December 31st, 2020 edition

St. LouiS AmericAn

Caring for St. Louis

St. Louis American Staff

During the Urban League’s recent Christmas food distribution event, lines upon lines of masked and yellow-safety-vested volunteers stood ready to pile boxes full of food and personal protective equipment into the propped-open trunks of the cars snaking around the parking lot.

This event came on the heels of 23 consecutive weeks of food distribution the Urban League ran between April and October of this year, giving out food to “around 85,000 families,” according to Patricia Washington, the Urban League’s vice president of communications.

n “It was Michael’s amazing individual effort in response to the ravages of the COVID-19 pandemic that made him the unanimous choice as the St. Louis American’s 2020 Person of the Year.”

—Donald M. Suggs, St. Louis American

Publisher and Executive Editor

The man behind this massive effort is Michael P. McMillan, president and CEO of the Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis. McMillan raised close to $4 million dollars this year toward coronavirus relief, as well as mobilizing corporate and individual volunteers for the food distribution projects.

“It was Michael’s amazing individual effort in response to the ravages of the COVID-19 pandemic that made him the unanimous choice as the St. Louis American’s 2020 Person of the Year,” stated Donald M. Suggs, St. Louis American Publisher and Executive Editor. “His prompt organizing and mobilizing of the right people on his Urban League team and beyond into the larger civic community

See McMILLAN, A7

Barnes Jewish Hospital’s

Dr. Ebony Carter on vaccines:

By Sylvester Brown Jr.

The St. Louis American

Driving home one early summer morning, Dr. Ebony Carter’s mind was consumed with fear: Should she go home and risk the safety of her husband and three small girls?

Carter is a high-risk obstetrician at Barnes Jewish Hospital’s Women and Infants Center. Driving home that morning, she recalled the previous night when a pregnant woman came into the emergency room. Her entire team, which included interns and residents, helped deliver a breech baby.

Afterward, Carter learned that half the patients they had cared for that week, including the latest one, had tested positive for the coronavirus.

“I was mortified for all of us,” Carter recalled. “We’d all worn masks the entire time, but not adequate PPE for that level of

Will Ross, MD, recently received his

exposure. We were all there as she huffed and puffed and blew the baby out, while an invisible cloud of COVID rained over us.” Until Carter received results from her

Doctor says pulse oximeter is good to have at home with COVID-19 patients

By Sandra Jordan Of The St. Louis American

There is some perhaps well-intended, but mostly inaccurate information being copied and pasted on social media about how to care for people who have the coronavirus and are experiencing symptoms while isolating at home.

After reading a social media post titled, “How to Fight COVID at Home,” Dr. Shephali Wulff, sSMHealth System director of infectious disease, pointed out more than a few inconsistencies in the post, some of which could cause other medical issues.

Wulff noted that SARS-CoV-2, which causes COVID-19, is a respiratory virus, and the care would be what is recommended for a person with

Of

Dr. Ebony Carter

Lawrence Bryant for The St. Louis American

Matt Miller

‘Black-ish’ creator Kenya Barris wants restraining order against his sister Writer, director and actor Kenya Barris creator of the TV series “Black-ish” seeks a restraining order to be legally standoffish when it comes to his sister, Colette Barris

TMZ reports that documents they obtained describe how over the years, the sister reportedly has been cashing in on his name to get opportuni ties in Hollywood. “But, after failed attempts to get her own projects off the ground – either because meetings went nowhere, or because Kenya refused to help her – he claims he now wor ries that Colette will take out her anger against him or his six children,” TMZ reported.

Master P and former NBA star

Baron Davis in talks to buy Reebok for $2.4B

The Grio reports that Hip-Hop mogul Percy “Master P” Miller and former NBA star Baron Davis are negotiating to buy Reebok from its parent company, Adidas, for $2.4 billion.

If it all works out, it will turn Reebok into the first Black-owned major sneaker brand.

“These companies have been benefiting off us, this could be history for this company going Black-owned,” Master

“As we focus on turning Reebok into a lifestyle brand, not just a basketball brand,” said Miller said in Forbes, “our most important initiative will be to put money back into the community that built this Adidas announced on December 14 it could potentially put the struggling shoe business up for sale, a “strategic alternative” for Reebok.

Ecstasy of ‘Whodini’ dies at age 56

John “Ecstasy” Fletcher, the legend-

ary MC of the group Whodini, died in Atlanta on December 23 at age 56. The trio making up Whodini, which included lyricist Jalil Hutchins and Grandmaster Dee on the turntable, were pioneers in hip-hop, with hits including “Friends,” “One Love,” and “Five Minutes of Funk.” Fletcher’s daughter Jonnelle Fletcher told the New York Times his cause of death had not been determined. Among the many tributes on social media, record executive Jermaine Dupri tweeted, “Ex you know I love you… thank you for every word, every conversation every good time, may your soul Rest In Power.”

R. Kelly gets a trial date in Chicago

“and his associates ran a criminal enterprise that recruited women and underage girls for illegal sexual contact and then isolated and threatened them to keep them under control and prevent them from going to the authorities.”), scheduled to begin on April 7, 2021. Kelly, 53, faces up to 20 years in prison for the New York charges and if convicted in Chicago, it could add decades to the sentencing.

A September 13, 2021 trial date is set for jailed singer Robert “R.” Kelly, accused of child pornography and obstruction charges in Chicago. As reported by The Root and the New York Times, U. S. District Court Judge Harry Leinenweber noted that date could change, depending on restrictions due to the ongoing global coronavirus pandemic. The Root reports Kelly’s federal trial in Chicago “will begin five months after his New York trial on racketeering charges (alleging Kelly

‘Breakin’ star Shabba-Doo dies at age 65

Breakdancer Aldofo “ShabbaDoo” Quinoñes, who starred in the 80s movies, “Breakin’,” “Breakin’2: Electric Boogaloo,” died suddenly on Wednesday, Dec. 30 in Los Angeles at age 65. TMZ reports his family announced his passing, just a day after he had posted an image of himself in bed, saying he was feeling sluggish but had tested negative for COVID-19. Thus far, no cause of death has been announced. TMZ says law enforcement sources said his roommate found Shabba-Doo unconscious, and there were no signs of foul play. He is survived by a daughter and a son.

Sources: Adidas, The Grio, ESPN, Forbes, Rap-Up, The Root, Smart News,

Kenya Barris

Banks to visit precincts as newest member of St. Louis County Police Commission

ByDana Rieck

Of The St. Louis American

Attorney Richard Banks is the newest member of the St. Louis County Board of Police Commission, a five-member civilian oversight board.

He attended his first meeting Dec. 16, and said he plans to visit all eight county police precincts within the next month.

“I want an opportunity to meet and greet the men and women who run the department and to get a better understanding of where everyone is at this point in time,” he told The St. Louis American. “What challenges they all see going forward and what we can address.”

Banks’ appointment Dec. 11 by County Executive Sam Page was unanimously approved by the St. Louis County Council on Dec. 15. When asked to fill the vacancy left by Dr. L.J. Punch’s resignation — about after a year after Punch was appointed — Banks said he took some time to consider the opportunity.

“I thought about it very much because like many jobs, it is a thankless job, it is a tough job, but an important job, particularly at the crossroads of where we are at in history right now,” Banks said.

According to media reports, Punch resigned because of the secrecy surrounding a corporate-led experiment involving St. Louis city and county officers working with authorities in Jennings and a policing district in north St. Louis..

The county Board of Police

He added he’s still learning about those issues and hopes to have a better grasp on them moving forward, in order to improve situations for officers and the community at large.

“Everybody wants the same thing, ultimately,” he said. “Everybody wants a safe neighborhood where they can live and raise their families. I think ultimately everybody wants that same goal. And certainly we also know that crime impacts the African American communities more so than any other communities. So we certainly, in the African American community, want a police presence but we want fair and just policing.”

Banks has served on the Missouri Supreme Court Advisory Committee, which oversees the disciplinary process for all Missouri lawyers, for approximately 12 years. He noted that his experience on that committee, and as a personal injury attorney, has prepared him to excel on this commission.

Commissioners was established in 1955 and is tasked with reviewing policies governing the operation and conduct of the department, appointing and providing oversight of the chief of police with the power to dismiss the chief, reviewing all external complaints and con-

ducting hearings for employees appealing discipline or termination by the chief.

Commissioners receive $125 per month for their service, while the chairman receives $150 per month.

Banks believes he brings critical representation to the

Her sights are set high and have been since she was a child. Trinity Brooks knew she wanted to be a teacher from the time she was eight-years-old when she practiced teaching her stuffed animals in her bedroom.

Now an education major at Maryville University, Trinity comes from a family of educators. Her grandfather was an assistant superintendent and her mother an instructional coach and reading specialist. Education is in her DNA.

Trinity is ready to put her bold vision and childhood dreams into practice. She will educate and inspire the next generation of students and Maryville stands with her.

Learn more at maryville.edu/bold.

commission, as he will be the only Black man on the commission at this time and the eighth Black person to be appointed in the board’s history. Thomasina Hassler is the other Black person on the board at this time.

“I think that the perception of having representation on

the board is a big step forward,” he said. “I think there are obviously issues that have affected current police officers — African American police officers — they feel they’re underrepresented in the ranks of the police department, that’s my understanding.”

“I have done litigation for 30 years, and I think there’s a skill set that you develop when you are a ‘litigator’ because you are interacting with people, as opposed to a tax attorney or an attorney who deals in some other area of law,” he said. “I deal with individuals. My clients are individuals, not corporations— people with real problems, people with real jobs — I deal with them.”

The other members of the commission are Judge William

BOLD VISION

Price, Michelle Schwerin, Mark Gaertner and Hassler.

Attorney Richard Banks leaves St. Louis County Police headquarters with Officer Michael Clinton and Sgt. Justin Nichols Sr. St. Louis County Executive Sam Page appointed Banks to the St. Louis County Police Commission and the St. Louis County Council unanimously approved the appointment on Dec. 15.

Photo Lawrence Bryant/St. Louis American

2020: An unrelenting year for the history books

Black women win big in the Aug. 4 primary: (Left to right), St. Louis Prosecutor Kim Gardner, St. Louis Treasurer and mayoral candidate Tishaura P. Jones, Democratic candidate for 1st Congressional District and now Congresswoman-elect Cori Bush, stand with Black Lives Matter activist and entrepreneur Ohun Ashe, at a news conference on Aug. 5.

Much like 1968, 2020 is a year that will be examined deeply and repeatedly because of its tectonic shifts in world politics, public health, democracy and mass protests against racial injustice.

But 2020 is unique in the sense that the nation was forced to reckon with its original sins while in the throes of a global pandemic.

It was the year of coronavirus– which struck in the early winter and continues to have a stronghold on the nation thanks to a blindsiding surge in late fall. COVID-19 continues to prey on those at greater health risks and most economically compelled to work in public, and often without sufficient protection.

As with most public health crises, Black, Brown and Native American people are disproportionately affected. And with this pandemic we’ve seen the greatest loss among older segments of the population all over the world. The greatest loss of life has been in the U.S – and shamefully it continues under the reprehensible leadership of Donald Trump. We’ve suffered gravely under Trump and the Republicans who assist his despotism. African Americans are three times more likely to get coronavirus than white Americans and close to 45% of Black businesses are no longer solvent today due to the economic slowdown caused by this global health crisis. The pandemic of U.S. racism was recognized in tandem with an unprecedented global public health crisis. The entire world reacted after seeing George Floyd strangled to death by the knee of Derek Chauvin, a white cop in Minneapolis. The revealing video was bravely shot and shared from the cell phone of 17-year-old Darnella Frazier. Millions of people also took to the streets to protest in the name of Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and the continued killings of people of color by law enforcement.

The unrest in response to police violence against Black people also gave birth to a cultural revolution the likes of which many activists never envisioned. It harkened to the days of the Ferguson and Occupy Wall Street uprisings – echoing within the actions was a pristine clarity of our country’s desperate need for tangible change and for alliances to be built which could ensure it. A culturally, socioeconomically and ethnically diverse army of allies stood on the frontlines with a call to action. They stood on behalf of those repeatedly pushed to the margins, people of color, women and children of color, people with varying physical and mental health abilities and

challenges. There was also a demand for inclusion and diversity within the political machine. The call for a Black woman president or vice president was answered with former Vice President and democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden’s decision to select former Attorney General of the state of California and California Senator Kamala Harris to be his running mate. Their ticket won the presidential election in November. Harris will become the first Black woman to serve as vice president of the United States of America upon her swearing in next month.

