International Chess Grandmaster Maurice Ashley made history when he was inducted into the U.S. Chess Hall of Fame on April 13 at a ceremony in St. Louis’ Forest Park. “I think being the first African-American is extremely important from a social perspective,” he told The St. Louis American, “and, from a personal perspective, it spoke to everything I have done and dedicated to this sport.”
Ashley is a world-class chess commentator, best-selling author, and coach (even coaching actor Will Smith), but he said his destiny is promoting the game among at-risk youth. He supports “Your Move Chess,” an after-school program in the
Charter school parents try to join desegregation
By Rebecca Rivas
– Ken Ross Jr.
By Rebecca Rivas Of The St. Louis American
A St. Louis city circuit judge set a $1 million bail for former St.
The road to success nearly always is paved with obstacles, twists and turns. This certainly was the case for many of the 150 graduates in the HarrisStowe State University Class of 2016. For Joseph Wells, it took some 30 years to complete his degree in business administration. The obstacles of living, he said, delayed his walk across the stage. “I chose to start a family with my wife in my early 20s, and we had four children within a
International Chess Grandmaster Maurice Ashley showed some moves to local youth during an April visit to the St. Louis Chess Club and Scholastic Center, 4657 Maryland Ave. in the Central West End.
Photo by Austin Fuller, courtesy of Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis
For Doyle Williams, injuries sustained in a motorcycle accident in 2007 changed his fortunes but did not shatter his dreams.
Photo by Maurice Meredith
Photo by Wiley Price
Local youth got their groove on at the Missouri History Museum on Tuesday, May 31 as Dirty Muggs closed out the museum’s popular Twilight Tuesdays series in Forest Park.
Jason Stockley
Michael Jace convicted of wife’s murder
Actor Michael Jace, who played a police officer on the hit FX drama
“The Shield,” was convicted Tuesday of shooting his wife at their Los Angeles home in front of the couple’s two young sons.
A jury of six women and six men deliberated about two hours before finding Jace, 53, guilty of second-degree murder in the May 19, 2014, death of April Jace, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office. Jurors also found true the special allegation that Jace used a firearm.
Jace faces up to 40 years to life in prison at his sentencing, which is scheduled for June 10.
The actor was upset that his wife wanted a divorce and was obsessed with the belief that she was
seeing someone else, Deputy District Attorney Tannaz Mokayef told jurors during the trial. When April Jace arrived around 8 p.m. that night at the couple’s house, he shot her once in the back, the prosecutor said.
Jace then shot her two more times in the legs in front of their sons, who were 8 and 5 at the time.
The actor called 911 about 8:30 p.m. and told the operator he’d shot his wife, according to evidence presented at trial. Her body was found inside the couple’s home along with their boys, who were
Cynthia and Peter’s marriage on ice
he feels the same about me. Whether or not we decide to stay married or not, that’s something that we have to decide soon. But right now, I’m enjoying the time apart, taking time for myself.”
Zulu Nation issues apology to alleged victims of Afrika Bambaataa
Last month, hip-hop pioneer Afrika Bambaataa was removed as the head of the Zulu Nation after several men came forward with decades old allegations of child molestation.
This week, The Zulu Nation issued a formal apology to his alleged victims.
In an interview with The Daily Dish, “Real Housewives of Atlanta” co-star Cynthia Bailey confirms that she and husband Peter Thomas have officially separated.
“Peter and I are separated. He lives in Charlotte, and I live in Atlanta,” Bailey said.
“Regardless of where I am with Peter, he is my husband. I will always love him, and I will always support him. And I believe
most of us were sadly unaware of, and others chose not to disclose.”
Prince’s posthumous album sales break Billboard record
Prince has made music history yet again with the record for the highest number of positions held on the Billboard 200 album chart in a one-week span.
“We extend our deepest and most sincere apologies to the many people who have been hurt by the actions of Afrika Bambaataa and the subsequent poor response of our organization to allegations leveled against him,” the apology read.
“To the survivors of apparent sexual molestation by Bambaataa, both those who have come forward and others who have not, we are sorry for what you endured and extend our thanks to those who have spoken out for your bravery in bringing to light that which
For the week of May 14th, the late musician had 19 albums on the chart, just one away from controlling 10 percent of the entire Billboard 200. The previous record holder, The Beatles had 13 albums on the chart in a single week.
Among Prince’s 19: “The Very Best of Prince,” which reached No. 2; “Purple Rain” (No. 3), “The Hits/The B-Sides” (No. 4) and “1999” (No. 7). “Sign ‘O’ The Times,” “Around The World In A Day” and “Controversy” also made the chart.
Sources: New York Daily News, The Dish, CNN, Instagram, Eurweb.com, Billboard.com Afrika Bambaataa
“The Very Best Of Prince” had actually reached No. 1, but was replaced during his record-setting week of May 14th by Beyonce’s “Lemonade,” which dropped two days after Prince’s death on April 21.
County Police agree to training on freedom of press
By Mariah Stewart Of The St. Louis American
Four journalists have settled a lawsuit against the St. Louis County Police Department over their arrests in Ferguson, Missouri, during the unrest that followed Michael Brown’s death – but they won’t be allowed to talk about it. Under the deal, Ryan Devereaux, Lukas Hermsmeier, Ansgar Graw and Frank Herrmann cannot “take any steps to publicize any of the terms” of the settlement. The agreement requires St. Louis County to pay $75,000 to resolve the federal civil rights lawsuit from the reporters, but like many settlements does not require the county to admit liability.
The agreement, a copy of which was obtained by The Huffington Post through a public records request, will also require all officers with the police department to undergo mandatory in-service training on media access and the right to record police activity.
A “qualified legal instructor with significant experience” in freedom of the press and constitutional rights will lead the training, according to the settlement. St. Louis County police have 60 days within the agreement’s effective date to begin the training. The settlement was announced on May 11. As part of the department’s new media policy, officers “shall not unreasonably interfere with media access to incidents or intentionally prevent or obstruct the photographing or videotaping of news in public places. Intentional interference such as blocking or obstructing cameras or harassing a photographer constitutes censorship.”
Members of the press on private property “will not be arrested, or threatened with arrest for criminal trespass or otherwise, unless an owner or representative expressly indicates that the press is not permitted to enter or remain on the property.”
Under new general orders on recording police, officers “may not threaten, intimidate or otherwise discourage or interfere with the recording of police activities.” But those recording must maintain a “reasonable distance” and “may not obstruct police action.”
Officers are required to inform individuals who may be violating
those policies of “acceptable alternatives” before they are arrested.
The four journalists filed their lawsuit in March 2015, accusing police of battery, false arrest and unreasonable search and seizure.
Devereaux, who works for The Intercept, and Hermsmeier, a freelance journalist, said that despite having their hands in the air, identifying themselves as press and wearing their press credentials, they were shot at with nonlethal projectiles before they were taken into custody.
“No reasonable officer would have believed that the force used in detaining and arresting Devereaux and Hermsmeier was necessary and/or
justified,” the lawsuit said.
Graw, a correspondent with German daily Die Welt, alleged that a St. Louis County officer told him he should be ashamed of being a journalist and said reporters were “telling lies about Ferguson.” Later, one of the officers who arrested him — allegedly Marcial Amaro — identified himself as “Donald Duck,” according to the lawsuit.
Herrmann, who writes for German regional newspapers, said he was arrested while wearing his press credentials and carrying a camera.
The journalists agreed to issue a joint public statement with St. Louis County that said the resolution would
n Despite having their hands in the air, identifying themselves as press and wearing credentials, they were shot at with nonlethal projectiles before taken into custody.
“ensure that the County’s policing activities are consistent with the County’s expressed commitment to keeping the public informed” and would not interfere with the police’s ability to protect the community. While the reporters agreed to keep the terms of the settlement private, confidential agreements with government entities in Missouri can be obtained through public records requests.
Police operating in Ferguson have been widely criticized for their treatment of journalists and civilians during the unrest following the death of Michael Brown in August 2014. A federal investigation found that “inappropriate” and “provocative” police tactics inflamed tension in the St. Louis suburb.
St. Louis County previously settled with journalists who were arrested and had faced charges, including a case in which a St. Louis County Police lieutenant falsely claimed in a police report that a journalist had refused to leave the street.
Wesley Lowery of The Washington Post and Ryan Reilly of The Huffington Post are currently facing charges in connection with their arrests in Ferguson on August 13, 2014. This story appears as part of a partnership between The St. Louis American and The Huffington Post.
Photo by Lawrence Bryant
Police faced off against protestors and media in Ferguson on August 18, 2014.
Editorial /CommEntary
Needed: a mega-muni in North County
Recent developments in the now-famous Ferguson and its neighboring municipality of Jennings remind us how incremental change can be, and how tenuous – especially in the jigsaw puzzle that is fragmented St. Louis County. We are talking about a county hobbled by the dysfunction of 90 municipalities, 81 municipal courts, 56 police departments (including the St. Louis County PD) and 42 fire departments (that’s 23 fire protection districts and 19 municipal fire departments).
In July of last year, Stephanie Karr – contract attorney for the City of Ferguson via the Clayton firm Curtis, Heinz, Garrett and O’Keefe (CHGO) – was described in our Political EYE column as “the last desperado standing” in Ferguson. At that time, she was the last City of Ferguson employee criticized by name in the U.S. Department of Justice’s damning report on Ferguson who continued to cash a check on Ferguson taxpayers.
The good news: She is finally gone. She resigned on May 23. Ferguson’s new City Manager De’Carlon Seewood said she behaved “in a professional and respectful manner” while working for Ferguson. Well, that’s what he said, or was paid to say. The bad news: CHGO attorneys still hold more than 35 municipal positions in more than 25 different St. Louis County municipalities in some capacity (prosecuting attorney, city attorney or judge). Ferguson officials even explicitly stated that other CHGO attorneys – the firm’s website shows 18 attorneys, none of them black – were welcome to bid on the job Karr left. CHGO attorneys continue to train municipal officials all over the county in how to conduct business and handle the media; in fact, Karr herself has taught some of these courses. Business as usual in St. Louis County continues as usual, whatever changes are being forced in Ferguson. This is especially true because important post-Ferguson attempts at municipal reform, by the Missouri Legislature and the St. Louis County Council, have been defeated in the courts. It’s also discouraging that the Missouri Supreme Court’s working group on municipal reform issued a report with passages that read like a CHGO legal brief attacking court victories against their practices won by ArchCity Defenders and the SLU Law Legal Clinics.
Meanwhile, Ferguson’s neighboring municipality of Jennings just impeached its first black mayor, Yolonda Fountain Henderson. Media coverage of Ferguson and St. Louis County might lead you to suspect this was some white old guard rising up against a black upstart, but the board majority is overwhelmingly black and everyone involved in this fracas was a veteran local political player. Two of the black aldermen who joined the unanimous vote to impeach Henderson ran against her in April 2015 and did not get enough cumulative votes between them to defeat her. One of them, Francine Dugger, is the interim mayor – until November 8, that is, when the special election will be held.
It seems that Henderson is eligible to run again, and – whatever dubious actions may have led to her impeachment – it’s likely that her supporters will rally around her and make her a strong contender. Less than 2,000 people voted in Jennings’ last mayoral election, when Henderson won a five-way race with a plurality of only 545 votes. It’s not difficult to imagine that Jennings will be stuck in political squabbles for the foreseeable future, diminishing its local government’s ability to serve the public.
We have heard – and even printed – black elected officials in North County arguing for their right to local control and their ability to better serve the public’s needs within the small confines of their municipalities. And we don’t believe their narrow positions for one moment. It will be difficult, in any case, to alleviate much of the suffering of black people in North County brought to light by the Ferguson unrest. But it will be much easier to proactively address the structural inequities and injustices if officials can leverage more efficiency and economic growth with a larger, more broad power base. What North County needs is a mega-muni that is majority-black and can put in place best practices for police, courts, economic development and other essential government services that, at present, do our people more harm than good. Unequivocally, municipal consolidation is the way forward for North County, for St. Louis County and for this troubled, divided region as a whole.
I See It - A Forum for Community Issues
Advancing social justice reform
By state Senator Eric Schmitt Guest columnist
For years there has been anger and distrust percolating across many Missouri communities. The citizens in these communities are right to be angry about how they have been treated by their elected leaders.
The root of the problems in communities throughout the St. Louis area is that many local municipal governments no longer exist to serve their citizens, and only see them as ATMs to fund their municipal boondoggles. In many cases, these elected officials have abused their police forces by forcing them to write a specific number of traffic tickets and meet quotas for fines and other schemes to generate revenue. When the goal is a cash grab through traffic tickets and fines, taxation by citation takes precedent over public safety and poisons the relationship between citizens and police. Missourians have had enough of small municipal governments shaking down residents, especially poor and disadvantaged citizens, to prop up budgets and hold onto power. Taxation by citation in all its forms is wrong.
Over the past two years, I have been advancing historic social justice reforms for Missourians by changing the way our local governments and municipal courts interact with our citizens. Cities are on alert that they can no longer use citizens as ATMs to fund their bloated governments. In the Legislature, we have addressed how cities write traffic tickets and how they enforce property ordinances.
As I See It - A Forum for Community Issues
Preserving Missouri HBCUs
By John CollinsMuhammad Guest Columnist
In an age of increasing racial and ethnic diversity, do we still need HBCUs?
Critics have labeled them as a race-based anachronism. Others have said even worse things, calling them inferior, saying they need a new overall mission or that they should be merged with the mainstream, predominantly white intuitions. Yet, the data show that Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) contribute significantly to their local economies and to the national economy as well, in spite of fewer resources.
Said L. Sewell, provost and senior vice president of Lincoln University in Jefferson City, said, “HBCU’s provide an ethnically affirming, expressively supportive environment. Students don’t have to prove they belong here.” Lincoln University offers intentional and focused academic support systems, according to Sewell. Statistics from the U.S. Department of Education show that HBCUs represent less than 5 percent of colleges in the United States but enroll at least 13 percent of all black college students and produce at least 23 percent of all black college graduates. They also educate half of the nation’s black teachers and 40 percent of all black health professionals. And they do this with much less funding support than traditionally white institutions.
L
HBCUs, like the newly freed black families of the 19th century, often started out with meager resources. In spite of their struggles – insignificant budgets, weakening infrastructures and revenue – HBCUs have proudly done more with less while simultaneously out-stepping majority institutions in training and producing most of the nation’s black professionals. Correspondingly, it has been reported that more than 75 percent of all black doctorate degree holders earned their undergraduate degrees at HBCUs.
It is my strong belief that we must provide comprehensive support to Missouri’s two HBCUs, Lincoln University and HarrisStowe State University in St. Louis. More funding is the key! Our HBCUs need stronger partnerships and investments from the public and private sectors.
In 2015, the Missouri budget provided $42.1 million for performance-based funding for colleges and universities. In the budget, the governor recommended an allocation of $17,638,222 to Lincoln University and $9,793,757 to Harris-Stowe State University, while the governor recommended an appropriation of $407,511,996
etters to the editor
Firearms Amateur Hour
Missouri’s so-called “Stand Your Ground” legislation awaits the governor’s signature or veto. Provisions of the legislation include the right of citizens to carry concealed firearms without license or training.
to the University of Missouri. The University of Missouri is a much larger institution catering to a student population of 34,000, yet we cannot afford to ignore our only two HBCUs. We want our Missouri HBCUs to be known not just for their close ties to the community, but for innovatively adapting the lessons of meaningful collaboration and partnerships with K-12, community colleges, business, philanthropy and international exchange programs.
