January 28th, 2021 edition

St. LouiS AmericAn

Krewson keeps ward reduction off April ballot

Vetoed

bill that would have reconsidered decision to reduce city’s wards in 2023

By Dana Rieck

St. Louis Mayor

Krewson on Tuesday vetoed a bill that would have put an amendment on the April 6 ballot to reconsider the decision St. Louisans made in 2012 to reduce the city’s 28 wards to 14 — a process set to begin in 2023.

“In November 2021, more than 80,000 voters in the City of St. Louis decided to reduce the size of the Board of Aldermen beginning in 2023,” Krewson wrote in a statement Tuesday.

n “In November 2021, more than 80,000 voters in the City of St. Louis decided to reduce the size of the Board of Aldermen beginning in 2023.”

– St. Louis Mayor Lyda Krewson

“They sent a clear and convincing message to their elected leadership that they want a smaller legislative branch of local government.” The mayor was referring to the 2012 election, when residents voted in favor of Proposition R, which would cut the number

Protestors

call for Hawley to resign

American Federal Government Employees Union organized a rally on Wednesday, Jan. 27 in front of the Thomas F. Eagleton United States Courthouse in downtown St. Louis. They are calling for Josh Hawley to resign, stating that his actions no longer represent the people of Missouri’s best interests.

AFGE Local 2192

President Keena Smith holds a sign while John Bowman, President of the St. Louis County branch of the NAACP, speaks.

of city wards, with the wards being redrawn after the 2020 census.

Krewson was a co-sponsor of that 2012 legislation and said she continues “to be a strong supporter of this reform measure.”

Under the proposition, the first election in the newly drawn wards would be held in 2023 for all wards and aldermanic president. Odd-numbered wards would start with twoyear terms, to stay in line with the election schedule set by the city’s charter in 1915. The Board president and even-numbered wards would run for a full four-year term from the beginning.

The Board of Aldermen passed Board Bill

2021 St. Louis mayoral candidates respond

Tishaura Jones

keeping it from finally bringing about its closure. Every day that the Workhouse remains open is a moral failing for our city, and I will close it. We must work to decarcerate our city and bring about a system of justice that recognizes the humanity of those incarcerated and the need to protect their health.

Reed

Public school bus drivers survived summer on unemployment

Now Missouri wants that money back

By Sophie Hurwitz

not ordinarily eligible to receive unemployment benefits in Missouri were now able to do so under the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance Act. This group included seasonal public-sector employees — including the roughly 1,500 school

drivers and bus monitors Thacker represents. So, Thacker said, “I reached out to all of my members, and I told them … I think there’s some potential that you guys will possibly receive it.” The school bus drivers, who would ordinarily be receiving some summer income from summer classes and sports transportation, jumped at the chance, Thacker said. Some were approved, while others never received a letter. Those who were approved for unemployment over the summer “collected money for … six to nine weeks,” he said. But in October and November, the Department of Labor began to ask for that money back.

“About 500” bus drivers and monitors working for three St. Louis County districts Local 610 represents were told that they owed all the money they received over the summer back. For most drivers and monitors, Thacker said, that meant a sudden debt between $8,000 - $11,000. The Missouri Department of Labor’s website states, “If you receive unemployment benefits to which you are not entitled, you must repay them, even if someone else made the mistake that caused the incorrect payment.”

Otherwise, the Department of Employment Securities is able to recover whatever amount they state has been overpaid from an individual’s “future benefits, state and federal income tax returns, and lottery winnings.”

Now, Thacker says, “there are a lot of [union members] that are scared to death that when they file their tax returns, they’re going to take the only refund they have coming.”

Of The St. Louis American

Lyda

Andrew Jones Jr.

Tishaura O. Jones

Cara Spencer

Photo by Jennifer Sarti / St. Louis American

Lewis Reed

Teamsters Local 610 representative Dan Thacker

Ludacris’ car gets stolen

Someone took a brief joyride in one of Chris “Ludacris” Bridges’ wheels in the ATL on Monday. Luda stopped at the ATM, left his black Mercedes running, and you know what happened next. However, before the actor, philanthropist, and multiple Grammy-winning rapper was about to lose his mind up in there, he quickly flagged a nearby police car, and officers were able to quickly apprehend the car thief and get Luda’s ride back.

DJ Spinderella denounces Salt n’ Pepa biopic

DJ Spinderella had more than a few words to say about the Lifetime special on the group Salt n’ Pepa, saying, “Too often,

Black women who have made meaningful contributions in their industry are left out of historical narratives.” In a string of tweets, she added in part, “Back when Salt n’ Pepa was building our legacy, which is rooted in empowering women, I could not have dreamed that this same group would one day disempower me.

“Words cannot fully express my disappointment when I learned a decision was made to move forward with a Lifetime biopic that wrongfully excluded me from every aspect of development and production…all the while using my image throughout, given that I played an integral role in the group’s story and success.”

film’s development and production.

As Revolt reported, Spinderella was fired from the group in 2019, and later sued Cheryl “Salt” James and Sandra “Pepa” Denton over allegations of unpaid royalties, a case that eventually went to mediation.

Despite her character’s inclusion in the story portrayed by Monique Paul Spinderella says she won’t support the biopic, claiming she was excluded from the

Poet Amanda Gorman gets a Super Bowl gig

There is high demand for 22-yearold Amanda Gorman, who recited a powerful and inspiring original poem, “The Hill We Climb” at the Jan. 20 inauguration of President Joe Biden and the swearing in of Vice President Kamala Harris That includes from the NFL, so make sure you start watching at the beginning of the Super Bowl on February 7. As TMZ reported, right before the kickoff of reigning champs Kansas City Chiefs and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Gorman will recite an original poem that honors three heroes of the COVID19 pandemic.

Gorman has signed on with IMG Models to handle her profile, portfolio and numerous opportunities that are coming her way.

All aboard for the Harriet Tubman $20 bill

Harriet Tubman’s journey to be on the $20 bill is back, after the 2016 Obama-era initiative was halted by the previous administration. The New York Times reported

that President Joe Biden’s Treasury Dept. is looking at ways to speed up the redesign that will put the abolitionist and conductor of the Underground Railroad’s portrait on the front of the bill instead of slave owner Pres. Andrew Jackson. “It’s important that our notes are... reflective of the history and diversity of our country and Harriet Tubman’s image gracing the new $20 note would certainly reflect that,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki said, as reported by Reuters. “So we are exploring ways to speed up that effort.”

So far, no word on when the new $20 design will be released.

Sources: Blavity, CNN, Hollywood Reporter, Reuters, Revolt, Smart News, The New York Times, TMZ, Twitter

SLU offers autism evaluation services to metro area families

For The St. Louis American

Families seeking an evaluation to determine whether their child has a medical diagnosis of autism have another option in the greater St. Louis metropolitan area. That option is the Interdisciplinary Center for Autism Services at Saint Louis University.

The Center provides comprehensive diagnostic assessments of autism for children in grades K-12. The evaluation process is not a one-size-fits-all, but rather is tailored to meet a client’s needs, said Diane Richter, the Center’s director and an assistant clinical professor at SLU.

Evaluations typically include a clinical interview, autism diagnostic observation schedule 2 and/or Child Autism Rating Scale, academic achievement assessments, speech and language assessments, fine and gross motor assessments, multiple rating scales, school observations, and an interdisciplinary feedback team meeting.

For children who have a medical diagnosis of autism, the Center provides recommendations for educational programs and a functioning assessment plan.

Through an interdisciplinary approach, the Center combines the expertise of multiple departments and programs that include psychology, communication sciences and disorders, special education, nursing, applied behavior analysis, occupational and physical therapy.

“Our commitment to learning from each other benefits our clients as we strive to provide the most accurate diagnosis and meaningful recommendations,” said Amy Hasman, an occupational therapist at the Center and adjunct faculty member at SLU’s Doisy College of Health Sciences.

It is also a teaching center. University students, like Peter Lenz, benefit through their involvement in the assessment process working under the direction and guidance of faculty members from their specific disciplines.

“Most importantly, I get to work with a population that I am extremely passionate about and hope to work with throughout

my future career,” said Lenz, an undergraduate occupational therapy student at DCHS.

The clinic collaborates with Knights of Columbus Developmental Center at SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital to connect families to a developmental pediatrician, their PEERS program, and meet the needs of clients from birth to five years old. They also partner with autism centers nationwide.

Clinic bridges bap between evaluation and diagnosis

After a child receives a diagnosis of autism, the Center distinguishes itself by helping families with advocacy.

“We support our families through the Individualized Education Program process as they work with the school to better support the needs of their children,” said Robin Murphy, a speech and language clinician at the Center and assistant professor in communication sciences and disorders at the Doisy College of Health Science.

For clients already receiving services through the school, the Center assists families with initiating a review of exist-

Tanesha Johnson, a clinical psychology doctoral student at Saint Louis University, is training at SLU’s Interdisciplinary Center for Autism Services in the School of Education.

• Briefs •

County partners with Mound City Bar in diversity effort

St. Louis County and the Mound City Bar Association have announced a collaboration to increase the diversity of the county’s in-house counsel.

In addition, the partnership, which was announced this month, aims to identify diverse law firms to serve as outside counsel to the county and provide diversity training.

“St. Louis County currently is represented by the only minority-owned law firm registered with the state, but we want to do even more to diversify the legal profession, create an even more inclusive office for our employees, and ensure the county is represented by lawyers reflective of the people who call St. Louis County home,” St. Louis County Counselor Beth Orwick wrote in a release.

That minority law firm is Mickes O’Toole LLC, in west St. Louis County. The county counselor’s office and the Mound City Bar Association will collaborate in several ways, including recruiting attorneys to work as in-house lawyers, identifying minorityowned law firms that could serve as outside counsel, encouraging minority-owned law firms to register as recognized MinorityOwned Business Enterprises and providing continuing legal education training on diversity and inclusion issues.

ing data, meeting to determine if additional accommodations and modifications are needed.

For those without services, the Center works with families and school administrators to identify whether a child qualifies for an educational diagnosis under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.

Richter said many families are unaware of all the services their child is entitled to under act, a federal law that guarantees a free, appropriate public education to eligible children with disabilities.

“Our team builds a relationship with the family that goes beyond the diagnosis to provide a support system that includes attendance at school meetings, connecting families to resources in the community, and providing educational materials,” Richter said.

The Center, which opened in July 2019, is open three days a week and plans to expand its services during the spring of 2021. Launched with SLU Grow Grant funds, the Center continues to pursue foundation and research grants to meet the needs of families.

To schedule an appointment, contact the clinic at 314-977-5377 or slucenterforautism@slu.edu.

The St. Louis County Counselor’s Office oversees all the legal business of the county and its departments. Outside counsel is hired to assist the county counselor for various reasons, including specialty in an area of law and workload.

House bill would allow convicted felons to be eligible for food stamps

Missouri Rep. Marlon Anderson, D- St. Louis, has filed a bill that would allow a person convicted of a drug-related felony to become eligible to receive food stamp benefits if the person meets certain conditions.

“A study last year by the Prison Policy Initiative showed that pre-incarceration income of prisoners is 41 percent lower than that of non-incarcerated people,” Anderson wrote in a release.

“Hardship is a great recruiter for crime. By making SNAP benefits available to those who have paid their debts to society, we can help lift families up and reduce the pressure on those trying to live better lives.”

Correction

Attorney William Daily Jr. is representing Marvia Gray in a criminal case related to charges against Gray last March. Daily said he successfully filed a motion to move the case against Gray from Des Peres municipal court to the St. Louis County Circuit Court. This means the Des Peres municipal prosecutor will continue to prosecute the case, but the case will now be heard in a St. Louis County Circuit Court by an associate circuit judge, instead of the Des Peres municipal court.

Placing a vaccination center in north County isn’t enough

This past week, we learned that Missouri is dead last in terms of distribution of the coronavirus vaccine among the 50 states.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported 4% of Missouri’s 6 million residents have received one shot of the COVID19 vaccine and 1.2% have received both doses. That means the state has used almost half of its current allocation of the vaccine, and that 3,958 vaccines have been distributed per 100,000 residents.

Gov. Mike Parson disputed these numbers, claiming that “the state of Missouri is above the national average,” and that the CDC’s numbers failed to take into account any doses distributed outside of federal contracts with Walgreens and CVS. The Centers’ website said they get their vaccine distribution information from multiple sources other than the federal Walgreens/CVS contracts.

Whether or not we’re behind our neighboring states doesn’t affect one fundamental truth: the fact of the matter is that in Missouri, like in the rest of the country, vaccine distribution is moving painfully slowly. We have the tools to begin ending this pandemic, but the preparation to actually get these life-saving doses into people’s arms has moved at a snail’s pace.

In Missouri, learning when you’re going to be eligible for the vaccine has been nothing but confusing for many of us: accessing most information about the vaccine requires an internet connection, first of all, which many of those most vulnerable to the virus’ effects may not have. (In St. Louis county, those without an internet connection may pre-register with the county at 314615-2660).

Then, there’s the conflicting messaging about whether or not it makes sense to put your name down on multiple lists for vaccination, or whether it’s even worth bothering to get on a list before your stage in the vaccination rollout begins. The best advice available right now suggests that we each ought to get ourselves on as many vaccine distribution lists as we can. Currently, several hospital systems in the area are offering vaccine waitlists individuals can

sign up for, after which they will be told when a vaccine is available for them. The Health Departments in St. Louis and St. Louis County are doing the same.

The problem, though, is that the people preregistering on those lists are, according to St. Louis County data, much whiter and wealthier than the metropolitan area as a whole. This shows that, while our local governments have put some effort into reaching out to Black residents regarding the vaccine, the message is not necessarily getting through.

In order to successfully minimize deaths in Missouri, our government doesn’t just have to distribute vaccines in an efficient manner — they have to distribute information, too.

In addition, that communication from the state, the county, and the city must focus on the areas in which people have not pre-registered for vaccines. These areas are those with majorityBlack populations.

According to St. Louis Public Radio, less than 5% of those living in zip codes including Wellston, Berkley and Jennings have signed up, while more than 30% of the population in some west St. Louis County zip codes including Ladue, Chesterfield and Creve Coeur have signed up.

St. Louis County’s first mass vaccination site, according to County Executive Sam Page, will be placed in north St. Louis County, at the Florissant Valley campus of St. Louis Community College. The first vaccines at that center, Page said Tuesday, may be distributed as early as next week — if St. Louis County receives the shipment of 3,900 vaccines that was meant to arrive this week in time to begin getting them in people’s arms, that is.

This is heartening, but is only half the battle.

The most important thing the county must do now is place all the resources available and necessary into making sure residents of those areas actually have access to that vaccine. If that doesn’t happen, the placement of the vaccine center won’t matter. It may just be filled with lines of SUVs coming in from West County.

It’s time for racially ambivalent white

people to make the right choice

By Mike Jones

For The St. Louis American

As I watched the machinations of Donald Trump after losing, I thought about doing a column considering whether there are any limits of white privilege?

I was focused on this idea because for me the last 12 years, from the election of Barack Obama, through the presidency of Donald Trump and the inauguration of Joe Biden, have all been one historical moment.

Obama’s presidency was emblematic of the cultural and demographic changes of the last 50 years. The entire Trump presidency was nothing more than the virulent white reaction to what was perceived as the existential threat of an Obama America and an all-out effort to reassert the hegemony of white male privilege.

The Biden victory represents the response of the majority of Americans to that Trump reaction. But, much like the Battle of Gettysburg, Biden’s victory was urgent and is momentous but it’s not determinative.

This is because the jury is still out on white America. The most important variable in all four of those elections is that the majority of white Americans voted against Obama and Biden, and for Trump. But Jan. 6, 2021 will join Dec. 7, 1941 as a date that will live in infamy.

On Jan. 6, white Americans witnessed and experienced what Black Americans have always known; there are no limits on what racist white America will do to maintain white supremacy. Because of what happened on Jan. 6, white Americans are now confronted with an identity crisis from which they can no longer hide. Jan. 6 robbed them of their feigned racial ignorance and racial innocence.

Before that date, if you were a white American, you could make a specious claim

to a white identity that didn’t include white supremacy, but now you are forced to actively choose between two irreconcilable positions.

I don’t believe you can generalize about who a person is based upon some general characterization you make about their ethnicity. But as old folks would say, you should be mindful of who their people are. While you shouldn’t generalize about specific individuals, you can categorize the group or groups to which they belong.

Years ago, to bring some coherence to how I could think about the social reality of race, I created three categories of white Americans and assigned an arbitrary value to each category as a way of rationally thinking about how race in America works.

I placed 30% of white Americans in what I called the anti racist/ racial justice cohort. This group has always been in America, they were the abolitionists, ran the Underground Railroad, they were John Brown at Harper’s Ferry and Charles Sumner in Reconstruction. They were with DuBois at Niagara Falls, and they died with us in Mississippi and Alabama during the Civil Rights struggle.

The second cohort is the 30% of white Americans who are genetically predisposed to be racist and are unconditionally committed to white supremacy. They are beyond redemption and have no social value you need to consider. History and demographics are not on the side of this unredeemable American racist cohort, but that does not mean they’re going quietly into that good night. The last cohort is the 40% of

Next St. Louis mayor must improve city-county relations

By Sen. Brian Williams For The St. Louis American

More and more St. Louis County residents are watching the upcoming mayoral race in St. Louis. While the plight and potential of these regional neighbors are intertwined, it has become increasingly clear that progress in St. Louis yields regression and deterioration in St. Louis County.

For decades, communities like Berkeley and Kinloch were forced to carry the unjust burden of decisions made by leaders inside 1200 Market Street.