That energy was reverberated with the mantra from the Black Women’s March and Rally held in St. Louis a few days before the primary elections in August. The event was organized by Julia Davis to support Kimberly Gardner and Tishaura Jones. Both women were – and continue to be – under constant attack by Republican elected officials, mainstream media, and those Black folks who do their bidding. The mantra: “I am my sister’s keeper, I am my brother’s keeper,” was chanted at the rally because Gardner’s job was being threatened personally by President Donald Trump after she charged Mark and Patricia McCloskey for brandishing weapons against protesters over the summer.

We must protect our Black elected officials when they are doing their job and are committed to serving the people. We must stand up for them, and also respectfully let them know when we disagree. The St. Louis American is dedicated to continuing to provide a strong platform for discussion in the community, providing access for our leaders, our organizations and individuals, who have something to say in our pages and through our digital platforms. We seek to reflect our communities’ concerns, to stimulate and make us aware of our potential when we work together for our shared purposes. We will continue to maximize our resources to increase opportunities for African Americans and save Black lives. There have been some declarative changes this year. Individuals and groups outside our communities, who were shocked by horrific racist state violence, and the vice grip systemic racism has on the U.S. chose not to be complicit with it. They proved their resentment for white supremacy touted by the president by turning out in unprecedented numbers to cast their votes in November against him.

In our region, people came together across diverse backgrounds and mounted a tidal wave of support to re-elect

Addressing oral health needs

By Clinton Normore and Dwight McLeod For The St. Louis American

Since the coronavirus pandemic began, doctors, nurses and essential workers within the health care system have put their own lives at risk to care for others. Our collective gratitude goes out to each of them, and to all essential workers on the front lines of this global crisis.

than a year. In some cases, it’s more than a decade.

Gardner and Tishaura O. Jones. That movement peaked with the dramatic election of Cori Bush as the first Black woman to represent Missouri in Congress.

A pastor and registered nurse, Bush’s name and reputation grew with each battle as she remained committed as an activist on the ground in St. Louis from the frontlines of Ferguson and the Stockley verdict protests.

Bush’s return to the streets to protest the police killings of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor thrust her to the forefront as she made her second run for Congress against the Clay political dynasty in the 1st Congressional District of Missouri.

For over two decades, William Lacy Clay represented a more than 50-percent Black district, as had his father William “Bill” Clay, who served in Congress for 32 years – and made history as the first Black man to hold the office. Bush’s race and rematch against Lacy Clay, a titan of Black political power in St. Louis, and a commanding presence in Washington, D.C., amounted to a watershed moment in Black St. Louis political history.

With her determination to serve and fight for justice, she has landed a heavyweight appointment to the House Judiciary Committee.

The region – and the nation – will be watching Bush’s every move. We must gather around her and support her as a community while she learns the best ways to maneuver and legislate to protect and bolster Black and Brown lives, and the lives of all people, when she begins her history-making Congressional tenure on Jan. 20.

Mayor Krewson’s decision not to run for re-election, leaves the door open for the already announced candidates St. Louis Treasurer Tishaura Jones, Board of Aldermen President Louis Reed, Alderman Cara Spencer of the 20th Ward and others to try compete to replace her. We are optimistic as we prepare for a new political landscape in 2021, but we will enter the new year as a nation still stifled by COVID-19. As we move on into the new year, let us remember Jazmond Dixon. Dixon, a Black woman, was the first documented COVID19 fatality within the St. Louis region. Let us also remember all of the lives lost before and after her due to this deadly virus –and honor the medical professionals, first responders and other essential workers who have bravely put their lives on the line to serve and protect

as the deadly coronavirus continues to rage on.

The challenges before us are great, and as we work to address them we must not forget to examine systemic societal problems that have led to certain populations being at greater risk for severe and deadly COVID-19 cases. Health inequities due to social, economic or environmental disadvantages often result in unhealthy people. Lack of health insurance or access to affordable, quality care because of who you are or where you live leads to people falling behind in necessary, regular checkups for disease prevention, leading to poor health outcomes and unhealthy populations in which diseases such as the coronavirus cause devastation.

We know that oral disease causes pain and suffering for millions of people. We also know delaying dental care affects overall health and wellbeing, and it is linked to serious diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, and stroke.

The mouth serves as the gateway to the body, and clear evidence reveals that early treatment wards off future problems. Still, many people have not seen a dentist in more

We believe making it easier for people to access high quality and affordable dental care is critical to improving overall health outcomes. This is why in 2013, with enthusiastic and generous support of local and statewide community leaders, institutions, and donors, A.T. Still University established the Missouri School of Dentistry & Oral Health. Our third- and fourth-year students work alongside faculty and staff to treat patients at the University’s St. Louis Dental Center, an innovative partnership between ATSUMOSDOH and Affinia Healthcare. Collaboratively, our team provides comprehensive dental care at no cost or on a sliding scale based on a patient’s ability to pay.

The St. Louis Dental Center, at 1500 Park Ave., is a unique service provider and clinical training facility. ATSU’s dental program attracts qualified students who express an interest in community and public health settings. ATSU-

Letters to the editor

Many institutions are failing us on the pandemic

The great American spreader events of the 2020 coronavirus pandemic are highly correlated with stupendous institutional failings in our society.

The outbreak kicked off at northern ski resorts like Sun Valley and Park City, southern cultural festivals Super Bowl and Mardi Gras, corporate gatherings like Biogen in Boston, and a host of religious events.

The nation’s politicians, financial elite, educational leaders and theology wizards were blithely unaware of and disinterested in public affairs. They had votes and money, gowns and souls on their minds, selfish interests all.

Politicians were busy building a coffin for democracy and a palace for monarchy.

The business elite were reveling in globalization, unaware of the lack of desperately needed public health supplies at home. They were spending piles of illegitimate gain at elegant parties and resorts, distanced from the country’s impoverished rabble.

Professors were lost in their beloved lectures. Common folk were also socially distanced from any kind of civic awareness.

Half were drunk out of their minds watching the likes of football spirals and costumed street dancers. The other half were flailing about, seeking inspiration in order to activate long-dead spiritual souls.

MOSDOH is well positioned to address another systemic problem: the lack of health professionals, doctors, and dentists, who are of color or multilingual.

With an eye to the future, ATSU’s Dreamline Pathways program was specifically developed for outreach within the St. Louis community to encourage students to imagine themselves as doctors and dentists.

In addition to developing the dream, our program helps students identify educational paths needed to achieve their career goals.

By increasing the number of oral health care professionals and improving access to oral health care services, more people receive needed care and communities become better educated on the importance of oral health and its impact on overall health.

Combined with ATSU’s mission to serve the underserved, these efforts continue to build toward creating health equity for all, an essential feature of any high-functioning society. Our goals to serve underserved populations and create a more diverse health profession are strategic approaches to eliminating health disparities, and better preparing all populations to withstand future health challenges.

Clinton Normore is vice president of diversity, inclusion and equity at A.T. Still University of Health Sciences. Dwight E. McLeod, DDS, MS, is dean of A.T. Still University’s Missouri School of Dentistry & Oral Health.

All letters are edited for length and style.

Looking forward to a healthier happier new year

Thanks to Drs. Fauci and Birx who are the wiser. We look forward to the coronavirus vaccines from AstraZeneca, Moderna and Pfizer. As we near the end of 2020, we hope the vaccine will be plenty. Happy 2021 to all.

Goodbye 2020 and COVID19 once and for all.

Pam Marshall St. Louis

Kimball Shinkoskey Woods Cross, Utah

Dawn Suggs/ St. Louis American

Replace persistently failing schools with higher performing alternatives

By Krystal Barnett

For The St. Louis American

The current discussion on the proposed school closures hides the most fundamental truth we must address to build a school system that serves all children well: the St. Louis Public Schools are failing children, especially Black children.

The system has never served poor and Black children well, and today it is among the worst performing school systems serving Black children in America. We need to reimagine our public schools, not return to some hypothetically great past.

The experience and outcomes for Black children in the St. Louis Public Schools compared to Black children in other cities grappling with similar rates of poverty, trauma, segregation, and disinvestment are shocking.

By third grade, Black children in the St. Louis Public Schools are reading at 0.6 level, midway through kindergarten. This is after having spent the majority of the last four years of their waking hours in our schools.

In Chicago, Black children are reading at a 1.9 level in third grade, which is still behind, but more than a year ahead of children in our city.

In Newark, NJ — a city with a higher concentration of children living in poverty than St. Louis – Black children are reading at 2.9 by third grade.

duced in response to families wanting alternatives that did not require a 45-minute bus ride to an often-inhospitable school in a predominantly White community, and to offer a mechanism for innovation outside of the calcified traditional system. Without charter schools in St. Louis, we would not have a public Montessori option, a language immersion option, a single-gender option, a personalized learning school, or any integrated schools.

Instead of embracing the nuance of system changes and pursuing research-backed policies to improve the education and life prospects of vulnerable children, our elected officials are using this ongoing crisis as political theater. They are passing blame and poorly written resolutions, and scapegoating the thousands of families making the rational decision to enroll their children in schools where they are more likely to receive a quality education — even as many of these officials do the same with their own children.

n Instead of embracing the nuance of system changes and pursuing researchbacked policies to improve the education and life prospects of vulnerable children, our elected officials are using this ongoing crisis as political theater.

Fast forward to eighth grade and Black children in the St. Louis Public Schools are only able to compute at a 4.7 level, meaning that children are learning about half a year’s worth of math each year they are in our schools.

In Chicago, Black children are performing at a 6.5 and in Newark at a 6.4 in the eighth grade. Again, still behind grade level but nearly two years ahead of children growing up in similar circumstances here in St. Louis.

Not only are Black children in the St. Louis Public Schools significantly behind their peers in other urban systems, but these gaps are widening over time.

In Chicago, Black children are learning 17% more than expected each year, catching up every year they are in the system. In St. Louis, Black children are learning less than expected each year, falling further behind each year.

These gaps are not a function of neighborhood, income, race, or family circumstance. They are the result of a failing system that has proven unable to embrace and effectively implement research-based interventions or provide even basic support to teachers.

The introduction of public-school choice 40 years ago was a remedy for families trapped in failing, segregated schools. It is not the cause of them. Public charter schools were intro-

The good news is that we have learned a lot about how to transform school systems in the last two decades of education reform. To dramatically improve educational outcomes for all children, particularly Black children not served well by the status quo in St. Louis, our schools must:

— Systematically ensure that children attend higher performing schools and — Move beyond the district–charter debate and seek to integrate these systems while preserving the autonomy that drives innovation.

First, this requires closing persistently failing schools and replacing them with higher performing alternatives. The problem with St. Louis’ current approach is that we close schools and children often attend a school that is just as bad, and facilities are left to deteriorate.

The systems doing this successfully partner with community organizations to engage families, with nonprofits, business and social services organizations to reimagine schools and reuse facilities, and empower community boards to choose their alternative.

Second, this means allowing quality school choice options to take precedence in underused facilities, partnering on transportation, creating a unified enrollment system, and operationalizing learning across schools. Not only will this free up tremendous public resources currently allocated toward inefficient operations but will help the system overall to learn and improve over time.

Our city, and as a consequence our region, will not thrive without ensuring that all of our children have access to an education that prepares them to participate in our 21 century economy and democracy. Let’s hope our school board embraces this moment to begin working in partnership to reimagine our schools.

Krystal Barnett is founder and CEO of Bridge 2 Hope — St. Louis, is a movement by and for parents and grandparents to build widespread awareness of the horrible way many St. Louis students are underserved by the public school system.

Lutheran North Principal Tim Brackman

Lutheran North launches tuition remodel

St. Louis American staff

Contrary to the trend in higher education to raise tuition every year, Lutheran North Middle and High School has launched a flexible tuition program based on household income, rather than a set price.

The new program does away with a one-size-fits-all tuition. Instead, tuition is based on a sliding scale according to verified family income and academic assessment.

“We are committed to providing quality, Christian education to everyone who seeks it,” said Tim Brackman, principal.

“We know that financial situations vary and want to reach people from a range of economic backgrounds.”

More than 90% of the students at Lutheran High School North receive financial aid based on the current tuition of $15,000. The tuition for the 2021-22 school year would range from $6,020 to $13,500, a dramatic decrease for the school.