We want our Missouri HBCUs to be known not just for tailoring personal support for black and other minority students, but to set the standard for other higher educational institutions in how to create a culture of completion for all students. We want our Missouri HBCUs to be known not just for their illustrious legacy, but for their ongoing contributions in the world of science, technology and engineering. We have to preserve and further invest in our HBCUs. HBCUs have shaped generations of black students, providing unique campus traditions and family-like environments. Add to that a curriculum that takes the social and historical concerns of black Americans into account. Simply put, HBCUs are not just teaching history – they make history every day. John Collins-Muhammad, Democrat, is a candidate for state representative in Missouri’s 77th House District.
The bill also requires municipal courts to maintain certain procedures, with the main goal being to eliminate debtors’ prisons and give residents a sense of accountability from the courts. Municipal courts can no longer jail people for minor traffic violations and must offer alternative-payment plans and community-service options.
Senate Bill 5 also incorporated municipal standards we are asking cities to meet. These standards include having an annual balanced budget, an accredited police department – if a city has a police department, and an easily accessible list of municipal ordinances, among others.
This year, we followed up the historic reforms in Senate Bill 5 with two major reforms. The first, Senate Bill 572,
In 2015, I lead the effort in passing Senate Bill 5. This legislation limited the amount of revenue cities can raise from traffic ticket fines. Many cities in St. Louis County were funding over 50 percent of their entire annual budgets with traffic ticket money. These “taxation by citation” practices hurt the poor residents in these cities disproportionately and make it more difficult for hard-working Missourians to eliminate debt and pay for necessities. By limiting how much money cities can have in their budgets from traffic ticket fines, my hope is to remind bureaucrats that they need to serve their citizens.
made further changes to the operation of municipal courts, updated some of the municipal standards, and outlined municipal disincorporation procedures should they become necessary. Senate Bill 572 added in other ordinance violations to the reform discussion. We want to make sure bureaucrats are not using other parts of their often voluminous ordinance books to find new ways to take money from residents.
With our latest reform, St. Louis County cities will be restricted to raising only a certain, combined amount of revenue from traffic-ticket fines and other ordinance violations.
The second major reform bill we passed this year was Senate Bill 765. This legislation prohibits bureaucrats from forcing law-enforcement officers to use traffic ticket quotas by writing a certain number of tickets over a given time period or increasing the number of tickets they write.
Missourians understand that it is necessary to pay their fair share for schools, roads and public safety. They are justified in their anger when bloated bureaucracies stop acting in the best interests of the people they are elected to serve and instead start treating its citizens like ATMs.
All of these reforms –limiting local government revenue from traffic and other ordinance violations, instilling municipal standards, reforming our municipal courts, and banning traffic ticket quotas – will help restore trust between residents and their local governments and law enforcement. We must continue to build that trust, and these social justice reforms are helping jump-start that process.
If the Stand Your Ground legislation becomes law, it won’t be long before St. Louis experiences a shoot-out in a public venue that will rival the famous “Gunfight at the OK Corral.” But instead of two readily identifiable opponents, “The Great St. Louis Gunfight” will involve a myriad of armed citizens who will be “throwing lead” at each other, each devoid of the knowledge of any wrongdoing of the others, all assuming that “those shooting at someone” must surely be the bad guys.
Citizens, both armed and otherwise, who are caught in the chaos of such an event will be subjected to the anguish of impending sudden death or bodily injury, and all will suffer psychological trauma. And when the cops arrive on such a chaotic scene, who will they shoot? Probably anyone that is displaying a firearm! State Senator Jason Holsman (D-KC) got it right: Stand Your Ground will legalize Firearms Amateur Hour in Missouri.
Michael K. Broughton Green Park
Expand Medicaid in Missouri
I believe in the United States Constitution when it says all persons are created equal. In order to be truly equal, all persons in these United States should have health care. Other industrial nations have health care for all. Working people that make too much money for Medicaid, but not enough to get help through the Affordable Care Act to buy private health insurance, are currently not equal in Missouri. Our state Legislature continues to refuse to expand Medicaid to close this gap. I like to see maximum return of my federal tax dollars to Missouri, but this is not happening because of the
refusal to accept 90 percent reimbursement of expanded Medicaid expenses. Three years ago, the Republicans in Jefferson City said they wanted to “fix” Medicaid before they expanded it. Instead, they have done nothing. If our state representatives and senators cannot find a way to accomplish health care for all, they should be replaced with someone who can at the next election.
William Cramer, Wentzville
Obama wrong on transgenders
President Obama was wrong to dictate a national policy so quickly and unilaterally. Missourians recognize these situations are occurring across our state, and school districts are attempting to address the needs of their transgender students with dignity, fairness, and respect. A case in the 4th
Circuit, G.G. v. Gloucester County School Board, is one step away from the US Supreme Court. At that time, Missouri will take the opportunity to express our view that school districts are capable of forming lawful policy on this issue at the local level once a common understanding of the requirements of Title IX is reached.”
Chris Koster, attorney general Jefferson City
Supporting collective bargaining
We are appreciative of state Sen. Maria ChappelleNadal, who continues to support collective bargaining and workers’ rights. Workers have been meeting with her to address community concerns, and we look forward to continuing our dialogue and working together.
Rachelle Leonard
Guest Columnist John Collinsmuhammad
Columnist Eric Schmitt
Photo by Carolina Hidalgo / St. Louis Public Radio
Stephanie Karr of Curtis, Heinz, Garrett and O’Keefe may be out of Ferguson government, but municipal fragmentation and dysfunction continue in St. Louis County.
Birthday party for Mike Brown
Free training in environmental remediation
St. Louis Community College, in partnership with Saint Louis University’s College of Public Health and Social Justice, Center for Environmental Education and Training, is offering a free six-week training program for those interested in a career in environmental remediation.
The program provides the opportunity to obtain Missouri and Illinois Licenses for lead abatement worker and asbestos abatement worker, as well as many nationally recognized certifications. The program also includes training in underground storage tank remediation, ecosystem restoration, environmental technologies and mold remediation.
To qualify, applicants must be at least 18 years or older; possess a current valid driver’s license; have a high school diploma or GED; be eligible for employment in the United States; and pass a drug test. Participants must be able to attend class Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The six-week training classes are free, and all books and training materials are provided. Apply now for the upcoming class starting July 11. For more information, contact Rene Dulle at 314-539-5296 or visit STLCC.edu/EnviroTech.
Juneteenth Parade set for June 18
A Juneteenth Celebration and Parade is scheduled for 11 a.m.-5 p.m. on Saturday, June 18. A motorcade will start at the Old Courthouse, 4th and Market streets, and end at Beckett Park (corner of Page and Taylor avenues) in Alderman Terry Kennedy’s 18th Ward. The Parade Queen will be attorney Frankie Muse Freeman. The Parade King will be Dick Gregory. Many special guests and performers are scheduled to appear. To join the stage and/or participate with cars, family and friends, contact organizer Coffee Wright at (314) 769-6067. For more information, visit www.SLICCCE.Com.
Gettin’ satisfaction
By Rebeccah Bennett Columnist
In my coaching practice, I routinely encounter people who, in the words of Mick Jagger, “can’t get no satisfaction.” The trouble is, that in several aspects of my life, I can relate. It isn’t that we’re malcontents with unrealistic expectations of life. It’s that we’re discerning individuals who know the difference between primary and secondary satisfactions.
The former, which most of us yearn for, are often hard to come by in our hyper-busy culture of instant gratification and surface connections. And the latter are merely surrogates that take the sting out of feeling empty. Let’s explore the distinctions further.
Primary satisfactions are what make life worth living. While the forms they take vary from person to person, the underlying impulses are usually the same. Among them are feeling cared for and supported, contributing to something meaningful and worthwhile, being pleased with ourselves, and helping others, to name a few. When we don’t experience these, because we dwell in toxic environments or lack time and energy, we reach for convenient placeholders. For example, we’ll substitute entertainment for companionship, status for achievement, looking good for feeling good, and donating money for investing time.
Now, let me be clear, entertainment, status, good looks and money are fine. They’re just not sufficient for a happy life.
The trap of secondary satisfactions also shows up in subtler ways. I often experience it in my eating habits. I reach for sugar when I long for pleasure, salt when I want flavor or excitement, and fat when I need comfort.
n Entertainment, status, good looks and money are fine. They’re just not sufficient for a happy life.
The sad truth is that
I’m not alone in my behavior. Millions of Americans are just like me, which is why it’s no surprise that so many of us are living with diabetes, hypertension and heart disease. We aren’t to blame for our current state. After all, our culture and economy are built upon secondary satisfactions. Yet, if we ever want to be and live well, we are going to have to depart from the status quo to pursue what we really want in life. This takes courage, because it requires authenticity and comes with no short cuts or quick fixes.
To get satisfaction, we have to risk being real with ourselves and with others. And this will cost us our defenses, illusions and maybe even some relationships. But what we stand to gain from our audacity is priceless – more experiences of genuine fulfillment and unfettered joy. Rebeccah Bennett is founder of Emerging Wisdom & InPower Institute.
Rebeccah Bennett
Dashawn Moore, 8, placed toy glasses on Michael Brown Sr. during a birthday party held in honor of Michael Brown Jr. on May 20, which would have been his twentieth birthday. Michael Brown Sr. and his nonprofit, Chosen for Change Foundation, hosted the party at Canfield Green Apartments.
Photo by Carolina Hidalgo / St. Louis Public Radio
Continued from A1
left school to work two jobs and ultimately start a small business in lawn care and construction to support my family, and my wife sacrificed her education at the time to be a stay-at-home mom.”
Wells, now 54, also had to deal with three heart attacks and coronary artery disease.
Family expectations helped drive Wells toward this degree. Wells’ parents, Donald Wells Sr. and Lores Wells, espoused the virtues of education every day, he said. His mother was an educator in the Saint Louis Public Schools system and retired as director of counseling at Harris-Stowe.
Wells described his father as an avid reader, student of life and community servant with incredible wisdom.
“Growing up, my five siblings and I were given an expectation from the time we started school that going to and graduating from college was a goal to be achieved,” Wells said.
dreams.
Joseph Wells, along with the responsibility of raising a family, had to deal with three heart attacks and coronary artery disease on his road to obtaining a degree in business administration.
“I knew I needed a good education to be able to support myself and help my mother when she needs it,” said Williams, now 35. “It was difficult, because I didn’t have any transportation, so I used Call-A-Ride for school physical therapy and water therapy until I finished school.”
Williams credited his mother, Joyce Herrin, as well as Wayne Weaver, a friend he made while undergoing therapy, for helping him remain focused on finishing his degree. He currently is searching for employment.
Pier Scott of HSSU noted that Williams’ gait was only slightly uneven as he took an unassisted and triumphant stroll to receive his diploma during the May 14 commencement ceremonies.
winners were state Senator Jamilah Nasheed (D-St. Louis) and Joseph F. Reagan, president and chief executive officer of the St. Louis Regional Chamber. This award is given to individuals who have demonstrated an ongoing commitment to the university’s mission and its students through investments of time and energy.
HSSU also began a new commencement tradition by recognizing 50-year alumni. Ten members of the Class of 1966, representing the 94 graduates in that class, received personalized medallions.
“Both (parents) believed that education was the great equalizer for the African American and one of the many debts we owed to our ancestors for their many incredible struggles and sacrifices. So I gave them my word I would finish, and I feel a great sense of accomplishment for keeping that word to my parents more than any feeling of perceived status that comes with having a degree.”
LAWSUIT
Continued from A1 million have been allocated to charter schools that “rightfully belonged” to SLPS.
The legislators’ 2006 revision went against the federal court order and the voters’ intention for that money to go directly to SLPS, said Adolphus Pruitt, president of the St. Louis City NAACP (which is also a plaintiff in the lawsuit).
Wells, who works in the St. Louis City License Collector’s Office, said that his former and current supervisors,
Some charter school supporters said the district’s action is a direct attack against them. On Tuesday, Ken Ross Jr. and LeDiva Pierce filed a motion to intervene, stating to the court that all charter public school parents and students have a clear interest in making certain their charter public schools stay open and receive equitable funding for the foreseeable future.
“My son is thriving at his charter school,” Ross said. “It will be a tragedy for him, his brother who will be entering
Michael McMillan and Mavis Thompson, have been extremely supportive along his educational journey.
Accident survivor graduates
For Doyle Williams, injuries sustained in a motorcycle accident in 2007 changed his fortunes but did not shatter his
A student at Harris-Stowe at the time of the accident, Williams sustained severe head trauma and spent several years in physical and occupational therapy relearning to walk, talk, read and write. He returned to his studies in 2012 on a part-time basis, then became a full-time student and earned his bachelor’s degree in computer science in December 2015.
n “I want to make sure charter school parents and kids have a voice in the matter.”
– LeDiva Pierce
kindergarten in the fall, for all children and the city if SLPS is successful in draining resources from charter schools.”
Ross’ son, Kaebrin, enrolled in kindergarten at Hickey Elementary School in the SLPS district, according to the motion. Kaebrin has autism,
is high-functioning, and has special educational needs.
Neither Hickey Elementary nor SLPS personnel were providing appropriate support to Kaebrin, he stated.
Ross then chose to enroll Kaebrin at Confluence Academy-Old North Campus,
“The slight wobble did not reveal his arduous journey from total immobility to gradually using a wheelchair, a walker, a cane and finally walking with a bit of a limp,” Scott said.
Award recipients
The inaugural Harriet Beecher Stowe Award recipients also were introduced. The award
a charter school, in second grade. Kaebrin’s educational experience has been much better at Confluence Academy, the motion stated, and he will be a sixth-grade student there in fall 2016. Ross’ younger son, Ken Ross III, is slated to begin kindergarten there in fall 2016.
Ross said SLPS is trying to take the city back to a time when there were no educational options for public school students in the city. “We just cannot let that happen,” he said.
Pierce has three children currently enrolled in charter public schools. Her oldest child, Unique, is enrolled in KIPP Inspire Academy. Her son Albert and daughter Alfreida have been enrolled in Northside Community Charter School since kindergarten.
Pierce said she hoped SLPS would do the right thing and drop the lawsuit.
“There is still time for them to change their minds,” Pierce
Five Distinguished Alumni Award winners were recognized. The awards are presented to individuals for outstanding achievement in their chosen endeavors. Recipients included Roxanne D. Crawford (Class of 1991), senior area director, Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater St. Louis; Nicole Evans (1994), principal at City Garden Montessori School; Bruce Green (2001), assistant superintendent in the Hazelwood School District; Christopher Petty (1994), interim principal at Brooklyn Excelsior Charter School; and Betty Porter Walls (1965), assistant professor in HSSU’s College of Education.
said. “In case they don’t, I want to make sure charter school parents and kids have a voice in the matter. Education in the city is much better than it was 15 years ago. None of us want to see that undone.” SLPS and the NAACP will have two weeks to respond to Ross and Pierce’s motion.