If anyone is unclear about this claim, please take a moment to explore the toppled headstones of the Washington Park Cemetery in Berkeley. Established over 100 years ago, the cemetery would eventually become one of the largest Black cemeteries in the region during the mid-20th century.

While its most vocal opposition came from white supremacists, the ultimate collapse of this historic cemetery was put into motion by the duly elected leaders of St. Louis.

Graves were paved over for the construction of I-70, and more than 75 acres of the cemetery were slowly stolen for the expansion of the city-owned St. Louis Lambert International Airport and Metrolink.

It is estimated that between 12,000 to 13,000 bodies were dug up, moved, and lost due to poor record-keeping. The history of countless Black families

was erased, taking the rich history of our community with it. Sadly, this is not an isolated incident.

The trash-strewn streets of Kinloch – Missouri’s oldest Black community — offer another sober example of St. Louis’ detrimental impact on St. Louis County communities.

A planned, but failed expansion of Lambert Airport involved buying out properties and decimating 75 percent of the community. Although the city-owned airport project was never completed, the damage done to Kinloch was permanent. Piles of trash and debris sit rotting in plain sight on land still owned by the airport. While this might be out-of-sight, out-of-mind to city leaders who oversee the airport, it is impossible for the good people who call this community home”to ignore.

Thankfully, the community of Kinloch has a champion in Rep. Raychel Proudie, D-73rd District, who has worked tirelessly to bring attention to this issue. I recently joined Rep. Proudie for a Kinloch clean-up day and was driven to tears by what I saw and the heartfelt stories from residents who deserve better.

Letters to the editor

We know the City of St. Louis is its own community with its own government. While we will not get to cast a ballot in the upcoming mayoral race, that does not mean that we cannot hold candidates accountable for plans relating to city-county relations. This is particularly true as discussions regarding the future of Lambert Airport continue to emerge. Any candidate who is serious about running for mayor in St. Louis should have a clear position on the airport. Moreover, this position must outline how their plan will benefit St. Louis County and protect families from further harm, and how airport leaders will fix problems created decades ago in communities like Kinloch and Berkeley. Yes, we are separate governments, but we are also one region. And when it comes to communities that are often overlooked and disregarded, the common denominator is the same no matter where you reside in the region. The City of St. Louis mayoral election is months away, St. Louis County residents deserve answers now.

Brian Williams is a member of the Missouri Senate from the 14th district in St. Louis County, which includes all or parts of Berkeley, Ferguson and Hazelwood, Normandy, Pagedale, University City and other municipalities.

All letters are edited for length and style.

white Americans I consider to be racially ambivalent. They are not genetically predisposed to overt racism, but they also have no real sustained commitment to racial justice and equity. They are repelled by racial oppression, but they enjoy and want to keep the benefits of white privilege.

They support the idea of racial progress but reject any socially disruptive opposition to achieve it. They can maintain these internal contradictions by insisting upon their active ignorance and aggressive naïveté about America’s history and social condition.

Wherever the majority of this third cohort is at any point in time is the equilibrium point of white America on race.

Historically, when the racist white cohort feels their supremacy threatened, they always reverted to mob violence and racial terrorism.

The object of that violence has always been Black Americans, the point being to terrorize us into accepting the racist status quo.

But things changed Jan. 6. For the first time, Black Americans were not the target of racialized white mob violence, it was white Americans. But not just other white Americans, but the very institutions that symbolize the American democracy.

In order to maintain their racial position they were willing to seize control of the US Congress, terrorize and possibly murder white members of Congress, commit treason and sedition, in the name of white supremacy. In this moment of decision I would advise this white America to choose wisely, because tyranny has an insatiable appetite. This bell is not just tolling for Black people, other POC, or other marginalized communities.

To paraphrase James Baldwin’s letter to Angela Davis, if they take us at night, they will come for you in the morning.

College athletes deserve piece of pie

College athletics have always been a popular form of entertainment for millions of Americans. However, for years, athletes were never paid for their performance nor had the ability to use their image to gain monetary gain. But thanks to the non-stop push for legislative actions, athletes now have the ability to use their likeness for financial benefits. Yet while the NCAA earns millions of dollars in revenue, athletes still struggle financially mainly because no one pays them. I urge our members of Congress to pass the College Athletics Bill of Rights that gives student athletes a cut of the money that the NCAA earns from hosting competitions. Athletes are the ones who earn the money, so isn’t it fair that they receive a portion of it?

We can’t allow the NCAA to profit off of our beloved ath-

letes anymore because now is the time for change.

Annie Pan St. Louis Republicans and Democrats both should study Constitution

Republicans talk about the Constitution like they know what’s in it. They don’t. Most think the Constitution explicitly demands implementation of their political agenda, things like tax breaks for the rich, freedom from masks, special policing for minority areas, and keeping immigrants out of the country. It doesn’t.

There are some things in the Republican platform that the Constitution does speak to, like religious freedom, freedom in the economy (but not a green

light to oppress the poor), limited taxation, limited government, and fiscal responsibility. But Republicans haven’t been doing very well with all of this. They are better at talking about freedom than actually providing for it. The Constitution’s chief aim is to specify who makes the laws, and how and when they are to be made. It says the people of the states make most of the laws, and Congress makes some of them, all through their elected representatives. The president and the governors are supposed to implement the laws, not dream them up on a bad hair day and force them on the people.

If it’s any consolation, most Democrats don’t know what’s in the Constitution either.

Kimball Shinkoskey Woods Cross, Utah

Guest Columnist Mike Jones

St. Louis County Prosecuting

Attorney Wesley Bell disqualified a judge Tuesday from all future proceedings after the judge was one of multiple email recipients to a longer, unedited version of a letter criticizing Bell.

Bell disqualifies judge who received email critical of Galleria investigation

By Dana Rieck

St. Louis American

St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Wesley Bell disqualified a judge Tuesday from all future proceedings after the judge was one of multiple email recipients to a longer, unedited version of a letter criticizing Bell that was published in the St. Louis PostDispatch on Dec. 12. Bell’s release was so brief it did not include the name of the judge, but upon follow up with a spokesman it was indicated the disqualification of Division 8’s Judge Dean P. Waldemer was connected to the Post-Dispatch letter written by Ed Magee, a former top assistant to former St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Bob McCulloch.

Bell defeated McCulloch in the 2018 election.

In the letter, Magee wrote that he believes Bell intentionally delayed the investigation of the August 2019 shooting death of Terry Tillman even though Bell “knew Tillman was a felon, possessed a loaded handgun and had stated he wouldn’t go back to jail.”

Bell announced Dec. 9 he was closing the case without charging the white police officer who fired several rounds at the 23-year-old

Black man. The decision came 16 months after the incident, as Bell and his staff blamed the COVID-19 pandemic for logistical delays.

Eight days after Magee’s letter was published, Post-Dispatch columnist Tony Messenger wrote that Magee sent an email to McCulloch and several of his former colleagues with a longer version of the letter because he was limited to 250 words by the newspaper.

Waldemer, Bell’s investigator Jim Maier and a St. Louis County counselor’s office employee were included as recipients of the email, according to Messenger.

Messenger wrote Bell was emailed the longer letter, which included the email thread with the other recipients, and so the prosecutor wondered whether his employees had collaborated with Magee in writing the letter.

Waldemer was appointed in 2017 by Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens. He did not immediately return a call for comment.

Bell declined a request for an interview through a spokesperson.

That spokesperson said there are currently 248 cases open in Waldemer’s division, which will be reassigned to another judge within a 10-day window. All new cases will be assigned to a different judge moving forward.

The salvation of white privilege

By Dorothy Dempsey For The St. Louis American

Jenna Ryan, a Texas real estate broker, took a private plane to Washington to participate with the mobsters and hoodlums who broke into the United States Capitol on Jan. 6.

This date will be immortalized in history for all the people who were complicit in the death and destruction that occurred in the break-in of the US. Capitol. Ryan said she was displaying her patriotism and listening to her president. Ryan posted on Twitter, “One of the best days of my life.”

How do we begin to reconcile or even try to understand intelligent, educated white people who become an uncivilized unhinged mob, going on a rampage for the salvation of white privilege, in their twisted minds, trying to make the world a better place without people of color?

Whiteness has crippled our nation. All that white privilege is, and how white people benefit from it every day, is a sin against all we stand for as a nation and as Christians.

Many of the protesters that participated in the Capitol break-in have already been released out of jail on bail. No person of color would have been allowed this kind of privilege. Many people of color are languishing in jail for lesser crimes and unable to post bail.

The people who participated in the uprising, and people like Sen. Josh Hawley, R- Missouri, and Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, are not backing down. There is no real remorse shown in their actions, only power and greed. We must acknowledge what must be changed, If white people continue to claim that they do not know what white privilege is then how can there ever be change?

If Robert Carlson, the retired archbishop of the Archdiocese of St. Louis, asked all the priests to speak out on racism before he left the diocese of St. Louis and some refused to do it, then how can there ever be change?

If we do not reach across the table, White people and Black people don’t unite and confront the challenges of racism, then how can there be change?

All the complicity of the big corporations, the police, government, churches, the priests and evangelists all play a part in the division of our country.

According to The Pledge of Allegiance, we are “one nation indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.”

Indivisible means “incapable of being divided.” It seems we have not been a diverse society or nation. We must do all we can to become a living example of the one so many of us proclaim to follow and to bring about change to an ungodly world.

The

Dorothy Dempsey

Photo by Rebecca Rivas

‘Spy plane’ lobbyist makes campaign donations to Reed, aldermen

By Dana Rieck

Of The St. Louis American

As the final vote for the controversial “spy plane” bill could be as soon as Friday, three St. Louis politicians have disclosed donations from the surveillance company’s lobbying attorney.

David Sweeney, an attorney at the Lewis Rice law firm, is a lobbyist and former chief legal counsel for the St. Louis Board of Aldermen.

He became a lobbying attorney for Ohio-based company Persistent Surveillance Systems, doing business as Community Support Program on Jan. 6, according to the Missouri Ethics Commission. The company uses drone technology to provide police departments with “all-seeing 24/7 video surveillance technology.” Sweeney donated $1,000 to Aldermanic President Lews Reed’s mayoral campaign Nov. 19, $250 to Alderwoman Tammika Hubbard’s re-election campaign Oct. 28 and $150 to Alderman John Collins-Muhammad’s re-election campaign Dec. 20. Sweeney did not immediately return a call for comment. Reed, Hubbard and CollinsMuhammad also did not immediately return calls for comment on the matter.

Hubbard represents Ward 5, which includes portions of the Carr Square, Columbus Square, Downtown, Downtown West, JeffVanderLou, Near North Riverfront, Old North St. Louis and St. Louis Place

neighborhoods. Collins-Muhammed represented Ward 21, encompassing parts of the College Hill, Kingsway East, North Riverfront, O’Fallon and Penrose neighborhoods.

The bill

The 29-page Board Bill 200 was first read Dec. 11 and is sponsored by Alderman Tom Oldenburg, who represents Ward 16, covering parts of the Lindenwood Park, Princeton Heights, Southampton and St. Louis Hills neighborhoods.

The bill would authorize and direct the mayor and comptroller to enter into a contract with PPS to fly airplanes up to 18 hours a day over the city.

program. Arnold Ventures is a Texas-based philanthropy who worked with PPS in Baltimore, which is the only known American city in which this program has been implemented.

“After 11 months of implementation, evaluation and preliminary research, we have decided against further investments in the program at this time.

“Therefore, Arnold Ventures will not fund the aerial investigative effort proposed in St. Louis,” they wrote, also noting that they would only fund the project in St. Louis if it were backed with overwhelming community support.

n The bill would authorize and direct the mayor and comptroller to enter into a contract with PPS to fly airplanes up to 18 hours a day over the city.

Oldenburgh argued in the bill that this type of drone surveillance is needed because of the city’s record-setting homicide rates and a shortage of 140 officers in the police department.

The bill was perfected for a third reading on Jan. 22 by a vote of 15-14 and can be put up for a final vote Friday. However, on Tuesday, the program’s only potential funding source mentioned by Oldenburg thus far — Arnold Ventures — released a statement explaining their decision to no longer invest in the PPS

Reed sent out a media release after the perfection vote Jan. 22.

“In a stunning disregard for the cries for help from the aldermen in north St. Louis, the victims and parents who have lost children to gun violence, Cara Spencer voted NO to even looking into something that could possibly get shooters off of our streets. Until a real crime plan is presented by anyone, we need to look into utilizing all tools to reduce homicides in the City of St. Louis,” Reed wrote in a statement.

In response, Spencer, who is a mayoral candidate and alderwoman, pointed to her track record of keeping special

interests out of her campaign.

“The president of the board can couch the spy plane situation any way he wants”

Spencer said in an interview.

“It’s clear from the contributions from the spy plane folks, as well as many other special interests that have tried ... to get a hold of our public assets, that the president of the board is clearly for sale to special interests … [who] clearly want to have an influence on the next mayor.”

Opposition

The bill has received opposition from local activists and community groups, along with aldermen, who fear the planes would disproportionately target Black communities and invade people’s right to privacy.

Spencer said she opposes the bill and supports more comprehensive efforts to address violence and crime in the city.

“This is an ad hoc approach to public safety,” she said, noting evidence has yet been provided that this is an effective method for crime reduction.

The ACLU of Missouri argues the mass-surveillance system was “developed by the military to wage war in Iraq” and has opposed the effort for over two years.

The organization has worked with several others in opposition of the program: Action STL, Arch City Defenders , ACLU of MO, Bail Project , Coalition Against Police Crimes & Repression, Missouri Faith Voices, Organization for Black Struggle and Privacy Watch.

Florissant Valley to be mass vaccination site

Wards

Continued from A1

Bill 77 in a 15-13 vote Jan. 15 during the board’s regular meeting. It sought to put an amendment on the April 6 ballot that would reverse the decision to reduce the city’s 28 wards to 14 wards.

Aldermen John CollinsMuhammad sponsored the bill. He declined to comment on Krewson’s veto. He has said in the past that the reduction equates to “organized gerrymandering” and said it would harm Black political representation, a major argument of those who oppose the reduction. Those in favor of the

• Briefs •

reduction argue the city’s population has decreased and so should the board.

Collins-Muhammad represents the 21st Ward, which covers parts of the College Hill, Kingsway East, North Riverfront, O’Fallon and Penrose neighborhoods in north St. Louis.

Alderwoman Cara Spencer, who is running for mayor, voted against the bill; and Aldermanic President Lewis Reed, who is also a mayoral candidate, voted in favor of the bill. The current Board of Aldermen was organized in 1914. In 1950, the city’s population had peaked at 856,000. Seventy years later, St. Louis is home to approximately half as many people.

Monitoring team launches annual Ferguson policing survey

The Ferguson Monitoring Team has launched its annual survey for residents regarding their experience with the Ferguson Police Department and the Ferguson Municipal Court.

The Ferguson Monitoring Team was appointed by a judge as part of a consent decree signed by the City of Ferguson and the Department of Justice after an investigation after Michael Brown was killed in 2014 by a Ferguson police officer.

The consent decree seeks to ensure the protection of the constitutional and other legal rights of all members of the community, improve the city’s ability to prevent crime, enhance both officer and public safety, and increase public confidence in the police department and municipal court system.

The survey was developed by the National Police Foundation, a Washington D.C.-based research organization. The survey can be accessed online at tinyurl.com/FergusonCommunitySurvey or through mail by calling 857-413-2866.

The survey will be available for people to complete through the end of March. Results will be released publicly, but individual survey takers will remain anonymous.

Community Mobility Committee seeks help from residents

A St. Louis Board of Aldermen committee is recruiting residents to help guide policy on alternative modes of transportation.

The Community Mobility Committee is looking for residents who routinely walk, use a wheelchair or other mobility device, use public transit or ride a bike to their destinations to weigh in on transportation issues for the city.

Residents do not need prior experience with planning, government or transportation. Meetings are open to the public and will be held six times a year from 9 to 10 a.m., on Wednesdays by Zoom.

The committee’s future efforts will include encouraging more public space with small public parks known as partlets and encouraging careful consideration of how policies impact residents of different races, abilities, genders and other identities.

People who are interested in joining the committee should visit https://bit.ly/363TxNf or contact Scott Ogilvie, transportation policy planner, at 314-657-3871 or ogilvies@stlouis-mo.gov.

Compiled by St. Louis American Staff

Ferguson Mayor Ella Jones on Wednesday, Jan. 27, announces that the first coronavirus mass vaccination site in St. Louis County will be at the St. Louis Community College — Florissant Valley campus. Jones was joined by St. Louis County Executive Sam Page and Jeff Pittman, chancellor of the St. Louis Community College.

Photo by Wiley Price / St. Louis American

Drivers

Continued from A1

Many fear that their future wages will be garnished, and that they will no longer be eligible for unemployment benefits if they need them again in the future.

Given that school bus drivers in Missouri have a median salary around $30,000 a year as stated on Indeed and Glassdoor, these repayment amounts would require a large percentage of any one driver’s income.

Thacker said in an interview that the reason his union members were given for the overpayment was that they “had a reasonable assurance of a return-to-work date.”

Many area schools, however, have shifted their plans regarding reopening throughout this year as the coronavirus pandemic has affected the St. Louis area, with some districts reopening partially in-person, and others operating entirely virtually.

So, the idea that a returnto-work date was guaranteed, Thacker said, “is completely inaccurate … they had no reasonable assurance of a return-to-work date until about a week prior to the start of the school year.”