The shift is made possible by the support of donors, many of whom are alumni, who are committed to keeping north St. Louis County vibrant, Brackman said.

Lutheran North’s notable alumni include Steve Atwater, Hall of Famer and former safety for the Denver Broncos, Jim Crane, owner of the Houston Astros, and St. Louis Police Chief John Hayden.

Known for its prowess on the football field, Lutheran North offers college-prep, Christian education for students in grades 6-12. The 300-person student body is made up of 76% minority students. The school, located on Lucas and Hunt, is currently offering in-person hybrid learning or virtual learning for all of its students.

“We are proud to be in north county,” Brackman said. “And are committed to keeping it a place where people choose to live and raise their families.”

Krystal Barnett

any respiratory illness — addressing the symptoms.

“You certainly want to make sure they are hydrated and that you support their fever with Tylenol and ibuprofen products. If they have a terrible cough, you can get an overthe-counter cough medicine,” Wulff said.

However, there is a critical distinction with COVID-19.

“The difference with COVID is that while the majority of people get better, certainly in the second phase of illness, around Day 7, 8, 9, 10 — it’s sort of this critical window where people, if they’re not going to get better, that’s when they start to get sick and they get into what we call the pneumonic phase of illness, where they develop inflammation in their lungs, and that’s when they have trouble breathing and present to the hospital,” Wulff said.

infectious disease. “There’s no role in antibiotics being used to treat COVID,” Wulff said. “In addition to that, Azithromycin has as one of it’s side effects … people can develop arrhythmias.”

“Dexamethasone” is a corticosteroid used to reduce the swelling,heat, redness and pain of inflammation. Wulff said while steroids may be indicated for a hospitalized patient, for COVID at home, it has an opposite effect.

“We see this happening from time to time that some of the outpatient folks will send patients home with steroids, and that’s what they are saying in this article … and that’s really not indicated for people who are at home,” Wulff said.

“Dexamethasone was studied in this huge trial — 6,000 patients … but what they found was while there was 12% mortality benefit for inpatients, it actually had the opposite effect on outpatients.”

about that I would have them talk to their primary care doctor.”

Thermometers are useful tools to have at home to check for fever. Wulff said there is another device, also available for use at home, the fingertip pulse oximeter, that can help make a crucial decision on whether to call the doctor or go to an emergency department.

In the aforementioned social media post, the unnamed author claims, “The doctor sent me home to fight Covid with two prescriptions — Azithromycin 250mg & Dexamethasone 6mg.”

COVID-19 is caused by a virus, and antibiotics, like Azithromycin, do not kill viruses. They destroy bacteria and other microorganisms in

VACCINES

Continued from A1

Continued from A1 with their father, who was able to work from home.

For persons who experience leg cramps, Wulff said the posting incorrectly suggests taking Pepcid, which is an antacid used to treat heartburn.

“I honestly would not advise people, if they don’t otherwise need an acid blocker for their stomach, I wouldn’t have them start taking one when they have COVID,” Wulff said. “I also wouldn’t advocate somebody start self-medicating with aspirin. If they have a question

“For patients who are at that critical point where they are starting to have worsening cough, worsening shortness of breath, it would be helpful for people to have a home pulse oximeter,” Wulff said.

“If they are caring for a loved one, they can keep their eye on what their oxygen saturation is, especially in that critical window between Day 7 and 10. And if they’re noticing that their loved one is getting

really short of breath and their oxygen saturation is less than 92% — then they need to come in and get care.”

Getting rest and walking around is important, she said — but not in two-hour intervals, as the posting suggested. “Certainly, while you are sick, we want you to get your rest, so I would not set my alarm and wake up every two hours,” Wulff said. “If you are sleeping peacefully without coughing and feeling short of breath — get your sleep.”

What did the social media post get right? A couple of items.

“I agree with ‘get up and walk around.’ That’s good advice, but not while you’re sleeping,” Wulff said.

“During the day, certainly make yourself get up and walk around so you don’t develop a

Monitoring the oxygen levels of coronavirus patients who are experiencing symptoms at home is crucial to determine whether to call a doctor or go to the emergency room.

blood clot.”

Also right was the advice for COVID patients to sleep on their stomachs or sides to keep pressure off their lungs.

Wulff said that’s what they tell patients in the hospital as well, to sleep on their stomach or side as long as they can tolerate it.

“It works by recruiting the lung tissue in the back of your lungs that otherwise collapses a little bit if you’re flat on your back all the time,” Wulff said.

“It helps you oxygenate better.”

It is also accurate to drink fluids to hydrate and to restore electrolytes. While this posting in question specifies items to eat, drink and what to avoid, the real recommendation from Wulff is to stay hydrated and try to eat a balanced diet, which is what you are supposed to do anyway.

“You want a balanced diet with some fat, Vitamin C and some protein. That’s probably fine,” she said.

Wulff said she and other health workers, who have had a steady stream of COVID patients in their hospitals for the past couple of months, are optimistic, now that vaccines are being distributed. But all the health precautions most people have taken for most of 2020 — wearing masks, frequent handwashing, and maintaining a social distance — must continue, at least for the foreseeable future, she said.

“We do feel like there is an end to this coming, I would want people to remember that,” Wulff said. “As much as this is awful and having to quarantine, especially over the holidays, I am really hopeful that the next six to nine months will look a lot better.”

The Centers for Disease Control says a health professional should determine whether the patient is stable enough to recover in a residential setting. Other considerations include whether there is a bedroom, and preferably, a separate bathroom where the person with the virus can recover without sharing space with healthy members of the family. Shared bathrooms must be disinfected after each use.

The CDC says appropriate caregivers should be available, as well as access to food and other necessities. For more information, visit https://www. cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019ncov/hcp/guidance-home-care. html.

Carter’s husband, Dedric Carter, has asthma, and she has an immune deficiency. The thought of bringing the dreaded disease into their household was almost too much for her to bear. Fortunately, neither Carter nor her team contracted the disease. Still, the stress of the event and the constant caution related to her profession has taken its toll.

“No matter who you are, we’re going to take care of you.”

“A lot of hospitals say you cannot come and get our services until you have a negative COVID test. Well, labor and delivery is not such a place,” Carter explained.

Carter is not alone. A survey by Mental Health America, from June-throughSeptember, found that 93% of health care workers experience stress, with between 75 to 86 percent reporting feelings of anxiety, frustration, exhaustion, burnout and being overwhelmed.

Even though she’s “hyper

vigilant” about the disease, Carter said she’s blessed. She still has a job when so many other Americans have lost theirs.

She also cherishes her role as a practitioner, comforter, counselor and confidant to pregnant women who often find themselves alone during one of the most critical times of their lives.

To illustrate, she recalled a

story about her first delivery. It was in the early 2000s when she was doing her OB-GYN rotation at Duke University. There, she met a young woman about to give birth who was all alone.

Carter spent the entire day with the woman talking about her life. She realized she was the only support system the woman had. When it came time to deliver, the woman told the medical team she wanted Carter to deliver her baby, which she did for the first time. That experience underscored Carter’s belief in talking and listening to patients. This year when the hospital rolled out its universal COVID testing policies for labor and deliveries, Carter assumed every patient would be thrilled to be tested. At that time, in early May, testing was still not routine. She and her colleagues were shocked at the number of patients who refused the test.

“Disproportionately, the patients who said “no” were Black women,” Carter said. “I think they were terrified that they would be alone or separated from their babies.”

Carter said her team quickly “tweaked” their approach. Instead of asking patients if they wanted to be tested, they started asking why they wouldn’t want a test. The answers ranged from being separated from their babies to fears of being treated differently by health care workers. The team decided to tell patients they were offering the tests to everyone, not just pregnant mothers, to protect patients, babies, mothers, and the staff.

By providing this reassurance, and promising that patients would not be penalized if they did test positive, Carter said the acceptance levels, even among Black women, quickly rose to the mid-to-upper 90 percent range.

It’s a valuable lesson Carter said she will use when trying to convince people, especially her wary, Black patients, to get vaccinated against the virus.

“I feel like my job is really to educate. I will be getting my vaccine. And I am the first to admit there are things that we do not know about it,” Carter said.

“But, if we take what we can from the literature of patients who weren’t pregnant, it appears that it provides at least 95% protection from getting those severe infections that we know pregnant women are at higher risk of contracting.”

Like with the testing trials, Carter believes she can have success with her patients by sharing her personal experience as a practitioner and candid information about the risks of taking or not taking the vaccine.

“I have seen COVID up front and personal. We’ve had pregnant patients who were healthy one day then knocking on death’s door the next.

“It’s nothing to mess with. I will take my vaccine over the prospect of messing with COVID any day.”

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

Dr. Shephali H. Wulff

McMillan

Continued from A1

enabled an immediate large scale response that benefited tens of thousands across the St. Louis region. A passionate, tireless servant leader, he used all of his management skills and personal and professional contacts to extend the invaluable program for weeks and weeks.”

As he put it in a recent opinion piece for this paper, “We have provided more than $3.75 million in food to over 85,000 families and distributed more than 300,000 masks, gloves, sanitizer and other protective gear to help stem the virus’ spread.”

“I have never seen anything like this,” Washington said. “People are crying as they come through those lines. Tears flowing. Because they’re so grateful that there’s one less thing they have to worry about this week, and that’s putting food on the table.

Said Kathy Osborn, executive director of the St. Louis Regional Business Council,“I don’t know how Michael and his team did it. But he was able to really mobilize his team and neighborhood volunteers to be able to serve something like 3,500 people in their cars every Saturday.

“He’s just a dedicated person ... there is no off time for Michael McMillan.”

McMillan was not just able to bring together monetary donations, but to convince hundreds of volunteers to put in high-risk hours distributing food.

“To my surprise, in many ways, members in these companies put themselves in harm’s way by going out and volunteering as part of the food drive,” Osborn said. “Not only putting their money into it, but they actually volunteered.”

The COVID-19 pandemic has presented new challenges to a social services system already strained almost to the breaking point: “hundreds and hundreds” of families who had never needed assistance with food before February, according to Washington, suddenly needed that assistance.

And the Urban League’s other work — organizing jobs programs, assisting people with utilities, and other safety net programs — also had to adapt to the conditions of pandemic, which is particularly difficult given that many of the impoverished people that the Urban League serves may not have reliable access to the internet.

“It’s really heightened for us the reality of the digital divide,” Washington said, pointing out that if a home has

n “I don’t know how Michael and his team did it. But he was able to really mobilize his team and neighborhood volunteers to be able to serve something like 3,500 people in their cars every Saturday.”

an employment partnership with the Anheuser-Busch foundation.

the high rates of poverty and its attending violence in this city.

McMillan, who has served with the Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis since 2013, has consistently focused on tackling these issues. He established the Save our Sons program during the chaos of the Ferguson uprising in 2014; a workforce training program for young African American men, which has since expanded to include a downtown location as well as its initial north St. Louis County location.

Seventy five percent of the people entering the program are fathers, and half have felony convictions. Here, again, McMillan’s ability to motivate and mobilize others shines through.

As Osborn put it, the men (and now, women) who go through the program trust McMillan, because “when he says he’s going to do something he will do it ... he treats people with tremendous respect. And I think people see that and they respond to it.”

In the upcoming months, McMillan’s ability to fundraise, mobilize and bring people together will continue to be tested, as government funding for pandemic response evaporates because the jobs, homes and security erased by COVID-19 have not come back.

— Kathy Osborn, executive director,

St. Louis Regional Business Council

limited WiFi and that internet bandwidth is already being used for, say, virtual school, the adults in the home cannot then use the internet to figure out how they will keep the lights on in the upcoming month.

Despite these challenges, McMillan has been able to lead the Urban League of St. Louis to continue growing the services it offers: wrapping up construction on its new, $20 million headquarters this month, as well as launching

The Urban League has a history of dealing with crisis: their website notes that “St. Louis operations date back to 1918, when we began with the mission of stabilizing conditions for African Americans as a result of the negative impacts of the East St. Louis race riots.”

Now, the hundreds of people who staff 15 locations and 50 programs continue to strive toward equity in the midst of crisis.

