April 8th, 2021 edition

St. LouiS AmericAn

Tishaura Jones, our first Black woman mayor

St. Louis City

Treasurer Tishaura Jones greets supporters after her win in the mayoral race Tuesday, defeating Alderwoman Cara Spencer.

Gardner partners with Vera Institute

Goal is to reduce racial disparities in legal system

By Dana Rieck Of The St. Louis American

A new partnership between St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner and the Vera Institute of Justice will work to reduce racial disparities in the city’s criminal legal system by at least 20% through data-driven diversion efforts and policy changes.

The partnership includes Gardner working with a local organization, Freedom Community Center, through Vera Institute’s Reshaping Prosecution campaign.

Jami Hodge, director of the Reshaping Prosecution campaign, said that, in part, the program launched to help those prosecutors deliver on campaign promises of criminal justice reform. Vera will provide assistance with data analysis, staff training, community engagement and policy support.

Hodge said Gardner and Mike Milton, founder and CEO of the Freedom Community Center, a newly formed (not yet formally launched) organization that “seeks to interrupt violence by disrupting harm inflicted by the criminal legal system and harm that happens within communities.”

Milton and Gardner will work together to create a diversion program that does not limit participation on the basis of previous criminal history or ability to pay, in an effort to keep people out of jail and actively engaged in the community.

By Dana Rieck

St. Louis American

The

Of

St. Louis Treasurer Tishaura Jones made history Tuesday night by becoming the first Black woman to be elected mayor of St. Louis.

n Jones received 51.68% (30,099) of the vote, while her opponent Alderwoman Cara Spencer finished the night with 47.77% (27,819 votes).

In the city’s unofficial election results, Jones received 51.68% (30,099) of the vote, while her opponent Alderwoman Cara Spencer finished the night with 47.77% (27,819 votes).

Jones held a drive-in rally to await the election results at The Omega Center, 3900 Goodfellow Blvd. There, her son Aden Jones Jeffries, introduced the mayor-elect around 9:50 p.m. after the unofficial results were released.

“Guess what? Don’t tell anybody, but, we won,” he said, then thanking people in his life who have supported him throughout the campaign.

“I’m proud of my mom, she’s been in politics ever since I was born,” he said. “I know that I’m a pain in the butt sometimes but honestly I don’t think she would be here without me today.”

See TISHAURA,

Milton said that when police write up a criminal complaint and give it to Gardner’s officer, she and her prosecutors will be able to decide to instead send the defendant to the center’s community pre-charge program, and if they successfully complete the program

By Dana Rieck Of The St. Louis American

Alongside electing St. Louis Tishaura Jones as its new mayor, St. Louis residents also voted on a number of propositions in Tuesday’s general municipal election.

Below are the final unofficial results and brief descriptions of each proposition.

Proposition E

Voters overwhelmingly passed this proposition, with 79.43% of voters casting their ballot in favor of it.

This proposition

mayor, Lyda Krewson, and Collector of Revenue, Gregory F.X. Daly, came together at the start of March in support of passing Proposition E.

Proposition Y

Voters overwhelmingly passed this proposition, with 82.86% of voters casting their ballot in favor of it.

Prop Y asked the voters if they wanted to fund five years of upgrades for Missouri Sewer District’s “Project Clear” by issuing $500 mil-

lion in sewer revenue bonds. The project is part of a consent decree with the federal government, which in turn will cost a minimum of $4.7 billion over two decades to fix sewage overflows and complete other improvements.

Funding this work through the bond issues could potentially add several billion dollars of interest to the final tab.

Proposition 1

Voters passed this proposition, with 68.47% casting their ballot in favor of it. Essentially, this proposition removed obsolete provisions, modernizes certain provisions,

By Sophie Hurwitz Of the St. Louis American

this year, only 12 races included multiple candidates. According to unofficial results, three of the candidates that came out on top were part of the “flip the board” slate. Anne Schweitzer won with a large majority of several hundred votes against 13th ward incumbent Beth Murphy,

Tishaura Jones hugs a supporter at her watch party after clinching the election on April 6, 2021. Jones, the current city treasurer, makes history as the first Black woman to become the mayor of St. Louis.

Jami Hodge

Photo by Wiley Price / St. Louis American

Photo by Bill Greenblatt / The St. Louis American

Finally, she shares what prompted her hospital visit in the first place and how she’s been handling it.“My contractions are starting to come down now. My body is just tired, but we’ve got this.” Fantasia has two children from previous relationships, Zion and Dallas; Taylor has a son, Treyshaun from a former relationship.

Fantasia hospitalized for contractions six months into her pregnancy

Fantasia announced last year that she was expecting her third child, a baby girl, and her first child with her husband Kendall Taylor Six months into her pregnancy, she shares that she’s in the hospital after experiencing con tractions. The singer posted an update of her current condition to her Instagram Stories. In the first post, she said: “Good morn ing. We’ve been in the hospital all day...We have to stay in the hospital for a while. My baby girl thinks she’s missing something out here, but she’s got to stay in here a little longer.” She pans the camera on Taylor expressing her gratitude to him during her pregnancy as he lay asleep on the couch.

Thandiwe Newton discusses spelling of her name and sexual abuse

Emmy Award-winning actress candidly spoke with in a May 2021 cover interview about the correct spelling of her government name and how she will now professionally use it instead of “Thandie.” “That’s my name,” she said in her cover interview. “It’s always been my name. I’m taking back what’s mine.” In the interview, she disclosed being met with criticism after revealing she was a victim of sexual assault just a year before the #MeToo movement came to promi-

nence. She recounted the incident to W Magazine stating that a director filmed up her skirt in June 2016, she later found out he showed the tape at a poker game with his friends.“I was traumatized,” She explained. “I was so distraught and appalled that a director had abused a young actress and that it was happening elsewhere, minors getting abused and how [expletive] it was.”

Prayer vigil held for DMX after drug overdose, heart attack

Hundreds of DMX’s family, friends, and fans came out in support of him, sending out prayers as he’s currently hospitalized fighting for his life. On Monday, his family made the announcement that a prayer vigil would be held at White Plains Hospital, which is where he is currently being treated. People in attendance include his ex-wife Tashera Simmons, his sons Xavier and Exodus. Hospital workers standing in front of the window also showed their support by holding up an X sign. His Ruff Ryders motorcycle crew gathered Sunday evening to pay tribute to the rapper. TMZ headlined the story on Friday that DMX had an overdose that triggered a heart attack. While resuscitation has kept him alive, sources tell the publication he didn’t have oxygen in his brain for 30 minutes, resulting in him having very little brain activity. Over the years,

he’s struggled publicly with drug addiction and was incarcerated in the past on drug charges.

Paul Pierce fired from ESPN following aftermath of Instagram Live Video

Paul Pierce has been dismissed from ESPN after posting a live video to his Instagram account of him receiving a massage from two women dancing seductively. He was also seen smoking marijuana. Pierce was a regular contributor on “ESPN NBA Countdown” and “The Jump.” On Monday night, sports reporter Ryan Glasspiegel tweeted, “Source:ESPN parted ways with Paul Pierce effective immediately.” No public comments have been made yet from the network on the decisions. Pierce tweeted a video in response of him laughing with the caption “Big Things coming soon stay tuned make sure u smile #Truthshallsetufree.” In an Instagram video, he thanked his supporters and haters. “Yo, just wanna thank all my supporters, wanna thank my haters and everything. Look, check it out, bigger and better things coming baby. Don’t worry about it. You fall twice, get up three times. Just always remember to smile baby.”

Sources: TMZ.com, BuzzFeedNews.com, MadameNoire.com, BET.com, TheJasmineBrand.com

*Spelling and grammar as it appeared in the original post.

Thandiwe Newton

By Dana Rieck

Of The St. Louis American

In at least the fourth protest since late December, inmates took over both the north and south side of the third floor of the City Justice Center jail Sunday evening.

Police closed off Tucker Boulevard between Market Street and Clark Avenue as inmates threw trash, computers, furniture and other items from the broken third floor windows. Several small fires were set and at some point, inmates began to throw their uniforms out the windows — which were then picked up and worn by onlookers, including several children.

CJC inmates stage second uprising, officials confirm locks still broken

away from the window and stand down if they can talk to me first thing in the morning,” Betts said outside the jail Sunday evening. “Now I’ve not been involved in the negotiations on how to change the jail — because that’s not my job.”

When asked on Monday during a media briefing about who should be accountable for Sunday’s jail uprising downtown, St. Louis Mayor Lyda Krewson said first and foremost, accountability lands on the inmates.

n On Monday, 15 residents of St. Louis City filed suit in St. Louis City to appoint an independent oversight board for St. Louis City corrections facilities.

“Well certainly — whoshould be held accountable for that? First of all, the detainees,” Krewson said when asked.

Anti-police chants echoed through the growing crowd and inmates held signs, with one saying “Free LG.” At various points throughout the evening detainees chanted “we want court dates.” Inmates on the south side threw down a long rope made from what appeared to be bed sheets, but no one attempted to climb down.

No one was seriously hurt during the protest, although several inmates suffered minor cuts.

St. Louis Sheriff Vernon Betts was at the scene Sunday night, he told The St. Louis American he went in and talked to the inmates.

“They agreed to come

In a follow up question on whether jailers should be held accountable for allowing the uprising to take place by not replacing faulty cell locks, Krewson said: “Sure, absolutely. And as everybody has said we are working very … hard to get those replaced.”

As was the case in February, they said locks in the jail were easily jimmied — which is how the inmates were able to gain control of the third floor of the jail.

Replacing those locks will cost the city about $13.5 million, according to Rich Bradley, president of the Board of Public Service. He said while the project has gotten underway, it takes time because it’s more than just a lock to replace — it

includes replacing things like the door and frame itself.

All of the jail’s locks should be replaced by May.

Dale Glass, St. Louis corrections commissioner, said that in addition to replacing the locks, the jail has just hired 20 new staff members and is in the process of hiring 30 more.

“One of the things that concerns me in these types of situations is when the first events happened, we the public

appeared to be condoning or justifying or lending cause to their behavior,” Glass said during the briefing. “And I’m not judgmental about that issue, but I would say it has a tendency to embolden.”

After the Feb. 6 uprising, identical to Sunday’s protest except on a different floor, Krewson created a task force to investigate the jail’s conditions. They presented a list of recommendations approximately

three weeks ago — over 60 in total, but 13 they consider matters of urgency. The task force’s chairman is The Rev. Darryl Gray, a local criminal justice activist. He says the task force was allowed into the City Justice Center and found that one of the main issues facing inmates is that they are only allowed out of their cells for one hour a day to shower, make phone calls and participate in other activities.

Glass addressed what the jail has done to address those 13 recommendations since — saying some of the allegations of mistreatment weren’t true.

“We weren’t mistreating them, it wasn’t cold, they were fed, they had clothes, they were being treated for COVID,” Glass said.

On Monday, 15 residents of St. Louis City filed suit in St. Louis City to appoint an independent oversight board for St. Louis City corrections facilities. The petitioners include Missouri Rep. Rasheen Aldridge, several medical professionals, attorneys, community leaders and a former detainee.

According to the group, under Missouri law each presiding judge in each county of Missouri has the authority to appoint a Board of Visitors, consisting of six people, to regularly inspect jail facilities and report to the court. Additionally, law states that the court has the responsibility “to inquire and see that all prisoners are humanely treated.”

Establishing a civilian oversight board for the corrections division was the task force’s highest priority recommendation.

Lisa LaGrone is with the Organization for Black Struggle and works as the coordinator for Project Haki, the OBS violence prevention based in the 22nd Ward. She was out at the jail Sunday evening and said she has been working with some of the inmates who protested CJC and were transferred to the Workhouse.

“St. Louis has got to do better; we cannot keep putting a Band-Aid on things,” she said.

Photo by Wiley Price / St. Louis American

Inmates at the City Justice Center in downtown St. Louis stand at smashed windows and toss debris down onto Tucker Boulevard late Sunday night. It’ the second uprising at the Justice Center in less than two months.

“An opportunity for us to RISE”

“I told you when I was running that we aren’t done avoiding the tough conversations. We are done ignoring the racism that has held our city and our region back.”

-Treasurer Tishaura Jones, Mayor-elect, City of St. Louis

As I See It - A Forum for Community Issues

Justice is on trial in the George Floyd murder case

By Ben Jealous

The murder trial of Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin has begun, ten months after George Floyd died in the street with Chauvin’s knee on his neck. Americans, especially Black Americans, are watching closely to see if justice will be done.

decided not to bring federal civil rights charges against him. Last year, Floyd said “I can’t breathe” 27 times as he laid on the ground with Chauvin’s knee on his neck. Other officers looked on even as people begged and pleaded with them to spare Floyd’s life.

Despite being the clear front runner after her strong showing in the primary mayoral race and the early returns from absentee voters that showed a wide margin for Tishaura Jones, the final tally was surprisingly close. Unofficial returns show that Jones garnered 52 percent and her opponent Cara Spencer had 48 percent of the votes cast.

As St. Louis seeks to reverse its economic stagnation and unrelenting population decline and deal more honestly and realistically with its two most urgent crises – the historic level of violent crime and the harmful impact of the coronavirus pandemic – it must reckon with its crippling historic racial inequities and injustice. This mayoral race is a case in point, as we saw how a relatively obscure alderwoman was able to mount a well-financed campaign.

Notwithstanding her assertion about her progressive ideas and a gracious concession speech, Cara Spencer was willing to go back to the wellknown playbook (way beyond anything incumbent Lyda Krewson, to her credit, was willing to participate in under similar circumstances in 2017) of negative advertising fueled by misinformation and racial dog whistles.

Jones rightly rebuked, not by name, her opponent’s campaign tactics. “Some will chalk the negativity that’s been spewed over the past few months as just politics and it should be my responsibility to just ignore it and move on … But I will not stay silent about the need to eradicate dog whistle racism and the underlying bigotry in the discourse of our politics,” Jones said.

resorting to regressive divisiveness. Fortunately, a majority of the voters of St. Louis made their choice and want to move beyond personal recriminations and ill will to see a path that moves us in a more positive direction.

Well-intentioned power can afford an ability to convene, to decide and to implement.

Economic growth in this region, including its urban core, the city of St. Louis, is possible and desperately needed, but can never again be subordinated and take a back seat to equity and justice.

Tishaura Jones, the city’s mayor-elect, has served as treasurer of St. Louis since 2013 and prior to that she served in the Missouri House of Representatives for five years. In both positions, she served with distinction as a leader and is now prepared to lead this city with the same competency, hard work and dedication to service.

n “Some will chalk the negativity that’s been spewed over the past few months as just politics and it should be my responsibility to just ignore it and move on… But I will not stay silent about the need to eradicate dog whistle racism and the underlying bigotry in the discourse of our politics.”

There will be no substantive progress in St. Louis until this region faces up to the crushing costs of a continuing willingness among some to stoke racial division and exclusion for their narrow self-interest.

This is a moment to seek reconciliation, not pandering to long-held bias and hostility and

We acknowledge the city’s myriad and difficult challenges are daunting, but there are also new opportunities for cities like St. Louis in a post-Trump administration that can be leveraged beyond the federal dollars the city will receive in the current relief package and additional funding from infrastructure spending or future earmarks. St. Louis can once again be a go-to place for those looking for opportunities, if the city shows it is ready to change course and begins to realize its great potential to regain its place among the nation’s most successful and prosperous cities.

We are optimistic about the possibilities and have confidence in the fresh, forward-thinking leadership that will be provided by Tishaura Jones and her administration. We share their belief that we do have an opportunity to rise if we can mitigate some of the hostility and distrust of our past that has kept our region mired in mediocrity and stunted growth.

Commentary

America: “What will you do unto the least of these?”

By Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis Jr.

If it were not for the Black Church in America, our long struggle for freedom, justice, equality, equity, and empowerment would not have made the progress that has been accomplished over the past 500 to 400 years. I speak in the tradition of my Presbyterian great-great grandfather, The Reverend John Chavis (1763-1838) in North Carolina and The Reverend Nat Turner (1800-1831) in Virginia. Depending on when you define the beginning of the international Transatlantic Slave Trade will give you a deeper insight on why the religious, political, and historical perspectives of people of African descent still matter in the United States and across the African Diaspora in 2021.

The Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr in his theological genius, courage, and prophetic utterances, challenged all of us when he clearly stated, “An injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” Black church leaders uphold the tradition of speaking truth to power. It is, therefore, a reaffirmation of my faith in the oneness of God and the oneness of humanity that I must join to publicly support my African

Columnist Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis Jr.

American clergy leaders in Washington, DC and across the nation who dare to remind even some of our own local African American elected officials that we all should stand for helping those among us who are less fortunate, poor, homeless, malnourished, imprisoned, returning-from-prison, and destitute. There will always be political differences among elected officials. Yet, differences of opinion about public policies among elected officials should never rise to the occasion to permit a turning of backs on the poor and the homeless. In other words, those who are privileged to make decisions that will impact the quality of life of others should always be concerned about the least of those among us.

All of the major metropolitan areas in the United States are facing the challenges of homelessness and poverty. While we live in the richest nation in the world, we cannot afford to lose sight of our mutual civic and

moral responsibilities to be our “brothers’ and sisters’ keepers.”

The following biblical scripture reference should apply to all urban public policymakers: “What you do unto the least of these, you do also unto me.” That is why I use the term “prophetic politics” as the act of political decision-making as a reaffirmation and practice of one’s faith and commitment to serve all of humankind fairly and justly.

The Black Press of America grew out of the Black Church 194 years ago with the publication of Freedom’s Journal in New York City in 1827 by John Russwurm and The Reverend Samuel Cornish. We knew back then as we know today that we must continue “to plead our own cause” to demand freedom and equality. This also means that we are obligated to plead with each other to treat one another fairly and equitably as well.

Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis, Jr. is President and CEO of the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA) and Executive Producer and Host of The Chavis Chronicles (TCC) on PBS TV stations across the U.S. and can be reached at dr. bchavis@nnpa.org.

The beginning of the trial made me profoundly sad, but also profoundly hopeful. It made me sad, because Floyd is gone and nothing will bring him back to his family. It made me hopeful, because Floyd’s killing sparked a renewed movement that is challenging police killings of unarmed civilians—a multiracial and multigenerational movement.

The fact that Chauvin has been indicted and is facing trial is itself reason for hope. But my hope is tempered by history. As Black Americans know all too well, our system often fails to hold law enforcement accountable for killing Black people—even when the killing is on video.

Think about Eric Garner. Garner died in 2014 after a New York City police officer put him in a choke hold and wrestled him to the ground. Before he died, Garner told police officers, “I can’t breathe” 11 times. It was all on video. But a local grand jury decided not to indict the officer who killed Garner. And five years later, in 2019, U.S. Attorney General William Barr

The trial testimony has been brutal. We learned on the first day that Chauvin kneeled on Floyd’s neck for nine and a half minutes—even longer than we thought. On the second day, a teenage witness tried to hold back tears on the stand while she described watching a man die and not being able to help him.

I am convinced that the truth about what happened to George Floyd came out only because someone filmed his death. It was only after video was shared widely that the officers were fired, and charges eventually filed. And even now, rumors and disinformation being spread online blame Floyd for his own death.

