April 20th, 2017 Edition

Meet the ‘Mathletes’

‘We problem-solve, we cooperate, because if we cooperate, we can do more’

By Rebecca Rivas Of The St. Louis American

If there’s one thing people should know about the Twillman Elementary Mathletes, it’s that they have unstoppable teamwork, said the group’s members.

“We problem-solve; we cooperate,” said Angelo Robinson, a fifth grader at Twillman Elementary in the Hazelwood School District. “Because if we cooperate, we can do more.”

The Twillman Mathletes are a group of boys in the fourth and fifth grades who meet after school on Tuesdays to explore mathematics. The group’s facilitator, fifth-grade teacher

Steve Baybo, said his main goal in starting the Mathletes this year was to “instill camaraderie”

Steve Baybo, a fifth-grade teacher at Twillman Elementary School, facilitates a math drill for the Mathletes, an afterschool club of boys in the fourth and fifth grades who explore everyday mathematics.

By Sandra Jordan

Dotson resigns as police chief

Krewson negotiates his departure on first full day as mayor

By Rebecca Rivas Of The St. Louis American

“The chief and I had a chance to talk about the future of the department, and he made the decision to retire,” Krewson said following a Wednesday morning meeting with Dotson. “I am grateful to Chief Dotson for his service and commitment to the people of the City of St. Louis.” Krewson said a search will begin immediately to find a new police chief and director of public safety. Lt. Colonel Larry O’Toole, formerly assistant police chief, will serve as acting police chief in the interim.

Dotson’s retirement is a “good sign” of

Locked out

Harvard professor says evictions are a crisis and show failure

of housing policy

By Rebecca Rivas

One winter day, a 14-year-old living in Milwaukee was throwing snowballs at passing cars. Someone got out of the car, chased the boy to his home and kicked down the door. The landlord learned about the incident and immediately evicted the boy, his younger brother and his mother, Eileen.

Eileen’s small family was soon homeless, and that eviction blemish on her rental record pushed the family into worse living conditions and unsafe neighborhoods. At one point, looking for a landlord who would accept her application for a rental took 90 phone calls.

“When we think of the typical low-income family today, we should not think of them living in public housing or benefiting in any kind of way from the government when meeting basic housing needs,” said Matthew Desmond, an associate

See DOTSON, A7

Of The St. Louis American

Photo by Wiley Price

Of The St. Louis American

Photo by Wiley Price

Lyda Krewson was sworn in

Louis’ 46th mayor on

18, becoming the first woman to lead the city. Tuesday also marked the beginning of Comptroller Darlene Green’s historic sixth consecutive full term. See Political EYE, page A9.

Sam Dotson

Thirsty Drake fan raids

for beverages

The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department arrested a woman Monday after she allegedly broke into rapper Drake’s home and raided his fridge.

According to a statement from the sheriff’s office, Lost Hills Station deputies responded to the residence of Drake, whose birth name is Aubrey Graham, after receiving a call about a possible burglary.

Once there, they were directed by witnesses to a locked room inside the house where deputies were told a possible suspect was located.

Deputies found 24-year-old Mesha Collins inside, along with unopened containers of water and soda.

Collins was arrested for

burglary and entering a residence with intent to steal the victim’s personal property. Her bail was set at $100,000. Authorities said there did not appear to be anything else taken from the home during the incident.

LaLa leaves Carmelo, outside baby rumors being disputed

After the separation of NBA star Carmelo Anthony and actress/ television personality LaLa Anthony became public, rumors swirled that the split was the result of Carmelo impregnating an exotic dancer.

it. His attitude is that all professional athletes do it, and many of them do. La La has put up with a lot. She knew it was going on, but I guess this time she’s had enough.”

Meanwhile, multiple sources online claim there is a baby on the way but the mother is not a stripper.

Keisha Knight Pulliam custody battle heats up

A source close to Melo’s camp told Page Six that the side baby rumors are

“The stripper pregnancy rumor is not true. Yes he’s not been perfect, but the baby with a stripper isn’t true.” The source said.

“Melo’s tagline was, ‘She’s married, I’m not.’

That’s how he would justify

The custody battle between Keisha Knight Pulliam and Ed Hartwell takes a shocking twist as Knight Pulliam demands that Harwell’s current girlfriend undergo a mental health evaluation.

Is Serena Williams pregnant?

One of the world’s most famous tennis players sparked speculation Wednesday that she is expecting her first child.

Serena Williams offered up a side profile shot of herself in a yellow swimsuit with a caption that read “20 weeks” in a Snapchat posting that disappeared quickly.

According to The Jasmine Brand, Knight Pulliam recently discovered her estranged husband Ed Hartwell was living with his new girlfriend and demanded a court ordered investigation of their household including a physical, mental and emotional evaluation of the girlfriend.

Knight Pulliam also accuses Hartwell of being in a constant state of drowsiness due to a steady cocktail of OxyContin/oxycodone and anti-depressants and claims she fears for the safety of their child when she is with him.

The case is ongoing.

But not before it was screen-shot and sent around the web.

Fans were shocked in December when Williams announced her engagement to Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian, as many didn’t even know the pair were dating.

She announced their impending nuptials on Reddit, and Ohanian doubled down on his Facebook page, linking to Williams’ Reddit post and adding, “She said yes.” CNN has reached out to reps for Williams, Ohanian and the Women’s Tennis Association for comment. In March, she withdrew from the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells, California, and the Miami Open citing a knee injury.

Sources: CNN.com, Instagram, New York Post, The Jasmine Brand, TMZ.com

fridge

Serena Williams

Carmelo Anthony

Prostate Cancer Coalition praises new screening guideline

American staff

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force issued a potentially life-saving new guideline for prostate cancer screening on April 11. In a change from the 2012 recommendation against screening using the prostate specific antigen (PSA) blood test, the task force now recommends “individualized decision-making about screening for prostate cancer after discussion with the clinician so that each man has the opportunity to understand the potential benefits and harms of screening.”

“This change is specifically important for African-American men, who have the highest incidence of prostate cancer and are at more than double the risk of dying from the disease then men of other ethnicities,” said Dr. Lannis Hall, co-founder of the Prostate Cancer Coalition and director of Radiation Oncology at Siteman Cancer Center, Barnes-Jewish St. Peters Hospital.

When the task force first reviewed the medical literature around prostate cancer in 2012, its conclusion was that screening resulted in more harm than benefit. Many organizations, including the American Urologic Association and the St. Louis Prostate Cancer Coalition, opposed that position and feared an increase in prostate cancer morbidity and mortality.

“The new guideline is a step in the right direction,” Hall said.

The task force now recommends that clinicians inform men 55 to 69 years of age about the potential benefits and harms of PSA-based screening for prostate cancer. The task force also acknowledges that given the higher rates of aggressive cancer in African-American men, “PSA-based screening may provide greater benefit to African-American men than the general population.”

“The Prostate Cancer Coalition is gratified that this updated guideline supports shared decision-making and acknowledges the importance of further research to understand the disparity in incidence and survival in AfricanAmerican men,” said Dr. Arnold Bullock, co-founder of the Prostate

“The Prostate Cancer Coalition is gratified that this updated guideline acknowledges the importance of further research to understand the disparity in incidence and survival in African-American men,” said Dr. Arnold Bullock, co-founder of the Prostate Cancer Coalition and professor of Urology at Washington University School of Medicine.

Cancer Coalition and professor of Urology at Washington University School of Medicine.

The Prostate Cancer Coalition is comprised of St. Louis health care providers, community health advocacy groups, and survivors interested in raising awareness about the importance of prostate cancer in the African-American community and other high-risk men. Their goal is to inform physicians and the community of the disproportionately high risk of developing and dying of prostate cancer in African-American men and to highlight statistics indicating that PSA screening has led to improvement in survival in all men, regardless of ethnicity over the last 25 years.

The coalition supports the American Cancer Society’s position that there

should be a discussion about the risks and benefits of screening, beginning at the age of 45 for African-American men and younger if a strong family history. It holds that discussion should also emphasize the significant advancements in the detection and staging of prostate cancer and that PSA is just one of many tests available to help make an educated decision.

The new recommendation is a draft statement, and anyone can submit a comment for review before these guidelines are finalized. Read the draft statement and leave comments at https:// screeningforprostatecancer.org/.

For more information on the Prostate Cancer Coalition, free screenings and community events in the St. Louis area, visit Prostatecancercoalition@stl.org.

If we loved our children as much as our

By Barbara L. Finch Guest columnist

What more can be said about children dying from gun violence in St. Louis?

We’re only three months into 2017 and already four children have been killed in the city this year. Others have been wounded, critically injured, or severely traumatized by violence generated by gunfire.

On Friday, March 24, as people were preparing dinner or shopping for the weekend or getting ready to go out, gunfire erupted (again) in North St. Louis. A 15-year-old boy was killed. An 8-year-old boy was critically injured. Five other people were severely wounded and taken to area hospitals.

In describing the mayhem, St. Louis Police Lt. John Green was quoted as saying, “We don’t know what caused the shooting.”

Really?

guns

disagreement can quickly turn into a tragedy.

What we are now seeing is a civilian arms race, being played out in homes, offices, neighborhoods and public spaces throughout our community. Who benefits? Follow the money, from the guy who steals the gun from the car brought in from the suburbs, to the gun show dealer who sold the gun to the guy without a background check, to the firearms manufacturer whose stock price is rising monthly, to the National Rifle Association.

Lt. Green may not know the cause, but other people may be a little more discerning. The cause of the shooting was a gun. Is it so hard to figure out that, if a gun had not been involved, seven people would not have been taken from the scene in ambulances?

And does it really matter if there was an old grudge, perceived slight, debt, family feud, simple misunderstanding or long-standing vendetta? Without the gun, the problem may have been solved, or not. But life would have gone on. When guns are used to solve problems, life does not go on, not for the victim.

In St. Louis we are now witnessing the way that a gun at hand alters the chemistry of ordinary life. People are afraid of gun violence; therefore, they purchase firearms, which only increases their chances of becoming a victim. When a gun is within easy reach, a slight miscalculation or simple

So what are we going to do about it? A look at New York City might provide some answers. According to a recent commentary in the Wall Street Journal co-authored by the New York City police commissioner and the Manhattan district attorney, New York has accounted for 25 percent of the decline in homicides nationally since 1990. During the last 15 years, murders in the city fell by 84 percent and shootings by 81 percent.

So how did New York do it? According to the authors, “by enforcing some of the strongest gun laws in the country.” This is unlikely to happen in St. Louis. Missouri has some of the loosest gun laws in the country, and the state pre-emption law prevents cities from enacting laws that are stronger than state statues. But at least the New York experience gives us a clue about what could be done, if only we valued the lives of our children, who are now afraid to play outside on warm spring evenings.

Barbara L. Finch is a co-founder of Women’s Voices Raised for Social Justice and a member of the group’s Campaign for Common-Sense Gun Solutions, which sponsors “Lock It For Love,” a free gun lock distribution effort. For info email gunsolutions@womensvoicesraised. org.

Guest Columnist Barbara L. Finch

Photo by Wiley Price

Editorial /CommEntary

Some early signs from Krewson are encouraging

Mayor Lyda Krewson was sworn in on Tuesday, the first woman to lead the city. She now forms, with Comptroller Darlene Green, the first female majority on the city’s chief fiscal body. Women continue to face routine discrimination, and these strong women deserve recognition for their success in a field of endeavor, politics, where men have been dominant and often domineering. Our domineering current male president and his anti-woman policies must be cited as a grim reminder.

We are guardedly optimistic about certain early signs we are seeing from this mayor, whom we opposed in the Democratic primary. Her strong call for regional unity and urban collaboration during her inaugural remarks were encouraging. Her inauguration was attended by the chief executives of St. Louis County and St. Clair County and Kansas City Mayor Sly James, who addressed the crowd just before Krewson was sworn in (something of a surrogate for the black mayor that St. Louis nearly elected instead). Krewson said she will “seek every opportunity to work with the other regional leaders to think and act regionally, to combine into one region and to build a St. Louis that is sharper, stronger and more competitive in the world marketplace.” Coming in the wake of a mayor, Francis G. Slay, who often rushed to blame St. Louis County for the city’s ills, this was a welcome departure.

Krewson also hired a senior policy advisor, Nicole Hudson, to work on the racial equity issues that she advanced in her campaign. We covered Krewson as a status quo candidate talking about racial equity because the present dynamics of the city and campaign forced her to, so this policy position – staffed by someone steeped in the work of the Ferguson Commission – is, again, encouraging. While it remains to be seen what a mayor of St. Louis can actually do to foster greater racial equity in the face of the cash-strapped city’s many struggles, Krewson has promptly put a paid position in place of campaign rhetoric. We eagerly await what Hudson will propose to Krewson and what Krewson will do to improve the wellbeing of African Americans in St. Louis.

It also bodes well for the atmosphere of city politics that Krewson’s choice for chief of staff, Tim O’Connell, is not a divisive head-banger in the mold of Jeff Rainford, but rather an affable attorney and musician who developed trust and rapport during his relatively brief tenure as clerk and attorney for the Board of Aldermen.

Most intriguing, however, was Krewson’s negotiation of the departure of controversial Police Chief Sam Dotson on her first full day in office. This shows one very early and shrewd act of change agency, while shedding the new administration of some burdensome baggage. It also provides a propitious opportunity for the new mayor to bring change to a police department that has lost credibility in the community. It is essential that Krewson conduct a national search and bring in a director of Public Safety who has demonstrated effective leadership

Why black folks should march for science

By LaShana Lewis Guest columnist

in community policing, as well as crime fighting, and earned a reputation for transparency as a law enforcement official. The office is a direct report to the Mayor and is a more critical position in the chain of command than police chief. The post also involves oversight of corrections and the fire department, and should be staffed first.

So, up until now, there are some encouraging signs. Of course, we are not naive. We know that Krewson was funded and supported by some people with no interest in racial equity – rather, with considerable investment in racial inequity. Her colleague on the Board of Estimate & Apportionment, Comptroller Green, came out, rightly, firing in her inaugural address about coming down harder on developers seeking tax incentives from the city. Given the building trade unions’ investment in Krewson and their strong support of the many projects that employ workers thanks to tax incentives, we shall see how much of a change agent this mayor is willing to be on this crucial issue, which strongly animates the progressives who almost beat her at the polls in the primary.

St. Louis has a tremendous amount of work to do on key issues such as education, health, housing, employment and public safety. If the new mayor shows sincere interest in a more broad collaboration to help the city grow and to improve outcomes in the black community – where there is much damage that needs to be addressed aggressively, as well as enabling better use of wasted potential – then many of us who opposed her will be willing to work with her. Krewson has expressed a desire to change course from the past four-term administration which, despite the Post-Dispatch’s revisionist history glorifying Slay, oversaw population loss and disturbing increases in homelessness, child poverty, health disparities, racial inequity and violent crime. To this, we say, keep showing us.

Commentary

Trump suddenly flips into militant globalist

So much for Donald Trump, the “America First” populist champion of the forgotten working class. The president now sounds pretty much like a garden-variety globalist, defending the “rigged” system he denounced during the campaign. Then again, who knows how he’ll sound next week? He hasn’t even been in office for three full months, and Trump may already be the most erratic president we’ve ever seen.. Remember when Russia was good and President Vladimir Putin was a potential partner in fighting the Islamic State?

Now Russia is bad because it continues to support Syrian dictator Bashar Assad, who killed civilians, including “beautiful babies,” with chemical weapons. Russia’s support of Assad, of course, is nothing new. But Putin, who no longer compliments Trump, kept Secretary of State Rex Tillerson cooling his heels before deigning to meet with him. Horrible!

Remember when China was bad because it was “eating our lunch” in trade deals?

People of color should participate in the March for Science on Saturday, April 22 because we have been left out of the conversation of where STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) is going for far too long. Historically speaking, we have been major contributors to innovation since the beginning, but we have been pushed off to the side, ignored or stolen from in this industry. To be seen, we need to make ourselves be seen and continue to be stubborn as we participate in the STEM fields. I march for science to bring visibility to women of color, particularly black women, in engineering and technology. Without the participation of women in computer programming –such as Dorothy Vaughan and Katherine Johnson – my recognition as a black woman in technology would not exist. But even so, we are still fighting for recognition to this day. According to Hired’s “Women, Work, and the State of Wage Inequality” report, in the technology sector alone, black men make only .88 cents to the dollar that a white man

L

makes, while black women make just .79 cents to that same dollar.

Guest Columnist

LaShana Lewis

And on top of that, it’s already been proven that diverse companies and organizations are more financially successful and more innovative than those that are not diverse. With people of color involved in STEM, we create more diversity, not only because of our skin color, but also because our distinct thoughts and experiences help solve problems. But even more than what I’ve mentioned above, the sciences matter. We’ve already seen the effects of climate change – more children have asthma because of it. Vaccines have saved lives and, without them, we’ve seen more recent outbreaks of measles. Many people I grew up with received their science and technology education through programs like PBS. In fact, one Colorado newspaper reports that communities of color and poor communities

etters to the editor

Failed to connect

Apparently the proponents of Prop NS failed to connect with North St. Louis voters and elected officials. Something is wrong when a proposal to address the vacant building problem in north St. Louis is so soundly rejected by the people most impacted by the problem. City officials should work with neighborhood residents to prepare a program designed specifically for North St. Louis.

Bobby Gissendanner

Via email

Systematic theft of city funds

inspired Senators to bypass our normal confirmation process to confirm Judge Neil Gorsuch to the United States Supreme Court represents an ill-considered moment by the world’s greatest deliberative body.

The Supreme Court is a critical nonpartisan instrument of our democratic system designed to check executive and legislative abuses of power, not a partisan extension of the others. In reducing the needed approval for confirmation of Judge Neil Gorsuch to just 51 votes, the Senate has ensured that future candidates, even those of a severely partisan nature, can now be confirmed to our nation’s highest court without a single vote of bipartisan support.

“watch PBS KIDS in higher numbers than commercial children’s programming.”

These are the topics we should care about, the topics that make me march above all else, because I have two nephews and two nieces who deserve to live in a world that is more advanced and far improved compared to the one we live in now. Our world is more advanced than the one our parents grew up in, and I would expect nothing less for the next generation.

Please join me at the March for Science St. Louis on Saturday, April 22, starting at 1 p.m. in front of Union Station at 18th and Market streets. We will march from Union Station to Luther Ely Smith Square. At the end of the March, please stick around to hear from some local speakers in our STEM community – and grab some food from our food trucks. We also encourage people to continue the celebration of STEM at the free Earth Day Festival in Forest Park for the remainder of the weekend.

LaShana Lewis is a systems engineer at MasterCard, and she is a St. Louis city resident currently co-chairing the Social Media Team for March for Science St. Louis.

blow to the system of checks and balances within our government. It also means that an administration which lost the popular vote by nearly 3 million votes can now recreate the government in their own partisan image, which leaves the overwhelming majority of us vulnerable.

Cornell William Brooks President and CEO, NAACP Baltimore

McCaskill fighting for working people

This sets a dangerous trend, particularly for those citizens and communities traditionally left outside the halls of power. In turn, it reinforces to those with power and access that their access and influence will only increase.

We’re “not going into Syria,” Trump told the New York Post. Those on the receiving end of the 59 cruise missiles launched last week might be puzzled. There are roughly 1,000 U.S. personnel inside the war-torn country and the number is inching up. Trump used to believe in nonintervention. Similar confusion abounds in domestic policy. First it was vital that Congress tackle health care before moving on to tax reform and other initiatives. Then after the debacle of the ill-fated American Health Care Act –which Trump decided to avidly support, despite the fact that it reneged on his campaign promise of insurance for “everybody” – Trump was ready to move on to other issues. But now, maybe health care is back as a priority.

Both parties support corporate tax reform, so it wouldn’t require much “Art of the Deal” magic to make it happen. Why hasn’t Trump moved in this direction, which could give him

Now, after Trump established personal chemistry with Chinese President Xi Jinping during a summit at Mar-a-Lago, Trump declines to repeat his long-standing allegation that China manipulates its currency. And as for the North Korea threat, which Trump once said China could easily resolve, the president now realizes it’s complicated. There’s a historical context for the relationship between China and the Koreas. Who knew?

an actual accomplishment to brag about?

It was inevitable that a rookie president with no experience in government at any level, much less the highest, would have a ridiculously steep learning curve to climb. It was also inevitable that Trump’s lack of focus and his tendency to be distracted by whatever cable news is yammering about at a given moment would hamper his ability to get anything done.

A truly first-rate staff could help. Instead, however, Trump populated his West Wing with a group of warring factions. Currently on the outs is Trump’s chief strategist, Steve Bannon, the “economic nationalist” who wants to sharply curtail immigration, erect trade barriers, reduce U.S. commitments overseas and destroy what he calls the “administrative state.” Bannon was recently removed from the National Security Council. Trump this week said he actually serves as his own strategist, describing Bannon tepidly as “a guy who works for me.”

