest woman of all time,” Shields said after the victory. “I feel like I’m dream-

golf. Here’s the ‘Tiger Effect.’ In the decade after Woods’ victory at the Masters in 1997, here’s what happened:

• The number of golfers in the U.S. increased by 22%

• The number of 18-hole golf courses increased by 16%

• The number of college golf

of 57.97.

Lutheran North Relays

Senior Jordyn White of Lutheran North enjoyed quite a performance as she won four events on her home track.

White finished first in the 100meter high hurdles and swept all three jumping events as she won the high jump, long jump and triple jump.

On the boys’ side, Joshua

ing right now.”

Next up, the GWOAT hopes to faces Cecilia Braekhus, the undisputed women’s welterweight champion of the world. “Me and her fight, that’s pay-per-view,” Shields said.

programs tripled • Nike, who paid Woods to endorse their newly-formed golf division, made $103 million in “profit” from sales of their golf balls alone!

In contrast, here are some other numbers. These numbers are from the last decade, when Woods was injured, was in a horrible slump, and had a slew of off-course problems:

• 800. Bloomberg Businessweek magazine said that’s approximately how many golf courses have closed over the past decade.

• Just within the past couple of years, Nike announced it would stop making golf balls. (After making $103 million in profit alone when Tiger was hot).

• There also is the research from the National Golf Foundation that shows participation in the sport had declined 20 percent per year since the early 2000s.

Woods hadn’t won a major tournament since 2008 and the golf world knew it.

Hopkins and Jalik Smith finished first and second in the long and triple jump events.

Hopkins finished first in the long jump with Smith taking second place. They reversed positions in the triple jump with Smith winning the event and Hopkins finishing in second place.

On Tap this Week

The Phil Brusca/Connie

Hopefully Showtime will make it happen and show Shields the money!

Be sure to check In the Clutch online and also follow Ishmael on Twitter @ishcre-

Then let’s visit last year, 2018, where Woods makes his comeback. Suddenly TV ratings jump immediately. After tying for 32nd in the Masters and not even making the cut in the U.S. Open in 2018, suddenly he is on the leader board of the British Open. Then, right here in St. Louis, he almost wins the 2018 PGA Championship and comes in second.

Here come your stats from the National Golf Foundation regarding last year:

• Last year 2.6 million people in the U.S. played their first round of 18 holes

• Of those new golfers, 26% are minorities, 31% are female, and 62% were under age 35.

• Further, 14.7 “non-golfers” have a strong interest in playing golf in 2019.

I’m not asking you to like Tiger Woods, or cheer for him, or pay any attention to him at all. Just realize there IS a ‘Tiger Effect,’ it’s back. Drive by any driving range this weekend and you’ll see it in full force.

Strobach Invitational will be held at Ladue on Saturday, beginning at 9 a.m. The Fred Lyon Invitational boys meet will be held at Parkway North on Thursday and Friday, beginning at 4 p.m. on both days. The Fort Zumwalt North Invitational will be held on Thursday afternoon, beginning at 4 p.m. in

Brittany Hawthorne

Lafayette – Girls Track and Field

The senior throwing standout was the individual champion in the discus at the Henle Holmes Invitational at Parkway Central. Hawthorne won the competition with a throw of 126 feet, which was a new personal best for the event. She accomplished the feat on her first throw of the

competition. Her efforts helped the Lancers to the team championships. As a junior, Hawthorne was a state qualifier in the discus after winning a district championship and finishing second in the sectional meet.

ates. Subscribe to The St. Louis American’s YouTube page to see weekly sports videos starring Ishmael and Melvin Moore at youtube.com/stlamericanvideo.

Tiger Woods poses with the 2019 Masters trophy and green jacket after winning his fifth Masters title.

Ferguson Youth Initiative raises $30K

Tia Latimer (a senior at McCluer North High School), Alyssiah Santano (a senior at McCluer North High School) and Khaliah Booker (a senior at McCluer High School) spoke at the Ferguson Youth Initiative’s 2019 Empower Youth Jazz Brunch fundraiser on April 6, which raised more than $30,000 to benefit the its youth programs and community service projects. The youth were recognized for their contributions as graduating Ferguson Youth Advisory Board members.

FYI is striving to forge enduring partnerships with local businesses, organizations and school districts to create more job and internship opportunities for young people. For more information or to get involved, contact FYI Executive Director Aaron M. Harris at 314-749-5379.

WWT

continued from page B1 partner of the track and will use the venue to advance development programs for the company and its community outreach initiatives. Asked what advanced technology has to do with the grimy sport of motor racing, Steward almost bristled.

“Science, technology and math play a huge part in racing,” Steward said – and he speaks from direct experience.

WWT is the official Technology and Analytics Partner of Richard Petty Motorsports and the primary sponsor of the No. 43 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 team.

As part of the partnership, WWT provides data analytics consulting and technology solutions to help improve team performance for Darrell “Bubba” Wallace Jr. and the No. 43 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 team.

“A big part of our sponsorship for Bubba” –whom Steward pointedly referred to as “the only black driver in NASCAR – “is big data. Our big data team, our data scientists, are all involved, from design, to the heat of surfaces, to the tires. We have sensors all through the car measuring data, assessing it throughout the race.”

More generally, Steward said that Francois recognizes what all business leaders know by now: technology is the future, and if you want to have your business in the future, you need to harness technology as it evolves.

“Every company now looks at itself as a technology company first and then a company that happens to be in the area they are in,” Steward said.

That lesson was driven home to his son, David Steward II, whose company Lion Forge is a digital innovator in comic book publishing. The son grew up on comic books – and

racing, a passion of his father’s boyhood that was passed to him.

Steward really came alive at the memory of his son’s Father’s Day gift to him last year: a crash course on motor racing at Bondurant Racing School in Chandler, Arizona.

“We actually got to get in race cars and learn how to race!” Steward enthused. “We had two professional drivers and we got our own cars, and we learned how to race. We had the time of our lives. This was at 67 years old!”

David Steward II and Lion Forge also are committed to the partnership with what is now World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway – and Francois sees the long-term benefit to this commitment running in the family.

“David Steward II and his company are actively engaged in the sponsorship,” Francois said, “which speaks to the powerful future potential of our alliance.”

Financial Focus

By Courtney Bond Waters

withdrawals from your traditional IRA and your 401(k) or similar employer-sponsored retirement plan. (This requirement does not apply to Roth IRAs.) You must take out a minimum amount, based on your age and account balance, but you are free to exceed that amount each year. But the more you withdraw

accounts

Photo by Tim Larson

A liberated leap

Rebeccah Bennett, founder of InPower Institute, has major expansion in mind for the institution – which offers programming to promote abundant living, community and justice, cultural arts and expression, harmonious relationships, holistic health and healing and spiritual growth and development.

Rebeccah Bennett’s InPower Institute planning major expansion

By Kenya Vaughn Of The St. Louis American

Even while on task with talking about the new and improved vision for the InPower Institute, Rebeccah Bennett manages to be a source of inspiration and encouragement.

“My life’s purpose is really to manifest the best within themselves and to create communities that sustain the best in us all,” Bennett said. “That is the reason I exist.”

She and I usually talk at the beginning of the year – where she delivers sound advice framed around a single word that is her mantra for the year. For 2019 she has two: liberated living. And as she applies the short phrase to her life, she is putting action behind applying the concept to her work.

n Housed in a 3,000 square foot space in south city, InPower hosts robust programming framed around healing and wholeness.

“This is a leap,” Bennett said. “I am allowing myself to be led by my purpose in life – and that territory is a really big territory.”

Her original desire was to find ways to help black people discharge the accumulated stress in their lives so they could be healthy – and equipped to dismantle the systems of oppression designed to perpetuate pain, trauma and dysfunction. She started by facilitating yoga classes out of her studio apartment.

“That first model was ‘let me just teach some classes,’” Bennett said. “I wanted to be whole and well as much as I could be. And then I found myself in a position to support other people in doing the same.”

InPower’s first incarnation was driven by Bennett, led by Bennett and financed by Bennett. She was overextended – but was too committed to what she saw as her purpose to admit it. That’s when the universe stepped in.

Her building was sold from under her, forcing her to take time off from InPower. In those few years, she reevaluated how she was working towards her mission. “I discovered that community healing work, has to be done by communities,” Bennett said. “I know that’s going to sound obvious. But it’s not. So often we think that individual heroic efforts are sufficient to help change the world and change our communities.” Bennett said that dismantling that myth is essential to community building.

See LEAP, C4

‘The whole world is gonna move different because of you’

Life, music and legacy of Nipsey Hussle celebrated at Staples Center

By Kenya Vaughn Of The St. Louis American

“Nipsey was to the hip-hop community what Bob Marley was to the reggae community,”

Minister Louis Farrakhan said as he paid tribute to Nipsey Hussle during the rapper’s homegoing celebration Thursday at Staples Center. “He was a prophetic voice.”