As the pandemic continues, another parallel ‘epidemic’ in St. Louis has not let up: that of

As McMillan put it in a recent interview with the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, “It’s a family collective effort just to try to keep everyone afloat and try to get everyone through this … but we keep forging ahead.” Washington agreed. “We are now trying to find the money … because the need has not let up. All that’s going to have to be organized again. Because what we’re going to see in December, January, February, is more of the same.” For his constant work to bring St. Louis together in a time of crisis, The St. Louis American celebrates Michael McMillan as the 2020 Person of the Year.

(See Michael McMillan photo pages A8 and A9)

Wiley Price/The St. Louis American

Michael McMillan, President and CEO of the Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis, loaded one of 1,500 packages that included food, toiletries, masks and helpful safety information. They were distributed to the people of East St. Louis and St. Clair County during a drive-thru giveaway at East St. Louis High School on April 17, 2020.

Lawrence Bryant for The St. Louis American

Wiley Price/The St. Louis American

Lawrence Bryant for The St. Louis American

Lawrence Bryant for The St. Louis American

Lawrence Bryant for The St. Louis American

Lawrence Bryant for The St. Louis American

Michael McMillan speaks at the opening of the Urban League‘s Ferguson Community Empowerment Center in 2017. A typical day in 2020 continues as he checks his phone for updates, joins a staff meeting to discuss the Save Our Sons project with Geoffrey V. Dudley, Cindy McLain, James Clark and Tydrell Stevens. His day ends outside the newly acquired Urban League regional headquarters in the old Sears building on North Kingshighway.

Lawrence Bryant for The St. Louis American

Bill Greenblatt/UPI

Lawrence Bryant for The St. Louis American

Lawrence Bryant for The St. Louis American

Lawrence Bryant for The St. Louis American

Lawrence Bryant for The St. Louis American

Lawrence Bryant for The St. Louis American

Dana Kelly, Andrew Jones Jr. join St. Louis mayoral race

By Dana Rieck Of The St. Louis American

Democrat Dana Kelly and Republican Andrew Jones Jr. have both filed for a spot on the primary ballot in the city’s upcoming mayoral election.

Benjamin Borgmeyer, Board of Elections Democratic director, confirmed Jones filed Dec. 23 and Kelly on Tuesday.

Kelly has not held public office; in 2018 she unsuccessfully ran against Mavis T. Thompson for the St. Louis license collector’s office.

Kelly is a financial consultant and also owns Reign, a restaurant in downtown St. Louis which has faced numerous governmental roadblocks and obstacles that officials say are related to coronavirus restriction violations since it opened this summer. Kelly and her lawyer believe the continued orders to close are connected to Kelly’s mayoral candidacy.

Andrew Jones ran unsuccessfully for St. Louis mayor in April 2017 as the Republican candidate, coming in second to Mayor Lyda Krewson with 17.3% of the vote. St. Louis hasn’t had a Republican mayor since Aloys P. Kaufman left office in 1949.

Jones and Kelly are the fourth and fifth candidates to

jump into the St. Louis mayoral race. They join St. Louis Treasurer Tishaura Jones, Aldermanic President Lewis Reed and Alderwoman Cara Spencer.

The deadline to file is Monday, Jan. 4. The primary election will be held March 2 and the general election will be held April 6. Collector of Revenue

Gregory F.X. Daly, who some speculated would run for mayor, tweeted Monday he will not run.

“I have not determined who, if anyone, I will support for this position in the future,” his tweet stated. “I continue to believe this city needs a leader who is willing to work col-

laboratively with everyone and make the people of this community his/her top priority.” This election will look different from those in the past because of the passage of Proposition D in the city on Nov 3. Voters should expect primary ballots to be nonpartisan; they will be asked to choose as many candidates as they approve of in each race, regardless of party affiliation. The two candidates with the most votes will then face off in the general election, also regardless of party affiliation. Proposition D affects elections for mayor, comptroller, Board of Alderman president and aldermen.

We all have a history. A story. We bring with us life experiences that shape who we are and make us better.

At Spire, we know our individual stories only make us stronger as a whole. That’s why we’re committed to an inclusive work environment where all that makes us unique is embraced, encouraged and valued.

Because it truly takes all of us our backgrounds, our perspectives and our experiences to move forward.

Dana Kelly

Andrew Jones Jr.

West-Pruitt joins Hazelwood School Board

By Danielle Brown

Of the St. Louis American

Sparkl West-Pruit has served in the Hazelwood School District since 2012. Now she adds the Board of Education seat to her extensive resume.

“Mrs. West-Pruitt brings an impressive track record of advocacy for students to the Board of Education,” Cheryl D. Latham, board president said in a news release.

“Her dynamic business experience and student-first focus is a welcomed addition to this body.”

Fills vacant seat on all-women led team

various roles since 2012. She also held several leadership roles with the Hazelwood PTA Council, which includes serving as council president.

As a prominent advocate for students, WestPruitt strongly believes education is a major key to success. Her passion for influencing the lives of all connected with the educational field inspired her to join the board. She also had another advantage: her formative years were spent in a country that takes education very seriously.

West-Pruitt was named to the board in November. She has served the Hazelwood School District in

“My goal is to give our students, teachers, and parents a voice

in the decision-making process,” West-Pruitt said. “I also hope to help foster an environment that allows us to have tough conversations about diversity, accountability, transparency, and the future of education.

“Finally, I believe I bring a unique perspective to our push to improve education. I was born in Japan and lived there through elementary school. That experience helped shape some of my opinions about how to best serve students.”

With her board appointment West-Pruitt is making history as

one of seven women now serving on an all-female board. She said it would be “fantastic” to have a male perspective on the board, but she’s confident that she’s surrounded by women who are capable of making smart decisions about important educational issues.

“Women are the first nurturers of a child, so we approach education with a student-first focus,” she said.

In a previous role, she served as a key communicator in the district. She participated in monthly meetings held by the superintendent with parent-teacher associations and community leaders to keep them up

Sheriff Daniel Bullock, jail administrator Dennis Smith, and nurse Heather

St. Francois County jail faces class-action lawsuit

Inmates

allege ‘unlawful’ conditions

By Rebecca Rivas Missouri Independent

When Bonne Terre resident Robert Hopple entered the St. Francois County Detention Center in May 2018, he was placed in a small holding cell with about 10 other men for roughly three days.

Hopple, 49, said the jail staff gave him a urine-soaked mat and a thin blanket to sleep on the floor — while some men slept standing up.

When he was moved to the jail’s general population area, conditions didn’t improve.

“I’ve heard it called ‘hell’ a few times,” Hopple said. “The only thing I can think to call it is, ‘the worst place in the world to be.”

n “I’ve heard it called ‘hell’ a few times. The only thing I can think to call it is, ‘the worst place in the world to be.”

One day in October, the facility was so cold that the sewage from his backed-up toilet froze on the ground in his cell, he said. Hopple also “experienced and witnessed” deputies arranging fights among the inmates for entertainment on Fridays.

His five-month detainment is detailed in a federal class-action lawsuit filed on Dec. 21 against St. Francois County, Advanced Correctional Healthcare, Inc., Sheriff Daniel Bullock, jail administrator Dennis Smith, and nurse Heather Smith. Hopple had not yet been convicted of crime, and was awaiting trial in the county jail in Farmington.

The suit claims that Hopple and two other pre-trial detainees — who joined the lawsuit — endured “unlawful conditions,” including extreme temperatures, hunger, inadequate medical care, unsanitary conditions and retaliation by deputies at the jail.

“These conditions, which have been exposed and brought before St. Francois County officials repeatedly over years by detainees, in media reports, and through litigation, violate basic standards of human decency as well as the United States Constitution,” the suit states. Bullock, who oversees the jail, and the jail’s health care contractor,

Advancement Correctional Healthcare, did not immediately respond to a request for comment by The Independent.

The stories of Stefani Rudigier, a 27-year-old St. Louis County resident, and Shawn Mesey, a 31-year-old resident of Jefferson City, are also included in the suit. The complaint was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri by several law groups — ArchCity Defenders, the

Patient Relations. Calder brings an impressive commitment to community service, with a wide portfolio of memberships in many regional organizations, including Yale New Haven Health, National Association of Health Services Executives Connecticut Chapter, founding member; American College of Healthcare Executives, fellow; Bridgeport Regional Business Gina Calder Barnes-Jewish

Former inmates filed a federal class-action lawsuit on Dec. 21 against St. Francois County, Advanced Correctional Healthcare, Inc.,

Smith.

Sparkl West-Pruit

— Robert Hopple, Bonne Terre resident

Fred Sweets

St. Francois County

Missouri Independent

St. Louis

Jail

Continued from A11

Simon Law Firm, Vonne Karraker and Vincent Colianni.

“It is completely inconceivable that the actions of St. Francois County officials have been able to go unchecked in such a pervasive and systemic manner for so long,” said Corrigan Lewis, staff attorney at ArchCity Defenders.

Rudigier was detained pretrial from March 5, 2017 to March 3, 2019. She lost 110 pounds during her time there because of the small food rations.

“You are just treated absolutely terrible before you’re found guilty of anything,” said Rudigier, who lives in Maplewood in St. Louis County.

“I just felt like I was truly fighting for my life.”

of physical violence, denial of medical care, lack of food, and overcrowding, according to suit.

In 2017, the U.S. Department of Justice revoked a contract for St. Francois County jail to detain people with federal charges, noting several substandard conditions.

According to the complaint, the jail can house about 170 detainees, and the average daily population is 136 detainees. However, it routinely exceeded 200 people, it states.

Stefani Rudigier

Since 2005, 27 cases have been filed in the Eastern District of Missouri regarding allegations

ArchCity Defenders, a nonprofit legal advocacy organization, has filed several lawsuits in the St. Louis area on behalf of pre-trial detainees. Cases are pending against Ferguson, Florissant, St. Ann, St. Charles County, and the city ofSt. Louis. One of the lawsuits, filed in November 2017, alleges inhumane conditions at St. Louis’ Medium Security Institution, commonly referred to as the Workhouse.

Vonne Karraker is an attorney with Malaney, Karraker and Karraker who lives in St. Francois and is “appalled by the lack of accountability” at the jail.

“This government has spoiled the reputation of the county,” Karraker said, “and it’s devastating.”

Rebecca Rivas is a reporter for Missouri Independent, a reporting partner with The St. Louis American.

New leadership for City of St. Louis Boards of Health and Hospitals

St. Louis American staff

The City of St. Louis Boards of Health and Hospitals announced the recent unan-

imous selection of Rhonda BeLue as its new Board chairperson. BeLue has served on the board since March 2017 and

succeeds Dr. Will Ross as chairperson. Dr. Ross will continue serving on the board.

The board named Timothy McBride as its vice chairper-

son. McBride will continue in the position of vice chairperson. He has served on the board since February 2016.

The Boards of Health and Hospitals are established by the St. Louis City Charter and are advisory bodies to the Department of Health. The 13 members of the boards are appointed by the mayor.

“I’m honored to be selected by my fellow board members to serve as the board chairperson and I’m looking forward to the opportunity to serve the board, the Department of Health and the St. Louis community,” BeLue said.

ment in its service to the community to ensure access to safe and quality health care.”

“I’m humbled by being selected by the board to continue serving as its vice chairperson,” McBride said. “I’ve enjoyed supporting the depart-

Pruitt

Continued from A11

to date on significant issues.

“I’ve always felt strongly about parent involvement and how important it is in a child’s development,” West-Pruitt said.

“We can’t put [responsibility] solely on teachers, especially those teaching our Black chil-

“I pass the torch to very capable hands,” said Dr. Ross. “Dr. BeLue is one of the metro area’s most compassionate public health champions and has demonstrated inspired leadership during her service, not only to the board and the academic community, but to the community at-large. We are also fortunate to have Dr. McBride continue his service as vice chairperson. His ability to monitor the pulse of current and emerging health and public health matters will be instrumental in helping to prioritize issues for the board.”

Continued from A11

Council, women’s leadership council board member; and Connecticut Association of Healthcare Executives, member. She has been recognized with several professional and leadership awards including Connecticut State Conference of NAACP Branches, 100 Most Influential Blacks in Connecticut; The Greater Bridgeport Club of the National Association of Negro Business and Professional Women’s Clubs, Inc., Professional Award; Connecticut Association of Healthcare Executives, Leadership Award; and Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. Fairfield County Alumnae Chapter, Dorothy I. Height Community Service Award. Calder holds a master’s degree in public health, health policy & administration and a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut.