Thacker noted that the districts he represents are now paying bus drivers during the school year, regardless of

Candidates

Continued from A1

At this time, both jails need to remain open to provide the space needed to practice social distancing. We can’t pack them all in one jail or just release those remanded to our custody. As congregate living facilities, the jails will probably be on the early list for vaccines. After vaccinations, hopefully we can safely house all in one facility. I’m also focused on reduc-

whether they are driving their normal numbers of students or not. The latest national coronavirus relief package includes the option for states to waive unemployment overpayments where collection of these over-

ing the overcrowding in the morgue and emergency rooms due to the out of control gun violence in our neighborhoods. If the hundreds of murderers who are walking free on our streets are arrested, I will gladly find room for them in jail, while maintaining humane conditions.

Cara Spencer

The City of St. Louis operates two incarceration centers. Incarcerated persons between both facilities include people

payments would be “against equity or good conscience.” Missouri has not yet implemented this provision. The Missouri Department of Labor did not respond to a request for comment from the American. Thacker and the Teamsters

held on both state and federal charges. It is very rare, if ever, that someone is held under municipal violation. Under state law, the city is required to house those held on state charges, but the City of St. Louis chooses to contract with the federal government to house federal detainees. Both the state and federal governments reimburse a fraction of the cost of housing people, which means the city is subsidizing the housing of both sets of folks waiting for trial to the tune of tens of millions of

Local 610 union are advocating for relief on the state level, arguing that these bus drivers, along with the 11,300 other individuals in Missouri paid from the federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation fund since the start of the

dollars.

Eliminating the voluntary federal contract will free up more than enough space to eliminate the need to keep the Workhouse open, stop the subsidizing of federal prisoners saving us money and allow us to safely and swiftly close the Workhouse.

Andrew Jones

The Workhouse closure issue has been discussed for years, and I have yet to learn of any serious study that deter-

COVID-19 crisis, should not have to repay these benefits.

“I’ve had a whole lot of positive response from different state senators and representatives who agree that by no means these people should owe the money back,” Thacker said.

mines the building is no longer fit for human habitation.

Why hasn’t the city definitively determined if there are code violations and safety concerns making it uninhabitable? No well thought out remedy or remediation can take place without this information.

The Workhouse status is critical to operations.

Overcrowding at the City Justice Center is relieved by open capacity at The Workhouse. The proposed closure of The Workhouse would be costly.

Dan Thacker, Teamsters Local 610 representative, is working to help school bus drivers after the Missouri Department of Labor called for drivers to return unemployment benefits.

“In my mind … if the state did make a mistake and overpaid these people, it was federally funded money that was handed out to the state for this purpose, and I think it’s ridiculous that they ask for it back.”

The transfer of those detainees to other qualified facilities has a cost not only to the city, but to the citizens of St. Louis. Housing the inmates in facilities outside the St. Louis area creates unnecessary transportation costs for the city and puts a needless obstacle in the path of inmates being allowed to see their friends and families. The St. Louis American invites the voters of St. Louis to submit questions you would like to ask the candidates. Please send your questions to llockhart@stlamerican.com.

Photo by Wiley Price / St. Louis American

JAN. 28 – FEB. 3, 2021

Consumer advocates push President Biden in his first 100 days

By Charlene Crowell

For The St. Louis American

As President Joe Biden begins his term of office, the nation and much of the world are waiting and watching to see how his promises become policies and practices that relieve long-term and widespread suffering.

In his Jan. 20 inaugural speech, Biden said, “The American story is about the slow, yet steady widening of opportunity … Make no mistake: Too many dreams have been deferred for too long. We must make the promise of the country real for everybody — no matter their race, their ethnicity, their faith, their identity, or their disability.”

The 2021 inaugural also made history as former California Sen. Kamala Harris took the oath to serve the nation as its vice president. No woman has ever served in this key role, nor has an HBCU graduate. Yet in the aftermath of an administration that will likely be recorded as the worst in American history, a suffering nation is anxious for promises to become policies and programs that provide overdue relief.

range of issues from his predecessor. For example, on the international front, the 46th president ended the Muslim travel ban, rejoined two global efforts — the Paris Agreement on Climate Change and the World Health Organization.

Following his inauguration, Biden signed a series of executive orders, many of which repealed a

Other executive orders focused on domestic issues like ending construction on the wall along the U.S. border with Mexico, and extending the pause on student debt payments and interest, as well as moratoriums on evictions and foreclosures. Still, many advocates raised their

voices in pushing the Biden administration to do even more.

“It’s not enough to have an election and put new people into office,” the Rev. Dr. William Barber II, co-chair of the Poor People’s Campaign recently told the New York Times. “We must push and continue to push for the kind of public policy that really establishes justice.”

A still-ravaging pandemic that has taken more than 400,000 American lives is intertwined with an economic recession that has left 1.15 million workers unemployed in the first week of 2021, according to the Department of Labor. These

See BIDEN, A12

industry.

companies

Gentrification hurting St. Louis’ small manufacturing firms

Company

By Corinne Ruff St. Louis Public Radio

owners say municipal support is needed

The old Steelcote Manufacturing Company Paint Factory, shown in 2017, was recently converted into loft apartments. A new St. Louis University study finds when manufacturing companies close, the land shifts to commercial real estate and jeopardizes the industry.

The city of St. Louis is losing nearly seven small to mid-size manufacturing companies per year. When they go, their buildings are either left vacant or replaced with trendy coffee shops and loft apartments.

Sarah Coffin, an urban planning professor at St. Louis University, describes this shift in land use as “industrial gentrification.”

n “When industry decides to move, they have to decide that they want to stay in the city, because it’s no different moving from the city of St. Louis to St. Charles County, or to Texas.”

– Sarah Coffin

“It’s the displacement of industry,” she said. “And the argument that we’re saying is that when industry decides to move, they have to decide that they want to stay in the city, because it’s no different moving from the city of St. Louis to St. Charles County, or to Texas.”

Without more municipal support, Coffin said the city will continue to lose its most financially productive land, as real estate firms buy up old manufacturing facilities and push out those that remain. As an industrial neighborhood becomes increasingly populated with residents, she said, “it becomes this conflict.”

She said residents become frustrated with truck traffic, noise and smells, while manufacturing firm owners wonder what residents expected when they moved in.

Coffin studied the phenomenon in collaboration with Marc Bowers, executive director and founder of the manufacturing-focused nonprofit St. Louis Makes. Together, they interviewed the owners of 28 St. Louis firms to learn about the challenges they’re facing and what could help. They found that many manufacturers are struggling to hire qualified workers and come up with the money to repair aging facilities. The business owners are also growing increasingly frustrated that the city is focus-

Wentzville schools name Docket as marketing director

The Wentzville School District’s Board of Education has approved the hiring of Derrick Docket as director of marketing. This position was established as part of a strategic plan to open advertising opportunities within the district. Docket began his new role at the Wentzville School District in January; he will assist in developing a marketing and advertising plan with a roll out to the community tentatively planned for spring. Before coming to Wentzville, Docket was the associate commissioner of new media and technology for the Missouri Valley Conference, where he has worked for the past seven years. He has a Bachelor of Arts degree in graphic design/digital imaging with a minor in advertising and promotion from Missouri State University.

Parkway Schools honors Harsley, West High Class of 2007

The Parkway Alumni Association has inducted Rachel Harsley into the Parkway Alumni Hall of Fame. She is among 12 Parkway graduates named to the 2020 Hall of Fame. Harsley is the first African American woman to earn a Ph.D. from the University of Illinois at Chicago in computer science, according to a release from the school district. She was inspired to pursue a post-graduate degree while studying at Vanderbilt, where she attended chapter meetings of the National Society of Black Engineers. She enjoys technical challenges and has made significant contributions to several major corporations while employed or doing internships. To support programs that improve diversity in the tech industry, she contributes to online software programming resources, developed the ChiQat tutor application, and taught at Spelman College for a semester with the Google in Residence Program. She is employed by Google while living in St. Louis.

Pierson joins BioRankings as director of business development

BioRankings, a St. Louis-based consulting group focusing on statistical analytics and innovation, is pleased to announce the fulltime addition of Tommie Pierson Jr. who recently completed his second term in the Missouri legislature. Pierson brings a background in statistics, leadership and project management to the team, where he will actively build on BioRankings’ extensive client list in medicine, animal science, plant science and a variety of other industries.

The old Steelcote Manufacturing Company Paint Factory, shown in 2017, was recently converted into loft apartments. A new St. Louis University study finds when manufacturing

close, the land shifts to commercial real estate and jeopardizes the

Derrick Docket

Rachel Harsley

Tommie Pierson Jr.

Photo by Wikimedia

Charlene Crowell

Obenson named leader of International Institute of St. Louis

By Sophie Hurwitz

Of The St. Louis American

Attey Obenson, who has spent decades working to build economically and socially healthy communities in his native Cameroon, is bringing his experience as a lawyer, community leader, and immigrant to a new role: that of CEO of the International Institute of St. Louis.

He is succeeding Anna Crosslin, who has served as president and CEO of the Institute since 1978. Obenson has previously worked as co-founder and CEO of the consulting firm Transformunity, and has served as secretary general of Junior Chamber International, a St. Louis-based global youth leadership NGO.

Beginning Feb. 1, Obenson will be taking on the leadership of the Institute. This is at a time when the services provided, mostly centered around helping new immigrants and refugees settling in the St. Louis area,

Gentrification

Continued from A11

ing more on developing the central corridor than solving their issues.

Coffin said she shared initial findings with the St. Louis Development Corporation, which told her that it wasn’t aware of the industry’s needs but that it wanted to support them.

She said small and mid-size manufacturing firms are tied to vital job growth in the city.

“They’re career ladder jobs. Employees are in positions that are resume building. They’re building skill sets. So it’s not like getting a job at Walmart,” she said.

The study lists five recommendations the city could carry out to preserve the manufacturing sector:

are needed more than ever. Many new immigrants are, for example, finding the language barriers they would already experience heightened by the fact that they cannot attend in-person English classes. For those that are not yet U.S. citizens, stimulus checks were never delivered, and finding the jobs needed to retain visas is much more challenging as the job market shrinks.

The International Institute, which has been active in St. Louis since the 1930s, has had to adapt to the challenges of “broken communication channels” the coronavirus pandemic has caused, Obenson said. “The assistance that immigrants largely depended on is all slowed down. We’re finding creative ways to go around it, but it’s cumbersome.”

As Obenson pointed out, the most important aspect of successfully beginning life in a new country is integrating oneself into a supportive community. But the process of making

• Create a manufacturing-focused workforce strategy.

• Provide resources to address aging infrastructure needs.

• Streamline the permitting process.

• Develop a land use strategy that supports the needs of the current manufacturing sector.

• Help firm owners with retirement planning to ensure a stable company future.

Rob Rolves, owner of Foreman Fabricators, participated in the study. He recently purchased the 12-employee metal manufacturing firm after working there for more than three decades. It’s located in a small industrial neighborhood bordered by Interstate 44 to the south, railroad tracks to the north and Kingshighway to the west.

friends and connections and constructing a support network in a foreign place during the time of COVID is a challenge compounded by the inability to safely spend time in-person with others outside the home.

While some of the International Institute’s volunteers and clients have found ways around this issue, such as holding outdoor English practice and communication via a text-blast system, other tasks are made much more difficult.

some of the losses caused as many of its native-born young people leave.

St. Louis, like many other Midwestern cities, has a shrinking population overall, but a fast-growing immigrant population, which helps offset

Rolves said the neighbors have only changed twice in that time. Though recently, he said, someone tore down a warehouse near his to build a restaurant.

“The one next to us was a manufacturing building that had been closed for 10 to 15 years. And it was all covered in graffiti. And so I kind of liked that they’re cleaning it up,” he said. “But if they put in a shopping center there, what will that do? I don’t know the answer to that.”

Rolves said he doesn’t anticipate any problems with neighbors. He said he has more to worry about when it comes to working with the city. Rolves said he wishes the city would provide the same kind of support for manufacturing firms like his as they do for new tech companies.

For example, he rented

As the Institute’s strategic plan puts it, “immigrant newcomers are essential if St. Louis and other Midwest regions are to achieve their full economic and social potential in a world economy, which now favors America’s coasts rather than its Heartland.”

St. Louis does, indeed, depend on immigrants to keep its economy going: according to Reuters, if not for the influx of 15,000 foreign-born residents who arrived here, St. Louis’s chronic population shrinkage would

space to a startup fabricator and allowed it to use his equipment, he said. He was excited about the idea of supporting an entrepreneur, but as soon as the city found out, he was told he violated protocol. He said the situation became more complicated and expensive than it needed to be.

“You just get this whole feeling of like you’re just a cow to be called in when it’s your time to go to the butcher,” he said.

“It does not feel like the city — and I’m not saying they’re different than anybody else, I’m just saying what I’ve experienced — it doesn’t feel like they really care if we’re here or not.”

Growing entrepreneurship

St. Louis Makes Director

Biden

Continued from A11

updated unemployment figures also revealed that Black and Latina women have been hit hardest. This increase adds even more financial stress to the more than 7 million people who in the last week of December continued to rely on unemployment insurance.

“We applaud the extension of the eviction, foreclosure and student loans moratoriums, the institution of a 100-day mask mandate, and the rejoining of the World Health Organization, and are ready to work with President Biden, Vice President Harris, and our Senate partners to build on these measures with the swift passage of a comprehensive and bold relief package that meets the scale of this crisis,” said Washington Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal, chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus.

Scores of other advocates are focusing on ways to provide immediate relief in several ways. For example, student debt now totaling $1.7 trillion affects more than 44 million borrowers. The combination of

have been more than double the 10,000 recorded in that span.

For Obenson, encouraging immigrants and refugees to come to St. Louis isn’t the issue. It’s creating the infrastructure needed to convince them to stay. In 2019, Census data showed that St. Louis had the third-fastest-growing immigrant population in the United States.

“If we do not catch up to the speed that people come into the city, if we do not create opportunities … they’re going to move out. It’s one thing to have them coming in, but the next thing is: how do we make sure this talent stays here?” Obenson asked.

To do that, Obenson will have to use the community-mobilization and narrative-building skills he honed previously with Junior Chamber International. There, Obenson worked with young leaders across Africa and the Middle East to problem-solve and build resilience. He helps to use those community-building skills in

Marc Bowers sees a lot of opportunity to grow entrepreneurship in the manufacturing sector. But, he said, companies need more resources.

“I think that what we have is a missed opportunity in a lot of these smaller firms that we don’t have efforts around saving and growing and developing,” he said. “And as an alternative to that, we just let them sort of flounder. And it’s a really, really big loss for the region.”

Bowers said the problem is that smaller firms don’t have as many resources as larger ones to advocate for their needs to the city.

“Any concentration of manufacturing in the area eventually gets chiseled away and nibbled away and eroded away as those buildings are converted into restaurants and condos,” he said. “And once you start to

the pandemic with a recession have together worsened the ability of borrowers to manage loan repayments.

More than 325 organizations, including the Center for Responsible Lending, called upon the Biden administration to use its executive authority to cancel federal student debt on its first day. Originally sent this past November, the letter was updated on Jan. 15 with 85 additional signers.

In part, the letter advises, “The disproportionate impact of student debt on borrowers of color exacerbates existing systemic inequities and widens the racial wealth gap. Black Americans — and particularly Black women — are more likely to take on student loan debt and struggle with repayment. This burden is particularly acute for those Black students who are targeted by for-profit institutions, which also target veterans and often deliver poor instructional quality and outcomes at a high cost, causing a high proportion of students to drop out.”

It is important to acknowledge that Biden has called on Congress to cancel $10,000 of federal student loan debt per borrower and included reforming income-based repayment and loan forgiveness for bor-

making St. Louis a more immigrant-friendly space. That goal is also informed by Obenson’s own experience coming to St. Louis in 2002.

“There are various things that you have to walk in the shoes of an immigrant to understand,” he said. For example, life in St. Louis can be economically challenging as a new immigrant. In Obenson’s case, he struggled to find transportation from his home to his job in Chesterfield, given that he had no U.S. credit history with which to obtain an affordable car loan, and given St. Louis’ limited public transit network.

Through his work with the International Institute, Obenson plans to “change the narrative” around immigration by highlighting the centuries of immigrant history in the St. Louis area, and “build a community that has the capacity to embrace diversity.”

lose that base, then there’s no reason to advocate on behalf of a neighborhood, and you’ve just got one guy holding out.”

Bowers said this is happening in pockets across north and south St. Louis. One of the biggest problems, he said, is that many firms are struggling to hang on in their neighborhoods, and they don’t have a clear plan for the next generation of ownership. He said some owners have told him they believe their real estate is more valuable than their company. But Bowers wants to change that way of thinking and encourage more entrepreneurial-minded people to pursue careers in the manufacturing sector.

Corinne Ruff is the economic development reporter for St. Louis Public Radio, a reporting partner of The St. Louis American.

rowers in public service jobs in his higher education plans. However, these actions will help only some – not all -- of the borrowers now holding federal loan debt.

“Cancellation will help jumpstart spending, create jobs, and add to the Gross Domestic Product,” said Ashley Harrington, federal advocacy director and senior counsel at the center. “Short-term payment suspension alone is not enough to help struggling borrowers who are unemployed, already in default, or in serious delinquency.”

Curbing widespread and abusive debt collection practices in the first 100 days is another issue that should be an early priority. This $11 billion industry thrives on taking profits from financially distressed consumers, affecting an estimated 71 million consumers each year.

Long before the pandemic and its accompanying recession, debt collection complaints consistently topped the list of consumer concerns at the Federal Trade Commission and Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Although laws like the Federal Debt Collection Practices Act set guidelines for debt collectors, the lack of enforcement during the Trump years effectively allowed financial abuses in both lending and collection.