A New York Times investigation published last year found that over the past decade, at least 70 people—more than half of them Black—died in law enforcement custody after saying “I can’t breathe.” Most of them were stopped or held over

Letters to the editor

“Wake Up” and stand up for your rights

The Constitution gives the power to “We the People,” not “We the Politicians.” In Missouri, after decades of legislative gerrymandering, we have a self-sustaining Republican super-majority in Jefferson City. They are deliberately overturning the people’s will by pushing through laws that will restrict voting times, limit absentee voting, and require specific picture ID’s that are really a Jim Crow poll tax. This is happening here and across the country, based on the “big lie” that the last election was stolen - a lie that has been laughed out of every court that has addressed it and rejected by many Republican Governors and Secretaries of State.

Perhaps we can look for guidance from our own Secretary of State who oversees elections? But Eric Schmidt? He sent his staff to a national Republican training session called War Games specifically to try to stop the vote count in Pennsylvania, using your tax dollars to benefit his own political party. So, I am angry - and you should be, too. It is not just

Georgia that suffers from voter suppression; it is right here in Missouri, too! And if an initiative petition is your answer, simply look to the Missouri Medicaid Expansion initiative where your legislators are refusing to accept the windfall from the Federal Government to do it!

So, all Missourians who truly believe in the Constitution, the rule of law, and the will of the people should WAKE UP before every freedom you thought you had is only a memory.

Kathryn Chipperfield

St. Louis

A call demanding cybersafety and cybersecurity education

From Hillary Clinton’s email debacle to Facebook’s data breaches, we’ve all heard about cybersecurity failures in the news. The National Institute of Standards and Technology states that cybercrime is estimated to cost around $6 trillion per year by 2021, making strengthening our cyber education a must. Unfortunately, the US

nonviolent infractions, 911 calls about “suspicious” behavior, or mental health issues. More than 40 of the “I can’t breathe” deaths happened after Garner was killed. We hope and expect that the trial now underway will bring justice for George Floyd and his family. But obviously the problem in law enforcement is much bigger than individual “bad apples.”

We can save lives and prevent future deaths by reimagining public safety and demanding real, institutional change. That is the motivation for measures like the federal George Floyd Justice in Policing Act and a wave of initiatives being proposed and considered at state and local levels. We must finally have equal justice under the law, and it starts with a criminal justice system that holds law enforcement accountable.

Ben Jealous serves as president of People For the American Way and People For the American Way Foundation. Jealous has decades of experience as a leader, coalition builder, campaigner for social justice and seasoned nonprofit executive. In 2008, he was chosen as the youngest-ever president and CEO of the NAACP. He is a graduate of Columbia University and Oxford, where he was a Rhodes Scholar, and he has taught at Princeton and the University of Pennsylvania.

All letters are edited for length and style.

government has woefully fallen short of ensuring that the younger generation is educated about cybersecurity. According to a 2020 survey by the EdWeek Research Center, only a meager 10% of K-12 educators are versed in cybersecurity, and around 40% of K-12 schools educate their students in basic digital etiquette and literacy. How can we expect to inform youth about cybersecurity if our schools don’t require the subject and our teachers can’t teach the topic?

I’ve experienced this dearth of a cybersecurity education during my own time in school. The closest thing I had to a school-sponsored education related to cybersafety was an optional after-school cybersecurity club. This has to change. I urge lawmakers to propose a bill mandating a cybersecurity and cybersafety class requirement in our school systems. As the century progresses and technology becomes increasingly advanced, cybersecurity will become more and more important. Therefore, it is compulsory that the future generation is well-informed about it. Kesava Viswanadha Chesterfield

Guest Columnist Ben Jealous

Greater St. Louis Inc. seeks professionals of color

The St. Louis American Staff

Greater St. Louis, Inc. is seeking applicants of color for their 2021-2022 leadership development program.

The St. Louis Business Diversity Initiative’s Fellows Experience leadership program is part of Greater St. Louis, Inc.’s Inclusive Business Solutions Initiative, according to a media release. The program focuses on developing multicultural and racially diverse business leaders and entrepreneurs.

“We are seeking mid-to senior-level professionals who want to develop their leadership and professional capabilities and capacity in a safe, open, collegial environment where they can not only learn, but also share their experiences, network and grow,” Rosalind Reese, fellows experience program director, wrote in the media release. “Our year-long program focuses on professional development, relationship building and civic engagement.”

Since 2006, approximately 900 fellows have graduated from

the program with 70% being promoted within two years of the program.

To apply, applicants must have a minimum of seven years employment, community leadership experience and a college degree — or equivalent skills and capabilities. They must provide a current resume, a 200-word narrative that includes information not highlighted in their resume and a nomination form from their manager or company.

To apply, visit greaterstlinc.com/business-diversity-initiative.

The merger of several organizations into Greater St. Louis, Inc. was announced late last year and took effect at the start of 2021. The merger included five private sector led economic development organizations: St. Louis Regional Chamber, AllianceSTL, Civic Progress, Downtown STL and Arch to Park. Its mission is to drive growth with a unified voice and a bold agenda, working as one metropolitan area anchored by a vibrant urban core that includes downtown to Forest Park.

Officers fired after black man dies in jail

By Lauren Victoria Burke NNPA Newswire Correspondent

Seven sheriff’s officers in Collin County, Texas, were fired on April 1. The firings appear to be in connection with the death of 26-year-old Marvin D. Scott III. An eighth officer related to the incident has resigned. Scott was arrested on a marijuana possession charge on March 14 in which he possessed less than two ounces of the drug. This is a misdemeanor offense in Collin County. Scott family attorney Lee Merritt, informed media that Scott had a schizophrenia diagnosis. Scott’s funeral was on March 30. There is video footage of the episode that has not yet been publicly released.

On March 15, the Collin County, Texas Sheriff’s office put out a release stating, “On Sunday, March 14, 2021, 26-year-old Marvin D. Scott III of Frisco, Texas, died while in custody at the Collin County Detention Facility.

Officers from the Allen Police Department arrested Mr. Scott earlier that day and transported him to the county jail. The Sheriff referred the matter to the Texas Rangers, who are investigating this death. As a matter of policy, the Sheriff placed seven detention employees on administrative leave and ordered an internal administrative investigation. The Sheriff’s Office will not release additional information while the Texas Rangers are investigating.”

“Evidence I have seen confirms that these detention officers violated well-established Sheriff’s Office policies and procedures,” Jim Skinner, the Collin County sheriff, said in a statement.

The news of Scott’s death arrived into the public eye during the trial of Derek Chauvin. Chauvin is on trial in the death of George Floyd on May 25, 2020 in Minneapolis, Minn.

Police brutality has been an issue for African American civil rights leaders for over 80 years. In 1962, an encounter with Los Angeles Police Department outside a mosque resulted in the death of a Nation of Islam member. The incident of police brutality was focused on by Malcolm X.

Lauren Victoria Burke is an independent journalist for NNPA and the host of the podcast BURKEFILE. She is also a political strategist as Principal of Win Digital Media LLC. She may be contacted at LBurke007@ gmail.com and on twitter at @LVBurke.

NNPA is a content partner of The St. Louis American.

The residents of Normandy held a ribbon cutting for their new City Hall on March 3, at 7733 Natural Bridge, the site of the old Austin A. Layne Mortuary. Speaking (center) is Normandy Acting Mayor Pro tem Maurice Hunt. Behind him from l-r are Public Works Director Regina Fitzgerald, 4th Ward Councilwoman Erma Ratlif, 3rd Ward Councilman Rick Nelson, 2nd Ward Councilwoman LaWanda Smith, Normandy Police Chief Mark Hall and 1st Ward Councilman Walter Moss.

Lauren Victoria Burke

Normandy welcomes new city hall

Photo by Wiley Price / The St. Louis American

Tishaura

Continued from A1

As the crowd laughed, he introduced Jones, who took the stage in her signature color — red, in honor of her sorority, Delta Sigma Theta. She thanked her family, friends, campaign team, supporters and voters.

“St. Louis, this is an opportunity for us to rise, but I told you when I was running that we are done ignoring tough conversations, we are done ignoring the racism that has held our city and region back,” she said. “I made the same case four years ago and came up short, but I made peace with the fact that I would rather lose another election again than stop having the tough conversations in every corner of our city.”

She addressed the negative messages about herself that came from Spencer’s campaign, saying that while some people said the negativity was “just politics,” she was not going to ignore racism for the sake of unity and civility.

“My professional mantra has always been I ain’t got to like you to work with you,” she said.

“I will not stay silent about the need to eradicate dog whistle racism and the underlying bigotry in our politics,” she said. “I will not stay silent when I spot racism. I will not stay silent when I spot homophobia or transphobia. I will not stay silent when I spot xenophobia. I will not stay silent when I spot religious intolerance. I will not stay silent when I spot any injustice. Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”

Of course, Jones was quoting Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in that last bit. She said that the concept will be central to her style of governance. She then went on to reiterate her campaign’s mantra, that residents should be able to succeed in St. Louis regardless of any aspect of their identity — including race, sexuality, documentation status, language, worship and zip code.

“I want to build a city where each and every one of you feels welcome,” she said.

“And tonight, we achieved that in an historic moment for our city. Not only will I be the first Black woman to be mayor of the city of St. Louis, but this campaign has unequivocally … begun breaking down the historic racial barriers and the racial divides that exist — and have existed for generations in our city.”

Jones also took a moment to

acknowledge the women who came before her who made her win possible — including former Missouri Rep. Betty L. Thompson; Ollie Stewart, who is executive director of Southside Wellness Center; and Pearlie Evans, who was an activist and powerful aide to former U.S. Rep. William L. Clay.

The mayor-elect then teared up and paused for a moment before acknowledging her mother, who died of cancer in

2000.

“Here is where I will pause and mention the most important woman in my life — my mama,” she said. “My mother died of cancer at a pivotal time in my own development. When I was knocked down, but refused to be knocked out, inspired by her grit, her tenacity and the strength that she demonstrated even in her poor health, I stepped back and pinpointed and rooted my system of support — rebuilt my life step by step. Thank you, mama.”

Jones said she looks forward to doing the same thing with the $500 million stimulus that the city will begin receiving in May, noting there will soon be a website for people to make their voices heard about how to allocate the funds.

“I will be the next mayor of the city of St. Louis because of you — because of your trust in me and your trust in a brighter tomorrow,” Jones said in closing.

Spencer released a concession statement around 10 p.m.

“Thank you to the people of St. Louis. Thank you to everyone who made our campaign possible—I’m deeply grateful,” she wrote. “And to MayorElect Tishaura Jones, congratulations and you have my support in making St. Louis the great city we know it can be.”

Jones will be inaugurated on April 20. She replaces Mayor Lyda Krewson, the city’s first female mayor, who was elected in 2017.

She will have just two weeks to put together her new administration, thanks to the

new voting method the city passed in November.

In past elections the Democratic mayoral candidate who won the primary was essentially guaranteed to win in the general election against their Republican opponent — giving them just shy of two months to put together the beginnings of their administration.

However, because both mayoral candidates on Tuesday’s ballot were well-funded Democrats with similar platforms, Jones and Spencer found themselves in a tight race.

St. Louis is home to 201,409 registered voters. On Tuesday, 29.09% of them (or 58,593) cast their ballot in the municipal general election.

Tishaura Jones is serenaded by her sorority sisters of Delta Sigma Theta after clinching the win as mayor of St. Louis on April 6, 2021. Jones, the current city treasurer, makes history by becoming the first Black woman to be elected mayor.

Photo by Bill Greenblatt / The St. Louis American

Progressives

Continued from A1

while in the 17th ward urban planner Tina “Sweet-T” Pihl scraped by with a slight margin of 19 votes over her opponent, Michelle Sherod. Pihl will be replacing retiring Alderman Joe Roddy. In the 12th Ward, Bill Stephens narrowly defeated Vicky Grass, and in the 5th ward, James Page — a candidate supported by several local progressives, though not formally part of the “flip the board” slate — unseated Tammika Hubbard.

Not all of the “flip the board” candidates were successful, though: Shedrick “Nato Caliph” Kelley lost in the 7th ward to incumbent Jack Coatar by a margin of over 100 votes. And several other Board races went to incumbent candidates: Green in the 15th ward, John Collins Muhammad in the 21st, Marlene Davis in the 19th, and Dwinderlin Evans in the 4th

The new Board of Aldermen will begin working with Mayor-elect Tishaura Jones in two weeks. Final unofficial election results as of

Propositions

Continued from A1

references and languages. In addition, it eliminated the requirement for public notices to be posted in a newspaper — a point of criticism by several local media outlets.

Proposition 2

Gardner

Continued from A1

they will not be charged.

Wednesday morning are below, with winning candidates listed first.

Ward 1

Sharon Tyus: 847 (57.66%) Yolanda Brown: 620 (42.21%)

Ward 3 Brandon Bosley: 750 (64.94%) Herdosia Bentum: 400 (34.63%)

Ward 4 Dwinderlin Evans: 789 (62.57%) Edward McFowland III: 467 (37.03%)

Ward 5 James Page: 717 (52.49%) Tammika Hubbard: 643 (47.07%)

Ward 7 Jack Coatar: 1359 (52.21%) Shedrick Kelley: 1237 (47.52%)

Ward 9 Dan Guenther: 1419 (65.45%) Ken Ortmann: 745 (34.36%)

Voters passed this proposition, with 62.41% casting their ballot in favor of it. This proposition alters the current charter, which requires yes votes from a minimum of two board members each from the city and county to pass any ordinance or rule (there are six members on the board in total). The new charter would stipulate that if five members

“The reason why we use this type of model is because we believe that community and accountability actually does foster true transformation,” Milton said. “And we believe that jail doesn’t foster that type of transformation.” Hodge said it’s important to chip away at the root causes of crime — things like poverty and public

Ward 11

Sarah Martin: 1234 (95.73%)

Ward 12 Bill Stephens: 1421 (51.50%)

Vicky Grass: 1330 (48.21%)

Ward 13 Anne Schweitzer: 1496

are present and with unanimous consent, any four yes votes would suffice for passage. In addition, it would state that ordinances take effect immediately upon passage.

Proposition 3

Voters passed this proposition, with 69.32% casting their ballot in favor of it. This proposition clarifies

health issues — to fight racial injustices that occur within the legal system. She noted that while previous programs have succeeded in reducing incarceration rates, the problem is even in those decreases the incarceration rates of Black people increased.

(62.67%)

Beth Murphy: 885 (37.08%)

Ward 15

Megan Green: 1916 (67.25%)

Jennifer Florida: 927 (32.54%)

Ward 17

Michelle Sherod: 1132

Rate Commission voting delegates and timeline and stipulates that a Rate Commission report will be accepted by the Board of Trustees if they do not take action on the report within 165 days and requires consideration of financial impact on all classes of ratepayers to determine a fair and reasonable burden. The charter currently states that the board has to vote to accept the report.

This is the second time Gardner has partnered with the Vera Institute of Justice, the first time being in 2017 during the pilot phase of what would become the Reshaping Prosecution program.

“We’re excited to have community-based organi-

(49.52%)

Tina Pihl: 1151 (50.35%)

Ward 19

Marlene Davis: 1014 (77.52%)

Cleo Willis: 289 (22.09%)

Ward 21

John Collins-Muhammad: 1031 (60.90%)

Laura Keys: 655 (38.69%)

Proposition 4

Voters passed this proposition, with 62.71% casting their ballot in favor of it.

Proposition 4 changes compensation for trustees and members of the Civil Service Commission to $25 for all public meetings and changes the average annual board compensation from $300 a year to $600 a year.

Ward 23

Joseph Vaccaro: 2750 (94.34%)

Ward 25 Shane Cohn: 1010 (96.74%)

Ward 27

Pamela Boyd: 810 (54.47%)

Chris Carter: 663 (44.59%)

Proposition 5

Voters passed this proposition, with 62.04% casting their ballot in favor of it.

Proposition 5 allows the sewer district to use the same auditing firm for more than five years without going out to bid, in contrast to how it is currently stipulated in the charter.

zations who are willing to come to the table,” Hodges said. “That to me is what excites me most about this campaign — that it will truly be a partnership that it’s not just looking at a government actor, a prosecutor, to figure out the answers to these really deeply-rooted problems of racial injustice but to bring to the table those who truly are deeply embedded in the communities so that we can get the solutions that lead to real impact.”

Alderwoman Cara Spencer reflects for a moment at the New Northside Conference Center after greeting voters on Election Day, Tuesday, Apr. 6, 2021.

Photo by Jennifer Sarti / The St. Louis American

COVID brought record consumer debt

In the first quarter of last year, consumer debt grew to $14.3 trillion. By the 3rd and 4th quarters of 2020, non-housing debt respectively reached increases of $15 billion and $37 billion.

By Charlene Crowell

After more than a year of COVID-19, the nation’s collective ability to cope with dual public health and economic crises has diminished many consumers’ ability to remain financially stable. While this February’s national employment report by the Bureau of Labor Statistics showed a net gain of 379,000 jobs and white unemployment dropped to 5.6%, there was no corresponding improvement for Black and Latino workers. Instead, unemployment was respectively higher at 9.9% and 8.5%.

Workers without jobs typically receive unemployment benefits that vary across the country in the amount and duration. Although the U.S. Department of Labor finds the 2021 national average for state unemployment benefits to be $346.46, fifteen states have weekly benefits less than $300 and include locales with substantial workers of color, including: Arizona ($238.23); Florida ($233.59); Louisiana ($192.98); Mississippi ($190.27); Missouri ($253.87); North Carolina ($222.14); and Tennessee ($222.89).

collection practices, legally prohibiting debt collection companies from using abusive, unfair or deceptive practices to collect past due bills for mortgage, credit cards, medical debt, personal or other household debts. It does not include protections for business debts.

Further, as most workers receive their health insurance through their employers, unemployed workers often lose that insurance as well as their incomes. It’s one thing to become ill, but it’s a compounded difficulty when you’re sick and out of a job at the same time.

As Black America faces, yet again, another unequal economic recovery, a recent annual report to Congress on the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) substantiates this claim. This consumer law governs debt

List:

By Dori Olmos KSDK

If you need to dial a phone number in the St. Louis area, be prepared to press a few extra digits beginning this year. Mandatory 10-digit dialing will start to be phased in next month for people in 37 states and 83 area codes. This change includes a big part of the greater St. Louis area,

Released in early March, the 2020 report, jointly prepared by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) reveals stark findings of consumers’ financial stress. In the first quarter of last year, consumer debt grew to $14.3 trillion. By the 3rd and 4th quarters of 2020, non-housing debt respectively reached increases of $15 billion and $37 billion.

Credit and consumer reporting complaints accounted for more than 58% of complaints received, followed by debt collection (15%), credit card (7%), checking or savings (6%), and mortgage (5%).

Beginning in April 2020, consumers began to submit more than 3,000 complaints mentioning coronavirus-related keywords nearly every month. Consumers submitted approximately 32,100 complaints mentioning coronavirus or related keywords in 2020. In all of 2020, 70 million consumers – one in three with a credit file – was contacted by at least one creditor or collector trying to collect one or more debts.

The 2020 tally for all CFPB complaints – across all credit areas –was approximately 542,300, a nearly 54% increase over the approximately

24. Customers should start dialing all 10 numbers beginning then, but if only seven digits are dialed, the call will still go through. Beginning Oct. 24, 2021, callers must dial the area code and the phone number for local calls. Otherwise, a recording will say the

Laraine Davis, a native of St. Louis, alumnus of Maryville, will serve as vice president for community and government relations. Davis, a former Wells Fargo Advisors executive, is a highly respected community and government relations professional. In addition to leading the university’s community and government relations efforts, Davis will also provide executive oversight for the development and alumni relations division that promotes Maryville’s strategic plan to key constituencies with the objective of raising friends and funds.

the region.