If Bannon is toast, that’s good for the nation and the world. But Trump still lacks a White House team capable of executing his vision, or any vision. The answer to Casey Stengel’s question – “Can’t anybody here play this game?” – is an unambiguous no.

Gumshoes of the St. Louis Police Internal Affairs Division discovered “inconsistences” in overtime reporting by four officers assigned to the city’s patrol division, and that one of the officers was in violation of the city’s residency requirement. Chief Sam Dotson stated that “the officers” actions betrayed the community trust.” Gadzooks!

People knowledgeable of the internal workings of the city’s police department will deem laughable such statements by command personnel. Paid overtime was implemented during the mid-1970s. Police officers since that time have dipped into the department’s overtime account for unearned compensation, and that systematic theft of city funds continues to this day. Those in-the-know look behind the news reporting “smoke” and wonder: Who did the four officers piss off, and how?

Cheating on overtime is a “wink-wink, nod-nod” situation throughout the police department. If you’re favored or “connected” in some way, your overtime submissions are not challenged. But if you manage to aggravate someone in a rival police clique, that person (or persons) may have enough “steam” to cause official retaliation for your faux pas. That’s the way the department works!

Michael K. Broughton Green Park

Major blow to checks and balances

The recent decision by Republican-led and partisan

The undemocratic action now creates a situation where all presidential nominees for federal courts and executive branch positions can now be confirmed with a mere 51 votes. This is a major

Claire McCaskill fighting on behalf of ordinary, working people in Missouri isn’t surprising – it’s what she’s done every day as our senator. And anybody who wants to launch partisan attacks for her standing against Neil Gorsuch, a judge who’s used his courtroom to let the rich and powerful step all over working people, should have to answer for why they’re refusing to stand with working Missourians.

Stephen Webber Missouri Democratic Party chair, Columbia

Columnist Eugene Robinson

Photo by Wiley Price

Mayor Lyda Krewson was sworn in on Tuesday by Mike Wolff, former Missouri Supreme Court chief justice.

AKA meets for Advocacy Day

AKA Day at the Capitol was held on March 14 in Jefferson City. The Central Region (St. Louis) and Mid-Western Region (Jefferson City, Kansas City and Springfield) of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated met for its annual Advocacy Day, including a meeting with Governor Eric R. Greitens. The sorority’s areas of focus this year are advocating on behalf of education, healthcare and social justice.

Stacy Edwards is the Central Region Missouri State coordinator.

Federal health officials recommend HPV vaccine

The U.S. Department of Health and Senior Services (DHHS) is reminding parents about the importance of the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine for pre-teens boys and girls age 11 or 12.

This vaccine is for protection from most of the cancers caused by (HPV) infection. HPV is a very common virus; nearly 80 million people – about one in four – are currently infected in the United States. About 14 million people, including teens, become infected with HPV each year.

Two doses of HPV vaccine given at least six months apart at ages 11 and 12 years will provide safe, effective, and long-lasting protection against HPV cancers. Adolescents ages 13-14 are also able to receive HPV vaccination on the new 2-dose schedule

Teens and young adults who didn’t start or finish the HPV vaccine series also need HPV vaccination.

HPV vaccination is recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the American Academy of Family Physicians, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine.

To schedule an interview with a healthcare professional concerning the HPV vaccination, call Johnny Little at 314-601-4252 or visit https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vpd/hpv/index.html.

What do we owe the poor?

By Michelle Singletary Washington Post

We are a nation deeply divided on how best to address poverty.

On one side are folks, like me, who feel that a civil, caring society has a moral responsibility to fund anti-poverty programs.

On the other side are people who argue that it’s unfair that a share of their income –through taxation – subsidizes various federal and state entitlement programs that help people who became poor because they made irresponsible decisions.

When readers disagree with me, I give them a chance to be heard in the Color of Money “Talk Back” feature. I received quite a bit of pushback on this month’s pick for the book club. I selected “Falling,” an essay by novelist and former Washington Post book critic William McPherson.

McPherson, who died last week at 84, wrote about his descent from being an acclaimed well-paid journalist to poverty. He acknowledges that it all started with his decision to retire at 53.

“What happened?’ he wrote. “It was a long, slowly accelerating slide but the answer is simple. I was foolish, careless and sometimes stupid.”

Here’s some of the reader feedback I received.

“Life is about choices. One does not ‘fall into poverty.’ One walks into it with open arms.”

“It is hard to determine exactly what type of economic obligation you believe people should be subject to with regards to the poor. Do you believe we are obligated to be ‘financial slaves’ of the poor? Success from hard work is the reward God gives us for our hard work and our personal responsibility. It is not a privilege. Poverty caused by irresponsibility is the reward from God for a life foolishly lived. There is nothing wrong with having mercy and being charitable to irresponsible persons. But we have no obligation to reward another person’s negligence by turning our assets over to that person.”

“McPherson wasn’t poor until he made a very poor choice to quit his job to travel Europe with no job. Those of us who didn’t quit our jobs are now supposed to support him?”

“I think you missed the point of McPherson’s story. He did not meet poverty. He chose it. Life is a series of choices. I chose to work until age 62. My brother, a doctor in Philadelphia, is still working at age 67 with no plans of retiring anytime soon. Why should my family, working long hours and making sacrifices, subsidize Mr. McPherson?”

“Unfortunately, what we have today is no longer charity. It is a government that forcefully takes money from one (productive) person and gives it to another (unproductive) person.” There is just so much to unpack in these comments. But there’s one assumption running through them all that is incorrect: Empathy does not equal endorsement.

“Too often, America has gone down the road of trying to shame those in need,” wrote Kathryn J. Edin and H. Luke Shaefer in their 2015 book “$2.00 a Day: Living on Almost Nothing in America.”

Here’s a note I received from a woman in Michigan who admits she and her husband made mistakes: “I found myself relating to [McPherson’s] story and, in an odd way, comforted to know that we are not alone. We did what we thought was the best thing: live a life of service with little thought for our own financial future. I can’t say that I regret the years we chose to serve, but I do regret the lack of attention and forethought we gave to our finances.”

Advocating for anti-poverty programs does not mean you don’t recognize that some people getting help made poor choices. It doesn’t mean you absolve them of personal responsibility. People shouldn’t have children they can’t support. Retiring and then recklessly spending down your money is bad money management. But helping the destitute is the decent thing to do.

What do we as a society owe the poor?

We owe them empathy. We owe them a safety net that gives them a chance to get back on their feet – and maybe even survive.

A reader from Texas shared that sentiment: “Judgment of those in dire straits serves no one.”

Michelle Singletary

Photo courtesy of AKA Central Region

EVICTIONS

professor of social sciences at Harvard University and co-director of the Justice and Poverty Project. “We should think someone like Eileen.” Desmond is the author of “Evicted: Poverty & Profit in the American City,” which documents his extensive research on the increase in evictions in America and the devastating consequences for poor families. In Milwaukee, one in five black women report having been evicted in their adult life, compared to one in 15 white women.

“That should trouble us, because that means that eviction for black women is currently like black men’s equivalent to incarceration,” Desmond said. “We know that many of our black men are being locked up. Many of our black women are being locked out, and they are bearing the brunt of the eviction crisis.”

On April 6, Desmond told Eileen’s story during the Equal Housing Opportunity Council’s daylong conference on evictions, which was hosted at Washington University.

Eileen spends about 88 percent of her monthly income on rent, not including utilities – and this has become a typical case for low-income renting families in America today, Desmond said. For about 100 years, Desmond said there has been a consensus in America

MATHLETES

Continued from A1

Continued from A1 so the boys can help each other learn.

“With that positive reinforcement, we can help create a safer learning environment,” Baybo said, “making sure we are staying positive and helping each other up, rather bringing each other down.”

that families should spend no more than 30 percent of their income on housing costs –leaving enough money for food and other vital necessities.

“And for a long part of our history, most renters met that goal,” he said. “But times have changed.”

Today, 30 percent of renting families in America spend at least half of their monthly income on housing costs. For renting families below the poverty line, the majority – or 52 percent – spend half of their income on rent and keeping the lights on, he said. One in four of poor families spend more than 70 percent on rent and utilities.

“How did we get to this place where 70 percent of your income is gone at the end of month if you want a roof over your head and hot water for one in four poor-income families?” he asked.

For the past 40 years, those with less than a high school education have seen their income flat-lined, while housing costs have soared, Desmond said. Between 1995 and today, renting costs have increased by 70 percent adjusting for inflation, he said. Since 2000, costs of fuel and utilities has risen by more than 53 percent, while median incomes for people with highschool degrees rose by only 7.3 percent.

“So you might ask, ‘Where is public housing in all of this?’” he said. “Well, it’s there for the lucky minority of families who benefit from it.”

The group has a heavy focus on enhancing their skills in multiplication, fractions and problem-solving. These are three areas that Baybo noticed his students scored particularly low in, he said.

“So I thought, let’s hit those hard, because once you know multiplication, division will come easy,” Baybo said. “In my class, their math scores have gone up.”

Math drills with the Mathletes are fun, said the

Two-thirds of poor renters today do not benefit from federal housing programs.

In 2013, 15 percent of poor renters lived in public housing and 17 percent received a government subsidy, mainly in the form of a rent-reducing voucher. The remaining 67 percent received nothing, Desmond said.

When Eileen sought public housing assistance, he said, she was told that the list had been frozen for five years with 3,500 families on it. She would most

boys. Some of their favorite activities are their math tournaments, using dice to learn time tables, and basketball games with math problems tied in. The group’s absolute favorite, however, is the marble maze, which the Mathletes showcased

likely have to wait three or more years until the list unfroze and then another three to four years for her application to make it to the top of the pile for review. Then she would have to pray that the person reviewing her application would ignore all her evictions, Desmond said. Desmond suggested extending the federal housing vouchers (Section 8) to everyone under the federal poverty line – the vouchers pay the rent for housing that requires more than 30 percent

n “We problemsolve; we cooperate. Because if we cooperate, we can do more.”

– Angelo Robinson, Mathlete

Matthew Desmond, a Harvard University professor and author of the book “Evicted,” spoke at the Equal Housing Opportunity Council’s conference on evictions on April 6.

argues that access to a decent affordable home should be affirmed as a basic American right – just like provision in old age, access to 12 years of education and basic nutrition.

“Housing should be a right in this country, and the reason is very simple,” he said. “Without stable housing, everything else falls apart.”

According to one think tank, the cost for such an initiative would be about $22 billion – not accounting for savings from decrease in costs for homeless shelters and other services, Desmond said.

at a recent exhibition.

“I like the marble maze because we have team work,” said Jaivyn Cheathem, a fifth grader. “And we have to work together to figure out what’s the problem, and then we solve it.”

The Mathletes attended the EducationPlus Innovation Legislative Breakfast on April 1 at Parkway Central High School. They were among 22 programs invited to set up a table and showcase their work.

More than 100 superintendents, board members and legislators, including Hazelwood School District’s Board of Education

of a renter’s income. “When families receive this ticket that allows them to pay only 30 percent of their income on housing, they do one consistent thing with their money,” Desmond said. “They take it to the grocery store. They buy more food. Their kids become stronger and less anemic. They are a blessing for the lucky minority who benefit from it.”

However, the vast majority of children aren’t getting enough to eat, he said. He

members and superintendent, were in attendance.

The Mathletes presented the marble maze, which consists of a plank board and recycled and repurposed materials that the boys used to make the maze for the marbles.

“They’ve really grown,” said Twillman’s Principal Germaine Stewart.

“A couple of the kids are really shy in the group, and at the showcase they were pushed out there to talk to people they didn’t know. It’s a chance for those shyer kids to be out in front talking about math. How wonderful is that?

For our boys, especially.”

Stewart said the Mathletes have varying levels of skill.

“It’s a diverse group with all abilities, and I think that’s powerful that they can come together once a week and work

While Eileen was being evicted in 2008, the country spent $171 billion on the homeowner tax expenditures and mortgage interest deduction, which mainly benefitted families with sixfigure incomes, he said. Most white families in America own homes with a mortgage and thus are eligible for one of the “most generous breaks in our tax code,” he said. Most black and Latino families do not own homes and thus are left out of this savings. These tax breaks for the wealthy far outweigh housing assistance to the needy, which was $41 billion for Section 8 that same year.

“We already have a national housing program,” Desmond said. “It’s an entitlement. It’s just not for poor people. It’s really hard to imagine a social policy that more successfully and unblushingly amplifies our racial and economic inequality than our current housing policy does.”

on math projects,” Stewart said.

“It’s helping everyone become better at math and change their attitudes, in some cases.”

All of the group’s members had to fill out applications, and Baybo also required two letters of recommendation – one from their homeroom teacher and one from another adult in the building. Baybo said they will most likely expand the program, because many more children are interested in participating, including second and third graders. He hopes to include the younger kids next year by having the older kids act as their tutors.

When asked if they would like to become tutors next year, all of the Mathletes gave an enthusiastic, “Yes!”

Photo by Rebecca Rivas

SALUTE

Continued from A1

distinguish the cancer cells in need of removal from the patient’s healthy cells.

Achilefu, a professor of radiology, currently has a $4.5 million award to investigate using UV light to destroy breast cancer cells. The research is in early stages.

Eddie McCaskill is a licensed psychotherapist who conducts family therapy at the Father’s Support Center in St. Louis. A practicing therapist for more than 23 years, McCaskill has worked with children in the foster care system, juveniles in St. Louis family court, children with an incarcerated parent, persons

DOTSON

Continued from A1

Krewson’s future leadership, said Heather Taylor, president of the Ethical Society of Police, a union representing mainly black city officers.

“We think it was a good decision for him to step down because he was in over his head when it comes to understanding the community, understanding his officers and understanding how to productively fight violent crime,” said Taylor, who is a homicide detective sergeant.

“Some of these things are systemic, but you still have to have a grasp of it – like the Delmar Divide. His priorities were more linked to downtown St. Louis and towards keeping friends.”

However, Taylor said O’Toole being at the helm is worrisome for many of the Ethical Society’s members.

with drug addictions, people with a positive HIV status, and homeless men and women. In 2009, McCaskill formed the MPRINT Community Wellness organization through Greater Bethlehem Church. MPRINT provides health education on drug awareness, suicide prevention, trauma, depression, hypertension, cancer, heart disease, diabetes and healthy lifestyles.

Melody McClellan is the founder, CEO and health coach of UnWrap You, LLC. Through group coaching and journaling, McClellan encourage women and girls to adopt healthier behaviors to lose and sustain weight loss through better nutrition, exercising more and identifying their personal triggers that can derail their health goals. She has created community walks and wellness challenges in the metro area through partnerships

The concerns are related to his suspensions of black officers and the outcomes from the cases, she said.

O’Toole is a 33-year veteran and has served in every rank of the department. In 2009 he began his service as deputy commander of the bureau of community policing and served in that role until 2013, when he began serving as the deputy commander of the bureau of professional standards. He was promoted to assistant chief on July 9, 2015.

The Ethical Society of Police has heard that Krewson’s short list to replace Dotson includes O’Toole, Major John Hayden, Lt. Col. Gerald Leyshock and Lt. Col. Edward Kuntz.

Taylor said that she hopes O’Toole will make fair decisions in his role as interim chief.

However, she said, “If he becomes the chief of police, a lot of the members of our union will have a problem with that.”

with local organizations. Previously a pharmaceutical sales representative, the certified health coach said she developed UnWrap as a result of her own weight struggles following the birth of her children.

Leslie Scott, M.D. is chair of the Obstetrics and Gynecology Department at SSM Health DePaul Hospital. Scott cares for patients as an OBGYN at SSM Health Group at DePaul. She was a part of Serenity Health Group until it merged with SSM. Dr. Scott said developing a relationship of trust, partnering with women in their care, and health education are important to her practice. The University City native graduated from Washington University with a double major, biology and African-American studies, and

completed medical school and her residency at Saint Louis University.

Rachel Simon-Lee is a media production specialist for St. Louis Children’s Hospital, where she records and edits video of heart surgeries at its Heart Center, as well as for the families of young heart patients. The videos inform, educate and reinforce surgical techniques for physicians and medical students. After becoming a subject matter expert on heart surgery videos, Simon-Lee created her own video production business, Heartwork Videos, to record and edit surgeries for other heart surgeons. He previously worked at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and BJC Media Services and she serves on the BJH Diversity Council.

Danita Smith is owner of My Blooming Health, a mobile phlebotomy (blooddrawing) service. A retired nurse manager, she started the operation because of the need for greater patient followup, community preventive care and health education. My Blooming Health goes to individual patient’s homes and locations to collect blood draws to send for lab analysis. Smith’s business also offers DNA paternity testing. For employers, the mobile lab provides onsite drug testing, vaccinations and employee wellness. Smith and her team of nurses and phlebotomists operate throughout the St. Louis metropolitan area and in Illinois.

Elatris VanHook is the assistant director of nursing in Surgical Services at SSM

Health Saint Louis University Hospital. Her two areas of responsibility are endoscopy and pre-admissions testing. VanHook is a St. Louis native who followed the footsteps of her mother, who was a nurse manager of a surgical floor at Homer G. Philips Hospital. Most of her career has been dedicated to SLU Hospital; she previously worked as a trauma ICU nurse,

Post reporter who covered mayoral campaign hired by new mayor

Lyda Krewson made some very interesting staff announcements in the days before she was sworn in as St. Louis mayor – the first woman to lead the city – on Tuesday, April 18. The first hires announced by Krewson, born in 1953, include two black millennials and one affable, white musician who is not much past 40.

Journalists and journalism junkies had to be struck most by Krewson hiring as her spokesman Koran Addo – the same reporter who had covered the mayoral campaigns that she won for the city’s only daily newspaper, the PostDispatch

The Post briefly announced Addo’s departure from the paper and hiring by Krewson on April 12, which was both the day he “informed the newspaper of his decision” and “his last day as a Post-Dispatch employee,” according to a brief staff report on the paper’s site. The Post lost one of its too-few black reporters to City Hall. No announcement was made to The American by Krewson’s campaign. Her campaign spokesman, Ed Rhode, now a St. Louis County resident, was then-Mayor Francis G. Slay’s longtime spokesman when Slay and The American were most at odds.

campaign. Bailon responded by email, “Whether covering higher education or City Hall, Koran was a highly respected journalist in the community and in the newsroom. His integrity was visible in every story he wrote.”

In fact, Addo’s reporting on the mayoral campaign showed no bias toward Krewson, so there is no reason to suspect any unseemly quid pro quo here. The American has been told many things about what Addo reportedly said about covering the mayoral campaign for the Post, but those conversations were all private (and now hearsay). It must be noted that Addo reported a positive feature on Tishaura O. Jones early in the campaign that was unlike anything else that appeared in the Post about Jones during the campaign. After that, when an Addo report included evidence of what became the Post’s apparent grudge against Jones, then Joe Holleman’s name also appeared with Addo’s as a dual byline. This had the distinct air of a rewrite man being brought in to give a piece of independent reportage a little ad hoc editorial spin. It’s the sort of thing that can drive a good reporter away from a newspaper.

out or expected. This was a new career opportunity for me that I accepted after carefully considering the position and all that it entails.”

Many of us believe Addo’s bosses at the Post were skewed towards Krewson from the beginning, deliberately sabotaged Jones and offered Antonio French a stalkinghorse endorsement to encourage him to stay in the race and keep the progressive vote splintered to benefit Krewson. But that had nothing to do with Addo, and it is all behind him now. His advocacy for Krewson begins now in an official and paid capacity.

Krewson hires racial equity czar

that day, as was Comptroller Darlene Green Brian Wahby, longtime Slay ally and former chairman of the city Democrats, was serving at the food line in a white chef’s hat. It looked a little like the basement bar scene in “The Shining.”

Krewson was asked directly if Addo would talk to the paper. Addo did not respond to The American, but Krewson did, saying, “I am excited to have Koran on board – he is an excellent reporter, writer and a critical thinker. He is smart, energetic and committed to our city. His experience in City Hall will be a real asset to my new administration.”