Payday loan regulation, promulgated by the consumer bureau’s first director, was rescinded during the Trump administration. In many ways the agency acted as an opponent of regulation, aiding businesses despite being created to serve as consumers’ financial watchdog. Consumers duped by unscrupulous lenders and creditors could no longer count on the bureau to hold bad actors accountable and make consumers financially whole. Biden has announced that he will appoint Rohit Chopra as the agency’s director. Kathryn Kraninger, the Trumpappointed director, resigned on Jan. 20. Charlene Crowell is a senior fellow with the Center for Responsible Lending. She can be reached at Charlene. crowell@responsiblelending. org.

Attey Obenson

Pay attention to the truth about what St. Louis County is doing to help Black community

North county is not being ignored

By John Bowman, president Charlie Dooley, vice president NAACP, St Louis County Branch

COVID-19 has hit the African American community hard. If you’re Black, you’re more likely to get COVID-19 than some other races. And you’re more likely to die from it too. These statements shouldn’t surprise anyone paying attention. Racial health disparities like these are wideranging and longstanding. These disparities are the result of systemic racism and the fact that the Black community’s needs have been ignored in the halls of power. But it is disturbing just how many people are willing to exploit these truths for their own gain. Some White and Black elected officials know just what to say to drive a wedge between Black people and the truth. And they’ve been doing just that with COVID-19.

So, let’s discuss what’s really going on here.

First, is north county being ignored? We’ve all heard It — that St. Louis County’s pandemic response turned a blind eye toward north county. But that’s just not true. The very first COVID-19 testing site that St. Louis County set up was in north county. And the first vaccination site the county set up was too. The county’s first mass vaccination site? North county.

North county benefited greatly from some strategic decisions about how to spend money.

One of St. Louis County Executive Sam Page’s first moves was to identify the Black community by name in legislation prioritizing COVID19 funding. He has since directed a disproportionate amount of funding to north county through rental assistance, food distributions, PPE and more. When our north county small businesses and municipalities worried about their ability to survive the pandemic, the county devoted 10s of millions of dollars in special funding to keep them going. When it comes to involving Black people in decisions about COVID-19, the county also

scores high. Michelle Mitchell, the manager running the county’s first vaccine clinic, is Black. As is the county’s new director of health promotion, Damon Broadas, who will play a critical part in community outreach during vaccine distribution.

Andrea Jackson Jennings, who as the county’s director of human services has played a big role in humanitarian funding, is also Black. To help plan its economic programs during and after the pandemic, Page appointed Rick Stevens from Christian Hospital. And the county has reached out to Black experts, like Dr. Jason Purnell, Deb Patterson, and others, to inform its response. And it’s not just inside players either. The county has even

involved average Black folks in deciding how money gets spent on COVID-19. The county only set up one participatory budgeting project — a project where everyday community members get to decide what programs get public funding — and it was focused on north county.

The county dedicated $7 million on those programs, putting the money where the community said it was most needed.

St. Louis County has partnered with community organizations that serve the Black Community. At the beginning of the pandemic , the county worked with Black churches to distribute masks to churchgoers. The county backed food and PPE distributions through funding to the Urban League and the NAACP. The

county funded utility assistance through Heat Up St. Louis.

The county provided $2.5 million to FQGC partners for providing COVID-19 testing and services in north county.

And, when other clinics shut down, the county kept its north county clinics open throughout the pandemic to make sure its predominantly African American and uninsured patients always had access to a doctor.

Politics can be dirty and truth sometimes becomes its victim.

But white and Black politicians alike who distort the truth to divide our community over COVID-19 should be ashamed

of themselves. Fighting the pandemic is just too important to play games. We’ve lost so many lives to COVID-19. One life is too many. And we’ve already seen 464 Black people die from COVID-19 in St. Louis County. But keep in mind that we only know that number because St. Louis County made history by publicly reporting the racial disparities in COVID-19. The truth is right there on the county’s website for everyone to see. If only we were all paying attention to what’s true and what’s just political mudslinging.

The county backed food and PPE distributions through funding to the Urban League and the NAACP.

“Taking Care of You”

Biden releases plan to stop pandemic

By Sandra Jordan

Louis American

Of The St.

The need for speed after a year of COVID19 is being addressed by President Joseph R. Biden, who on his first full day in office, released a 200-page “National Strategy for the COVID-19 Response and Pandemic Preparedness,” which is posted at whitehouse. gov. Of the worst public health crisis in a century, the plan states, “Just one year later, the

United States has experienced over 24 million confirmed COVID-19 cases and over 400,000 COVID-19 deaths. America has just 4% of the world’s population, but 25% of the world’s COVID-19 cases and 20% of all COVID-19 deaths.”

Biden said in his news conference on Jan. 21 that the darkest days of the pandemic are still ahead, with record numbers of cases, hospitalizations and deaths. The Biden plan is nationalized, with several goals, including restoring trust at home and

leadership abroad; a comprehensive vaccination campaign, and expanding mask wearing, COVID-19 testing, the health care workforce and public health standards.

The plan also focuses on providing resources to safely reopen schools, businesses and travel, while protecting workers; equity; and preparedness for future health threats.

As he outlined the plan, the president was accompanied by Vice President Kamala

See BIDEN, A15

Maurice Mosley, “The Hair Doctor” instigates political discourse

By Sylvester Brown Jr.

Of The St. Louis American

Maurice Mosley, owner of Paradise

Beauty Salon in Downtown St. Louis, has been cutting and styling hair since he was a teenager growing up in East St. Louis. His career spans decades of evolving Black hair styles such as press and curls, “blow outs,” the process, finger waves and the infamous “Jheri curl,” which he swears he introduced to East St. Louis in the 1980s.

Paradise Salon, at 1923 Washington Ave, like many other neighborhood beauty and barber shops, is a hotbed of heated conversations about local and national events.

Mosley, popularly known as “The Hair Doctor” (also the title of his 2017 self-published book) considers himself news-savvy. He has been the lead instigator and provocateur in his shop on all topics Donald Trumprelated. The former president, Mosley said, was a “disaster.” He liberally applied that word to what he described as Trump’s bungling of the coronavirus pandemic. At 68 with a heart condition and high blood pressure, Mosley fears contracting the disease. He has managed to keep his shop open. He and his workers instituted safe practices, but unknowns about the disease have kept him uneasy.

One thing that is not unknown is this: When the COVID-19 vaccine is available for the public, Mosley wants to be first in line. He used to argue with some of his customers about their fears of taking the vaccine but not anymore.

“I’m trying to keep myself together, I don’t have time for that,” Mosley said.

A COVID-19 paradox — overcoming disparities and vaccine mistrust

By Angela Brown, Bethany Johnson-Javois, Herb B. Kuhn and Will Ross

For The St. Louis American

The coronavirus pandemic has cast a spotlight on long-standing health disparities for Black and Brown people in the United States. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Black Americans are 1.4 times more likely to contract the virus, 3.7 times more likely to need hospital-level care and 2.8 times more likely to die from COVID-19, compared to white Americans. At 103 deaths per 100,000 residents, the rate of COVID-19-related mortality for Black Missourians is 1.9 times the rate for white Missourians and 1.4 times the rate for the entire state. The tragically disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on Black

Americans bears out in the latest national survey data from the Pew Research Center. In mid-November, 36% of Black respondents reported being “very concerned that they will get COVID-19 and require hospitalization.”

This was nearly twice the percentage of white respondents, 17% of whom were “very concerned.” In the same survey, however, Black respondents were the most reluctant group by far to indicate an intent to be inoculated when the vaccines become available — 42% compared to 61% of white, 63% of Hispanic and 83% of Asian respondents.

What paradox would explain the largest supply of very legitimate fear over COVID-19 coupled with the weakest demand for its cure within the same group of people? Institutional racism and the historical legacy of medical mistreatment is a condition of being Black in the

See MISTRUST, A15

CARE STL Health Immunization nurse Channay Brown gives a COVID-19 shot to Eric Benford at the clinic’s Biddle loca-

tion in the city’s Carr Square neighborhood Tue. Jan. 26, 2021.

Photo by Wiley Price / St. Louis American

“Taking Care of You”

Biden

Continued from A14

Harris and chief medical adviser Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. Biden said the plan was developed with input from Fauci and other experts and advisers. The White House is establishing a COVID-19 Response Office to coordinate the federal response to the pandemic. Decisionmaking in Biden-Harris unified plan is “driven by science and equity.”

In addition to his campaign for 100 million coronavirus vaccine shots in 100 days, in order to speed up vaccinations for the public, Biden’s plan states, “The president has developed a plan for expanding vaccine manufacturing and purchasing COVID-19 vaccine doses for the U.S. population by fully leveraging contract authorities, including the Defense Production Act; deploying onsite support to

Mosley

Continued from A14

“People are scared of it; they have all kinds of hang-ups and excuses. I have none.”

One of Mosley’s stylists, Tiffany Tilman, expressed similar exasperation:

“I feel a lot of Black people are being naïve about it. To be honest, we don’t really know what’s in our foods or drinks or anything so why wouldn’t you take a vaccine that’s gonna save lives?”

She remembers how afraid some parents were about their children getting the chickenpox vaccine about 20 years ago when her son, now 26, was young.

“When we look back on that, some people were afraid, but kids didn’t get chicken pox or any side effects. If a vaccine worked then, why not get one now?” Tilman asked. It seems public outreach and information about the vaccine has helped assuage the fear and skepticism of many people, including African Americans.

A poll conducted by the Kaiser Family Foundation from Nov. 30 to Dec. 8, 2020, found 71 percent of Americans are willing to take a “free and safe COVID-19 vaccine.”

Among Black adults 62, percent said they’d be willing to take the vaccine in the poll, up from 50 percent three months earlier.

Mistrust

Continued from A14

U.S.

The historical context of medical mistrust among Black and Brown people is both well-founded and well-documented. Termed “Medical Apartheid” by Harriet A. Washington in 2006, the root cause of medical mistrust, particularly among Black Americans, is founded in atrocities such as the government-sanctioned Tuskegee Syphilis Experiment, with pernicious effects that are perpetuated throughout generations. It should come as no surprise then, that fewer than half of Black Americans, trust a government-sanctioned vaccine developed at “warp speed.”

The speed of COVID-19 vaccine development, along with concerns about political interference with the process, has left some people skeptical about COVID-19 vaccines. An initiative termed “Operation Warp Speed” could be viewed as traversing the galaxy at a speed far faster than most Americans wish to tolerate.

monitor contract manufacturing operations; and purchasing additional FDA-authorized vaccines to deliver as quickly as possible,” and open up “as many venues as needed” as vaccination sites.

To monitor vaccine safety and effectiveness, “scientists are in charge of all decisions related to vaccine safety and efficacy. The FDA will also continue to honor its commitment to make relevant data on vaccine safety and efficacy publicly available and to provide opportunities for public, non-governmental expert input. Through expanded and existing systems, the CDC and FDA will ensure ongoing, real-time safety monitoring.

“Through it all, the administration will communicate clearly with the American public to continue to build trust around the vaccine and its benefits for individuals, their families and communities.”

Executive orders

Among a series of executive orders Biden signed on Jan. 21, mask-wearing is now required in all federal buildings, air-

Mosley may be ready and willing to get his shot but, as media savvy as he considers himself, he has no idea when he will qualify, how to get on a vaccination list or when or where to go to be inoculated. He’s not alone. COVID-19 vaccines are indeed available. But news accounts about irregular coronavirus shipments, federal and state limits of the vaccine and who qualifies to get vaccinated has many people, lacking clarity about when or how they can get vaccinated.

Federal regulators determine the amount of vaccine doses each state receives. State health officials then determine the order in which residents receive vaccines. They also define who fits into certain categories.

For example, Missouri has already initiated its “Phase 1A” and “Phase 1B categories that include health care workers, long-term care facility residents and staff, first responders and emergency service workers. Missouri began on Jan. 18m, vaccinating individuals in the “Phase 1B-Tier 2” group, which includes people with high risk factors and those 65 and older.

Mosley qualifies for this phase, something he was unaware of. He has not yet registered for his shot. Even if he did, it’s not as simple as registering and getting an appointment. States are having difficulty planning large scale vaccinations because the

And that tolerance threshold naturally is lower among Black and Brown people.

The paradox is that overcoming generations of wellplaced mistrust during the coming months is the only hope of reversing the devastatingly disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on Black and Brown people.

What we know about the vaccines:

Diversity: Clinical trials for vaccine development were designed to include diverse populations — 10% of participants in the U.S. were Black, 13% were Latinx, 6% were Asian and 1.3% were Native American.

Side effects: Known reactions to COVID-19 vaccines are similar in frequency and symptoms to those of influenza and other common vaccines. Most commonly, some trial participants reported pain at the injection site, headache, muscle or joint pain, chills, or fever following the second booster dose.

Severe allergic reactions occurred in one-half of 1% of participants — important-

planes, trains and certain other forms of public transportation in the United States. Passengers flying into the U.S. will need a negative COVID-19 test result “prior to departure and quarantine on arrival, consistent with CDC guidelines.”

Biden has also called on governors, public health officials, mayors, business leaders, and others to implement mask wearing, physical distancing, and other CDC public measures to control the virus.

and long-term, and expand surveillance for hotspots and variants.”

n The plan includes providing resources to safely reopen schools, businesses and travel, while protecting workers; equity; and preparedness for future health threats.

An executive order establishes a COVID-19 Pandemic Testing Board to oversee implementation of a “clear, unified approach to testing.”

There are plans to expand “rapid testing supply and double test supplies and increase testing capacity” by increasing “onshore test manufacturing, fill testing supply shortfalls, enhance laboratory capacity to conduct testing over the short-

The plan creates a U.S. Public Health Jobs Corps to provide support for community health workers and communities most at-risk,” and also “provide technical support for testing, contact tracing, and other urgent public health workforce needs to better prepare for public health crises.”

By invoking the Defense Production Act, Biden’s plan by executive order directs agencies to fill supply shortfalls using all available legal authorities to accelerate manufacturing, delivery, and administration to meet shortfalls in 12 categories of critical supplies, including “all the necessary equipment and material to accelerate the manufacture, delivery, and administration of COVID-19 vaccine.”

To support the safe reopening of schools, Biden’s plan

calls on the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to provide guidance on safe reopening using best practices learned from across the country. His plan also “restores full reimbursement for eligible costs necessary to support safe school reopening through the FEMA Disaster Relief Fund.”

Biden also calls on Congress to provide “at least $130 billion in dedicated funding to schools, $350 billion in flexible state and local relief funds that will help districts avoid lay-offs and close budget gaps, and additional resources so that schools can safely reopen, including funds to implement screening testing.”

Child care aid

For child care providers, Biden is asking Congress to provide “$25 billion in emergency stabilization to support hard-hit child care providers through the pandemic,” and for families who depend on child care, “$15 billion to help families struggling to afford child care.” Biden wants Congress to

number of vaccines delivered to each state vary from weekto-week.

“Hospitals don’t know how many doses they will receive until a day or two in advance,”

ly, the percent with severe reactions were similar among participants who received the treatment and placebo — individuals with a history of allergic reactions should discuss the risks with a physician before getting the vaccine.

Protection: The Pfizer vaccine, currently authorized for emergency use in the U.S., offers 52% protection after the first dose and 95% protection following the second dose. The Moderna vaccine offers 94.1% protection against COVID-19 after the second dose.

Age groups: The Pfizer vaccine is authorized for individuals ages 16 and older; it is anticipated that the Moderna vaccine will be authorized for individuals ages 18 and older.

Dr. Alex Garza, head of the St. Louis Metropolitan Pandemic Task Force, said in a recent St. Louis Public radio interview. He compared the city’s vaccine distribution system to building

viduals and people with underlying clinical risk factors. The second phase of distribution will focus on institutional residents and people with social risk factors, such as homelessness. The third phase expected to begin during the first half of 2021 will make the vaccines available to all Missourians.

n The path forward must recognize past bias and include “radical collaboration” with the communities that have been hardest hit to ensure we do not see another generation of unjust outcomes.

Priority groups: Health care workers and long-term care facility residents and staff will be prioritized first in Missouri followed by all elderly indi-

Cost: Depending on insurance and vaccination setting, some recipients may have to cover the cost of administration out of pocket; this should be less than $25. Importantly, the state of Missouri has stipulated that vaccinators cannot turn away individuals who cannot afford associated fees. The pandemic presents an opportunity for us to acknowledge and address past injustice by ensuring clear and honest communication, and prioritizing transparency, partnership and accountability with Black

provide paid leave to workers who go into COVID-19 quarantine and isolation.

“The recent coronavirus supplemental package passed by Congress did not extend the emergency paid leave mandate, leaving our country far less prepared to respond to the pandemic. President Biden has called upon Congress to put the requirement back in place and eliminate exemptions so that more workers are covered and expand emergency paid sick and family and medical leave benefits to over 14 weeks.”

To strengthen global cooperation, the U.S. is rejoining the World Health Organization and is supporting the “Access to COVID-19 Tools Accelerator,” joining the “COVID-19 Vaccines Global Access Facility”, and seeks to strengthen other existing multilateral initiatives, such as “the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations; Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance; and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria.”

Read the complete COVID19 national plan at whitehouse.gov.

ule your workforce and how your production line is set up. We can’t plan weeks out.”

Maurice Mosley, owner of Paradise Beauty Salon, is doing everything he can to stay safe and keep his staff and customers safe, as the coronavirus pandemic continues.

a bicycle without parts:

“If you had a bunch of bicycle frames but you weren’t sure how many tires you were going to get to complete the bicycle, it makes it really hard to sched-

and Brown communities.

The path forward must recognize past bias and include “radical collaboration” with the communities that have been hardest hit to ensure we do not see another generation of unjust outcomes.