As the entire city of Los Angeles – and some of the biggest names of black culture –paused to remember Ermais Joseph Asghedom, better known the masses as Nipsey Hussle, or the endearing Neighborhood Nip, lyrics from his song “Dedication” proved themselves hauntingly prophetic.

2Pac of my generation Blue pill in the [expletive] Matrix Red rose in the gray pavement Fans wrapped around the Staples Center Thursday morning ahead of his homegoing celebration. The last person to be laid to rest at Staples Center was Michael Jackson – arguably the most famous entertainer in modern music, with the biggest selling album of all time.

Nipsey Hussle’s debut album “Victory Lap” was released last year to commercial and critical acclaim –including a “Best Rap Album” nod at the 2019 Grammy Awards.

But the mixtape veteran with one studio album who applied his hiphop residuals toward buying back and rebuilding his South Central Los Angeles community, was given an icon’s farewell.

The 33-yearold had his life tragically cut short by gun violence on March 31. At the service –

which was livestreamed on Tidal and BET – the recurring message by family, friends, fellow rappers, his fiancée Lauren London and Pastor Shep Crawford was that the legacy he left through his work – in music and beyond – will inspire generations to come.

“The Marathon continues,” was repeated over the course of the remarks as homage to the brand built by rapper – and the name of the clothing store he built in the heart of the Crenshaw district. After saying the aforementioned phrase, Pastor Shep Crawford recited Ecclesiastes 9:11. “The race is not won to the swift or the strong, but the one that endureth till the end.”

Snoop Dogg called him a peace agent who left his mark on the world by using music to bridge the gap between the famous gang rivals. Snoop pointed to Hussle’s collaboration with Game and YG. In his remarks fellow LA rapper YG called Nipsey Hussle his “brother from

Dancing for the Diaspora

By Lara Hamdan Of St. Louis Public Radio

Gerald Early is an acclaimed scholar, critic and essayist. He is the Merle Kling Professor of Modern Letters in the African and African American Studies Department at Washington University, and among his many interests is the wide world of sports – especially baseball.

and raised in Philadelphia, he grew up a Phillies fan.

still root for Philadelphia – except when

Acclaimed scholar, critic and essayist Gerald Early discussed his latest book, “The Cambridge Champion of Boxing,” and the value of literary works during a recent episode of St. Louis Public Radio’s ‘St. Louis on the Air.’

Louis Public Radio

Photo by Evie Hemphill/St.

Better Family Life’s Kuumba Youth Performance Ensemble ( KYPE), were among the young troupes whose performances paid tribute to African and African-American styles of movement during the culminating concert of Black Dance – USA Saturday, April 3 at The Sun Theatre in Grand Center.

Photo by Wiley Price/St. Louis American

Nipsey Hussle

How to place a calendar listing

1. Email your listing to calendar@stlamerican. com OR

2. Visit the calendar section on stlamerican.com and place your listing

Calendar listings are free of charge, are edited for space and run on a space-available basis.

concerts

Fri., Apr. 19, 7 p.m., The 2nd Annual Spring Jazz Concert Feat. DOJ Entertainment and Derrick JaQuess. Sheldon Concert Hall, 3648 Washington Blvd., 63108. For more information, visit www. metrotix.com.

Sat., Apr. 20, 9 p.m., RockHouse Entertainment, LLC presents Jeezy. The Pageant, 6161 Delmar Blvd., 63112. For more information, visit www.thepageant.com.

Fri., Apr. 26, 7 p.m., A night of Soul Searching presents Tweet. The Ready Room, 4195 Manchester Ave., 63110. For more information, visit www.eventbrite.com.

Sun., Apr. 28, 8 p.m., The Pageant presents Shy Glizzy 6161 Delmar Blvd., 63112. For more information, visit www. ticketmaster.com.

Tues., Apr. 30, 8 p.m., Delmar Hall welcomes Emily King, Delmar Hall, 6133 Delmar Blvd., 63112. For more information, visit www. thepageant.com.

Wed., May 1, 8 p.m., River City Casino & Hotel presents Robert Cray. 777 River City Casino Blvd., 63125. For more information, visit www. rivercity.com.

Tues., May 7, 8 p.m., The Ready Room presents Damien Escobar 4195 Manchester Ave., 63110. For more information, visit www. eventbrite.com

local gigs

Fri., Apr. 19, 8 p.m.,

Masterblaster: A Tribute to Stevie Wonder. Delmar Hall, 6133 Delmar Blvd., 63112. For more information, visit www. ticketmaster.com.

Fri., Apr. 19, 8 p.m., Roland

Johnson & Soul Endeavor Das Bevo, 4749 Gravois Ave., 63116. For more information, visit www.dasbevo.com.

Fri., Apr. 19, 8 p.m., Icey: A Gucci Mane Tribute. Urb Arts, 2600 N. 14th St., 63106. For more information, visit www.eventbrite.com.

Wed., May 8, 7 p.m., Kenny DeShields. Renaissance Airport Hotel, 9801 Natural Bridge Rd., 63134. For more information, visit www. facebook.com.

Wed., May 15, 7 p.m., Old Rock House presents Tameca Jones. 1200 S. 7 th St., 63104. For more information, visit www.metrotix.com.

special events

Thur., Apr. 18, 9 a.m., St. Louis University’s Transformative Workforce Academy presents the Second Chance Job Fair. Over 75 employers expected. Chaifetz Arena, 1 S. Compton Ave., 63103. For more information, visit www.eventbrite.com.

Fri., Apr. 19, 9 a.m., Florissant Veteran’s Job Fair. Employers include Amazon, Whelan Security, Schnucks, Florissant Police Department, and many more. John F. Kennedy Civic Center, 315 Howdershell Rd., 63031. For more information, email florissantveteransjobfair@ yahoo.com.

Fri., Apr. 19, 7:30 p.m., Adult Easter Egg Hunt. Adults 21 and older can grab your basket and flashlight for an evening down memory lane. Ferguson Parks & Recreation, 1050 Smith Ave., 63135. For more information, call (314) 521-4661.

Sat., Apr. 20, 9:30 a.m., Saint Louis Science Center presents SciFest: Animal Kingdom

Kenya Vaughn recommends

Expo. Learn about animal science and care, visit with animals and meet conservation experts working with animals at home and in the wild. 5050 Oakland Ave., 63110. For more information, visit www. slcl.org.

Sat., Apr. 20, 10 a.m., Children’s Easter Egg Hunt. Free and open to all. Photos with the Easter Bunny. Ferguson Parks & Recreation, 1050 Smith Ave., 63135. For more information, call (314) 521-4661.

Sat., Apr. 20, 11 a.m., Community Kids Easter Egg Hunt. Easter egg hunt, water play games, prizes and food. Tanglewood Park, 1180 Chambers Rd., 63137. For more information, visit www. facebook.com.

Sat., Apr. 20, 8 p.m., Women’s Caucus 2nd Annual Blue Jean Spring Fling, ATU Local 788 Hall, 1611 South Broadway.

Sun., Apr. 21, 10 a.m., Easter Community Day, St. Paul AME Church, 1260 Hamilton Ave.

Apr. 24 – 28, Chaifetz Arena presents Cirque Du Soleil Cortero. Corteo, which means cortege in Italian, is a joyous procession, a festive parade imagined by a clown. 1 S.

Compton Ave., 63103. For more information, visit www. thechaifetzarena.com.

Thur., Apr. 25, 5:30p.m., 15 th Annual Evening of Hope. Performance by 442 with special guest Erin Bode. Proceeds benefit the Hope Center for Neurological Disorders. Sheldon Concert Hall, 3648 Washington Blvd., 63108. For more information, visit www.thesheldon.org.

Fri., Apr. 26, 11 a.m., The St. Louis American Foundation 19th Annual Salute to Excellence in Health Care Awards Luncheon, Frontenac Hilton. To order tickets, call 314-533-8000 or visit www. stlamerican.com

Fri., Apr. 26, 7 p.m., Stifel Theatre presents Michael Carbonaro. 1400 Market St., 63103. For more information, visit www.stifeltheatre.com.

Fri., Apr. 26, 8 p.m., National Pan Hellenic Council of St. Louis invites you to their Annual Scholarship Party. Lemp’s Grand Hall, 1817 Cherokee St., 63118. For more information, visit www. eventbrite.com.

Sat., Apr. 27, 11 a.m., Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., St. Louis Metropolitan Alumnae Chapter invites you to a Mother Daughter Brunch

A night of Soul Searching presents Tweet. For more information, see CONCERTS.

– Wearing My Crown: A Royal Affair. Missouri Athletic Club, 405 Washington Ave., 63102. For more information, visit www.eventbrite.com.

Sat., Apr. 27, 12 p.m., An Afternoon with Eric Garner’s Mother: This Stops Today by Gwen Carr. Carr recounts how Eric’s wrongful death galvanized her to action. Legacy Bar & Grill, 5249Delomar Blvd., 63108. For more information, visit www.eventbrite.com.