Gilbert Bailon PostDispatch editor, was asked to respond to his reporter who covered a mayoral campaign going promptly to work for the person who won the

If Addo had responded to The American about his hiring, it would have been interesting to ask him about his visit with Krewson on March 8, the day after she won the Democratic primary, in effect sealing her bid for mayor. Addo was observed that afternoon by a reporter for The American in private conversation with Krewson at The Cedars Banquet Hall at Saint Raymond Maronite Cathedral. The Cedars was once managed by the late Francis R. Slay, the father of now former Mayor Slay. Mayor Slay was at The Cedars

And there was a Post reporter getting an exclusive with Krewson. There was a gaggle of people taking pictures of them, at least one of them with the Post, so apparently Addo was on the job for the Post and interviewing the winner of a primary, rather than being interviewed for her future spokesman position. But the fact that this exclusive interview was happening in one of the rooms where in old St. Louis the proverbial ring was proverbially kissed really makes us wish that Addo had consented to talk to us about his new job. Addo did talk to his bosses at the Post on the record. He told them, “This was not something I applied for, sought

Also of interest was Krewson hiring Nicole Hudson as a senior policy advisor, “directing her racial equity and priority initiatives,” as St. Louis Public Radio reported. We covered Krewson as a status quo candidate running a racial equity campaign out of necessity, given the energies in the city left over from the Ferguson unrest and Bernie Sanders campaign. But one of her first hires was a racial equity policy person who is eyes-deep in that work. Hudson was a key consultant to the Ferguson Commission who played a large role in how the commission report was compiled. She then led Forward Through Ferguson, a nonprofit set up when the Ferguson Commission expired to push the implementation of its recommendations. The American has not followed Forward Through Ferguson closely, since it was essentially an unfunded body with no official mandate. When FOCUS St. Louis, the only

entity to apply to work with Forward Through Ferguson, was chosen for that job, we backed off further. An agency calling itself “St. Louis’ premier leadership development organization” before Ferguson, given where that leadership has led us, and claiming Ferguson Mayor James Knowles III as one of the leaders it trained, is not likely to lead us far beyond Ferguson.

But like the Post and its many problems are now behind Addo, FOCUS St. Louis and Forward Through Ferguson are now behind Hudson, who also is African-American. Now she works for the mayor of St. Louis and should – presumably – be in a position to make a difference if Krewson’s apparent newfound focus on racial equity is sincere and attended by the necessary grit to force change.

“It’s one thing to say you’re going to make decisions through a racial equity lens,” Krewson told St. Louis Public Radio. “It’s a whole other thing to actually implement a program and a staff member who’s very integral to that. And that’s what we’re going to do.” That sounds good. We shall see.

Upbeat new chief of staff

Krewson’s choice of chief of staff also is intriguing: Tim O’Connell. Like Addo and Hudson, he is leaving an interesting and highly public position, in his case as clerk and attorney for the Board of Aldermen. Previously an attorney at Bryan Cave law firm, he also was once a copy editor for the Post-Dispatch – but left the paper all the way back in 2005, so does not

belong with Addo, Eddie Roth and Paul Hampel in the ranks of those who left the Post to work for an elected official the paper covered closely and largely uncritically. This can be a very influential post of major consequence. Unlike Addo and Hudson, O’Connell is not AfricanAmerican. He is, however, two things you can’t get enough of: a nice guy and a good musician. Musicians tend to play well with one another and help each other recover from mistakes. St. Louis needs that stuff badly. Start us off, Tim.

Darlene on warpath

Comptroller Darlene Green – sworn into her historic sixth consecutive term on Tuesday – had some stern fighting words for developers in her inaugural remarks that will embolden Team TIF and other progressives.

“Over the years it has become clear that the city needs to be more consistent and systemic in how it addresses developer incentives. Our default action must not be to give away every tax dollar or to make every TIF, every tax abatement or every CID the maximum, “ Green said. “We must start from a position of strength. Make clear to developers that the city will not subsidize non-essential projects at the maximum. We’ll work with you – but we are not desperate, and we won’t give away resources that should go to essential services for our citizens.

“I encourage the mayor and the Board of Aldermen to work with me to streamline developer incentives, to utilize community benefit agreements and to seek inclusion, racial equity and social justice while being more fiscally responsible to city taxpayers.” Game on!

and community healing in the St. Louis Promise Zone. OR

SATURDAY APRIL 22nd, 2017 O’FALLON PARK REC COMPLEX 4343 W. Florissant Ave. St. Louis, MO 63115 11 A.M. - 1 P.M.

Anyone interested in becoming a community delegate must meet the following criteria:

• Be a reside n t of the St. Louis Promise Zone;

• Be at least 11 years old (those under 18 will need parental consent);

• Be willing and able to attend weekly evening or Saturday meetings; and,

• Be someone who wants to make a diference in their community!

Those selected to be community delegates will be compensated for attending the weekly meetings; childcare and transit passes will also be made available, as needed.

Two smaller delegate recruitment meetings will also

TUESDAY, MAY 2nd, 2017

Koran Addo, seen here on his Twitter profile as a journalist, left the St. Louis Post-Dispatch to serve as spokesman for Mayor Lyda Krewson after covering the campaign that she won.

Nicole Hudson

Father to daughter: we thought protesting would be history

Reflections on “#1

in Civil Rights” at the Missouri History Museum

By Eric E. Vickers Guest columnist

Dar Erica (Puddin), When I sent to some friends the picture you texted me yesterday of my granddaughters – Pumpkin and Peanut - standing before a picture of me in the “#1 in Civil Rights” exhibition at the Missouri History Museum, one texted back that I should tell them the story of how that picture came to be. Maybe, I thought, I should also tell you, their mother, since you were about their age when it was taken.

The picture is from a protest that the organization I represented (and had incorporated), the St.

Louis Minority Contractors Association, had staged in front of the office of St. Louis County government, demanding the County to enact a law requiring that blacks participate in all the contracts awarded by the government. We had held a press conference as part of the protest, which I recall was attended by much of the media and certainly by the newspaper that was a staunch proponent of economic inclusion, The St. Louis American. We fought this movement for construction contracts and jobs for blacks and women for two decades, with this being a photo of just one of many protests. The picture shows me in

the dual role I performed: attorney and activist. Suited up, I announced a lawsuit I had filed in federal court on behalf of the association against the County, and with the protest sign I marched and chanted with the group, reflecting our

trademark strategy: “Agitation, litigation, negotiation.” I think my grandkids should know that I was a product of and shaped by the Black Power Movement of the 1970s, so I became a lawyer was for this purpose: to empower my people.

Also reflected in a strange way by the picture, though unseen, is my Muslim identity. The man in the hat whose face can also be seen is Wali Farqan, a Muslim businessman, whom I had come to know from the mosque, and who was a supporter of our protest efforts. Not in the picture were other Muslim leaders, who were not only the heart and mind of the protest actions undertaken by the association during that period, like shutting down Interstate 70, they acted with boldness and a sacrificial sense of fighting a righteous cause. Obviously, I thought in looking at the picture, my granddaughters – being just 6 and 4 – could not see this spirit at work in the photo. Still, I agree with my friend that I should tell them the story that their grandfather would not have been there had he not decided, while in law school in Virginia, to choose Islam as his faith – to live up to what he was taught was the first duty

of a Muslim attorney: to seek justice for the oppressed, not fearing the powerful. Although at the time the picture was taken, being a grandfather was hardly on my mind, I think in the back of the minds of all of us protesting and involved in the movement then was that our grandchildren – and our children, for that matter – would not have to follow in our footsteps. Somewhere in the back of our minds I think was always the thought and hope that having to take it to the streets, file lawsuits, and in other ways fight for blacks to have equal economic opportunities would be history. On the other hand, I thought as I looked at the picture, I hope my legacy can see that standing and fighting for a cause can be done with a smile. Eric E. Vickers is a veteran attorney and activist and former chief of staff for state Senator Jamilah Nasheed.

Medicare Part D improves lives of seniors and lowers health care costs

By Kenneth E. Thorpe Guest columnist

As Congressional leaders and the White House restart negotiations on the American Health Care Act and look for other ways to curb federal healthcare expenditures, one program critical to America’s seniors stands to lose the most: Medicare Part D, the drug benefit program that has helped seniors live longer and healthier lives.

A new study in the Journal of Health Economics found that Part D reduced senior mortality rates by over 2 percent annually from 2005-2008, the examined period. That translates to tens of thousands of lives saved each year.

Despite saving lives and money, Medicare Part D is under attack. Currently, private insurers bargain with drug companies for discounts on medicines. President Trump and a number of Congressional Democrats want the government to muscle these insurers aside and negotiate drug prices directly with manufacturers. Yet, Part D spending per beneficiary is projected to grow just 1.7 percent, roughly half the overall growth in Medicare spending.

Supporters of this government intervention reckon that the government could

save billions by lowballing drug companies and refusing to cover medicines it deems too expensive. That approach might help the U.S. Treasury, but it’d leave millions of patients without the advanced medicines they need to stay healthy. The Veterans Administration uses a similar one-size-fitsall model to determine prices. As a result, the VA refuses to cover nearly 20 percent of the most popular Part D prescription drugs.

older, as well as those with disabilities, afford prescription medications.

Implemented in 2006, Part D helps seniors age 65 and

Beneficiaries pick the plan they want from private insurers. They pay monthly premiums, which the federal government subsidizes. The study examined changes in mortality rates for two groups: 66-year-olds who had been eligible for Part D for at least one year and 64-year-olds who were not yet eligible for the program. They found that Part D plays a crucial role in improving the health of seniors. The 66-year-

olds’ mortality rate decreased by more than 2 percent each year compared to the 64-yearolds’ rate.

Why? By providing seniors with access to affordable medications, Part D helps to boost medical adherence rates. Researchers found that 66-to-75-year-old adults increased their use of cardiovascular medications by up to 30 percent when enrolled in Part D. As a result, the cardiovascular mortality rate for 66-year-olds dropped by nearly 4.5 percent. Greater access to medicines doesn’t merely save lives — it also lowers healthcare costs. Researchers estimate the improved quality of life, reduced out of pocket expenses, and reduced hospitalizations generate an annual benefit of $20 billion for beneficiaries Politicians who support federal price diktats effectively would trade seniors’ health for government savings. Medicare Part D helps seniors live longer and saves billions annually in healthcare costs. It’s up to our leaders to shore up the program, not spoil it.

Kenneth E. Thorpe is a professor of health policy at Emory University and chairman of the Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease.

Guest Columnist Eric E Vickers

Guest Columnist Kenneth E. Thorpe

NEWSPAPER IN

Fire Up The Grill!

Nutrition Challenge:

Many people enjoy the warmer weather by bringing out the BBQ grill. Grilled foods are a great way to eat healthier.

Just remember these few tips.

> Watch the “extras” such as marinades, sugary sauces and butter.

> Try grilled veggies, instead of fried.

Activities: Saturday, April 22, is Earth Day. Celebrate by spending as much time as you can outside and enjoying our planet.

Why not recruit some of your friends to clean up a

Healthy Kids Kids

> Include fresh fruits for dessert and limit the amount of ice cream and other frozen treats.

> Remember to drink a lot of water while you’re out in the heat.

Staying active outside and eating healthier will help you feel better all summer long.

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

neighborhood park? Kick off a new recycling program at your school. Or spend an afternoon planting flowers outside your home.

Celebrate Earth Month!

April is Earth Month! As a class, decide on a project that you could do for your school or community that would be a great way to celebrate. Here are a few ideas to inspire you… but your class can probably come up with even better projects!

What are some other “active” ways that you can make a difference at home, at your school and in your community?

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

Healthcare Careers

Linda Hayes, Registered Nurse

Where do you work? I work at St. Louis Children’s Hospital. Where did you go to school? I graduated from Riverview Gardens Senior High School. I earned an Associate of Science in Nursing degree from St. Louis Community College at Forest Park, a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of Missouri at St. Louis and I’m currently working on a Master of Science in Nursing at Grand Canyon University in Phoenix, Arizona.

What does a registered nurse do? I make sure that I greet every patient and family on my unit as a charge nurse. I make an effort to inspire and motivate my coworkers with encouraging words and pep talks. I make sure that each nurse and PCT has the right assignment to give quality patient care and respect for the families.

Cucumber-Tuna Bites

> Plant flowers near the school entrance, or in your own front yard.

> Create a recycle program for home or school.

> What other great project ideas did your classmates suggest?

> Have a trash pick-up day on your playground. Use gloves to protect your hands from dirt and germs.

Learning Standards: HPE 2, SC 4, NH 1, NH 7

Ingredients: 1 Large Cucumber 1 Can Tuna 2 Tbsp Low-Fat Mayo

Salt/Pepper to taste

Directions: Mix tuna, mayo and salt/ pepper. Slice cucumber into ¼ inch slices. Using a melon-baller, scoop out a dip in the center of each cucumber slice. Fill with tuna mixture.

Why did you choose this career? I chose this career because I have a passion for children who suffer from chronic illness. My brother passed away from sickle cell disease when I was 12 years of age. I help children deal with their diseases and advocating for them is a blessing from God. What is your favorite part of the job you have? My favorite part of the job is being able to serve and make a difference in patients and their families’ lives. In the end, I go home feeling intensely humbled and satisfied that I was able to go the extra mile to make my patients feel loved, taken care of, and appreciated.

Learning Standards: HPE6, NH3

World Wide Technology hosts Global Leadership Forum Summit Summit for STEM

By Roderick Wilbon

For The St. Louis American

The first Global Leadership Forum Summit took place April 6 at World Wide Technology. The summit’s mandate was “Educate To Action.”

“If we don’t reach children by the age of four, we have missed our opportunity to instill excellence,” said Pamela McCauley, one of the three keynote speakers, a professor in the Department of Industrial Engineering and Management Systems at the University of Central Florida and director of its Ergonomics Laboratory. “We must engage children much earlier.”

The Global Leadership Forum’s mission is

n “If we don’t reach children by the age of four we have missed our opportunity to instill excellence. We must engage children much earlier.”

– Pamela McCauley, University of Central Florida

“to unite and empower diverse talent to enable innovation and value creation,” and its vision is “to inspire and ignite untapped potential in the global community.”

Launched in 2015, the Global Leadership Forum’s founding partner organizations were World Wide Technology, one of the world’s largest minority-owned tech businesses; Information Technology Senior Management Forum, the only national organization dedicated exclusively to cultivating executive-level talent among black information technology professionals; Black Data Processing Associates; and Career Communications Group’s Foundation for Educational Development, which promotes career opportunities in engineering, science and technology to historically underrepresented groups in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields.

Grace Hill Women’s Business Center celebrates three graduates

The Grace Hill Women’s Business Center recently celebrated its 18th annual Wall of Fame ceremony by recognizing three female entrepreneurs who grew their business after successfully completing Workshop In Business Opportunities at the center.

Erica Brown-Gayle’s is the owner of Curly Dew, a small business offering educational training on the various textures of hair. Betty Jones established Pauline’s Adult Daycare in 2014, providing senior living services. While seeking a summer camp for her children, Reona Wise incorporated Wise Impact Network. Each small business owner reports success in business endeavors since taking courses at the center. Pauline’s Adult Daycare was recognized

as a 501(c) 3 non-profit corporation in 2016. Wise Impact Network received a sub-contract in June 2014 to offer summer youth jobs, and Curly Dew has expanded their tutorials to online sales.

Grace Hill Women’s Business Center, located at 2125 N. Bissell St. in North St. Louis, has leveraged over $1 million in small business

20

and on average reports an increase in small business revenue by $1,000. In 2016, the center provided workshops, training and technical assistance services to more than 1,000 women and minority entrepreneurs in St. Louis city and county.

venues for established and upcoming musicians and provided college scholarships to outstanding young music students. Jazz Heroes are defined as people who “keep jazz thriving in our local communities.” Teona McGhawBoure’ was voted vice chairman of the Florissant Open Democratic Club, which trains and help support

Dwan Prude

Tori Gillespie

American staff

Tricia Clark James, the regional director for NPower St. Louis, spoke during the Global Leadership Forum Summit on April 6 at World Wide Technology.

Photo by Wiley Price

Betty Jones, owner of Pauline’s Adult Daycare

Erica Brown-Gayle, owner of Curly Dew Reona Wise, owner of Wise Impact Network

Some couples invest in their future in ways other than a diamond ring

By Nathaniel Sillin

What does an engagement ring look like? For many people, my wife included, the answer is a diamond ring. While that’s a concept that didn’t became widely accepted until the diamond industry’s marketing campaigns in the mid-1900s, it’s one that holds strong today. However, some couples are going in an alternative direction. The intention isn’t to be cheap, but rather to use the savings to make a different kind of meaningful investment in their future together.

When and how a proposal happens can be a surprise, but hopefully, the answer won’t be. That is likely doubly true if the question is popped without a diamond engagement ring, or perhaps without a ring at all. As always in a relationship, communication is key. While some people may be excited by the idea, it could be a deal breaker for others.

What will a meaningful investment look like to the both of you? A friend of mine recently shared with me the story of how he proposed to his now wife, and the decision to forgo an engagement ring altogether.

When they first started discussing marriage and

engagement rings, she said she’d rather put the money towards a down payment because starting a home together was more meaningful to her than a ring. He didn’t ask right away, but when he did take a knee, ringless, and ask her to marry him – clearly she said yes. Today they live in the home the savings helped

buy, wear only wedding bands and he says neither of them regrets the decision. A down payment might not make sense for you, but there are other ways to invest in your future together. For some couples, paying down debts or saving for their wedding so that they don’t go into debt might be a better fit. Or, you

might want to start a travel or honeymoon fund. Consider your options if you want to buy a ring. Understandably, the idea of proposing without an engagement ring isn’t for everyone, and there is a middle ground. A less expensive engagement ring with the savings going towards your

shared goal. Here are few options you could discuss with your significant other:

• Alternative stones. There are a variety of alternative precious and semi-precious stones you could pick for the ring. Matching a stone’s color to the person’s eyes or choosing their birthstone could imbue the ring with a personal touch. However, be careful about picking a “soft” gem that could be easily scratched if it’s worn daily.

• Diamond look-alikes. You could choose a synthetic diamond or a stone that looks similar to a diamond but costs much less, such as a cubic zirconia. Some of the manmade and alternative options can look more brilliant than genuine diamonds, and you don’t need to worry about whether or not the stone is conflict-free.

• A solid band. While it won’t have the same flash as a ring with a large gemstone, choosing a smaller diamond or solid metal band with a symbolic meaning could be just as meaningful to your partner. Family heirlooms can also make for memorable engagement rings and often

there isn’t a price tag attached (although a lengthy discussion might be in order). A vintage ring could appeal to some people’s style, or the center stone could be reset in a modern band. In either case, there’s something special about wearing a gemstone that’s been in one of your families for generations. Decide on your priorities as a couple and act accordingly. According to The Knot’s 2015 Real Weddings Study, an average of $5,871 was spent on engagement rings. For some, there’s no better way to spend money. After all, it’s a ring that’s going to be worn for decades.

However, you can discuss engagement ring expectations before you ask someone to marry you. If a diamond isn’t particularly important, an alternative ring or gemstone, or no ring at all, can be an equally timeless and beautiful gesture of love when you both know the money is going to an important step in your future together.

Nathaniel Sillin directs Visa’s financial education programs. To follow Practical Money Skills on Twitter: www.twitter.com/ PracticalMoney.

ProPublica finds racial disparities in car insurance premiums

21 of 25 companies in Missouri charged more in minority neighborhoods that weren’t justified by risk

By Kelly Moffitt Of St. Louis Public Radio

ProPublica and Consumer Reports recently released a first-of-its-kind analysis of car insurance premiums and payouts in California, Illinois, Texas and Missouri. Following a nearly year and a half investigation into premiums in those states, ProPublica found that residents of minority neighborhoods, on the whole, had to pay more for their car insurance premiums compared with white areas with similar “riskiness.”

The ProPublica team – Julia Angwin, Jeff Larson, Lauren Kirchner and Surya Mattu – looked at neighborhood residents’ annual premiums for liability insurance and compared that to the average amount car insurance

companies are expected to pay out in claims in a zip code.

“The way car insurance is traditionally thought of is: if you live in a riskier neighborhood, you get higher prices,” said Jeff Larson, data editor at ProPublica. “But what we found, when we compared those neighborhoods, a white neighborhood and a minority neighborhood, we found more often than not that minority neighborhoods were getting charged sometimes twice as much or 30 percent higher compared to similarly risky white neighborhoods.” Illinois is where ProPublica found the starkest disparities. Larson said that 33 out of 34 insurance companies they analyzed were charging more than

10 percent more for minority neighborhoods compared to similarly risk white neighborhoods. The 34th company was charging 9 percent higher.

In Missouri, 21 out of 25 companies were charging more in minority neighborhoods that weren’t justified by underlying risk, Larson said.

to be pricing to underlying risk in the neighborhood.”

n “Minority neighborhoods were getting charged sometimes twice as much or 30 percent higher compared to similarly risky white neighborhoods.”

– Jeff Larson, ProPublica

“These are national companies like Geico or Liberty Mutual, these aren’t just local car insurance companies,” Larson said. “They don’t seem

Missouri, Illinois, California and Texas were chosen for the investigation because they are the only states that collect the risk data for car insurance companies, Larson said, which is why the investigation was conducted in those states.