Increased acceptance of the COVID-19 vaccine will depend on our institutions’ willingness to acknowledge and rebuild historically broken trust. An approach that recognizes the need for an honest conversation, including understanding what communities of color deem most important, while providing valid information in response, will be the successful approach. This will support informed decisions that support health and well-being.

COVID-19 vaccines are now being delivered to the state. The speed of development and scientific evaluation of its efficacy and safety are unparalleled in human history. However, the more daunting task of building trust around that safety and efficacy lies ahead, particularly in communities of color, which have been devastated by the virus.

Extracting the most value

Two major area health care systems, BJC HealthCare and SSM Health, recently announced COVID-19 vaccination sign-up portals. Although all providers have not received doses yet, the Missouri Department of Health and Human Services has posted a listing of all the vaccination sites in the state. People interested in signing up can also visit Missouri’s COVID-19 vaccine website.

Mosley spoke with a reporter with The St. Louis American the same day newly elected President, Joe Biden, announced his plan to administer 100 million doses of the vaccine during the first 100 days of his presidency. The plan includes using the Defense Production Act to increase production of the vaccine, setting up thousands of community vaccination centers, deploying mobile units to rural and underserved areas and making shots available at independent and chain pharmacies beginning in February.

As for Mosley, Biden’s plan gives him hope. He’s watching the news, looking for guidance and looking forward to leading a conversation in his shop about being vaccinated.

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

from the vaccine will require extraordinary leadership — including clear and honest communication by health care providers, policymakers, and both secular and faith-based community leaders. Missouri needs to maximize vaccine take-up to induce levels of population immunity required to mediate COVID19-related disparities for Black and Brown Missourians. As the vaccine extends to the general population, an “operation warp speed” of education and trust-building to reverse generations of conditioned skepticism is necessary.

Angela Brown, MPH, is CEO of the St. Louis Regional Health Commission; Bethany Johnson-Javois, MSW, is CEO of the St. Louis Integrated Health Network; Herb B. Kuhn, is president and CEO of the Missouri Hospital Association, and Will Ross, M.D., MPH, is associate dean for diversity, principal officer for community partnerships and Alumni Endowed Professor of Medicine, Division of Nephrology at the Washington University School of Medicine.

Photo by Sylvester Brown / St. Louis American

NEWSPAPER IN EDUCATION

NEWSPAPER IN

Planting the Seeds for Success!

What Is ASize?Serving

Visualizing Serving Sizes

Nutrition Challenge:

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

Warm Up & Cool Down

One of the reasons that we might overeat is because we just don’t really recognize what a proper “portion” looks like. (Portion is the size of the serving that you put on your plate.)

Balance is an important part of physical fitness. Balance relates to how steady and straight you can hold your body while doing different activities. Practice your balance by doing the most basic balance test. Stand on one foot, hold your arms out to your side and see how long you can hold this pose. Is it harder if you close your eyes?

Pill Safety

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

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

Only take pills (medicine) that have been given to you by your parent (or a doctor/nurse). Never take anything that is being offered by a friend just because they say it’ll make you “feel good.” Many school-aged kids die every year because their body has a bad reaction to pills

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

PRESENT:

Healthy Kids

Healthy Kids

To help you visualize what those portion sizes should be, here are a few examples using items that you are very familiar with their size.

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

For Other Examples, Visit: http://www.webmd.com/diet/ healthtool-portion-size-plate. Try coming up with your own visual portion size ideas!

Learning Standards: HPE

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

Now challenge yourself to increasingly difficult balancing actions. Try holding something heavy in one hand, leaving the other hand empty. Can you lean over (while still on one foot) and place the object on the floor? Can you stack a number of items on the floor while staying on just the one foot?

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

Do you think balance can be improved with practice? Try some different balance activities for several days in a row and see if your balance gets better the more you do them.

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

that they should not be taking. If someone offers you a pill, be sure to tell your parent or teacher. By helping to keep these pills away from others, you could be saving a life!

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

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

Healthcare Careers

Healthcare Careers

Eddie McCaskill, Psychotherapist

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

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

Learning Standards: HPE 2, HPE 5, NH 1

Learning Standards: HPE 1, HPE 4, NH 1

Cracker-wiches

Juice Jigglers

Ingredients: 8 Saltine crackers

Ingredients:

2 Cps Fruit juice

2 Large Strawberries

2 Pkts Unflavored gelatin

> What other ice hazards are there?

1 Tbsp Honey (optional)

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

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

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

Where do you work? I am a National Certified Psychotherapist working at Fathers and Families Support Center.

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

Where did you go to school? I graduated from Beaumont High School. I then earned a BA in Psychology from Pepperdine University, Malibu, California, an MA in Community Psychology from California State University, Carson, California, an MSW in Social Work from Washington University, St. Louis, and an EdD in Counseling Psychology and Behavioral Management from Grand Canyon University, Phoenix, Arizona.

What does a school nurse do? I assess the concerns of students who are ill, injured or experiencing alterations in their normal health. Nurses screen daily staff, students and visitors for safety. Monroe School is a pilot school for Covid-19 test sites in partnership with the city.

What does a psychotherapist do? I screen children, youths and families for traumatic experiences and depression which may create problems for them in life. I help to reconnect children with their mothers and fathers who may have been separated from them for a period of time.

Why did you choose this career? I chose this career to help children, parents and families to be healthy in all areas, including their emotional and psychological health, and to help young people work through their sadness and feelings when they lose a family member.

4 Tbsp Peanut butter

1 Tbsp Honey (optional)

Directions: Combine ½ cup of the juice with the gelatin in a bowl. Bring the remaining juice to a boil and pour over the gelatin/juice mixture. Add honey and stir. Pour into a loaf pan and chill until firm enough to cut into squares.

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

Why did you choose this career? I love nursing because there are many opportunities in hospitals, schools, clinics and offices, insurance, legal and research. My passion is working in the schools with students, parents, staff and community partners.

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

Learning Standards: HPE6, NH3

What is your favorite part of the job you have? It is important for parents, children, and families to grow emotionally and psychologically to develop into healthy adults and great, loving parents. It gives me great satisfaction when I see parents and children utilizing all of their God given abilities to reach their full potential. The goal is to make a positive impact and to make a difference in their lives.

Learning Standards: HPE6, NH3

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

Deborah Edwards, School Nurse

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

Questions or comments? Contact Cathy Sewell csewell@stlamerican.com or 618-910-9551

CLASSROOM SPOTLIGHT

STEM in action!

Bryleigh Lawrence, 8, incorporates the St. Louis American STEM page into her virtual lesson. Many teachers and parents appreciate having the e-edition to use in their science lessons.

SCIENCE CORNER

Social Media Safety

Computers and social media are becoming more and more popular with daily activities. There are many online games targeted to your age group that allow kids to make friends and talk with others. While this is exciting, it is important to remember to be courteous and safe.

First, set limits. Use your computer or device in a central location where your parents can see what you are doing. This will keep you accountable. As a family, set a limit to screen time—phones, TV, and computers. Adults and kids should follow this rule. Save time for reading, exercise, homework, clubs, family activities, etc.

SCIENCE INVESTIGATION

Second, keep all information private. Do not give out your first and last name, location, phone number, or address. If any site asks for this information, tell your parents. Do not tell this information to any friends you make online. As an added precaution, add your parent as a “friend” so they can see your interactions.

Finally, remember to use your manners. What you say and do online can be hurtful to others. Treat others the way you want to be treated.

Learning Standards: I can read a nonfiction article for main idea and supporting details. I can make text-to-self connections.

Tie-Dyed Milk

In this experiment using simple ingredients, you will observe milk as it takes on a tie-dyed appearance. This experiment uses surface tension.

Materials Needed:

• A Shallow Dish (such as a pie pan)

• Milk (for this experiment it works best if the milk is room temperature) • Food coloring (4 different colors is a good combination)

• Liquid dish soap • Toothpick

Process:

q Poor the room temperature milk ½ inch deep in the shallow dish.

w Put one small drop of each color of food coloring in the dish, spreading the colors out as wide as possible.

e Place one drop of liquid dish soap in the center of the bowl.

r You may want to dip a toothpick in the dish soap so that a small drop of soap remains on the end of the toothpick,

MATH CONNECTION

Try these fun math games with your family at home.

Race for $1

then touch the drop to the surface of the milk.

t Observe what happens.

Think of the following questions: What happens to the food coloring when you first put it in the milk? Why do you think that happened?

What happens when you add the drop of soap? What direction does the food color move when you first add the drop of soap? What direction does the food color move after the experiment has been running for a while? How long does the movement last? Does it slowly fade or stop suddenly? What happens if you add another drop of soap after the colors have stopped moving?

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

Family Game Night

In this game, you will practice your money skills. You will need 30 pennies, 10 nickels, 20 dimes, 1 quarter, a dollar, 2 dice and 2 players. The youngest person will go first. Roll both dice. Add the sum. Take that number of pennies. Once you have 5 pennies, trade for a nickel. Once you have 10 cents, trade for a dime. Players will continue taking turns rolling the dice. The first person to reach $1 wins!

Place Value Race

In this game, you will practice place value skills. You will need a deck of cards and 2 or more players. The object of the game is to collect all the cards. First, remove all cards from the decks that are not numbers. If two people are playing, divide the cards evenly between them. Each player turns over a card at the same time. Player 1 represents the 10s place and Player 2 represents the 1s place. The first player to say the number represented, gets to keep

both cards. For example, player 1 turns over a 6 and player 2 turns over a 3, the first person to say “63” gets to keep both cards. If you have 3 players, you will have the 100s, 10s, and 1s place represented.

Salute

In this game, you will need a deck of cards (only the cards with numbers) and 3 players. You will have Player A, Player B, and a Judge. Divide the cards evenly between Player A and Player B. Player A and Player B will sit facing each other, will draw a card, and will place it on their forehead. The judge will state the sum of these two numbers out loud. The first player to guess their number wins both cards. Keep playing until one of the players has won all of the cards.

Learning Standards: I can add, subtract, multiply, and divide to solve a problem. I can identify place value.

DID YOU KNOW?

SCIENCE STARS

African American Chemical Engineer and STEM Educator Tokiwa Smith

Tokiwa Smith grew up in Florida. She graduated from Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University with a bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering. She taught in Atlanta public schools, Georgia State University, Atlanta, and Spelman College. She has over 12 years experience working with STEM education.

Smith founded a group to expose urban youth to STEM called Science, Engineering, and Mathematics Link, Org. (semsuccess.org). She is also the CEO of Kemet Educational Services, which specializes in STEM educational activities. She writes for HBCU Lifestyle, which is a website for Historically Black Colleges and Universities. She is the Oakland contributor for the blog www. blackgivesback.com which focuses on African Americans who give back to their community. Her personal blog, entitled the Science Socialite can be found at www. thesciencesocialite.wordpress.com. Finally, she is also a member of the Coalition for the Public Understanding of Science (CoPUS).

In 2013, she appeared on Ebony Magazine’s Top 10 Twitter Tweeps to Follow. In 2014, she wrote the book “A Guide to Hosting STEM Events.” She also appeared on NPR’s Women Digital Thinkers Tweet for a Day.

To read an interview with Smith about her experience in STEM, visit: https://blogs. scientificamerican.com/urban-scientist/tokiwa-t-smithexposing-an-encouraging-urban-youth-in-science-and-math/. Learning Standards: who has made contributions in the fields of science, engineering, technology, and mathematics.

MAP CORNER

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

Activities — I Want That: Look through the items for sale in the newspaper advertisements. Choose an item you would like to have. Write a paragraph persuading your parents to buy the item for you. Make sure you include the point you want to prove, three or more supporting details, and a concluding statement.

Thinking Out

Loud: Identify and explain the message conveyed in a news story by sharing your thoughts. Read the story aloud. Pause occasionally to take turns sharing what you are thinking with others. Your thoughts can be in the form of a question, comment, or feeling about what is being read. Learning Standards: I can use the newspaper to locate information. I can write for a specific purpose and audience. I can make text-to-self connections.

Living It

sound The art of

By Kenya Vaughn

Of The St. Louis American

On March 13, 2020, Stephanie Weissberg, Pulitzer Arts Foundation associate curator, and other members of the organi zation guided a tiny group for a media preview of their upcom ing exhibition Terry Adkins: Resounding.

There were no handshakes. People were extra mindful of personal space — standing as far apart as possible while trying to remain close enough to catch the words of Weissberg, who curated the exhibition.

Social distancing was unfamil iar vocabulary at the time. Even still, the uncertainty and anxiety of how to safely engage while in the midst of a global pandemic was palpable.

But the power of art was illustrated as soon as the tour began. The group was instantly transported from the reality of fears brought on by a deadly virus and into the creative ingenuity of Adkins on display through the comprehensive, career spanning exhibition.

some major innovations into sculptural practice,” Weissberg said of Adkins, who died in 2014. “Especially its relation to performance and music and sound. That’s what he is known for.”

Unfortunately, the exhibition itself and the nearly six months of complimentary programming that was meticulously planned to celebrate the art and the artist became one of many experiences that COVID-19 impacted — even though virtual experiences were created to give context and insight.

Through appointment only visits and safe practices, guests were able to experience the expansive, somewhat encyclopedic display of his work through Terry Adkins: Resounding – which expresses Black history, music history and more than one St. Louis connection.

Originally scheduled to run through last August, The Pulitzer extended the run of the exhibition through Feb, 7. Guests can attend by private reservation only. Free 45-minute reservations can be booked by visiting Pulitzerarts.org.

A celebration of Blackness, music, art, faith and history and the intersectionality of visual and performance art, Terry Adkins: Resounding showcases the artist’s versatility and resourcefulness.

“Over his three-decade career, he really made

The exhibition is instantly striking in its scale. “We are helping to flush out his creative vision by including objects of really personal

Personal coach offers aid in photoshoots,

By Danielle Brown

Of The St. Louis American

n “Entrepreneurship is not easy. It’s not for the weak. It’s not for the emotional. But I wouldn’t trade it for anything.”

— Chi Anderson

“Sometimes

“Nothing is off limits for me when I’m helping my clients. I have lotion if they’re ashy. I have tissue if their nose is running. I have safety pins for adjusting. I have a mirror if they need

Harrold Sr. questions why American dream doesn’t always apply

sense of how they see themselves. While music

Keyon

Photo/AG Photography

Chi Anderson helps Lauren Spearman get into position for her photo shoot.

Photo courtesy of the Pulitzer Arts Foundation Terry Adkins Divine Mute (from Deeper Still), 1998 Aluminum, brass, nickel, and wood 77 x 77 x 21 1/2 inches (195.6 x 195.6 x 54.6 cm) The George Economou Collection © 2019 Estate of Terry Adkins and Lévy Gorvy, New York.

Photo courtesy of the Pulitzer Arts Foundation

Above: Terry Adkins Divine Mute (from Deeper Still),

The George Economou Collection © 2019 Estate of Terry Adkins and Lévy Gorvy, New York.

(Left) ‘Terry Adkins: Resounding’

exhibition featuring the works of the famed visual artist is currently on display at the Pulitzer Arts Foundation through February 7.

MC Tres

After assault on his son, Keyon Harrold Sr. questions why American dream doesn’t include them

By Kayla L. Dennis For The St. Louis American

After being attacked at the Arlo Hotel, Keyon Harrold Sr. asked, “When can a black man just be?”

I’m conflicted that I wasn’t surprised by the occurrence of the assault on Keyon Harrold Sr., Grammy winning artist, and his 14-year-old son, Keyon Harrold Jr., by a white woman.

I’m just thankful Key and his son lived to tell their story. As an African American, female and native St. Louisan, I navigate our country’s cultural principles of causation that reek of rotten, infectious injustices festering in the “isms.”

divide as a reality TV blasted the insurrection against our nation’s Capital [on Jan. 6].

Upon talking to Keyon within hours of the assault [on Dec. 26], I centered on their survival of the encounter, as far too often people of color lose life — Emmett Till murdered at 14, 382 + POC killed by police in 2020 — or freedom in like encounters.

n “You’re questioning my son’s dignity, you’re questioning everything I’m trying to build up in my son. I want him to be a whole human man, a whole Black man, a whole American.”

— Keyon Harrold Sr.

The magnitude of the poison punched me in the gut when two family members, Keyon and Key Jr., endured public humiliation, false accusations and physical assaults, from Miya Ponsetto, a woman who weaponized her perceived whiteness, and the Arlo Hotel.

My analogy culminates as a tourniquet tied to cut off racist, sexist, homophobic venom strangling my hope in humanity. Anyone who doubts my analysis is ripe. Get a glimpse of the depth of our cultural

I’m filled with indignation of the woman’s accusation that Key Jr. is a thief.

Keyon, a spirited, talented, conscientious young man, and Key Jr., a beautiful child are dear to my heart. My anger swells at the privilege of Keyon’s attackers as neither the woman nor the Arlo manager considered how their actions traumatized and impacted Key Jr’s. life. I question my tourniquet’s ability to swap life — thriving optimistically — for limb — numb existence.

I question why Keyon needed to protect his son from Miya Ponsetto’s physical assault as Arlo Hotel leadership and security opted to exacerbate the conflict inequitably.

Keyon stated, “The system is the thing that continually perpetuates the idea that we don’t belong, and that we should be

Chad, white male, Arlo operations manager, validated and empowered the racist woman over Keyon, Arlo’s registered guest, with no reasoning beyond her whiteness.

Keyon stated, “So that person (Chad) was way out of order. I called it out, he probably to this day doesn’t understand why he was wrong.”

Keyon was quick to assess he couldn’t trust the Arlo Hotel to protect them as the establishment would provide guests their value and regard.

Some ask why Keyon did not allow his son to surrender his iPhone.