IFF appoints new managing director

Jenna Brown

IFF (Illinois Facilities Fund) appoints Jenna Brown as Managing Director of Lending for Missouri, Kansas, and Southern Illinois. Brown has more than 15 years of experience in lending, portfolio management, underwriting, and tax credit syndication. She previously served in similar roles with Red Stone Equity Partners and US Bancorp Community Development Corporation, among others. She has an MBA from Webster University and a B.S. in Finance from Hampton University.

Jimmie M. Edwards Davis named Maryville’s VP

Photo Merkuri2 / Dreamstime

Laraine Davis

Amanda Shields

Charlene Crowell

Provided by WEPOWER

WEPOWER announces second program cohort

The St. Louis American Nonprofit organization WEPOWER on Tuesday announced the 10 Black and Latinx business owners who will participate in a six-month development program, Elevate/ Elevar, to accelerate the growth of their businesses. The new cohort consists of the following St. Louis entrepreneurs: Jessica Black of Jessie B’s Academy; Rachel Burn of Bold Spoon Creamery; Patrick Clapp of Coffeestamp; Estie CruzCuroe of del Carmen; Melissa Douglass of Goal Driven Counseling; Reginald Jennings of Rooterman; Tiffany Jones of Cheryl’s Herbs Group; Rashod O’Kelley of O’Kelley Building

Crowell

Continued from A9

352,400 complaints handled in 2019.

“The pandemic has been among the most disruptive long-term events we will see in our lifetimes,” said CFPB Acting Director Dave Uejio. “Not surprisingly, the shockwaves it sent across the planet were felt deeply in the consumer financial marketplace… In 2020, the Bureau received more than 540,000 consumer complaints. For seven of the nine months since March 2020, the Bureau managed record complaint volume.”

Acting FTC Chairwoman Rebecca Kelly Slaughter also characterized her agency’s efforts over the past year.

“The FTC acted quickly to take down a number of illegal COVID-related scams, sued to block or unwind an unprecedented number of mergers, and took a number of other strong enforcement actions across its missions,” said Slaughter.

Last year, the FTC filed or resolved seven debt collection cases against 39 defendants and obtained $26 million in judgments. Similarly, two CFPB judgments ordered nearly $15.2 million in consumer redress and $80,000 in civil money penalties.

In addition to CFPB and FTC, the Asset Funders Network (AFN), an alliance of philanthropists pledged to equitable wealth-building and economic mobility, also recently published a policy brief that found one-third of households with medical debt also have student loan debt and 43% of

Maintenance; Shamel Robinson of Sonder Lush Nail Studio; Jaquan Vasse of Vassel’s Comfort Shoes & Custom Insoles.

A media release by the organization stated that these 10 people were chosen by over 1,600 community members in the greater St. Louis area.

Elevate/Elevar is a program that seeks to give entrepreneurs of color the resources and skills they need to take their businesses to the next level. According to the release, the program supports the cohort with curriculum, connections, community and access to capital through grants and interest-free loans.

“Following the lead of

families with legal debts also have medical debt.

Entitled, “Medical Debt and its Impact on Health and Wealth: What Philanthropy Can Do to Help”, the brief closely examines medical debt and who is most impacted by it. AFN also identified three specific drivers of medical debt: unpredictable medical emergencies, insufficient health coverage, and high out-ofpocket expenses.

According to AFN, more than one in five adults experience an unanticipated medical expense in a year. When medical emergencies arise, household spending averages $3,000 per person per year, with more than one-third of that expense attributable to out-of-pocket medical costs for the insured.

For the uninsured, medical debts amass even more quickly, and often in states that did not expand Medicaid coverage for low-wage workers.

In part the brief states, “Medical debt disproportionately impacts communities of color, perpetuating and exacerbating the racial wealth gap by draining cash flow that other households without medical debt can save or invest. Racial inequities in income, wealth, and insurance coverage play a role in the prevalence and burden of medical debt…Black non-elderly adults are 1.5 times more likely, and Latinx and Native American non-elderly adults are 2.5 times more likely, to be uninsured than non-elderly White adults. With less access to insurance, people of color are more likely to face higher medical costs and challenges paying their medical bills.”

community members who have experienced generations of economic disinvestment was integral to the selection process of this cohort,” wrote Charli Cooksey, founder and CEO of WEPOWER. “We wanted to ensure that we were lifting up the Black and Latinx business owners that best reflect the community and what it needs. WEPOWER is thrilled to announce this new cohort and see these 10 entrepreneurs take their businesses to new heights.”

WEPOWER is a community of Black and Latinx change makers and entrepreneurs building political and economic power in St. Louis.

“In many southern states, people of color disproportionately lack health insurance coverage in large part because their state did not implement Medicaid expansion,” the brief continues. “Individuals in the South are also more likely to work in agricultural jobs or other low-wage jobs that do not provide employer-sponsored health insurance…Of the 13 states where more than one in five adults has medical debt in collections, seven states have not implemented Medicaid expansion, and in 11 states, people of color represent more than a quarter of the population.”

Earlier this year, the Center for Responsible Lending (CRL) also took a public stance on debt collection – in particular wage garnishment and bank levy protections.

“Systemic racism has fostered a debt collection landscape in which people of color are more likely to be contacted by collectors and more likely to be impacted by lawsuits resulting in wage garnishment and bank levies,” states CRL. “State laws differ in terms of how much money is “protected,” or is unable to be seized by a debt collector, to leave money for a family’s basic needs. Federal protection is urgently needed.”

The current federal poverty level of $17,240 for a single adult with one dependent child has not changed since 1969. Nor does this official poverty level take into account regional differences in the cost of living, or the cost of childcare that represents a major budgetary cost for all working parents.

To remedy debt collection seizures of all available financial resources, CRL advocates that families be shielded from debt collectors by allowing consumers to retain $12,000 in a bank account over a threemonth period to cover food, housing, transportation and medical care.

“The COVID-19 crisis has resulted in high levels of unemployment around the nation and recovery will take months, if not years, states CRL. “The federal government must protect $12,000 in a bank account, and approximately $1,000 in wages per week, to help families establish and build financial security.”

Charlene Crowell is a senior fellow with the Center for Responsible Lending. She can be reached at Charlene. crowell@responsiblelending. org

Top, from left to right: Jessica Black of Jessie B’s; Rachel Burn of Bold Spoon Creamery; Estie Cruz-Curoe of del Carmen; Reginald Jennings of Rooterman; and Jaquan Vasse of Vassel’s Comfort Shoes & Custom Insoles. Bottom, from left to right: Patrick Clapp of Coffeestamp; Melissa Douglass of Goal Driven Counseling; Tiffany Jones of Cheryl’s Herbs Group; Shamel Robinson of Sonder Lush Nail Studio; and Rashod O’Kelley of O’Kelley Building Maintenance.

Wind at my back or in my face?

By Orvin T. Kimbrough

A good friend who happens to be white shared with me that he has worked hard to achieve the American Dream. He wanted to understand what makes him different from a Black person. Don’t we all have personal agency? The answer is yes. Personal agency is the idea that we have control over our own destiny, that we have free will and can make choices, and those choices will dictate our level of success. We all believe that hard work is a necessary condition to success. If you don’t have personal agency, you are likely not to achieve very much in your own right, even if you have a silver spoon handed to you. For any race to the top, some will run faster than others, train harder, have better running shoes, or possess more raw talent. That is OK. What’s not OK is our collective failure to give everyone access to the starting line. In the financial world, the starting line is access to capital, whether it’s to buy a home or car, start or scale a business, or pay for an education.

Another white friend, very successful by almost any measure, explained that he himself grew up poor and though he has come a long way, it is doubtful that he would have achieved that level of success if he were not white. Why?

Systems are designed to help, hurt or maintain the status quo. In the world of banking, there is a long history of systems that keep people with the greatest need from accessing capital to pursue dreams and achieve upward mobility. Those on the losing end are more likely to stay put unless we all change our behavior and expect more from each other and from our

financial institutions. Not too long ago, an African American male in his 40s reached out to me because he had been denied a loan from his local bank. He “wanted my advice” on how best to position to be successful the next time. It had long been a vision of his and his wife of nearly 10 years to own a small business, which would initially start off as a side hustle. After spending five minutes chatting with him about the purpose of the loan, how much he thought he needed, his credit score (above 700), and his debt-to-income ratios, I was shocked that he was not approved! I abruptly ended the conversation and told him that I would have one of our leaders of Community and Economic Development from Midwest BankCentre reach out to discuss his situation. He said, “I don’t need any favors, I just wanted to chat and get some advice.” I assured him that I am not in the business of doing favors with money that isn’t mine. Rather, I am in the business of extending opportunity and doing the job that banks were established to do for all people. This Black man had personal agency, was in the middle class, and doing all the things that society expects of him. What about the system is so flawed that he was denied?

In September 2020, personal finance website WalletHub compared the median TransUnion credit scores of residents in 2,572 U.S. cities to come up with a list of top and bottom performers when it comes to credit worthiness.

East St. Louis, Ill. tied for the

least credit-worthy city in the U.S., with a median credit score of 552. Why does this matter? Because people can’t access reasonably priced credit. When life happens, it hurts them so much more. It becomes financial quicksand and a downward spiral. It’s not too much to ask our financial institutions to do more. It’s not too much to expect every financial institution to ensure that all citizens and all neighborhoods have access to capital. It’s not too much to revisit our own decisions by doing business with banks that open the starting line to all.

Earlier this year, Midwest BankCentre launched a program that will lend up to $200 million in community development loans for the next five years. The loans will be available for minority small business owners or businesses located in low-to-moderate income areas, and the majority will be deployed locally.

I believe economic mobility impacts everything – from ideas to business ownership, from justice to education, and from health access to propensity for disease. Each one of us can drive the change, and the more who do, the bigger the ripple effect. If we the people truly want to see systems change, then we must bank our values. If we believe everyone deserves a place on the starting line, everybody deserves a chance to build financial security, and every neighborhood deserves to thrive, then we should put our money where our heart is. We shouldn’t just think about it. Let’s put our capital to work with banks that work in the communities that need it most.

Orvin T. Kimbrough is chairman and CEO of Midwest Bank Centre.

Orvin T. Kimbrough

“Taking Care of You”

teer

Taking it to Alzheimer’s

Pat Brown will fight the disease to the end

By Sylvester Brown

Of The St. Louis American

Jacob R. Simburger, communications manager for the local Alzheimer’s Association, was anxious to share Pat Brown’s story. April 18 is the start of Volunteer Week and Simburger could think of no better person to highlight than Brown. Brown, Simburger wrote to The American, has been a volunteer “group leader” with the organization since 2012. She’s also a “faith ambassador,” someone who shares Alzheimer’s information and resources at local churches. Brown’s dedication “really shined through during the pandemic,” Simburger said, referring to the twice-monthly Zoom meetings Brown facilitates for spouses and relatives of Alzheimer’s patients.

n “I’ve told the folks at the Alzheimer’s Association that I’m going to stick with this until they find some sort of cure.”

– Pat Brown

Brown, 67, is humbled by Simburger’s tribute, but in explaining her motivations, she boiled it down to simply repaying a service she received during a dire time in own her life.

Brown’s mother, Hazel Chamberland, died at the age of 76 in 2014 from complications related to Alzheimer’s. The symptoms came on gradually, Brown recalled. At first, her mom just couldn’t remember names of

simple things like “phone book.” Within five years, however, her mom could no longer walk, feed herself or go to the restroom without assistance. It took a lot for her and her six remaining siblings to convince their dad, Alvin Chamberland, 88, to place their mother in a nursing home.

“Even though he didn’t want to do it, it was just too much for him,” Brown said. “Mom was also a diabetic who needed insulin. Sometimes dad would forget to give it to her, and she would become so lethargic.”

Brown said her father was in denial about his wife’s condition. It was all too much. She was frustrated that he would take her mom to doctor’s appointments but would always sit in the waiting room. This was problemat-

See BROWN, A13

By Sophie Hurwitz Of the St. Louis American

When Kim Bouldin-Jones worked in outreach with St. Louis Effort for AIDS in the mid-1980s, she said, her main strategy was to “meet people where they are”: that often meant finding a gay bar and becoming a regular there, handing out condoms and talking about harm-reduction methods. She would sit down in a bar, and converse with people.

“Actually getting out on the street and talking to them about their risk factors is how you get people to lower their risk,” she remembered. “You can’t go from 10 to zero, but you can minimize risk.”

Since the COVID-19 pandemic hit St. Louis a year ago, she’s been seeing parallels between her own work against the AIDS epidemic decades ago and the effort against COVID today.

Both infections have disproportionately impacted marginalized communities—Black communities in particular. In fact, the first known HIV-AIDS case in the United States was that of a Black youth in St. Louis, 15 year old Robert Rayford, in 1968. Between Rayford’s death and the discovery of antiretroviral medication in 1991, AIDS was a mysterious disease and a death sentence.

In addition, much as we have seen with COVID, efforts to curb the spread of AIDS were plagued by misinformation.

This time last year, when COVID began to spread in St. Louis, Williams noticed that the same thing was happening again: misinformation was spreading, and accurate information about how to protect oneself didn’t get to marginalized communities quickly enough.

“We first heard [about COVID] on the news, and saw pictures of…the first 5,000 community cases. They were white people,” Williams said. “I even read posts at that time on social media that COVID don’t affect Black people.” This, as we now know, was not the case. “And here we have us being more infected than other folks, in terms of our proportion to the total population. So in that sense, it’s very similar to the AIDS epidemic.”

When the AIDS epidemic spread through the St. Louis community in the 1980s, Williams’ friends became infected one by one. He decided to get involved in AIDS activism because he realized that could easily have been him.

A13

Missouri officials used inaccurate racial data to ensure vaccination equity

By Alex Smith, Sarah Fentem

St. Louis Public Radio

Throughout the COVID-19 vaccination effort, Missouri health officials have insisted that equitable distribution of doses by race and ethnicity has been a priority. But late last month, the state health department acknowledged that it has used national data to estimate Missouri’s racial breakdown, rather than data based on Missouri’s population.

In a news release, state officials said they would move forward using 2019 U.S. Census data from Missouri but said some parts of the data remain problematic. The inconsistent numbers are a source of frustration for the state’s local health officials.

“We rely on the state to provide the information on what is happening from other sources,” said Spring Schmidt, co-director of the St. Louis County

n State health department acknowledged that it has used national data to estimate Missouri’s racial breakdown, rather than data based on Missouri’s population.

Department of Public Health. “Yes, it impacts us but has not changed our approach.”

Schmidt’s department collects its own demographic data during its vaccination efforts. However, it relies on state numbers to judge how vaccinations are being distributed equitably statewide.

“This state change muddies the data but does not affect our focus,” she said.

The Department of Health and Senior

See DATA, A13

A12

ST. LOUIS AMERICAN • APRIL 8 – 14, 2021

Pat Brown at the Alzheimer’s Association office at Christian Hospital Northeast on Monday, Apr. 5. She has been a volun-

with the organization since 2012.

Photo by Jennifer Sarti / The St. Louis American

Missouri National Guardsman Richard Waithira inspects a vial of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine he is administering at Cambridge Senior Living Center in St. Louis last month.

See AIDS,

Photo courtesy of Bill Greenblatt / The St. Louis American

Data

Continued from A12

Services did not respond to inquiries seeking additional information.

Missouri’s population includes a larger percentage of white residents and a smaller percentage of most nonwhite groups than the United States as a whole.

The revised dashboard which began using Missouribased data last week, continues

to show wide disparities in vaccination rates by race. For example, 12.5% of the state’s Black residents have received at least one vaccine dose, compared to close to 27% of state residents as a whole.

Asian Americans, American Indians/Alaska Natives and others show improved vaccination rates in the revised dashboard.

State health officials also acknowledged that some problems with the data remain unresolved. For example, the dashboard

“Taking Care of You”

shows 58% of the state’s “multiracial” residents have received their first dose, a statistic state officials say is incorrect. DHSS officials continue to work on correcting the data, according to a note on the online dashboard.

“We are committed to constantly working to ascertain the populations who are choosing vaccination, especially as vaccine supply increases,” Dr. Randall Williams, state health director, said in the news release. “We greatly appreciate vaccinators’

diligence in providing us with this information.”

Lack of data on ethnicity also remains an issue. Data on whether someone is Hispanic is provided for only a third of vaccine recipients.

Dr. Rex Archer, head of the Kansas City Health Department, told KCUR in mid-March that his department was not using the state’s data because it was known to be faulty.

“When you have all these unknowns,” Archer said, “why do you put it on a web-

site when you know it’s not true?”

The state health department also revised its demographic data practices in its Missouri Vaccine Navigator system last Thursday.

In a message to users, it said it would share its demographic data with local health departments to help them target vaccination efforts. But it also offered users the option of opting out of that feature.

The state’s failures threaten to further undermine trust in state and health

officials when trust is needed to bolster confidence in vaccinations, said Kansas City Councilwoman Melissa Robinson, who serves as executive director of the Black Health Care Coalition.

“Especially with vaccine hesitancy in the African American community, we don’t have any room for error, and we don’t have any room to give people additional ammunition to discourage people from getting the vaccination,” Robinson said.

Officials hope soon-to-open FEMA site will fill COVID-19 ‘vaccination gap’ in St. Louis

By Sarah Fentem St. Louis Public Radio

Workers from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the U.S. Navy have arrived in downtown St. Louis to help vaccinate people against the coronavirus.

State and local officials hope the two-month immunization event at the Dome at America’s Center will help fill the city’s “vaccination gap.” Nearly 28% of the state’s population has received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. However, only 19% of people in St. Louis have.

The city’s density means large-scale clinics like the FEMA site are necessary, Missouri Gov. Mike Parson said during a visit Monday afternoon.

“I think everyone’s doing a good job up here, you’ve just got a huge population,” Parson said. “It’s going to take naturally longer to get through there than if you go to a county that has about 30,000 people in there. You can make one stop, two stops, and you’re done.”

The site is scheduled to open Wednesday and is expected to vaccinate close to 170,000 people before the end of May. All adults in Missouri will be eligible to receive the vaccine starting this Friday.

While vaccines have been in limited supply for months, officials are beginning to prepare for a surplus in doses.

“We thought this day would come, when at some point we’d have to turn it more into a marketing campaign to try to get people to take that vaccine,”

AIDS

Continued from A12

“I think I had a little crazy bargain with God,” Williams said. “If you spare me, I’ll commit my life to addressing this issue, and working with people, particularly Black people, who didn’t have the resources to really come out on the other side of this.”

Dr. Will Ross, associate dean for diversity and principal officer for community

Brown

Continued from A12

ic because her mother never remembered the doctor’s advice and her father was uninformed. Brown confronted the practitioners but was frustrated with their response. Brown, who at the time worked an administrative position in the Hazelwood School District, decided to take family medical leave to care for her mom. She dedicated herself to learning everything she could about Alzheimer’s and different stages of dementia, such as presenile dementia, senile dementia, and post-traumatic dementia. Not only would she

Parson said. “I think by the end of April you’re probably going to see the demand in the urban areas drop off.” In the coming weeks, the state’s biggest job will be per-

partnerships at Washington University School of Medicine and chairman of the City of St. Louis Health Board, said that more interpersonal outreach worked well when trying to ensure treatment equity at the height of the AIDS crisis.