The car insurance industry was quick to respond, saying that the ProPublica report oversimplified the way companies set rates. James Lynch, the president of

the Insurance Information Institute, said that insurance companies “do not discriminate on the basis of race.”

“They said in an op-ed published in the Insurance Journal that they have private data that showed it is fairly priced, to which we say: we looked at the best available public data and if you want to publish that private data and give it to us, we’ll happily rerun the numbers and see if the disparities exist,” Larson said.

“To be clear, we’re not saying they’re putting in, ‘if this is an African-American neighborhood, charge them X dollars more,’ we’re merely pointing out this disparity. We never claimed that they were taking race into account. We just saw that there was this disparity between minority and

white neighborhoods.” If you’re interested you can find a ProPublica produced data set for that purpose here. ProPublica along with the New York Daily News just won the Pulitzer Prize for public service journalism for an investigation on abuses in the New York City Police Department’s enforcement of the nuisance abatement law. ProPublica’s series “Machine Bias,” which includes this investigation into car insurance premiums, was a finalist for explanatory reporting.

To see your zip code’s car insurance premium vs. your neighborhood’s risk, visit https://projects. propublica.org/graphics/ carinsurance?q=63117#carlookup. Reprinted with permission from news.stlpublicradio.org.

n “I’m not gonna let them treat us this way. I know Pop’s got pedigree and I’m a rookie coach. But, they’re not going to rook us.”

– Memphis Grizzlies coach David Fizdale, on the officiating

Track and Field noTebook

With Earl Austin Jr.

Battle of the state champs

McCluer South-Berkeley and Cahokia race

Last weekend’s Corey Seibert Invitational at Rockwood Summit featured some excellent battles between Missouri Class 3 state champion McCluer South-Berkeley and Illinois Class 2A state champion Cahokia.

Earl Austin Jr.

In the 100-meter dash, Octavia Cato of McCluer South-Berkeley finished first in 11.65 seconds, followed by Cahokia’s Mariya Hudson in 11.74. In the 200, Raheema Westfall of MSB finished first in 24.45 with Hudson right behind in 24.32. Hudson came back to win the 400 in 55.51 seconds with Westfall finishing second in 58.99.

The two teams also had two exciting races in the 4x100- and 4x200-meter relays. McCluer South-Berkeley won the 4x100 with Cahokia coming in the second place. Cahokia won the 4x200 with McCluer South-Berkeley finished in third place with Cardinal Ritter in between in second place.

Hudson also finished first in the long jump with an effort of 18 feet 5 inches. Teammate LaQwasia Stepney was second with an 18-2. Stepney also finished first in the 100-meter high hurdles and 300-meter low hurdles. Briana Brock of McCluer South-Berkeley won the shot put with a throw of 41-4. Francis Howell enjoyed a very nice day in the middle distance and distance events as Erin Gilbert finished first in the 1,600 and 3,200meter runs. The Vikings also took home first place in the 4x800-meter relay.

MICDS girls take Henle Holmes title

Class 4 state champion MICDS

at invitational

Four recruits, three signees, two spots, one dream

To call the past three seasons of Mizzou basketball ‘forgettable’ would be remarkably kind – and fairly inaccurate. For Tigers fans, the Kim Anderson era was a nightmare. Sure, Anderson is a nice guy and all, but the basketball program sunk to historic lows under his watch. Anderson’s 27 wins over three seasons represents the worst stretch for Tigers basketball since Bob Vanatta earned just 16 wins from 1965-68. With enthusiasm for Mizzou basketball approaching an all-time low, incoming coach Cuonzo Martin and allworld recruit Michael Porter Jr. have done the unthinkable. They’ve given the Tigers hope. I’m not talking about the type of automatic hope that comes whenever a team brings in a new coach. This is a tangible, justifiable hope. The Tigers could go from really bad, to really good in the blink of an eye.

With the signing of Porter, the 9-win Tigers team added the top recruit in the nation. Porter helped to reel-in two four-star (ESPN-rated) guards in C.J. Roberts (an Anderson recruit who renewed his commitment to Mizzou after speaking with Martin and Porter) and Blake Harris (a former Washington commit with Porter). With those three on board, Mizzou already has the 9th-rated recruiting class in the nation. However, with the transfers of K.J. Walton and Frankie Hughes, the Tigers still have two scholarships remaining and four prep studs in the mix to fill those spots. Wednesday night, Coach Martin was hosted by the family of five-star prospect and McDonald’s All-American Kevin Knox II for an in-home visit. Knox’s family also met with the coaches from Florida State, North Carolina, Duke and Kentucky. By all accounts,

Williams and John Calipari and convince Knox to play in Columbia, he’ll already have earned every cent of his seven-year, $21M contract.

The Tigers shouldn’t have to wait too much longer for Knox’s decision. He was originally set to make his

Mizzou has a legitimate chance to land Knox’s services due to his friendship with Porter Jr. If Martin can outpitch the likes of Mike Krzyzewski, Roy See CLUTCH, B5

Ishmael H. Sistrunk

Photo by Wiley Price

(center)

Battle’s Serena Williams took second at

SportS EyE

With Alvin A. Reid

MLB dodges lack of black players and staff on Jackie Robinson Day

Major League Baseball made sure its message on Jackie Robinson Day was “diversity” and not its appalling absence of black players, coaches and managers.

Seventy years after Jackie Robinson was allowed to play for the Brooklyn Dodgers, the Society for American Baseball Research reports that a paltry 7.7 percent of players on 2017 opening day rosters were African American – down from 8.3 percent in 2016.

Of course, MLB is ready with an excuse.

“The 2017 number is slightly skewed by the five black players of American and Canadian descent who began this season on the DL (David Price, Ian Desmond, Micah Johnson Tyson Ross and Dalton Pompey),” wrote Anthony Castrovince at MLB. com. You want some more nonsense? MLB is bragging that it is “actually more diverse than the NBA and NFL, when it comes to diversity of its players.”

as MLB has plenty of Latino and Asian players, it has no diversity problem.”

According to SABR, the peak in black players came in 1981 when 18.2 percent of MLB rosters were comprised of African Americans. There were black players at every position, something that is not true today.

In 1994, the black participation rate was still at 17.1 percent. Is it MLB’s fault or the fault of American society?

According Castrovince’s piece, “MLB has made many efforts to address the factors – societal and otherwise –that have contributed to that decline.”

“The numbers are where they are at this point,” Reagins said. “But there are more African-American players getting drafted at the higher levels than ever before, and we’re creating programming – and cost-free programming – that addresses the elite African-American ballplayer that will impact our game over time as well.”

“Combining the percentage of black players (7.7) and Latino, Asian and other diverse players (34.6) on active, non-disabled list Opening Day rosters in 2017, baseball – has reached unprecedented (and, when compared to the other major American team sports, unparalleled) levels of diversity,” according to Castrovince.

“To put that combined 42.3-percent figure into context, in the NFL and NBA, where African-American players make up the majority of player personnel, the percentage of non-black players in the most recent reports from the Institute for Diversity and Ethics and Sports were 30.3 percent and 25.7 percent, respectively.”

This is a crock of pine tar that is purposely designed to distract fans from the pathetic 7.7 percent black player participation number and the fact that there are just two black managers. Of course, the majority of MLB fans are white and the majority of them aren’t alarmed by the lack of black players.

Tony Reagins, MLB’s senior vice president of youth programs, said, “We want our game to be a diverse game. We think it’s important that everybody has an equal shot of being the best they can on a baseball diamond.”

Let me translate: “As long

Since 2012, the amateur draft has featured 34 AfricanAmerican players out of 168 first round selections – 20.2 percent.

In 2015 and 2016 respectively, an alumnus of the RBI (Return Baseball to Inner Cities) program and the Breakthrough Series (Dillon Tate and Corey Ray) were top five picks.

Fourteen of the top prospects on MLBPipeline. com’s 2017 Top 100 are black, with 33 being Latino.

ESPN’s Keith Law has 17 black players in his compilation of Top 100 prospects and the top three prospects for the 2017 draft, are African Americans, according to MLB.com.

Five of 12 players atop Baseball America’s Top 100 High School Draft Prospects are black.

Whether this leads to a significant increase in the percentage of black players in MLB remains to be seen because being a top prospect doesn’t mean the player will reach the Majors. Also, by the time a black prospect does make the big leagues, many current black players could be leaving the game because of age, injury or unproductive seasons.

USA TODAY publishes its own assessment of black participation in Major League Baseball, and I guarantee it will not be as self-serving as

“I became really impressed when I read his autobiography and how active he was in the Civil Rights Movement and all the distress going on as he played,” Tampa Bay pitcher Chris Archer said of Jackie Robinson. “To go and march the streets with Martin Luther King Jr. and the other activists, that’s impressive.”

mlb.com’s take on the subject.

Dexter on Jackie Day

St. Louis Cardinals centerfielder Dexter Fowler, the lone black player on his team’s roster, was one of many to comment on the 70th anniversary of Robinson “breaking the color barrier.”

“As an African American, you look up to guys like that. That’s one of the first things we learned when we started playing baseball,” he said.

Dexter, you might want to add Curt Flood to that list of black players black youths should learn about when they start playing baseball.

Curtis Granderson of the New York Mets said, “I get to hit the field with a talented and diverse group of individuals and play a game I love in front of a diverse crowd of fans, and

all because Jackie Robinson had the courage to go first.” Curtis, hundreds, if not thousands, of black players had the courage to play in the Majors. They were denied the chance. It wasn’t lack of guts or talent that stopped them, it was racism.

The Cardinals did their part in helping pitcher CC Sabathia and the New York Yankees celebrate Jackie Robinson Day. Sabathia shut down the Cardinals for 7 2/3 innings in a 4-3 victory.

“It was exciting to be out there on the mound: It’s a big day for baseball and AfricanAmerican players. To be able to wear ‘42’ and get a win felt good,” he said.

CC, you looked good in that 42.

The Los Angeles Dodgers unveiled a statue of Jackie Robinson outside Dodger

Stadium last Saturday with co-owner Magic Johnson and Frank Robinson, MLB’s first black manager, among the dignitaries on hand.

Johnson said Dodgers chairman Mark Walter met Robinson’s wife, Rachel when his group’s purchase of the Dodgers was announced in 2012.

“He pulled Mrs. Robinson aside and said, ‘We’re going to get a statue of your husband.’ And he backed it up,” Johnson said.

Magic, my only question is: What took so long?

In Washington, D.C., the Nationals celebrated their annual Black Heritage Day along with honoring Robinson.

Manager Dusty Baker, one of two black MLB managers, said, “Every day is Jackie Robinson Day to me. If it wasn’t for him I wouldn’t be in

baseball. I wouldn’t be working as a player, and I wouldn’t have this job.”

Dusty, I think if there was no Jackie Robinson, Larry Doby Day would be celebrated each year and your opportunity would have come.

Tampa Bay pitcher Chris Archer said he read Robinson’ autobiography as he prepared to honor the game’s first black player.

“I became really impressed when I read his autobiography and how active he was in the Civil Rights Movement and all the distress going on as he played. To go and march the streets with Martin Luther King Jr. and the other activists, that’s impressive,” he said.

Chris, your words and search for knowledge might have been the best tribute to the man all day.

thE St. LouiS AmEricAn ArEA coLLEgiAtE AthLEtES of thE WEEk

Tremaine Bobo

Missouri Baptist – Men’s Track and Field

The sophomore from Parkway North has been on a roll in the jumps throughout the indoor and outdoor seasons.

Bobo finished first in the long jump and triple jump at the Saint Louis University Billiken Invitational last week. He also go the outdoor season started by winning both jumps at the Culver Stockton Invitational. Bobo also finished second in the long jump at the Lindenwood University Invitational. Bobo was a dominant performer during the indoor season as he won both the long and triple jumps at the American Midwest Conference Indoor Championships in February.

Raven Venegas

Fontbonne – Women’s Track and Field

The freshman from Racine, WI has already made a huge impact at the collegiate level with her performance in the throwing events. Early in her career, Venegas already holds two school records; in the discus and hammer throw. She set a school record in the discus with a throw of 116 feet 4 inches at the Hanover Invitational.

At last week’s Saint Louis University Billiken Invitational, Venegas finished third in the shot put, fifth in the discus and set a new personal best in the javelin. She is also the school’s freshman record holder in the javelin.

Alvin A. Reid

SLPS honors 541 scholar athletes

The Saint Louis Public School District recognized 541 scholar athletes from the district on April 12 at the 6th Annual Saint Louis Public Schools Scholar Athlete Luncheon, organized by SLPS Athletic Director Travis Brown and District Development Oficer Linda Riekes with private funding.

The St. Louis Cardinals were a major sponsor of this year’s event.

“The major goal of the recognition luncheon is to promote the understanding that interscholastic athletics and activities are an important part of comprehensive education,” Brown said.

“This year’s group of scholar athletes certainly prove that point.” SLPS scholar athletes

CLUTCH

Continued from B3

insiders expect Tilmon to land at Mizzou due to Martin’s close ties to East St. Louis. However, there hasn’t been much news regarding Tilmon since he was granted his LOI release from Illinois.

The Tigers desperately need someone with the size and skills of the 6-foot-10 post player. The Tigers finished ninth in the SEC in rebounding and 14th (aka dead last) in blocked shots during the 201617 season. Kansas is expected to be the Tigers’ primary challenger for the services of the #43 recruit in the nation. Hopefully, Martin’s ESL roots will give him a recruiting advantage over Bill Self and the Jayhawks.

Edwardsville’s Mark Smith was late to the big-time hoops recruiting party, but he is sure making up for lost time. Martin is currently jousting with Calipari (Kentucky), Tom Izzo (Michigan State), Shaka Smart (Texas) and Thad Matta (Ohio State) and others for the services of the 6-foot-5 point guard who was named Illinois Mr. Basketball after a stellar senior season. Smith previous committed to Missouri as a baseball recruit until an elbow injury forced him to switch sports and dedicate all his energy towards the hardwood.

The hard work paid off as Smith dominated all season long to vault onto the wish list of the bluest of the NCAA blue

PREP

Continued from B3 took home the girls team title at last week’s Henle Holmes Invitational at Parkway Central. Junior Cara Johnson won the 100-meter dash and ran legs on the Rams’ firstplace 4x100 and 4x200 relays. Junior Jhordin Gilmore won the 400 and ran legs on those first-place relays. Junior Zionn Pearson won the long jump with a meet-record effort of 18-5. She also finished third in the triple jump and was part of the Rams’ victorious sprint relays. The Rams also finished second in the 4x800 and fourth in the 4x400. Alexandria Walsh was fifth in the 1,600, Amirah Al-Sagr was second in the high jump and Claudia Williams was third in the high jump. John Burroughs standout Lailah Elliott won three individual events at Henle Holmes. The Ohio State signee won the 100-meter high hurdles in 15.39 seconds, the triple jump with a 37-4 and the high jump by clearing 5-2. On the boys side, Parkway Central won the team title as distance runner Charlie McIntyre won both the 1,600 and 3,200-meter runs. Kirkwood was strong in the throws as Reece Goddard won the shot put with a throw of 55-4 and Ivan Barnett won the javelin with a throw of 169-3.

What’s on tap

Several of the area’s top

must earn a 3.25 grade point average or higher while successfully completing an athletic season. They must also promote the values of sportsmanship, citizenship, character and academic excellence to earn the honor. More than 75 local sports and business leaders served as table role models during the event. The table role models spent 45 minutes talking with the scholar athletes about their careers, sharing tips and providing guidance for the students’ futures. Among the table role models in attendance were former Olympian Ivory Crockett, former NFL stars Charles Brown and Kevin Potter, St. Louis American Hall of Fame photojournalist Wiley Price, St. Louis Surge owner

Khalia Collier, area college coaches and athletes, and St. Louis American sports editor Public High League historian Earl Austin Jr.. Ian Roberts II, a middle distance runner who competed in the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia, shared words of inspiration and wisdom. He went on to earn a master’s degree in Executive Leadership from Georgetown University and a doctoral degree in Urban Educational Leadership from Morgan State University. He credits participating in the Olympics to the inluence of a school administrator who gave him a second chance.

St. Louis legend Cedric The Entertainer provided an encouraging message via videotape.

bloods. If the Tigers managed to add Smith, the team would boast one of the deepest backcourts in the SEC, with Harris, Roberts and (soon-to-be) junior point guard Terrence Phillips The final big-time recruit in the mix for Mizzou is Jontay Porter. The 6-foot-9 power forward is technically a member of the 2018 recruiting class, but he is still contemplating whether to skip his senior sea-

athletes will be headed to Lawrence, Kansas this weekend to participate in the Jayhawk Relays at Kansas University. The Phil Brusca/Connie Strobach Invitational will be held at Ladue on Saturday. The St. Louis Public Schools Invitational will be held at Gateway STEM this afternoon. The Fort Zumwalt North Invitational will be held on Friday. The Charlie Finch Invitational will be held at Webster Groves this afternoon. The Metro League championships will be held on Friday at Lutheran South. The MWAA championships will be held on Saturday at Vianney.

son and reclassify into the 2017 recruiting class (by taking summer school classes in order to graduate early) in order to play with his older brother Michael.

The younger Porter’s deci-

sion may very well depend on what happens with Knox, Tilmon and Smith. If two of the three commit, it does not appear that the Tigers would have another scholarship to

Jayson Ashford

SLUH – Boys Track and Field

The senior sprinter was one of the top individual performers at last weekend’s Dale Collier Invitational at Kirkwood.

Ashford earned a sweep of the sprints by winning the 100-, 200and 400-meter dashes. His winning times were 10.65 seconds in the 100, 21.49 in the 200 and 49.21 in the 400. He capped off his big day by anchoring the Jr. Billikens to a victory in the 4x400-meter relay with a spectacular anchor leg.

As a junior, Ashford led SLUH to a second-place finish at the Class 5 state championships in Jefferson City. He won the state championship in the 200-meter dash while finishing third in the 100 and fifth in the 400. He also anchored SLUH to a fourth-place finish in the 4x400.

Edwardsville’s

Mark Smith and East St. Louis’ Jeremiah Tilmon are two top targets for Mizzo’s final two basketball scholarships. Both are expected to make decisions on where they will suit up in the fall in the very near future.

Ian Roberts II, a middle distance runner who competed in the 2000 Olympic Games and went on to earn a doctoral degree in Urban Educational Leadership from Morgan State University, spoke at Saint Louis Public School District’s 6th Annual Saint Louis Public Schools Scholar Athlete Luncheon on April 12.

offer the younger Porter. Jontay also must decide whether it’s more important for him to play with his brother (who is widely expected to be a one-and-done at Mizzou, or

whether he wants to true experience of his senior season as a five-star recruit. That could include another run at a state championship at Father Tolton in Columbia, where the Porter boys earned a 3A title in 2016. It could also include a trip to the McDonald’s All-American game, where Michael was recently named MVP after his outstanding senior season. By all accounts, the decision will be left up to Jontay. He is expected to make his official visit to Mizzou on April 24. He will then sit down with his family, including his father, Mizzou assistant coach Michael Porter Sr., and make a decision on his future. Though nothing is certain, chances are very good that the Tigers will nab two of these four fantastic recruits. When they do, the buzz (and expectations) for Mizzou basketball will rise even higher. Regardless of what happens, Martin is doing the unthinkable. He’s helping Mizzou fans forget about one of the worst eras in Mizzou basketball. He’s giving hope to the hopeless. Missouri fans now have visions of sugar plumbs NCAA tournaments, postseason titles, stud recruits and #1 draft picks instead of just nightmares of more bad basketball. Follow Ishmael and In the Clutch on Twitter @ IshmaelSistrunk

Parkway North – Boys Track and Field

The junior hurdler/sprinter enjoyed a big day at the Henle Holmes Invitational at Parkway Central.

Suber won two individual events and was part of two first-place relay teams. Suber won the 110meter high hurdles in a time of 14.27 seconds and the 300-meter intermediate hurdles in 38.93. He also ran legs on the Vikings’ 4x200- and 4x400 relay teams that took home first place. The 4x200 team won in a meet record time of 1 minute 28.17 seconds.

As a sophomore, Suber earned two all-state medals at last year’s Class 5 state championships in Jefferson City. He finished third in the 300-meter intermediate hurdles and was part of the Vikings’ 4x200 relay team that finished sixth.

of The Week

Also speaking at the summit

Tassu Shervani, an endowed professor at the Cox School of Business at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, who is also a consultant in the areas of global strategy and organization, shareholder value, business models, innovation and business development; and Art McCoy, superintendent of the Jennings School District.