Keyon’s response: “You’re questioning my son’s dignity, you’re questioning everything I’m trying to build up in my son. I want him to be a whole human man, a whole Black man, a whole American.”

Thank God Keyon was there to protect Keyon Jr. He exercised keen awareness of their reality by videoing the assault.

Keyon rose above frustration and anger seeking to further nurture his son’s spirit by validating and giving voice to pain inflicted and seeking accountability of the infringements of their rights.

“As Black people, we’ve always been fighting for the idea that we are worth something. That’s the reason we have Black Lives Matter… We are always in a fight to prove we exist, to prove we are important, to prove that we deserve,” Keyon said.

equally as our white counterparts. When a 14-year-old is literally tackled with this reality, we can no longer sustain, in a naive complicit state. In championing Keyon, I reflect on the wisdom of novelist Toni Morrison, “What can I do from where I am?” I know that my tourniquet, reactively tightening to ever-present racist venom, is not the antidote. We must address the ugly reality that widespread systemically racist, sexist, homophobic encounters are common, accepted, developing traits in our culture. To flourish, we must create antidotes that do not strangle life to include an awakening of conscience to produce positive change and holding privileged abusers accountable. We cannot create a false sense of security around income, lifestyle, and access. We cannot live numb or defeated, minimizing residual effects to victims of racist incidents and cultures. We must rally just causes and fight for equality for all. Keyon stated, “… this American dream — it’s always delegated to somebody else. That’s what needs to stop, what needs to change immediately.”

Call to Action: https://campaigns.organizefor. org/petitions/demand-that-quandrum-hospitality-group-takeresponsibility-for-enabling-a-racial-attack-on-my-child-1 https://tribeallgood.org/

asking for permissions to simply dwell.”

Arlo management elevated

St. Louis Public Library needs your help! Do you have memorabilia such as photographs, advertisements, letterhead, publications or office records from past and current black-owned businesses in the area? SLPL is seeking items to create an online collection dedicated to St. Louis’ black-owned businesses. Not ready to part with these items? Let us digitize them for use in the collection and return the originals to you. Contact the Rare Books and Manuscripts Department at Central Library at 314-539-0370 or specialcollections@slpl.org to get started.

the attack from a child being publicly verbally accosted to a child being physically attacked.

Fact is, they were accosted, because they are African American males. Our world does not value people of color

Kayla L. Dennis is Keyon Harrold Sr.’s aunt by marriage.

Grammy winning artist Keyon Harrold Sr. and his 14-year-old son, Keyon Harrold Jr.

sports eye

Aaron hammered home runs and racism during historic career

When 13-year-old me awoke on April 8, 1974, the evening could not arrive quick enough.

NBC would air the Los Angeles Dodgers at Atlanta Braves game that night. Henry Aaron had a chance to pass Babe Ruth as the all-time Major League home run hitter.

On April 4, Aaron tied Ruth’s mark of 714 home runs in a sparsely attended game in Cincinnati. Among those missing the historic Ruthtying home run was then

Commissioner Bowie Kuhn. Aaron told former New York Times sports columnist Bill Rhoden in 1999 the final months of the chase for Ruth’s record “carved a piece of my heart away.”

“It really made me see for the first time a clear picture of what this country is about,” he said.

“My kids had to live like they were in prison because of kidnap threats… I had to have a police escort with me all the time. I was getting threatening letters every single day. All of these things have put a bad taste in my mouth, and it won’t go away.”

On the CBS Morning News on April 8, Aaron shared a poem he received.

“With all your fortune and your fame, you’re a stinking [n-word] just the same.” Aaron, a monumentally great Baseball Hall of Fame member and Civil Rights Movement icon passed away January 22, 2021 in Atlanta.

Aaron tagged No. 715 that night before a national TV audience. I was overjoyed. Western Union shared proceeds with the United Negro College Fund (UNCF) for all congratulatory telegrams.

My parents let me send the first and only telegram of my

life. “Way to go, Hank” it read. Aaron was traded to the Milwaukee Brewers before the 1975 season and finished his career in the city it began. He retired with 755 home runs; a record that lasted until Barry Bonds hit No. 756 in 2007.

An outstanding defensive player for most of his career, Aaron retired with a batting average of .305, 2,297 RBI and a .374 on-base-percentage. What many white fans refused to recognize years ago is that Aaron began his

Henry Aaron was a member of 25 National League All-Star teams, including the squad in the 1972 game in Atlanta that also

celebration of his 715th home run.

“You look at the growth of this institution and then you start thinking about, ‘Where would I be if I had not played in the Negro Leagues?’” Aaron said.

“There were ballplayers far better than I had anticipated that helped me play the kind of baseball I dreamed about playing.”

The Aaron Roundup

Henry Aaron made his MLB debut in 1954 after the franchise moved to Milwaukee. It would then move to Atlanta, making Aaron the first star professional athlete in any sport to play in the “Deep South.”

professional baseball career in the Negro Leagues. He signed and played for the Indianapolis Clowns in 1952 before he was drafted by the Boston Braves. He made his MLB debut in 1954 after the franchise moved to Milwaukee. It would then

InsIde sports

move to Atlanta, making Aaron the first star professional athlete in any sport to play in the “Deep South.” Aaron was honored in Kansas City in 1999 during The Negro Leagues Baseball Museum’s 25th Anniversary

Henry Aaron was the last player from the Negro Leagues to be a Major League regular…Aaron was the 1957 NL Most Valuable Player with the Milwaukee Braves and was a member of 25 AllStar teams…Subtract all 755 home runs and Aaron would still have 3,016 hits…Aaron’s 2,297 RBI and 6,856 total bases are right there with Joe DiMaggio’s 56-game hitting streak…Aaron was 20 when he hit home run No. 1. He was 42 when he hit his last. Aaron won his first betting title at 22 in 1956 with a .328 average. At 37 in 1971, he had his most prolific homerun season with 47… Aaron campaigned on behalf of John F. Kennedy in 1960 in Milwaukee and is credited with helping JFK carry the state of Wisconsin. His support of Bill Clinton helped him win Georgia in 1992… In 2001, Clinton honored Aaron with the Presidential Citizens Medal…Aaron’s first visit to Busch Stadium after surpassing Babe Ruth was on April 30, 1974. He hit a home run, the Cardinals won 7-2 and just 15,996 attended the Tuesday night game. The next evening, just 14,202 witnessed the Braves’ 6-5 win. Aaron returned for a four-game series in July and had just four at-bats. A Friday night double header featuring Bob Gibson drew more 47,900 fans.

Standouts in girls high school basketball

The one thing that has been a given about area high school basketball throughout the years is that the Vashon Wolverines boys’ team will always be in the state-championship hunt and this year is no different. What is different about this season is that the boys may have some company. The Vashon girls’ team is a program on the rise under the leadership of head coach John Albert and a definite threat to make a deep postseason run as well. Albert guided the Wolverines to a district championship in Class 4 last season, which was the program’s first in nearly two decades. This season, the Wolverines were 8-0 heading into their Tuesday night showdown with nationally-ranked Incarnate Word Academy.

Vashon has already posted impressive victories over Lutheran North, Webster Groves and Lift for Life. With the talent and experience on hand, the Wolverines will definitely be a team to watch

in Class 4 once the postseason rolls around in just over a month. The Wolverines’ top returning player from last season is 5’11” sophomore Raychel Jones, a versatile performer who can play virtually any position on the floor. She is averaging a team-high 12.9 points a game on a very balanced team this season. Jones is one of the top high school prospects in the state’s Class of 2023. Vashon has been bolstered by a talented group of transfers that will make them a potentially dangerous team in March. Senior guard Marshaun Bostic came over from Gateway STEM when the Jaguars program did not field a team this season. The 5’10” Bostic is an Auburn signee who is also one of the area’s top guards. She is averaging nine points a game. Bostic is one of the fastest guards from end to end with the basketball in the state. Senior point guard Nariya Simmons is a Hazelwood Central transfer who was a

key cog in the Hawks’ Class 5 Final Four team last season. Simmons is currently averaging 12.6 points a game while providing ball-hawking defense. Junior Azaria Moore is a 5’11” transfer from Granite City who is averaging eight points a game. Senior guard Kiyah Cooper averages 11 points a game while 5’11” sophomore Kanitra Barnett and

5’8” senior Chrissy Dudley are valuable contributors.

Freshman of Influence

There are some very talented freshmen in the St. Louis area who have been making an immediate impact on their respective schools at the varsity level. Here is a look at some of the top freshman.

• Chantrel Clayton (Cardinal Ritter): The talented 5’7” point guard leads a very talented freshman class at Ritter, which is currently 12-4. She is averaging 14.3 points, three assists and two steals while shooting 38 percent from 3-point range.

• Alyssa Lewis (Ladue): The 5’7” combo guard is averaging 13.9 points, 5.5 rebounds, two assists and two steals a game while making a team-high 33 3-pointers. She is a talented offensive player who can create a shot at any time.

• Hannah Wallace (Cardinal Ritter): A very skilled 6’1” forward who is averaging nine points and three rebounds while making 27 3-pointers on the season for the 12-4 Lions.

• Allie Turner (John Burroughs): A talented 5’8” point guard who is currently averaging 13.4 points, six assists and three steals a game while shooting 43 percent from 3-point range.

• JaNyla Bush (Whitfield):

A 5’5” point guard who has made a nice impact on a talented Warriors team that is currently 12-3. She is averaging seven points, three assists and two steals a game.

Dynamic Duo at Pattonville

The Pattonville Pirates got off to a slow start this season, but they have been on a roll lately with a five-game winning streak to improve their record to 7-10. The catalysts for the Pirates turnaround is their talented sophomore backcourt combination of Jasmine Gray and Cami Stacker. Both guards have been stuffing the stat-sheet in every category this season. The 5’8” Gray is averaging 17.6 points, 7.8 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 3.9 steals while making 50 percent of her 3-point attempts. The 5’5” Stacker is averaging 15.8 points, 5.9 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 3.6 steals a game. The Pirates are lead by head coach Donnie Boyce, who was a former star player at Pattonville in the 1990’s.

With Earl Austin Jr.

Alvin A. Reid

Earl Austin Jr.

With Alvin A. Reid

featured St. Louis Cardinals Joe Torre, left.

Vashon’s Nariyah Simmoms (10) is double-teamed by Lift For Life’s Daniyah Ward (3) and Kanise Mills (23) during game action recently. The Lady Wolverines would defeat the Hawks of Lift For Life 46-36.

Photo by Jeffery Salter

Photo by Wiley Price

Lead us to unity: A plea to America’s Christian churches

By Keith Magee For The St. Louis American

From

siege to the

the chasms between

reflected those in our society: they were split into mask wearers and mask refusers, those who saw a domestic terror attack and those who saw a patriotic protest, those who feared for the very future of America and those who refused to condemn the president who had incited the violence. Many terrified lawmakers sought comfort in their faith. Congresswoman Lisa Blunt Rochester, D-Delaware, was heard praying for her colleagues and for all those who were trying to protect them from the marauding thugs. Some of those thugs were carrying signs bearing Christian symbols and phrases. The motto of our democracy, once admired the world over, is ‘In God We Trust’. How tragic, then, that the tensions that have been threatening

Photo Ted_Eytan/Creative

to overwhelm us for so long exploded in an assault on the seat of the power of the people. Where, you may ask, is our belief in the God in whom we trust now?

Many faith leaders are grappling with how to convey the message of Jesus Christ in these turbulent times. But before we can even begin to rise again, we must overcome a major obstacle in our path — a divided gospel.

The Capitol riot was led by White supremacists whose racist ideology is deeply embedded in how the assailants understand God, practice Christianity, and see humanity, and has been for centuries.

The leaders of the White Evangelical Church of America, whose members have twice voted overwhelmingly for Trump, have often been shockingly silent while that president has fanned the flames of hate among their own believers.

That same Church must now be responsible for speaking out to counter White extremist mob violence and terrorism:

‘If your brother is in a fault, let those of you who are spiritual restore him.’ (Galatians 6:1).

Only then will the White Evangelical Church be able to play the vital role we need it to play in healing America’s soul.

For their part, Black Christian church leaders have sometimes struggled to find the words to calm and comfort their angry, frightened congregations, worried that their lives do not matter to those sworn to protect them. Black Christian leaders must now also preach forgiveness and love.

I’m not saying that this will be easy. But, in the midst of so much resentment, fear, and hurt, when I sit still with myself and ask, “What does God require me to do in this moment?”

The answer is always the

same: love thy neighbor as yourself. Even if they disagree with you. Even if you find their behavior despicable.

Our fear of the ‘other’ cannot be allowed to win out over this call to love. Jesus chose his words carefully so that they would count the most when we are angry and terrified. His message of love counts the most when we are tempted to turn inward but should instead be reaching out.

American Christians, whether they live in Black, Brown or White skin, all believe in the same Jesus. We all share the core values of love and peace. I stand in the hope that Christianity and its love for all humankind — ‘neither Jew nor Gentile, bond nor free’ — can truly be one of the tools to make our country whole. I pray that our Black and White Christian Churches will now work together to find common ground; they must model the path to unity so that every American citizen can aspire to follow it.

Keith Magee is a theologian, political advisor and social justice scholar. He is chair and professor of social justice at Newcastle University and senior fellow in culture and Justice at the University College London. He founded The Social Justice Institute in 2014, while in post at Boston University, which remains the hub for his independent work and research. He is also the Lead Pastor at The Berachah Church. http:// www.4justicesake.org/prophetic-new-products

In training or not, tests keep coming

By James Washington For The St. Louis American

There is a perspective in our faith that I subscribe to and it is that our challenges and tests are an integral part of God’s plan to ready us for the struggle of spreading the good news of Jesus Christ.

Some believe suffering in some ways is a prerequisite for strengthening one’s spiritual muscle. If you believe physical exercise is necessary for your overall health, then it stands to reason that spiritual exercise is good for the soul.

My belief is that God teaches in a manner few of us will ever truly understand. I honestly believe that when He chooses you, when it’s your time,

He has a unique way of preparing you and communicating who’s really in charge. And, if the truth be told, it ain’t us.

tailspin of perceived despair and hopelessness, each one of us is being battle tested in anticipation that one day, we will be called to arms. This struggle, these experiences, they bring about wisdom; a spiritual wisdom from a spiritual perspective that I believe must be shared. It must be. Otherwise, God keeps you in a perpetual classroom where life constantly gives you a new place to go to the bathroom. You haven’t learned anything, so life keeps kicking your … well, you get the picture.

Columnist James Washington

That’s right! When God is talking to you, you eventually come to know it.

Take notes on this: “No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but (rather) painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.” Hebrews 12:11.

As far as I’m concerned, we’re all in training, believe it or not, to fight in God’s war. Whether being forged in a fiery furnace or stuck in a

When you finally realize the one trying to tell you something is God, then a wondrous thing begins to happen. You listen more intently and learn more eagerly.

When God has been the lesson planner, the study partner, the instructor, it doesn’t matter how much Satan wants it to be a NetFlix Night. “Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love Him.” James 1:12. Our job then is to recognize and represent; recognize the hell we’re going through is not without purpose. The most important message of the day is to understand who (Jesus) has suffered the most and why. “It is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the Kingdom.” Luke 12:32.

Columnist Keith Magee

Commons License

ACCOUNTING

Full-Time Accounting Assistant

Proficient in Accounts Payable & Excel Spreadsheets. Working knowledge of Accounts Receivable. Understands General Ledger and Financial Reports.

Professional phone etiquette & customer service skills.

Email resume with qualifications and work experience to: rbritt@stlamerican.com

Subject: Accounting Assistant Or you may mail to: St Louis American Newspaper Attn: Accounting Assistant 2315 Pine Street, St Louis, MO 63103 NO PHONE CALLS PLEASE

CUSTODIAN

The St. Louis County Library District is seeking applicants for the position of Full-time custodian at our Eureka Hills Branch. Responsibilities include mopping, buffing, waxing and vacuuming floors, cleaning offices and restrooms, and other duties. Hours: Monday – Friday, 40 hours per week, weekends may be required. Salary: $25,862.00 plus benefits and paid vacation. Apply online at: www.slcl.org

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER.

CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSIONER REPLACEMENT

Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District’s Board of Trustees is accepting resumes for appointment to the District’s Civil Service Commission. Candidates must be a resident and registered voter in St. Louis City or County for three years prior to appointment and for the duration of their term on the Commission. Ideal candidates must have daytime flexibility and some Human Resources experience.

Civil Service Commissioners convene several times a year for personnel administration and employee disciplinary hearings in accordance with MSD’s Civil Service Rules and Regulations. Each Commissioner is compensated $20 per meeting, with a maximum annual sum of $500.

Please submit cover letter and resume on or before 01/31/2021 to:

Tracey R. Coleman, Director of Human Resources Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District 2350 Market Street St. Louis, MO 63103

Information may also be emailed to: CSCommissioner@stlmsd.com

THE BRENTWOOD SCHOOL DISTRICT SEEKS TO

HIRE

THE FOLLOWING POSITIONS

Elementary English Language Arts Interventionist (Teacher) Elementary Math Interventionist (Teacher)

Positions will provide intensive English Language Arts and Mathematics curriculum to students.

Terms of Employment/Pay:

• Full-time, 9-month teacher contract, 189 days (first year); exempt

• Board paid medical, dental and vision for employee

• Participation in PSRS, a defined benefit pension plan

• Salary range: $44,300 (BA) - $63,279 (Dr.); salary commensurate with experience, external hires are hired in up to step 7 on our salary schedule.

Visit the following website for instructions on how to apply and view our hiring timeline www.brentwoodmoschools.org Click on the Menu tab in the upper right corner and then click on Join our Team/Employment.