Sat., Apr. 27, 2 p.m., Watch the Throne Youth Step Competition 2019. Middle and high school step competition. Parkway South High School, 801 Hanna Rd., 63021. For more information, visit www.eventbrite.com.

Sun., Apr. 28, 3 p.m., Imagery International presents 13th Annual Because I’m Worth It Gala. Sheraton Westport Chalet Hotel, 191 Westport Plaza, 63146. For more information, visit www. imagerymovement.org.

Sun., Apr. 28, 4pm, Grambling State UnivSTL Chapter is hosting its Black & Gold Scholarship Bowl at Crest Bowl 650 N Florissant, 63031. Proceeds benefit incoming/returning GSU students from St. Louis Metro area. For tickets,

email stlgramblingalumni@ gmail.com.

Sat., May 4, 11 a.m. & 3 p.m., Afro World presents Hatitudes 2019. 2 fashion shows featuring the “Rosebud” of New York, giveaways, and more. 7276 Natural Bridge Rd., 63121. For more information, visit www. eventbrite.com.

Sat., May 4, 12 noon, The 17th Mary Meachum Freedom Crossing Celebration, The “Africans to Americans: 400 Years of History” event will feature historical re-enactments written by three St. Louisarea playwrights, a choir competition, and activities for children. Mary Meachum site on the Mississippi Greenway (Riverfront Trail) at 28 E. Grand, St. Louis 63147

Sat., May 4, 2 p.m., Mother’s Day Extravaganza. Enjoy massages, makeovers, a fashion show, workshops, and more. Medici MediaSpace, 2065 Walton Rd., 63114. For more information, visit www. eventbrite.com.

Sat., May 4, 1 p.m., PorchFestSTL. Porches and public spaces become stages for local bands of many genres. Skinker DeBaliviere Neighborhood, 6008 Kingsbury Ave., 63112. For more information, visit www. porchfeststl.com.

Sat., May 4, 2 p.m., Mother’s Day Extravaganza. Enjoy massages, makeovers, a fashion show, workshops, and more. Medici MediaSpace, 2065 Walton Rd., 63114. For more information, visit www. eventbrite.com.

Sun., May 5, 1:30 p.m., Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., Omicron Theta Omega Chapter hosts 365 Black Bus Tour. The tour includes round trip transportation, 3 stops at Black-owned businesses complimentary entry to the 365 Black Party, and more. The Signature Club, 9002 Overland Plz., 63114. For more information, visit www.365BlackBusTour. Eventbrite.com.

Sun., May 5, 6 p.m., Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., Omicron Theta Omega Chapter presents 365 Black Party. The Signature Club, 9002 Overland Plz., 63114. For more information, visit www.365BlackBusTour. Eventbrite.com.

Tues., May 7, 7:30 p.m., Nickelodeon’s Double Dare Live! Hosted by Marc Summers. Fox Theatre. 527 N. Grand Blvd., 63013. For more information, visit www. fabulousfox.com.

Sun., May 12, 5:30 p.m., Denise Thimes & Friends Special Mother’s Day Concert. With special guests Jermaine Smith and Matthew Whitaker. Touhill Performing Arts Center, 1 University Blvd., 63121. For more information, visit www.touhill. org.

Tues., May 14, 6 p.m., Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District Rate Commission Public Hearing. An opportunity to give feedback on the MSD Wastewater Rate Proposal. St. Louis County Library Grant’s View Branch, 9700 Musick Rd., 63123. For more information, visit www. stlmsd.com.

comedy

Apr. 18 – 20, Helium Comedy Club presents Aries Spears. 1151 Saint Louis Galleria, 63117.

Fri., Apr. 26, 6 p.m., Ladies Night At The Laugh Clinic. An evening of poetry, spoken word and comedy fun. Holiday Inn St. Louis Airport, 4505 Woodson Rd., 63134. For more information, call (314) 690-5673.

Fri., Apr. 26, 8 p.m., UMSL Mirth Week Comedy Show starring Marlon Wayans with special guest Loni Love. Touhill Performing Arts Center, UMSL, 1 University Blvd., 63121. For more information, visit www.touhill. org.

Sat., Apr. 27, 7:30 p.m., Aziz Ansari: Road to Nowhere. Stifel Theatre, 1400 Market St., 63103. For more information, visit www. ticketmaster.com.

May 9 – 11, Helium Comedy Club presents Sinbad. 1151 Saint Louis Galleria, 63117. For more information, visit www.heliumcomedy.com.

literary

Thur., Apr. 18, 4:30 p.m., University Libraries Faculty Book Talk Series: Rafia Zafar. Zafar will discuss her new book Recipes for Respect: African American Meals and Meaning. Olin Library, 1 Brookings Dr., 63130. For more information, visit ww.library.wustl.edu/event.

Wed., Apr. 24, 7 p.m., St. Louis Public Library hosts author Alex Kotlowitz, author of An American Summer: Love and Death in Chicago and author Jonathan Metzl, author of Dying of Whiteness: How the Politics of Racial Resentment Is Killing America’s Heartland. Schlafly Branch, 225 N. Euclid Ave., 63108. For more information, visit www.slpl.org.

Saturday, May 11, 11 a.m., North County Writing & Arts Network, Writers, artists, poets from North St. Louis County, create, connect and critique at monthly meeting. Jamestown Bluffs 4153 N. Hwy. 67 (Lindbergh), Florissant, MO. For more info: nocowan@yahoo.com or https://www.meetup.com/ North-County-Writing-Arts/ events/260437039/

theatre

Apr. 27 – 28, UMSL Department of Theatre and Cinema Arts presents From Jimmy, to America: An Ode to James Baldwin. Actors and dancers explore our racial identity through the works, words, and musicality of James Baldwin. Touhill Performing Arts Center, 1 University Blvd., 63121.

Apr. 26 – 27, Soldan International Studies High School presents The Wiz. 918 N Union Blvd., 63108. For more information, call (314) 367-9222.

Apr. 27 – 28, UMSL Department of Theatre and Cinema Arts presents From Jimmy, to America: An Ode

Kenya Vaughn recommends

to James Baldwin. Actors and dancers explore our racial identity through the works, words, and musicality of James Baldwin. Touhill Performing Arts Center, 1 University Blvd., 63121.

Sat., May 4, 9 p.m., Afriky Lolo presents A Night in Africa. A guided trip to Mother Africa. There will be a photo booth, dancing & drumming, games, a fashion show, and more. Mission St. Louis, 3108 N. Grand Blvd., 63107. For more information, visit www.eventbrite.com.

Sun., May 12, 7:30 p.m., Tennessee Williams Tribute A tribute reading with poetry, prose, and song. Dark Room, 3610 Grandel Sq., 63108. For more information, visit www. metrotix.com.

May 10 – 12, Tyler Perry’s Madea’s Farewell Play. With Tamela Mann, David Mann, and Cassi Davis. Fox Theatre, 527 N. Grand Blvd., 63103. For more information, visit www.fabulousfox.com.

May 15 – June 2, The Black Rep presents Nina Simone: Four Women, Edison Theatre,

6445 Forsyth (on the campus of Washington University). Tickets are available at theblackrep.org, or by phone at 314-534-3807.

art

Fri., Apr. 19, 7 p.m., Black Culture – Photography Exhibit Opening Reception. This exhibit is a platform for local St. Louis photographers to define black culture according to their own lenses. Urb Arts, 2600 N. 14th St., 63106. For more information, visit www.eventbrite.com.

lectures and workshops

Tues., Apr. 23, 7 p.m., Better Together Forum. Learn more about recommendations for a regional, Metro St. Louis government and its impact on our community. New City School, 5209 Waterman Blvd., 63108. For more information, visit www.facebook.com.

Wed., Apr. 24, 4 p.m., Better Family Life presents Ask an

Delmar Hall welcomes Emily King. See CONCERTS for details.

Center for Neurological Disorders. Sheldon Concert Hall, 3648 Washington Blvd., 63108. For more information, visit www.thesheldon.org.

Sat., Apr. 27, 10 a.m., Children at the Center: Healthy Family Festival 2019. Health screenings, children’s activities, music, community resources, and more. Deaconess Center for Child Well-Beingl, 1000 N Vandeventer Ave., 63113. For more information, visit www.deaconess.org.

Sat., May 4, 12 p.m., Holistic Health air Seminar: Connect, Learn, & Improve. Emerson Performance Center, Harris Stowe, 3026 Laclede Ave., 63103. For more information, visit www.eventbrite.com.

spiritual

Apr. 25 – Apr. 28, Kossuth Church of God in Christ 83rd Church Anniversary Thursday-Friday, April 25 & 26 (7pm) guest speakers Saturday, April 27 at 6pm Musical Explosion with Mass Choir & Youth Dept.; Official Day Services on Sunday, April 28 at 11:15am & 4:00pm 3801 Eld. Robert Strong, Sr. Way, St. Louis, MO 63115. Bishop Robert Strong, Sr., Pastor & Evang. Jaynes Strong, First Lady.