“The immediate lesson we learned was that experts and individuals in academia were not the ones to go out and really try to rebut some of the misinformation,” Ross said. “It had to come from the community. So the use of com-

accompany her mother on her doctor appointments, but she also started attending the Alzheimer’s Association’s support groups. At those meetings Brown learned race-related facts about Alzheimer’s, such as it being more prevalent among Blacks than whites; that there are greater genetic risks of Alzheimer’s in Blacks and that environmental factors may work differently in causing the disease in the Black population. According to the national Alzheimer’s Association, the epidemic of Alzheimer’s will continue to spread over the next 30 years, as the number of Blacks entering the age of risk more than doubles to 6.9

suading people to get the shot, FEMA Region 7 Administrator Kathy Fields said. “If you know people who have not gotten the vaccination, please send them to us so we

munity health workers really emerged as the bulwark against some of the more negative biases we were seeing.”

He also added that the role of Black healthcare providers in AIDS advocacy was crucial, much as Black doctors have recently been speaking out regarding COVID vaccine equity and vaccine safety.

He likened it to the work of Prepare STL, a collaborative program between the city and county departments of health, that works specifically towards helping St. Louisans of color

million.

After nine months in the nursing home, Brown’s mother passed away. But her passion to learn and share more about Alzheimer’s, especially among Blacks increased. When asked to lead her own support group, Brown challenged the administrators:

“The thing about Black people is that we don’t want everybody to know our business. We sort of brush things under the rug,” Brown explained. “They were having workshops in different areas but none in our communities. So, before I started, I explained to them that a lot of Black seniors are not going to travel out of their way for information. You have to bring it to our community.”

can help save lives,” she said. Health officials urge St. Louis and St. Louis County residents who want to receive a shot at the FEMA site to sign up on the state’s registra-

“prepare and prevail” during COVID. The program, Ross said, is “doing well…it just needs to be scaled up more.”

Dr. Shanti Parikh, a professor of sociocultural anthropology studying AIDS response with Washington University, noted that we need more person-to-person community outreach.

In a study of low-wage healthcare workers of color that Parikh participated in, she noticed that many individuals are hesitant to disclose the possibility of a COVID expo-

Because of her insistence, Brown said, the Alzheimer’s Association started a support group at Christian Hospital NorthEast in St. Louis County. Brown was asked to lead the group, which met one-to-two times every month. The response has been robust, Brown said. Many in the group, she added, have expressed appreciation that they can access information in their own neighborhood. With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Brown was confronted with even more disturbing facts related to Alzheimer’s and dementia. For instance, according to the Alzheimer’s Association, people living with dementia are twice as likely to get COVID-

tion list at https://tinyurl.com/ whbne5ts FEMA staffers also encourage local residents to sign up to volunteer at the downtown site as ushers and helpers at

sure due to stigma—and fear that a two-week quarantine might lead them to lose their jobs. The public health messaging currently being used, Parikh said, is “indirectly… making people feel like if they do get COVID, they have somehow not adhered to one of the common-sense public health messages, and that they are to blame for contracting COVID.”

“That is an HIV parallel,” Parikh added. “If you get COVID, if you get HIV, then you didn’t do the basics.”

19 and four times more likely to die from it and, that in Missouri there were 1,037 more deaths from dementia in 2020 than compared to the last five year averages. Brown said her father is starting to show signs of shortterm memory loss. She takes some comfort in the fact that her mother’s twin sister, 83, nor any other member of her family tree, that she knows of, have or had Alzheimer’s. Still, as an African American and daughter of an Alzheimer’s victim, Brown is aware of the racial and genetic risks.

“Yes, I’m aware but I try not to think about it,” Brown said. “I try to keep myself as healthy as I can. I go to the gym at least four times a week.

Navy personnel on Monday prepare to open the large-scale vaccination site at the Dome at America’s Center. Workers will begin distributing the COVID19 vaccine on Wednesday.

https://tinyurl.com/y59bwcwu St. Louis Public Radio is a content partner of The St. Louis American.

Erise Williams, who Ross describes as “truly one of the pioneers” of AIDS mitigation in the Black community, suggests that pre-existing AIDS activist organizations be used more effectively to disseminate information, as even as vaccine facilitators — the networks from 20 years ago are already there.

“I kind of wish as a country we could’ve done better,” he said. “Because we’d already been through this rodeo with the AIDS epidemic.”

I stay active and I have a trust and a will that details what I want to happen just in case.” Until the virus is contained and Brown can resume normal activities she loves like going to the movies and socializing, she’s content serving as a volunteer for the long haul.

“I’m staying with it because I see so many people afflicted by the disease who need information,” Brown said.

“I’ve told the folks at the Alzheimer’s Association that I’m going to stick with this until they find some sort of cure. I want to see it through until the end.”

Sylvester Brown Jr. is The St. Louis American’s inaugural Deaconess Fellow.

Photo courtesy of Sarah Fentem / St. Louis Public Radio

NEWSPAPER IN EDUCATION

PRESENT:

PRESENT:

Nutrition Challenge:

Nutrition Challenge:

When we’re lucky enough to have a chance to go out for dinner, there are a few ways to stay healthy with our food

Dining Out.

What Is ASize?Serving

GRAINS Keep ‘em Whole!

The Smart Way!

Warm Up & Cool Down

Balloon Juggle!

Do This. Not That!

Exercise Game

Exercise Game

First Day of Spring!

Calculate BMI

Tech-Neck

Tech-Neck

Safety In Numbers

be dangerous for several different reasons.

See if the restaurant will let you “share” a meal. Many meals are two, three or more times an actual serving size.

about how hard it is to eat healthy on a budget. Let’s look at some ways to be successful

We each need at least 3 servings per day of whole grains. But what does that mean? How can we know what foods contain whole grains?

In our “Super-Size” world, we can easily lose track of what an actual serving size means. When reading labels on a food or drink product, you can determine the nutrients, sodium, fiber, sugar and calories of a serving size. But be careful; just because it looks like one small bottle

Look at the ingredients list of a package of food you are about to eat. If the word “whole” is used, then there is most likely a whole grain ingredient. A few items that don’t use the word whole

As soon as you’ve divided your plate into the right size servings, ask your server for a to-go box. Go ahead and box up what you don’t need to eat right away. You can enjoy

Healthy Kids

Healthy Kids

Healthy Kids

Healthy Kids

Healthy Kids

Healthy Kids

those leftovers for lunch the next day!

are popcorn, wheatberries, brown rice and wild rice.

Cocoa Puffers Cereal

> Decide you’re going to switch from soda to water.

> Ask the server how the different menu items are prepared. Fried, sautéed, and

Getting plenty of whole grains in your diet can improve your health and reduce your chance for some chronic illnesses such as stroke, diabetes, heart disease and high blood pressure. Visit wholegrainscouncil.com for more information.

Cook from “scratch” whenever possible. This is the best way to know exactly what ingredients go into a dish. And it is usually cheaper than buying pre-packaged products.

lifestyle. You can do this by forming new habits. For example, if you decide to eliminate sugary drinks completely, it only takes a few weeks until this becomes what you’re used to.

> Decide you’re going to switch from soda to water.

> Comparison shop — use the grocery ads found in The St. Louis American to compare prices for similar, healthy food choices at different stores.

lifestyle. You can do this by forming new habits. For example, if you decide to eliminate sugary drinks completely, it only takes a few weeks until this becomes what you’re used to. Here are the steps to making a healthy permanent change. We‘ll use the sugary drink change as an example.

Let’s make a game out of exercise!

Let’s make a game out of exercise!

Here are the steps to making a healthy permanent change. We‘ll use the sugary drink change as an example.

> Use coupons and buy the healthy items in bulk when they’re on sale.

First, locate either a deck of cards or two dice.

As spring approaches, warmer weather allows us all to get more outdoor exercise. Here are some ways to become a more active person.

> Start by substituting one drink per day to water.

> Avoid gravies, cheese sauces and other kinds of toppings that often just add fat and calories.

> Start by substituting one drink per day to water.

> Buy fruits and vegetables that are in season. These will be the lower-cost options.

Melissa Douglass, MSW

Weekly Newspaper in Education Program

Weekly Newspaper in Education Program

Latoya Woods, DNP, APRN, FNP-C

> Every few days increase the amount of water and decrease your soda intake.

INGREDIENTS: Whole Grain Corn, Sugar, Corn Meal, Corn Syrup, Canola and/or Rice Bran Oil, Cocoa Processed with Alkali, Color Added, Salt, Fructose, Natural and Artificial Flavor, Trisodium Phosphate, BHT Added to Preserve Freshness. Vitamins and Minerals: Tricalcium Phosphate,

Yonniece Rose, Registered Nurse

Dr. Charles Olagbegi, Gastroenterology, Internal Medicine

> Every few days increase the amount of water and decrease your soda intake.

> After 3-4 weeks, this change will become a habit.

Learning Standards:

of soda — it may not be considered one serving size. For example, a 20-oz bottle contains 2.5 servings. So if the bottle states “110 calories per serving,” that means the entire bottle contains a total of 275 calories! Remember to watch those serving sizes and you’ll have better control over what you’re eating and drinking.

> Stick with water to drink. Not only will you save money, but you won’t be adding in extra calories from a sugarfilled drink.

> Think about packaging. For example, a head of lettuce will make more salads than a smaller, more expensive bag of lettuce.

> After 3-4 weeks, this change will become a habit.

Learning Standards: HPE

> What are other ways that you can save and shop smart?

When you automatically reach for water instead of soda, it has now become a lifestyle change!

even simmered can all mean, “cooked in oil.” Instead, choose baked or grilled options.

HPE 2, HPE 5, NH 1, NH 3, NH 5

When you automatically reach for water instead of soda, it has now become a lifestyle change!

> What are other ways to stay healthy while dining out?

Learning Standards:

Where do you work? I am a family nurse practitioner for BJC Medical Group.

Where do you work? I am the founder and distance counselor for Goal Driven Counseling, LLC.

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

Where do you work? I am a school nurse with St. Louis Public Schools.

Where do you work? I am a school nurse at Monroe Elementary School.

Where do you work?

I am a physician with BJC Medical Group Specialists of North County.

Where did you go to school?

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

HPE 1, HPE 2, HPE 5, NH 1, NH 5

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

A fun way to stay active and burn calories indoors is as simple as blowing up a few balloons. Here are a couple of balloon challenges to try.

It’s important that before you embark on any kind of exercise to remember two things: warm up and cool down. Start with some slow stretches and movement (like walking) to increase your heart rate a little. Warm up for a good five minutes before increasing your heart rate.

March 20, 2021, is the first day of spring. With spring comes warmer weather and longer days (later sunset). Make it a habit to spend as much time playing outside as the weather allows.

Secondly, when you are finished with any kind of strenuous (very active) exercise, take some time to cool down. You can slowly stretch your arms and

Instead of playing video games — play baseball, football, badminton, or some other active game.

Where did you go to school? I graduated from McCluer North High School. I earned an Associate of Applied Science in Nursing from Meramec College in Kirkwood and completing my bachelor’s degree at Webster University in Webster Groves.

play. Blow up a balloon and take turns hitting the balloon to see how long you can keep it in the air. If it falls to the floor on your turn, you get a point. The first to reach 10 points loses.

legs again, and continue with reduced speed movements until your heart rate begins to slow down.

card and fold into a small square. Put these squares into a bowl.

and breathing. You want to have fun, but it’s also a great way to help keep your heart, lungs and body healthy.

Instead of watching TV — ride your bike with friends. Can you think of other ways to be more active? Going outside and staying active not only increases your heart rate and burns calories, but it also helps you build friendships!

Some fun outdoor games to play include tag, kickball, basketball, Frisbee, and bicycling. Choose activities that increase your heart rate

Next you’ll need to make a list of different types of exercise: jumping jacks, sit-ups, lunges, etc. Write each exercise item on a small piece of paper or index

Instead of surfing the ‘Net — go for a brisk walk around the neighborhood.

> Have each person in your group count off to decide the order you will

First, locate either a deck of cards or two dice. Next you’ll need to make a list of different types of exercise: jumping jacks, sit-ups, lunges, etc. Write each exercise item on a small piece of paper or index

> NEVER walk on a “frozen” pond, lake, river or any other body of water. Just because it looks frozen does not mean it is safe.

Take turns rolling the dice (or drawing a card) and selecting an exercise from the bowl. The total number on the dice or card tells you how many of the exercise you must do. Face cards (king,

Make a list of your favorite 10 activities to do outdoors. Compare your list with your classmates and create a chart to see what are the most popular.

> Set up a kind of volleyball “net” between a couple of chairs. Sit across from a friend and take turns hitting the

card and fold into a small square. Put these squares into a bowl. Take turns rolling the dice (or drawing a card) and selecting an exercise from the bowl. The total number on the dice or card tells you how many of the exercise you must do. Face cards (king,

This warm-up and recovery period is important for your heart health. It also helps to reduce the amount of muscle pulls and strains.

Learning Standards:

> Create your own balloon game and share your idea with your classmates.

HPE1, HPE 2, HPE 5, NH 1, NH 5

Where did you go to school? I graduated from McCluer High School. I then earned a Bachelor of Nursing and a Master of Nursing Practice from the University of Missouri – St. Louis. And finally, I earned a Doctorate of Nursing Practice from Maryville University.

queen or jack) should all count as the number 10. Aces are “wild” and you can do as many as you want! To really challenge yourself, have one person roll the dice and the second can select the exercise. See who can complete the exercise challenge first!

balloon one time to make it go to your friend’s side of the net. See how many times you can both hit it (counting as you go) before it hits the ground.

Learning Standards: HPE 2, HPE 5, NH 1

queen or jack) should all count as the number 10. Aces are “wild” and you can do as many as you want! To really challenge yourself, have one person roll the dice and the second can select the exercise. See who can complete the exercise challenge first!

Learning Standards: HPE 2, HPE 5, NH 1

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

> What to do if you see someone else bullied.

Where did you go to school? I graduated from Sumner High School. I then earned Associate Degree in Nursing from Forest Park College and a BS in Business Administration from Columbia College.

I graduated from Whitney Young Magnet High School in Chicago, IL: same as former first lady Mrs. Michelle Obama. I then earned a Bachelor of Science in Social Work, and a Master of Social Work from the University of Missouri – St. Louis. I also completed two more years of supervision and exams to become a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in the state of Missouri.

Where did you go to school? I graduated from Prospect High School in Ibadan, Nigeria. I then earned my MD degree from the University of Ilorin, Ilorin, Nigeria.

What does a school nurse do? I love giving students medications, so they’re able to focus on learning. I clean and bandage wounds. I use medical equipment like a stethoscope, for example, to evaluate whether or not my asthmatics are breathing well. Moreover, I teach and promote healthy habits to my students.

What does a Licensed Clinical Social Worker do? I use technology to help teens and young adults explore their emotions, better understand their feelings, work through relationships, and address common challenges completely online through a computer, tablet, or smart phone. Similar to a Facetime call, I support and guide my clients from the comfort of their home or private location where they are comfortable

What does a family nurse practitioner do? Each day I have office visits with patients to help treat new health conditions and/or manage established health conditions. I perform physical examinations on patients, order labs, read x-rays results, and more.

What does a gastroenterologist do? I evaluate and treat diseases of the digestive tract. I also perform endoscopies and colonoscopies, looking inside the gut with endoscopes.

Learning Standards: HPE 2, HPE 4, HPE 5, NH 1

Learning Standards: HPE 2, HPE 4, HPE 5, NH 1

Cracker-wiches

How much time do you spend each day looking down at a phone, laptop or video game?

Break into small groups and define what it means to be a bully. Share your ideas with the class. Did you have the same things listed (as the other groups) that you would consider as bullying behavior? Now back in your groups, create a newspaper ad that includes at least two of the following:

How much time do you spend each day looking down at a phone, laptop or video game?

Chiropractors around the country see young patients every day suffering from back, neck and head-aches resulting from the extra strain you put on your body when you look down for long periods of time.

> If you are with someone that falls through the ice, first run (or call) for help. Do not try to go out onto the ice to help your friend. You can fall through the ice too.

Chiropractors around the country see young patients every day suffering from back, neck and head-aches resulting from the extra strain you put on your body when you look down for long periods of time.

A BMI (Body Mass Index) is a generic way to calculate where your weight falls into categories (thin, average, overweight, obese). However, it’s a good idea to remember that a BMI may not take into consideration many things such as athleticism (how athletic you are), your bone density and other factors. Discuss your BMI with your

> How bullying hurts others.

> What to do if YOU are the bully.

> What to do if you are bullied.

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

A couple of quick tips that will reduce that strain on your neck are:

doctor if you have any questions. The formula to calculate your BMI is 703 X weight (lbs) ÷ height (in inches/squared) or search “BMI Calculator” to find an easy fill-in chart online. If your number is high, what are some ways to lower your BMI?

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

> Also — remember to look up! Icicles injure numerous people every year. If you see large icicles forming over your front steps, ask your parents to use a broom handle to knock them off to the side before they break loose from your gutters.

1. Most importantly — take breaks! Have a goal of a 3 minute break every 15-20 minutes. Move around, stretch your neck and relax, without looking down!

1. Most importantly — take breaks! Have a goal of a 3 minute break every 15-20 minutes. Move around, stretch your neck and relax, without looking down!

Easy Hummus Dip

Ingredients: 8 Saltine

Why did you choose this career? I chose this career to help improve the health of my community.

Why did you choose this career? I am a St. Louis native, and was an asthmatic child who experienced frequent hospitalizations. Besides having the influence of nurses in my family, the local nurses who helped take care of me were my “angels” and always managed to nurse me back to health, thus sparking my interest.

Ingredients:

What does a school nurse do? I assess the concerns of students who are ill, injured or experiencing alterations in their normal health. Nurses screen daily staff, students and visitors for safety. Monroe School is a pilot school for Covid-19 test sites in partnership with the city. Why did you choose this career? I love nursing because there are many opportunities in hospitals, schools, clinics and offices, insurance, legal and research. My passion is working in the schools with students, parents, staff and community partners.

Why did you choose this career? I chose this career because I enjoy being a support to teens and young adults in a very challenging phase of life that can be overwhelming. I enjoy teaching them how to best take care of themselves so they can live healthy and fulfilling lives.

Why did you choose this career? I chose this career because I have always been fascinated by the anatomy and working with the human gut.

> When walking on icecovered roadways or sidewalks, take baby steps. Walk carefully and slowly.

A couple of quick tips that will reduce that strain on your neck are:

Learning Standards: HPE 1, HPE 2, NH 5

2. Set your tech device in a holder to keep it at eye level, reducing the need to look down.

Look through the newspaper for examples of ad layouts and design. Discuss the words “compassion,” “empathy” and “sympathy.” How do they each play into your response to bullying at your school?

2. Set your tech device in a holder to keep it at eye level, reducing the need to look down.

> What other ice hazards are there?

Learning Standards: HPE 2, HPE 5, NH 4

Learning Standards: HPE 2, HPE 5, HPE 7, NH 5, NH 7

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

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

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

Frozen Yogurt Dipped Strawberries

Frozen Yogurt Blueberry Bites

Frozen Yogurt Blueberry Bites

1 15-Oz Can Garbanzo beans

Ingredients:

What is your favorite part of the job you have?

1 Garlic clove, crushed

6 Strawberries

Ingredients: 1 cup blueberries 1 cup non-fat Greek Yogurt

Ingredients: 1 cup blueberries 1 cup non-fat Greek Yogurt

1 Small container yogurt (any flavor)

2 Tsp Cumin, 1 Tsp Olive oil, ½ Tsp Salt Directions: Combine all ingredients in a blender until smooth. Enjoy with baked tortilla chips or raw vegetables.