Dr. Fredrick Echols, acting director of health for the City of St. Louis, added, “A priority for the City of St. Louis Department of Health is implementation of public health practice in a manner that drives the system toward health, racial and social justice to achieve optimum health for all.

“Dr. BeLue has been a leader in the battle for health equity in the St. Louis metropolitan area. Her knowledge about health disparities as well as her leadership efforts to eliminate them align with the vision and continued work of the Department.”

BeLue and McBride will begin serving in their new leadership roles in January 2021.

dren.”

After relocating to St. Louis from Atlanta, West-Pruitt said she was looking for a good school district for her son. That’s when she stumbled upon Hazelwood.

“I immediately got involved with the parent-teacher association and began attending board meetings,” she said. “From there, I started volunteering at Jamestown Elementary School and encouraged students to reach their full potential.”

West-Pruitt is a graduate of Georgia Technical Institute and has a background in business and entertainment management. She is also a motivational speaker with an emphasis on goal setting, business marketing, parenting and diversity. West-Pruitt replaces Mark J. Behlmann, who had served as a board member since 1997. He stepped down earlier this year. Board President Latham, in commenting on Behlmann’s departure, said, “Mr. Behlmann has left an indelible legacy on our district, and we are grateful to have had the opportunity to work with him.”

Continued from A11

In 1999, on behalf of a team of photographers and editors, Sweets accepted the Pulitzer Prize for feature photography for a collection of photographs of key players and events stemming from President Bill Clinton’s affair with Monica Lewinsky and the ensuing impeachment hearings.

Timothy McBride

Rhonda BeLue

Robert Hopple

A view inside the St. Francois County jail.

Beloved musician, Black Rep musical director Charles Creath dies at 68

By Kenya Vaughn

Of The St. Louis American

To truly understand the scope of the musical gifts of longtime Black Rep musical director Charles Creath, one would need to watch him sing through a musical theater production for the first time and then return for opening night. Each time, the transformation was stunning.

Talented individuals would become a musical family — and create a musical experience that was impossible for audiences to disengage from.

“He had a way of getting the best out of everybody — the singers, the musicians — everybody,” said Ron Himes, founder and producing director.

Himes and Creath were discussing plans for The St. Louis Black Rep’s upcoming season before Creath fell ill a few weeks ago. He died on Christmas Day. His death came one month after his 68th birthday. His passing is a tremendous loss for the cultural community in St. Louis — and abroad.

“Next year is the 45th anniversary and we were talking about opening with a big musical and closing with a big musical,” Himes said. “On our musical work, he was the hand. There will be a tremendous void.” Theirs was a creative partnership that stretched nearly 40 years. The company’s final mainstage production was a revival of the first show that had Creath at the musical helm.

In the early 1980s, The Black Rep staged a presentation of the Broadway musical “Don’t Bother Me, I Can’t Cope” at their first permanent home theater — often referred to as “The Miracle on 23rd Street,” located at the corner of St. Louis Avenue and 23rd. Last year, Creath once again set the tone for the show when the production played Washington University’s Edison Theatre as part of the Black Rep’s 44th season.

“There was no time that I could call him and he wasn’t

available — other than when he was in Europe,” Himes said.

“Whether it was a pickup rehearsal, an idea I wanted to work on or a show that I was thinking about and needed to hear the music.”

In Europe, Creath was treated as musical royalty. Not because of his musical theater reputation, but his ability to showcase the intricate chord progressions and harmonies of gospel with his group The Gospel People. He would often tour and offer workshops. Many times he would take St. Louis singers and musicians with him.

Music was in Creath’s blood. His grandfather, Charles Cyril “Charlie” Creath, was a multi-instrumentalist and bandleader from the 1920s whot is often counted among the best St. Louis jazz musicians of all time. The elder Creath also made history as the first Black band booker in St. Louis.

Creath was also the nephew of late community icon Ida Goodwin Woolfolk. She never missed the opportunity to brag on the talents of her nephew, and was a longtime supporter of The Black Rep, partly because of the family connection.

Woolfolk and Creath also shared special love for their mutual alma mater, Sumner High School. He was a proud member of Sumner’s class of 1970. He went on to hone his talents at Yale University and Vandercook College of Music.

“He was a musical genius that could play anything,” Himes said. “He was renowned among the gospel and church musicians. You could talk to the jazz cats about him and they would let you know he knew all of that music — and like nobody’s business he could pick up a Broadway score and play the hell out of it.”

In addition to serving as resident musical director for the Black Rep, Creath was artistic director for the Gospel People, an organist for Galilee Baptist Church and a pianist for the Muny.

Creath left the same impres-

void’

sion on all of the musicians and artists he worked with.

“You could take a score and burn it up – and Creath could gather those embers and make beautiful music out of it.” said Stanley Coleman, saxophonist and retired music educator who often played with Creath and the band for several Black Rep musicals. “That’s how cold he was.” Himes remembered a time

when Creath made musical magic out of thin air. Whenever Himes was hired to direct a production of the Black Broadway classic “Ain’t Misbehavin’’ in Nashville. As usual, Himes wanted Creath to be brought on as musical director. The troupe was insistent upon using local musicians.

“I said, ‘well if you are going to use local musicians, then I really have to have my

musical director,’” Himes said. “I said, ‘Look, he plays the whole musical without the score — that’s how good he is.’”

The musical is based on the intricate stride piano innovations of Thomas “Fats” Waller. And Himes hadn’t given Creath a heads up that he told the company Creath could play them from memory.

With the whole staff wait-

ing to witness the initial sing through, Himes went over and whispered to Creath just before the rehearsal started.

“Creath, I told these people you can play without the score,” Himes said. “So when we get in there, I don’t want you picking that book up.”

He played the whole opening sequence with the score book lying face down on the piano before Himes went over and opened the book, telling the company, “I don’t want the other musicians to look bad.”

Guitarist Dennis Brock was eager to articulate Creath’s reputation for making musicians shine. Brock had never worked with a theater company before he was contracted to play for the Black Rep’s production of “Tell Me Something Good” in the 1990s.

“He would amaze me with some of the things he would do musically,” Brock said.

Creath would become a mentor for Brock.

“Charles was a great influence in my life — musically, spiritually and personally,” Brock said. “We just clicked. Charles put that confidence in me to make sure that I could do what he thought I could do — even if I thought I couldn’t do it.”

According to Brock, “musical genius” should be first and foremost among Creath’s many attributes.

“He could take any type of musical situation and turn it into something spectacular,” Brock said.

Charles Creath is survived by his wife Lisa Creath, daughters Candace Creath, Kelci Creath, Lauren Morrow, son Christopher Creath, stepchildren Thomas Dickerson and LaVell Dickerson and grandchildren Kingston Moore, Creed Charles and Cruz Charles Creath. Final services are pending.

The St. Louis American has been raising Black voices and advocating for the Black community in the St. Louis region for 92 years. In this season of giving, please join the movement to keep this community asset thriving, free and accessible to all into the future.

Above: Charles Creath (right) following a performance with The Gospel People in Ludwigsburg, Germany.

Right: Longtime Black Rep musical director Charles Creath died Christmas Day after a brief illness. He was 68 years old.

Living It

Trevaughn Latimer studies global affairs in Beijing

By Danielle Brown

Of The St. Louis American

Talk about keeping his eyes on the prize, Trevaughn Latimer is en route to a master’s degree in global affairs at Tsinghua University in Beijing, Chinam as a member of the Schwarzman Scholars class of 2022.

Latimer was selected as one of 154 — out of 3,600 applicants — to receive the prestigious honor based on his academic excellence, exceptional results in his chosen field, and his outstanding leadership skills.

The program is a fully-funded, one-year master’s degree program at the university. It will provide him with the opportunity to immerse himself in an in-depth study of China’s global affairs, rich culture and innovative commerce.

“China is already a major economic and geopolitical superpower that will determine the trajectory of much of the world in the 21st century,” Latimer said in response to questions from the St. Louis American

“China will eventually become the world’s largest economy and much of the developing world will become increasingly dependent on China for their own development and prosperity. Understanding China will become more and more necessary in the years to come for the majority of the world’s job sectors and I wanted to start learning as early as possible.”

Over the last few decades, Latimer said China has had a substantial impact on moving millions of citizens out of poverty. The nuances of Chinese policy and economic development strategies toward alleviating poverty inspired Latimer to study its methods. He also wants to compare Chinese and American urban and rural communities including St. Louis and other parts of the United States. He wants to learn about how the issues there compare to communities such as north St. Louis and north St. Louis county.

“In an increasingly globalized world, I think it’s important for communities everywhere to understand the tactics being used in different places around the world, to see if there are any points of possible application to their own situations,” Latimer said.

In 2019, he studied the Chinese language in his last year at Loyola University, and found it wasn’t as difficult as most people think. However, he intends to work on becoming fluent with the language, or at least functional.

“I want to be able to travel around China speaking their native language because Mandarin will become a more prominent language in the future,” Latimer said. “I plan to restart my studies in 2021 before I head out to Beijing in August.”

His major in economics during his third year

at Loyola University, Chicago allowed him the opportunity to study abroad in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, for four months. While there, he interned at a shelter that housed 15 boys.

“The other interns and I identified some chal-

lenges the shelter was facing and were able to start a non-profit dedicated to facilitating

Vivian Gibson unexpectedly birthed calling as a first-time author

First-time author at 71 receives favorable awards and reviews for Mill Creek memoir

By Danielle Brown Of The St. Louis American

Five years ago, Vivian Gibson retired from her role of senior director of volunteer recruitment for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Eastern Missouri, and like most seniors she was interested in finding hobbies that kept her fulfilled and entertained.

She assumed she’d start golfing, gardening, or travel all around the world because she now had more time on her hands. Instead, her heart directed her toward something unexpected.

One day, while cleaning out the office space in her second bedroom, Gibson decided to shred some old papers. Upon shifting through the documents, she realized she had an ample stack of topics, essays, paragraphs and phrases she had written over the years.

In that defining moment, she had an epiphany: writing was her true calling.

“I thought ‘oh, maybe I should pull these together,’ and that’s really how it started,” Gibson said in an interview with The St. Louis American

“I guess I’ve been a writer all along without intention and then, suddenly when I decided to pull it together, I became an author.”

The nostalgia Gibson felt after reviewing her past writings motivated her to join a creative writing workshop for older adults led by the St. Louis Oasis at the Center of Clayton.

“The purpose of the workshop is for other writers to read your writing and critique it to help you improve it,” she said.

In the workshop, Gibson wrote “From Sunup to Sundown, an essay published in “The St. Louis Anthology,” which features work from prominent community figures discussing St. Louis’ history and firsthand accounts of growing

Longtime Muny CEO Denny Reagan to step down after 2021 season

By Kenya Vaughn Of The St. Louis American

Denny Reagan is convinced that everyone has a Muny story. He feels this way because once anyone learns that he is president and CEO of the St. Louis institution, they are eager to share their story with him.

“It’s just wonderful to hear them, they mean so much to me,” Reagan said. “I’m always the most popular guy at a cocktail party, that’s for sure.”

In an interview with The American, his infectious laughter was a constant. From the beginning it was clear that the joy and kindness that has become part of the Muny’s organizational identity starts at the top.

“I truly believe that nice guys finish first,” Reagan said. “We all know the saying that nice guys finish last, but I feel that the opposite is true. I think having adopted that philosophy has given me a great standing with the public, with my contemporaries in the industry — and certainly with the staff and all the employees at the Muny.”

n “I guess I’ve been a writer all along without intention and then, suddenly when I decided to pull it together, I became an author.”

- Vivian Gibson

up in the city.

Following the success of her work with the anthology, Gibson released her memoir, “The Last Children of Mill Creek.” Published by Belt Publishing, it chronicles an inside look into Gibson’s childhood neighborhood, Mill Creek Valley, a predominantly African American community that ran from St. Louis University to Union Station from 1765 to 1959, until it was demolished in a mammoth urban renewal project.

“It was a segregated community in the middle of downtown St. Louis and it had been since slavery through the Great Migration, the move-

See Gibson, B2

n Denny Reagan’s Muny story began in 1968. While a student at Bishop DuBourg High School, he filled in for a friend on a cleanup crew.

“I went out there to start picking up trash and one thing led to another.”

Last month, he announced his plans to retire from the Muny after a 53-year affiliation. Along with the news, Reagan was eager to tell the Muny story he knows better than any other and has had the biggest impact on his life – his own.