“I am hopeful this intervention by charter public school parents and children will encourage SLPS to recognize how irresponsible it is to try and shut down a sector of public schools that has so clearly contributed to the number of quality education options available to St. Louis families,” said Douglas Thaman, executive director of the Missouri Charter Public School Association.
“It would make so much more sense if we were all working together to continue improving public education. Our hope is they will do the right thing and drop the suit.”
Photo by Maurice Meredith
ASHLEY
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Ferguson-Florissant School
District launched in September 2015 by the St. Louis Chess Club and Scholastic Center in partnership with Ascension Health.
“Initiatives like this are going to make change,” Ashley said. “I know that there are entrenched problems in Ferguson and in many cities around the country, but we have to focus on the things that can help, that are going to make a difference. We have to believe in the potential for change and pursue it.”
Ashley spoke to The St. Louis American about chess and mentoring at the St. Louis Chess Club and Scholastic Center, 4657 Maryland Ave. in the Central West End.
The St. Louis American: When did you first take an interest in chess?
Maurice Ashley: I started playing as a boy in Jamaica, but I got really serious about chess after I came to America at age 12. We lived in Brownsville, Brooklyn, a neighborhood where a lot of rough stuff was going on – violence, drug dealers, prostitutes – and chess was an outlet for my desire to excel at something. The trappings of the neighborhood didn’t lure me because I was always hanging out with a friend playing chess or reading about it. Chess expanded my world,
STOCKLEY
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The bail set by the judge definitely favored Stockley, said Albert Watkins, the attorney for Smith’s fiancée Christina Wilson.
Before Mullen made his decision, Wilson gave a statement, saying that she was on the phone with Smith that morning and heard him beg for his life. Smith was unarmed, she said.
“He dishonored his badge,” Wilson said of Stockley. “He is a threat to everyone. He needs to be kept off the streets.”
Prior to that, Mullen listened silently while Bruntrager spoke about Stockley’s West Point education and military honors.
However, when Krug started presenting her case for the $500,000 bail, Mullen immediately interrupted and criticized Circuit Attorney Jennifer Joyce for waiting four and a half years to file charges. He asked Krug if she had new evidence, and she replied that she couldn’t present anything at this time.
“That’s unbelievable,” Mullen yelled. “You are not going to tell me?”
Mullen downplayed her argument for a higher bail for the first-degree murder charge,
too: I learned that it was played by millions of people in exotic places. I remember reading about famous players in Russia and wondering what it would be like to live in Moscow.
The American: Did you have a mentor in those early years?
Maurice Ashley: When I was 17 years old, I met a
saying, “It’s hard to compare this to any other case.”
According to the prosecutors’ probable cause statement, Stockley shot into Smith’s car, and then he and his partner, who was driving the SUV, chased Smith at speeds over 80 miles per hour.
During the pursuit, Smith is heard on an internal police car video saying, “Going to kill this m/f, don’t you know it,” according to the statement.
group of older men who called themselves “The Black Bear School of Chess.” It was just a bunch of brothers who got together and played against each other, but they were fierce competitors and serious about the game. They would study chess books in languages they didn’t speak: I remember seeing them studying a German book with the help of a German
is currently being held in solidarity confinement to be kept away from other prisoners. The lights are on 24 hours a day, he said, and Stockley has minimal clothing.
Sgt. Heather Taylor, president of the Ethical Society of Police, which represents about 200 minority officers, said that she expected Stockley to get the lower bail because he has no record.
dictionary, and looking at the illustrations of chess moves in a Russian magazine. We played blitz chess which is the very fast form of the game – five minutes with the clock – and there’s a lot of trash talking. It was a rambunctious atmosphere, playing all the time in each other’s homes, sometimes from dusk till dawn. These men
About 15 activists also attended the hearing, and many were disappointed at Mullen’s leniency.
helped me to grow as a chess player, but also as a man. They taught me how to be focused and how to tolerate losing. A lot of people give up when they start losing, but to be great at anything you have to be completely comfortable with failing, time and time again.
The American: Can you talk about the cognitive benefits
of chess?
Maurice Ashley: To me, the greatest thing about chess is how it refines the decisionmaking process. Every single move forces you to make a decision. You have to compare and contrast ideas constantly, and then decide on a plan of action after you’ve analyzed everything. And you can’t fall into “analysis paralysis.” Eventually you have to act, and when you act your opponent will try to crush you. That is incredible training for life. It made a difference for me, helping me become a more sophisticated thinker.
The American: Is that your stump speech to young students?
Maurice Ashley: No. If you tell them “This will help you become a sophisticated thinker,” They’ll say, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” But if you say, “You’re going to be a good chess player,” they’ll say, “Oh, okay; I get that.” Because kids are imitative, they automatically emulate people they respect, especially when the person has a lot of similarities to them. The kids get that I am from the same kind of neighborhood, that I am a normal guy. And it matters that I’m black: They can relate to me and they know I can relate to their experience directly because I grew up just like they did.
For more information on Maurice Ashley and his programs, visit http:// mauriceashley.com.
“I was appalled with the reiteration of his character as a Bronze Star winner,” DuVall said. “As a veteran myself and honoring veterans yesterday for Memorial Day, it is the complete opposite of what we know honor is, what Stockley did.”
n “That’s unbelievable,” Judge Michael Mullen yelled. “You are not going to tell me?”
As Smith’s car was slowing to a stop, Stockley is also heard telling the other officer to “hit him right now,” at which point the driver slammed the police SUV into the victim’s car. Stockley then approached Smith’s car on the driver’s side and shot five times into the car, striking Smith with each shot, according to prosecutors.
According to Joyce’s statement, a gun was recovered from the victim’s car, but was later determined by lab analysis to have only Stockley’s DNA on it.
Bruntrager said Stockley
However, within the police department, “There is a clear racial divide. I think this right here has set the tone for it to continue.”
Taylor said she ended her membership with the St. Louis Police Association after receiving a message to come out and support Stockley at the hearing. Taylor said she was among several black officers who left the union because of the message.
About 20 police officers, mostly white, filled the courtroom benches.
“I am trying to think of a time when they have shown up in support like this,” Taylor said. “African-American officers felt, ‘Where have they been for us with just internal issues?’ This is a person who was indicted for murder.”
The police union has also not taken a stance on anything that has to do with race or diversity, she said.
“It’s a slight setback on a long journey, but I believe justice is still going to prevail,” said Rev. Phillip DuVall, who – along with Brother Anthony Shahid – pushed police for public records on the case, which resulted in the criminal charges.
As people were filing out of the Carnahan Courthouse, a white woman wearing a police union T-shirt approached a black man and said, “This is my town.” State Senator Maria Chappelle-Nadal said she saw the interaction, along with the aftermath when security guards ushered the man away from the woman. She said the man was just standing there when the woman approached, yet the guards focused on the man.
“It tells me we still have a lot of racism,” Chappelle-Nadal said.
International Chess Grandmaster Maurice Ashley supports “Your Move Chess,” an after-school program in the Ferguson-Florissant School District launched in September 2015 by the St. Louis Chess Club and Scholastic Center in partnership with Ascension Health.
Photo by Austin Fuller, courtesy of Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis
In loving memory of Acme W. Price Jr.
Acme Wallace Price Jr., 83, passed away peacefully in his home on Tuesday, May 24, 2016.
He was one of 14 children born to Acme Price Sr. and Bessie Price, on November 19, 1932 in Cordova, Tennessee.
Acme married Roberzene Crowder in St. Louis in 1955, a union that lasted over 60 years. To this union were born three children: Acme III who preceded him in death, Renee, and Byron. Legacy is defined as something transmitted by or received from an ancestor or predecessor or from the past. The legacy of Acme Price was rooted in his humble beginnings at Price Chapel School, founded by his grandfather, where his father was headmaster.
His aspirations for educational excellence led him to obtain a B. A. in Education from Harris Teacher’s College and a M.S. in Education from Southern Illinois University. Throughout his professional career, his passion, mission and vision were driven by his intent to improve the lives of others through education. Acme served in the St. Louis Public School System as a teacher, administrator, and later
as principal of L’Ouverture, Mullanphy Magnet, and Williams Middle School. The impact of his life’s work remains ever present in the lives of many students and families, teachers and staff in St. Louis.
Acme was a long-term member of West Side Missionary Baptist Church. During his membership, he taught Sunday School, served as a trustee and on pastoral search committees. He managed West Side Gardens Apartments and assisted in laying the academic foundation of West Side Christian Academy.
Acme was a member of the NAACP, Lion’s Club, Kappa Alpha Psi, Urban League and Lambds Auxillary of Iota Phi Lambda Sorority Inc. He was active in the University City community and challenged the status quo when he became a mayoral candidate.
Acme’s favorite pastimes were fishing, golfing, and gardening. He also loved to tell stories as he reflected on family, religion, philosophy and education.
He leaves to cherish his memory Roberzene Price, his loving and devoted wife, a daughter Renee Price Lawrence, of Washington D.C., a son Byron F. Price, of St. Louis, and a grandson, Anthony W. Price, of St. Louis, three sisters, a sister in law, Carolyn Thomas, of St. Louis, a brother in law, Aaron Crowder, of Arkansas, and a host of nieces, nephews, cousins and loyal friends.
Services will be held at West Side Missionary Baptist Church, 4675 Page Blvd. Visitation is 4-7 p.m. Thursday, June 2. Homegoing is 10 a.m. Friday, June 3.
Roy Glenn Lee, co-owner of Andy’s Seasoning
Roy G. Lee was a co-owner of Andy’s Seasoning, Inc., which was founded by his parents, Reuben and Katherine Anderson in 1981. He served as a member of Andy’s Seasoning, Inc. Board of Directors since 2012. In addition to his IT responsibilities he assisted the company in any way he could. He was not only full of creative ideas, but worked diligently to get the job done. He was a team player and always strived for what was best for the company. Although he was a people person and very easy to get along with, he made tough decisions when needed.
He was educated through the Saint Louis Public Schools District, graduating from Northwest High School in 1978.
He began his career of more than 30 years working with computers and information technology in 1978 at Southwestern Bell Telephone Company and culminating at Andy’s Seasoning, Inc. where he served as director of the IT Department. He was the driving force behind Andy’s becoming up to date technologically. He guided the company in moving from being manually based in its procedures to becoming computerized. He was also
instrumental in developing its first website. Roy was very civic- and community-minded. He wanted Andy’s to be involved in worthwhile causes, such as United Way (a faithful contributor), St. Louis Gateway Classic Sports Foundation, and the many community efforts of the late Ida Goodwin Woolfolk. Being an outgoing, social person he never met a stranger. Until illness limited him, he was a public face for the company, always accompanying his mother, the late Katherine Anderson, to community events. Because he chauffeured her so much, his family often joked with him and said that he was “Driving Ms. Daisy.” He was one of seven charter members of Agape Christian Center, a church founded and pastored by his brother Larry W. Lee. He was an avid supporter of his brother and of
the ministry of the church. In his earlier years he served as a member of the Agape Singers and occasionally assisted as an usher. He had a deep love for his Agape Christian Center family and was so deeply moved and appreciated that they loved him. Roy will be lovingly remembered by: his brothers; Michael (Pamela) Lee, Jacksonville, NC; Larry W. Lee, St. Louis, Missouri; two sisters-in-law, Marie Lee, Delean (Willie) Houston; two step-brothers, Jun (Yama) Anderson; Crettice Johnson; step-sister Christie Johnson; three nephews, Paul Lee, Aaron (LaYana) Lee, Gregory (Dianna) Lee; three nieces, Michelle Lee, Stantelle Gordon, Kelly (Leonard) Lee- Blythe; four uncles; David Lee, William (Otha) Lee, Herman Lee, German Anderson; four aunts, Juanita (Norman) Neal, Margaret Jackson, Johnnie Day, Joycie Turner; many cousins, friends and the employees of Andy’s Seasoning, Inc. Visitation is 4-7 p.m. Friday, June 3 at Austin A. Layne Mortuary, 7733 Natural Bridge Rd. Funeral is 11 a.m. Saturday, June 4 at Agape Christian Center, 2410 Gardner Dr.
U.S. Census hiring in St. Louis
The U.S. Census Bureau is hiring approximately 150 temporary field representatives and supervisor positions for its Address Canvassing Test in St. Louis that starts October 3. The purpose of the test is to use new field methodologies and data sources to better detect and identify changes to local housing locations in preparation for the 2020 Census. Positions will be available from August through December, with most jobs lasting between four to five weeks. Pay for the office and field staff range from $12.34 to $19.21 per hour. Qualified local residents may apply now through June 2016 for any of the temporary part-time
positions, with priority given to those who live in St. Louis. For more information about the available positions, contact the Census Bureau toll-free at 1-866-593-6154, or by email at chicago.recruiting@census.gov. For more information about the Address Canvassing Test, please visit census.gov.
Acme W. Price Jr.
Roy Glenn Lee
When it’s time to eat, turn off the TV, sit down at the table and enjoy your meal together. Sitting in the kitchen or dining room, taking your time and focusing on the food you’re eating, results in less overeating. Not
only will you enjoy spending time with your family, you will more easily recognize your own stomach’s “full” signal. This prevents that achy, bloated feeling you get when you’ve eaten too much.
Learning Standards: HPE 2, HPE 5, NH 1, NH 5
CREATE A QUESTION JAR. Hand out small slips of paper or index cards cut in half. Each member of the family should write out questions on the cards that require more than a Yes or No answer. Some kinds of questions might be — What was the best thing that happened to you today? What is your favorite book and why? If you could travel anywhere in the world,
where would you go, and why would you want to go there?
Each dinner, one member of the family selects one piece of paper from the Question Jar and reads it out loud. Everyone around the table has to answer the same question. Only read one question per mealtime. This is a great way to get to know your family and spend some positive time together.
Learning Standards: HPE 2, NH 1
The St. Louis Zoo is truly one of the best treasures of our city and it costs nothing to go! If you can’t find street parking, you may end up paying to park in one of the Zoo’s lots. But admission to the actual Zoo is free. Keep in mind that there are some extra areas that do require a small fee. But the Zoo is one of the best in the country, and your family can spend the entire day there without breaking the bank!
Go to http://www.stlzoo.org/ before you go, to plan your visit. With 90 acres of exhibits, you can spend all day walking around. Going up and down hills and in and out of the different areas, from Big Cat Country to the Primate House, your family will definitely get your exercise! Enjoy your day staying active together at The St. Louis Zoo. SUMMER HOURS 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mon-Thur 8
& holidays COST
Admission to the Zoo is FREE, although there are fees for some attractions.
War on pain meds
By Sandra Jordan Of The St. Louis American
n “It’s
St. Louis City joins St. Louis County in establishing its own opiate drug monitoring program. They join the rest of the nation with operations to reduce opiate prescription abuse, addiction and overdose deaths, unlike the Show Me State.