McCoy presented a working model of a STEAM curriculum (the “A” added to STEM adds Arts to the equation). He believes wholeheartedly in STEM programs and has instilled them throughout the Jennings School District. His students learn about aeronautics, robots

and coding, along with the general education of postsecondary school. Three Jennings students designed and programed a drone for demonstration. McCoy said the Jennings School District is a direct beneficiary of the Global Leadership Forum and their programs.

Breakout sessions focused on STEM Education and Workforce in the Minority Community, The Future of Technology is Here, Leadership and Character Development and Creating the Next Generation Leaders, with sessions conducted by senior leaders from NPower, Deloitte, NAF and the St. Louis Regional Chamber.

The Global Leadership Forum believes that to have an educated, competitive work force, the public, private and academic sectors will need to increase the number of

diverse college graduates and professionals who are prepared to meet the growing demand for workers in STEM fields.

The forum promotes programs that will produce workforce-ready, diverse talent from entry to C-level positions in the public and private sectors and foster entrepreneurialism in technology. This is achieved by jointly and strategically improving the graduation rates in STEM programs and enhancing leadership development skills. The forum works to engage students in the classroom, provide internships, scholarships and ultimately permanent employment.

David L. Steward, cofounder of World Wide Technology, ended the summit with a call to action: “A little grace matters,” Steward said, “so let’s just do it everyone.”

For more information, visit www.glfnow.org.

Financial Focus

By Courtney Bond

Chris Jackson, chief of staff at Deloitte Growth Enterprise Services, spoke during the Global Leadership Forum Summit on April 6 at World Wide Technology.

Photo by Wiley Price

The Visionary Awards 2017 Honorees.

Seated: Shirley Bradley LeFlore, poet; Sally S. Levy, philanthropist.

Standing: Gina Martinez, community arts; Vivian Anderson Watt, dancer; Kat Simone Reynolds, photographer; and Nancy Bell, playwright.

Photo by ProPhotoSTL

“#52” by Michael Marshall, mono print, 2011, 33 1/4” x 25 1/4”

Last chance to see rare prints and painting

Michael Marshall in ‘Abstraction’ at Atrium Gallery, closes April 25

By Chris King Of The St. Louis American

This weekend offers the last opportunity to see several new pieces by Michael Marshall, an African-American visual artist from St. Louis, in the exhibition “Abstraction” at Atrium Gallery, 4814 Washington Ave.

The show includes several Marshall mono prints that never been exhibited and a large painting from his earlier career that has rarely been seen, as well as work by Willem de Looper, Annette Morriss, Fredrick Nelson, Kirk Pedersen and John Schwartzkopf.

“I am pleased they are out on view and wish I was there to see the show,” Marshall said from his home in Hilo, Hawaii. “It’s hard to travel for me right now, because I stay so busy here with so many different projects.”

In addition to being a practicing artist in multiple media and an art professor, Marshall has three administrative roles on the Big Island. He chairs the Art Department and the Performing Arts Department at the University of Hawaii Hilo and is executive director

A love of the arts and a heart for the community

Visionary Awards honors cadre of creative women Monday at the Sun Theater

By Kenya Vaughn Of The St. Louis American

When

“The only reason I dance is because Pelagie Green Wren came up to me and said that if I

The Black Rep examines a life riddled with blues

The Black Rep’s presentation of August Wilson’s Seven Guitars continues through April 23 at Harris-Stowe State University’s Emerson Performance Center.

Powerful performances bring August

Wilson’s ‘Seven Guitars’ to life

By Sharee Silerio For The St. Louis American

The Black Rep’s presentation of Seven Guitars is a beautiful tribute to August Wilson, the drama’s talented and celebrated playwright. It is the fifth play in Wilson’s “Century Cycle,” and the story begins in 1948, with six men and women gathering to discuss Floyd “Schoolboy” Barton’s (Kingsley Leggs) funeral.

Set in the backyard of a Pittsburgh apartment home, audiences are taken back to Floyd’s return to the city after being released from jail and serving time for a crime of “worthlessness.”

From here, the events leading up to Floyd’s death play out. In classic Wilson style, the dialogue starts off slow, building the complexities of each character and excavating the motivation at the root of their

decisions.

Floyd, a gifted blues guitarist, is determined to return to Chicago to make a record in hopes of taking his career to a new level. He wants his former lover, Vera (Linda Kennedy), to go with him, including his friends Canewell (Phillip Dixon) and Red Carter (Reginald Pierre).

For Floyd, Chicago is his “promised land” – a ticket to a life where he not only has all he needs, but wants; just like “the white man.” This draws from U.S. history, as Chicago was one of the major cities African Americans journeyed to during the Great Migrations between 1910 and 1960.

Vera is hesitant to leave with Floyd and give him another chance, while her friend Louise

See SEVEN, C4

then – and the gift that Wren gave Watt went far beyond the complimentary meals. Dance became her path. As a dancer, musical theater actress and choreographer, she’s been a mainstay on the St. Louis stages. Her gift for movement even took her to the pinnacle of the sports world as a featured performer and choreographer

See VISIONARY, C4

Stewards of jazz and giving

David and Thelma to receive leadership award from Jazz at

By Kenya Vaughn Of The St. Louis American

“It’s one of the passions that I’ve had, and one that God put my wife and me on this earth to do: to preserve the history, relevance, significance and importance of the unique experience that is jazz,” said David Steward.

The Steward name has become as synonymous with philanthropy as with World Wide Technology, the multi-billion-dollar technology service provider that David founded in 1990.

“There’s no greater joy that a person can have than to give. There are principles around it that bring joy,” Steward said.

“The scripture that comes alive for me is, ‘God so loved the world, that he gave his most precious gift to us.’ There is a grace and mercy we all enjoy as believers because of the blood that was shed – which is what we are honoring that by giving.”

Next Wednesday, April 26 in New York, the Stewards will be celebrated for their giving – and their love of jazz – during one of the genre’s biggest nights presented by a global leader within the art form.

Thelma and David Steward will be bestowed with the Ed Bradley Award for Leadership at Jazz at Lincoln Center’s annual gala. The award is named after the late “60 Minutes” anchor and longtime JALC board member and celebrates individuals for their contributions to the organization – which reaches a global audience of more than two million annually through concerts, free webcasts, direct musical instruction and distribution of scores – and to the genre in general.

The 2017 Jazz at Lincoln Center Gala will be hosted by Harry Connick Jr. and

Photo by Lawrence Bryant

David Steward II helps his grandmother Dorothy Steward cut the ribbon on the Harold and Dorothy Center for Jazz at the grand opening in 2014.

Lincoln Center

Photo by Phillip Hamer

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concerts

Thurs., Apr. 20, 8 p.m.

The Ready Room welcomes Leela James and Daley. For more information, visit www. thereadyroom.com

Sun., Apr. 23, 4 p.m., Soulful Sundays with Skeet Rodgers and the Inner City Blues Band. 615 Washington Ave., 63101.

Sun., Apr. 23, 6:30 p.m., Family Arena presents The Beach Boys & The Temptations. 2002 Arena Parkway, 63303. For more information, visit www. metrotix.com.

Sat., Apr. 29, 7:30 p.m., Memory Lane Concert feat. The Stylistics. Harris Stowe State University, 3026 Laclede Ave., 63103. For more information, call (314) 4967751.

Fri., May 5, 8 p.m., The Pageant presents Trey Songz: Tremaine the Tour. 6161 Delmar Blvd., 63112. For more information, call (314) 726-6161 or visit www. ticketmaster.com.

Fri., May 12, 8:30 p.m., The Sheldon Concert Hall presents George Benson. 3648 Washington Blvd., 63108.

Sun., May 14, 7:30 p.m., Mother’s Day Music Festival starring Anthony Hamilton and Joe, Chaifetz Arena. For more information, visit www. ticketmaster.com.

Sun., May 14, 8 p.m., Chance The Rapper, Scottrade Center. For more information, visit www.ticketmaster.com.

Wed., May 17, 8 p.m., The Pageant welcomes Travi$ Scott, The Pageant. For more information, visit www. thepageant.com.

Fri., May 19, 8 p.m. doors, T.I.’s ‘The Hustle Gang’

Tour, Pops. For more information, visit www. ticketweb.com.

local gigs

Apr. 21 - 22, 8 p.m., Greater St. Louis Jazz Festival. Fri: Tribute to Louis Armstrong – feat. Wycliffe Gordon & Terell Stafford. Sat: Tribute to Dizzy Gillespie – feat. Jon Faddis and Friends with the UMSL Jazz Ensemble. Blanche M. Touhill Performing Arts Center, UMSL, 1 University Blvd., 63121. For more information, visit www.touhill.org.

Sat., Apr. 22, 7 p.m., Lux Theatre presents When Doves Cry: The Tribute to Prince. Performed by Justin Hoskin and The Movie. 2619 Washington Ave., 63103. For more information, call (757) 329-2674 or visit www. eventbrite.com.

Sun., Apr. 23, 6 p.m., Chuck: Up Close and Personal starring Chuck Flowers with special guests Sylvia Herron, Leland Crenshaw, Bob DeBoo and Donald Williams, BB’s Jazz, Soups and Blues, 700 S. Broadway. For more information, visit www. artistcard.com/cflowers.

Fri., Apr. 28, 7:30 p.m., STL Free Jazz Collective. 14th Street Artist Community 2701 N. 14th St., 63107. For more information, visit www. stlfreejazz.com.

Apr. 28 – 29, Lumiere Place presents Fabulous Motown Revue. 999 N. 2nd St., 63102. For more information, call (314) 881-7777 or visit www. ticketmaster.com.

Sun., Apr. 30, 4 p.m., Soulful Sundays with Renee Smith. National Blues Museum, 615 Washington Ave., 63101.

Sun., Apr. 30, 6 p.m., Entourage Productions presents Smooth Groove

Featured Event

Sun., Apr. 23, 6:30 p.m., Family Arena presents The Beach Boys & The Temptations. 2002 Arena Parkway, 63303. For more information, visit www.metrotix.com.

Sunday. With performances by Stephanie Ivy, Brittanie Peebles, Christopher Jones, and more. Roaring 20s Complex, 807 N. 2nd St., 63102. For more information, call (314) 814-2393 or visit www.eventbrite.com.

Tues., May 2, 6:30 p.m., The Sheldon Concert Hall presents The Lionel Richie Experience: The Retro-spect Band feat. David Graham 3648 Washington Blvd., 63108. For more information, call (314) 533-9900 or visit www.thesheldon.org.

May 9, 7:15 p.m., The Bach Society of St. Louis presents Bach at the Bistro, Ferring Jazz Bistro, 3536 Washington Avenue, St. Louis, MO 63103. For tickets, or more information,

call 314-652- BACH or visit BACHSOCIETY.ORG.

special events

Thur., Apr. 20, 10 a.m., The Glennon Guild invites you to Glennon Style. Please join us for our annual fashion show, silent auction, boutique and luncheon. Chase Park Plaza, 212 N. Kingshighway, 63108. For more information, visit www.glennon.org/ glennonstyle.

Apr. 21 – 23, Washington University in St. Louis presents Thurtene Carnival. 1 Brookings Dr., 63130. For more information, call (650) 452-4067 or visit www.

Left Bank Books hosts author James Forman, Jr., author of ‘Locking Up Our Own: Crime and Punishment in Black America’. For more information, see LITERARY.

thurtene.org.

Sat., Apr. 22, 10 a.m., Urban League and BlackonBlackLove invite you to Empowerment Fest Come out for games, financial workshops, trap yoga, photo booths, art exhibits, and much more. Kiener Plaza, 14th St. and St. Louis Ave., 63106. For more information, visit www. empowermentfest.com.

Sat., Apr. 22, 1 p.m., March for Science St. Louis. If you connect with the value of Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math then this is the place for you. Union Station, 18th & Market St., 63103. For more information, visit www. marchforsciencestl.com

Sat., Apr. 22, 6 p.m., The Center for Women in Transition invites you to Beautiful Transformations Gala and Auction. The center helps provide safe housing, treatment, financial stability, and support systems to fight recidivism. The Grand Hall on Chouteau, 2319 Chouteau Ave., 63103. For more information, call (618) 6550425 or visit www.cwitstl.org.

Sat., Apr. 22, 7 p.m., Opera Tastings at the Omega Center. Get the perfect introduction to opera with this culinary concert experience. Delight all of your senses as music from across the history of opera is paired with delicious food and drink crafted specially by Chef Jack and Mixologist Misha Sampson. 3900 Goodfellow Blvd.,63120. For more information, call (314) 9634296.

Sun., Apr. 23, 9 a.m., APA’s Fast & the Furriest. It’s time to lace up for our 5K run or 1-mile walk. We’re upping the ante and taking this race to the Hollywood Casino. 777 Casino Center Dr., 63043. For more information, call (314) 645-

4610 or visit www.raceroster. com.

Mon., Apr. 24, 6 p.m., St. Louis Visionary Awards. Grammy Award-winning soprano Christine Brewer and St. Louis star Linda Kennedy will perform. The Sun Theater, 3625 Grandel Square, 63108. For more information, call (314) 584-6068 or visit www. vizawards.org.

Thur., Apr. 27, 8 p.m., Hope Happens invites you to the 13th Annual Evening of Hope feat. Brian Owens. Sheldon Concert Hall, 3648 Washington Blvd., 63108. For more information, call (314) 725-3888 or visit ww.hopehappens.org.

Fri., Apr. 28, 7:30 p.m., STL Free Jazz Collective. 14th Street Artist Community 2701 N. 14th St., 63107. For more information, visit www. stlfreejazz.com.

Fri., Apr. 28, 11 a.m., St. Louis American Foundation’s 17th Annual Salute To Excellence in Healthcare, Frontenac Hilton. For more information, call (314) 533-8000 or visit www. stlamerican.com.

Fri., Apr. 28, Feast Magazine presents Taste & Toast. Enjoy free pours from the region’s best wineries and food samples from some of the area’s best restaurants, as well as live music. Moulin, 2017 Chouteau Ave., 63103. For more information, visit www.eventbrite.com.

Sat., Apr. 29, 10 a.m., Jazz/ Blues Brunch And Silent Auction. Double Tree Hotel, 1973 Craigshire Rd., 63146. For more information, call (314) 313-5609 or visit www. stlouiscelebrityceniors.org.

Sat., Apr. 29, 1 p.m., Ferguson Block Party. Join Starbucks, Natalie’s Cakes and More, plus other local businesses for a block party, celebrating with entertainment, food, coffee and more. 10776 W Florissant Ave., 63135. For more information, call (206) 664-8624 or visit www. starbucks.com.

Sat., Apr. 29, 7 p.m., Pazazz Performers hosts the Seventh Annual Drea’s Dream Gala. Come early to browse our silent auction, wine pull and more. Drea’s Dream, a dance therapy and expressive movement program for children with cancer and special needs. Edison Theatre, Washington University, 6465 Forsyth Blvd., 63105. For more information, visit www. pazazzperformers.com.

Sat., Apr. 29, 8 p.m., Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc., Alpha Upsilon Sigma Chapter invites you to the 10th Annual Black Out Party. Collinsville Firemen Hall, 9510 Collinsville Rd., Collinsville, IL. 62234. For more information, visit www. facebook.com.

Sun., Apr. 30, 12 p.m., Gateway Classic Cars and Kaskaskia Corvette Club present the Cruise for St. Judes Car Show. The Weingarten, 1780 IL – 15, Belleville, IL. 62221. For more information, call (618) 5899952 or visit www.fundraising. stjude.org.

comedy

Fri., Apr. 21, 8 p.m., Festival of Laughs tour with Mike Epps,Bruce Bruce, Rickey Smiley and Felipe Esparza, Chaifetz Arena. For more information, visit www. ticketmaster.com.

literary

Mon., Apr. 24, 6:30 p.m., St. Louis County Library presents Blackout Poetry Indian Trails Branch, 8400 Delport Dr., 63114. For more information, call (314) 9943300 or visit www.slcl.org.

Mon., Apr. 24, 7 p.m., And the Kitchen Sink Event Series presents author and motivational speaker Jen Sincero, author of You Are a Badass at Making Money: Master the Mindset of Wealth UMSL at Grand Center, 3651 Olive St., 63108. For more information, visit www.leftbank.com.

Tues., Apr. 25, 7 p.m., John Burroughs High School hosts author Julie LythcottHaims, author of How to Raise an Adult: Break Free of the Overparenting Trap and Prepare Your Kid for Success 755 S. Price Rd., 63124. For more information, visit www. laduefoundation.org.

Sun., Apr. 30, 7:30 p.m., Poetic Justice Open Mic feat. Tebe Zalango. 2720 Cherokee St., 63118. For more information, visit www. facebook.com.

Mon., May 1, 7 p.m., Left Bank Books hosts author Edward McPherson, author of The History of the Future Examine American places and the space between history, experience, and myth including private streets, racism, and the St. Louis World’s Fair. 399 N. Euclid Ave., 63108. For more information, call (314) 3676731 or visit www.left-bank. com.

Tues., May 2, 7 p.m., Left

Bank Books hosts author James Forman, Jr., author of Locking Up Our Own: Crime and Punishment in Black America. 399 N. Euclid Ave., 63108. For more information, call (314) 367-6731 or visit www.left-bank.com.

Through May 15, 6 p.m., Painting textures in watercolor, Art Unleashed, 13379 Olive, Chesterfield.

For more information, contact www.artunleashed.org or call (314) 628-1024.

Through May 14, COCA presents Harlem Renaissance: Contemporary Response. Exhibition featuring works by emerging or young artists inspired by artists associated with the Harlem Renaissance. 524 Trinity Ave., 63130. For more information, call (314) 725-6555 or visit www.cocastl. org.

Through May 20, Gallery 210 and Kranzberg Art Center present Taking it to the Streets: Grand Center. The artists featured in the exhibit address the stubborn problems of race, social injustice, and the politics of gender and sexuality using a wide variety of media. 501 N. Grand Blvd., 63103. For more information, visit www. kranzbergartscenter.org.

lectures and workshops

Thur., Apr. 20, 1 p.m., St. Louis County Library presents Job Seeker Series: Resume and Online Applications. 7606 Natural Bridge Rd., 63121. For more information or to register, call 994-3300 or visit www.slcl. org.

Sat., Apr. 22, 11 a.m., St. Louis County Library presents Maximizing Your

Social Security Benefits. 7606 Natural Bridge Rd., 63121. For more information or to register, call (314) 994-3300 or visit www.slcl.org.

Sat., Apr. 22, 10 a.m., Forum: African/AfricanAmerican Relations in St. Louis. Come out to discuss our history as black people and our shared pain as well as to find ways to work together as a minority group to enhance our development. St. Louis University Center for Global Citizenship, 3672 W. Pine Mall Blvd., 63108.

Apr. 22, 12 noon, Public Town Hall Meeting with Representative Steven Roberts, St. Louis Public Library - Julia Davis Branch, 4415 Natural Bridge Ave., St. Louis, MO 63115. For further information, contact Representative Robert’s office at 573-751-1400.

Wednesdays Through Apr. 26, 7 p.m. The Missouri Bar Association invites you to the Spring 2017 Mini Law School for the Public A six-week series covering various legal topics including The First Amendment, Hate Crimes, and more. St. Louis County Council Campus, 41 S. Central, 63105. For more information, call (866) 366-0270 or visit www. missourilawyershelp.org/minilaw-school.

Wed., Apr. 26, 6 p.m., St. Louis County Library presents College Funding

Company presents Willy Wonka Jr..Zack, 3224 Locust St., 63103. For more information, call (314) 533-0367 or visit www. ignitewithus.com.

Apr. 21 – 22, 6:30 p.m., Next Generation Theatre Company presents Night and Day: The Music of Cole Porter. Florissant Civic Center, 1 James J. Eagan Dr., 63033. For more information, call (636) 336-2599 or visit www.nextgenerationtheatre. company.

Through Apr. 23, The Black Rep presents August Wilson’s Seven Guitars, Harris-Stowe State University’s Emerson Performance Center. For tickets or more information, call (314) 534-3810 or visit www.theblackrep.org.

Sat., May 6, 9 a.m., Gateway Hemophilia Association presents Hemophilia Walk/5K. Forest Park, 1 Government Dr., 63110. For more information, call (314) 482-5973 or visit www. hemophiliawalk.donordrive. com.

Sat., May 6, 9 a.m., St. Louis HELP Medical Equipment Donation Drive. We accept tax-deductible donations of manual and power wheelchairs, shower chairs, canes/crutches/walkers, grab bars, lift chairs, and more. For more information, call (314) 567-4700 or visit www. stlhelp.org.

Resources. Registration required. Thornhill Branch, 12863 Willowyck Dr., 63146.

Wed., Apr. 26, 7 p.m., St. Louis County Library presents Simple Money with Tim Maurer. Maurer demystifies complex financial concepts into understandable, doable actions. Library Headquarters, 1640 S. Lindbergh Blvd., 63131.