Directions: Blend all ingredients until Smooth. Makes 2 yummy smoothies!

What is your favorite part of the job you have? I enjoy when a child tells you, “I want to be a nurse.” And best of all, I love the smiles, hugs and “thank-yous”.

Learning Standards: HPE6, NH3

What is your favorite part of the job you have? I love that my job makes talking about mental health not as scary and even makes it kind of cool. I love that I get to build valuable relationships with so many people that trust me to be there for them. I love that no matter where my clients are, we can simply connect with a video call and I can not only support them through hard times, but lots of good times as well.

What is your favorite part of the job you have? My favorite part is meeting new people daily and being able to solve their medical problems as they relate to my specialty.

My childhood health challenges have given me sensitivity to children suffering with illness. After being given a new lease on life, I consider it an honor to be in a position to promote health to the children of my community, in whatever capacity I serve – in turn, being their “angel.”

Directions: Drop each blueberry into the yogurt. Using a spoon, swirl around to coat and place each blueberry on a cookie sheet topped with parchment paper. Freeze for at least an hour.

What is your favorite part of the job you have? Many chronic health conditions (diabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure) are preventable, and early detection is key. Thus my favorite part of the job is partnering with patients to establish and manage a plan to help them each live a long and healthy life.

Directions: Rinse the strawberries, trim off the green caps and pat dry. Dip the strawberries in the yogurt. Place on a glass plate and freeze.

Directions: Spread peanut butter on four of the crackers and top with sliced strawberries. Drizzle with honey and top with the other crackers to make four cracker-wiches.

Directions: Drop each blueberry into the yogurt. Using a spoon, swirl around to coat and place each blueberry on a cookie sheet topped with parchment paper. Freeze for at least an hour.

Learning Standards: HPE6, NH3

Learning Standards: HPE 6, NH 3

Learning Standards: HPE6, NH3

Learning Standards: HPE6, NH3

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

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

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

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

PRESENT:

Banana PB Smoothie Ingredients: 1/2 Cp Vanilla Greek yogurt, 3 Tbsp Natural peanut butter, 1 Ripe banana (sliced and frozen), Splash of vanilla (optional) 6 Ice cubes

Deborah Edwards, School Nurse

The e-edition of the St. Louis American’s STEM page provides the opportunity for self-directed research by area science students.

Power plants make energy that is sent through miles of electric power cable to the homes, offices, schools, and factories where it is used. Some power plants have large generators that are fueled by steam created by burning fossil fuels, such as coal, gas, or oil. Energy can also be created from renewable resources, such as wind mills and solar power. Solar power is used by capturing light’s energy and turning it in to electricity. Many calculators and digital watches have solar cells that allow them to operate using solar power.

SCIENCE INVESTIGATION

Background Information:

In this experiment, you will see cornstarch appear to jump towards a balloon.

Materials Needed:

• Cornstarch • Vegetable Oil • Mixing Bowl • Large Spoon • Balloon • Measuring Cup Process:

q Measure ¼ cup of cornstarch and pour it into the mixing bowl.

w Measure ¼ cup vegetable oil and add it to the cornstarch. Stir the cornstarch and oil until the mixture thickens.

e Blow up a balloon and tie it closed.

r Use your hair to statically charge the balloon (rub the balloon against your hair to create static electricity).

Use this formula to answer the following questions: wattage x hours used ÷ 1000 x price per kWh (kilowatt hour) = cost of electricity.

z Your Xbox 360 uses 185 watts of electricity. If you use your Xbox 4 hours per day, and your electricity costs 25 cents per kilowatt hour, how much does it cost to use your Xbox for one day?______ One week?______ One month?______

x Your microwave oven uses 1440 watts of electricity. If you use your microwave an average of 15 minutes a day, and your cost of electricity is 25 cents per kwh, how much does it cost to use your microwave each day?______

DID YOU KNOW?

To learn more, visit: http://www.eia.gov/kids/. Teachers: You can request a visit from Ameren’s mascots, Louie the Lightning Bug and Sniffy the Sniffasaurus. Visit https://ameren.com/community-members/ educators-and-students to complete the application.

Learning Standards: I can read nonfiction text for main idea and supporting details.

t Hold a spoonful of the cornstarch mixture and slowly bring the charged balloon near the spoon. Once you witness the cornstarch jump towards the balloon, slowly move the balloon away. How close is the balloon

when you see the reaction?

Evaluate: How does static electricity affect this experiment? What happens if you leave the cornstarch in the bowl, does it jump towards the balloon? If you do not add oil to the cornstarch, how does it affect this experiment?

Learning Standards: I can follow sequential directions to complete an experiment. I can evaluate results and draw conclusions.

c The television in your living room uses 200 watts of electricity. If you use your television 6 hours a day, and your cost of electricity is 25 cents per kwh, how much does it cost to use your television for one week?______

v If your furnace uses 6000 watts of electricity, and you use your furnace for 5 hours per day, and the rate of electricity is 25 cents per kwh, how much does it cost to use your furnace for one month?________

Learning Standards: I can use addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division to solve a problem.

African-American Electrical Engineer Cordell Reed

Cordell Reed was born in Chicago on March 26, 1938. After growing up in the housing projects, Reed went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering, in 1960. He attended the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign (UIUC), and became the third African American to earn that degree from UIUC.

After graduation, Reed went to work for Commonwealth Edison, which is an Illinois electric company and worked his way to an executive position, in 1975.

Reed was very successful at Commonwealth Edison and served as a department manager and a public spokesman for nuclear power. He served in three different departments before he earned the title of senior vice president. In 1994, Reed became their ethics officer and the chief diversity officer. He was in charge of purchasing materials for the company’s fossil fuel-fired energy-generating plants. In 1995, he even represented the company on a trade mission to South Africa. He retired in 1997.

Throughout his career, Reed earned many awards and honors. In 1988, he earned the lifetime achievement award from The Black Engineer of the Year awards. Five years later, he earned the Tommy Thompson Award from the American Nuclear Society. Reed has served on the board of directors for LaSalle bank, the Walgreen Company, Underwriters Laboratories, and Washington Group International. He is a member of the National Academy of Engineering, American Nuclear Society, Tau Beta Pi, the National Technical Association, and the Urban Financial Service Association. Reed has also volunteered his time and expertise for the following: John G. Shedd Aquarium, the Illinois Academic Decathlon Association, Cal-Met Village Senior Citizen Housing, the Development Fund for Black Students and the Metropolitan Family Services Advisory Board.

Learning Standards: I can read a biography about a person who has made contributions in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and math.

MAP CORNER

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

Activity One —

Adding Maps: Maps are very helpful tools and are often found in newspapers.

Skim your newspaper and find an article that you think would be improved with the addition of a map. Design a map that you think should accompany the article and present your map to your classmates.

Activity Two — Ad Critique: Choose 10 advertisements to evaluate for message (what are the ads trying to say) and impact (is the strategy effective). Next, revise three of those ads to appeal to people in a certain age group (teens, senior citizens, etc.)

Learning Standards: I can use the newspaper to locate information. I can create visual representation of information. I can write for a specified purpose and audience.

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

Nike expands commitment to community organizations

By Karen RobinsonJacobs

For The St. Louis American

Athletic wear giant Nike has announced a major expansion of its Black Community Commitment program by granting $250,000 to four St. Louisbased nonprofit organizations that work toward economic empowerment, education and social justice for African Americans.

The St. Louis grants, part of a five-city expansion of an effort that launched in February with grants awarded in Portland and New York City, will help support four efforts including the Riverview West Florissant Corporations’ beautification program and increased access to mental health and wellness programs, according to a spokeswoman for the Beaverton, Oregon-based shoemaker.

Nike -- which includes the Nike, Converse, and Jordan brands -- announced its community commitment program in 2020, as major U.S. corporations began to funnel millions to help support economic empowerment and social justice efforts, following the widelyviewed May death of George Floyd, who died under the knee of a then-Minneapolis police officer. His death set off global protests and forced a national reckoning on systemic racism, and its impact on generational wealth.

At that time, the Nike, Converse and Jordan brands and NBA legend Michael Jordan committed a combined $140 million over 10 years to invest in and support organizations focused on economic empower-

ment, education and social justice to address racial inequality for African Americans.

Also Wednesday, Nike said it is donating $1 million to the National Urban League for two targeted efforts.

Half will help fund the Urban League’s Urban Reentry Jobs Program, which helps formerly incarcerated people find sustained work. The remaining $500,000 will support the League’s “Home is Where the Wealth Is,” a campaign that helps expand first-time homeownership opportunities for Black Americans through financial education and coaching.

“With Nike, Inc.’s investment, we’ll be able to both get more people to work in living wage jobs soon after incarceration and expand homeownership opportunities for Black individuals and families across the United States,” Marc H. Morial, president and CEO of National Urban League said in a statement.

Benefiting from the Nike grants locally are:

• Riverview West Florissant Development Corporation, which will use the funds to support the Corporations’ Beautification program and provide summer jobs for youth. It will also support the Baden Enrichment Center, providing a variety of programs and activities that encourage economic development for area youth.

($75,000)

The corporation was founded in 1994 to “strengthen and stabilize the city’s north corridor which includes 10 neighborhoods and over 40,000 residents,” according to its Facebook page. The organization focuses on area improvement andeconomic development.

• Urban Golf of Greater St. Louis, which will boost support for the organization’s satellite locations to provide educational opportunities for Urban St. Louis youth. It also will support an on-course program, provid-

Federal and local tax filings deadlines extended

The St. Louis American Staff

The Treasury Department and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) have announced that the federal income tax filing due date has been automatically extended from April 15, 2021, to May 17, 2021.

In response, City of St. Louis Collector of Revenue Gregory F.X. Daly has extended the earnings tax filing deadline from April 15, 2021 to May 17, 2021, to mirror the federal deadlines. Taxpayers don’t need to file any additional forms to qualify for this automatic extension.

“Again, this year, we have made the decision to mirror the Treasury Department and IRS tax filing deadline for the earnings tax,” said Daly. “The process of filing your earnings taxes remains the same. Only the deadline is changing.”

The City of St. Louis earnings tax has been around since 1959 and is the top funding source for city services. It’s a flat 1% tax based upon equity and fairness, because it’s income based. Those individuals and companies who make more, pay more.

ing mentorship opportunities that encourage career development and post-secondary placement. ($75,000)

• Peoples Community Action Corporation, which will help clients gain greater access to mental health and wellness programs. The organization is part of the People’s Family of Corporations which includes the Betty Jean Kerr People’s Health Centers. ($50,000)

• Annie Malone Children & Family Service Center, which offers social services, educational programs and advocacy for at-risk children and families. The organization looks to advance “the quality of life for children, families, and communities.” ($50,000)

Other Black Community Commitment grantees announced are in Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles and Memphis. The National Urban League is the latest organization to partner with Nike in its $140 million commitment.

More than 4,000 American jurisdictions have a local earnings/income tax, where the cost of the urban core is spread among the people who live around the cities and utilize their services. Cities utilize this type of tax to avoid burdening only those who live in the cities with increased real estate and property taxes.

For more information go to https://tinyurl.com/yj3f45x8

Living It

St. Louis native guest stars in Netflix series with Michelle Obama

Danielle Brown

Of The St. Louis American

Kennedi Butler, 11, a budding actress and model from St. Louis, who now lives with her family in Los Angeles has been diligently working to make a name for herself in the entertainment industry.

In the beginning stages of her career, she already has quite an impressive resume. She’s been featured on ABC’s “Kids Say the Darndest Things,” with Tiffany Haddish, she’s featured in season three of the HBO series “True Detective,” with Mahershala Ali, and she stars in Netflix’s “Emily’s Wonder Lab.”

She’s also done voiceover work on Cartoon Network’s “We Bare Bears,” and has been featured in various national and local commercials including Barnes-Jewish Hospital and McDonald’s.

n Waffles and Mochi is a children’s show that chronicles the adventures of two puppeteer pals, with the same name as the show.

But that’s not all, Butler guest stars in episode four titled “Pickles,” of the new Netflix series, “Waffles + Mochi.” Waffles and Mochi is a children’s show that chronicles the adventures of two puppeteer pals, with the same name as the show. They work in the supermarket with Michelle Obama, the store’s owner in the series, and are on a journey to finding healthier foods. After being chosen for the role, she couldn’t believe she would be working with the former first lady.

“I said, ‘no, you’re playing.’ They were like nope it says Michelle Obama on the call sheet. I didn’t know what to say. I thought it was fake like maybe somebody could’ve just had the same name as her.”

Butler’s mother Charrice Butler shared her sentiments being just as excited to know she would be working with Obama.

“It was nice to see her on set,” Charrice said. “When the production team said she would be working with her we were both pretty excited. It was exciting to be in the same building as her.”

Butler’s role is as Baker’s niece Kennedi, a chef played by Lyric Lewis. She said people can learn a lot from the episode that they may have not been aware of before.

“You can expect a lot of information that you probably never knew or never thought of like, ‘oh wow, you can actually do that,” Butler said.

Fox Theatre and Opera Theatre to reopen a year after pandemic forced doors to close

By Chad Davis St. Louis Public Radio

Two of the St. Louis region’s most prominent arts organizations are preparing to reopen their doors after a year of canceled shows during the coronavirus pandemic.

The Fabulous Fox Theatre will reopen to audiences April 17 with a comedy show and concert series that will feature local bands and stand-up comedians. But many people will be looking forward to the return of Broadway shows in the fall. Fox officials announced the U.S. Bank Broadway Series will return to the Fox this fall. The 2021-22 season will feature “Hamilton,” “Cats,” “The Prom,” “Mean Girls,” “Pretty Woman,” “The Lion King” and “My Fair Lady.”

When the Fox opens in a few weeks, patrons will sit in socially distant spaces with tickets sold in pods of two to four seats. Maximum capacities will start at 250 and will increase depending on local health guidelines. Patrons and staff will have to wear masks.

Rescheduling planned performances for the upcoming season has been one of the most difficult challenges for venues because many theater productions have had to rebook and change schedules, Fox Theatre Director of Programing

By Lara Hamdan St. Louis Public Radio

Last week marked the end of Wauneen Rucker’s nearly 40-year-long journey in pageants. Crowned Mrs. Missouri last September, Rucker represented the state in the Mrs. America Pageant held in Las Vegas, Nevada last month.

And while she didn’t win, Rucker has plenty to be proud of. After starting in pageants at age 14, the 57-year-old St. Louisan became the second-ever Black Mrs. Missouri. She is also the first to win the title over age 50. She competed one last time in honor of a childhood friend who died last year.

The community cause she highlighted in this year’s competition was the St. Louis Area Diaper Bank, an organization she first learned about through her son. He was helping the diaper bank as part of the community service requirements for his high school curriculum.

“It was refreshing to know that somebody finally gets it,” Rucker said on Friday’s St. Louis on the Air , “because I used to be one of those single parents that had to make the hard decision of, ‘Do I buy diapers or do I buy food?’ And that’s a very hard decision to make, especially when you’re not making a lot of money.”

In conversation with host Sarah Fenske, Rucker discussed other twists and turns in her life journey.

She noted that she was actually a tomboy growing up, and still is. But in eighth grade, her interest in football led her into cheerleading, and her cheer coach encouraged the idea of pageants.

“She’s the one that actually approached my family [about] putting me in pageants, hoping to get some of the tomboy out of me,” Rucker said. “But what it actually did was showed me how to put makeup on and a pair of sweats.”

She joined the U.S. Marine Corps at 18 and later became a St. Louis police officer.

“I really did enjoy that job, but due to some things that happened to my son’s godfather who was a fellow police officer, it took a large toll on my son,” Rucker recalled. “And going into the police department, my one thing was that when it started to affect my family, I would have to walk away. And that’s what I did.”

From there she entered the world of banking, took a job as an investigator and eventually went to culinary school.

“So now I’m a certified pastry chef,” Rucker said. She’s also gotten into real estate.

St. Louis Public Radio is a content partner of The St. Louis American.

See Netflix, B8 See Theatre, B8

Courtesy Opera Theatre Of St. Louis

Photo courtesy of Netflix

St. Louis native Kennedi Butler, 11, featured in the promotion for Netflix’s new show “Waffles + Mochi,” alongside former First Lady Michelle Obama, and fellow actor Ayush Rajmachikar, 8.

Lance Tilford / Mrs. Missouri America Wauneen Rucker became the second-ever Black Mrs. Missouri in 2020.

Like People? Like Driving?

in St. Louis: Explore The Outdoors

By Barry Draper, Explore St. Louis

From beers and bikes to Urban hiking and heart-pumping adventures, there are many outdoor activities in the St. Louis region that are safe and enjoyable.

Below you will find a wide range of outdoor activities that are great for both kids and adults. Grab a few friends, wear a mask and enjoy this April weather while it lasts.

If you are looking to stay close to the city, the Terrain staff has put together a self-guided bikes and brews tour combining the best of both worlds. When followed west to east, our route winds 15 miles from the eclectic Maplewood, The Hill, and The Grove neighborhoods, through Tower Grove and Soulard, then into the heart of downtown St. Louis, with attractive scenery and quality beer options along the way. Give the route a try on two wheels — or on two feet if you’re really feeling ambitious — but be sure to arrange a pickup for the drive home. Beer and bikes only go great together when enjoyed responsibly.

Seeing the Gateway Arch up close is always awe-inspiring. But head just a bit north or south of the grounds meticulously maintained by the National Park Service, and you’ll find hulking industrial buildings, graffiti-covered floodwalls, and an unfinished sculpture park filled with artwork by the creator of City Museum.

Your outdoor adventure wouldn’t be complete without Forest Park. It’s one of the country’s great public spaces — even larger than Central Park in Manhattan — and houses some of the region’s top cultural attractions. The visitor center is a good place to start a Forest Park adventure. To tour the west side of the park, head south past the tennis courts and then veer right toward Post-Dispatch Lake. You can walk

around the lake or use bridges to access Picnic Island as you head toward Art Hill. If you are looking for something in St. Louis County then hike on over to The Gravois Greenway (Grant’s Trail). This trail meanders through seven municipalities and connects several parks, schools, neighborhoods, libraries, historic sites and athletic facilities. It currently extends from a trailhead at Holmes and Leffingwell avenues in Kirkwood to the River des Peres Greenway (just east of Interstate Highway 55 at River City Blvd.) in the city of St. Louis. Runners, walkers and cyclists of all ages can be found year-round enjoying this ribbon of green space linking south St. Louis County and the City of St. Louis.

If you are looking for a kid-friendly activity, try Lime Kiln Trail at Rockwoods Reservation. This is a challenging yet rewarding trail in Wildwood. It’s gorgeous and will make you think you’re deep in the Ozarks, with all the hardwood and geologic features of that famous region. This hike is also just under 3 miles. If you need something easier, the Rock Quarry Trail at Rockwoods is very pretty.

Hiking can have many benefits for kids. They need exercise every day for their physical and emotional health, and research shows that a walk in the woods is better for cognitive restoration than a walk in an urban environment. Add to that the social benefits of family time in nature without screens and it’s obvious why hiking with kids is a great idea. Cuivre River State Park in Troy is a little taste of the Ozarks in the northern part of the region. The northern half of the Lone Spring Trail loop is only moderately difficult and showcases a variety of environments. Visit and re-explore these outdoor adventures while the weather is in our favor! For more information on these destinations, please read Explore St. Louis’ more recent blog posts.

The Gravios Greenway

InSIdE SportS

Top Metro East gridiron players

In last week’s American, we highlighted some of the area’s top high school football players who were playing in the alternative fall season (spring season) on the Missouri side of the river.