St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay signed into law Board Bill 36 on Tuesday May 31, at the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse office. Slay was joined by City of St. Louis Department of Health Director Melba Moore, city and state elected leaders and advocates for prescription drug monitoring. Moore said this law is true prevention that will save lives. “Both St. Louis County and St. Louis City are taking the lead on monitoring prescriptions of painkillers and tracking patients who overuse or abuse drugs, and this is going to save lives,” Moore explained. “The passage of this legislation gives medical professionals a powerful tool for reducing the abuse, addiction and diversion of opioid painkillers and other prescription drugs.” St. Louis County’s drug monitoring program was signed into law in March of this year. The city and the county will
Appropriate use
That dreadful day has finally happened. After years of predicting this outcome, news sources have recently reported the presence of a “superbug” in the U.S. A Pennsylvania woman, per researchers at the Department of Defense, developed a urinary tract infection with a bacteria that is resistant to the most powerful antibiotic, colistin. The most troubling aspect of this report is how easily the resistance can be spread between other bacteria, which is different than resistant bacteria of the past. An infectious disease specialist from the University of Minnesota, James Johnson, believes the MCR-1 gene, the gene that causes colistin resistance, probably occurred due to China’s use of colistin in food animals.
Overuse of antibiotics is the reason resistance occurs. Using antibiotics for viral infections is an example of antibiotic misuse. When resistance occurs, it simply means that the next time that particular bacteria is present, the previously used antibiotic will not be effective. Additionally, if the current problem with the antibiotic colistin persists and spreads, common, mild infections could be fatal.
So as a society, what is our role in containing the spread of resistant bacteria?
n Overuse of antibiotics is the reason resistance occurs. Using antibiotics for viral infections is an example of antibiotic misuse.
Let us first learn the difference between viral and bacterial infections. The common cold is a viral infection of the respiratory tract, which includes the nose, throat, airways and lungs. Viruses are special types of microorganisms that cannot reproduce without a host cell. Viruses can be spread horizontally via person to person and vertically via mother to child. Touching an infected doorknob then touching your eyes, nose, or mouth is an example of horizontal transmission.
Symptoms from a common cold usually come on gradually and can include fever, sore throat, coughing and muscle aches. There are over 200 different types of viruses that can cause the common cold and sadly, there are no cures. Treatments include symptomatic management such as pushing fluids, resting, smoking cessation, and gargling with warm, salt water. Treatment does not include antibiotics.
Antibiotics are utilized for bacterial infections. Strep throat, pneumonia and urinary tract infections are common examples of infections caused by bacteria. Bacteria are single-celled microorganisms that vary in metabolic type, geometric shapes and habi-
Denise HooksAnderson, MD
The City of St. Louis is creating prescription drug monitoring program to prevent doctor shopping
opiate painkiller abuse, addiction
Bringing It Together and Blazing a Trail
By Sandra Jordan
Of The St. Louis American
Several hundred senior St. Louisans came together at the Muny Opera Pavilion in Forest Park for the 38th Annual “Bringing It Together Healthfest,” held Friday, May 27. The Muny, Southside Senior Citizen Center, and the City of St. Louis Parks, Recreation and Forestry Department hosted the event.
Attendees received wellness and safety tips to achieve better health and avoid the risks of chronic disease, disability and injury. The event encourages seniors to stay engaged and to stay active.
Awards were presented to some most treasured among St. Louis’ silver circle of civic leadership, including community, representing their expertise. Honorees included community activist Deanetta James; St. Louis Alderman Freeman Bosley Sr., for political savvy; St. Louis Alderman Thomas Villa, for civic leadership; St. Louis American Publisher Donald Suggs, for business acumen, Samantha Toole Kendall for being an outstanding volunteer; and Louise
Thompson for longevity. Ollie Stewart, founder and executive director of Southside Senior Citizen Center, said, “And as our theme of ‘Blazing a Trail’ suggests, we’re applauding senior leaders who have made a real difference in their communities.”
Masters of Ceremonies were Fox2 Now and KPLR TV journalist Bonita Cornute and St. Louis radio personality and American columnist Bernie Hayes.
Co-chairs of the event were Jacqueline Hutchison, vice president of Operations, People’s Community Action Corporation and Stephanie Robinson, supervisor, municipal accounts for Ameren Missouri.
Honorary co-chairs for the event included local and state leadership in the areas of health, city and community affairs, business and youth programs.
The entertainment lineup included recording artist Uvee Hayes, International Institute St. Louis, Sifu Herb Parran, St. Louis Gateway Jazz Band and the Monsanto YMCA Swinging Seniors.
by
Nominations open for 2016 Dr. Corrine Walentik
Leadership in Health Award
Do you know of a worthy colleague or friend that has displayed exceptional leadership while working to improve the health of the underserved in Missouri?
Please consider nominating them for this year’s Walentik Leadership in Health Award. Each year, the Missouri Foundation for Health honors one distinguished individual who exemplifies the passion and dedication toward helping others that Dr. Walentik showed in her work.
This award was established to honor Dr. Walentik’s service to the Foundation and her work on behalf of vulnerable residents, especially children in our service area. The award is presented annually to a leader in Missouri health care who has shown a similar unwavering commitment to improve the health of the underserved in our region.
The recipient will receive a personal award of $2,500, and a $25,000 award will be made to an organization of the recipient’s choosing. The formal presentation of the award will take place at our Annual Dinner in St. Louis on December 14, 2016. The recipient will also be recognized at a mutually agreed upon event in the recipient’s home community.
The deadline to apply is July 8, 2016. For more information, visit http://bit.ly/1U8Evpe.
DRUGS
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of the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse, said this is a step in a positive direction for the St. Louis region.
“St. Louis City and the County, being the two regions in the state of Missouri, beginning to address the prescription opioid problem as a public health crisis, and to take those steps that all other 49 states, Puerto Rico and Guam have already taken,” Weissman told The American. The District of Columbia also has a PDMP. Keeping track of the sale of
DOCTOR
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tats. A milliliter of fresh water, for example, contains about a million bacteria. The spread of bacterial infections is similar to
such medications serves as an early warning system for intervention and alerts prescribers of “doctor shopping” for multiple prescriptions to access the addictive drugs for resale.
Chad Sabora, founder of Missouri Network for Opiate Reform and Advocacy, said the computers of physicians and pharmacists will be able to talk to each other to prevent doctor shopping.
Newly enhanced VA Women’s Imaging Center
On May 20, the VA St. Louis Health System recently celebrated the grand opening of its newly renovated VA Women Centric Diagnostic Imaging Center, located on the second floor of its John Cochran facility.
The Imaging Center now features upgraded mammography, ultrasound and bone density equipment that will better serve the needs of the VA’s growing female veteran population. Over the last 15 years, the need for women centric services at VA medical facilities has grown dramatically as the number of female veterans has increased. Over the next decade, the expected demand will increase by 37 percent. Currently, there are over 1.8 million female veterans, and women account for 14.5 percent of all active duty military.
U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill spoke at the grand opening.
“Clinics like this one are an outstanding example of the VA’s commitment to ensuring female veterans have access to the quality care and benefits they’ve earned, especially as their numbers increase across the branches of service,” said McCaskill, a senior member of the Armed Services Committee. “That’s why I’m so proud that the St. Louis VA is now home to this center that will help provide even better cancer care and health screenings to our women veterans.”
statewide PDMP database.
ications they rightfully need.”
While these strong painkillers are needed for serious illnesses – cancer treatment, sickle cell disease and following surgery, for example, opioid prescription abuse is of epidemic proportions in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and it is a leading cause of accidental deaths.
“As we go after the overprescribing of opiate pain medications, we have to be aware that there are chronic pain patients out there that need these drugs in order to survive,” Sabora added. “We cannot use the type of offense strategy that is going to limit their ability to get med-
“People go in to see different doctors for the same prescription and have them filled at different pharmacies,” Sabora said. “Now in Missouri, there is no way to prevent that, so people are taking advantage of that by bringing multiple prescriptions from other states to Missouri to fill them and put them on the black market.”
that of viruses. However, unlike viruses, bacteria do not need a host to survive. Bacteria can survive in harsh environments such as extreme heat and cold as well as radioactive waste. Most bacteria are harmless and some are essential to bodily functions
like helping to digest food. Less than 1 percent of bacteria cause illness in people. So now that this “superbug” is in our country, who is responsible for curtailing this potentially dangerous situation? We are ALL responsible: providers and patients!
“No one wants to deprive a person who is suffering from a painful condition the drug that will provide them release; we want only to recognize that, because these drugs are so addictive, they can be easily misused and they can be easily diverted,” Weissman said. “And we want these drugs to be used responsibly and prescribed responsibly and the way to do that is to give doctors and pharmacists the means to determine that they patient is taking the proper amount of medication.”
While there is a federal drug monitoring program, repeatedly, the Missouri legislature has repeatedly failed to enact a
For instance, as patients, we have to understand that the most common infections are viral. Therefore, just because we have a cough and low grade fever does not mean that we need antibiotics. Viruses last anywhere from 7 - 10 days. Give it time! Moreover,
“What the statewide databases do is track the number and type of prescriptions filled to individual patients, while federal databases can track the total number of pills that are being held in pharmacies,” explained Weissman. “It is the state databases that can track which patients they are going to and which doctors are prescribing them.”
A concern about patient privacy was a focal point of state opposition and a threatened filibuster – although access would go to health professionals who already have access to medical information.
“We allow them to have access to our health records when we go to the doctor or when we get a prescription filled at the pharmacy,” Weissman said.
as providers, we have to stop pacifying patients with antibiotics just because they threaten to leave our practices if we do not prescribe antibiotics. We all have a part to play in breaking these horrible practices or we will all eventually have to suffer from previously
“If you’ve ever gotten a prescription filled at a national chain, like Walgreens, Walmart, CVS … the information is already there, we just need to create a system where Missouri pharmacies can talk to each other,” Sabora said. “Words like privacy and things like that are buzzwords for politicians to further their cause, but if you actually truly investigate how this actually implements, it won’t be really interrupting anybody’s privacy.”
treatable infections.
Denise Hooks-Anderson, M.D.is assistant professor at SLUCare Family Medicine. You can reach her at yourhealthmatters@stl american.com
38th Annual Bringing It Together Healthfest at the Muny Pavilion in Forest Park.
Photo
Wiley Price
Dr. Corrine Walentik
Barbara Sterkel, MD, chief, Diagnostic Imaging; Sen. Clare McCaskill; Keith Repko, acting director, VASLHCS; Terri Odom, veteran; and Paul DiDomenico, MD, chief, Women Imaging Center.
Impeached Jennings mayor accuses council of ‘witch hunt’
Former Jennings mayor
Yolonda Fountain Henderson
said a “political witch hunt” has been issued against her by city officials during a press conference on Friday, May 27 outside Jennings City Hall. She also said she has every intention to run for mayor again on November 8.
Just a few days earlier, on Tuesday night, Jennings City Council unanimously voted to impeach Henderson. The impeachment vote included two votes from newly elected council members who had been serving for less than two months.
not have a forgiving heart,” Henderson told media.
On May 25, the city held a press conference announcing Jennings Ward 2 councilwoman, Francine Dugger as interim mayor.
“We need to end this downward spiral which will bring down our city, and I believe this healing can start to today,” Dugger said during the press conference.
Last year, Henderson made history by being elected as the city’s first black woman mayor. The council majority is overwhelmingly AfricanAmerican.
Henderson, who referred to the impeachment hearing as a “kangaroo court,” said she believes laws were violated throughout the process. She plans to appeal the council’s decision as soon as she and her attorney receive transcripts of the hearing.
Henderson had 19 allegations lodged against her in the original bill of impeachment, but they were narrowed down to seven during the course of the proceedings.
The crux of the claims were overreach of authority in an attempt to circumvent the council’s authority. This started with a suit she filed via attorney Elbert Walton in an attempt to give the mayor unilateral appointing authorities. It continued with her hiring a vendor, Tony Weaver, without council approval and refusing to accept his dismissal when the council objected.
“I had apologized to the City Council for my part and wanted to work with them. But I see that was not enough. They did
As acting mayor, Dugger’s city salary will increase, until the special election on November 8. “For the past months, Dugger and myself had been going to events together, talking on the phone, hiring new workers together and some of that hiring process got me impeached.
I don’t understand her statement,” Henderson said. “ I was trying to work with her.”
According to Dugger, the City Council attempted to work with Henderson on multiple occasions before resorting to impeachment.
Henderson said the council only sent her one letter, and it asked her to drop the lawsuit she had filed during her first month as mayor.
After she filed her lawsuit, turmoil at City Hall quickly followed. Henderson’s alliances with Walton and Weaver raised suspicions among council members.
Weaver and Walton both worked alongside Henderson at Northeast Ambulance and Fire Protection District. In 2011, the trio had been tied to the district when it went before the Missouri Administrative Hearing Commission and were found guilty of violating ethics codes. The district ended up in receivership, monitored by a circuit judge.
When the Jennings City Council tried to remove Weaver -- forcibly, at a council meeting -- Henderson defended
him and even vowed to make sure he was paid regardless. At that point the city clerk read on the record the law she would violate and its penalties.
City officials have not confirmed the litigation costs it took for the impeachment process, but Henderson estimates the city used over $100,000 of taxpayers’ money.
Henderson had to pay out of her own pocket for her attorney.
“I resent them for trying to discredit my good name,” Henderson told media.
Henderson said she plans to run for mayor again if she is qualified.
Asked whether Henderson were eligible to run in November, the Missouri secretary of state referred The American to the St. Louis County Board of Elections.
Eric Fey, Democratic director for elections in the county, told The American on May 31 that he saw nothing in state statutes regarding 3rd Class cities, like Jennings, that would preclude an impeached officeholder from running for their former seat in
the special election to replace them. He also suggested checking with Jennings to see if there is a pertinent local ordinance.
On May 31 the Jennings city clerk said the city’s attorney is looking into the matter.
Kotraba strikes again
Remember Deputy Fire Chief Steven Kotraba? He was the white deputy chief promoted to interim fire chief after Charles Bryson (doing the bidding of Mayor Francis G. Slay) demoted Fire Chief Sherman George, the city’s first black fire chief, in 2007. Kotraba immediately began making promotions from a contested promotions list that heavily favored white firefighters. Fire Chief Dennis Jenkerson (who was promoted to fire chief from battalion chief as George’s permanent successor) continued with those promotions. As The American reported in 2008, after the first major sets of promotions were pushed through, Kotraba and
Jenkerson had promoted 25 white firefighters to captain, compared to only seven black firefighters. They promoted three new white battalion chiefs, two black battalion chiefs and one Hispanic.
That equated to $386,000 in annual salary increases for the families of white firefighters, compared to only $122,000 in annual salary increases for the families of black firefighters. Add in Jenkerson’s $25,000 annual raise, and the annual advantage to whites was $411,000 to $122,000.
Jenkerson remains Slay’s fire chief, and Kotraba is still a deputy chief. On May 6, a jury unanimously ruled that Kotraba, who is white, retaliated against paramedic Laticha Green, who is black, after she filed a grievance.
Green alleged that after she was promoted to paramedic in 2012, Kotraba added five months to her six-month probationary period though he didn’t do the same for two white paramedics –one of whom is his niece – and threatened to discipline her for
Former Jennings mayor Yolonda Fountain Henderson discussed the City Council’s successful impeachment proceedings against her and vowed to run again for mayor outside City Hall on Friday, May 27.
Photo Lawrence Bryant
insubordination when she filed a grievance.
The jury rejected her claim of race discrimination but awarded Green $50,000 for her retaliation claim.
There were some revealing moments at trial. Kotraba was asked by Green’s attorney why Acting EMS Deputy Chief Pam Miller, who is white, reports to him and not to the Chief of EMS, Val Porter, an African American. Kotraba said that it’s because that’s the way it is on the organizational chart. When the organizational chart was brought into court, that wasn’t the case.