Sat., Apr. 29, 9 a.m., Financial Freedom Seminar. This workshop will cover sound tax minimization strategies, debt elimination game planning, asset accumulation and credit restoration. Keller Williams Realty Office, 10936 Manchester Ave., 63122. For more information, visit www. eventbrite.com.

theatre

Apr. 20 – 23, Ignite Theatre

Apr. 21 – 30, UMSL Theatre and Cinema Arts presents My Country: A Devised Work. Delve into how we view our country as citizens of different races, creeds, religions, etc. 501 N. Grand Blvd., 63103. For more information, visit www.kranzbergartscenter.org.

Through May 7, The Fox presents The Lion King. The Fabulous Fox Theatre. For more information, visit www. metrotix.com or call (314) 534-1111.

health

Sat., Apr. 29, 8:30 a.m., 2017 St. Louis Kidney Walk. Featuring Blackdog and the Rainmakers. St. Louis University, 3338 Olive St., 63103. For more information or to register, visit www. donate.kidney.org.

Sat., Apr. 29, 12 p.m., Brittany Hill presents BackTrap Yoga. A live DJ spins eclectic mixes guiding you through different shapes, linking them with breath. 2720 Cherokee St., 63118. For more information, visit www.eventbrite.com

Sat., May 6, 12:30 p.m., Slaying Dragons’ Young Actors Theatre presents Losing Hope. A play focusing on depression and suicide within our youth. A mental health expert will do a Q & A following the performance. 829 N. Hanley, 63130. For more information, call (314) 596-1219 or visit www.slayingdragons.org.

Fri., May 11, 8 a.m., Project AWARE Youth Mental Health First Aid Training. Behavioral Health Response, 12647 Olive Blvd., Ste. 200, 63141. For more information or to register, call (314) 6286229 or visit www.bhrstl.org.

Sat., Apr. 22, 7 p.m., Community Gospel Choir of St. Louis 10th Anniversary Concert. Salem United Methodist Church, 1200 S. Lindbergh Blvd., 63131. For more information, call (314) 329-4242 or visit www. communitygospelchoir.org.

Sat., Apr. 29, 6 p.m., Kennerly Temple Church of God in Christ invites you to One Night with the King... the Worship Experience. See Evangelist Gail Richardson in concert. 4307 Kennerly Ave., 63113. For more information, call (314) 535-0555.

The Pageant presents Trey Songz: Tremaine the Tour. For more information, see CONCERTS.

Continued from C1

will celebrate the centennial of Ella Fitzgerald. In addition to JALC’s director, Grammy and Pulitzer Prize winner Wynton Marsalis and his JALC orchestra, tributes to “The First Lady of Song” will be remembered through performances by Renée Fleming, Roberta Gambarini, Diana Krall, Alison Krauss, Marilyn Maye, Audra McDonald, Cécile McLorin Salvant in duet with pianist Sullivan Fortner, Camille Thurman and Kenny Washington.

“This is tremendous for us to be honored and recognized for the work that we are doing – whether it’s through the scholarship programs that we’ve got going on, or the 11,000 students that are a part of the Harold and Dorothy Steward Center for jazz or the investment that we’ve made overall,” Steward said.

“Jazz is one of the original music forms in America and it was pioneered by persons of color – and that’s significant.”

It was another “lady of song” who planted the seeds for Steward’s passion for jazz – his mother Dorothy. She was his first piano teacher while he was growing up in the small town of Clinton, Missouri and was a gifted singer with “a tremendous voice,” her son said. For the Stewards, music was a family affair.

“My brothers and sisters – all eight of us – play something,” Steward said.

While she didn’t achieve fame and fortune from her talents, she and her late husband Harold are now known the world over because of the internationally renowned St. Louis jazz institute Steward named in honor of his parents.

“We recently celebrated my mother’s 89th birthday, and as she was speaking she talked about us not having any indoor water. We didn’t have an indoor bathroom. I had

VISIONARY

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for the ceremonies of the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.

“When you get on stage and you have something to give, there is no better feeling,” Watt said. “When you are doing this for people – it gives me shivers just talking about it.”

In the decades since she was introduced to dance, Watt has been paying forward the gift given to her by Wren – which is the primary reason she was named the Outstanding Teaching Artist for the 2017 Visionary Awards.

The program celebrates the achievements of six women artists in various stages of their creative careers. This year’s ceremony takes place Monday, April 24 at The Sun Theater in Grand Center.

“I’ve followed the work of Pelagie Green Wren and Katherine Dunham,” Watt said of her former teachers.

good fight.” Watt is joined by poet and author Shirley Bradley LeFlore (Outstanding Working Artist), philanthropist Sally S. Levy (Major Contributor to the Arts), arts educator and administrator Gina Martinez (Community Impact Artist), photographer and visual

n “When you get on stage and you have something to give, there is no better feeling.”

– Vivian Anderson Watt

artist Kat Simone Reynolds (Outstanding Emerging Artist) and playwright Nancy Bell (Outstanding Arts Professional) as this year’s Visionary Awards honorees.

honor – especially at the age of 25,” Reynolds said. “I work really hard, and it feels great to see that the work that I do is being looked at and people see me as a working black woman [in the arts]. You just don’t know that people are watching you and the work that you are doing. You get into this bubble where you think you are out there by yourself.”

Reynolds feels the Visionary Awards is a reflection of what is needed as far as recognizing the vital role the arts play in society. She feels that citizens should make a point to express the necessity of the arts in everyday life in light of the looming cuts to arts funding as a result of the Trump administration.

“It’s important to come together and say, ‘Art is really important for the community of St. Louis,’” Reynolds said. “We need to band together and talk to the politicians and ask them how important they think the arts are for the morale of the community.”

forgotten that,” Steward said. “What I realized in that moment is – and we weren’t poor – that there is a richness in this music. I don’t care how poor you think you are or how bad you think you have it, there is a richness that our kids can have hope for.”

A likely partnership Steward and Marsalis’ relationship goes back several years.

“He is the ambassador of ambassadors as far as the experience,” Steward said of Marsalis. “He’s so talented, so humble and so gracious and eager to explore opportunities. Our joint love of the art form and wanting to preserve it for generations to come is what forged this unique, special friendship.”

The Stewards have supported programming and educational efforts at JALC – including financial support for the 16-city Abyssinian Mass Tour in 2013.

The tour, which blended jazz

and sacred African-American music, was a transformative moment for all those who experienced it – and Steward was no exception.

“To capture the spirit of that and the core of that – man. The spirit is alive through that music,” Steward said. “That experience showed that we are important, relevant and significant for the future of this country and for the world –and that talent that God gave us that we are sharing with the world has helped shape what the world is today, and will shape what the world will be in the future.”

The next year after the tour, when the Harold and Dorothy Steward Center for Jazz opened to the public, Marsalis was on hand to help celebrate.

“This is such a great thing for the jazz community,” Marsalis said at the center’s grand opening. “I’m gonna be talking about y’all everywhere I go – saying what’s happening with jazz in St. Louis.”

Next Wednesday’s honor is proof that he kept his promise.

“They always gave back to the community. I don’t do what I do for the recognition, but there is something to be said about being acknowledged – and feeling like you are fighting the

SEVEN

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(Cathy Simpson) constantly reminds her of why she and Floyd split. Louise’s niece Ruby (Lakesha Glover) moves from Alabama to live with her after an unfortunate turn of events stemming from a complicated romance resulted in tragedy.

Plenty of foreshadowing and irony ensue, from King Hedley’s (Ron Himes) intense, crazed rants, often about the Bible to Louise’s wise, yet funny, voice of reason. Themes of lack and abundance echo throughout the production, including the lengths that people – poor in resources, opportunity or respect – will go to ensure their needs are met. In one scene, Hedley told a story about how he killed a man for laughing and refusing to call him by his first name, “King.” Each actor’s performance, under Ed Smith’s direction, is realistic and genuine, allowing audiences to become lost in the world of the characters. The monologues are flawless, with the right degree of pause, emotion and power. The characters’ internal and external struggles

The cadre is reminiscent of LeFlore’s famous poem “Rivers of Women” in that the honorees come from all walks of life, disciplines and ages.

“I really think it’s a huge

remain front and center.

Dixon, who is studying for his bachelor of arts at the University of Missouri-St. Louis, was leisurely, harmonious and likeable as Canewell.

Kennedy, an award-winning actor, is a graceful, quiet, assertive and attractive Vera – who knows who she is and what she wants.

Leggs’ (a Broadway veteran who grew up in St. Louis and got his start at The Black Rep) portrayal of Floyd as a man committed to getting what he wants at all costs, regardless of what it takes for him to get it, adequately depicts a twisted “rags to riches” American Dream ideal, which repeatedly falls short.

Simpson, also an award-winning actor, is concerned, honest and witty as Louise, who always tells the truth through humor.

Costume designer Michael Alan Stein further reveals each character through their expressive dresses, suits, prints, accessories and shoes, presenting a glimpse into the ‘40s.

In Wilson fashion, the production offers a glimpse into life as a black man or woman in America. It analyzes mistrust of doctors, segregation, mental illness and race in society,

The 2017 Visionary Awards will take place 6-8 p.m. at The Sun Theater in Grand Center, 3625 Grandel Square, 63103. For more information, visit www.vizawards.org.

while offering a history lesson. The Black Rep did an outstanding job encapsulating the rawness, familiarity and hope of Wilson’s work. It is a powerful play, meaningful for the past, present and future.

Performances of Seven Guitars at the Emerson Performance Center (HarrisStowe University) run through April 23. Show times are Wednesday and Thursday at 7 p.m., Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 3 p.m. Tickets for Seven Guitars at the Emerson Performance Center are on sale now online at The Black Rep, by calling (314) 534-3807, or in person at The Black Rep Box Office. Sharee Silerio is a St. Louis-based freelance writer, Film and TV writer-producer and blogger. When she isn’t creating content for The Root or Curly Nikki, she enjoys watching drama/sci-fi/comedy movies and TV shows, writing faith and self-love posts for SincerelySharee.com, relaxing with a cup of chai tea, crafting chic DIY event décor, and traveling. Review her freelance portfolio at ShareeSilerio. com then connect with her on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

Photo by Lawrence Bryant

David Steward, Wynton Marsalis and Thelma Steward during the grand opening celebration for the Harold and Dorothy Steward Center for Jazz in 2014.

How Ntozake Shange reads St. Louis

By Jonathan C. Smith

For The St. Louis American

When I went away to college in the fall of 1977, Ntozake Shange’s for colored girls who have considered suicide / when the rainbow is enuf was well on its way to becoming a touchstone of African-American literature and culture. By 1982 the play was everywhere: on Broadway, on tour, adapted into both a book and a made-for-television film. This work ushered in an age of black women’s literature and theory unlike any before it. For us new adults grappling with how to be black men and women following the Civil Rights Movement, Ntozake Shange, Barbara Wallace, Toni Morrison, Alice Walker and Gloria Naylor wrote the texts that undergirded our debates, discussions and dialogues. And for colored girls was always the one text we could turn to for starting discussions about love, sex, violence, childhood, literacy, geography or spirituality.

Ntozake Shange spent an important part of her childhood here. Her black middle-class parents moved from Trenton, New Jersey, to St. Louis’s Visitation Park neighborhood in 1956 when Shange was 8 years old. Her father, a surgeon, and her mother, a psychiatric social worker, decided to bus her to an integrated school. They lived in St. Louis until Shange was 13. Shange’s time in St. Louis roughly coincides with the beginning of the Civil Rights Movement. The Brown v. Board of Education decision was a recent event. Martin Luther King Jr. and the citizens of Montgomery, Alabama, were in the midst of a historic bus boycott. And before Shange left St. Louis, lunch counter sit-ins were happening in Greensboro, North Carolina, and Arlington, Virginia.

Ntozake Shange lived here at a time when St. Louisans could go see national stars like Jackie Wilson. She lived here when local musicians such as Chuck Berry, Ike Turner and the Ikettes, and Tina Turner were making the sounds that laid the foundation of rock, pop and R&B. Perhaps most important, she lived here when voters

approved a $10 million bond issue to raze and renew 465 acres between Union Station and Saint Louis University. By the time she left in 1961 the leveling was complete: More than 5,000 housing units had been demolished, and the renewal of Mill Creek Valley was a dream dashed. Throughout her St. Louis years, Shange witnessed cultural and political change, and she experienced personal growth and change. This is the stuff from which Shange’s poems, plays and novels are made. Her work seems populated by St. Louisans familiar with these pivotal years and events. In for colored girls, for instance, the lady in orange says, “i’m outside st. louis.” In her introduction to the second publication of for colored girls, we learn that this phrase is precisely where the composition of the choreopoem begins. In nappy edges she remembers Sumner High School. And this leads us to remember when St. Louis was Chuck Berry and Tina Turner’s town.

Betsey Brown, perhaps the most essential black St. Louis novel ever written, is a semiautobiographical coming-of-age story. Just like Ntozake Shange, Betsey Brown is the daughter of a black middle-class couple

who lives in Visitation Park. Greer Brown, Betsey’s father, is a surgeon. Her mother, Jane Brown, is a social worker. Their extended family and livein domestic workers reside in an iconic, three-story Victorian house full of hiding places. Betsey retreats to these places to contemplate the change that she sees and feels coming. Shange returns to a St. Louis that hints of the city she once inhabited – and the St. Louis of Betsey Brown. The renewal of Mill Creek Valley that NAACP leaders wanted in 1959 never happened. But today, as in 1956, St. Louisans know that we are positioned at a historical juncture. Since the death of Mike Brown Jr. in 2014, St. Louis has been in the eyes of the nation and the world. Ntozake Shange’s work reminds us that our children are growing, watching, and remembering too. Eventually, they will come back to read and to read us, just as Ntozake Shange will when she returns to St. Louis for a sold-out event at the Missouri History Museum next week.

Jonathan C. Smith is assistant professor of African American Studies and special assistant to the president for Diversity and Community Engagement at Saint Louis University.

Best in STEM in Jennings

Carla Jefferson was honored as 2017 STEM Teacher of the Year for the Jennings School District. She is a science teacher at Jennings Junior High College Prep and Career Academy. A colleague noted that Jefferson “reaches into her own finances in order to supply materials for classroom experiments that the school district cannot afford.”

Continued from C1

of the East Hawaii Cultural Center, a community arts space.

Marshall’s work is abstract, giving pleasure through the interplay of color, figure, layer and texture, while seldom being truly figural – and seldom being named by the artist.

Trained as a painter at the University of Illinois and Yale University, where he earned his MFA in 1977, Marshall was inspired to make mono prints after seeing the sculptor Albert Paley make mono prints during a visit to Hilo.

“I had the idea to do mono prints with different materials to create layered stencils, so things show up in relief when you run them through the press,” Marshall said. “I explored the idea of shade and color in relief relationships.”

He acknowledged an element of chance when running the same print through

a press repeatedly, printing in relief from hand-made stencils and varying inks, but once he numbers a print and offers it for view, it is his composition.

“They are not accidents at all, but nor are they

n “The prints that make it out of the studio are the ones that upon completion have what I feel is a strong resolution to themselves and can hold up on their own.”

– Michael Marshall

predetermined either,” Marshall said. “When I make prints I don’t plan them as finished works, but I have shapes I made that day and colors I set

out. I pull six to eight prints per session. I don’t have all successes, but each one helps me make it to the next stage. The prints that make it out of the studio are the ones that upon completion have what I feel is a strong resolution to themselves and can hold up on their own.”

It’s tempting to see figures and imagine little dramas and commentaries in the beautiful layers of colors and forms that Marshall creates using this process, but the artist is not very interested in what observers see in his images and feels no need to guide the viewer by titling his prints. “I don’t title them,” he said. “I don’t think they need titles.” Atrium Gallery, 4814 Washington Ave. in the Central West End, is open 10 a.m.5 p.m. Thursday through Saturday and by appointment on Tuesday and Wednesday. “Abstraction” closes April 25. Contact the gallery at (314) 367-1076, atrium@earthlink. net or www.atriumgallery.net.

Ntozake Shange

Photo by Adger Cowans, courtesy of officialntozakeshange.com.

ART

Celebrations

Scholar Bowl Champs

Birthdays

Sending birthday wishes to Maya Jones on April 22! Your grandparents would like to wish you a Happy 21st Birthday! Your family loves you, and we are very proud of you.

Wishing our daughter Alexis Ja’Nae Harwell a Happy 21st Birthday on April 26. You are such a wonderful, smart and caring daughter. Your life will continue to be bright, just keep God first. Love, Ma and Deddy

Happy 60th Birthday to my uncle, Joseph Neal, on April 22. Love, Tracy Neal

Reunions

Beaumont Alumni Class of 1968 “Cowboys to Girls Western Dance” on Saturday, April 29, 2017, 8:00p.m.-1:00 a.m. at Machinists Hall, 12365 St Charles Rock Rd. Prizes for Best Dressed Cowboy and Cowgirl. BYOB Advance

$12.00, Door

$15.00 Contact for info 314-869-8312.

Cleveland High School is hosting a reunion for all attending 1980-1984 on August 19, 2017 at Catering To You Banquet Center (12775 New Halls Ferry Rd., Florissant, MO 63033) For information, please contact Babette Perkins-Anderson at 314-345-0939.

East St. Louis Lincoln Sr. High Class of 1967 celebrates its 50th Class Reunion, June 23-25, 2017 at The Renaissance Hotel, 9601 Natural Bridge Road, St. Louis, MO. Activities include Friday night meet & greet, picnic cruise on the Becky Thatcher, banquet with live entertainment and Sunday morning worship. Please contact Deborah Davis Holmes

at deehom50@aol.com or call 314-280-3711 for more information.

Mr. Eldridge Bryant, Sr. is hosting a reunion for his students at Lafayette and Monroe Elementary Schools in SLPS from 1999-2000 For more information, please contact him at: 314-489-0532 or eldridgbrya@sbcglobal.net.

O’Fallon Technical High School Class of 1967, will be celebrating its 50th reunion on September 15-17, 2017. If you have not received a letter or e-mail, please call 314630-8452 with your contact information, and a committee member will contact you. Save the date, there will not be another 50th.

Soldan High School Class of 1967 will be holding its 50th class reunion September 29-30, 2017. For additional information, please contact Nona Binion Simpkins at 314361-3799or Melvia Forniss at 314-725-8103.

Soldan High School Class of 1977 celebrating its 40-year reunion on Friday June 2-4, 2017 at the Crown Plaza Hotel located at 11228 Lone Eagle Dr. in Bridgeton, MO. For further information, please contact Debbie Marshall at 314-831-8831.

Soldan is having its 12th AllClass Alumni Picnic August 12, 2017 at Tiemeyer Park, 3311 Ashby Rd., St. Ann, MO 63074 from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. The

picnic is free. Bring your own basket or grill and grill out there. Food truck will be on site. T-Shirts will be sold for $15.00. You have until August 6, 2017, to get your grad. year put on the sleeve. For more information, call (314) 4139088.

Sumner Class of 1982 will have its 35-year reunion August 3-6, 2017 at TanTar-A resort in the Lake of the Ozarks. We are inviting all alumni, friends and families to join us. For more information, please contact Lovey Davis at 314-435-8055, Michelle Elgin at 314-452-1275 or Jonathan Butler at 314-437-9758 for more information or to make a reservation.

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. Louis, MO 63103 FREE OF CHARGE

Reunion notices are free of charge and based on space availability. We prefer that notices be emailed to us! However, notices may also be sent by mail to: Kate Daniel, 2315 Pine St.,

Students from Parker Road Elementary School in Ferguson-Florissant School District are the team winners of the district’s 2017 Scholar Bowl competition. The fifth graders competed against teams from all of the district’s elementary schools to win the title. Teams compete in four different challenges, and in order to take first place, a team must be strong in all four areas.

ACLU sues for records about implementing Muslim ban

American staff

The American Civil Liberties Union of Missouri filed a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit last week demanding government documents about the on-the-ground implementation of President Trump’s Muslim bans. This action was part of a total of 13 FOIA lawsuits filed by ACLU affiliates across the country.

The ACLU of Missouri lawsuit is seeking records concerning U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s local implementation of President Trump’s January 27 Executive Order. In particular, the lawsuit seeks records related to CBP’s implementation of President

Trump’s Muslim bans at the Kansas City and St. Louis international airports.

The ACLU first sought this information through FOIA requests submitted to CBP on February 2. Since the government has failed to substantively respond, the ACLU is now suing.

“President Trump made an unconstitutional order to ban Muslims that created chaos and confusion across the nation,” said Jeffrey Mittman, executive director of the ACLU of Missouri. “Now, he wants to hide what happened. The ACLU won’t let that happen on our watch.”