This week, it’s time to take a look at some of the top players in Metro East area. And when you mention football on the Illinois side of the river, the first mention is always of the East St. Louis Flyers. Head coach Darren Sunkett has another powerful unit over at East Side, which has won their first three games in the spring by big margins.

Last Friday night, the Flyers defeated Edwardsville 52-21 in the annual showdown of Southwestern Conference powerhouse programs. East Side has won 17 consecutive games, dating back to their state championship season in 2019. They have also won 28 consecutive Southwestern Conference games.

The Flyers feature a host of top prospects, led by junior wide receiver Luther Burden III. A transfer from Cardinal Ritter, the 6’2” 200-pound Burden is a five-star recruit who has already given a verbal commitment to Oklahoma. He had seven receptions for 130 yards and one touchdown against Edwardsville. He is ranked among the top wide receivers prospects in the country. The new standout at East Side is freshman quarterback Robert Battle, who passed for

335 yards and two touchdowns against Edwardsville. The 5’11” Battle is stepping into the big shoes of former Flyers’ star quarterback Tyler Macon, who is now at the University of Missouri. The lead running back is junior Marquise Palmer, who rushed for 207 yards and two touchdowns in the big victory. He has scored eight touchdowns in three games. One of the big anchors on

the interior line for the Flyers is 6’7” 345-pound sophomore Myles McVay. He is already rated among the top offensive linemen in the country in the Class of 2023.

The Edwardsville Tigers feature a standout performer of their own in senior running back Justin Johnson. A West Virginia recruit, the 6’2” 200pound Johnson has rushed for 357 yards and scored nine touchdowns this season. He

scored five touchdowns in the Tigers’ 49-21 victory over Belleville West two weeks ago. He now has 50 touchdowns to become Edwardsville’s career leader in that category.

Jordan Nesbitt commits to SLU

Former St. Louis area prep basketball standout Jordan Nesbitt has given a commitment to play at Saint Louis

SportS EyE

I am happy I was wrong.

After boldly declaring last week that Major League Baseball did not have the gumption to act against Jim Crow-style new voting laws in Georgia by moving the 2021 All-Star Game, Commissioner Robert Manfred did just that.

“Major League Baseball fundamentally supports voting rights for all Americans and opposes restrictions to the ballot box,” Manfred’s official statement read.

“Fair access to voting continues to have our game’s unwavering support.”

University. Rated as one of the top 50 players nationally in the Class of 2021, Nesbitt made his commitment on KSDKTV’s Sports Plus on Sunday night.

The 6’6” Nesbitt was a three-year standout for Lutheran North before finishing his prep career at St. Louis Christian Academy. He originally signed with the University of Memphis in the fall and joined the Tigers’ team

after enrolling for the spring semester. At the end of the season, Nesbitt entered his name into the NCAA transfer portal, but he didn’t need much time to make the decision to return to St. Louis to play for his hometown Billikens.

With the addition of a big talent in Nesbitt, SLU head coach Travis Ford and his staff continue to successfully recruit the top players in the St. Louis area. Since coming to SLU, Ford has been able to land Jordan Goodwin (Althoff), Carte’Are Gordon (Webster Groves), Yuri Collins (St. Mary’s), Javonte Perkins (Miller Career Academy), Terrence Hargrove Jr. (East St. Louis) and now Nesbitt. A key member of Ford’s coaching staff is assistant coach Corey Tate, who was a former star player at Pattonville High in the 1990’s.

Brandon McKissic commits to Florida

One of the top players in the college basketball transfer portal was former SLUH standout Brandon McKissic. After a stellar four-year career at UMKC, McKissic entered the portal and eventually gave a commitment to the University of Florida, where he will play next season as a graduate transfer. The 6’3” McKissic was one of the top players in the Summit Conference last season as he averaged 17 points a game and made 43 percent of his shots from 3-point range. He was also named the Defensive Player of the Year in the conference. He was also sought after by schools such as Missouri, Kansas, Kansas State and Oregon State before casting his lot with the Gators.

MLB hammers Georgia voting laws, moving All-Star Game to Denver

and other members of Atlanta’s corporate community voiced displeasure once the bill was signed into law on March 25. This came after more than 70 Black business owners called on the city and nation’s most powerful businesses to act.

AS ESPN columnist Howard Bryant wrote, Atlanta’s international business leaders should not “be viewed as morally heroic, for during the weeks leading up to the vote, Georgia’s powerful business class remained mostly silent.”

My plea was for L.A. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, Black and Latino players with All-Star credentials to boycott the game.

Manfred ‘saw me and called me’ and then gloriously took the whole pot.

Even more disturbing to Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp and other conservatives is that Manfred sought guidance from the Players Alliance, a group of Black players formed in the wake of George Floyd’s killing by a Minneapolis police officer. Manfred said his decision is “the best way to demonstrate our value as a sport.” Naturally, there is right-wing backlash. So what.

Coca-Cola, Delta Airlines

“They let the bill happen, and are trying, much too late, to reposition themselves against the negativity.”

The relocation of the AllStar Game will hurt Black hotel workers, cab / Uber / Lyft drivers and other who stood against the bill and / or will be affected by it.

Stacey Abrams, founder of Fair Fight Action and a former Georgia House minority leader, wrote in a USA TODAY commentary, “Instead of a boycott, I strongly urge other events and productions to do business in Georgia and speak out against our law and similar proposals in other states. Bring your business to Georgia and, if you’re already here, stay and fight. Stay and vote.”

Newly elected Democratic Sens. Jon Ossoff and Raphael

Warnock wanted the All-Star Game in Atlanta, as well.

The Atlanta Braves played the “victim” card.

“Our city has always been known as a uniter in divided times and we will miss the opportunity to address issues that are important to our community.

“Unfortunately, businesses, employees and fans in Georgia

are victims of this decision.”

It was not an easy call for Manfred, but it is absolutely the right call. Texas and Arizona could be the next states to pass similar voting bill packages. MLB will have its hand tested again.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has not commented on MLB’s action. Hopefully, he

has already had a private conversation with Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones. What if hosting a future Super Bowl were at risk for Dallas and Houston? The same for the Phoenix area? Missouri’s Republican legislators have a super majority and could pass laws like Georgia’s. What respective stances will the St. Louis Cardinals and Kansas City Royals take? It is time for the NCAA to voice its opinion. It moved events from North Carolina after a horrendous anti-transgender bathroom bill was passed. St. Louis has hosted numerous NCAA men’s and women’s basketball tournament games, hockey’s Frozen Four, wrestling and gymnastics championships. Future events could be put in jeopardy. Again, the time to get tough with legislators is now, not after race-based voting laws are enacted.

The Reid Roundup The All-Star Game is

With Alvin A. Reid

Alvin A. Reid

Earl Austin Jr.

With Earl Austin Jr.

East St. Louis Flyers’ Luther Burden III (3) gives push back to Edwardsville’s Grant Matarelli (2) during game action Friday, April 2, 2021. The Flyers would defeat the Tigers of Edwardsville 52-21.

Photo by Wiley Price / St. Louis American MLB Commissioner Robert Manfred joined dozens of Black high school and college players in August 2019 at the Hank Aaron Invitational, which incorporates improving baseball and business skills. In a bold move, Manfred moved the All-Star Game from Atlanta in protest of Georgia’s recently passed discriminatory voting

Photo courtesy of The Undefeated / ESPN

Faith-based Leaders oppose Georgia’s “Racist Voting Law”

By AME Bishop Reginald Jackson

“Today

THE

is

The

of these corporations is Georgia. And these corporations did not speak out publicly or take a public position on SB 202 before it passed. In fact Delta Airlines wrote an in house memo that praised SB 202 claiming that it was considerably improved. The chairman and CEO of Coca-Cola said in June of last year that “our company can do better, we must stand as allies with Black Lives Matter and other social justice causes.” Well, when it had a chance to publicly stand with Black and Brown people it did not. Home Depot has said nothing. Black and Brown people all across this country and around the world pay billions of dollars for their products and fill their

coffers. Well we cannot and will not support the companies who do not support us in our struggle to cast our ballots and exercise our freedom. And we cannot support companies who support or remain silent about legislation that is based on a lie, seeks to suppress our vote, is racist and seeks to turn back time to Jim Crow.

We will vigilantly and strongly seek to get Black and Brown citizens, and all Americans who are committed to freedom and equality, and to protecting and strengthening this democracy to boycott, to not give our money to support companies that do not support us. These companies have a corporate responsibility to oppose anything that threatens to make it harder for people to vote. Many corporate companies failed this responsibility, and consumers must now hold them accountable. We have scheduled the boycott to begin on Wednesday, April 7. This is for a particular reason. It is our hope to meet virtually with the Chairman / CEO’s of these companies to discuss this matter, to get them to change their positions, and to do four things to win the confidence of American citizens and to halt passage of any legislation that seeks to suppress the vote of Black and Brown citizens. These four things will cause us to end the boycott.

Those things are:

against this legislation. We will reach out to, and urge them to come out publicly against these bills that seek to suppress Black and Brown votes. If they do not, we will plan to boycott them. They are AT&T, Aflac, Georgia Power and United Bank of Switzerland (UBS). We will try to include them in our meetings. They, too, must do the four things listed above.

Publicly, possibly through a press conference announce their opposition to SB 202 and seek to have the legislation reconsidered.

To speak out against legislation proposed in Arizona, Florida, Michigan, Texas and other states with the intent to suppress the votes of Black and Brown voters. The Republicans have launched a national campaign to suppress votes and make it harder for Black and Brown people to vote. There are

361 bills to restrict voting rights in 47 states. These companies which are national and international must be engaged in a national effort to defeat this attempt. They have the resources to wage an effective campaign to fight these bills. Publicly express these companies’ support of HR 1 (For the People Act) and HR 4, (Voting Rights Advancement Act of

2019) federal legislation which blocks much of what has passed in Georgia and is included in state legislation. Support litigation against SB 202 seeking to have legislation ruled unconstitutional.

If they commit and act to do these things we will end the boycott.

There are other Georgia companies that have not spoken out

I Hear Music In The Air!!!

Amani Dugger is super excited to be receiving a Baldwin upright piano from Pianos for People, their 300th donation. She has been a part of Community Women Against Hardship’s (CWAH) Modern American Music program since 2017. Music instructor Michael Carosello is her teacher. Her dedication and commitment to the craft captivated Carosellos’ interest so much that in an effort, to inspire her continued enthusiasm, he made the appeal to make this donation possible. Gloria Taylor, Founder/CEO of CWAH has worked tirelessly to keep the arts in the community, since so many music programs have been removed from inner city schools. Currently drum and piano lessons are available to student’s 5th through 12th grade.

If you know someone interested, please call 314-289-7523 today, limited spots are available.

Bishop Reginald Thomas Jackson, the 132nd elected and consecrated bishop of the African Methodist Episcopal Church speaks at a news conference outside Coca-Cola headquarters in Atlanta, GA, announcing a boycott against companies for not publicly speaking out against SB 202, “legislation that seeks to suppress the vote of Black and Brown citizens.”

St. LouiS american Career Center St. LouiS

FIREFIGHTER/ PARAMEDICS

ST. LOUIS UNIVERSITY HIGH SCHOOL MATH

TEACHER

This is a full-time position in the Math Department. Candidates should have a bachelor’s degree, high school teaching experience, and be able to demonstrate readiness to contribute to St. Louis University High’s rigorous college preparatory curriculum. Master’s degree and state certification preferred. Interested candidates must submit a cover letter and resume online. Priority will be given to submissions received before April 30, 2021. https://sluh.aaimtrack.com/jobs/

DIGITAL MEDIA MANAGER

Jump Company (2001) would like to add a Digital Media Manager to our media team. This person is responsible for providing a digital media plan for our clients as well as placing digital ads. Jump Co requires at least two years of digital media experience for this position. Please contact Joseph Havis at either joseph.havis@jumpcompany. com or 314 607-4449 if interested.

The City of Richmond Heights is accepting applications for Firefighter/Paramedics. To apply go to https://richmondheights.applicantpro.com/jobs/ . Applications will be accepted from March 29, 2021 through April 9, 2021.

ACCOUNTING

Full-Time Accounting Assistant Proficient in Accounts Payable & Excel Spreadsheets. Working knowledge of Accounts Receivable. Understands General Ledger and Financial Reports. Professional phone etiquette & customer service skills. Email resume with qualifications and work experience to: rbritt@stlamerican.com Subject: Accounting Assistant Or you may mail to: St. Louis American Newspaper Attn: Accounting Assistant 2315 Pine Street, St Louis, MO 63103 NO PHONE CALLS PLEASE

FACILITIES SPECIALIST/ CASE MANAGERS

St. Patrick Center is accepting resumes for Facilities Specialist and Case Managers. To apply go to: https://stpatrickcenter.org/about/ careers/ and follow the application directions. If your experience and skills are found to match the desired qualifications listed in the job description, a representative from St. Patrick Center will contact you directly.

HIRING

United Way of Greater St. Louis is hiring! Check out www.helpingpeople.org for opportunities and next steps. Come work with us!

GIS PLANNER II

East-West Gateway Council of Governments has an opening for a GIS Planner II position. Please follow the link to view posts at http://www. ewgateway.org/careers/

An Equal Opportunity Employer

CIRCUIT COURT WEB DEVELOPER

St. Louis County Circuit Court is seeking a Web Developer to perform work of considerable difficulty in the ongoing development, improvement, and daily maintenance of the Court’s website. This position will work with the St. Louis County Judicial Administration Information Technology Department under the supervision of the IT Director. Incumbent will fill a critical role at all stages of the development process from inception to launch, assist with technical support of website development and function, and advise on best practices in those areas.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS: Graduation from an accredited college or university with a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Web Development or a related field and two years of related experience; or any equivalent combination of training and experience. Salary range is $50,847.60 - $81,356.28. This position is eligible for 10% addition to pay. TO APPLY: Using the following link, refer to the complete job description and submit an online application, resume, and cover letter by the end of the day on April 21, 2021: http://agency. governmentjobs.com/stlouis/default. cfm EOE. Please contact the Human Resources Department at 615-4471 (voice) or RelayMo 711 or 800-735-2966 if you need any accommodations in the application process, or if you would like this posting in an alternative form.

JANITORIAL - HIRING

Full & Part-Time positions, 3 Shifts Background check. Steady work history preferred. Apply at 314 N. Jefferson at Olive. M - F, 9A to 5P. Must have two forms of I.D.

DIRECTOR OF FACILITIES SERVICES

DE SMET JESUIT

SCHOOL For more information and to apply, visit https://www. desmet.org/about/careers

EOE M/F/D/V.

ASSISTANT COURT ADMINISTRATOR/ CHIEF JUVENILE OFFICER

Full time position at the St. Louis City Family Court Juvenile Division includes full benefit package, plus no cost retirement plan detailed info at www.stlcitycircuitcourt.com, click employment opportunities.

EOE

FULL-TIME POLICE OFFICER

The City of Clayton is hiring for a full-time Police Officer or Police Officer in the Academy. Apply by 4/16/21: https://claytonmo.applicantpro. com/jobs/ EOE

CUSTODIAN –DE SMET JESUIT

HIGH SCHOOL

For more information and to apply, visit https://www.desmet.org/ about/careers.

EOE

M/F/D/V.

QUALIFIED TEACHERS

Blessed Teresa of Calcutta Catholic School in Ferguson is seeking qualified teachers to join our PK-8th school community in the content areas of early childhood preschool and kindergarten, third grade, and junior high for the 2021-22 school year. Interested candidates should send a cover letter, resume, and references to agovero@btc-school. org and complete the Archdiocesan application process at https://www.archstl.org/education/ applications-and-instructions

FIREFIGHTER/ PARAMEDIC

The City of Clayton is hiring for a full-time Firefighter/ Paramedic. Apply by 04/09/21: https://claytonmo. applicantpro.com/jobs/ EOE

Washington University in St. Louis offers rewarding opportunities in various fields at all levels, with positions in engineering, nursing and health care, research, administration, technology, security and more.

LPN Gastroenterology Physician Back Office Days – Job ID# - 50754. Are you great with Epic, love outpatient care and enjoy wearing a multitude of hats in a fast-paced office environment? This LPN position is located in a back office administrative setting primarily providing telephone and electronic medical record care to patients. Responsibilities include (but not limited) physician and patient liaison, fielding phone calls, follow up with patients and other physician offices, scheduling outpatient procedures, patient teaching, assists the physician when needed, updates and enters data into Epic, refills medication, reviews insurance authorization, observes patients and many other responsibilities found within the job description. Job description provided and discussed at interview. Requirements: Professional Licensed Practical Nurse with the State of Missouri, exceptional EMR and phone skills, high attention to detail with an ability to juggle a busy work day. Resumes accepted at tracey.faulkner@wustl.edu. Those who meet the qualifications will be directed to apply online for manager review. Washington University is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, genetic information, disability, or protected veteran status.

Business Director, Neuroscience Department Job# 51195: As primary administrative agent of the Department Chair, The Director manages all administrative aspects of the department, one of the university’s largest basic science department with revenue of approximately $20 million. Administrative oversight includes, but is not limited to, strategy, finance, planning, human resources, operations, space/ facilities and special projects.

Qualified candidates will have a bachelor degree with five to ten years of demonstrated leadership and management experience in areas such as human resource/ personnel management and accounting/finance and have familiarity with grants administration. Highly desired skills include the capacity to work effectively with a broad range of faculty, staff, and students. Contact Mark Prosperi at prosperim@ wustl.edu

Accounting/Purchasing Assistant II - Radiation Oncology – 50277:

POSITION SUMMARY: Position performs processing of financial transactions that may include travel reports, check requests, and internal service delivery invoices. Maintains journals, reconciles and reports accounts receivable, divisional audits, and departmental accounts. Required Qualifications: High school diploma or equivalent high school certification. Three to five years of experience in accounting or a related field.

Receptionist – Mon – Fri (8 am – 5 pm):

Job Description Collection Law Firm seeking to fill an immediate full-time opening. Position offers benefits and professional work environment with career opportunities.

Qualified individuals must possess the ability to demonstrate: high degree of organization and analytical efficiency, strong attention to detail, high level of accuracy, effective communication skills, excellent work ethic, proficiency in MS applications, and type a minimum of 40 wpm.

High School graduate/equivalent required; no experience needed, will train. The hiring process could possibly include in-house interviewing, typing/aptitude testing and onsite drug screening.

PRIMARY DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Handles switchboard, directs calls.

• Greets/announces visitors.

• Processes package deliveries and incoming faxes.

• Assists with preparation of legal documents, utilizing established programs.

• Job Type: Full-time Pay: $14.00 per hour

For a full description of these positions and other career opportunities, please visit https://jobs.wustl.edu/ to apply. Click search jobs and enter the job ID number.

We seek people from

LETTING NUMBER 8727

THE FOREST PARK WATERWAY PROJECT

SEALED PROPOSALS will be received for the above mentioned public work by the Board of Public Service, in Room 301, City Hall, 1200 Market Street, St. Louis, Missouri, 63103 until 1:45 PM, CT, on May 4, 2021, at which time they will be publicly opened and read in Room 325, City Hall. Plans and Specifications may be examined on the Board of Public Service website http://www.stl-bps. org (BPS On Line Plan Room) and may be purchased directly through the BPS website from INDOX Services at cost plus shipping. No refunds will be made.

A pre-bid conference for all contractors bidding on this project will be held on April 13, 2021, at 10:30 A.M., onsite. Meet in the parking lot of the Steinberg Skating Rink, 400 Jefferson Drive, St. Louis, MO 63110. All bidders are encouraged to attend.