Application materials must be received by the through the above process by 11 p.m., Monday, February 1, 2021. Please No Phone Calls. EOE.

CLAIMS ANALYST

Responsible for handling assigned claims from initial assignment to closure, as well as provide assistance in various administrative functions associated with the Excess WC LOB.

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

DIRECTOR

The Behavioral Health Network of Greater St. Louis (BHN) is seeking a Director of Behavioral Health Clinical Redesign. We are a collaborative effort of providers, advocacy organizations, government leaders and community members dedicated to developing an accessible and coordinated system of behavioral healthcare throughout the eastern region of Missouri. The position can be found here https://www.bhnstl.org/ career-opportunities and you can send a cover letter with salary requirements and your resume to bhn@bhnstl.org

EXTREME RECRUITER

The Foster & Adoptive Care Coalition is hiring a full-time Extreme Recruiter to work exclusively with the hardest-toplace children through permanency preparation and intensive adoption recruitment efforts. The position requires the recruiter to carry out all aspects of multi-faceted, child-specific adoption recruitment. Each case requires the Extreme Recruiter to facilitate team meetings with the goals of ensuring a system of supportive adults and identifying a permanent resource committed to adoption or guardianship for participating youth. Bachelor’s degree in a related field is required. Additional job requirements can be found at https:// www.foster-adopt.org/employment/ The successful candidate will: 1) have previous experience in the stated duties; and 2) demonstrate affinity to the Coalition’s values of equity, family, diversity, innovation & excellence, inclusion, integrity, courage, and teamwork & collaboration. end your resume and cover letter to Denise Kelley at denisekelley@foster-adopt.org. Applications without a well-written, thoughtful cover letter stating your passion and qualification for serving our population will not be considered. The Foster & Adoptive Care Coalition is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

TO ADVERTISE YOUR JOB OPPORTUNITY

EMAIL: Angelita Houston at ahouston@stlamerican.com

and remote

to

position reports to the Director of Information Systems and works closely with the Technology Manager, but is the first point of contact when staff need help. Bachelor’s degree in a related field preferred. The successful candidate will: 1) have previous experience in the stated duties; and 2) demonstrate affinity to the Coalition’s values of equity, family, diversity, innovation & excellence, inclusion, integrity, courage, and teamwork & collaboration. Serious candidates will accompany the resume with a thoughtful, introspective cover letter and email both to melaniescheetz@ foster-adopt.org. The Coalition is an equal opportunity employer.

St. LouiS american Bids & Public Notices St. LouiS american

TO ADVERTISE YOUR BID, PUBLIC NOTICE, EMAIL ahouston@ stlamerican.com

NOTICE TO CONTRACTORS

Sealed bids for the Villa Dorado Drive Culvert No. C-2-416, St. Louis County Project No. CR-1712 will be received electronically thru the County’s Vendor Self Service portal at https://stlouisco.munisselfservice. com/Vendors/default.aspx, until 11:00 a.m. on February 17, 2021.

Plans and specifications will be available on January 18, 2021 from the St. Louis County Web Site (www.stlouiscountymo.gov) or by contacting Cross Rhodes Print & Technologies, 2731 South Jefferson Avenue, St. Louis, MO 63118 (314) 678-0087.

BID NOTICE

The City of Crestwood is seeking request for proposals for consultants for the Whitecliff Park Quarry Enhancement Project, Phase 2. This is an equal opportunity bidding event. Please call (314)729-4860 for more information. Qualified consultants may obtain a bid packet at www.cityofcrestwood.org Submittal deadline is January 29, 2021 at 2:30 pm. The bids will to be received at the Crestwood Community Center, 9245 Whitecliff Park Lane, Crestwood, MO 63126.

NOTICE TO CONTRACTORS

Notice is hereby given that The Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District (District) will receive sealed bids for MARTIGNEY CREEK STREAMBANK STABILIZATION - FAIRWICK AND GOLDEN VALLEY BANK STABILIZATION (MGMB-150) under Letting No. 11481-015.1, at this office, 2350 Market Street, St. Louis, Missouri 63103, until 03:00

Notice

NOTICE TO CONTRACTORS

U.S. Department of Transportation

Public Meeting Notice

The opportunity for you to talk directly with Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and Federal Transit Administration (FTA) in an open house meeting concerning your views on the transportation planning process in the St. Louis Metropolitan Planning Area is scheduled for:

Time: 5:00 – 7:00 p.m.

Date: Thursday, January 21, 2021

Place: Virtually via online platform. Link is available on the East-West Gateway Council of Governments (EWG) website at www.ewgateway.org

This public meeting is a part of a review that will assess compliance with Federal regulations pertaining to the transportation planning process conducted by the EWG, Missouri Department of Transportation, Illinois Department of Transportation, Metro Transit Agency, Madison County Transit Agency, and local units of government in the St. Louis metropolitan area.

BID NOTICE

Great Rivers Greenway is seeking Bids for Mississippi Greenway: Walnut Bridge Canopy Repair. Go to www. greatriversgreenway.org/ jobs-bids/ and submit by February 10, 2021.

BID NOTICE

The City of Beverly Hills is soliciting qualifications to perform architectural/ engineering services to repair inlets and sidewalks. Sealed Bids due Friday, Feb 5, 2021, 10:00 a.m. at 7150 Natural Bridge Rd Ste 101, Saint Louis, MO 63121

If you are not able to attend this scheduled public meeting, please address your comments to: Brad McMahon FHWA- Missouri Division 3220 West. Edgewood, Suite H Jefferson City, MO 65109 OR Eva Steinman FTA Region VII 901 Locust, Room 404 Kansas City, MO 64106

Individuals who need an accommodation for the meeting should contact EWG by email at titlevi@ewgateway.org or phone at 314-421-4220 or 618-274-2750. A request for an accommodation should be submitted to EWG at least 48 business hours prior to the meeting.

ST. LOUIS COMMUNITY COLLEGE

Responses for St. Louis Community College on RFQ-B0004040 for Legal Consulting Services will be received until 3:00 P.M. (local time) on Friday, February 19, 2021 at the Dept. of Purchasing, 3221 McKelvey Road; Bridgeton, MO 63044, and immediately thereafter opened and read. Bid documents can be accessed on our website at www.stlcc.edu/purchasing

NOTICE TO CONTRACTORS

PUBLIC MEETING / OPEN HOUSE

East-West Gateway Council of Governments is seeking comment on its proposed Title VI Program. The public comment period runs from Monday, January 25, 2021 through Thursday, February 25, 2021, during which time the document will be posted online at www.ewgateway.org/ titlevi

The public is invited to view the document at one of two, virtual, open house style meetings that will take place on February 9 and 17, 2021. Times and locations can be found online at www.ewgateway.org/titlevi. Questions and requests for an accommodation for an open house should be submitted to EWG at titlevi@ewgateway.org or (314) 421-4220 or (618) 274-2750. A request for an accommodation should be submitted to EWG at least 48 business hours prior to an open house. All comments on the document must be received or postmarked by midnight on February 25, 2021. Send comments to: titlevi@ewgateway.org or Attn.: Title VI Program Comments, East-West Gateway Council of Governments, 1 S. Memorial Dr., Suite 1600, St. Louis, MO 63102.

REQUEST FOR BIDS

Sealed bids for the 2020 Accessible Ramp Improvements (2020-PW-02) will be received by the City of Chesterfield Department of Public Works, 690 Chesterfield Parkway W, Chesterfield, Missouri 63017-0760, until 9:00 a.m. (prevailing central time) on Tuesday, February 16, 2021 and will thereafter be publicly opened and read aloud.

This activity is funded in whole or in part with Community Development Block Grant funds pursuant to Title I of the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974, as amended. All applicable federal regulations shall be in full force and effect.

Plans and specifications for this project will be available after 12:00 noon on Tuesday, February 2, 2021 on the City of Chesterfield’s website: https://www.chesterfield.mo.us/ request-for-proposals.html.

ST. LOUIS COMMUNITY COLLEGE

Responses for St. Louis Community College on RFP-B0004037 for Independent Audit Services will be received until 3:00 P.M. (local time) on Monday, February 15, 2021 at the Dept. of Purchasing, 3221 McKelvey Road; Bridgeton, MO 63044, and immediately thereafter opened and read. Bid documents can be accessed on our website at www.stlcc.edu/purchasing

ST. LOUIS COMMUNITY COLLEGE

Responses for St. Louis Community College on RFQ-B0004040 for Legal Consulting Services will be received until 3:00 P.M. (local time) on Friday, February 19, 2021 at the Dept. of Purchasing, 3221 McKelvey Road; Bridgeton, MO 63044, and immediately thereafter opened and read. Bid documents can be accessed on our website at www.stlcc.edu/purchasing

ST. LOUIS COMMUNITY COLLEGE

Responses for St. Louis Community College on IFBs-B0004043, B0004044, B0004045, and B0004046 for Welding Equipment, Welding Booth Equipment, Pipe Tables and a Manifold System will be received until 2:00 P.M. (local time) on Wednesday, February 1, 2021 at the Dept. of Purchasing, 3221 McKelvey Road; Bridgeton, MO 63044, and immediately thereafter opened and read. Bid documents can be accessed on our website at www.stlcc.edu/purchasing

ST. LOUIS COMMUNITY COLLEGE

Responses for St. Louis Community College on RFP-B0004042 for Student Support IT Help Desk Services will be received until 3:00 P.M. (local time) on Friday, March 5, 2021 at the Dept. of Purchasing, 3221 McKelvey Road; Bridgeton, MO 63044, and immediately thereafter opened and read. Bid documents can be accessed on our website at www.stlcc.edu/purchasing

METROPOLITAN ST. LOUIS SEWER DISTRICT ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI

BISSELL POINT WWTF FOAM SUPPRESSION SYSTEM (IR) CONTRACT LETTING NO. 13511-015.1 ADVERTISEMENT FOR BIDS

Notice is hereby given that The Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District (District) will receive sealed bids for Bissell Point WWTF Foam Suppression System (IR) under Letting No. 13511015.1, at this office, 2350 Market Street, St. Louis, Missouri 63103, until 02:00 PM on Tuesday March 9th, 2021. All bids are to 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. Bids may also be submitted electronically via stlmsdplanroom.com. Refer to the Contractor’s Notice Page within the Bid Form for additional information on electronic submission of bids. A general description of the work to be done under these contract documents is described as follows.

• Installation of a foam suppression system that is comprised of spray nozzles suspended above the flow channel of the final outfall structure. The system will include a backflow preventor and water service line to a City of St. Louis water main.

The Engineer’s Opinion of Probable Cost for this project is $278,000. Bids will be received only from companies that are pre-qualified by the OWNER’S Engineering Department for: Mechanical/Electrical/Plumbing or Building Construction.

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 2731 S. Jefferson. St. Louis MO 63118. 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 in accordance with Article 6 of the instructions to Bidders.

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL

L. Keeley Construction Co. is soliciting Proposals for the Trans Chemical –New Warehouse Facility Project located at 5021 Benedict Ave, St. Louis, MO 63147. Scope of work includes but is not limited to the following: Construction of a 25,000 SF Pre-Engineered Metal Building on a 2 acre site with loading docks, office space, lab, and other various scopes in Divisions 1-16. Proposals are due to L. Keeley Construction no later than 12:00 PM Central Time February 26, 2021. The Owner has adopted a comprehensive Inclusion Program for the construction phase of the Project which includes, but is not limited to, the following. Enterprise: 21% African American-owned business enterprises, 2% Hispanic American-owned business enterprises, .50% Asian American-owned business enterprises, .50% Native American-owned business enterprises and 11% Women-owned business enterprises. Workforce: 25% Minority, 7% Women, 23% City Residents and 20% Apprentices. For all inquiries, please contact Alex Ball aball@lkeeley.com

AUCTION NOTICE

The following people are in debt to Gateway Storage Mall of Belleville, Columbia, & Dupo. The contents of their storage unit(s) will be sold at auction to compensate all or part of that debt. Auction will be held online with www.storageauctions.com starting on February 17, 2021 at 10:30 PM. A cash deposit will be REQUIRED for all winning bids. We will require all units completely cleaned within 72 hours of auction closing.

Col. A014 – Sarah Woodard, Dupo 401 – Morris “Junior” Macke, Dupo 403 – Roy/Amanda Venus, Dupo 418 –Jessica Nixon, Dupo 76 - Jessica Nixon, Dupo 202 – Jim White, Dupo 414 - Kim Anderson, Dupo 85 - Samantha Petry, Dupo 48 - Brandon Whelchel, Bel. H04 – Erisha Moore, Bel. D14 – Billy Killion, Bel. D03 – Juanita Hall, Bel. B13 – Chasity Orr, Bel. A17 – Rosie Rainey, Bel. D04 – Maurice Bonds, Bel. G23 – James Davis, Bel. G27 – Michelle Edwards, Bel. A04 - Heather Gonzalez, Bel. G43 - Jolie Neal, Bel. G46 - Paris Sloan, Bel. G17- Kathi Statler, Bel. G34 - Kathi Statler, Bel. G35 - Amber Watts, Bel. D03 - Juanita Hall, Bel. 532 – Beverly Driver, Bel. 117 - Micheala Yates, Bel. 18 - Rey Montiague, Bel. 217 - Chris Ciszczon, Bel. 306 - Tony Cotton, Bel. 108 – Misti Warner. For all rules, regulations and bidding process, contact www.storageauctions. com. All other questions, please call 618-421-4022 or mail 17 Royal Heights Center, Belleville, IL 62226.

INVITATION FOR EQUIPMENT BIDS

East-West Gateway Council of Governments is seeking bids for bomb suits ensemble, thermal imaging camera systems and tactical headsets. Bids are due 02/26/2021. Funding is provided by the U.S. Dept. of Homeland Security. MBEs / WBEs are encouraged to submit bids. Find details at www.ewgateway.org

TO BID

INVITATION

FERGUSON-FLORISSANT SCHOOL DISTRICT/ OPERATIONS & MAINTENANCE CENTRAL ELEMENTARY INTERCOM SYSTEM

Sealed bids to provide labor, material, and professional services to install intercom hardware are being requested from the FergusonFlorissant School District and will be received and publicly opened on Tuesday January 26, 2021 at 1:15pm at the Operations & Maintenance Facility located at 8855 Dunn Road (Rear); Hazelwood, MO 63042. Bid specs must be obtained at: http://new.fergflor.K12.mo.us/ facilities-rfq. Contact Matt Furfaro (314) 824-2418

LETTING #8723

2020 Capital Main Replacement Program – New 20” Mains in Jefferson and Cass Ave.

Sealed proposals will be received by the Board of Public Service in Room 301 City Hall, 1200 Market Street, St. Louis, Mo. Until 1:45 PM, CT, on February 16, 2021, then publicly opened and read. Plans and Specifications may be examined on the Board of Public Service website http://www.stl-bps. org/planroom.aspx (BPS On Line Plan Room) and may be purchased directly through the BPS website from INDOX Services at cost plus shipping. No refunds will be made.

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

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

INVITATION TO BID

You are invited to submit a bid proposal for the University of Missouri-St. Louis, Mark Twain Building Mezzanine Repairs project. Work shall be performed in the northeast corner of the first floor. Project includes demolition, structural, mechanical, plumbing, and electrical work.

Subbids are due at 12 p.m. on January 20, 2021. These may be emailed to bids@tarltoncorp.com. Any questions, please contact Nathan Hart at 314.633.3334 or NLHart@tarltoncorp.com.

Diversity participation goals are as follows: Subcontracting with Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) of 20%, with Service Disabled Veteran Owned Business (SDVE) of 3% and with Women Business Enterprise (WBE), Disadvantage Business Enterprise (DBE), and/or Veteran Owned Business of 20% of awarded contract price for work to be performed. It is our desire to provide meaningful opportunities for minority-owned (MBE) and women-owned (WBE) businesses to participate in the construction projects we complete for our clients. Firms that do not have MBE/WBE status are strongly encouraged to include MBE/WBE firms in their contracting and purchasing plans. Additionally, we work to enhance diversity through the workforce, or “boots on the ground,” which serves to increase the representation of women, minorities, and apprentices, and St. Louis City residents.

To view this invitation on BuildingConnectedsite: https://app.buildingconnected.com/public/55b2997ad17b3807006f2618

Tarlton is an equal opportunity employer.

U.S. Department of Transportation Public Meeting Notice

The opportunity for you to talk directly with Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and Federal Transit Administration (FTA) in an open house meeting concerning your views on the transportation planning process in the St. Louis Metropolitan Planning Area is scheduled for:

Time: 5:00 – 7:00 p.m. Date: Thursday, January 21, 2021 Place: Virtually via online platform. Link is available on the East-West Gateway Council of Governments (EWG) website at www.ewgateway.org

This public meeting is a part of a review that will assess compliance with Federal regulations pertaining to the transportation planning process conducted by the EWG, Missouri Department of Transportation, Illinois Department of Transportation, Metro Transit Agency, Madison County Transit Agency, and local units of government in the St. Louis metropolitan area.

If you are not able to attend this scheduled public meeting, please address your comments to: Brad McMahon FHWA- Missouri Division 3220 West. Edgewood, Suite H Jefferson City, MO 65109 OR Eva Steinman FTA Region VII 901 Locust, Room 404 Kansas City, MO 64106

Individuals who need an accommodation for the meeting should contact EWG by email at titlevi@ewgateway.org or phone at 314-421-4220 or 618-274-2750. A request for an accommodation should be submitted to EWG at least 48 business hours prior to the meeting.