“CBP has a long history of ignoring its obligations

under the federal Freedom of Information Act — a law that was enacted to ensure that Americans have timely access to information of pressing public concern,” said Mitra Ebadolahi, Border Litigation Project staff attorney with the ACLU of San Diego and Imperial Counties.

“The public has a right to know how federal immigration officials have handled the implementation of the Muslim bans, especially after multiple federal courts have blocked various aspects of these executive orders.”

Each lawsuit seeks unique and local information regarding how CBP implemented the executive orders at specific

Protestors at O’Hare International Airport in Chicago opposed the implementation of President Trump’s Muslim travel ban on January 28.

I am currently working with a young man who had been incarcerated for a short while and he, by his testimony, got a lot closer to God during this trial in his life. He says prison is indeed, the devil’s playground, if there ever was one. Due to his attempt to walk with God, he claimed to be under constant attack.

I’ve heard many a minister in my time say there is one sure way to get Satan’s attention and that is to turn your life over to Christ. Your lifestyle is what gives Lucifer access to your world. As long as you engage in the negative side of life, he doesn’t need to spend any time struggling for your soul. Succumbing to life’s trials and temptations is sentence enough to insure that you will die and live void of God’s presence. Life without God is the quintessential definition of hell.

airports and ports of entry in the midst of rapidly developing and sometimes conflicting government guidance.

The coordinated lawsuits seek information from the following local CBP offices: Atlanta, Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, Detroit, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, Portland, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle, Tampa and Tucson.

All of the affiliate FOIA lawsuits will be available at https://www.aclu.org/ other/aclu-cbp-foia-lawsuitsregarding-muslim-banimplementation. For more background on CBP’s FOIA practices, visit https://www. aclu.org/letter/aclu-letter-cbpre-foia-practices-july-2016.

Dealing with all we have to deal with in the physical world makes it easy to sometime lose sight of the obvious. A life without purpose, one without direction or faith, is a life wandering aimlessly on a highway headed straight to hell. The devil does not have to expend any energy trying to gain access to this kind of a life. He can merely set up a toll booth at hell’s entrance and collect unsuspecting souls on the way by. Many of us can’t even remember the night before. We just try and deal with the headache of the morning after. Perhaps we should at least try to make the devil sweat just a little bit, put in some work, if he’s to add you to his trophy cabinet. A life dedicated to purpose, anchored in faith, lived with integrity means Satan has his work cut out for him. That makes you a target for attack, as my incarcerated friend described. But it also guarantees your victory. I’m trying to ambush the devil every day by appealing to the Lord to allow me to do his will as opposed to my own. Satan is coming for anyone who tries to hear and respond to God’s Word. It’s his

“Some people are like seed along the path where the Word is sown. As soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the Word that was sown in them.” Mark 4:5. If we know this, what are we doing to arm ourselves against his assault? Remember, Satan is liar. He’s good at what he does. “And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light.” 2 Corinthians 11:14. As a believer, you have a neon sign that shines brightly in all kingdoms of this world and the next. It alerts everyone around you about your life’s purpose to honor God with how you live. Satan has a problem with any life so filled with the love of God that he can’t wreck with the temptations of this world. I’m told that he once loved God himself. But he came to love himself more. And that’s the game he plays on you. He wants you to come to love yourself more than you love God.

Columnist James Washington

U.S.

Swag Snap of the Week

An awesome soulful Emily. I was expecting the best when I made my way to the Ready Room for New York neosoulstress Emily King’s first trip to the STL. She’s been in the game for 10 years – so long that one of her songs was actually my Myspace profile theme song. For the life of me I don’t know how she managed to have a whole decade long career without stopping through. I’ll tell you what though…she will most certainly be back with the warm reception she received from our city. She was not ready for it and was almost moved to tears at hello. I was disappointed that she didn’t have a full band, but who knew complete life could be given with two guitars, a beat machine and a microphone. Anyway, the folks loved her so that one thirsty, glowstick carrying fan kept inserting herself into the show during Emily’s talking transitions. You know a city loves you when somebody volunteers to do your taxes from the audience. The audience got tired of her shenanigans really quickly, but Emily handled with grace, and threw down as far as the actual set. Ninety-five percent of y’all probably haven’t heard of Emily before now, which is probably why she was downright in shock when she saw most of the seats filled with folks determined to make the show a sing-a-long…and they knew all of the words. That ninety minutes of acoustic neo-soul gave me everything I’ve been missing and maybe even a bit more since India.Arie has been hovered into her little anti-tour crypt. Emily also let us know that she signed a new record deal, so maybe she can get the distribution and exposure she deserves.

Suite Soul Spot’s second coming. It was actually a double scoop of neosoul delight as Vanita “Applebum” Thompson announced that she would be reviving her Suite Soul Spot concert series at a special re-launch gathering Saturday night at The Dark Room at The Grandel. Now I’m going to start calling myself a psychic. After I said I hoped she would be bringing it back to life, Vanita told me that she was in the process of pulling it back together. The first show of the revamp will be the one and only Anthony David on May 27. I can’t wait. He’s right up there with Emily King as far as making an acoustic guitar melt. Lil Durk on deck…again. For a rapper who rolls through every three weeks, Lil Durk sure can pull a crowd. It wasn’t as many folks as the last time, but considering the fact that he was JUST in town his visit was a major win for the Marquee Friday night. I’m convinced he has an STL chick and has decided to pop up at the club to collect coins for their romantic weekend. Before you start giving me the side eye, keep in mind that I’ve been right about this theory nearly 100 percent of the time. Yo Gotti is yet to be confirmed, but I’m all but certain it’s true. But back to Friday night, I was thrilled to run into my boy King Yella as he came through to get some shots of Durk on stage. If you want a recap of the show, just go back and read what I said about it the last time he was in town. The crowd was a bit thinner, but everything else about it was identical. What? There’s no point in making write the same thing over again. Okay, the folks were lit as he rapped along to tracks. Are you happy now? Speaking of lit, who was the dude with the ski googles on up in the club?

Patois in progress. I made my way to Patois, a.k.a. the Caribbean restaurant that took over the space formerly occupied by the Rustic Goat, for their grand opening Saturday evening. There were kinks to be worked out, but I will give them the benefit of the doubt – mainly because it’s been a minute since the space operated as a full-fledged restaurant, but partly because a few of my friends work there as part of its Caribbean cuisine incarnation. It was poppin’ with people though. I saw some of my favorite folks in the building. Kira Van Niel, Toi from De’Borah Bloom and Leon Williamson to name a few. Oh and Sorry Shaki, I didn’t notice you until I was already out the door and The Ready Room R&B shows tend to start on time. I’m eager to see what Patois turns into. Looks like the club element of Rustic Goat is being scooted next door and HG has gone on to glory.

Underwhelmed at the Redd Foxx tribute. I had the highest of hopes when I hit up the Pageant Sunday night for the Redd Foxx homage comedy set/variety show hosted by Darius Bradford. Between you and me, I kind of expected the crowd to be on the light side. However, I thought I would be cackling all up and through that show as we paid tribute to a comedy legend by way of the new school talent following in Foxx’s footsteps. Not so much. I don’t know if the skeet crowd had him shook, but Darius wasn’t his hilarious self. Luckily for the other comics that I came to support and show love, because they had me on the verge of a boofest. Do you hear me? That Larry Greene gave me the absolute blues. I know he’s fresh in the game, so I’ll give him some advice. Comedy is serious business that takes years and years of work to master the craft of it. And it’s an instant fail when you don’t get the details of your punchline correct. Nobody is going to laugh about thinking somebody’s uncle was a Delta because he was dressed in pink and green on Easter – and not just because it’s not funny. If you decide to tell that joke next Easter, be sure to keep in mind that AKAs are the ones that wear the pink and green…though I don’t think it will help elicit any more laughter. Darius has had quite the run over the past couple of years – I must say that Sunday was the first time in quite a stretch that I wasn’t in stitches. I’m just going to charge it to the game of everyone having an off night, and be ready to cackle the next time I see him.

Caity, Kim and Michelle made the most of their weekend in VIP Saturday night @ Mood

Sisters Queen and Tiffany partied @ RG Friday night

Brooke and Monica were all smiles Saturday @ HG

Kimmie, Michelle and Pam came out to party with Lil Durk Friday night @ The Marquee

Roy was joined by the beautiful Ms. Lynn and Sue Friday for the final night of the original Rustic Goat

Lady Jag and Erica stepped out for some fun Saturday night @ RG

Satcie and Shaunti stunned in all black @ Rustic Goat Friday night

Kim and Dee looked stunning in VIP @ HG Saturday

Uche and Brandon Saturday @ Mood

Kendra and Nisha came through to party with Lil Durk Friday @ The Marquee

Chicago rapper Lil Durk made another stop at The Marquee Friday night and was met with plenty of love from fans like Big We.

Photos by John Scott

St. LouiS american Career Center

DRUG ANALYSIS TECHNICIAN

Drug Analysis Technician vacancy/ies, Eastern District of Missouri. Generous retirement/beneits package. For additional information including how to apply, see our website at www.moep. uscourts.gov. Vacancy Announcement 2017-04. Equal Opportunity Employer.

NORTHWOODS POLICE DEPARTMENT

is now accepting applications. Applications can be obtained at 4608 Oakridge Blvd., Northwoods, MO 63121. Applicants must be P.O.S.T. Certiied to apply for this position.

PARENT EDUCATOR

Parents as Teachers National Center has an opening for a contracted full time Parent Educator. he Parent Educator will provide personal home visits for a caseload of 18 families to complete developmental/health/ vision/hearing screenings and family centered assessments. For a full job description, requirements & to apply go to our website: http://parentsasteachers.org/jobs

CITY OF ST PETERS CAREER OPPORTUNITIES

Are you a team player? Work for an employer who values and supports teamwork for their employees. For current job openings please check our website at www.stpetersmo.net. City Hall also has job openings posted in the lobby.

Apply in person, fax application to 636-477-1044, or mail to: Human Resources

City of St. Peters One St. Peters Centre Blvd. P.O. Box 9 St. Peters, MO 63376

AA/EOE

MIDDLE SCHOOL SOCIAL STUDIES TEACHER

Marian Middle School, an all-girls, Catholic middle school committed to breaking the cycle of poverty through a life-altering education, is seeking a faith-illed, mission oriented, highly qualiied candidate for the position of 6th-8th grade social studies teacher for the 2017-2018 school year. he ideal candidate will be certiied, with two or more years of experience in instruction and classroom management with urban adolescents. Please send letter of interest and resume to broche@mmsstl.org. Applicants of all racial and ethnic backgrounds encouraged to apply.

CHIEF PRICING ACTUARY

at Safety National

Responsible for developing and maintaining pricing standards and models. Provide leadership of pricing team to support transactional pricing for all of Safety National’s products. To apply, please visit: www.safetynational.com and click on the Careers tab.

HOUSING ATTORNEY POSITION

COORDINATOR

PSA Policy Reporting at Safety National

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: www.safetynational.com and click on the Careers tab.

CHURCH !

A Professional Organ Player/Accompanist, Piano, Pipe Organ, Teacher, Minister of Music is seeking an open Church Position. All churches of different faiths, Please make Inquiry: 314-652-1107

ATTORNEYS

he Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) has vacancies for three staf attorneys in its Central Oice in Jeferson City. hese positions primarily comprise an oice practice that provides legal advice and drating (e.g., opinions, contracts, administrative rules, legislation, etc.) work, but the successful applicants will also be expected to handle a limited litigation practice involving contested case hearings before the Administrative Hearing Commission to prosecute violations of federal and state motor carrier and railroad statutes and regulations, as well as environmental and contractor claims.

Requirements include: a Juris Doctor degree and membership in good standing with the Missouri Bar Association. Excellent research, writing and communication skills are preferred.

hese are entry-level positions, which have a starting salary of $48,972/ year, but this salary may be adjusted commensurate with experience. MoDOT also ofers an excellent personal leave, medical and retirement beneits package.

An on-line application with resume and copies of oicial undergraduate and law school transcripts must be submitted by May 12, 2017 at www.modot.org, under “Career Opportunities”.

MoDOT is an equal employment opportunity and airmative action employer.

LPNs CNA’S and AIDS Adrienne’s adult in-home service now hiring RN’s LPNs cna’s and AIDS with at least 2 years experience. For more information please contact Andrienne at 314-241-5456

HUMAN RESOURCES

Do you enjoy working in a fast paced environment and love working with people? If so, we are looking for you! Lutheran Family and Children’s Services of Missouri is seeking a Human Resources Generalist. For more information please go to www.LFCSMo.org. EOE/AA/M/F/D/V

Legal Services of Eastern Missouri, Inc. (LSEM), a non-proit law irm that provides free legal assistance to people living with low income/low opportunity, in 21 eastern Missouri counties, seeks an attorney to work in its Housing Program and the Youth and Family Advocacy Project. he position is located in LSEM’s St. Louis oice. For more information regarding the position and the application process please visit www.lsem.org. his position closes May 14, 2017.

Heavy Equipment Diesel Mechanic

Professionally skilled diesel mechanic is needed in Chattanooga, Tn. You will be working with heavy equipment including but not limited to: hoist and hydraulic cranes, loaders, forklits, and towboats. Experience with these various equipment types not required but is a plus. Experience with Cummins engines is a plus. We manage a shipyard, barge oloading/ loading facilities, and operate several towboats. You will be expected preform regular and preventative maintenance duties, diagnostics, troubleshooting, and emergency repairs. We ofer health and dental insurance and a proit sharing plan.

Please call Peter or Tom at our shipyard location to set up an interview. 423-942-7000

ACTUARIAL ANALYST AT SAFETY NATIONAL

Perform pricing analyses for Loss Portfolio Transfers (LPT) and support pricing initiatives. To apply, please visit: www.safetynational.com and click on the Careers tab.

AUDITING SERVICES

he Missouri Lottery is accepting bids for the purpose of establishing a contract for auditing services . he bid document with the speciications can be obtained by going to http:// www.molottery.com/learnaboutus/ bid_opportunities.shtm or by contacting Judy Martin at judy.martin@ molottery.com or 573-751-4050.

ASSISTANT

Claims Operations at Safety National Responsible for various support tasks related to: loss run review and posting. To apply, please visit: www.safetynational.com and click on the Careers tab.

REPRESENTATIVE

he Oice of Academic Advising is seeking a Representative. Please apply online at http://webster.peopleadmin.com/postings/2339. No phone calls please. Webster University provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, national origin, ethnicity, age, protected veteran or disabled status, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.

GRAVIOS

BARTENDERS & WAITRESS All new nite life he Boulevard now hiring Experience bartenders & waitress Apply in person 2543 n Grand or call 314-393-6181

CAMPUS PUBLIC SAFETY OFFICER

Maryville University is seeking a culturally aware public safety oicer for the 7 am – 3 pm, Friday through Tuesday shit to maintain a safe and secure living and working environment on a diverse and multicultural campus. Public Safety Oicers manage all efective patrol, enforcement, and community services during the assigned shit. he oicer will respond to service calls requiring excellent customer service focused to serve the diverse and multicultural campus population of faculty, staf, students, and visitors.

Minimum Qualiications:

• U.S. citizen or permanent resident as required to obtain private security oicer license.

• Must be at least 21 years of age.

• Must possess and maintain an armed private security oicer license under the guidelines of the St. Louis County Police Department.

• Associate’s degree from an accredited university.

• Successful completion of a psychological screening, and drug screening upon hire and throughout employment.

• Ability to obtain certiication to carry OC spray, ASP baton and handcufs.

• Excellent oral and written communication skills.

• Ability to multi-task and set priorities.

• Strong human relations skills with the ability to interact positively with a diverse University population.

• Ability to develop and implement strong problem solving techniques.

• Knowledge of basic irst aid, CPR and AED.

• Ability to work with others in a team atmosphere.

• Good organizational and management skills.

• Ability to work weekends and nights to include overnight and holidays. Preferred Qualiications:

• Bachelor’s degree in criminal justice, political science or related ield.

• Cultural competency and/or sensitivity knowledge and training.

Physical Demands: Respond to any crisis that may occur on campus, including severe weather, ire, medical emergencies, hazardous material incidents, chemical spill/accidents. Incidents may occur in adverse weather, high heat, cold temperatures, snow, rain, earthquakes, etc.

Work Hours: Friday through Tuesday, 7 am – 3 pm. Wednesdays and hursdays of.

Special Instructions to Applicant:

REPRESENTATIVE

he Oice of Academic Advising is seeking a Representative. Please apply online at http://webster.peopleadmin.com/postings/2339. No phone calls please. Webster University provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, national origin, ethnicity, age, protected veteran or disabled status, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.

COMPUTER OPERATOR

REJIS is currently seeking a Computer Operator to provide basic PC troubleshooting, hardware/sotware knowledge and server skills. Excellent customer service skills.

To see our beneits or apply for this or other jobs, please visit:www.rejis.org

EOE/Minorities/Females/Vet/Disabled/ Sexual Orientation/Gender Identity he REJIS Commission has developed an EEOP Utilization Report as required by the United States Department of Justice. It is available for review on our website atrejis.org/employment.

he Service Technician ensures that all mechanical and building facilities are kept in optimal working order to provide a safe and functioning environment for faculty, staf, and students. he Service Technician maintains eicient operations of facilities through work order requests including light electrical, plumbing, carpentry, and painting. he Service Technician performs preventative maintenance tasks as assigned and supports other areas of the department in completing larger tasks such as event set-ups, snow removal, summer maintenance, furniture moving, HVAC ilter changes and equipment maintenance. he successful candidate must be committed to fostering a culturally diverse atmosphere for faculty, staf and students.

Minimum Qualiications:

• High school education or equivalent.

• Two years of experience in facilities maintenance (internship, apprenticeship or practicum is acceptable).

• Basic mechanical knowledge regarding building infrastructure.

• Knowledge of electricity, especially multi-voltages and hazards.

• Must have a good understanding of blueprint and schematic reading.

• Knowledge of material inventory and ordering.

• Must maintain Class E Driver’s License in the State of Missouri.

• Basic computer skills.

• Excellent interpersonal skills to deal with a multi-cultural population of co-workers, faculty, staf, students and the public.

Preferred Qualiications:

• Technical or vocational education.

• Proicient in the use of Apple products including iPad and iPhone.

• Professional experience in K-12 or higher education facility.

Physical Demands:

• Inclement working conditions.

• Work with high voltage, high temperature water and steam.

• Work at varying heights from 5 to 40 feet.

• Heavy liting up to 50 pounds.

• Prolonged standing.

and ladders.

• Climbing

Work Hours:

SECTION 001116 ADVERTISEMENT FOR BIDDERS

Sealed bids will be received by the Construction Manager, S. M. Wilson & Co. for the Work Packages described herein at S. M. Wilson & Company Jobsite Trailer, 1201 Warson Road, St. Louis, Missouri 63124 until 2:00 p.m. on April 27, 2017 (Bid Package #03A. Bids will be opened publicly and read aloud at that time. Bids must be hand delivered to the above address by 2:00 p.m. If you elect to mail your bid, it must be mailed to S. M. Wilson & Company Jobsite Trailer, 1201 Warson Road, St. Louis, Missouri 63124.

Attention: Mr. Vernon Pfeil

Subject: Bid Package #03A – Misc. Steel here will be a Pre-bid Site Walk-through Meeting at 9:00 a.m. on Wednesday, April 19, 2017. he meeting will be held at Ladue High School, 1201 Warson Road, St. Louis, Missouri 63124 - We will meet in the South parking lot at the S.M. Wilson JOB-SITE TRAILER. he purpose of this meeting is to observe current existing conditions and to address any technical questions concerning the project from prospective bidders. All Contractors are highly encouraged to attend this meeting. hose Contractors who do not attend the Pre-Bid Meeting but wish to schedule a site visit must contact Vernon Pfeil, Project Manager at S. M. Wilson & Co at 314/791-0870. Contractors are not allowed to visit the site unless prior arrangements are made with the Construction Manager. he bid package will be available for viewing ater April 10, 2017 at the following locations:

Smartbidnet

https://secure.smartbidnet.com/External/PublicPlanRoom. aspx?Id=296473&i=1

he Construction Manager for this project is S. M. Wilson & Co. and the Project Manager is Vernon Pfeil, 314/791-0870 phone, vernon.pfeil@smwilson.com email.

S. M. Wilson & Co. is an Equal Opportunity Employer. S. M. Wilson strives to make our industry a more inclusive community and to sustain this model for future generations. Bidders agree to take all reasonable steps necessary to ensure Minority, Women and Disadvantage Business Enterprises have an opportunity to participate in the performance of this project. Consideration of subcontract award may be based on diversity involvement.