So there are only three black paramedics on EMS and the only black person with real authority, the chief of EMS, has a subordinate whom Kotraba allows to bypass her and report directly to him.
“We convinced the jury that Kotraba violated your rights and they held him accountable,” Green’s attorney Jerome Dobson wrote to her. “Everyone in the department will know that he was found liable for his outrageous conduct and hit with an enormous penalty. They will also know that you were the one with the courage to challenge his bad acts and you prevailed. Now maybe Kotraba will back off on his retaliation against Val.”
A request for comment to the St. Louis Fire Department and mayor’s office was not returned.
Business
The ‘shoeman’ who did magic
Remembering James Pearson Sr. and Yellow Ball Shoe Repair and Store
By Mark Loehrer For The St. Louis American
Ask St. Louisans who attended Ashland Elementary School where they hung out as kids. They most likely spent their afternoons looking for records at Sound Town or chowing down with friends at Mandarin Inn. If you ask them where they bought shoes, their eyes will light up. The answer is almost certain to be Yellow Ball Shoe Repair and Store. Not only did they buy Hushpuppies or Converse sneakers at Yellow Ball, the store also was an institution in the surrounding Penrose community. Its owner, James W. Pearson Sr., was at its center.
Born in Mound Bayou, Mississippi, in 1925, Pearson spent most of his life in St. Louis. As a
n Situated near Ashland Elementary School, Pearson’s shop became the primary destination for those looking to buy the latest in shoewear.
graduate of Washington Technical High School, Pearson sought out a trade with which he could earn a living and landed on shoe repair.
In 1943, Pearson was drafted and served in the United States Air Force in the Pacific before being honorably discharged in 1946. Two things stuck with him after his military service: a strong work ethic and a nickname, “Yellow Ball.”
Using benefits provided by the GI Bill,
Pearson opened Yellow Ball Shoe Repair and Store in late 1946. In the then-bustling corridor of Franklin Avenue at 22nd Street, Pearson’s shop attracted a variety of customers, white and black.
In the late 1960s, as urban renewal continued its slow creep westward across the St. Louis landscape, Yellow Ball was forced to relocate. Reopening at 4338 Natural Bridge Ave. near the intersection with Newstead Avenue, Yellow Ball Shoe Repair and Store quickly reestablished its popularity.
Situated near Ashland Elementary School, Pearson’s shop became the primary destination for those looking to buy the latest in shoewear. As the store grew, Yellow Ball also became a
See SHOEMAN, B6
Fees for home-based business owners drop
If annual revenue is under $100K, business license fee is only $25
By Maria Altman
Mavis Thomspon
effect in February, the graduated business license renewal forms the St. Louis License Collector’s office sent to many business owners in April don’t include the lower fee. There’s no information about the change on the office’s website either. “When I got the new form, I looked for that, but it was all exactly the same as previous years,” said Jill Miller, who runs her small business, White Caps, Green Collars, out of her apartment. “There was no mention of the
n “I hope anyone who’s paid the $200, who should have only paid $25, will get a refund.”
– Jill Miller
lower fee.” Miller paints flat roofs white for energy efficiency. She also does some communications work for 15th Ward Alderwoman Megan Ellyia Green and was aware of the new law.
People On The Move
Carl Williams was voted Fathers’ Support Center’s 2016 Father of the Year. Williams, a father of three and assembly line worker at General Motors, was one of three candidates up for the award, along with Gregory Washington and Rick Jamison. He will be formally recognized at “A Toast to Fathers” on June 16 at Windows on Washington. Visit www. fatherssupportcenter.org.
Yemi S. AkandeBartsch was selected as a YWCA Leader of Distinction. She is executive director of FOCUS St. Louis. Previously she was the vice president, Leadership and Alumni program at FOCUS. Before that she was managing partner at YsA Group, a leadership training and development company based in Cleveland, Ohio, and senior director of civic education for the Cleveland Leadership Center.
Roderick Nunn joined Concordance Academy as executive vice president, Head of Education and Employment. He will oversee the job readiness and education components of Academy curriculum, and integrate them into tailored employment pathways for participants. Most recently he was vice chancellor for student affairs at St. Louis Community College. The Concordance Initiative was created to address reincarceration and its many associated social problems.
Rebeccah Bennett was selected as a YWCA Leader of Distinction. She is founder and principal of Emerging Wisdom LLC, which helps individuals live empowered lives, leaders build impactful organizations, and communities advance brighter futures. She and her team conduct personal and professional growth programs, organizational improvement efforts and social transformation initiatives. She also is a columnist for The St. Louis American
Ronald Young was awarded a scholarship to the graduate art program at the Sam Fox School of Design and Visual Arts at Washington University. The Chancellor’s Graduate Fellowship Program is a fullride scholarship awarded to students who, in light of all pertinent academic qualifications, experience and attributes, would contribute to the diversity of the graduate program. He is a retired art teacher from the Kirkwood School District.
Judge Judy Draper was selected as a YWCA Leader of Distinction. She was appointed associate circuit judge in St. Louis County in 2004 by Gov. Bob Holden. She is a former prosecutor for the City of St. Louis; the first woman of color attorney in Monsanto Company World Headquarters Law Department: International/Corporate section; and an adjunct professor of pre-trial practice and procedure at Washington University School of Law. On the move? Congratulations! Send your good professional news and a color headshot to cking@stlamerican. com
Carl Williams
Roderick Nunn
Rebeccah Bennett
Ronald Young
Yemi S. AkandeBartsch
Judge Judy Draper
Photo courtesy of Pearson family
As a graduate of Washington Technical High School, James W. Pearson sought out a trade with which he could earn a living and landed on shoe repair. After being drafted and serving in the United States Air Force, he came home with the nickname “Yellow Ball” which became the namesake of his business, Yellow Ball Shoe Repair and Store.
Teach money skills to your middle schooler
By Nathaniel Sillin
According to a 2014
University of Michigan Study, the average high school senior – who may already be juggling a part-time job in addition to their schoolwork– knows little about saving or proper money management.
In fact, they spend most of what they earn on entertainment and clothing – a pretty bad precedent for young adults heading off to college and the working world. At that age, the money young teens earn in the summer usually comes from parents for household chores like mowing the lawn. Most parents never have a discussion with their kids about how to spend or save that money. Young teens generally don’t think about whether something is a “want” or a “need” — it is typically a want, which would be spent on a game, candy or comics.
If you’re the parent of a 12-14-year-old, that might give you pause – or provide a great opportunity to make a difference. Consider using this summer to stop your child’s bad money habits before they kick in. After all, even though most middle schoolers are shy of legal working age, many begin to work at odd jobs that are starting to put money in their pockets you don’t see. Consider these steps for an informal summer money curriculum:
Introduce – or reinforce – the “Needs vs. Wants”
FEES
continued from page B1
She called the license collector’s office and was told
talk. Maybe your child has a spending goal for the summer – new clothes, maybe a smartphone. It’s all about intelligent money management, even if the goal is somewhat short-term. The “needs vs. wants” talk is all about delayed gratification, the foundational behavior of healthy money management. Link it to smart shopping, encouraging the teen to price-compare purchases, gather coupons and come up with other ways to save in print and online. It’s also not a bad idea to let your child start suggesting thoughtful purchases when grocery shopping for your family. Before he or she can drive, you’ll have a chance to discuss choices and spending while you’re both in the store.
If they’re not working, give them an opportunity to earn. If your middle schooler isn’t picking up a few dollars babysitting or doing chores, come up with an earning opportunity for the summer. It could mean cleaning out the basement or garage or a project around the house that they can handle. It will provide you both with an opportunity to talk about what he or she will do with that extra income. If your child has an entrepreneurial spirit, encourage converting a hobby into a summer business. If they show empathy to help others, suggest they donate their time to help elderly neighbors with simple yard work.
she’d be sent a new form. It never arrived. So Miller went to City Hall in person. She finally received the new form from the license collector after being sent to the city’s Building Division for a copy
Introduce the ‘bucket” system. It’s hard to know what to save, spend, give or invest without a system. That’s as true for adults as it is for kids. The “50-25-25” rule refers to setting aside 50 percent for everyday, non-discretionary expenses like school lunches or transportation, another 25 percent for savings and the remainder for discretionary purchases, better known as the latest smartphone your
of her home occupancy waiver.
“I hope anyone who’s paid the $200, who should have only paid $25, will get a refund,” she said.
License Collector Mavis Thompson said her office did
young teen says she or he can’t live without. If your middle schooler still doesn’t have a banking relationship, it’s a good time to get started. A custodial checking account will allow you to see how your child is handling money and debit cards are a reliable means of tracking every cent. Also, for savings, you’ll have the opportunity to introduce him or her to price-comparing accounts for features, savings
send the new forms to those listed in their system as having a home occupancy business license. “We have a list of all the people that were on our radar as home occupants,” she said. “We sent all of those folks the home occupancy renewal form with the new procedure and fee structure.”
St. Louis Public Radio spoke to a dozen home-based business owners. Only two had received the new forms.
Thompson said the distinction is between those who have home occupancy licenses, and those who have home occupancy waivers. In order to get the license, she said business owners need to deal with multiple departments. They will need to get the home occupancy waiver from the Zoning Department, which may require going through a conditional use hearing. They also must provide their E234 tax forms from the Collector of Revenue to prove their salary falls below the threshold.
So why not include that information on the graduated business license renewal?
“If you’re a pawn shop, we send you the pawn shop renewal,” Thompson said. “If you’re a manufacturer, we send you the manufacturer renewal. If you’re a home occupant, we send you the home occupant renewal.”
Thompson was appointed to the position of license collector
rates and usage fees. Banking relationships should be treated like any smart purchase.
Discuss making a budget. Remind your children that if they want to maximize any part of the 50-25-25 system, they need to learn how to find value and stick to a budget. Most importantly, they need to know how to track their spending so they can stay within a budget. The number of mobile apps
n “There are a lot of folks out there that don’t know that they could pay $25 instead of $200.”
– Alderwoman Megan Ellyia Green
in 2013 and elected in 2014. She said her office will give refunds to those who qualify for the lower fee, as long as business owners provide the documentation.
“If some people fell through the cracks, all we can do is apologize to those people, but the masses got the correct information from the policies and procedures that we already had in place,” Thompson said.
Alderwoman Green contacted the license collector’s office last week after hearing about the situation. She said the office needs to send out a new notice to business owners who may qualify or, at the very least, do a social media push.
“There are a lot of folks out there that don’t know that they could pay $25 instead of $200,” Green said.
But the license collector said no one in the Board of Aldermen consulted her office before changing the law or discussed how it should be put into effect. “The law was passed without anyone thinking
that allow people young and old to track their spending grows each year. Whether it’s pen and paper or technology, let the teen find a budgeting solution they like. They’ll be more inclined to use it and stick to a budget.
Consider being more transparent about your finances. There’s no single right answer to the question of how much you should tell your children about your own finances, but keep in mind that they learn by both good and bad examples. It’s important for young teens to know that anyone – even the most important adults in their lives – can make a great financial decision or a mistake. Speak openly about money, with the appropriate safeguards for personal and family privacy. Find a way to make your personal experiences part of the summer money conversation.
Bottom line: Middle schoolers may grumble they don’t have access to the car keys or the cool clothes and technology that the older kids do. But they do have something more valuable –time to learn critical lessons about money. Use this summer to build their financial knowledge for a lifetime.
Nathaniel Sillin directs Visa’s financial education programs. To follow Practical Money Skills on Twitter: www. twitter.com/PracticalMoney.
of the implementation of the law,” Thompson said.
Twenty-fourth Ward Alderman Scott Ogilvie sponsored the bill that made the changes. The goal, he said, was to make it easier for people to get licenses for their home-based businesses. Ogilvie said the $200 fee is steep for those who make only a few thousand dollars a year.
“The whole point was to make it less expensive to run small businesses in the city, so we certainly want people to know about and take advantage of the lower fee,” he said. As for how that’s done, he said the Board of Aldermen write most of the rules, but it’s the role of the License Collector to enforce and administer those that deal with business licensing and license renewal fees.
Architectural historian Lynn Josse has a consulting business she runs out of her home. She said she got the same renewal form as always this spring but heard through friends that the fee was lower. So she took a trip to the license collector’s office last week.
She was then sent to the Building Division for her home occupancy waiver and the Collector of Revenue to prove she made under $100,000 last year. In the end, she got the new form.
“I’ve had worse pains at City Hall, but it did take a while to get it done,” Josse said.
While she said it seemed punitive to make her run around getting the right documents, she saved herself $175 by doing it.
Follow Maria on Twitter: @radioaltman. Reprinted with permission from news.stlpublicradio.org.
n “I feel like I’m a max player and that’s what I’m looking for.”
– St. Louisan Bradley Beal on his free agent status
Four local schools win state titles
The St. Louis area was well represented at last weekend’s Missouri State Track and Field Championships in Jefferson City. St. Louis-area teams won four state championships, with MICDS (Class 4) and McCluer SouthBerkeley (Class 3) winning girls’ state titles and Lafayette (Class 5) and John Burroughs (Class 3) bringing it home for the boys. MICDS scored 74 points to win its second state championship in girls track. Sophomore Zionn Pearson won the long jump in 18 feet 2 ¾ inches, sophomore Cara Johnson won the 100-meter dash in 12.19 seconds and senior Margaret Sliney won the 400-meter dash in 56.41. The Rams also won the 4x400-meter relay in 3:59.17. The Rams also finished second in the 4x100-, 4x200- and 4x800-meter
See MISSOURI, B5
The Golden State Warriors entered its Western Conference Finals matchup with the Oklahoma City Thunder on cloud nine. The defending NBA champions had just completed the best regular-season in league history with an astonishing 73-9 record. Next, the Warriors waltzed over the Houston Rockets and dabbed past the Portland Trailblazers in the first two rounds of the playoffs, with back-to-back 4-1 series victories. Many of the victories had come without the reigning, defending, undisputed MVP Stephen Curry. The top chef was back and ready to cook. All that stood in his was an inconsistent Thunder team. Despite boasting two of the top-five players in the league, nobody gave the Thunder a chance. The stars appeared to be aligned for the Warriors. The term “team of destiny” was bandied about. Fans and sportswriters acted like God sprinkled magic pixie dust on the Warriors and the team couldn’t lose. Apparently the hype made its way into the locker room in Oakland. In three of the first four games of the Western Conference Finals, the Warriors effort was so cavalier, you’d have thought the team came from Cleveland. Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook gashed the Warriors. The Thunder’s bigs owned the paint and the boards like they were running a hardware store. It seemed as if every offensive rebound, loose ball or hustle play was won by the underdogs from Oklahoma City. The Splash Brothers were drowning in the O-K sea.
Ishmael H. Sistrunk
ESL returns to winner’s circle with championship
The boys of the Metro East reigned supreme at last weekend’s Illinois State Track and Field championships at Eastern Illinois University in Charleston.
Cahokia extended its dynasty as it won its sixth consecutive Class 2A state championship. East St. Louis returned to the winner’s circle as it won the Class 3A state championship, the 11th in the school’s illustrious history. Defending Class 3A state champion Edwardsville finished second in the Class 3A state meet to its Southwestern Conference foe East St. Louis. With Cahokia performing without its injured star jumper Ja’Mari Ward, the Comanches utilized their overall depth to take home the state title. Jumper Anthony Roberts finished second in the triple jump and fourth in the long jump. McKinley Bell was fourth in the shot put and Tyran Lyons was fifth in the 400-meter dash.