Reagan’s Muny story began in 1968. While a student at Bishop DuBourg High School, he filled in for a friend on a cleanup crew. “I went out there to start picking up trash and one thing led to another,” Reagan said. He fell in love with the atmosphere that the Muny provides — on both sides of the stage. It was when he stepped away briefly after graduating from UMSL that he knew the Muny was the place for him.

Although he worked backstage as a dresser during the summer stage season, he took another job as a purchasing agent — which meant he was no longer available to work in the office or during the off-season. The Muny called and asked if he might be interested in returning.

“I was so excited,” Reagan said. “I really missed the pace of the Muny, the excitement of the Muny and the ability to be a problem solver at such a young age.” By 1974, he had found his forever home as far as his profession. He worked countless jobs across departments before rising to the ranks of president and CEO in 1991, a position he will have held for 30 years when he bows out next year after the Muny’s 103rd season. He’s proud to be leaving the Muny with a

See Latimer, B2

Photo courtesy of the Muny

Kwofe Coleman, managing director of the Muny, with Denny Reagan, Muny president and CEO, who is retiring. Reagan will assume the role of senior advisor after the Muny’s 103rd season next summer.

Trevaughn Latimer is one of 154 out of 3,600 applicants selected as a member for the Schwarzman Scholar class of 2022.

ment of more than 6 million African Americans relocating from down south to the northern, midwestern, and western regions of the country,” Gibson said.

“In a lot of ways, it was all we knew,” she continued. It was certainly all I knew as a child. It was what my parents knew because they both came from the South; my mother came from Alabama and my dad came from Arkansas. Even though it was segregated here in St. Louis, it was much better than their experiences in the South.” Gibson felt compelled to narrate the story of Mill Creek after she saw there wasn’t much information written from a Black perspective.

“I’m in my 70s and I’m probably one of the younger children of that era, so people are dying off,” Gibson said. “If I didn’t write this story there would be no firsthand account or not very many. That became uppermost important in my intentions.”

At 71, the first-time author has received an overflow of recognition and awards for her memoir. She was named one of the five over 50 authors by Poets & Writers, one of the largest nonprofit literary organizations in the United States.

The group recognizes firsttime authors over 50 who published a book in the same year they were nominated.

Last Children was also voted ‘Book of the Year’ by First Things Magazine in addition, the book earned a Literary Achievement Award by the Missouri Humanities Council.

“It is exciting,” Gibson said. “I think it’s amazing mainly because it wasn’t something that I really thought about. It just happened. Frankly, it makes me wonder how I could even get to this age and not even realize that I had the ability to write a book that people are interested in and can relate to. It’s a wonderful rewarding

American donations to that particular shelter and similar shelters like it,” Latimer said. “We were able to provide over $2,500 in aid.”

As a Lead for America Hometown Fellow at the St. Louis Economic Development Partnership, Latimer has been exposed to many community economic development projects occurring across the region. One of the projects he’s been given access to is a redevelopment initiative in Pine Lawn.

“I was selected as project lead for a redevelopment initiative in the City of Pine Lawn, liaising between different agencies and technical assistance providers to provide the city with resources it needed to assess how to attract investment along the Natural Bridge corridor,” Latimer said. “I was also able to provide significant strategic assistance in disseminating a few million dollars in relief grants and loans to small businesses struggling in the COVID-19 pandemic.”

experience.”

Gibson has an associate of fine arts degree in apparel design from the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City, a bachelor’s degree in business administration

designing women’s hats, over-

seeing her own fashion and millinery businesses, to catering corporate lunch boxes, and selling her own secret hot sauces and seasonings.

“You only live once so you

n “I guess I’ve been a writer all along without intention and then, suddenly when I decided to pull it together, I became an author.”

— Vivian Gibson

At the start of the pandemic in March, the St. Louis County Executive Sam Page announced the formation of the Economic Rescue Team government board, which consisted of community members, to advocate and advise Page on how to divert some of the funds St. Louis County received from the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act — CARES. Latimer, 23, was named one of the youngest appointees on that board.

“I sat on the Minority and Immigrant Owned Small Business committee to think through how minority and immigrant-owned small businesses could be supported by the county government,” Latimer said.

n “In an increasingly globalized world, I think it’s important for communities everywhere to understand the tactics being used in different places around the world, to see if there are any points of possible application to their own situations.”

— Trevaughn Latimer

es made available during the pandemic. I was also able to learn greatly from experienced business and civil society leaders with years of experience in community and business development. I am so appreciative of the experience.”

from Fontbonne University, and a masters in nonprofit management from Washington University.

Her career has covered numerous ventures, from

should just go for it all the time.” Gibson said.

“The Last Children of Mill Creek,” may be purchased on Amazon, at Left Bank Books, and on www.vivian-gibson.com.

“I was able to assist in developing a survey to gauge small businesses needs and ideas with other members on policy interventions that could help ensure access to resourc-

Latimer’s family, especially his mother, Dionna Latimer, has been very supportive of him and all of his international plans and endeavors.

“My family supports me in whatever I pursue,” Latimer said. “I consider that a true blessing because I’ve definitely told my mom some of my future plans that have probably sent her into a worried fright, but she’s never discouraged me. Instead she has encouraged me when I’ve thought my dreams and desires were a little too much.”

Photo by Iris Schmidt

Vivian Gibson

Celebrate Kwanzaa Virtually with the Saint Louis Art Museum

The Saint Louis Art Museum will present its annual free Kwanzaa celebration virtually from December 26 to January 1, 2021, on slam. org/kwanzaa. The celebration is themed Power in Our Voice and it was created in partnership with Delta Sigma Theta Inc., St. Louis Metropolitan Alumnae Chapter (DSTMAC). While we cannot gather in person this year due to the global pandemic, the Museum’s virtual Kwanzaa program takes you on a journey through the Seven Principles of Kwanzaa. To create the Museum’s first virtual Kwanzaa program, members of DSTMAC, long time collaborators of this program, came together to share their talents and interpretations of the Seven Principles of Kwanzaa. Our celebration begins on Day 1 with welcome greetings from Jeanice Baker, the chapter president, exploring the principle of Umoja or Unity. On Day 2, Wilmetta Toliver-Diallo showcases works of art created by Delta youth members inspired by the principle Kujichagulia or Self-Determination. On Day 3, dive into Ujima or Collective Work and Responsibility during a performance of “Black Butterfly” by vocalist Felica Ezell-Gillespie. Day 4 brings an original story entitled “The Legend of the Watermelon Tree” by local storyteller Carole Shelton inspired by the day’s principle Ujamaa or Cooperative Economics. On Day 5, learn about Nia or Purpose with Tracie Berry-McGhee featuring an original spoken word. Think about Kuumba or Creativity on Day 6 and witness the pouring of libation in honor of our ancestors by Iris

VIRTUAL KWANZAA CELEBRATION

December 26, 2020-January 1, 2021 on slam.org/kwanzaa Learn the 7 Kwanzaa principles through a series of videos and a scavenger hunt.

PERFORMANCES

Felica Ezell-Gillespie, vocalist Carole Shelton, storyteller Tracie Berry-McGhee, spoken word artist David A.N. Jackson, soundscapist and percussionist

Ferguson. On the final day, Day 7, we celebrate Imani or Faith and investigate important symbols on the Kwanzaa table with Cheryl McNeil. Our celebration ends with a virtual drumming performance by David A.N. Jackson, who plays the fe, large overturned gourds that are tapped, struck, and pounded. Explore the African collection through a scavenger hunt available online and in-person at the Museum’s information desks during regular operating hours starting on December 26. The gallery hunt connects works of art in the African collection to the seven principles of Kwanzaa. These objects will also be featured daily from December 26-January 1 in the Museum’s popular Object of the Day series on slam.org. For more information about the Museum’s virtual Kwanzaa Celebration, visit slam.org/ kwanzaa.

• MARK YOUR CALENDAR •

Virtual Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Freedom Celebration

Inspired by Movement

Local Dancer, Singer, and Actor respond to Pulitzer-Winning photographer Moneta Sleet, Jr. photographs of the Civil Rights Movement.

Will be available on-demand at slam.org starting January 18

Continued from B1

completely renovated space and a healthy endowment. He’s also thrilled with his “incredible staff” that he says has worked collectively to create a culture filled with joy, appreciation and concern — especially when it comes to the customers.

One of his favorite things to do is to sit where he can see the spotlight make its way across the faces in the crowd.

“Just to sit there and watch that audience so intently concentrating on the stage and being entertained and being transported and knowing that you had some little part to do with that is so cool,” Reagan said.

He spoke with great detail — and pride — about how those thousands of faces in seats of their massive outdoor

theater reflect the region.

“My hope for the future of the Muny is that it continues to be an extremely important part of this community,” Reagan said.

“That it continues to bring the community together and that it continues to be a place where people have their first dates, where people get engaged and where people gather with generations of their family.”

Reagan’s own family was a motivator in his decision to retire.

“Michelle [his wife] and I have three children and six grandchildren,” Reagan said. “I want to make sure that I have time to spend with them while I can still get off the ground.”

His next chapter with the Muny will be as senior advisor. He will consult with the organization as they finish the capital campaign and assist as much as necessary during the transition of leadership.

“I just want to be able to

offer advice when they need it, but I don’t want to get in anybody’s way,” Regan said. His intention is to bring the institutional knowledge he’s acquired over the last half-century to the table and provide it to the next person in any way they think is helpful when they want it. He feels it’s the least he could do after the work environment he was blessed to have for so long.

“So many people work in jobs that they don’t necessarily enjoy. I can’t say that,” Reagan said. “From the day I stepped on the lot at 16 years of age, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my association with the Muny — and the Muny has done so much for me than I ever could have done for it. People say, ‘I gave the best years of my life to my job,’” he added. “Well, my job gave the best years of my life to me.”

For more information about The Muny, visit www.muny.org.

The Message Choose your words carefully

By James Washington For The St. Louis American

I have to admit to you that growing up as a child, I was nowhere near being a student of the Bible, even though I was surrounded by what I now know were the best kind of Christians. They were the love-filled, family-kind of Christians.

Now, with just a little bit of biblical insight and a smidgen of the Holy Spirit, I can honestly say I can see the simplicity of the truth in the Scriptures I now study. I find myself gravitating to ministers, bishops, evangelists and pastors who have dissected in sermons

the power of the tongue — yes, that small but dangerously lethal missile contained in your mouth. I know I’ve written about this before but I’m compelled by my own struggle to acknowledge how difficult and important it is to try and control that which is often uncontrollable. Without a biblical perspective, history alone confirms the ability of deceitful, articulate oratory to entice weak men to murder, married men to stray, prideful men to war and peace-loving folk to accept the slaughter of those who don’t believe what others deem the “real.”

Is it too early to think about Easter?

I recognize we recently observed the festivals of Christmas and Kwanzaa. And we will celebrate the New Year on Friday. One of the next widely cel-

On a daily basis, an untethered tongue can forever sear the spirit of an innocent child, a wanting spouse, a true friend or even a caring coworker.

It is sometimes quite refreshing to contemplate how powerful and wonderful a well-intentioned thanks, a sincere “I’m sorry” or a genuine “I believe in you” can be. I’m convinced chaos and hurt feelings are often a direct result of the devil infiltrating our mouths.

Columnist James Washington

intended, vocalized criticism and having verbally killed the spirit of many people I hold dear; I know firsthand that James was right. I have been trying to correct this human flaw by consciously being outspoken in my remarks to others; verbally uplifting, if you will. I’d like to think of myself as a possible vessel of the living God before I speak by simply recognizing that man

n On a daily basis, an untethered tongue can forever sear the spirit of an innocent child, a wanting spouse, a true friend or even a caring coworker.

James 3:10 tells us that the tongue contains the power of both life and death. Having been the scarred victim of ill

ebrated holidays will be Easter, the most religious holiday on the Christian calendar. Easter celebrates the belief in the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Churches are often decorated with white lilies and other spring flowers. Families gather for festive meals, often eating ham or lamb, and buy new clothes for the family. Easter in 2021 falls on April 4, the same date that Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated.

was made in God’s image and cursing any man is tantamount to cursing God.

Now that’s a mouth full. But as we all know; it is very difficult to put God in your

Bernie Hayes

On April 4, 1968, King was fatally shot while standing on the balcony outside his room at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee. Christians believe that Jesus Christ was sent by God the Father to live among us, to show us perfect love. Many Christians and nonChristians believe that King was sent by God to lead a nonviolent movement to achieve equality for African Americans and poor people in the United States.

thoughts before the words come out of your mouth.