Attorney Entrepreneurial Legal Clinic. Participants will have a 30-minute session with an attorney from Legal Services of Eastern Missouri to discuss a business legal issue. 5415 Page Blvd., 63112. For more information, visit www. bizbyfaith.com.

Thur., Apr. 25, 7 p.m., Women Who Ruled the World. Egyptologist Dr. Kara Cooney will discuss the lives of remarkable female pharaohs. Pulitzer Arts Foundation, 3716 Washington Blvd., 63108. For more information, visit www. pulitzerarts.org/program.

Sat., Apr. 27, 11 a.m.,

Gateway IL Links Chapter presents the Youth Political Empowerment Workshop. This workshop will educate teenage youth on political issues, voting, individual rights, and more. Deaconess Foundation, 1000 N. Vandeventer Ave., 63113. For more information, visit www. eventbrite.com.

health

Thur., Apr. 25, 5:30 p.m., 15th Annual Evening of Hope. Performance by 442 with special guest Erin Bode. Proceeds benefit the Hope

Apr. 25- Apr. 27, St. Louis/ Cape Girardeau District Conference, St. Peter AME, 4730 Margaretta Ave. St. Louis, MO.

Fri., May 3, 7 p.m., Diamond Entertainment presents Deitrick Haddon. Special Performance by Michael Lampkin. Harris Stowe, 3026 Laclede Ave., 63103. For more information, visit www. eventbrite.com.

May 3 – 4, 7 p.m., Miracles in America Crusade Tour with David E. Taylor. Marriot St. Louis Grand, 800 Washington Ave., 63101. For more information, visit www. joshuamediaministries.org.

another color.”

“This man got a letter from President Barack Obama,” Snoop Dogg said. “Barack Obama, y’all.”

After pointing out that the 44th president took time to pay tribute to the life of Nipsey Hussle, Snoop Dogg saluted towards the casket that sat on stage nearly swallowed by blue and white flowers.

“For God so loved the world that he gave us a good Crip,” Snoop Dogg said. “The late great Neighborhood Nip.”

The man beyond the music

“If you come up saying, ‘I’m gonna be the next Nipsey Hussle’ please don’t think you can do it with just an album,” Crawford said during the eulogy. “He named his first album ‘Victory Lap.’ I believe it was because it wasn’t the album that gave us the victory.

It was the road to the album that won the race.”

On that road was an unyielding commitment to family and his city.

In a letter read by Karen Civil as part of the services, those watching learned that like many, former president Barack Obama was not aware of Nipsey Hustle as a community

LEAP

Continued from C1

“The effort is necessary, but individual work is not sufficient,” Bennett said. “Any time we are trying to bring about great transformation in our lives for our community, we are going to need the support and assistance of other people from the community.” These days InPower is a team effort. Housed in a 3,000 square foot space in south city, InPower hosts robust programming framed around healing

change agent until after his death.

“I’d never met Nipsey Hussle, but I’d heard some of his music through my daughters, and after his

and wholeness. Bennett works with a team of nine, a collective that offers hundreds of classes, workshops and sessions throughout the year that focuses on abundant living, community and justice, cultural arts and expression, harmonious relationships, holistic health and healing and spiritual growth and development.

“This is the amazing thing about the evolution of this thing when we give ourselves to our purpose,” Bennett said.

“Whatever it is that we imagine for ourselves, let me tell you, Spirit’s agenda for us is far greater than our own dreams.” Bennett says the work of

passing, I had the chance to learn more about his transformation and his community work,” Civil read.

“While most folks look at the Crenshaw neighborhood

InPower is to promote community healing work that tends to both the core and the conditions of black people to help us be whole and not only have great lives, but create a more just and vibrant world where we can all thrive.

“We are specific to African Diaspora people – though not exclusive to it – because, if we don’t center our well-being, no one else will,” Bennett said.

The ultimate goal of InPower is to play an active role in the evolution of human consciousness from fear-based ways of living to love-based ways of living.

going. His choice to invest in that community rather than ignore it – to build a skills training center and a coworking space in Crenshaw; to lift up the Eritrean-American community; to set an example for young people to follow – is a legacy worth of celebration. I hope his memory inspires more good work in Crenshaw and communities like it.”

Those closest to the rapper asked mourners to look beyond the heartbreak and apply the same work ethic and commitment to uplifting their neighborhoods as he did his beloved Crenshaw.

“You changed the game and the whole world is gonna move different because of you,” his sister Samantha Smith said.

The services also included heartfelt reflections from his mother, father, brother, London and his stepson Cameron Carter.

“A lot of people thought he was gonna get some money and leave” after he made it as a rapper, his brother Samiel Asghedom said. “They didn’t know him. Nip put his heart and soul on Crenshaw and Slauson. Bro stayed and died on Crenshaw and Slauson.”

where he grew up and see only gangs, bullets, and despair, Nipsey saw potential. He saw hope. He saw a community that, even through its flaws, taught him to always keep

Thinking big for InPower’s next chapter

In her year of liberated living, Bennett is laying the foundation for explosive growth at InPower.

“I know that when we are standing on the edge of our lives – whatever that edge is –we are staring into the abyss,” Bennett said. “The truth is, the courage it takes to step off that ledge attracts the wind it takes to rise. That’s why you doing something matters.”

InPower will work toward purchasing a 10,000- to 20,000-square-foot facility in the heart of St. Louis this year in order to give the organization the type of growth Bennett has in mind.

EARLY

Continued from C1

gamut of things” – from a chronology of the sport’s history to the contributions of boxers of different sexes and ethnicities.

“The hope is that people would find that these sorts of subjects interesting; and they would find that boxing permeates our culture and has influenced our society much more than people might think,” he added.

Early’s research and professional contributions vary widely, a trait that speaks to his deep curiosity about life.

“I think I’ve always kind of wanted to understand how the world works,” he said. “And I’ve always wanted to try to

Among the most touching were London’s remarks –which included a text she wrote to him as he slept earlier this year that expressed the mutual unconditional love and

She already envisions a space where guests can go see a life coach, see a therapist, go across the hall and take a meditation class, go up the hall and “get your yoga and fitness on” and stop and get a smoothie before you go on your way.

“Under one roof there will be a comprehensive experience where the well-being of our people is centered, not marginal,” Bennett said. “Where the well-being of our people is believed in. Wholeness is our original state.”

The growth of InPower will also be felt in the digital space to create access to programming beyond its four walls.

“It doesn’t make sense for the only way that you can access our classes or workshops is if you actually come to our

understand, I think to some degree, the African American’s place in the world – which is one reason that’s one dimension of my writing.”

“But I’ve always wanted to understand the United States, and I think I tried to take … different ways of looking at my native land and to try to understand what it is – it’s a big, complicated animal.”

Among his roles at Washington University is editorial responsibility for The Common Reader, a collection of articles, reviews and creative nonfiction.

When asked about what makes a good essay, Early said it comes down to “honest and authentic engagement as a writer with the material.

“And the writer also having respect for his or her audience,” he added, “and wanting to really try to engage

devotion the couple shared.

“I want you to know I feel real joy in my heart when I’m around you. I feel safe around you. Protected. Like a shield over me when you’re around, I am totally myself when I’m with you,” London had written. “You’ve made me into more of a woman. You’ve given me an opportunity to really love a man,” she continued. She also spoke about the “pain she has never known” that has come with his passing.

“His soul was majestic. He was the strongest man that I ever knew. A gentle father, a patient leader, a divine light. He was brilliant. He researched everything, completely selftaught, constantly seeking knowledge,” London said. “I feel you everywhere. My pain is from a 2-year-old that probably won’t remember how much his dad loved him,” Lauren London said of their son Kross.

In the ceremony’s final remarks, Crawford issued a challenge to continue the rapper’s efforts.

“He is still here. He is in all of us,” Crawford said. “Nipsey showed us that we are stronger together. He had Bloods and Crips working together. He turned his marathon into a relay race. And if we don’t leave here without buying up South Central, we’re dropping the baton.”

building,” Bennett said. “The intention this year is to pilot the institute online. To stream that content and archive that content so that no matter where you live on this planet you will find a community of people who are community of people committed to healing their core and their conditions.” They plan to create InPower Network channels that align with their programming so that it is accessible to people who are unable to come to the space – for whatever reason – or live beyond the city limits.

“Build with Us. Come join us,” Bennett said. “ but not just come join us – take what we are doing and do it wherever you are.”

For more information on InPower Institute, visit https://

his or her audience.”

While many institutions are beginning to emphasize the importance of STEM fields, Early hopes people still value the importance of words.

“As far as education goes, there are numbers and there are words – and they’re both equally important,” he said. “I hope that people don’t lose sight of how important words are and how much our reality, our sense of ourselves, is constructed out of words. And I’m hoping that people don’t lose that.