Much of Cahokia’s damage
Earl Austin Jr.
Photo by Wiley Price
SportS EyE
With Alvin A. Reid
Not very neighborly in Germany for black soccer star
Hardly a month goes by in international soccer without some type of racist incident.
The latest happened in Germany last week when an ultra-conservative party leader insulted Jerome Boateng, a star on Germany’s national soccer team. Boateng’s father was born in Ghana.
Alexander Gauland, deputy leader of Alternative for Germany (AfD), told a Frankfort newspaper, “People find him good as a footballer. But they don’t want to have a Boateng as their neighbor.”
The newspaper’s front-page headline was “Gauland insults Boateng.” AfD is gaining popularity throughout Germany through its anti-immigration rhetoric, as that nation has dealt with hundreds of thousands of migrants crossing its borders.
“I can only smile about it. In all honesty, it’s sad like something like that is said these days,” Boateng said on Sunday following a 3-1 loss to Slovakia.
Many fans chanted “Jerome, be our neighbor,” during the match.
Vice Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel said the comment “shows that Gauland is not just against foreigners but against the good things about Germany: modernity, openness and liberality.” Gauland backtracked, saying he “never insulted Mr. Boateng.”
“(I) described some people’s attitudes,” Gabriel said. “Of course, we can be proud of our national team.”
Doesn’t this Gauland guy remind you of a certain presumptive U.S. presidential nominee? I’m just sayin’. Olympics and the coup
The Zika virus and filthy water are the leading causes of angst among international athletes headed to the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in August.
But Americans, especially those with black and Latino
Who wouldn’t want German national soccer team star Jerome Boateng as a neighbor? Apparently
anti-immigration political party in that nation do not, according to one of its leaders.
heritages, should also consider if they want to participate in athletics in a nation that is undergoing what impeached former President Dilma Rousseff has called “a coup.” Facing corruption charges and a devastated economy, the democratically elected progressive president was impeached by opposition legislators. Some of the same legislators that accused her of being corrupt are themselves facing corruption charges. In fact, audio tapes secured by the BBC, Democracy Now and other journalists include the voices of opposition members declaring that she must be removed from office
to end her ongoing corruption investigation at the state-run oil giant Petrobras. In leaked recordings, interim Planning and Development Minister Romero Juca says removing Rousseff from office would be the way to “find a way out” and “stop the bleeding” of the investigations.
After her impeachment, Rousseff said, “Never will I stop fighting.”
She alleges her removal from office was orchestrated by “opponents eager to snatch the power and roll back social programs.” The actions are “fraudulent; a coup,” she said. Rousseff’s cabinet was officially removed from their
respective offices upon her impeachment and suspension.
Of her 39 cabinet members, six were women and one of the women was the only black minister in Brazilian government.
Acting President Michel Temer, who has been scandalridden throughout his political career, appointed 22 cabinet members and all are the same as he: white men.
Three of his cabinet members are implicated in the investigation into Petrobras corruption.
This has not deterred International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach from stating last month that “there is strong support for the Olympic Games in Brazil and we look forward to working with the new government to deliver successful Games in Rio this summer.”
many supporters of an ultra-conservative,
The Olympics are scheduled for August 5-12, and Bach suggests it’s too late in the process for the political turmoil to have an impact on the games. “We have now entered into a very operational phase and issues such as these have much less influence than at other stages of organizing the Olympic Games.”
There are daily protests in the streets in support of the deposed president. They will certainly only intensify when the Olympic Games begin and the world is watching.
All American athletes should do some soul searching in the coming weeks, and follow the current situation and historical background of Rousseff’s ouster.
You can blame me
I featured Joel Ward of the San Jose Sharks as the West
Conference Final series was unfolding against the St. Louis Blues. Ward was part of the wrecking crew that ended the Blues’ season in Game Six in San Jose. He tallied four goals in the series, two in the clinching game and the decisive goal in that contest.
“I think a couple days ago it really hit me that I’m close to winning a Stanly Cup,” Ward said. It, like the Blues series, will be an uphill climb for Ward and the Sharks. They dropped Game 1 3-2 to the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Alvin A. Reid is a panelist on the Nine Network program, Donnybrook and appears on ABC’s The Allman Report and several sports radio shows. His Twitter handle is #aareid1
Alvin A. Reid
the arc to break Golden State’s postseason record of 21 three-pointers made in a game, as well as the regular-season mark of 23 held by the Orlando Magic (2009) and the Houston Rockets (2013). While Golden State fought tooth and nail for its postseason life with the Thunder, Cleveland blew out the Toronto Raptors in four out of six games. The only real surprise was that the Raptors team was able to steal two games against James and his crew of merry men. In the playoffs, James has been his usual do-it-all self, posting averages of 24.6 points, 8.6 rebounds and 7 assisters per game. With Love and Irving in the mix, James shouldn’t have to shoulder the entire load in the Finals. In 2015, he averaged an insane 35.8 points, 13.3 rebounds and 8.8 assist against the Warriors. His efforts weren’t enough though to beat the ultimate team but it wasn’t exactly a walk in the park for the Warriors against the undermanned Cavs. Now that the rematch is set, there are a few questions for each team to answer.
How much of a toll did Western Conference Finals take on the Warriors?
The Warriors were forced to expend a massive amount of energy in order to become just the 10th team to come back from a 3-1 deficit in the playoffs. Curry suffered a significant injury earlier in the playoffs and while he’s played well, there’s always the possibility that he is not 100%. Can Curry and Thompson survive another tough matchup with James, Irving and Love after fighting off a tough challenge
ILLINOIS
Continued from B3
was done in the relays, where they won three state titles and accounted for 36 points. The Comanches won the 4x100meter relay in a winning time of 42.29 seconds. They also won the 4x400 in 3 minutes 20.54 seconds and the 4x800 in 8:00.03. They also finished
MISSOURI
Continued from B3
relays. Johnson was fourth in the 200, Pearson was fifth in the 100-meter high hurdles and Alexa Smith was eighth in the pole vault.
McCluer South-Berkeley scored 69 points and won an entertaining duel with defending state champion John Burroughs, who finished second in the team standings. The Bulldogs won the 4x400 on the last event to win the state title. It was their only state-championship of the day, but they racked up on high finishes to score well.
Octavia Cato and Raheema Westfall finished second and third in the 100-meter dash, respectively. In the 200, Westfall finished in second place while Cato finished in third place. Westfall also finished third in the 400.
NeShay Curtis was second in the 300-meter low hurdles and fourth in the triple jump.
Briana Brock finished fifth in the shot put and the 4x200meter relay team finished in second place.
Lafayette put on a dominant display in the middle-distance and distance events to take home the Class 5 state championship. It all started in the 4x800-meter relay when the team of Alec Haines, Austin Hindman Devin Meyrer and Dylan Quisenberry set a new state record in a time of 7 minutes 40.29 seconds. Hindman, Meyrer and Haines completed an incredible 1-2-3 sweep in the 3,200-meter run while Meyrer, Haines and Quisenberry finished second, third and fourth in the 1,600meter run. Quisenberry won the 800-meter run in 1:54.06 with Haines finishing in fourth place. Sprinter Brad
from Westbrook and Durant?
Will Draymond Green return to form?
The absence of Draymond Green’s in the Western Conference Finals was a major part of the team’s overall struggles. Green was not his usual self. He shot poorly, disappeared on the boards at times and made an unusual amount of mental mistakes on the court. Additionally, he’s one flagrant foul and/or two technical fouls away from being forced to sit on the sidelines. Was Green’s substandard play just a result
third in the 4x200. East St. Louis also used its depth and relay dominance to capture the Class 3A state crown. The 4x100 relay team of Jarrell Anderson, Roosevelt Davis Kevin Johnson and Marlowe Mosley circled the track in a winning time of 41.64. The 4x400 crew of Mosley, Davis, Johnson and Sanchez Rhodes finished first in 3:15.35. The Flyers also captured second in the 4x200-
Alexander was sixth in the 100 and fourth in the 200. Chris Roggenburg was seventh in the 300-meter intermediate hurdles while the Lancers’ 4x400-meter relay team finished sixth.
Other individual state champions from last weekend include:
• Madison Fuller (John Burroughs) Class 3 girls 100 and 200 in times of 11.88 and 24.41;
• Deja Ingram (Hazelwood Central), Class 5 girls 100 and 200 in 11.8 and 24.65;
• Isaiah Cole (Hazelwood West) Class 5 boys 400 in 47.21;
• Corey Carter (Principia) Class 3 boys 200 in 21.89;
• Syanne Johnston (Fort Zumwalt East) Class 4 girls 200 in 25.10;
• Jaylon Ashford (SLUH), Class 5 boys 200 in 21.39;
• Chris Gleghorn (Pattonville) Class 5 boys long jump, 23 feet 0 ¼ inch;
of a bad matchup or is the Warriors’ Energizer Bunny running out of juice?
Can Cleveland forget the regular season?
The Warriors beat the Cavaliers by 6 points on Christmas and by 34 points in Cleveland in January in the team’s only regular-season matchups. Both defeats took place with the ‘Big Three’ present. Regular season results don’t always hold water in the playoffs, but in order to stage an upset, the Cavaliers will have to get over the mental hur-
meter relay. In the open events, Deonte Anderson and Mosley finished third and fourth in the 400meter dash, respectively.
Anderson also finished seventh in the 300-meter intermediate hurdles. Davis also finished fifth in the 200 while Mosley was sixth.
Edwardsville accomplished its state runner-up finish on the strength of its dynamic duo of A.J. Epenesa in the throws
• Alex Curtin (Whitfield)
Class 3 girls 3,200 in 11:33.59;
• Melissa Menghini (Summit) Class 4 girls 800 in 2:14.45;
• Anna West (Lafayette)
Class 5 girls 1,600 in 4:45.61;
• Sara Nicholson (Lafayette) Class 5 girls 3,200 in 10:40.34;
• Dustan Davidson (SLUH)
Class 5 boys 1,600 in 4:10.97;
• Austin Lawless (Parkway South) Class 5 boys shot put, 58 feet 6 ¾ inches;
• Austin Perkins (Fort Zumwalt East), Class 4 boys 800 in 1:56.22.
Last weekend’s other relay state championships include:
• Cardinal Ritter, Class 3 girls 4x200 in 1:42.26;
• Lutheran North, Class 3 girls 4x100 in 49.05;
• Hazelwood Central, Class 5 girls 4x200 in 1:39.5;
• Hazelwood West, Class 5 boys 4x400 in 3:17.12.
dle of losing to the Warriors in the Finals last season and being pulverized at home earlier this season.
How much better are the Cavs at full strength?
There’s very little doubt that Irving and Love are upgrades to Matthew Dellevedova and Timofey Mosgov on the offensive side of the basketball. However, neither is considered a strong defender. The Cavs gave the Warriors problems last year because of their tough and gritty style. Can they get similar results with Love and
and Travis Anderson in the hurdles. Epenesa finished a dominant season in the discus by winning the event with a state-meet record throw of 205 feet 11 inches. The University of Iowa football recruit also finished second in the shot put. Anderson also scored
Irving on the court?
Prediction:
To answer the questions, I believe the WCF did take a significant toll on the Warriors but it also awakened a team who entered the playoffs on cruise control. Many of Green’s struggles were due to effort and a bad matchup against the Thunders tall, athletic bigs. Against Love, Green should return to form as a utility knife type of player.
Cleveland’s January beat down will inspire the Cavs, as
big in the hurdles, winning the 110-meter high hurdles in 13.71 seconds. He also finished third in the 300meter intermediate hurdles. The Tigers also finished sixth in the 4x100 and got a seventh-place finish from Devonte Tincher in the long jump.
The stage is set. Will Steph Curry wear King James’ crown again or can the Cavs get revenge?
will the Warriors’ vulnerability. However, Cavs fans will find out that all that glitters is not gold when Irving and Love get exposed on the defensive end by Curry, Thompson and Green. Additionally, Cleveland has been winning with small ball with Love and Thompson starting together in the frontcourt. However, nobody small balls like the Warriors. The Golden State Warriors will repeat as NBA champions in five games.
Follow Ishmael on Twitter @IshmaelSistrunk
The other individual state champion from the metro east area was Belleville East senior William Session, who won the 300-meter intermediate hurdles in a time of 37.46. Session is headed to Indiana to run track next season.
Isaiah Cole
Hazelwood West – Boys Track
The standout sprinter won a couple of gold medals at the Class 5 state championships in Jefferson City. Cole won the state championship in the 400-meter dash and anchored the Wildcats to a state title in the 4x400-meter relay.
the
Deja Ingram
Hazelwood Central – Girls Track
The standout sprinter won three gold medals at last weekend’s Class 5 state championships in Jefferson City.
Ingram won individual state championships in the 100- and 200-meter dashes and anchored the Hawks 4x200-meter relay to a state title.
Ingram posted winning times of 11.8 in the 100 and 24.65 in the 200. The Hawks’ 4x200 relay team posted a state-record time of 1 minute 39.5 seconds. She also anchored the Hawks’ 4x100 relay team to a second-place finish.
SHOEMAN
continued from page B1
one-stop shop for a variety of goods besides shoes, from custom-made keys to sunglasses and, of course, candy. Ask anyone their fondest memory of Yellow Ball, and those memories will consistently include two things: toe taps and slushies. Everyone loved to have Mr. Pearson attach heel caps or toe taps to their shoes. And everyone loved his slushies. But shoes were only half of James Pearson’s life. The other half was his family. Married in 1942, Pearson and his first wife Pauline raised three sons, Lonnel, James Jr. and Stephen. Two more sons, Barry and Mark, were born after Pearson’s second marriage in 1952. In 1959, James married Ada, the woman most folks remember working the register at Yellow Ball. James and Ada had two children, Grace and Eric. Every
one of his children put in time helping Pearson in the shop.
When not working at Yellow Ball, the family traveled, often to spots where James could relax and unwind with a fishing rod; fishing was his most cherished pastime. Despite keeping the store open six days a week for many years, Pearson often woke up early on Sunday mornings to fish quietly on the Mississippi River, bringing home footlong catfish as his prize. On occasion, James and Ada attended wrestling matches at the Kiel Auditorium and enjoyed watching boxing as well. As a sign of the popularity of Yellow Ball’s brand, Ada noted that hometown boxer, Leon Spinks – at one time the undisputed heavyweight boxing champion – was a loyal customer. Standing apart from many, Pearson remained in his community for 67 years, witnessing first-hand the consequences of urban renewal and population flight. Through it all, Pearson
remained determined to stay, offering shoes, candy, slushies and conversation to all who entered his shop.
In 1995, Mayor Freeman Bosley Jr. awarded James and Ada a proclamation recognizing the shop’s longevity and proclaiming November 24, 1995, as “James Pearson Sr. Day in St. Louis.”
One customer summed up Pearson’s powerful effect on his St. Louis neighborhood with the following poem: Can a shoeman do magic?
I know a magic shoeman. He can fix any shoe you bring. He will take a shoe and do his do.