Could it be that James 1:26 is one of the keys understanding this?

“If you think you are being religious but can’t control your tongue, you are fooling yourself and everything you do is useless.”

Compare the words of Christ to any former or current demagogue and I assure you that Jesus’ words of love will simply and eloquently repulse gossip, rumor and innuendo, narcissism and maybe even ignorance, in some cases.

Jesus’ words provide a mechanism by which we should listen to what is being said to us by others, particularly those who are closest to us. It is impossible to love God without loving Jesus as the Word of God.

Just by saying so confirms the truth, and the spoken truth will set you free. If not, God-centered words can be misinterpreted and, like misguided missiles, hit the wrong target.

That’s the intent of Satan.

What does this tell us? Have we progressed in the past 53 years, or are we trapped with the same problems we faced in 1968?

I think by writing this column it will give the clergy and civil rights and human rights activists time to prepare sermons, activities and programs maybe to combine a celebration or celebrations to properly commemorate both; the celebration of the holy day of Easter, and to pay respect to the memory of a man who used the power of words and acts of nonviolent resistance, such as protests, grassroots organiz-

Can you spell Babylon?

Proverbs 12:14 says, “Reckless words pierce like a sword but the tongue of the wise brings healing.”

Proverbs 12:22: “The Lord detests lying lips but He delights in ones who are truthful.”

Think before you speak. Speak from the heart and not the mind.

Proverbs 13:3: “He who guards his lips guides his life. But he who speaks rashly will come to ruin.”

How many times have you been misunderstood in the last few days? At home? At work? In church? On Zoom? How often have you started out trying to help somebody and ended up making that person feel put upon because you used the wrong words? Or, the words you used to uplift were received as major downers? So, I beg you not to misunderstand what I’m saying right now. May God bless you and your tongue. May He bless and keep you always.

ing and civil disobedience to achieve seemingly-impossible goals.

So, on April 4, 2021, plan for an action to preserve personal, family, and community relationships and that raises awareness of the role the church and other cultural, civil rights and civic organizations have played in observing the date. You may watch the “Bernie Hayes Show” Saturdays at 10 p.m. and Sunday at 5:30 pm on NLEC-TV Ch. 24.2 Hayes may be reached by email at: berhay@swbell.net, or on Twitter : @berhay .

Sports

InSIdE SportS

St. Louis American Prep Sports 2020 Year in Review

The high school sports year in 2020 was like no other as the pandemic wiped out much of the sports calendar, which included the large school basketball state championships, all of the spring sports and all of the fall sports in the metro east and some parts of St. Louis. However, there were enough exciting events to put together another Year in Review for the year 2020, as we were able to complete a fall season of sports while getting things started in the winter during these most challenging times.

So, here is a look at the St. Louis American Prep Sports Year in Review for 2020.

Cardinal Ritter takes another title: The one basketball team to complete its season was the Lions powerful boys’ team that won the Class 3 state championship in dominating fashion. Ritter dominated all of its postseason competition, culminating in a 88-32 victory over Charleston in the state championship game.

Incarnate Word goes to Final Four: The Red Knights punched another ticket to the Class 4 Final Four. IWA was seeking its fourth consecutive state title before the pandemic shut things down. They clinched their Final Four berth in dramatic fashion with a 57-54 victory over Ladue in the state quarterfinals. Standout point guard Saniah Tyler hit sophomore Jaiden Bryant for a game-winning 3-pointer in the closing seconds.

Vashon does it again: The Vashon Wolverines were a dominant team all season in advancing to the Final Four of the Class 4 state tournament. The Wolverines featured three

All-Star players who were Division I signees in Cam’Ron Fletcher (Kentucky), Phillip Russell (Saint Louis U.) and Kobe Clark (Georgetown) and a fourth in VCU recruit Nick Kern, who is back to lead the team again this season.

The Caleb Love Show: Standout guard Caleb Love of CBC put together a tremendous senior year in leading the Cadets to the Final Four of the Class 5 state tournament.

The 6’3” Love averaged 27 points a game, including a trio of 40-point games in succession. He was named to the McDonald’s All-American game, the Jordan Brand Classic and Nike Hoop Summit for his efforts.

CBC’s Caleb Love (2) goes up for an underhand layup over Cardinal Ritter’s Brandon Ellington (34) and Nyjahl Vaughn (7) during action on Jan. 21, at Cardinal Ritter High.

young and talented team, led by junior Kelsey Blakemore, senior Jade Moore and a host of excellent underclassmen.

More Final Four Girls: The Hazelwood Central Hawks and the Kirkwood Pioneers also qualified for the Final Four of the Class 5 state tournament. It was Kirkwood’s fourth Final Four berth in five years, having won back-toback state championships in 2017 and 2018. Hazelwood Central put together a great postseason run, which culminated in a victory over Troy in the state quarterfinals.

Madison makes a run: The Madison Trojans have enjoyed a long tradition of success in boys’ basketball on the Illinois side. The Trojans were able to earn a berth in the IHSA Class 1A Final Four before the state tournament was cancelled.

DeSmet returns to ShowMe Bowl: The DeSmet Spartans made a return trip to the Class 6 state championship game in November after winning the state title in 2019. Although the Spartans fell short in their bid for a repeat, the season was a continuation of what head coach Robert Steeples is building after taking over a football program that had won only three games in a three-year period. He has returned DeSmet to the ranks of a state power.

The Red Devils Run: The Chaminade Red Devils clinched a spot in the Class 5 Final Four for the fifth time in six years with a big postseason run. The Red Devils were led by standout guard Luke Kasubke, who is currently at Kansas State, and a pair of talented underclassmen in forward Tarris Reed Jr. and Damien Mayo.

Whitfield makes a State Run: The Whitfield Warriors brought home a third-place state trophy after making a run to the Final Four of the Class 3 girls’ state basketball tournament. The Warriors featured a

SportS EyE

MICDS makes a state run: The MICDS Rams have a long-standing tradition of success on the football field. After a six-year absence, the Rams returned to the ShowMe Bowl, where they finished the year as the Class 4 state runner-up. Despite losing two of their top players to season ending injuries early in the season, the Rams regrouped and rode its powerful offensive unit to another state-championship game berth.

Hopes and wishes for the coming year in sports

May St. Louis Cardinals fans learn to appreciate the brilliance of young ace Jack Flaherty and stop the constant attacks because he supports Black Lives Matter and other social causes.

May the Cardinals re-sign future Hall of Fame catcher Yadier Molina in the very near future.

May Molina drop the Twitter quizzes, rants and other social media outbursts.

May the Cardinals consider a deal that brings Albert Pujols back to St. Louis in 2021.

round.

May Missouri football coach Eliah Drinkwitz keep attracting top Black talent from the St. Louis area – and keep them out of trouble.

May the Cardinals honor the late Dick Allen in 2021 and push for his induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame posthumously – even though he was here just one season.

May Missouri basketball coach Cuonzo Martin keep his team in the Top 20 and earn an invite to the 2021 NCAA men’s basketball tournament – and gain his guaranteed contract extension for doing so.

May Saint Louis University also be selected – and cross paths with Mizzou in an early

May Mizzou running back Larry Rountree III stand out in the upcoming Senior Bowl, be selected in the 2021 NFL Draft and begin a successful NFL career.

May the St. Louis Blues continue the franchise’s excellent minority outreach efforts that were forced to end by the pandemic after hosting the NHL All-Star Game last January.

May Kansas City Chiefs All-Pro quarterback Patrick Mahomes III guide his team to the Super Bowl in Tampa – and face the Dallas Cowboys. (The Cowboys part could still happen, LOL.)

May Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas and the elected, appointed and influential there back a new downtown baseball stadium for the Royals.

May Kirkwood High School basketball coach Jimmy McKinney build a winner and

to the

contender to

about his interest in bringing the NBA to St. Louis.

May Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson include St. Louis in the re-vamped XFL as planning begins for the 2022 season.

May progress continue for St. Louis’ expansion MLS team and lead to a successful inaugural season in 2022.

May Washington Wizards teammates Bradley Beal and newly acquired Russell Westbrook find a way to win games together. Both have been outstanding, but the Wizards were 0-3.

May rookie MLB playoff sensation and former Cardinal Randy Arozarena continue where he left off in his record-shattering postseason and have an All-Star worthy season – and no more domestic disputes.

May MLB and the media that covers it let Latino, Black and exciting players of all races be themselves and trash those “unwritten rules” of baseball.

May new Jackson State football coach Deion Sanders find success, which would help other HBCU programs attract talented Black players destined for Power 5 schools.

May ailing Dave Parker and the late Buck O’Neil win their deserved inductions into the Baseball Hall of Fame. May Miami Dolphins coach Brian Flores be named NFL Coach of the Year and then see his team win a game or two in the playoffs. May Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy be selective in his choice of teams that want to hire him as head coach at the conclusion of the season. (Pass on Jacksonville, guy.)

May San Francisco defensive coordinator Robert Saleh get his shot as a head coach next season, as well. And may all have a healthy, safe and glorious New Year. Alvin A. Reid was honored as the 2017 “Best Sports Columnist – Weeklies” in the Missouri Press Association’s Better Newspaper Contest and is a New York Times contributor. He is a panelist on the Nine Network program, Donnybrook, a weekly contributor to “The

annual

advance

state Final Four. (Yes, I went to Kirkwood.)

May Frank Viverito, pres-

ident of the St. Louis Sports Commission, speak with Richard Chaifetz, the Chicago billionaire and SLU benefactor,

With Alvin A. Reid

Alvin A. Reid

Earl Austin Jr.

With Earl Austin Jr.

Larry Rountree III was a stalwart at running back for the Missouri Tigers, and his first step to the NFL now that his Mizzou career has ended will be in the Senior Bowl.

Photo courtesy of mutigers.com

Photo by Wiley Price

St. LouiS american Career Center

JANITORIAL -

MISSOURI HISTORICAL SOCIETY CURRENT JOB OPENINGS!

The Missouri Historical Society actively seeks to hire for the following positions:

• IT Support Technician: https://mohistory.aaimtrack.com/ jobs/507559.html

• Membership Coordinator: https://mohistory.aaimtrack.com/ jobs/511497.html

• Web Content Coordinator: https://mohistory.aaimtrack.com/ jobs/513543.html

Follow the links for position details and to apply. Or you may visit www.mohistory.org under the “Current Openings” tab for position details and to apply.

An Equal Opportunity Employer

DOMESTIC VIOLENCE COURT GRANT COORDINATOR

Family Court of St. Louis County is seeking a Part Time (25 hours week) Domestic Violence Court Grant Coordinator. The incumbent will perform work of marked difficulty in providing assistance with the coordination and execution of activities required under the Department of Justice/ Office on Violence Against Women Domestic Violence Mentor Court Technical Assistance grant awarded to the St. Louis County Domestic Violence (DV) Court.

Filling this position is contingent upon the final approval of the grant. Essential job functions will require the incumbent to participate in meetings, planning sessions, trainings and events pertaining to grant activities and requirements; assist the DV Court Manager and other DV Court staff in organizing, planning, and facilitating grant-required Peer-to-Peer Site Visits and Open House events; work with DV Court judiciary to facilitate observations of courtroom proceedings and processes for shadowing and mentoring opportunities; and, other related duties. Pay range is $17.40$27.84 per hour with 10% addition to pay included. MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS: Graduation from an accredited college or university with a Bachelor’s degree in Social Work or a related social/behavioral science required, Master’s degree preferred. Previous experience coordinating projects and/or programs preferred. Must have experience with grant management, ideally some with federal funding. For a full job description and to apply visit http://agency. governmentjobs.com/stlouis/ by January 15, 2021. Contact Human Resources at 615-4471 (voice) or RelayMO711 or 1-800-735-2966 for accommodations in the application process or if you would like this posting in an alternative format.