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

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

CITY OF ST. LOUIS ST. LOUIS LAMBERT INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS (RFP)

Service: Weather Advisory Services

Pre-Proposal Meeting Date: April 13, 2021 Meeting will be held via teleconference. See RFP for details.

Question Due Date: April 16, 2021

Proposal Due Date: May 5, 2021

M/WBE Goals & Incentives:

MBE goals: 25% WBE goal: 5%

A 15% M/WBE incentive credit shall be applied to the evaluation of professional service prime contracts who are currently certified MBE-African American, Hispanic American, Asian American, Native American and WBE-Women owned Business Enterprises.

Point of Contact: Gigi Glasper – gxglasper@flystl.com

Proposal documents may be obtained at St. Louis Lambert International Airport, Airport Properties Division, Monday through Friday between 8:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., or by calling (314) 890-1802. This RFP may also be obtained by visiting our website at www.flystl.com/business/contract-opportunites

Robert Salarano Airport Properties Division Manager

LETTING NUMBER 8726

TERMINAL 1 CONCOURSE C GATE

ELECTRIFICATION FOR C15, C19 AND C23 -PHASE III AT ST. LOUIS LAMBERT INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

Sealed proposals will be received by the Board of Public Service, Room 301, City Hall, 1200 Market Street, St. Louis, Missouri, 63103 until 1:45 PM, CT, on May 4, 2021, then publicly opened and read in Room 325 City Hall. Plans and Specifications may be examined on the Board of Public Service website http://www.stl-bps.org (BPS On Line Plan Room) and may be purchased directly through the BPS website from INDOX Services at cost plus shipping. No refunds will be made.

Bidders shall comply with all applicable City and State laws (including DBE/MBE/WBE policies). Mandatory pre-bid meeting will be held on Tuesday, April 13, 2021, at 10:00 A.M. in the Ozark Conference Room (AO-4066) at the Airport Office Building, 11495 Navaid Rd., Bridgeton, MO 63044. All bidders must regard Federal Executive Order 11246, “Notice of Requirement for Affirmative Action to Ensure Equal Employment Opportunity”, the Equal Opportunity Clause” and the “Standard Federal Equal Employment Specifications” set forth within and referenced at www.stl-bps.org (Virtual Plan Room).

CITY OF ST. LOUIS ST. LOUIS LAMBERT INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS (RFP)

Service: Fuel Systems Maintenance Services

Pre-Proposal Meeting Date: April 05, 2021 Meeting will be held via teleconference. See RFP for details.

Question Due Date: April 7, 2021

Proposal Due Date: April 28, 2021

M/WBE Goals & Incentives:

MBE goals: 25% WBE goal: 5%.

A 15% M/WBE incentive credit shall be applied to the evaluation of professional service prime contracts who are currently certified MBE-African American, Hispanic American, Asian American, Native American and WBE-Women owned Business Enterprises.

Point of Contact: Briana Bryant– bnbryant@flystl.com

Proposal documents may be obtained at St. Louis Lambert International Airport, Airport Properties Division, Monday through Friday between 8:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., or by calling (314) 426-8174. This RFP may also be obtained by visiting our website at www.flystl.com/business/contract-opportunites

Robert Salarano Airport Properties Division Manager

INVITATION TO BID

Sealed bids will be received by the Construction Manager at Risk, S. M. Wilson & Co. for the Ladue Schools project (Old Bonhomme Elementary School, Ladue Middle School, Spoede Elementary School) at 9703 Conway Road, St. Louis, MO 63124 until 2:00 pm for the scope of work described herein.

Bids must be hand-delivered to the above address by 2:00 pm!

Bid Package - Old Bonhomme Elementary School - Bids Due, Tuesday, April 27, 2021

Pre-Bid Date: 4/09/21 @ 2:00 p.m. will be held Virtually Online: https://meet.google.com/aqy-yeyj-dee?hs=122&authuser=0

Total SF of New Addition / Renovation is 80,609 SF

Bid Package - Ladue Middle School - Bids Due, Tuesday, May 4, 2021

Pre-Bid Date: 4/14/21 @ 2:00 p.m. will be held Virtually Online: https://meet.google.com/miz-mxvp-mij?hs=122&authuser=0

Total SF of New Addition / Renovation is 189,997 SF.

Bid Package - Spoede Elementary School - Bids Due, Tuesday, May 11, 2021

Pre-Bid Date: 4/22/21 @ 2:00 p.m. will be held Virtually Online: https://meet.google.com/pfy-nvdp-xvd?hs=122&authuser=0

Total SF of New Addition / Renovation is 84,253 SF.

Bids will be read aloud at Ladue School District Main Office 9703 Conway Road, St. Louis, MO 63124

The bid package will be available for viewing through Building Connected. All Contractors are encouraged to attend the Virtual Online Prebid meetings.

For site visit arrangements please contact:

Construction Manager Superintendent: Mike Ashley mike.ashley@smwilson.com / 314-568-6662

For RFI questions please email:

Old Bonhomme Elementary School - Attn: Ayo Ojolola ayo.ojolola@smwilson.com

Ladue Middle School - Attn: Emily Echele emily.echele@smwilson.com

Spoede Elementary School - Attn: Troy Gittemeier troy.gittemeier@smwilson.com

Project Manager: Jason Gasawski jason.gasawski@smwilson.com / 314-341-1587

Lead Estimator for Old Bonhomme Elementary School: Greg Kutz greg.kutz@smwilson.com

Lead Estimator for Ladue Middle School: Paul Wilson paul.wilson@smwilson.com

Lead Estimator for Spoede Elementary School: Brian Nuehring brian.nuehring@smwilson.com

MBE/WBE Meet and Greet Date: 4/15/21 @ 3:00 p.m. will be held Virtually Online: https://meet.google.com/xfa-evid-kte?authuser=0 d

The Ladue School District and S.M. Wilson & Co. are Equal Opportunity Employers

SEALED BIDS

Bids for Repairs to Exterior & Parking Lots, Troop G Headquarters & Crime Lab, Project No. R2008-01, will be received by FMDC, State of MO, UNTIL 1:30PM, 4/29/2021 via MissouriBUYS. Bidders must be registered to bid. For specific project information, go to: http://oa.mo.gov/ facilities

SEALED BIDS

Bids for Improve 4 - P l e x A r e a Access Bennett S p r i n g S t a t e Park, Lebanon, MO, Project No. X2007-01 will be r e c e i v e d b y FMDC, State of MO, UNTIL 1:30 PM, May 6, 2021 For specific project information and ordering plans, go to: http://oa.mo. gov/facilities

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

The St. Louis Economic Development Partnership requests proposals from qualified firms to repair asphalt parking lots at two business incubator locations in St. Louis County: (1) 1100 Corporate Square Drive, St. Louis, MO 63132, and (2) 743 Spirit 40 Park Drive, Chesterfield, MO 63005. Services may include excavation, base repair, milling, adding rock, overlay, curb repair/ replacement, asphalt paving, sealing, and striping, as needed. A copy of the complete RFP with equipment specifications is available at https:// stlpartnership.com/rfp-rfq/. A five percent bid preference may be available to certified MBE firms. To be considered, proposals must be received no later than 3:00 PM CST on Friday, April 23, 2021.

BID REQUEST

St. Louis Catholic Academy is requesting bids to operate its food service program for the 2021-2022 school year. St. Louis Catholic Academy serves breakfast, lunch, and snacks to approximately 185 students. Meals are served Monday thru Friday, and follows the USDA Federal School Lunch guidelines set by DESE. Interested companies must attend the pre-bid conference held via Zoom on April 20, 2021 at 1:30 p.m. Zoom Login information-Meeting ID: 797 7962 1898 Passcode: i8k97uK Proposals will be due on Friday, June 4, 2021. The school is located at 4720 Carter Ave, St. Louis MO 63115. You may contact the principal, Sandra Morton at (314) 389-0401 or morton@slca-stl.org

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL

ST LOUIS DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION MINORITY BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT & COMPLIANCE DIVISION REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL Disparity Study. St. Louis, MO 63102

The St. Louis Development Corporation will receive Sealed Proposals to lease by 10:00 am May 3rd 2021. For more Info. Visit https:// www.stlouis-mo.gov/ government/departments/ sldc/procurement/index.cfm

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL: SSD 113-21: FIRE PROTECTION FOR ADDITIONS AND ALTERATIONS TO SOUTH TECHNICAL HIGH SCHOOL

A $25 refundable deposit (made out to Special School District) will be required. Project Manual and drawings available through County Blue.

A non-mandatory pre-bid meeting will be held at 2:00 PM on April 1, 2021 at South Technical High School, 12721 West Watson Road, St. Louis, MO 63127. Bids are due at 2:00 pm on April 13, 2021 at Special School District Purchasing Department, 12110 Clayton Road, St. Louis, MO 63131.

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

The St. Louis Economic Development Partnership requests proposals to furnish laboratory equipment for the Helix Center, a bio-technology business incubator located at 1100 Corporate Square Drive, Creve Coeur, Missouri 63132. A copy of the complete RFP with equipment specifications is available at https://stlpartnership. com/rfp-rfq/. A five percent bid preference may be available to certified MBE firms. To be considered, proposals must be received no later than 3:00 PM CST on Friday, April 16, 2021.

LETTING #8725

Sealed proposals will be received by the Board of Public Service in Room 301 City Hall, 1200 Market Street, St. Louis, Mo. Until 1:45 PM, CT, on Tuesday, April 27, 2021, then publicly opened and read in Room 325 City Hall. Plans and Specifications may be examined on the Board of Public Service website http://www.stl-bps.org (BPS On Line Plan Room) and may be purchased directly through the BPS website from INDOX Services at cost plus shipping. No refunds will be made.

Bidders shall comply with all applicable City, State and Federal laws (including MBE/ WBE policies). Mandatory pre-bid meeting will be held on Tuesday, April 6, 2021 at 1:30 PM via Zoom Meeting.

Password: 917736

Phone one-tap: US: +16465588656,,85127458210# or +13017158592,,85127458210#

Meeting URL: https://flystl.zoom.us/j/85127458210?pwd=SkxQOVNWc1RYTWwydWpnT2VlMHh5Zz09

Join by Telephone

For higher quality, dial a number based on your current location.

Dial: US: +1 646 558 8656 or +1 301

or

Find local AT&T Numbers: https://flystl.zoom.us/u/kdRDN9veSH

(Announcements).

BID NOTICE

Great Rivers Greenway is seeking bids from qualified firms for the proprietary hardware/ software to perform on-site PMI/RAD Survey on Hi-Scan 6040i X-ray units in the Gateway Arch National Park Visitor Center. Go to www. greatriversgreenway.org/jobsbids and submit by April 23,2021.

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL

Legislative and Government Relations Consulting Services St. Louis, Missouri

The City of St. Louis Port Authority will receive Sealed Proposals on 4/22/2021 For more Info. Visit https:// www.stlouis-mo.gov/ government/departments/ sldc/procurement/index.cfm

INVITATION TO BID

FERGUSON-FLORISSANT SCHOOL DISTRICT

Ferguson-Florissant School District is requesting bid proposals to remove two (2) existing hydronic boilers at 1005 Waterford/Annex and install at 685 January Ave; Ferguson, MO 63135 until Wednesday April 28, 2021 until 1:30pm CST. Bid specs must be obtained online at http://new.fergflor.k12.mo.us/ facilities-rfq

Contact/Attention: Matt Furfaro 314-824-2418

www.stlamerican.com

PUBLIC NOTICE

City of Crestwood, #1 Detjen Drive, 63126 is seeking bids for 2021 Selective Slab Replacement Project. Project manual at www.cityofcrestwood.org; register with Shirley at sbrown@cityofcrestwood.org or (314)729-4720; direct project questions to Brian at bhibdon@cityofcrestwood.org or (314)729-4730.

Bid opening on April 27, 2021, 10:00 A.M.

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

CITY OF ST. LOUIS CLEAN ENERGY DEVELOPMENT BOARD

The Clean Energy Development Board of the City of St. Louis will receive sealed proposals for Administrator Services for the Set the PACE (Property Assessed Clean Energy) St. Louis Program. The scope of work includes general program management, marketing, tracking and reporting of program performance, and to ensure PACE project compliance with all applicable local, state, and federal laws.

Proposals will be received until 5:00 PM on March 31, 2021 at 1520 Market Street, Suite 2000, St. Louis, MO 63103.

The complete Request for Proposal is at https://www.stlouis-mo.gov/ government/departments/sldc/documents/ request-for-proposals-foradministration-services.cfm

The expected contract start date for the successful respondent is July 1, 2021. Respondents must take affirmative action to ensure that employees & applicants for employment are not discriminated against because of their race, sex,

BID PROPOSAL

Normandy High School –West Wing Interior Improvements Job bids April 8th, 2021 at 2:00PM

The MBE participation goals are: 25% of the Contracts to Minority Owned Businesses 5% of the Contracts to Women Owned Businesses 35% of Field Employment of Minorities and/or Women Proposals can be sent to office@webuildstl.com

If you have any questions about the job, please call our office at (314) - 426 - 7030

INVITATION TO BID

Interface Construction Corp. is bidding the Greensfelder Rec /Plex on April 13th at 10:00 AM.

We invite certified MBE and WBE bidders to submit your quote to: Bob Adams, Interface Construction Corp. (314) 522-1011 8401 Wabash Ave. St. Louis, MO 63134-1837

email: boba@interfacestl.com

Bids for Repair Firepit Lake Dam, Jay Nixon State Park, Project No. X2006-01, will be received by FMDC, State of MO, UNTIL 1:30 PM, 4/27/2021 via MissouriBUYS. Bidders must be registered to bid. For specific project information, go to: http://oa.mo.gov/ facilities

SEALED BIDS

Bids for Roof R e p l a c e m e n t , Albany Readiness Center, Project No. T2001-01, will be received by FMDC, State of MO, UNTIL 1:30 PM, 4/29/2021 via MissouriBUYS. Bidders must be registered to bid. For specific project information, go to: http:// oa.mo.gov/ facilities

IDIQMCA-1004, will be received by FMDC, State of MO, UNTIL 1:30 PM, 4/1/2021 via MissouriBUYS. Bidders must be registered to bid. For specific project information, go to: http://oa.mo.gov/ facilities

The St. Louis Community College is requesting submittals of Indefinite Qualifications from Architectural/ Engineering and Technical Consulting Services for Fiscal Year 2022 for St. Louis Community College. Submittals of the Consultant’s qualifications will be received by St. Louis Community College, in the Engineering and Design Department until 2:00 p.m., May 7, 2021, at 5464 Highland Park Drive, St. Louis, MO 63110-1314. The scope of architectural/engineering services and consulting agreement procedures may be obtained from the Manager’s office, at the above address or by calling (314) 951-9897

An Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action Employer

ST. LOUIS COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES EMERGENCY RENTAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAM FUNDING

The St. Louis County Department of Human Services received from the United States Department of Treasury $29,735.926 for the Emergency Rental Assistance Program. The ERAP funds will be used to provide assistance to eligible households that have difficulty making timely rent and utilities payments due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As of March 29, 2021 the ERAP Call Center (314) 806-0910 is operating Monday through Friday 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. CST. Online applications are available April 5, 2021 @ https://stlouisco.onlinepha. com or http://stlcorona.com

Eligibility Criteria

Households are eligible for Emergency Rental Assistance provided through the COVID-19 relief package if they meet the following criteria:

1) One or more individuals qualified for unemployment benefits or experienced a reduction in household income, incurred significant costs, or experienced other financial hardship directly or indirectly due to the pandemic; 2) The household can demonstrate a risk of homelessness or housing instability; and

3) Household income is below 80% of their area median income (AMI).

K&S Associates, Inc. is soliciting MBE/WBE/SDVE/DBE/VBE for the following project for Apr-May, Greensfelder Recreation Complex Renovation (REBID), South Farm-Swine Research Facility (REBID) University of Missouri, Columbia and Normandy HS West Hall Interior Improvements-Plans and Specs can be viewed at www.ksgcstl.com-submit bids to estimating@ksgcstl.com or Fax 314-647-5302 ST. LOUIS COMMUNITY COLLEGE

PUBLISHER’S NOTICE:

Advertised herein is subject to the Federal Fair Housing Act, which makes it illegal to advertise any preference, imitation, or discrimination because of race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial\status, or national origin, or intention to make any such preference, limitation, or discrimination. “We will not knowingly accept any advertising for real estate which is in violation of the law. All persons are hereby informed that all dwellings advertised are available on an equal opportunity basis.”

Call Angelita Houston at 314-289-5430 or email ahouston@stlamerican.comto place your ads today!

There’s a lot of fun and excitement in the episode that I think a lot of people will enjoy.”

She sees similarities with herself and her character, who she claims over exaggerates, is sweet, a dance lover, pickle obsessed and the life of the party. But, the biggest difference she notices is while she likes pickles, she doesn’t enjoy them that much to throw a pickle-themed party.

“I love to party, people also say I’m nice, and I love pickles too, but not so much to have a pickle party,” Butler said. “I really enjoyed her character. It was fun to play her.” She gained an interest in acting from watching “Liv and Maddie,” “K.C. Undercover,” and other shows.

“It made me say, ‘Oh my God, I wanna be on tv and do the same things they’re doing’,” Butler said. “It seemed like it would be fun to be a new person, I knew I wanted to be a star.”

Charrice and her oldest daughter Ashley Polk, 30, recall people regularly coming up to them in stores when Kennedi was younger saying she should be on tv. The attention motivated Polk to get Kennedi and her son Christopher Fararr, who is the same age as Kennedi, into modeling and acting around the city.

“I began doing my research on how to get into the industry and both started with the Images Agency in St. Louis,” Polk said. They were able to do more as they got older, which resulted in them auditioning in Los Angeles and it just grew from there.”

The entire family relocated to Los Angeles in 2015 and has been living there ever since.

“I think Kennedi was born for this, because she’s a very fast learner, she pays attention to a lot of things that are going on and can tell you more things

Theatre

Continued from B1

John O’Brien said.

“I will be booking these shows maybe three years out, in many cases two to three years out,” O’Brien said. “The whole touring Broadway industry has been forced to shuffle and completely change our timelines, and something that would usually take three years now has to happen in a week or a matter of months.”

Fox Theatre officials have updated the theater’s air filtration system and its cleaning procedures, he said. Other specifics will be announced prior to the Broadway premieres and will depend on health and safety recommendations at the time.

O’Brien said the Fox Theatre aims to show Broadway shows at full capacity this fall.

“What’s difficult here is that the only way that Broadway is possible is at full capacity, that is more of a directive from producers in New York and the producers of the shows,” O’Brien said. “Obviously if we’re not there by the time you need to be in November, we will continue to pivot and see

what we need to do.”

Opera Theatre holds its first outdoor season

Opera Theatre of St. Louis will bring its festival season back in May. Performances will take place outside at one of Webster University’s parking lots. That will allow audience members, production staff and crews to be a safe distance from others during shows.

“A lot of the usual traditions will look a little different, the way that we picnic beforehand, the way that we are sitting outside under the stars, the way that we had to limit the size of casts, and choose shorter productions,” Opera Theatre of St. Louis General Director Andrew Jorgensen said. “Every cast and every show is its own bubble, an elaborate set of protocols, but all of which were done to ensure that the show could go on and that we could do so safely.”