There is no shoe that he cannot fix. If there is – it’s unknown to me.
He has been a magic shoeman for a long long time you see, for sixty years and counting, and still strong as can be.
He is the magic shoeman, you need to drop by and see. James W. Pearson Sr. passed away on Friday, May 6, 2016.
Financial Focus
By Ana Stringfellow
your plan as both an employer and an employee; your total contribution limit for 2015 is $53,000, or $59,000 if you are 50 or older.
SEP IRA — If you have just a few employees or are self-employed with no employees, you may want to consider a SEP IRA. You’ll fund the plan with tax-deductible contributions, and you must cover all eligible employees. (Employees themselves cannot contribute.) You can contribute up to 25% of compensation, up to $53,000 annually. (Contributions for a self-employed
you can contribute to
Photo courtesy of Pearson family
Behind the counter at Yellow Ball Shoe Repair and Store, 4338 Natural Bridge Ave., James Pearson Sr. was as much a candy man as a shoeman to the children in the surrounding Penrose community.
A love supreme for Michael S. Harper
African-American poet and Brown U. professor passed May 7 at age 78
By Michael Shannon Friedman
For The St. Louis American
Michael S. Harper, longtime professor at Brown University and prominent AfricanAmerican poet who passed away May 7 at the age of 78, burst onto the literary scene in 1970 with “Dear John, Dear Coltrane,” a work of astonishing grace and power. It introduced what would become Harper’s
trademark style: a passionate, erudite, yet gritty amalgam of documentary detail and hypnotic, incantatory lyricism. we ached / for song you’d concealed / with your blood, / your diseased liver gave / out its purity / the inflated heart / pumps out tenor kiss / tenor love: / a love supreme, a love supreme--.
See HARPER, C4
Michael S. Harper in the classroom at Brown University, where he taught for 43 years.
The art of unrest
By American staff
“It is hard to imagine that as a young African-American man from North St. Louis, I could receive such a prestigious award by the U.S. Congress,” said recent Cardinal Ritter College Prep graduate David Pulphus. He was recognized with a first place certificate in Missouri’s 1st Congressional District as part of the United States Congressional Art Competition at the end of April.
U.S. Rep. Wm. Lacy Clay presented Pulphus his certificate during a local ceremony last month at Webster University’s campus in downtown St. Louis.
“I think that the art work selected for this year’s winner of the Congressional art competition has to be the most creative expression that I’ve witnessed over the last 16 years,” Clay said between votes on the House floor.
The art competition, entitled “An Artistic Discovery,” featured a
nationwide art contest coordinated by members of the U.S. House of Representatives. The contest recognizes the talents of high school students across America. Each year, members of Congress put out a call for students to compete in the contest, and the resulting work is displayed on the white walls of a long tunnel that connects House Office Buildings to the U.S. Capitol. Over 200 members of Congress and over 50,000 high schools
David Pulphus’ painting in response to the Ferguson unrest, “Untitled #1,” won first place in Missouri’s 1st Congressional District in the 2016 United States Congressional Art Competition.
students have taken part in the popular and competitive program.
The work is seen by members of Congress, staffers, lobbyists and thousands of visitors to the U.S. Capitol complex.
“The same painting that was hanging in the Cardinal Ritter student Art Gallery is headed to Washington, D.C.,” Pulphus said.
His winning work is an acrylic
By Sandra Jordan Of The St. Louis American
Unless you have HD radio, internet or a digital satellite subscription service, the place to find jazz radio in the St. Louis area is at WSIE 88.7 – the station licensed to Southern Illinois University in Edwardsville. However, unless the station can raise $150,000 in annual operating costs, the smooth sounds of jazz may be replaced by the silence of a state budget stalemate – as the station continues to fundraise toward the SIUE mandate to become self-sustaining. Doug McIlhagga, executive director, University Marketing and Communications, said the station is in year two of its three-year drive toward selfsufficiency.
n “If we can do that through those means, we should be able to maintain the radio station.”
- Doug McIlhagga
“We need to be able to build both our fundraising and sponsorship/ underwriting opportunities to cover $150,000 annually,” McIlhagga told The American. “If we can do that through those means, we should be able to maintain the radio station.”
The ongoing Illinois budget crisis forced the university system to look at all of its operations and to prioritize budget items into three tiers, said Steve Jankowski, interim director, WSIE Radio.
Tier 1 is the most protected category, and includes the academic mission, teaching and student services. Tier 2 includes expenses the university could let go for a little while, for instance, mowing during the summertime. The radio station falls into Tier 3, operations that have been deemed expendable and in need of becoming self-sustaining.
Terry McMillan will discuss her latest book “I Almost Forgot About You” at 7 p.m. Wednesday, June 15, at Christ Church Cathedral, 1210 Locust St. Latest Terry McMillan novel depicts the joy of reinvention David Pulphus honored by U.S. Congress for protest painting
By Kenya Vaughn Of
“If we are not totally self-sustaining by [June 30 2018], we don’t know what will potentially happen with the radio station, but it could potentially be eliminated,” Jankowski said.
“So much depends upon the budget,” McIlhagga said.
Hourly on-air appeals are increasing awareness, donations and underwriting sponsorships, but they are only about one-
See JAZZ, C4
See ART, C4
How to place a calendar listing
1. Email your listing to calendar@stlamerican. com OR
2. Visit the calendar section on stlamerican.com and place your listing
Calendar listings are free of charge, are edited for space and run on a space-available basis.
concerts
Wed., June 8, The Pageant presents Leon Bridges. 6161 Delmar Blvd., 63112. For more information, call (314) 726-6161 or visit www. thepageant.com.
Fri., June 10, 7 p.m., Kim Massie presents A Tribute to Prince. The Beale on Broadway, 701 S. Broadway 63102. For more information, call (314) 621-7880 or visit www.bealeonbroadway.com.
June 10 – 11, Randy Holmes Quintet presents Miles Davis 90th Birthday Party. Ozark Theatre, 103 E. Lockwood Ave., 63119. For more information, call (314) 962-7000 or visit www. ozarktheatre.com.
Fri., June 17, The Marquee Old School Series with Too Short, The Marquee, 1900 Locust. For more information, visit www.metrotix.com .
Sun., June 19, Temptations
Revue featuring Dennis Edwards, The Ambassador, 9800 Halls Ferry. For more information, visit www. metrotix.com.
Wed., June 22, 10:30 a.m., St. Louis County Library presents Music & History: West African Kora
Enjoy this special musical performance by Sean Gaskell on the Kora, an ancient 21-stringed harp from West Africa. Gaskell will feature traditional songs that are the heart and soul of the Kora’s musical repertoire, in addition to some of his own personal compositions. Grant’s View Branch, 9700 Musick Rd., 63123. For more information, call (314) 994-3300 or visit www.slcl.org.
Sat., Jun. 25, Mo Investment presents Brian McKnight Live, The Ambassador, 9800 Halls Ferry. For more information, visit www. metrotix.com.
special events
Fri., June 3, 5 p.m., Stress Free Fridays 12 Year Anniversary, Mystic Grille, 11836 West Florissant Avenue, doors open at 5pm. Dirty Muggs performing live at 7pm.
S.L.I.M. and Team LooseCannon versus the boxing icon, Floyd Mayweather and The Money Team. Come see them and all their celebrity friends battle it out on the hardwood for a good cause. Special Halftime performance by Migos and La4ss. Chaifetz Arena, 1 S. Compton Ave., 63103. For more information, visit www. ticketmaster.com.
Mon., June 6, 10:30 a.m., Missouri History Museum presents Summer Family Fun: Dre Hilton Performance. Come out for an interactive musical performance by Dre Hilton, native St. Louisan and star of the new TV show ‘Kid Start with Dre Hilton.’ Dre’s personal mission is to bring love, hope, and inspiration to others through music. 5700 Lindell Blvd., 63112. For more information, call (314) 7464599 or visit www.mohistory. org.
June 10 – 12, Fair U City. Make plans to visit the Fair and enjoy great food; hear some fantastic music including the U City Jazz Festival; take a spin on some old-fashioned carnival rides; ride the mechanical bull; and much, much more. Heman Park, 975 Pennsylvania Ave., 63130. For more information, call (314) 505-8617 or visit www.fairucity.com.
Sat., June 11, 6:30 a.m., Susan G. Komen Greater St. Louis Race for the Cure 2016. Raise vital funds for
Featured Event
Mon., June 6, 10:30 a.m., Missouri History Museum presents Summer Family Fun: Dre Hilton Performance. Come out for an interactive musical performance by Dre Hilton, native St. Louisan and star of the new TV show ‘Kid Start with Dre Hilton.’ 5700 Lindell Blvd., 63112. For more information, call (314) 746-4599 or visit www. mohistory.org.
lifesaving, local breast health programs and cutting-edge, global breast cancer research; celebrate breast cancer survivors and forever fighters; and honor those we have lost to the disease. Soldiers Memorial, 1315 Chestnut St., 63103. For more information and to register for or donate to the Race, visit www. komenmissouri.org/STLRace.
Sat., June 11, 11 a.m., The St. Louis Crisis Nursery invites you to Dynamic Dad’s Day Celebration. Dads and their children (birth - age 12) are invited to enjoy food, fun, games, door prizes and
more. Also, interact with and learn from speaker Reginald Slaughter. City Outreach Center, 2401 N. Grand Ave., 63106. For more information, call (314) 533-6900 or visit www.crisisnurserykids.org.
Sun., June 12, 1 p.m., Desire to Empower 2nd Annual Women’s Empowerment Conference. Conference will include brunch, entertainment as well as a strong line-up of motivational, educational and inspirational speakers. This year we will honor and award “Phenomenal” women who are making significant contributions to
the communities of St. Louis. We will also have a host of vendors available for you to patronize. The Polish Heritage Center, 1413 N. 20th St., 63106. For more information, call (314) 372-6020.
Fri., June 17, 5:30 p.m., Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis presents Salute to Women in Leadership. Marriott St. Louis Grand Hotel, 800 Washington Ave., 63101. For more information, call (314) 6153668 or visit www.ulstl.com.
Mon., June 20, Kingdom House presents 2016 Golf Tournament & Dinner Auction. The day will include 18 holes of golf with cart, lunch, food and drinks on course, a dinner auction, and more. Forest Hills Country Club, 36 Forest Club Dr., 63005. For more information, (314) 260-6369 or visit www. kingdomhouse.org.
comedy
June 3 – June 5, Helium Comedy Club St. Louis
welcomes Lil Duval, Helium Comedy Club, 1151 St. Louis Galleria St. For more information, call (314) 7271260 or visit http://st-louis. heliumcomedy.com/ June 16-June 18, Helium Comedy Club St. Louis welcomes Sinbad, Helium Comedy Club, 1151 St. Louis Galleria St. For more information, call (314) 7271260 or visit http://st-louis. heliumcomedy.com/
literary
Mon., June 6, 7 p.m., Left Bank Books hosts authors Rob Rains, author of Taking Flight: The St. Louis Cardinals and the Building of Baseball’s Best Franchise, and Dan O’Neill, author of The St. Louis Cardinals’ Fans Bucket List Taking Flight answers two basic questions: what makes the Cardinals different from other organizations, and why are they so successful? 399 N. Euclid Ave., 63108. For more information, call (314) 367-6731 or visit www. left-bank.com.
Left Bank Books hosts author Walter Mosley. For more information, see LITERARY.
Sat., June 11, 10 a.m., Write
Sistahs Literary Group presents Brunch & Poetry
Reading. Come hear readings from Rennell Parker, Kiana “Justice” McKinney, Valerie Wiggins, Sistah Taraji, and more. Legacy Books & Café, 5249 Delmar Blvd., 63108. For more information, call (314) 210-4774 or visit www. mariecheweelliott.com.
Sun., June 12, 2 p.m., “Breaking the Silence from Shame: My Journey” Book Launch Celebration. Copies of the book and t-shirts will be available for purchase. A portion of the proceeds will go to organizations that assist victims of abuse. Event also will include attendance prizes, grand prize raffle drawing, light refreshments and informational booths. St. Ann Community Center, 1 Community Center Dr., 63074.
Tues., June 14, 7 p.m., Images of Modern America: African American St. Louis Commemorate the upcoming Juneteenth holiday by joining us for this program on Images of Modern America: African American St. Louis, the newest book by John A. Wright, Sr., John A. Wright, Jr., and Curtis A. Wright, Sr. Tracing key milestones in St. Louis history, this book pays homage to those African Americans who sacrificed to advance fair socioeconomic conditions for all. Missouri History Museum, 5700 Lindell Blvd., 63112. For more information, call (314) 746-4599 or visit www. mohistory.org.
Tues., June 14, 7 p.m., Left Bank Books hosts author Elicka Peterson-Sparks author The Devil You Know: The Surprising Link Between Conservative Christianity and Crime. While not resorting to a blanket condemnation of Christianity or religion as a whole, Peterson-Sparks issues a wakeup call regarding conservative Christianity’s toxic mixture of fundamentalism, authoritarian politics, patriotism, and retributory justice. 399 N. Euclid Ave., 63108. For more information, call (314) 3676731 or visit www.left-bank. com.
Wed., June 15, 7 p.m., Left Bank Books hosts author Walter Mosley, author of Charcoal Joe. Detective Easy Rawlins is back, with a new agency and a new mystery to solve. 399 N. Euclid Ave., 63108. For more information, call (314) 367-6731 or visit www.left-bank.com.
Thur., June 16, 7 p.m., Ferguson Public Library hosts author Carol Anderson, author of White Rage: The Unspoken Truth of Our Racial Divide As Ferguson erupted in 2014, and media commentators across the spectrum referred to the angry response of African
Americans as black rage, Anderson wrote a remarkable op-ed in the Washington Post showing that this was, instead, white rage at work. 35 N. Florissant Rd., 63135. For more information, call (314) 521-4820 or visit www. ferguson.lib.mo.us.
Wed., June 22, 7 p.m., St. Louis Public Library hosts author Kimberla Lawson Roby, author of A Sinful Calling. Schlafly Branch, 225 N. Euclid Ave., 63108. For more information, call (314) 367-4120 or visit www.slpl. org.
theatre
June 3 – 26, Shakespeare Festival St. Louis presents A Midsummer Night’s Dream 6604 Fine Arts Dr., 63110. For more information, call (314) 531-9800 or visit www.sfstl. com.
June 13 – 22, The Muny presents The Wizard of Oz Fly “over the rainbow” for this all-time American and Muny classic. Whenever Dorothy and her friends follow their hearts down the yellow brick road, you’re guaranteed an evening of enchantment. 1 Theatre Dr., 63112. For more information, call (314) 361-1900 or visit www.muny.org.
arts
Fri., June 3, 6 p.m., Artists First YOUnity Show.
Artists First is a non-profit organization that fosters the growth of artists with disabilities through creative self-expression. Union Avenue Christian Church, 733 North Union Blvd., 63108. For more information, call (314) 781-4440 or visit www. artistsfirststl.org.
June 3 – 5, Webster Arts Fair. More than 20 artists will display their unique works. In addition to the artwork there will be live music, vendors, food, raffles, and much more. Eden Theological Seminary, 475 E. Lockwood Ave., 63119. For more information, call (314) 918-2671 or visit www. webster-arts.org.