INVITATION FOR BID

Sealed bids for HVAC and Water Heater Replacement, located in St. Louis County will be received at the Purchasing Oice, Housing Authority of St. Louis County, 8865 Natural Bridge, St. Louis, Mo. 63121, until 10:00 A.M., local time, May 04, 2017 and then publicly opened and read aloud. A certiied or cashier’s check, or bid bond executed by the bidder and an approved Surety Company, in the amount of 5% of the total bid (refundable) shall be submitted with each bid. Speciications can be secured from address above, starting April 17, 2017 from 8:30 A.M. until 4:30 P.M. (Closed Noon – 1:00 P.M.)

A representative of the Authority will be at 9330 Rothwell Heights, St. Louis, MO 63132 on April 20, 2017 at 10:00 A.M. for a walk through. Bidders shall agree to comply with Prevailing Wage Rate Provisions and other statutory regulations referred to in the speciication. Section 3, MBE and WBE contractors are encouraged to participate. he Housing Authority of St. Louis County reserves the right to reject any and all bids, waive any informality, and to choose the bid most advantageous to the Authority.

REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS FOR DEMOLITION, REMEDIATION, ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT AND RELATED SERVICES

NOTICE TO BIDDERS

Seeking proposals from subs, suppliers & qualiied MBE & WBE irms for all constr. div. of River Bluf Manor, a new 46 unit apt. dev. In St. Louis, MO his project has minority participation goals and MWBE irms are encourage to bid. Interested irms should contact Fairway Constr. for a link to access plans and speciications.

Proposal Due: April 21, 2017 @ 5 PM CDT

Direct inquiries to: proposals@ fairwayconstruction.net. Fairway Constr., 206 Peach Way, Columbia, MO 65203, 573-303-3765. Fairway Constr. reserves all rights to waive any bid informalities and is an AA/EOE employer.

RFQ : Design Competition Manager Great Rivers Greenway is soliciting RFQs for a Design Competition Manager for Chouteau Greenway. Check www.GreatRiversGreenway.org/jobs and submit by April 28.

CITY OF ST. LOUIS LAMBERT - ST. LOUIS INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT®

Solicitation For Bids (SFB) for Snow Removal Services

Bids Wanted

Bid documents may be obtained at Lambert St. Louis International Airport - Airport Properties Division, Monday through Friday between 8:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., or by calling (314) 426-8184. his SFB may also be obtained by visiting our website at www.lystl.com (Click on “Business Opportunities”).

Robert Salarano Airport Properties Division Manager

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 631032555 until 10:00 a.m. on May 11th, 2017 to contract with a company for: Cisco Smart Net Services.

Speciications and bid forms may be obtained from www.stlmsd.com, click on the “MSD AT WORK” link, (bid opportunities). he bid document will be identiied as 8901 RFQ. 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.

SPECIAL SCHOOL DISTRICT OF ST. LOUIS

COUNTY ACCEPTING SEALED BIDS

Notice to contractors, Special School District is accepting bids for Welding/HVAC labs and Restroom Renovations. For details, please visit the website at www.ssdmo.org/rfps.html

MAJOR PROJECT MANAGER II

St. Louis Development Corporation has an opening for a Major Project Manager. he full position description and application process can be found online at www.stlouis-mo.gov/sldc select “Careers at SLDC.” SLDC values a diverse workforce, and is an equal opportunity employer.

he St. Louis Economic Development Partnership (the “Partnership”) is soliciting qualiications from experienced irms for demolition, remediation, environmental assessment and related services. his is an “Open RFQ” from which the Partnership may refer during the year, as projects become available. he Partnership will accept qualiications throughout 2017. Qualiications should include the information indicated in the RFQ, which may be found on the Partnership’s website at www. stlpartnership.com. Qualiications may be sent or delivered to 7733 Forsyth Blvd., Suite 2300, St. Louis, MO 63105, Attn: General Counsel, or by e-mail to jmontecillo@stlpartnership.com. DBE, MBE, and WBE irms are encouraged to bid. his RFQ shall not be construed as an ofer. Submission of qualiications does not obligate the Partnership or any of its ailiated entities to consider a responding irm for any project or contract.

Any questions should be directed to Joe Montecillo, St. Louis Economic Development Partnership at (314) 615-7663 or jmontecillo@stlpartnership.com.

SEALED BIDS

Sealed bids for New Generator and Kitchen Flooring, Camp Avery Park Camp, Troy, MO; Project No. H160101 will be received by FMDC, State of MO, UNTIL 1:30 PM, 5/18/2017. For specific project information and ordering plans, go to: http://oa.mo.gov/ facilities

SEALED BIDS

Sealed bids for the Replacement of Fan Coil Units, E m p l o y m e n t Security Central Office, Jefferson City, MO; Project No. O1610-02 will be received by FMDC, State of MO, UNTIL 1:30 PM, 5/11/2017. For specific project information and ordering plans, go to: http://oa.mo. gov/facilities

WEBSTER GROVES SCHOOL DISTRICT

Is seeking an Environmental Contractor for a hallway looring abatement project at Steger 6th Grade Center . Request for Proposal submissions are due at the Webster Groves School District Service Center 3232 South Brentwood Blvd. Attention Mr. Robert Steuber, WGSD CPM no later than 2:00 pm on May 4th 2017. he RFP will be available online @ www.webster.k12.mo.us, (under RFP heading) April 24th, 2017 he owner reserves the right to reject any and or all proposals

RFP: Strategic Planning Facilitator

St. Louis Alliance for Reentry (STAR) is an alliance of community stakeholders that includes health and human service providers, criminal justice professionals, business leaders, and community stakeholders. STAR’s mission is to integrate successful intervention principles and practices resulting in collaborative partnerships that enhance ex-ofender self-suiciency, reduce recidivism, and improve public safety and community health in St. Louis City and County. STAR is seeking an experienced facilitator to lead a strategic planning process to establish a 5 year plan. Interested parties may obtain a copy of the RFP by visiting www. stlreentry.org Proposals are due no later than 5 p.m. (CST), May 22, 2017. Send proposal to: Les Johnson, ARCHS. Email address: info@stlreentry.org.

BID PROPOSAL

KCI Construction requests subcontract proposals from MBE, WBE, DBE, Veteran and SDVE businesses for the SHSMo Center for Missouri Studies MU, Columbia, MO.

Plans and speciications are available

• To view electronically at no charge from: http://operationswebapps.missouri. edu/pds/adsite/ad.html.

• To view at our Camdenton oice

• By a Dropbox from jmorrow@kciconstruction.com

Subcontractor bids are due by 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, May 16, 2017. You may email bids to jmorrow@kciconstruction.com or send a fax to 573-346-9739. Please call if you have any questions: 314-200-6496

KELLER CONSTRUCTION INC.

Requests subcontractor and or material supplier quotations from Illinois Department of Transportation Certiied subcontractors, suppliers and Disadvantaged Business Enterprises for the letting to be held April 28, 2017. Interested parties should contact Keller Construction at (618) 656-0033. All quotations must be submitted by 4:30 PM hurs April 27, 2017. Keller Construction 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 631032555 until 10:00 a.m. on May 11th, 2017 to contract with a company for: Ash Hauling Services.

Speciications and bid forms may be ob- tained from www.stlmsd.com, click on the “MSD AT WORK” link, (bid opportunities). he bid document will be identiied as 8888 RFQ. 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.

he St. Louis Housing Authority (SLHA) is submitting to HUD the Annual Submission of the FY 2017 Agency Plan. he Plan outlines the goals and objectives to accomplish its vision over the next ive years. SLHA has posted the “Drat” FY 2017 Agency Plan for public review on its website at www.slha.org .

Additionally, the Admissions and Continued Occupancy Policy (ACOP), a component of the Agency Plan, and a revised Utility Allowance and the Flat Rent Schedule are simultaneously being made available for public review and comment. he link to the webpage is: http://www.slha.org/for-residents/public-housing/ policies-procedures/

Also, he Capital Fund Program Five-year Action Plan (FY2017 –FY2021) is simultaneously being made available for public review and comment.

St. Louis Housing Authority will hold the Public Hearing on Wednesday, June 7, 2017 at 3:00 p.m. to accept comments on its Agency Plan, ACOP, Utility Allowance and Flat Rent Schedules and Capital Fund Program. he Public Hearing will be held at the SLHA Central Oice, Conference Room, 3520 page Boulevard, St. Louis, MO 63106. All parties that wish to speak at the Public Hearing must abide by the SLHA’s Speaker Policy. A copy of the policy is available at the SLHA’s Central Oice.

Written comments will be accepted until June 7, 2017. For additional information or questions, contact Fran Bruce, Development & Planning Coordinator, at (314) 286-4365 between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. Monday through Friday.

IC PLANROOM.” Plans and Speciications 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 speciications in order to submit a bid in the name of the entity submitting the bid. he Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

CITY OF ST. LOUIS BOARD OF PUBLIC SERVICE

REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS for Professional Engineering and Field Survey Services, Tower Grove Park Neighborhood Access Enhancements, TAP5670(604), St. Louis, MO. Statements of Qualiications due by 5:00 P.M., CT, April 25, 2017 at Board of Public Service, 1200 Market, Room 301 City Hall, St. Louis, MO 63103. RFQ may be obtained from website www.stl-bps.org, under On Line Plan Room, or call Board of Public Service 314622-3535. 12% DBE participation goal.

PUBLIC SURPLUS SALE

Special School District will hold a public surplus sale on April 21, 2017. Available items may be viewed between 9 a.m. and noon at South County Technical School located at 12721 West Watson Road, St. Louis, MO 63127. Sealed bids will be accepted during this time. For additional information, please call (314) 989-7117.

CITY OF ST. LOUIS BOARD OF PUBLIC SERVICE

REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS for Professional Engineering Services for Up-Grading Security Doors, Locks, and Security Control Panels at Juvenile Courts Detention Center, 920 N. Vandeventer Avenue, St. Louis, MO. Statements of Qualiications due by 5:00 P.M., CT, April 27, 2017 at Board of Public Service, 1200 Market, Room 301 City Hall, St. Louis, MO 63103. RFQ may be obtained from website www.stl-bps.org, under On Line Plan Room, or call Board of Public Service 314-622-3535. 25% MBE and 5% WBE participation goals.

BIDS

Great Rivers Greenway is soliciting bids from irms competent in commercial or industrial painting to perform graiti removal and if needed painting over the graiti on the Iron Horse Trestle bridge over Interstate 70 in downtown St. Louis. Check www.GreatRiversGreenway.org/jobs and submit by April 21.

MWBE Pre-bid Meeting Notice

he SITE Improvement Association is hosting a Pre-bid meeting for Qualiied and Certiied MWBE contractors to discuss working on FF-16 Schuetz - Meadowside to Page Sanitary Relief Contract Letting No. 10601-015.1

A pre-bid meeting is being held on behalf of the following SITE contractor members: Super Excavators Bates Utility Company N59 W14601 Bobolink Ave. 841 Westwood Industrial Drive Menomonee Falls, WI 53051 Weldon Spring, MO 63304 262/252-3200 636/939-5628

J.H. Berra Construction J & J Boring, Inc. 5091 New Baumgartner Road 41 Cardinal Hill Road St. Louis, MO 63129 Winield, MO 63389 314/487-5617 636/566-6766

Fred M. Luth & Sons 4516 McRee Avenue St. Louis, MO 63110 314/771-3892 he meeting will take place at 10:00 a.m. April 27, 2017 SITE Improvement Association 2071 Exchange Drive, St. Charles, MO 63303 he prime contractor is seeking certiied MWBE contractors for the following work listed, but not limited to: For questions regarding this pre-bid meeting, contact the SITE Improvement Association oice at 314/966-2950

BIDS & NOTICES (CONTINUED)

THE LAND CLEARANCE FOR REDEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS (RFP)

PROFESSIONAL ENGINEERING SERVICES FOR THE RED SEA ERITREAN COMMUNITY CENTER

PARKING LOT INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECT ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI

he Land Clearance for Redevelopment Authority is seeking proposals from qualiied irms to provide engineering design services for the Red Sea Eritrean Community Center parking lot infrastructure project, located at the corner of 3606-3610 Finney Ave. and 1045 North Grand Blvd.

Background and Purpose

he City of St. Louis, through its Community Development Administration, has allocated funds for the development of the Red Sea Eritrean Community Center parking lot infrastructure project. he objective of this project is to improve the infrastructure surrounding the renovation of the future community center at 1039 North Grand. Improvements consist of a parking lot, storm water treatment facilities, fencing lighting and other appurtenances on the property located at 3606-3610 Finney Ave. and 1045 North Grand Blvd. A Phase II environmental assessment has been completed, authorizing construction on this site. Being able to complete the Phase II ESA in August 2016, was a chapter the Agency was able to accomplish with the CDBG funds provided. he ESA has been an essential phase towards constructing the parking lot for the RSECC. he Red Sea Eritrean Community Center parking lot infrastructure project involves several improvement elements which include:

• concrete parking surface

• decorative iron fencing along the perimeter of the parking lot

• gated vehicular entrance with the ability to secure the parking lot ater hours or during special events

• vehicular access shall have a separate gate for entering and exiting the parking lot

• gated enclosure shall include the rear service entrance to the building, and provide pedestrian access at the rear entrance to the building

• minimal green space to accommodate two a lag poles

• an accessible ramp at the main entrance

• design for two signs – one (1) on east face of the building and one (1) on the north face of the building above the main entrance

Design work under this RFP must be independently veriied.

SCOPE OF SERVICES AND DELIVERABLES:

he Land Clearance for Redevelopment Authority will require the following services under this RFP:

• professional engineering services for surveying (if needed);

• the preparation of preliminary plans;

• preparation of inal plans, construction bid speciications;

• other design services as required during design for support of City’s coordination with afected utilities;

• attendance at various meetings and presentations; as well as coordination meetings with the Board of Public Service and the St. Louis Streets Department

• consultation during the bidding and project management during the construction of the project.

Deliverables are expected to include the following:

he selected irm shall provide design plans and speciications which encompass the following:

• Design for a newly paved surface parking lot, which shall be in accordance with the City of St. Louis Street Department.

• New lighting design, as required by City of St. Louis

• Plans for the repair/replacement of the existing sidewalks, curb ramps, and driveway aprons within the project limits, as needed;

• Project summary delineated by line item and category; and

• Construction and Bid speciications for the project

he design phase of this project is scheduled to begin as soon as possible, with the construction phase to begin no later than August of 2017.

PROPOSAL REQUIREMENTS

Responses to this Request for Proposals must include the following information:

1. Statement of Proposals

hose submitting a proposal shall demonstrate knowledge and experience with similar projects. Proposals should include:

a) Statement of understanding of the project

b) Statement of approach including identiication of employees and/or sub consultants who will per form the services; include a brief proile of the employees/sub-consultants including professional licenses, registrations, and designations

c) Date when design work can commence and schedule for completion of work

2. Disclosure of Potential Conlict of Interest

Provide a statement regarding any potential conlict of interest issues the irm assigned to this project might have or encounter. his project may involve development in association with a number of public and private concerns, including, but not limited to, the State of Missouri, City of St. Louis, St. Louis Development Corporation, the Land Clearance for Redevelopment Authority of the City of St. Louis, the Planned Industrial Expansion Authority of the City of St. Louis, or the Land Reutiliza tion Authority of the City of St. Louis.

Please indicate whether relationships exist with these entities.

3. M/WBE Participation

he City of St. Louis is committed to the growth and development of women and minority business enterprise (M/WBE). In furtherance of this commitment, the policy of the City of St. Louis is to encourage minority participation in all contracts inanced in whole or in part by the City and its ailiated agencies and authorities. he City seeks to obtain participation by women and minority owned business enterprises and has as a goal at least twenty-ive percent (25%) minority business enterprise participation and at least ive percent (5%) women business enterprise participation, as deined in the Mayor’s Executive Order #28, as amended and extended.

Please provide a statement regarding the irm’s policy in support of these goals.

PROCESS:

Proposals for services will be evaluated based on the following criteria:

• Experience with similar projects

• Responsiveness to this RFP

• M/WBE participation

• Compliance with the City of St. Louis’ Living Wage Ordinance

• City of St. Louis business license and ability to pass city tax clearance

Proposal Response Deadlines:

Five (5) copies of your proposal must be received in the oices of the St. Louis Development Corporation by 12:00 p.m. (noon, St. Louis time) on Monday, May 8, 2017. Proposals should be submitted to: Aminah T. Wright, Major Projects Manager St. Louis Development Corporation 1520 Market Street, Suite 2000 St. Louis, Missouri 63103-2630

Inquiries:

Please direct all inquiries concerning this Request for Proposals in writing to: Aminah T. Wright, Major Projects Manager at wrighta@stlouis-mo.gov

RESERVATION OF RIGHTS:

he Land Clearance for Redevelopment Authority reserves the right to reject any or all proposals for any reason, in its sole discretion; to select one or more respondents; to void this RFP and the review process and/or terminate negotiations at any time; to revise any conditions and stipulations contained herein, as convenient or necessary; to further negotiate fees, rates and inancial arrangements, etc; to establish further criteria for selection;

PROJECT LOCATION

he Red Sea Eritrean Community

METROPOLITAN ST. LOUIS SEWER DISTRICT

Notice is hereby given that the Metropol- itan St. Louis Sewer District will receive sealed bids in the Purchasing Division, 2350 Market Street, St. Louis, Missouri 63103-2555 until 10:00am May 19, 2017 for purchase of: 5-2017 Utility Pneumatic Work Trucks

Speciications and bid forms may be obtained from www.stlmsd.com - click on “MSD At Work”, then “Bidding on Proj- ects”. he bid document will be identiied as 8887 RFQ. If you do not have access to the internet, call (314) 768-6314 to request a copy of this bid.

Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Public Notice of Single Source Procurement

Notice is hereby given that the Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District is proposing to procure: SCHWING PUMP #7 REBUILD PARTS at the BISSELL WWTP. The District is proposing single source procurement to SCHWING BIOSET, INC. for this equipment because SCHWING BIOSET, INC. is the sole distributor for this product in the MSD service area. Any inquiries should be sent to ameyer@stlmsd.com..

Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Public Notice of Single Source Procurement

Notice is hereby given that the Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District is proposing to procure funds as described in Ordinance 14612: in agreement with Land Agreement for Redevelopment Authority (LCRA) of the City of St. Louis. The District is proposing procurement to LCRA for CSO Volume Reduction Green Infrastructure 11146. Any inquiries should be sent to ltreat@stlmsd.com.

Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

NOTICE TO CONTRACTORS

Notice is hereby given that The Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District (District) will receive sealed bids for Tillie Baden Newby Sewer Improvements (Property Acquisition) under Letting No. 11139013.10, at this office, 2350 Market Street, St. Louis, Missouri 63103, until 02:00 PM on Friday, May 19, 2017, at a place designated.

Bids will be received only from companies that can provide: (No pre-qualification requirement) Fencing / Grading / Security – with emphasis on Fence work. Project will be awarded to 1 contractor There will be a Highly

SEALED BIDS

bids for

Coliseum, Womans Building, West C a m p g

, Sedalia, Missouri, Project No. F160101 will be received by FMDC, State of MO, UNTIL 1:30 PM, 5/18/2017. For specific project information and ordering plans, go to: http://oa.mo.gov/ facilities

LOUIS COMMUNITY COLLEGE

Separate and sealed bids for St. Louis Community College on Bid No. B0003626 for a contract for Automotive & Diesel Truck Parts & Supplies will be received until 3:00 P.M. (local time) on Tuesday, April 25, 2017 at the Dept. of Purchasing, 300 So. Broadway, St. Louis, MO 631022810, and immediately thereater opened and read. Bid documents can be accessed on our website at www.stlcc.edu/purchasing. Call (314) 539-5225 for additional information. EOE/AA Employer.

SLDC Planroom - 1712 Macklind Ave., 63110 – 314-678-0087 • EMH Planroom – 2600 Delmar, 63103 – 314-436-4426

All bids are due to EMH oice by Fri., May 5, 2017 by 5pm, fax: 314-436–6691.

PREVAILING WAGES (which will be set by US Department of Labor and Missouri Housing Development Commission immediately prior to start of construction) MUST BE PAID TO ALL WORKERS; CERTIFIED PAYROLL REPORTS REQUIRED.

For questions or additional information, please contact Vic Hofmeister at: vic@emharris.com.

EMH is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

AUDITING SERVICES

for

diting services . he bid document with the speciications can be obtained by going to http:// www.molottery.com/learnaboutus/bid_opportunities.shtm or by contacting Judy Martin at judy.martin@molottery.com or 573-751-4050.

meeting is to disperse pertinent project details, and provide an opportunity for Certiied MBE subcontractors, suppliers, or manufacturers to meet and discuss speciic opportunities with Super Excavators. We encourage all interested MBEs to attend. Please contact Pete or Jef at (262) 252-3200