The move to outdoor seating means fewer people in the audience than prior years where the Opera Theatre seated people in Webster University’s Loretto-Hilton Center. The Hilton Center could seat nearly 1,000 people while the outdoor festival can seat about 285 people,

Jorgensen said. Other Opera Theatre changes include boxed picnics where staff will deliver food and drinks to people who have pre-ordered during the pre-show and a first-come, first-serve option for free tickets. The show also won’t host its usual post-show champagne festivities. Jorgensen said he expects that to return next year back at the Hilton Center. The pandemic has presented challenges for arts institutions and artists across the country. Jorgensen and O’Brien said they hope the increasing vaccine availability will show a light at the end of the tunnel for eager theater fans.

“We’ve gotten so much incredible support and feedback from our audiences, our subscribers, have stuck with us throughout this entire shutdown,” O’Brien said. “We’re feeling pretty confident that things will come back strong, and it may take some individuals a little more time to feel comfortable. We want everyone to feel comfortable and safe. We’re going to do everything we can to make sure people feel that when they come back.”

St. Louis Public Radio is a content partner of The St. Louis American.

Charrice said. “I believe all her dreams will come true if she continues to believe in herself.” Kennedi is signed with Coast to Coast Talent Group and her

Kennedi Butler, a young actress and model from St. Louis currently resides in Los Angeles where she has booked a variety of roles in print, tv, and film. Her most recent work is a guest star role with Michelle Obama on the Netflix series “Waffles + Mochi.” AMEREN IL, AMEREN MO & CENTENE CORPORATION PRESENT

of Artistic Endeavors. Her next project is a role in the film “Bios,” starring Tom Hanks, which is scheduled to be released in August.

COVID-19 has brought a lot of sorrow to our city and world.

The Mildred Thimes Foundation for Pancreatic Cancer wants to bring some joy and make a few dreams come true for two special moms (MO/IL).

Send a letter telling us about that special mom in your life who has overcome many obstacles during these challenging times.

Please mail by or before Monday, April 26, 2021!

A private culminating event will be held at the Urban League Ferguson Empowerment Center, to recognize the 2 special moms on May 7, 2021.

MAIL YOUR LETTERS TO:

The Mildred Thimes Foundation Day of Hope & Giving PO Box 4511

St. Louis, MO 63108 Denise Thimes & Friends SPECIAL MOTHER’S DAY PROJECT

To make a donation, please mail to:

The Mildred Thimes Foundation, PO Box 4511, St. Louis, MO 63108 Contact MTFPC at 314-773-0337

This event will follow all CDC guidelines & regulations. Cordially Invites You

Saturday, April 17, 2021 11:00 A.M. to 12:30 P.M. Box Lunch Pick Up 12:30 P.M.-2:30 P.M. Orlando’s Event and Conference Center 2050 Dorsett Village Shopping Center Maryland Heights, MO 63043 Featuring Miss Lisella Martin, Saxophonist and Miss Xantia Grant, Vocal Arranger

With Mistress of Ceremonies

Miss Kelly Jackson, News Channel 5

Tickets $40.00 per person

Please RSVP by April 1, 2021 or visit www. Eventbrite.com Look for Breakfast Club Shining Star Gala or Call 314-972-8883 for tickets

Link to event will be provided after purchase

Photo courtesy of Ashley Polk

Sponsored by:

Health & Wellness

4 Ways Black Women Can Prioritize Self-Care for Improved Heart Health

(StatePoint) High blood pressure -- the leading risk factor for heart attack and stroke -- continues to disproportionately affect communities of color. Addressing this health inequity is especially important right now, as people with hypertension and serious heart conditions are at an increased risk for more severe outcomes if they acquire COVID-19.

According to the American Heart Association, the prevalence of high blood pressure among Black adults in the U.S. is among the highest in the world, with the prevalence of high blood pressure in Black women nearly 40 percent higher than white women in the U.S.

While many long-standing inequities and stressors produced by structural racism have created and continue to exacerbate these conditions, there are steps individuals can take to prioritize self-care for improved blood pressure.

This is why the American Medical Association (AMA), the AMA Foundation, Association of Black Cardiologists, American Heart Association, Minority

Health Institute and National Medical Association have launched the “Release the Pressure” campaign with ESSENCE. The campaign is aimed at partnering with Black women to help improve their heart health and be part of a movement for healthy blood pressure, with a shared goal of engaging more than 300,000 Black women.

As part of the campaign, the AMA and this coalition of national health care organizations encourages Black women to take a pledge to be part of a healthy blood pressure movement at ReleaseThePressure.org. Specifically, the pledge encourages Black women to take the following four steps:

1. Set a blood pressure goal: Schedule an appointment with your physician or other health care professional, inperson or virtually, to work in partnership on understanding your blood pressure numbers and knowing your goal for optimal blood pressure.

2. Monitor blood pressure numbers at home: Once you learn your blood pressure numbers, take and keep regular records of your blood pressure.

3. Activate a personalized wellness plan: Identify specific goals for fitness and heart healthy eating and connect virtually with family members and friends from your “squad” to keep you on track.

4. Make regular check-ins with your “squad”: Lean on your family and friends to help you achieve your heart health goals by checking in with them on a daily basis.

“Preventive care is vital to breaking the devastating impact of high blood pressure within the Black community, particularly during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic,” says Patrice A. Harris, M.D., MA, president of the AMA. “It starts with understanding blood pressure numbers and taking action to manage blood pressure.”

Health & Wellness APRIL

St. Louis American Health and Wellness

Drs. Kanika Turner

and

Jennifer Wessels

Across the U.S., vaccine distributions are ramping up in the effort to defeat COVID-19. With each day, we are getting closer to the reality of visiting with family, being able to share a meal with friends at a restaurant, or attending a concert. At Home State Health, Centene’s Missouri subsidiary, providing member education about COVID-19 to their Medicaid, Medicare and Health Insurance Marketplace members is a top priority. In collaboration with its network of healthcare providers, Home State is working to make sure the community knows that the COVID-19 vaccines are the safety and effective for people.

Chief Medical Officer at Home State, Dr. Jennifer Wessels, and community health partner, Dr. Kanika Turner, a board certified Family Medicine physician with Family Care Health Centers, recently talked about the COVID19 vaccines and educating the public about their benefits.

Dr. Wessels: I feel it’s important that my patients and our Home State members know that I am confident about the COVID vaccines and that I have taken my two shots.

Dr. Turner: I agree. I tested positive for COVID-19 in November, and my daughter tested positive. Fortunately, we’re recovering, but I am still working on the front line and I don’t know how long my antibodies will last. The COVID19 vaccine is the safest thing to do to prevent severe illness, hospitalization and death. When the vaccine is available for my daughter, I will take her to be vaccinated.

Dr. Wessels: You’ve been working in the community, sharing COVID-19 safety information and updates on the vaccine. How are people feeling about the vaccine?

Dr. Turner: I’ve been doing a lot of work with community organizations, churches and pastors, assisting them on reopening safely and providing updates about vaccines. I share my testimony with them, about my personal decision to get the vaccine. I share it with my patients too. I want to be that trusted messenger and resource for the community. So, we talk about everything including their concerns.

Dr. Wessels: We have safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines on the market now. However, some of my patients and Home State members wonder if the vaccine’s development was rushed and is it a safe vaccine. How do you answer those questions?

Dr. Turner: I needed to be confident in my understanding of the vaccine, so I

closely followed the development and the rollout. I can say that this is the first time in our lifetime when everyone, across the world was dedicated and focused on one thing, the virus. Resources and funds were dedicated to development, and scientists all become uniform to focus on one thing. When you have teamwork around one mission, look at the advancement and progress you can make, and because of this, the science was not compromised. This is the first time in our lifetime that we have witnessed science, medicine and communities coming together so efficiently, to save lives.

To learn more about COVID-19 resources and vaccine navigation visit www.homestatehealth.com or call 1-855694-HOME (4663).

Health & Wellness APRIL 8 - 14, 2021 •

4 Easy Tips to Help Older Adults Stay Active at Home

(StatePoint) As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, many older adults are following the advice of public health experts and remaining at home to limit risk of exposure. Bad weather conditions can also keep people inside for days at a time. But a strong body and mind are as important as ever, and the good news is being indoors doesn’t mean having to give up on exercising.

There are many great health benefits to staying active, such as improving mobility and balance, developing muscle and bone strength, increasing energy and managing weight. Exercise can also reduce blood pressure and lower the risk of heart disease, stroke and diabetes.

According to Dr. Gina Conflitti, chief medical officer for Medicare at Cigna, the advantages aren’t just physical: “Keeping active has a positive impact on mental health, too,” she said. “With regular exercise, many older adults enjoy better sleep, clearer thinking, lower stress and improved mood.”

According to Cigna, which serves many older adults through its Medicare Advantage plans, here are four simple tips for exercising in the comfort of home:

1. Make a plan. What is your long-term goal? Having

something to work toward is great motivation to keep up daily activity and set yourself up for success. Before you begin any physical activity, talk to your doctor about your health goals. Your doctor can provide guidance on exercises that are safe and attainable as you begin a new chapter of your wellness journey.

2. Take it slow. You don’t have to run a marathon or even lift weights to keep fit – the most important thing is to just move. Start by walking around your house a few times a day or doing some gentle stretching. Just adding five minutes of activity to your day can make a difference in your overall health and mood. As your body gets used to daily movement, you can enhance your physical activities as recommended by your health care provider.

3. Use what you have. You don’t need a gym to get a healthy workout. In fact, there are plenty of exercises you can do using items found around the house. For example, “chair dips” are an effective arm and shoulder workout – just place both feet on the ground, face away from a chair and support your body by putting your hands on the seat behind you with straight arms. Next, raise and lower

yourself by bending and unbending your arms.

You can even exercise while seated. Hold your leg out in front of you and trace each letter of the alphabet. Work your feet and leg muscles by laying a kitchen towel on the floor, then use your toes to grab, release and push the fabric.

4. Check your health care plan benefits. If you have a Medicare Advantage plan, you might be eligible for extra benefits such as at-home fitness programs, including free on-demand workouts accessible from your computer, smart device or phone, as well as gear, such as resistance bands.

Find more healthy aging and exercise tips at cigna. com/medicare/healthy-aging/physical-activity.

“As you start, remember to be flexible and stay positive,” Dr. Conflitti suggests. “Changing habits can take time, but every step is progress. If you haven’t reached a goal, don’t be hard on yourself – it’s most important to continue at your own pace.”

Gettin’ outside at Forest Park

Photos by St. Louis American veteran photojournalist Wiley Price

Health & Wellness APRIL 8 - 14,

The Facts About Fertility and the COVID-19 Vaccine

My name is Dr. Ebony Carter, and I’m a high-risk obstetrician at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and Washington University School of Medicine.

I’ve been getting lots of questions from my patients who have heard or seen some really scary stuff on social media that the COVID vaccine can cause infertility. On the continuum between fact, “I don’t know,” and fiction, I think we can squarely put this one in the fiction category.

But don’t take my word for it; let’s go to the bottom of where this came from and do some myth-busting together.

The vaccine infertility claim actually first appeared in a blog back in October, by a man from England who used to work for Pfizer about 10 years ago. He made the false claim that there was some ingredient in the Pfizer vaccine that trained a woman’s body to attack a protein that’s important in the development of the placenta,

which is the key organ that gets nourishment from mommy to baby during pregnancy.

Let’s take a step back to understand how the COVID vaccine works. It teaches our bodies to attack the COVID virus’ spike protein.

Think about COVID-19 as an ugly little bug covered in spikes. The bug uses those spikes to invade the cells in our body. What the vaccine does is to basically teach our bodies how to attack those spikes and get immunity without ever having to see the actual, nasty, hor-

rible virus.

The man from England claims there’s a protein that looks like those coronavirus spikes in the placenta, and argues that taking the vaccine would cause our body to attack the placenta, just like it attacks the coronavirus spikes, and then causes the fertility issues.

Let me break this down for you -- if you look at the coronavirus spike protein next to the placenta protein he’s talking about, they look nothing alike. It would be like confusing Daffy Duck for Mickey Mouse, just

because they’re both cartoons.

I will leave you with this thought. As we contemplate the beginning of the end of the pandemic, each of us has two choices for our personal exit strategy. Number one, we get the virus and hope we don’t have symptoms, knowing it can affect any of our organ systems and cause lifelong damage or death.

Number two, we get the vaccine, which can possibly cause a couple of days of fever, muscle aches or chills. While we know there is the chance the vaccine can cause side effects, we also know there is no evidence it can cause infertility.

I’m the first to admit we don’t know everything, but based on what we do know today, the vaccine does not cause infertility, and the benefits of vaccination greatly outweigh the risk of getting infected with COVID-19.

Health & Wellness APRIL 8 - 14, 2021 •

7 Ways to Improve Your Family’s Dental Health

(StatePoint) Is it time to hit “reset” and start over with fresh dental habits? Doing so can help improve your health.

“Your oral and overall health are connected -- and even small improvements in your oral health routine can have big payoffs in your overall well-being,” Dr. Ruchi Sahota, American Dental Association (ADA) spokesperson

To help you get started, the ADA offers seven recommendations for improving your family’s dental health routine:

1. Brush twice a day for two minutes each time using fluoride toothpaste and a soft-bristled brush. Place the brush at a 45-degree angle to the gums. Gently move the brush back and forth in tooth-wide strokes. Brush the outer, inner and chewing surfaces of the teeth. To clean the inside surfaces of the front teeth, tilt the brush vertically and make up-and-down strokes. Parents should instruct kids to do the same.

2. Clean between teeth daily using only interdental cleaners, such as floss or water flossers, to reduce the risk of cavities and gum disease.

3. Eat a nutritious diet. Sugary foods and snacks can lead

to tooth decay. On the other hand, calcium- and phosphorous-rich foods protect and strengthen tooth enamel. Fruits and vegetables are also good choices for a healthy smile since they have high water and fiber content, which help clean teeth.

4. Schedule regular dental visits for prevention and treatment of oral disease. Experts say that your family can have safe dental visits, even during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Early in 2020, the ADA used science to develop guidance for dentists on extra steps they can take to help protect patients and staff, in addition to the infection control procedures they’ve always followed. According to a report published in the “Journal of the American Dental Association” in October, 2020, 99 percent of dentists are using enhanced infection control procedures and disinfection practices when treating patients.

5. Look for the ADA Seal of Acceptance. Every product carrying the Seal has been evaluated by independent experts to be safe and effective. To earn the Seal, companies are often asked to meet higher standards than what’s required by law. Look for specific Seal bullets on the

back of every Seal product package to find out how they can help keep your mouth healthy.

6. Think twice if you’re considering DIY dental treatments. Some such fads, like oil pulling, are just not effective. Others, such as whitening with charcoal, could even cause damage. Before taking matters into your own hands, talk with your dentist to learn about the potential risks and benefits of each treatment.

“A dentist’s office is a safe place where a doctor is ensuring you’re getting quality care that will actually treat the root of your problem,” says Dr. Sahota.

7. Ditch bad habits that can harm oral health, like nailbiting, clenching your jaw, chewing ice and using your teeth as a stand-in for tools like scissors.

For more dental health tips and resources, visit MouthHealthy.org. You can find a dentist near you by visiting FindaDentist.ada.org.

Want to improve your family’s overall health? Start with your dental care routine.

Doctors’ Tips About the COVID-19 Vaccine

(StatePoint) More than 500,000 Americans have died from COVID-19 and there have been more than 28 million cases nationwide. Doctors say it’s vital that Americans get vaccinated when it’s their turn, and continue to take precautions against infection.

“Vaccinations are safe, effective, prevent illness and save lives. They offer an incredible opportunity for us to help defeat COVID-19 and regain normalcy,” says American Medical Association (AMA) president, Susan R. Bailey, M.D. “But with more contagious variants of the virus circulating throughout the U.S., now is not the time to let your guard down or scale back on the measures that we know will work to prevent further illness and deaths, such as wearing masks, practicing physical distancing, and washing hands.”

To protect yourself and your loved ones, the AMA offers the following guidance:

• At some point, likely in the next few months, it will be your turn to get the vaccine. Talk to your physician about the vaccines, and ask any questions you may have.

• Any and all COVID-19 vaccines authorized will meet the highest standards of quality, safety and effectiveness set

by the FDA’s rigorous regulatory review process.

• Be prepared to get vaccinated. Know that vaccines can have minor side effects, including lethargy, mild fever, body aches and pains. When these side effects occur, they typically last a few days. If you have any questions or concerns about side effects, contact your physician.

• Understand that public health measures like masks and physical distancing will still be required until the population is broadly vaccinated.

• Science and ingenuity have given us an opportunity to control or even defeat COVID-19, but wide acceptance of the vaccine is necessary for it to be effective. Encourage loved ones who are eligible for the vaccine to schedule an appointment.

For more information about COVID-19 and getting vaccinated, visit ama-assn.org or getvaccineanswers.org.

While the roll-out of the vaccine is encouraging, doctors say we’re not out of the woods yet. Continuing to practice COVID-19 safety measures and getting vaccinated as soon as it’s your turn will help protect you and your loved ones from illness.

ARE YOU REGISTERED FOR YOUR COVID-19 VACCINE?

Because different vaccination sites are run by different systems, you should register for more than one.

Saint Louis County Department of Public Health

To be vaccinated by the Saint Louis County DPH:

y Visit stlcorona.com and click on “COVID-19 Vaccine Pre-Registration.”

y If you don’t have internet access, call 314-615-2660 to register.

State of Missouri mass vaccination sites

To register for these events:

y Visit covidvaccine.mo.gov and select “Register” from the top of the page

y Those without internet access can call 877-435-8411.

Hospitals and pharmacies

Hospitals and pharmacies may also have supplies of the vaccine. Check with the location closest to you to find out how to register.

What should I know before I get my shot?

These vaccines have been approved by the FDA because they are safe and effective. You CANNOT get COVID-19 from a vaccine. You may feel sore or get a headache or chills after your appointment, but this is just a sign that your body is building an immune response.

Understanding the benefits of meditation

By David McGraw, Meditation Instructor, Move by BJC

What are the benefits of meditation?

Much of the research focuses on mindfulness as a meditative practice. Evidence supports the claims that mindfulness meditation improves emotional regulation, decreases anxiety, enables people to become less reactive and offers greater cognitive flexibility within stressful situations.

How often should I meditate?

Much of the research suggests that the benefits are greatest with a daily meditative practice. My teachers have all been of the opinion that while the effort to practice every day is important, even just a few minutes helps you establish the new routine.

How long do I need to meditate to gain the benefits?

Some studies on the effects of meditation have shown that daily practice can produce significant neurological adaptations in as little as four weeks; the practice of mindfulness in particular is associated with changes to regions of the brain responsible for attention regulation and sensory processing.

What is mindfulness meditation?

The practice of mindfulness meditation is deceptively simple: Remember that you are breathing, then watch what happens! Of course, our mind wanders to all sorts of places. By redirecting our attention back to our breathing or some other anchoring sensation, we cultivate our ability to be with and accept our presentmoment experience, however it feels, and build our capacity to regulate our atten tion from one moment to the next. It is all about experiencing and embracing a different relationship with our mind and body: simply being in the present moment with acceptance and without judgment.

David McGraw is a licensed pro fessional counselor and has a mas ter’s degree in philosophy, a master’s degree in counseling, a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry and bio technology, and a bachelor’s degree in philosophy. Move by BJC is an 18,000 sq. ft. fitness center with fully outfitted cardio, strength, and free weight areas, plus therapeutic massage, indi vidual and group personal training, exercise classes and more.