“The numbers, the statistics, all those sorts of things don’t explain all of what the human experience is: the human experience still comes down to words.”

Published with permission of St. Louis Public Radio from news.stlouispublicradio.org.

Fans wrapped around the Staples Center ahead of Nipsey Hussle’s homegoing celebration.

Birthdays

Reunions

com or send your questions to P.O. Box 155, Florissant, MO 63032.

Celebrations

Christopher

and

On

as they celebrate seven years of

Do you have a celebration you’re proud of? If so we would like to share your good news with our readers. Whether it’s a birth, wedding, engagement announcement, anniversary, retirement or birthday, send your photos and a brief announcement (50 words or less) to us and we may include it in our paper and website – AT NO COST – as space is available Photos will not be returned. Send your announcements to: kdaniel@stlamerican. com or mail to:

St. Louis American Celebrations c/o Kate Daniel 2315 Pine St.

Beaumont Class Of 1969 will celebrate it’s 50-year reunion Sept 20-22, 2019 at Embassy Suites St. Charles. Come join us as we celebrate these golden years, “Living Life Like It’s Golden.” For more information contact Dennis Hayden 314 276-6188 or beaumontclassof1969@yahoo.

Beaumont Class of 1979 is planning its 40-year reunion. All activities are scheduled for the weekend of September 27-29. The location is The Airport Marriot at 10700 Pear Tree Drive, St. Louis 63134. For more information, contact Milton Jackson at 314-2764392 or Yolanda Lockhart at lockhartyo08@gmail.com.

Kinloch Class of 1969 is planning its 50-year reunion on August 21, 22 and 23. Dinner dance at Orlandos, 2050 Dorsett Village Plaza. For information call Ruben at 314239-5202 or Ophelia at 314-

280-6596. Classmates please respond by April 2019.

Northwest Class of 1979 is planning on cruising for our 40-year reunion and would love for you to join us! Date to sail is set for July 20, 2019 and you can feel free to contact: Duane Daniels at 314-568-2057 or Howard Day at 414-698-4261 for further information. Please don’t miss the boat!

Soldan Class of 1974 Alumni Association is planning its 45-year reunion. Please get your contact information to dhblackjack@charter.net or call 314-749-3803.

Soldan Class of 1979 is

planning its 40-year reunion for the weekend of August 2-3, 2019. Yearlong reunion activities will begin with a kickoff at Soldan High School Homecoming on Saturday, October 13, 2018 prior to the game at 1 p.m. For more information or to assist with reunion activities, please email at: soldanclassof1979@gmail. com or call Barbara at 314 456-3391.

Sumner Class Of 1969 50th reunion “Living Life Like It’s Golden” June 28-30, 2019. Looking for classmates of 1969 to contact us with your updated information via address:sumnerclass1969@ gmail.com or our FB page: Sumner High.

Sumner Class of 1979 will hold its “Bulldogs Rock the Boat” BIG 4-0 Reunion Cruise, June 22-27, 2019. For further information, email your contact information to sumner1979@ymail.com or call 314-406-4309. Join our Facebook group at Sumner High Class of ‘79.

Vashon Class of 1974 is planning for its 45-year reunion. We are in the process of rounding up all classmates. To provide or update your contact information, please email ljbady@gmail.com or contact: Joe Verrie Johnson 314-640-5842, Jordan Perry 314-724-4563, or LaVerne James-Bady 314-382-0890.

Deadline is 10 a.m. on Friday. If you’d like your class to be featured in a reunion profile, email or mail photos to us. Our email address is: reunions@stlamerican.com

On April 18, 2019 Alphonsus “Skeet” Young will celebrate his 81st Birthday. He is joined by his wife Leona Young at a prebirthday celebration held at the Berkeley Civic Center on April 12.

April 18, 2019 Bennie “Good Lookin’ Out” Hale will celebrate his 91st Birthday. He is joined by his wife Paulette McKinney Hale at a prebirthday celebration held at the Berkeley Civic Center.

Rose Marie Wilder and Augustus Lewis were married on April 21, 2012. They are enjoying retirement and living in Florissant, MO. Congratulations to the happy couple

marriage!

Photo by Rosalind Guy

Holla! Happy Birthday to my son,

L. White, on April 23. May God bless

keep you. Enjoy this blessed day! Always and forever, Mom

Photo by Rosalind Guy

Comedy clutch from a St. Louis cousin. As much as I hated to do it, I had to break my self-imposed hiatus from Helium to check out comedian and actor Tone Bell’s “Petty for a Purpose” Tour Saturday night. And while the employees (except for Jill Lovings -who always has my back) reminded my why I don’t like going there anymore, I’m glad I trusted my instinct to put my lust for fine and funny ahead of my principles. Tone might not be a household name yet – but give him time. He’s been on more than a handful of recent short-lived sitcoms and caught my attention when he stood in for Trevor Noah’s opening act at UMSL’s Mirth Day Comedy Festival. The fact that he is exceptionally hands some had my attention. The fact that he was hee-larious kept my attention. Well, he came through in the clutch again – this time for Helium as a replacement for some general population comic I had never heard of. I got to the club early, because the new folks at Helium stay being extra like I’m coming through for my own giggles and not to be of service to readers – and them with the publicity. Tone was walking around the dining area and bar chatting it up with folks when I found out his daddy is from St. Louis and he spent all his summers here. So, he’s fine, funny and a summertime/holiday homie…I’m officially a fan girl. I’d claim him as my cousin, but it might make things weird considering how I go on and on about how much I’m attracted to him. By the time I finished going back and forth with Helium staff, his friend and opening act Rojo Perez was already on stage. What I saw of him was hilarious too – especially when he talked about playing a college in a venue in a space with a 1200 seating capacity where only 8 folks stayed to hear his set. Tone had me hollering. And since I’m talking about cousins, Tone’s came through in the clutch too and packed Helium out. I probably would have been a wreck performing with folks that use to beat me on Streetfighter as a kid. I thought the bonus bit about the club brawl on the eve of his eye surgery was a bit drawn out, but everything else was a kee-kee, hoot and a holler. And speaking of that surgery, how you gonna tell that whole long story and never give us the details on your eye? You essentially did to us, what the man with one arm did to you! But seriously, be looking out for Tone, because he’s an additional 13 episodes order away from super stardom. Don’t believe me, check out the chemistry between him and Issa Rae in “Little.” You will get your whole entire life!

The Energy continues. After more than my fair share of nightlife busts this weekend, Energy at Blue was about the only sure thing. I called myself stopping by a “throwback 90s party” that should have named itself a “Backstreet Boys and NSync Back In The Day Jam” so I could have understood that I didn’t fit the demo. Oh well, Saturday night I made it to the place to be when I stopped by Blue for the latest installment of Energy. Because I’m not all the way sure on every single promoter who was involved – and they can be rightfully sensitive when they are left off on a win but quiet as church mice when the venture is a bust – I won’t name individuals. But all of y’all (and that means everybody involved) had it crackin’! And that’s the second time the folks didn’t seem to be the least bit bothered to come out despite a ferocious wind storm. Energy has made its rounds at several clubs around the region over the past couple of years and every venue – including its current host, Blue – the series is victorious.

Made Moguls making a difference. On Sunday I stopped by the Embassy Suites in Bridgeton to seem some of my beloved folks in their best attire for the Made Moguls 5th Annual Black Tie Charity Dinner. That lobby was jam packed with folks accidentally up in other folks’ pictures as they engaged in a bit of pre-show selfie action to pass the time until the doors open. I’m trying to decide on who the best dressed was – and it’s too close to call, though Miss Robbie Montgomery was killing it in that pantsuit. However, Marty K. Casey and Tyra were neck and neck as far as the fiercest face. I couldn’t stay for the full program, but I heard nice things about how they honored folks for giving back to the community – and the proceeds are for the worthiest cause of youth empowerment and enrichment. Oh, and I almost forgot to tell y’all how my girl Bell Darris was jamming on that electric violin. She should be somewhere opening up for Damien Escobar. STL honors for the Isley Brothers. I want to tip my stallion floor length ponytail to Joe Edwards for blessing the Isley Brothers to be the latest recipients of a star on the St. Louis Walk of Fame. For those of y’all who don’t know – who am I kidding? Everybody knows – Ronald and Ernie Isley have been St. Louis residents of St. Louis for more than 20 years. And at 11:30 a.m. on Wednesday, April 24, they will be enshrined alongside some of the biggest names in history with a St. Louis connection. The program is taking place outside The Pageant and is open to the public. I will definitely be in the building…well, outside the building to show my support.