CODE ENFORCEMENT INSPECTOR

BAILIFF

The St. Louis County Sheriff’s Office is seeking applicants for the position of Bailiff located in the St. Louis County Courthouse in Clayton. Starting salary: $14.11/hr ($29,348.80 annually). Bailiffs maintain security by inspecting and securing the courtroom, surrounding hallways and doors, and the judge’s chamber before and after court sessions. Bailiffs maintain order by observing courtroom proceedings to prevent unnecessary disruptions and taking custody of individuals as instructed by the judge. Bailiffs provide assistance to the jury panel by giving instructions, answering general questions, ensuring no contact occurs with unauthorized materials or persons, and escorting to and from the jury deliberation room. Bailiffs provide assistance to the judge and courtroom personnel by reviewing courtroom documents for completion, serving legal papers, and by filing, retrieving, and faxing documents. Bailiffs also respond to medical emergencies as appropriate and perform additional duties as required.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

1 year of education, training, or experience in law enforcement, investigations, or corrections, or completion of an accredited law enforcement training program, or any equivalent combination of education or experience. TO APPLY: Complete an online application at https://www. governmentjobs.com/careers/stlouis under the title “SHERIFF POSITIONS”. EOE. Please contact the St. Louis County Division of Personnel at 615-5429 (voice) or RelayMo 711 or 800-735-2966 if you need any accommodations in the application process.

SPECIALIST ACCOUNT SERVICES QUALITY CONTROL

CORRECTIONAL OFFICER

The City of Jennings is seeking to hire a full time Correctional Officer. Duties entail working a 12-hour shift that includes: booking, processing and supervising prisoners. Must be high school graduate or GED; 21 years of age and have no disqualifying criminal history. Valid driver’s license preferred. Starting salary C-8-C $ 30,571. Must complete corrections application available at Jennings City Hall, 2120 Hord Ave. or online at www.cityofjennings.org NO RESUMES ACCEPTED WITHOUT COMPLETED APPLICATION! Returned application must include a current record check from St. Louis City and County Police Dept. Application accepted until January 8, 2021 at 5 p.m.

PROGRAM ACCOUNTANT

Responsible for claims payment funds for primary workers’ compensation, Auto/ GL and WC and daily cash deposits for all companies.

DEPUTY SHERIFFCIVIL PROCESS

REGULATORY REPORTING ANALYST I

The City of Jennings is seeking to hire Code Enforcement Inspector. Duties include conducting interior/exterior inspections, writing reports, issuing citations, and testifying in court. Must be familiar with ICC codes and have current valid driver’s license. Three years of experience as an inspector and ICC certification preferred. Starting annual salary $32,538.00 (GS-11). Applications available at Jennings City Hall, 2120 Hord Ave. or at www.cityofjennings.org NO RESUMES ACCEPTED WITHOUT COMPLETION OF OUR APPLICATION! Completed applications may be mailed, emailed to jobs@cityofjennings.org or faxed to 314-388-3999. Applications accepted until January 8, 2021.

Responsible for performing thorough inspections of PSA issued policies and policy transactions. This includes workers’ compensation, commercial auto and general liability lines of business. Additional documents will include state mandatory workers’ compensation posting notices, auto ID cards when applicable and any other state required documents issued from the PSA department.

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

The International Institute of St. Louis is seeking its next President & CEO. For further information and to apply, click here: https://bit.ly/34W8t0b LOSS PORTFOLIO TRANSFER

PTACS

IS RECRUITING FOR AN APPEAL ANALYST TO JOIN OUR TEAM!

PTACs has a new exciting job opportunity. We specialize in the reduction of real property tax for our clients. The Appeal Analyst will handle the appeal process from start to finish under the guidance of senior staff.

CLAIMS MANAGER

Responsible for handling assigned claims from initial assignment to closure, as well as provide assistance in various administrative functions associated with the Loss Portfolio Transfer (LPT) Workers’ Compensation line of business. To apply, please visit: https://www.safetynational.com/ careers-page/

Safe Connections is hiring for the following positions:

• Part-Time Crisis Helpline Advocate

• Full-Time Adult Therapist LPC/LCSW

• Adult Services Clinical Manager LPC/LCSW

Full Description and Apply at safeconnections.org

The Mission of Safe Connections is to reduce the impact and incidence of relationship violence and sexual assault through education, crisis intervention, counseling and support services.

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

SENIOR FINANCIAL REPORTING ACCOUNTANT

Ensure accuracy of STAT and GAAP accounting and reporting. Prepare and review subsidiary Agency’s financial information/results. Prepare analyses during the month end close process, complete tasks associated with the Company’s quarterly and annual statutory and GAAP reporting requirements. Assist with preparation of Capital Models. Ensure accuracy of information reported to rating agencies. Complete special projects for the department.

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

The Regulatory Reporting Analyst is responsible for all aspects of data quality and analysis of transactional claim data being sent to Regulatory Reporting bureaus and agencies. They will partner with internal and external data providers to ensure the quality of incoming data, as well as resolve data issues while strategically trying to drive continuous improvement efforts to eliminate root causes. This position within the Regulatory Reporting Unit is responsible for providing accurate transactional claim and associated premium data to allow for making the best business decisions possible

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

EXCITING new position has just opened up with Parents as Teachers National Center… We are hiring for a National Director of Equity!

The National Director of Equity serves as the primary subject matter expert and architect for Parents as Teachers National Center’s diversity and cross-cultural relations plans and programs that has an international impression. This position has a broad reach with building up an organizational culture surrounding diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) efforts and aims to foster diversity across — and beyond — the organization, from staff, to vendors and suppliers, to the community organizations they partner with and support, to the PATNC Board of Directors.

Please visit parentsasteachers.org to learn more about us, view a full job description, and apply today!

St. LouiS american Bids & Public Notices

NOTICE TO CONTRACTORS

Paric Corporation is seeking proposals for the following project: MUHC Various Renovations –Renovate Areas in PCT and CCA for CHPS and CBCU in Columbia, MO.

This project includes demolition and renovation of approximately 11,500 sf of two areas within the hospital including work on the 1st floor of the PCT and the 2nd floor of the CCA.

The scope of work includes but is not limited to demolition, carpentry, casework, doors & hardware, drywall, acoustical ceilings, flooring, painting, specialties, fire sprinklers, plumbing, HVAC and electrical.

The owner has established diversity participation goals of 10% MBE, 10% combined WBE, DBE, Veteran, 3% SDVE.

Bids for this project are due on January 5, 2021, at 12:00 p.m. For any questions or would like to find out more detailed information on this opportunity, please contact Evan Chiles at 816-878-6003 or efwesley@paric.com.

All bids should be delivered to Paric via e-mail (bids@paric.com) or fax (816-878-6249).

PARIC CORPORATION IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER

METROPOLITAN ST. LOUIS

SEWER DISTRICT

Notice is hereby given that the Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District Requests for Quotes, Bids and Proposals are posted online for public download. Please navigate to www.msdprojectclear.org > Doing Business With Us > View Non-Capital Bids (commodities and services) or >Visit Planroom (capital construction bids)

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

BID NOTICE

Great Rivers Greenway is soliciting electronic bids for the construction of Keiner Plaza Visitors Services and Maintenance Building. Go to www.greatriversgreenway. org/jobs-bids/ and submit by January 21, 2021.

REQUEST FOR BIDS

PINNACLE CONTRACTING

CRESTWOOD CITY HALL

RENOVATION –

PHASE 3 ADA RAMP 1 Detjen Dr, Crestwood, MO 63126

Due date: 01/11/21 @ 3:00pm

Description: Bid items in this phase of work: Site Demo/ Excavation, Storm Sewers, Site Concrete, Asphalt, Soils Treatment, Lawns & Grasses, Abatement, Concrete, Flatwork, Masonry, Tuckpointing, Metal Fabrication, Joint Sealants, Door Hardware, Painting, and Electrical. Project is Sales Tax Exempt. MBE/WBE participation is required.

*You may view the plans/specs and submit bids on Building Connected. For any questions, please contact Keana at bids@pinnaclecontracting. com, or 314-783-8000 ext. 0.

SEALED BIDS

Bids for Upgrades to Air Distribution System at the State Capitol Building, P r o j e c t N o . O2016-01, will be received by FMDC, State of MO, UNTIL 1:30 PM, 1/28/2021 via MissouriBUYS. Bidders must be registered to bid. For specific project information and ordering plans, go to: http://oa.mo. gov/facilities

SEALED BIDS

B i d s f o r W

e w a t e r Treatment Systems R e p l a c e m e n t , Trail of Tears State Park Jackson, MO, Project No. X1806-01 will be received by FMDC, State of MO, UNTIL 1:30 PM, January 28, 2021 via MissouriBUYS. Bidders must be registered to bid. For specific project information and ordering plans, go to: http://oa.mo. gov/facilities

SEALED BIDS

X1804-01

of

B i d s f o r Replace Roofs and Renovate Interior, Project No. C1903-01 will be received b y F M D C , State of MO, UNTIL 1:30 PM, January 19, 2021. For specific project i n f o r m a t i o n and ordering plans, go to: http://oa.mo. gov/facilities

CAPACITY BUILDING WORKSHOPS FOR NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS

The St. Louis Philanthropic Organization (SLPO) has partnered with Mosaic Beginnings to provide a series of capacity building workshops for nonprofit organizations. Upcoming workshops are Financial Management on January 13, 2021, and Program Evaluation on March 10, 2021, both beginning at 10:00 a.m. The workshops are free to nonprofits, but advanced registration is required. Organizations may register for the workshops and find the 2021 Responsive Grants information via the SLPO website at www.stlphilanthropic.org

The SLPO provides funding and capacity building to nonprofit organizations whose programs and services advance the quality of life for St. Louis City Residents. Mosaic Beginnings is a management consulting firm with a diverse team of consultants with over 100 years of combined experience committed to increasing organizational capacity for organizations, helping them achieve and, often, exceed their goals.

METROPOLITAN ST. LOUIS SEWER DISTRICT ST. LOUIS MISSOURI LEMAY WWTF

ADVERTISEMENT FOR BIDS

Notice is hereby given that The Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District (District) will receive sealed bids for Lemay WWTF Secondary Building Drain Line Replacement (IR) under Letting No. 13462-015.1, at this office, 2350 Market Street, St. Louis, Missouri 63103, until 02:00 PM on January 21, 2021. Bids can be deposited in the bid box located on the First Floor of the District’s Headquarters located at 2350 Market Street, St. Louis, MO 63103, prior to the 2:00 p.m. bid deadline, or Bidders have the option to electronically submit their bid via email. Bidders shall A general description of the work to be done under these contract documents can be found in Section 01 11 35 SUMMARY OF PROJECT, of Part 5 – Specifications of the Bidding Documents.

The work to be done under these contract documents consists of:

· Removal and replacement of sanitary and roof drain piping, fittings and valves. · Removal and replacement of pipe and structural support fasteners. · Insulating of new piping.

Bids will be received only from companies that are pre-qualified by the District’s Engineering Department for: Building Contractors or Mechanical/Electrical/ Plumbing Contractors.

The Engineers Opinion of Probable Cost is $ 324,000.00.

Plans and Specifications are available for free electronic download. Please go to MSD’s website and look for a link to “ELECTRONIC PLANROOM.” Plans and Specifications are also available for viewing or purchase at Cross Rhodes Reprographics located at 1712 Macklind Avenue, St. Louis MO 63110. All bidders must obtain a set of plans and specifications in order to submit a bid in the name of the entity submitting the bid. The Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

A non-mandatory Pre-Bid conference will be held at this office, 2350 Market Street, St. Louis, Missouri 63103, on December 23, 2020, at 9:00 a.m., local time. A site visit will be conducted following the pre-bid conference.

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.”

Angelita Houston at 314-289-5430 or email ahouston@stlamerican.com

Donald M. Suggs, publisher & executive editor

Fred Sweets, contributing editor

Wiley Price, senior photographer, and Darlynn Bosley

Ellen Sweets, contributing editor

Robin Britt, controller, and daughters, Kamryn and Portia

Alvin Reid, sports columnist

Kate Daniel, St. Louis American Foundation executive director, and Zelda

Pam Simmons, senior account executive

Mary Easter, receptionist and Husband Eric

Angelita Houston, classified advertising manager, and husband, Marion Houston

James LeBine, multimedia specialist, with Deidre, CJ and Maya

Melvin Moore, graphic designer, and wife Melva, Madison and Kamaya

Linda Lockhart, interim managing editor

Paula Collins, account executive

Felicia Pearson, IT specialist, (center, near Santa) and family

Dawn M. Suggs, digital editor/ video editor

Dana Rieck, staff reporter and Nova

Danielle Brown, community reporter

Earl Austin, sports editor, and wife, Judy Austin

Jessica Jones, account executive