PUBLISHER’S NOTICE:

Advertised herein is subject to the Federal Fair Housing Act, which makes it illegal to advertise any preference, imitation, or discrimination because of race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial\status, or national origin, or intention to make any such preference, limitation, or discrimination.“We will not knowingly accept any advertising for real estate which is in violation of the law. All persons are hereby informed that all dwellings advertised are available on an equal opportunity basis.” Call Angelita Houston at 314-289-5430 or email ahouston@stlamerican.com to place your ads today!

10 years ago, I needed you yesterday’,” Anderson said.

capture subtlety rather than robotics.

“If they’re standing, there’s a powerful stance they can do by folding their arms that says I own the s**t, this is who I am, this is mine,” Anderson said. After getting laid off in November from her job at a nonprofit agency due to the coronavirus pandemic, Anderson had no choice but to think on her feet on how to sustain her lifestyle. She maintained income from working at the studio with her business partner and booked modeling gigs here and there, but she knew pivoting was necessary to keep her afloat.

“I’m so happy,” Anderson said. “Entrepreneurship is not easy. It’s not for the weak. It’s not for the emotional. But I wouldn’t trade it for anything.”

As of Jan. 22, The Creative Coach, LLC is now a registered Missouri business.

“It’s confirmation that I’m walking in my purpose when I hear clients say ‘where were you last year, where were you

“There’s a huge need for my services because it takes a load off the photographer, allowing them to focus on their craft and it helps my client. We all win here.”

Modeling isn’t second nature for Anderson. She began her career at age 18 after growing fascinated with it from watching the popular television series “Amercia’s Next Top Model.” She stepped away after realizing many of the agencies back then wanted money upfront — and after her mother encouraged her to get a corporate job with benefits instead. Now, two decades later, Anderson is back to the passion she adores and that intertwines with her coaching services.

“They [the fashion industry] need more Brown faces. They need me,” Anderson said.

“They need everything that comes with me.”

A former life and career coach through her own coaching and mentoring company Prize & Shine Life Coaching/ Mentoring, LLC, Anderson was honored with The St. Louis American’s 2019 Salute to Young Leaders award for her efforts and philanthropic work

in the community.

“As an advocate for women and a lover of all people, I am passionate about helping others meet and sustain their true potential and purpose.”

Anderson said in an interview with The American in 2019.

Anderson is a model for the online boutique Brazen Boutique and for Bag Crazy. She has signed with St. Louisbased talent agency, Now Talent Management, and she also does voiceover work.

A 1998 graduate of Normandy High School, Anderson holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in journalism from Washington University; a Bachelor of Science in business and an MBA from the University of Phoenix.

She’s a known philanthropist. Since 2018 she has led an annual laptop fundraiser for college-bound teen girls. She recently gave away eight laptops, flash drives and protective covers.

Prospective clients can book with Anderson through her creative coaching services by visiting https://chithemodel. com/ or her Instagram page @ chi_themodel.

Music

Continued from B1

The 30-year-old father of 8-year-old Louis Erby IV, nicknamed “Q,” wears the title of modern Renaissance man well. The many hats he confidently dons contribute to the man and artist he is today.

“I’ve never been one to create a fantasy world. Fantasy is what people want, but reality is what people need because it’s more relatable,” Erby said. “I make music for fathers taking care of their kids and women handling their business.”

Erby attended Missouri Western State University in St. Joseph from 2008-2013, and where he became ‘MC Tres’. The second part of his stage name comes from being the third person to keep the family tradition alive — as in Louis Erby III.

While at MoWest, Erby immersed himself in the college town’s party scene, not only hosting events but also performing his music.

“I wrote and recorded my first mixtape titled “Pregame” during spring break of my freshman year,” Erby said. “After that, I teamed up with one of the local DJs in St. Joe and we collaborated around town hosting various shows and events. The more I was on the mic, the more I fell in love with music and was able to hone my stage presence.”

In 2013 Erby earned his bachelor’s degree in public

relations and welcomed his son Q into the world. He and Q’s mother met while at MoWest. She was a native of Kansas City, Missouri, so he decided to stay there for the first few years of his son’s life.

Erby returned to St. Louis with his son in 2017 to advance his music career and become a full-time father.

“I’ve always known that with my purpose, I have to be intentional,” he said. “With every decision I make I always do it keeping my son in mind.”

After contracting COVID19 last year, Erby had to quarantine himself for two weeks, making it necessary to leave Q in the care of his mother.

“It made me understand the consequences of your actions are grander than what you actually think they are,” Erby said. “I was ripping and running. COVID had to slow me down.”

Since the pandemic started, many artists no longer have the luxury of performing live, and that has challenged them to become more creative.

As a result, Erby has dropped numerous projects and music including, “The 3 Mixtape Vol. 3,” the Threestyle Thursday series where he released freestyles rapping over different beats. He released his latest project, “Late Night Flights,” in November and collaborated with Swoop Transportation, a local rideshare company, by providing free private rides for guests to hear the EP ahead of its release.

He also rebranded and sold-out merchandise from his

apparel line, DoYou Clothing Co. (doyoucrew.com)

“My team and I call the pandemic the “plandemic,” because once it started to slow everything down in March we took a look around and went back to the drawing board on how to push out content and still remain relevant,” Erby said.

“I took my time putting out quality everything, not allowing the internet to rush me. I did everything at my own pace.”

Erby’s advice for other Black fathers in St. Louis interested in pursuing rap: always clock in for yourself outside of your job and parenting.

“Put that time to the side for you,” Erby said. “The more consistent and present you are, the more opportunities will come your way, which shows you’re moving in the right direction.

A 2008 graduate of Kirkwood High School, Erby has opened for Jack Harlow, Ella Mai and EarthGang. He also sold-out shows in St. Louis and St. Joseph. He won the 2020 SLUM Fest Video of the Year Award for his single “I Told You.” In addition, he had an opportunity to tour the United States and abroad, where audiences often knew the lyrics to his songs.

“I can do anything,” Erby said. “Nothing or nobody can stop me, I’m my only competition.” For more information about Erby, visit https://www. mctres.net/.

Continued from B1

significance in things that he collected,” Weissberg said. “He was a big collector and amassed hundreds of books and musical instruments and memorabilia that he lived with. These objects really informed his practice. This is the first show to represent that aspect of his life and career and we are excited to make that contribution as well.”

Among the objects is a work entitled “Infinity.” It features a trunk that houses several dozen copies of the album of the same name by music legend John Coltrane — one Adkins’ biggest creative influences.

While a student at Fisk University, Adkins stole a copy of Coltrane’s “Infinity” album from a Nashville area record store in 1972.

“This work instigated a penance for that small crime,” Weissberg said. “What he decided to do was for the rest of his life he would purchase a copy of the record every time that he encountered it.

Included in this trunk – which is a found object are 75 copies of John Coltrane’s ‘Infinity.’”

Another haunting work within the exhibition is “Muffled Drums.” Composed of repurposed drums associated with marching bands that vary in size, they are stacked nearly

to the top of the museum’s two-story ceiling.

It’s part of a larger group that was dedicated to Civil Rights pioneer and scholar W.E.B. DuBois. The title is drawn from a New York Times article that described the sound of protesters marching in the streets of New York City in what was known as the silent parade in 1917.

“One of the events that incited this protest was the East St.

n Music is a recurring theme within the exhibition – and Adkins practice of merging performance with the art. He even referred to his installations as “recitals.”

Louis riots in which scores of African Americans were killed as a result of [white] mob violence,” Weissberg said.

Another local tie within the multi-media exhibition is “Mute.” The piece is a silent film clip of music pioneer Bessie Smith performing the blues standard “St. Louis Blues” in 1929.

Music is a recurring theme within the exhibition – and his

practice of merging performance with the art. He even referred to his installations as “recitals.”

With “Last Trumpet,” one of Adkins best known works, he created 18-foot-long horns made from bells of sousaphones and trombones and tubes of cast brass.

He was known for playing them during an exhibition and often said he was “trying to make an instrument that was long enough that angels could hear the music that they produced.”

“Music and sound really filtered throughout his life and career,” Weissberg said of Adkins, who played piano, saxophone and guitar. “He was very interested in methods of bringing sculpture to life by activating what might be inert objects.”

She also said that while the work is immediately visually engaging, as the viewer invests more into the art, it continues to give.

“There is always research and detailed thought that goes into each of the works,” Weissberg said. “And their relationship to history and the stories that Adkins was interested in upholding.”

Terry Adkins: Resounding is on display at the Pulitzer Arts Foundation (3716 Washington Blvd.) by appointment only through FeB. 7. For more information, visit www.pulitzerarts.org.

Chi

Continued from B1

Chi Anderson fixes Bianca Logan hair during a photo shoot.

Photo Jamar ‘Church’ Pinkston/Church Productions

Art

Individuals that earn less than $66K qualify for free tax service

The first full COVID tax season will bring about numerous changes in the way free tax preparation services are delivered. The locations of Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) sites in metro St. Louis that services a number of Illinois and Missouri counties will be reduced. Host sites, such as libraries, are not allowing the VITA programs to use their facilities.

Individuals whose income is less than $66,000 qualify for the free service. St. Louis metro VITA locations are managed by

• Metro-St. Louis Community Tax Coalition

• St. Louis Tax Assistance Program

• Gateway EITC Community Coalition

• National Association of Black Accountants

VITA sites that will open in 2021 may offer alternate methods of delivering tax

services. One example is the virtual VITA method. This new service, called Get Your Refund (GYR) allows for the receipt of tax preparation documents, client information, and on-line communication (text or email) between the client and the VITA site without physical face-toface contact. Virtual VITA is accomplished through an IRS-approved secure virtual portal. Communications occurs by email, text, or video conference. Required signatures occur through DocuSign or a similar product. A computer is not required to use virtual VITA, a smartphone is sufficient. The website is https://getyourrefund. org/

n The locations of Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) sites in metro St. Louis that services a number of Illinois and Missouri counties will be reduced.

using this service to meet the needs of clients in this COVID environment. GYR accounted for the filing of 40,000 returns from 20 programs during its pilot from April-Oct 2020. Missouri Department of Revenue has a new online MO Property Tax Credit application that allows the client/preparer to fill out a MO-PTC return in a wizard format, attach the documentation and submit the return electronically. The return is processed within 24 hours.

preparation documents and return your originals. After the return is prepared, the last part of the preparation process includes a review of the return with the client at a later date followed by client signature allowing the site to electronically file the return and receiving a copy of the return. On a side note, this is comparable to what a reputable return preparer is required to do.

The developer of GYR is Code for America based in San Francisco. For more information about Code for America, visit their website at https:// www.codeforamerica.org/

To find a VITA location in your area:

There are 103 VITA programs nationally representing 1,600 VITA sites

There will be that group of clients not as tech savvy and may find virtual VITA too challenging. The second example is a drop-off scenario analogous to dropping clothes off at the cleaners and returning a few days later for pickup. The site will get information, make copies of tax

• https://irs.treasury.gov/freetaxprep/

• https://www.aarp.org/money/taxes/ aarp_taxaide/

• United Way 211 hotline

Desmond Leong is the director of Metro-St. Louis Community Tax Coalition

Congratulations! You’ve decided to purchase a home.

Pier Yvette Alsup, Chief Diversity Officer, Together Credit Union

Today’s low mortgage rates certainly make this a great time to be in the market to purchase a new home. Now that your decision is made, it’s time to prepare yourself to make the right decisions by learning about the process, the people who can assist you, and the associated costs.

There are many steps to buying a home. Simply put, these steps are:

1. Create your budget: calculate your short and long-

term living expenses to understand how much home you can afford.

2. Find a neighborhood: consider schools, your commute to work, and other things important to you such as proximity to church, shopping, parks and entertainment. Working with a real estate agent can help make this process easier.

3. Explore loan choices: shop lenders and shop loan options that best align with your financial goals.

4. Choose a mortgage: consider your short and long-term budget, then decide on a term (length of your loan) and the type of rate (fixed or variable). With a fixed-rate mortgage, your

interest rate is the rate you’ll pay from start to finish. This is a good choice if you prefer knowing exactly how much to budget each month. With a variablerate mortgage, typically the rate starts lower than an available fixed-rate loan, but after a certain period the rate can adjust each year which may make it difficult to predict what your payments will be. Once you have chosen the type of home loan that’s right for you, it’s time to apply for your loan. Being preapproved is key when shopping for a home.

5. Find a home and learn about it: once you have found a home that meets your needs and budget, review its appraisal and be certain all necessary inspections are performed. Then, be

prepared to negotiate. Working with a real estate agent can make this process easier as well.

6. Prepare for closing: closing includes a lot of “signing on the dotted line” and finalizing the settlement along with paying fees including those for the title search and insurance, appraisal, survey, recording fee, escrow deposit and more, but when you’re through, you’ll have the keys to your new home!

For more information on the home buying process, visit Together Credit Union online at togethercu.org.

Kicking off 2021: Have you performed your financial checkup yet?

By Virmeka Jefferson

2020 was a year full of challenges. It challenged the way we think, the way we live, and the way we do business. Despite all of the obstacles, the team at Great Southern Bank is committed to helping all of our neighbors have a brighter 2021. With a new year upon us, it’s a great time to take stock of your finances and set goals. Performing a periodic checkup presents a unique opportunity to review the health of your financial situation and to plan for improvements. Your financial needs change over time, and working with your banker to review your finances will help prepare you for what’s next. Your banker can help you find smart ways to save, borrow, and manage your money. Even if you don’t typically overextend yourself throughout the year, a financial checkup is still a great practice to see if there are ways to manage your money better. After all, bankers are experts at making your money work harder for you!

It’s always the right time to set a new

goal or to dream a new dream, so don’t wait! There are just three easy steps to get started with your free financial checkup.

Step one: Find your nearest Great Southern Bank location at Great SouthernBank.com and contact us to schedule an appointment with a personal banker.

Step two: Consider the following questions before your appointment.

• Do you have a credit card/ other debt?

you investing in a 401k, IRA, or something else?

Virmeka Jefferson

• Do you have a rent or home loan payment?

• Do you have an auto loan payment?

• Do you have outstanding medical bills?

• Do you have a savings account?

• Any upcoming life events? Medical/surgery, college, vehicle, new job, wedding planning, home purchase/improvements, growing your family, etc.

• Are you saving for retirement? If so, are

Step three: Feel better about where you’re headed!

Imagine that you’re standing on a road that stretches out before you into the horizon. Heading into this unknown can seem overwhelming, but you don’t have to make the journey alone. It helps to have someone by your side that you can rely on for guidance and support. We all need that go-to person that can help us figure things out and point us in the right direction.

At Great Southern, you’ll have a whole team of financial experts behind you to help you reach your goals and cheer you on along the way.

Founded in 1923, strength and stability are at the core of the Great Southern Bank story. For 98 years, the goal has been to open doors for their neighbors with affordable ways to buy or improve your home, save for the future, or just to

get those finances back on track. When you’re ready to find your go-to banker, call any of the 19 convenient locations. You will be able to ask questions, learn more, and discover what’s possible.

About the author: Virmeka has a decade-long career in banking. Currently the Banking Center Manager of the Great Southern location in Ferguson, Virmeka is passionate about financial education and helping others reach their financial goals. Extending her time and talents to volunteer with local youth and as a volunteer at Operation Food Search, she knows the meaning of being a good neighbor.

Great Southern Bank is a Member FDIC and Equal Housing Lender. NMLS#423054. Great Southern Bank is not a law firm, accounting firm or credit counseling agency, and doesn’t offer legal advice, tax advice, credit counseling or similar services. We encourage you to seek qualified professionals of your own choice if you need help in any of those areas.

Maintaining a sense of normalcy while routines stay disrupted

With the roll-out of the vaccine taking place slowly, it may be a while longer before life returns completely to normal. However, if you have been working remotely, it may be a good idea to reincorporate some of the elements of your regular routine into your schedule now.

Not only will maintaining a sense of normalcy help you to feel more productive and more like yourself again, it could also help make the transition to the workplace smoother when it does occur. Here are a few ways to go about it:

• Rise and shine: Have you let your morning schedule slide into chaos during the pandemic? Now is the time to get back to your regular hours. Get to sleep each weeknight at your pre-pandemic bedtime and set your alarm for your regular wake hour. With no commute, you may find yourself with some extra time in the morning. Use it to get organized for the day, exercise or check items off your to-do list.

• Get dressed: Dress as though you are heading into the workplace. Wear pants that don’t have an elastic waistband, do your hair and wear accessories. Regain your sense of style and feel good about how you look.

• Structure your day: When working

Incorporating elements of your pre-pandemic routine while working remotely will help the readjustment back into the workplace when the time comes.

for it now. Set up a virtual coffee meeting, lunch or happy hour.

remotely, it’s easy to feel like the workday has no clear beginning or end. For better work-life balance, try to structure your day as you once did, setting regular business hours. Be sure to include breaks so you don’t experience burnout. And, if your weekdays once included time for socializing with colleagues, make time

• Use tech tools: Stay accountable to your new schedule as well as your fashion goals with wearable tech, such as the Casio Edifice Watch. With full-time Smartphone Link technology, this timepiece enables you to stay up-to-date and on time. When paired to a compatible smartphone via Bluetooth, you can access the correct time in your current location and for up to 300 cities worldwide, as well as your calendar, receiving notifications for tasks, meetings and events. Featuring five alarms, a stopwatch, countdown timer and a two-year battery life, this water-resistant timepiece can be a highly functional tool as you transition back to a regular schedule.

If working from home long-term has you feeling sluggish and unproductive, get back to your regular schedule. Maintaining a sense of normalcy can help get you out of the rut.

Photo by Ridofranz / iStock via Getty Images Plus

Money Matters

• Tax preparation during COVID times •

• How to perform your own financial “check up” •