Almost time for Tweet. After a wedding that was coming for Meghan and Harry’s neck as far as the wedding of the millennium (she had Calvin Richardson and gospel star Le’Andria Johnson singing at her wedding, y’all) Angel Patterson (formerly Shields) will be bringing her Night of Soul Searching back with the biggest of bangs. The last time she had Chrisette Michele giving the best performance I’ve ever seen from her. And I’m expecting the same type of action NEXT Friday (April 26) at The Ready Room for Tweet. She is one of the most underrated singers in R&B and the last time I saw her live she sounded so good I almost slapped her face after the show. I’m willing to bet she will have me in the same type of way next week. Especially if Angel uses the local musicians that have blown the mind of national talent and had the artists on ten in the attempt to match the house band’s energy.

Retired NBA star Larry Hughes and Justin Tatum, dad of NBA Star Jayson Tatum, celebrated the grand opening of Hughes’ Basketball Academy in Chesterfield

LouKendra, Joi and Coach Chi looked lovely @

Made Moguls 5th Annual Black Tie Charity Dinner Sunday @ Embassy Suites

Stephanie, Morgan and Stacey stepped on the dancefloor on more than one occasion Saturday night @ Energy

Melanie, Kiki and Jill caught up as the crowd enjoyed brunch Saturday @ The Marquee

Allen, Trystian, Dondrell, Steve and Jason spent their afternoon celebrating with Darius Chapman @ his birthday brunch Saturday @ The Marquee

Triky and Arthur were just a couple of the tastemakers in the place for Energy Saturday night @ Blue

Miss Robbie Montgomery and Elizabeth Donielle dolled up for @ Made Moguls 5th Annual Black Tie Charity Dinner Sunday @ Embassy Suites

Darius and Marquita were dressed to the nines, even in the middle of the day, for Darius’ birthday brunch Saturday @ The Marquee

Shawanda, Christina and Chisa checked out gospel singer Jonathan McReynolds Saturday night @ The Ready Room

Jenni and LaKecia stood back and peeped the scene as Blue filled up for the latest installment of Energy Saturday night

Rising film, television and comedy star Tone Bell with got love from his cousin Rasia before he took the stage for his headlining set at Helium Comedy Club Saturday. Bell is one of the co-stars of the hit film “Little” and star of his own comedy special on Showtime. Because his dad is a native, he spent his summers in the region and often visits family here during the holidays.

CARING TOUCH CONSUMER DIRECTED

Friday, April 19, 2019.

AREA EDUCATOR

Is

Please

DATA WAREHOUSE ARCHITECT

Safety National needs to have a clear a vision of data managed as an asset with a focus on data-driven decision-making. The Data Warehouse Architect will participate in the technical design of a highly functional Enterprise Data Warehouse, with utilization of a multi-platform, modern architecture approach. The architect will collaborate with the stakeholders and build solutions that support their reporting, analytics, data exploration and data science needs. This role will participate in process improvement initiatives and in setting the best practice standards around Data Architecture, Metadata, Data Governance and Master Data Management

To apply, please visit: https:// www.safetynational.com/careers-page/

CONSERVATION INTERN

Great Rivers Greenway is seeking a Conservation Intern. Check https:// greatriversgreenway.org/ jobs-bids/ and submit by April 30, 2019.

FIELD RESEARCHER

Great Rivers Greenway is seeking a Greenway Field Researcher. Check https://greatriversgreenway.org/ jobs-bids/ and submit by May 3, 2019.

ATTORNEY II

BUSINESS SYSTEMS ANALYST

Responsibility for the collection, preparation, documentation and communication of IS requirements, both business and technical Demonstrates clear and working knowledge and concepts of Business Analysis and Information Technology Is capable of working independently, but may be assigned to work under the guidance of a Senior Business Systems Analyst when engaged in larger, more complex projects

To apply, please visit: https://www. safetynational.com/careers-page/

MANAGER – PREMIUM AUDIT

The Manger will work both collaboratively and independently while self-directing their work processes to meet corporate objectives and goals related to the accurate and timely completion of assigned premium audits, while overseeing the day-to-day operations of premium audit activities. The manager will make assignments while monitoring and managing individual and team workload. This role is responsible for meeting established Customer Service Standards for accurate and timely ordering of physical audits and timely processing of large casualty and primary audits.

To apply, please visit: https://www. safetynational.com/careers-page/

COLLEGE PERSISTENCE COACH

Loyola Academy of St. Louis, a Jesuit-sponsored middle school for boys, seeks a dynamic individual to serve as its full-time College Persistence Coach. The College Persistence Coach provides guidance and support, for alumni and their families, through the college selection, admissions and financial aid processes and throughout the college careers of alumni. Contact with alumni and administrators requires travel to both local and out-of-state college campuses. The successful candidate will possess exceptional organizational, communication and interpersonal skills. Previous work experience in an educational setting with underserved, first-generation college students is preferred. A Bachelor’s degree is required for this position. Interested and qualified applicants should submit a letter of interest and resume to Mr. Elbert Williams III, Director of Graduate Support, at ewilliams@loyolaacademy.org, by April 26, 2019. No phone inquiries, please. For additional information about the school and job description, please visit our website at www.loyolaacademy.org.

Family Court of St. Louis County is seeking a full time attorney to perform legal work that involves conducting legal research, litigation and legal representation of Deputy Juvenile Officers in juvenile matters brought before the court. Work is supervised by the Director of the Legal Department. The position is a non-merit position as an employee of Saint Louis County. MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS: Graduation from an accredited law school, possession of a current license to practice law in the State of Missouri, at least two (2) years of trial experience preferably in juvenile, family or criminal law with additional years of trial experience or any equivalent experience being preferable. To apply, Candidates wishing to apply should visit the following address at St. Louis County Government’s website and complete an online application and submit a resume and cover letter by the end of the day on Friday, April 26, 2019: http://agency.governmentjobs.com/stlouis/default.cfm

EOE. Please contact the Human Resources Department at 314 615-4471 (voice) or RelayMO711 or 800 735-2966 if you need any accommodations in the application process, or if you would like this posting in an alternative form.

Initiatives. Duties

tor, Family

business execution and on-site support/monitoring of grant contracts and grantee contractor reports/invoices for ARCHS’ funded family support programs. This position will require extensive knowledge of community/social service and workforce program design, implementation and evaluation. Ability to manage portfolio

MANAGER – POLICY OPERATIONS

The Account Services Policy Operations Manager is responsible for the oversight of policy operations business processes and personnel. This management position is responsible for supervising the day to day operations and supervision of staff personnel in an Account Services Policy Operations functional unit. This role leads applicable personnel in best practices for client /customer support, data integrity, accuracy and efficiency of related processes. To apply, please visit: https://www. safetynational.com/careers-page/

SPECIALIST-ACCOUNT SERVICES- POLICY OPERATIONS

Responsible for providing client / customer support for the department’s operational functions. Performs complex non-routine policy transactions for our Primary and Excess Worker’s Compensation, Commercial Auto, General Liability, Excess Liability and Specialty Lines products in support of our corporate goals.

Responsible for complying with internal procedures and practices related to the production and distribution of policy transactions, while demonstrating the ability to meet or exceed service performance and quality standards.

Position reports to a departmental supervisor or manager and works independently with minimal supervision. Work is reviewed for fulfillment of departmental objectives and deadlines, as well as for overall compliance with policies and procedures. To apply, please visit: https://www. safetynational.com/careers-page/

MUNICIPAL BUILDING INSPECTOR NEEDED

The City of Country Club Hills is looking for a city building inspector to serve on a part-time as-needed basis. Applicants should be knowledgeable about building inspections and city codes through education and/or training. Compensation will be on an hourly basis. The inspections will require about 25 hours a week. The pay shall be approximately $13 per hour. Will need your own transportation. Inspection Reports must be written and thorough. Inspector may need to testify in court. Please send resume with all prior relevant experience to City Clerk Rowena Hollins at City Hall, 7422 Eunice, Country Club Hills, MO 63136 by May 1, 2019, to be considered. We are an equal opportunity employer.

CITY OF ST PETERS, MO CAREER OPPORTUNITIES

Are you a team player? Work for an employer who values and supports teamwork for their employees. St. Peters Rec-Plex and Golf Course offer their employees competitive pay and a chance to work in a fun atmosphere.

To view current openings and to apply please visit: www.stpetersmo.net/jobs

AA/EOE

COORDINATORACCOUNT SERVICESPOLICY REPORTING

As a member of a self-directed work team, this position shares responsibility reviewing, analyzing, and reporting policy transactions related to Primary Worker’s Compensation policies, as well as reporting coverage for Commercial Auto vehicles insured by Safety National.

To apply, please visit: https://www. safetynational.com/careers-page/

Provide analytical and technical support to the Chief Reserving Actuary. To apply, please visit: https://www.safetynational. com/careers-page/

DATA ANALYST-GRANT WRITER

Family Court of St. Louis County is seeking a full time data analyst-grant writer to collect, analyze, and disseminate system data about civil, criminal, family, probate, and treatment court operations and programs. This position will also be responsible for identifying, defining, and developing funding sources to support existing and planned Court program activities as well as to coordinate the development, writing, and submission of grant proposals to third-party entities. The position is a non-merit position as an employee of Saint Louis County. MINIMUM

QUALIFICATIONS: Graduation from an accredited college or university with a Bachelor’s Degree (Master’s Preferred) in social sciences or economics, social work, criminal justice, public administration, sociology, statistical analysis, or related field. Experience with researching and writing federal grants is highly preferred. Prefer two years of experience in data analysis in a social service setting or a related field; or any equivalent combination of training and experience. Candidates wishing to apply should visit the following address at St. Louis County Government’s website and complete an online application and submit a resume and cover letter by the end of the day on Friday, April 26, 2019: http://agency.governmentjobs.com/stlouis/default.cfm

EOE. Please contact the Human Resources Department at 314 615-4471 (voice) or RelayMO711 or 800 735-2966 if you need any accommodations

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

(RFP) For Technology Infrastructure (Upgrade)

Better Family Life, Inc. is soliciting a Request for Proposal from qualified firms with expertise in Information Technology for design and implementation of a complete Information Technology Infrastructure (Upgrade). The project has not been updated significantly with most network devices being end-of-life or outdated. Request for full proposal may be obtained via download from our website @ www.betterfamilylife.org. All request should be sent directly to rfp@betterfamilylife.org

The deadline for submitting proposals is, 4:30 p.m., April 26, 2019 at Better Family Life, Inc. 5415 Page Blvd. St. Louis, MO 63112

Public Notice of Single Source Procurement

Notice is hereby given that the Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District is proposing to procure temporary help services from Jupiter Consulting Services in an effort to support the IT Technology Plan. The District is proposing single source procurement for this service because it does not have the internal expertise to fulfill this Information Technology role. Any inquiries should be sent to strenz@stlmsd.com. Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

METROPOLITAN ST. LOUIS SEWER DISTRICT

Notice is hereby given that the Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District is accepting proposals in the Purchasing Division, 2350 Market Street, St. Louis, Missouri 63103-2555 until 10:00 a.m. on May 23rd, 2019 to contract with a company for: Sewer Separation Program Services. Specifications and bid forms may be obtained from www.stlmsd.com, click on the “MSD AT WORK” link, (bid opportunities). The bid document will be identified as 9934 RFP. If you do not have access to the internet, call 314.768.2735 to request a copy of this bid. Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Request for Proposal # 57819108 for

Short-Term Lease Student Housing Harris-Stowe State University (HSSU) is requesting proposals to provide short-term lease student housing. Interested parties may obtain a copy of the RFP by faxing a written request to HSSU, Attention: B. A. Morrow, (314) 340-3322; sending an email to: morrowb@hssu.edu, or by calling (314) 340-5763 and leaving the company name, address and telephone #.

Proposals must be received no later than 10:00 a.m. on Wednesday, May 15, 2019 and should be mailed or delivered in sealed envelopes clearly marked “Proposal for Short-Term Lease Student Housing”, Harris-Stowe State University, Dr. Henry Givens, Jr., Administration (HGA) building, ATTN: B. A. Morrow, 3026 Laclede Avenue, Room 105, St. Louis, MO 63103. Proposals will be opened and the names read at 10:15 a.m. in room 123 of the HGA building.

2350 Market Street, St. Louis, Missouri 63103, until 02:00 PM on Friday, May 03, 2019, at a place designated. Bids will be received only from companies that are pre-qualified by the District’s Engineering Department for: DEEP SEWER

St. L CITY drainlayer’s

Or CURED-IN-PLACE PIPE (CIPP) Plans and Specifications are available for free electronic download. Please go to MSD’s website and look for a link to “ELECTRONIC PLANROOM.” Plans and Specifications are also available for viewing or purchase at Cross Rhodes Reprographics located at 1712 Macklind Avenue, St. Louis MO 63110. All bidders must obtain a set of plans and specifications in order to submit a

ST. LOUIS COMMUNITY COLLEGE

METROPOLITAN ST. LOUIS SEWER

DISTRICT

Notice is hereby given that the Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District will receive sealed bids in the Purchasing Division, 2350 Market Street, St. Louis, Missouri 63103-2555 until 10:00am May 17, 2019 for: PUMP STATION SUMP PUMP REBUILD Specifications and bid forms may be obtained from www.stlmsd.com - click on “MSD At Work”, then “Bidding on Projects”. The bid document will be identified as 9924 RFQ. If you do not have access to the internet, call (314) 7686314 to request a copy of this bid. Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

INVITATION TO BID

McCarthy Building Companies, Inc. requests bids for Painting, Flooring, Interior Glazing, Casework Material and Division 10 Specialty scopes from qualified and certified MBE/DBE/WBE subcontractors for the following project:

Saint Louis University SLUCare Administration Offices – Imagine Building and Drummond Hall

Tentative Bid Date: May 9, 2019 at 2:00 pm CST

Contact: Mary Peterein at mpeterein@mccarthy.com or 314-919-2171 for documents and for more information

Prequalification is required and can be accessed at https://www.mccarthy.com/subcontractors

McCarthy Building Companies, Inc. is proud to be an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer.

St. Louis Community College will receive separate sealed bids for Contract No. F 19 405, Ceiling Renovations, St. Louis Community College at Forest Park, until 2:00 p.m. local time, Tuesday, April 23, 2019. Bids will be publicly opened and read aloud at the office of the Manager of Engineering and Design, 5464 Highland Park Drive (Plan Room). Specifications and bid forms may be obtained from the Manager’s office, at the above address or by calling (314) 6449770.

Voluntary Pre-bid Meeting: Friday, April 12, 2019 at 8:00 a.m. Meet at the 4th Floor C Tower – Forest Park Campus

An Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action Employer

Saint Louis Zoo 2019 Alterations, Repairs and Demolition, Saint Louis Zoo North Campus RFQ

The scope of the project includes: Design services to create bid documents for environmental remediation and demolition of existing buildings, grading, storm drainage, waterproofing and repairs to existing buildings Roof repairs, re-roofing, masonry repair, building envelope commissioning, building envelope repair Office building renovation, repairs; Code analysis, ADA study, three stop hydraulic elevator installation, office power, lighting and communication system improvements, carpet, painting, re-glazing.

Saint Louis Zoo 2019 Alterations, Repairs to Historic Hill Buildings RFQ

This project will include design services for the repair and replacement of roofing, replacement of existing skylights in all three buildings, repairs to pavement and façade features at the Bird House, and the replacement of the solarium at the Herpetarium.

MANDATORY PRE-BID MEETING & SITE

INSPECTION: On 4/24/2019 at 10:00AM at The Living World building on Government Drive in Forest Park, Upper level. Sealed bids marked with project name will be accepted on or before 5/8/2019 at 11:00 AM. Documents can be found on 4/18/2019 at: https://www.stlzoo.org/about/contact/vendoropportunities/

NOTICE OF REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS FOR CAPACITY BUILDING FOR M/WBE CONTRACTORS

PLAN ROOM SERVICES ON BEHALF OF THE ST. LOUIS DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION

The St. Louis Development Corporation (“SLDC”), hereby requests proposals from firms wishing to manage and monitor SLDC’s Construction Plan Room. For a copy of the RFP please visit our website at http:/ /stlouis-mo.gov/sldc by selecting the RFP/RFQ link for a complete copy of the RFP, or contact: VLADIMIR MONROE DIRECTOR OF MINORITY BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT & COMPLIANCE

LOUIS DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION 1520 MARKET STREET, SUITE 2000 ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI 63103 (314) 657-3746 (PHONE) (314) 603-7011 (FAX)

Proposals are due no later than 4:00 P.M. Central

At St. Louis

Sealed proposals will be received by the Board of Public Service in Room 208 City Hall, 1200 Market Street, St. Louis, Mo. Until 1:45 PM, CT, on Tuesday, May 21, 2019 then publicly opened and read. Plans and Specifications may be examined on the Board of Public Service website http:// www.stl-bps.org/planroom.aspx (BPS On Line Plan Room) and may be purchased directly through the BPS website from INDOX Services at cost plus shipping. No refunds will be made.

Bidders shall comply with all applicable City, State and Federal laws (including MBE/WBE policies). Mandatory pre-bid meeting will be held on Tuesday, April 30, 2019, at 1:30 PM in the Ozark Conference Room at the Airport Office Building, 11495 Navaid Rd., Bridgeton, MO 63044. All bidders must regard Federal Executive Order 11246, “Notice of Requirement for Affirmative Action to Ensure Equal Employment Opportunity”, the “Equal Opportunity Clause” and the “Standard Federal Equal Employment Specifications” set forth within and referenced at www.stl-bps.org (Announcements).

LETTING #8693

SLMP PROPERTY CUSTODY / TACTICAL RELOCATION

Sealed proposals will be received by the Board of Public Service in Room 208 City Hall, 1200 Market Street, St. Louis, Mo. Until 1:45 PM, CT, on May 7, 2019, then publicly opened and read. Plans and Specifications may be examined on the Board of Public Service website http:// www.stl-bps.org/planroom. (BPS On Line Plan Room) and may be purchased directly through the BPS website from INDOX Services at cost plus shipping. No refunds will be made.

A pre-bid conference for all contractors bidding on this project will be held onsite at 2150 S. 59th Street, St. Louis, MO 63110 on April 23, 2019 at 10:00 A.M.

Bidders shall comply with all applicable City, State and Federal laws (including MBE/WBE policies).

Sealed proposals will be received by the

of Public Service in Room 208 City Hall, 1200 Market Street, St. Louis, Mo. Until 1:45 PM, CT, on May 7, 2019, then publicly opened and read. Plans and Specifications may be examined on the Board of Public Service website http:// www.stl-bps.org/planroom (BPS On Line Plan Room) and may be purchased directly through the BPS website from INDOX Services at cost plus shipping. No refunds will be made.

Bidders shall comply with all applicable City, State and Federal laws (including MBE/WBE policies).

All bidders must regard Federal Executive Order 11246, “Notice of Requirement for Affirmative Action to Ensure Equal Employment Opportunity”, the “Equal Opportunity Clause” and the “Standard Federal Equal Employment Specifications” set forth within and referenced at www.stl-bps.org (Announcements).

All bidders must regard Federal Executive Order 11246, “Notice of Requirement for Affirmative Action to Ensure Equal Employment Opportunity”, the “Equal Opportunity Clause” and the “Standard Federal Equal Employment Specifications” set forth within and referenced at www.stl-bps.org (Announcements). PROMOTIONAL

T-SHIRTS

The Missouri Lottery is accepting bids for the purpose of establishing a contract for promotional t-shirts. The bid document with the specifications can be obtained by going to http://www.molottery. com/learnaboutus/bid_ opportunities.shtm or by contacting Melissa Blankenship at melissa.blankenship@ molottery.com or 573-751-4050.

A gospel choir for the community of St. Louis

Normandy teacher, Fabulous Motown Revue alumna spreads unity through music

By Lindsey Jones Normandy Schools Collaborative

To Suzanne Palmer, music is everything. But so, too, is interacting with people from all walks of life.

Palmer, a Normandy High School alumna, teaches music at Jefferson Elementary School. She’s taught in the district since 1999, and for the past four years she’s also directed the nonprofit Community Gospel Choir of St. Louis. The choir’s primary purpose is to break through racial, economic and cultural barriers with song. It’s meant to show audiences how much they have in common. To get them singing. To get them talking. To increase their understanding of themselves and each other. And, most of all, to bring healing to a metropolitan area whose divisions still run deep.

“We’re just people who love people,” she said.

The group puts together two major performances a year, a Christmas concert in early December and a spring concert in early May. In between, members perform at venues around the city as requested.

Their music is primarily African-American gospel and spirituals, although about 30 percent of the choir is made up of men and women from a broad range of ethnic and religious backgrounds.

Since Palmer has been at the helm, the choir has grown from about 50 members to about 80. And it only seems to be getting larger.

“Every time we go out and spread the love, we get more members,” she said. Although Palmer was

WEST SIDE MB CHURCH PARKING LOT PROJECT

Sealed Bids for Parking Lots will be received at West Side MB Church, 4675 Page Ave, St. Louis Mo. 63113 until 5:00 p.m.; April 26, 2019. Email bids for the following disciplines to bettyrichardson@westsidembc.org

BID DOCUMENTS may be examined at: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/vs53e29vl7seuns/AABHEUyKm QhgnxuyVnDXiN_Oa?dl=0

Grading and Demolition Removal of all material, fences, trees and existing asphalt pavement from the site. Does not include removal of storm sewer excavation. All removal will be assumed to be clean fill. Contractor shall provide a total cost

subject to a rigorous auditioning process for her role, choir membership is open to everyone. It doesn’t matter who they are, where they come from or how well they can sing.

The group practices for two hours once a week at Second Baptist Church in Clayton. They’re even situated close to a MetroLink stop so members without their own transportation never have to miss a beat.

The choir began in 2007 under the leadership of Cecelia Stearman, who recognized the

CITY OF ST. LOUIS

BOARD OF PUBLIC SERVICE

REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS for PROFESSIONAL ENGINEERING AND ARCHITECTURAL SERVICES FOR PUBLIC SAFETY

ANSWERING POINT FACILITY, ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI

Statements of Qualifications due by 4:30 PM CT, THURSDAY, APRIL 25, 2019 at Board of Public Service, 1200 Market, Room 301 City Hall, St. Louis, MO 63103. RFQ may be obtained from BPS website www.stl-bps.org, under On Line Plan Room-Plan Room, or call Board of Public Service at 314-622-3535. 25% MBE and 5% WBE participation goals.

ST. LOUIS COMMUNITY

COLLEGE

St. Louis Community College will receive separate sealed bids for Contract No.F 19 603, Communications North Feeder # 7 Repair, St. Louis Community College at Meramec, until 2:00 p.m. local time, Friday, April 19, 2019. Bids will be publicly opened and read aloud at the office of the Manager of Engineering and Design, 5464 Highland Park Drive (Plan Room). Specifications and bid forms may be obtained from the Manager’s office, at the above address or by calling (314) 644-9770.

Voluntary Pre-bid Meeting: April 12, 2019 , 10:00 AM, Meet at Meramec Physical Plant Building off of Rosehill Avenue.

An Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action Employer

need for such a group in the St. Louis area. Originally from Mississippi, Stearman saw many of the same kinds of racial tensions unfolding locally as she had in her home state.

“She wanted to bring people together, and I’m continuing with that,” Palmer said.

When she replaced Stearman in 2015, Palmer had just ended a 25-year run with the Fabulous Motown Revue – a side gig that took her all over the country and parts of the world, and even to Washington, D.C., during President Barack Obama’s historic inauguration festivities in 2008.

Although the Revue was fun and exciting, the constant travel, in addition to a full-time teaching job, a husband and three children, had become too much to juggle. But then Palmer heard about the choir opening.

“I thought, yeah, I really want this,” the Mizzou graduate recalled. “When I let (the Revue) go, the door closed but the window opened.”

And, even though Palmer said she realizes she probably could have left St. Louis – and Normandy – long ago, she also knew her talent could be put to use right here at home.

Normandy is where she first learned to play the flute in the sixth grade, it’s where she graduated from high school, and it’s where she’s spent many joyful moments with generations of music students.

“I knew I could do more good if I stayed in touch with the children here,” she said.

To learn more about the Community Gospel Choir, visit communitygospelchoir.org.

The Message Faith is power

Hopefully, this a different take on a familiar subject. Scripture refers to one’s faith, “the size of a mustard seed,” as a true indicator of its power. Faith, for all we talk about it, is probably one of the more misunderstood and unappreciated concepts in Christianity. I believe this because, in truth, real faith evokes tangible power.

Now the power I’m speaking of seems to only be recognized in very extreme circumstances. We all know people who have heart wrenching testimony about faith’s manifestation in tremendously dire situations in their lives. When the chips are down and backs are up against the wall, I too can recall how God has interceded and positively impacted very negative and hopeless moments. If you’re honest with yourself, you can too.

But that’s not what I’m talking about. I’m talking about the faith that puts God’s full armor on each and every day, the kind that is as habitual as getting up, showering and getting dressed every morning. It’s just part of who you are.

Dare I say, most of us don’t do this? If I had to put it into words, I’d probably describe it as being a constant standard bearer for Christ. My biblical example would be Paul. Paul’s faith, clearly, is an all-day deal. He, just like most of us, had his thorns which plagued his walk with the Lord. But in reading Paul, it dawned on me that faith is so much more than its simple declaration, a declaration we all habitually say, “I believe!” But faith is a verb. When activated in your life, all things get placed into God’s hands, i.e. worry, family problems, health matters, money concerns. Even the most trivial of things get undergirded by one’s real faith.

When the faith I speak of becomes as habitual as dressing oneself, I believe we release tremendous power within ourselves that the rest of the world is compelled to see. Once seen by others and experienced by ourselves, there is only one source to which to attribute it; God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit. That source allows us to endure, persevere, withstand, stand strong, sometimes alone and be victorious.

Paul said, “Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But He said, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why for Christ’s sake, I delight in weakness, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, I am strong.” 2 Corinthians 12:8-10.

Hopefully you can see the power in this as I have. Faith is indeed a verb manifest in how you deal with and confront with your issues. Remember faith is useless unless someone or something attempts to wreak havoc on your life. Then that armor thing again acts as it should to not only protect you but also to give you the power to overcome.

Columnist James Washington

Photo by Lindsey Jones

Normandy music teacher Suzanne Palmer performs a routine with her class at Jefferson Elementary School. Palmer is also the choir director for the Community Gospel Choir of St. Louis.