The Griot Museum of Black History presents Lady Leaders and Legends. Artist Daniel Hodges will 20 outstanding St. Louis women including Maya Angelou, Katherine Dunham, Frankie M. Freeman, Ida Woolfolk, and others. 2505 St. Louis Ave., 63110. For more information, call (314) 241-7057 or visit www.thegriotmuseum.org.
lectures
Fri., June 3 – Sat., June 4,
The National Black Political Leadership ConferencePhase 2, Theme: “Achieving Proportionate Political Representation,” St. Mark
Family Church, 9950 Glen Owen (at Chambers). For more information: (314) 4774629 or (314) 833-4151 or register at www.uapo.org.
Tues., June 7, 7 p.m., Made in STL: A Conversation with Local Fashion Designers Designers, including Michael Drummond and Sarah Stallman, join Project Runway’s Laura Kathleen Baker for a panel discussion looking at their fashion inspirations and processes and the current fashion industry in St. Louis. Missouri History Museum, 5700 Lindell Blvd., 63112. For more information, call (314) 746-4599 or visit www.mohistory.org.
Tues., June 14, 4 p.m., Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis presents Job Testing Workshop. It is widely known that pressure and stress can drag some job seeker’s pre-employment test scores down. This workshop aims to increase your success with taking pre-employment tests and to ensure that you are prepared in advance. St. Louis County Urban League, 8960 Jennings Station Rd., 63136. For more information, call (314) 506-5306 or visit www. ulstl.com.
Thur., June 2, 6:30 p.m,
Mo Investment Ent. presents Brian McKnight Live. For more information, see CONCERTS.
Grace Church, 3690 Pershall Rd., 63135. For more information or to register, call (314) 692-5600 or visit www. heart.org/empoweringstl.
Sat., June 4, 10 a.m., The Program for the Elimination of Cancer Disparities presents the 4th Annual Smart Health Cancer Community Education Day. Come out for informative seminars on 8 ways to prevent cancer, cancer survivorship, a healthy cooking demonstration, exercise on a budget, and cancer screening recommendations. East St. Louis Community College, 601 James R. Thompson Blvd., East St. Louis, IL 62201. For more information, call 9314) 747-4611 or visit www.publichealthsciences. wustl.edu.
The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, St. Louis Chapter presents the ABC’s of Asthma and Exercise. The program is designed to educate the community on the identification of asthma signs, symptoms, triggers, and effective management of this chronic disease. There will also be information included that deals with asthma and exercise. A Q & A session will conclude the presentation. Maplewood Public Library,7550 Lohmeyer Ave., 63143. For more information, call (314) 781-2174 or visit www. maplewood.lib.mo.us.
Fri., June 3, 4:30 p.m., American Heart Association and American Stroke Association present the Most Powerful Voices Concert and Health Fair The event is designed to educate the AfricanAmerican community about the risk factors associated with stroke. The health fair kicks off at 4:30 p.m. and features health screenings, resume and job search tips. The musical showcase begins at 7 p.m. and features performances from local groups and headlined by national recording artist Marvin Sapp. Greater
Fri., June 10, 8 a.m., VOYCE presents the 5th Annual Changing Landscape of Long-term Care Conference: It’s Time for a Revolution. There will be two tracks throughout the day; one for professionals working in long-term care and one for the general public who are looking for answers to the complexity of long-term care. Topics for the general public include planning longterm care with your family, self-care when caring for a loved one, understanding care options, and more. Topics for professionals include nutrition in longterm care, staff engagement, meeting the needs of the younger population, and more. Renaissance St. Louis Airport Hotel, 9801 Natural Bridge Rd., 63134. For more information or to register, call (314) 919-2410 or visit www.voycestl.org.
Sat., June 18, Community Women Against Hardship’s 12th Annual Walk and Health Fair, Tower Grove Park. For more information, Call (314) 289-7523 or visit www.cwah.org
spiritual
Sun., June 12, 10 a.m., The United Methodist Church of Wentzville invites you to celebrate their 150th Anniversary. From 10 am to 11 am, one service will be held; followed by fellowship and potluck luncheon at 11 am. At noon, an anniversary program. 725 Wall St., 63385. For more information, call (636) 327-6377 or visit www.livelovegrow.org.
Almost Forgot About You” on Wednesday, June 15 at Christ Church Cathedral, 1210 Locust St. It’s almost impossible for women, black women in particular, not to connect with Dr. Georgia Young in McMillan’s latest unlikely love story. A middle-aged optometrist, she’s twice divorced with two grown children. Her lackluster love life is the least of her worries as she finds herself underwhelmed and unfulfilled by the traditional trappings of success she worked her whole life to attain. Instead of happily winding down her professional career and eager to start a glamorous retired life as many would expect, Georgia is bored and thirsts for purpose.
Single black females of all ages – we’ve all been there.
But Georgia’s attempt to fix her life poses a whole new set of questions from a unique perspective.
How do you start over at 54?
How do you etch a new life and put yourself first in the process when you have to deal with the drama of two daughters and their sets of problems?
How do you stave off loneliness while in the throes of a complete life renovation?
And how can you live the life you’ve imagined when the thought that you don’t have anyone to share it with lingers in your head and heart?
McMillan lays out Georgia’s obstacle course to fulfillment as if it’s something she’s gone through herself. The book is as much a story about selfdiscovery and self-love as it is a romantic novel. The “you” McMillan is speaking of in the title could just as well refer to Georgia herself as any possible suitor.
But anyone who follows McMillan’s work knows that there has to be a love angle.
And her specialty is telling the story of a woman of a certain age who stumbles into love either when she’s least expecting it – or absolutely
n McMillan lays out Georgia’s obstacle course to fulillment as if it’s something she’s gone through herself.
longing for it. For Georgia, it’s a bit of both.
But instead of desperately seeking, Georgia has decided to take the clarity and closure route to come to a place of peace and forgiveness with her exes and other former flames. She relies on the tools of the digital age to help her navigate through process.
“I Almost Forgot About You” feels like an indirect postscript to her 1998 bestseller “How Stella Got Her Groove Back.” Georgia is about the same age as Stella would be now. Georgia’s second attempt at happily ever after fell through the cracks in less than 10 years. Though
the circumstances are quite different, McMillan also sprinkles a bit of the emotions she experienced in her own story, which includes the shame of public humiliation and a messy breakup – which is what she also did with Stella.
McMillan’s books are an easy, enjoyable read even when – like in the case of “I Almost Forgot About You” – the story comes together too perfectly packaged to feel authentic. That’s not to say that readers won’t relish in it. McMillan’s vividly illustrates the endless possibilities of life and love that can come at any age as long as one continues to be open to them.
By the end of Georgia’s journey, readers will admire her courage – and ache to be swept off of their feet.
St. Louis Public Library and Left Bank Books will present a book signing and discussion with Terry McMillan for her latest book “I Almost Forgot About You” at 7 p.m. Wednesday, June 15, at Christ Church Cathedral, 1210 Locust St. For more information, visit www.left-bank.com.
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third of the way from where they want to be in their monthly goal.
“We need to generate about $12,000 a month to be okay,” Jankowski said.
After more than 30 years of 24-hour jazz, in the past few weeks listeners have noticed a change in the music, with some R&B and Blues making their way into the mix.
“I think’s it has been a great format for the radio station because of the exclusivity –
HARPER
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Harper honored the intellectual and emotional rewards of Coltrane’s art while simultaneously articulating the harrowing physical costs. Broken lines (“gave / out”) parallel the broken body, and the refrain – repeated in gospelstyle call-and-response – elicits a spiritual catharsis.
Though Harper was immediately seen as an important black voice, his work was also deeply rooted in British Romanticism, specifically John Keats’ declaration that the poem should be a place of “soul making” and Wordsworth’s demand that poetry be written in the language really used by men.
Harper’s commitment to using the whole spectrum of human experience, rather than clinging to some narrow domain of the poetic, also links him to seminal American poet-philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson, who defined the poet as “one who stands among partial men for the complete man, and apprises us not of his wealth but the commonwealth.”
Harper also showed a remarkable ability to assimilate and synthesize the divergent trends in American poetry of the 1960s, from the improvisatory rhythms of the Beats to the psychological probing of Robert Lowell. All of these influences come to a glorious head in “A Narrative of the Life and Times of John Coltrane: Played By Himself,” a magisterial achievement as soulful and soul-searching as anything in 20th century American arts and letters.
nobody else is doing jazz, but it’s also a very narrow niche,” Jankowski said. “It’s one of those formats that you either love it or you hate it. We have had to come to the point that, as a matter of survival, we need to broaden the format to the point that we attract a wider audience and open the door for other businesses to participate in terms of underwriting.”
While the jazz-listening audience is very loyal, the monetary support has not been at an adequate level. On the other hand, Jankowski said, the station has not promoted and produced a well-organized fund drive. Even if the station is
blacking out, coming alive only to melodies / where I could play my parts: / And then, on a train to Philly, / I sang “Naima” locking the door / without exit no matter what song / I sang: with remonstrations on the ceiling / of that same floor I practiced in / on my back when too tired to stand, / I broke loose from crystalline habits / I thought would bring me that sound.
Harper gives us musician as thinker, while elevating Coltrane to folk-hero status.
Though his jazz-influenced poems were arguably Harper’s greatest triumph – he also wrote with beauty and candor about Bessie Smith, Lester Young, Charlie Parker and Miles Davis – Harper’s frame of reference extends beyond music. Students will find his work on Frederick
n Michael S. Harper gives us musician as thinker, while elevating Coltrane to folk-hero status.
Douglass and Ralph Ellison invaluable resources of creative scholarship, and his takes on celebrated cultural figures such as Negro league baseball legend Josh Gibson enrich our perceptions. In “Homage to the Brown Bomber,” rather than a poem about a boxer he gives us the boxer as poem, Joe Louis as a vortex through which energy is transferred and speaks for a culture.
Despite knowing full well the significant role his work played in expanding and deepening African-American poetry, Harper considered himself first and foremost a
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painting featuring a downtown street scene with the Gateway Arch displayed in the background and three police officers with animal heads, two with guns in hand, and a large group of marchers moving toward the police.
“The painting portrays a colorful landscape of symbolic characters representing social injustice, the tragic events in Ferguson and the lingering elements of inequality in modern American society,” Clay said in a news release.
The lead marcher carries a sign that says the word “history.” Pulphus’ painting includes several signs, one of which says “Racism Kills,” and another “Stop Killing.” On the right you can see a man being crucified wearing a graduation cap holding the scales of justice in his hands.
The painting is an interpretation of the months of unrest that took place in the region in response to the fatal shooting of unarmed teen Michael Brown Jr. by thenFerguson Police Officer Darren Wilson on August 9, 2014.
“David’s drive to succeed as an artist is unwavering,” said Richard Hunt, art instructor at Cardinal Ritter College Prep.
“He biked from his home near East Grand close to Fairground Park to the Webster University location in the
successful in raising needed operating dollars, the new music blend may be here to stay.
“The plan is to create a format that people can listen to over a long period of time – at work, driving in the car, at home –a very enjoyable, easyto-listen-to format,” Jankowski said. Jankowski said said the station also wants to increase its appeal to SIUE students as a training ground to learn about radio, sound technology and its continued relevance for today’s media platforms. To donate or for more information, call 618-650-3607 or visit www.suie.edu/WSIE.
teacher. The first time I met him, at a conference held in his honor at Bowdoin College in Maine, he paused in our conversation to counsel a student back at Brown. He once told me he was known as a poet, but in fact spent his life writing letters of recommendation. He was also one of the most generous and convivial men I’ve ever known. After a lunch with me and my mother upon his arrival to give a reading as part of a program I was directing at the University of Charleston in West Virginia, he requested a typewriter. A few hours later, he told a large audience how much he enjoyed meeting with my mother, a coal miner’s daughter whose experience of life could not be further from his own. He then read aloud a poem he had composed that afternoon, “Legend of Jeannie Turner.” In his written introduction to the published version, he wrote, “I think I captured a small part of the life that turned into resonant devotion to her family, her husband, her son Michael. Gifts cannot be earned; they are freely given.” He was too humble. He captured the essence of a life he had only known for an hour, the way he did with so many lives. His best epitaph is one he wrote for his beloved Coltrane in “Peace on Earth”: passing so quickly in this galaxy / there is no time for being / to be paid in acknowledgment; / all praise to the phrase brought to me: / salaams of becoming: / A LOVE SUPREME. Michael Shannon Friedman teaches AP Language and Composition at Cardinal Gibbons High School in Raleigh, North Carolina, and can be found on Twitter @ msf92165 or via email at msf92165@gmail.com.
n “David’s drive to succeed as an artist is unwavering.”
– Richard Hunt, art instructor at Cardinal Ritter College Prep
Arcade building downtown St. Louis on a chance that his studies in art at Cardinal Ritter might just pay off.” Pulphus,’ visually stunning acrylic painting on canvas entitled, “Untitled #1” will be displayed at the U.S. Capitol Complex.
Pulphus will travel to Washington, D.C., courtesy of Southwest Airlines, to unveil his winning entry.
As this year’s first place winner, he will also receive a scholarship, according to Clay’s office. The contest is in its 32nd year, and this is the 16th year that Clay has conducted the competition in Missouri’s 1st Congressional District.
“I am truly honored to receive this award and will do my best to live up to it,” Pulphus said. Lauren Victoria Burke, a political analyst for the
Celebrations
Birthdays Wedding Announcement
Beaumont High Class of 1968 48-year reunion will be June 10--12, 2016. Friday: Bowling Kick-Off, Saturday: Black n’ White Speak Easy Party and Sunday: Family n’ Friends Picnic. Meetings will be at Florissant Valley Library Branch, 195 New Florissant Rd., Florissant, MO 63031 on Saturday March 26, April 23 and May 28 from 1-4 p.m. For more information call (314) 869-8312.
Beaumont High Class of 1971 is planning its 45th year reunion for July 22-24, 2016. The reunion dinner dance is Saturday, July 23, 2016 at the Renaissance Airport Hotel, 9801 Natural Bridge Road. Please send your contact information (address and phone number) to Gladys Smith at beaumont1971alumni@aol. com.
Beaumont High School Class of 1976 will have its 40th year reunion September 23-25, 2016. For more detailed information please email bhs1976@swbell.net or Facebook: Beaumont High class of 76.
Beaumont High Class of 1984 can stay updated via our Facebook page “Beaumont Class of 1984”. We meet the last Friday of every month. Contact Rochelle Williams at rochellewilliams001@yahoo. com.
Cole School Alumni & Neighborhood Friends age
50 and older reunion weekend will be held May 12-15, 2016. For more info call Andrea at 314-369-3052 or check our Facebook page at coleschoolstlouis.
East St. Louis Lincoln High School Classes of 1966 will celebrate our 50 year class reunion August 19 - 21, 2016 at the Four Points Sheraton Hotel in Fairview Hts., Ill. The cost is $100 for classmates and $50 for guests. A late fee of $25 pp will be assessed after May 31. Please contact John Cunningham for details and reservations at: 618-692-6610.
Harrison School All-Class Reunion, Saturday September 10, 2016, 6:30-10:30 pm at Ambruster Great Hall, 6633 Clayton Rd, St. Louis, MO 63117. Tickets are $60 per person. For more info Contact: Judy Darris 314-443-6741, Yolanda beck 314-346-8103 or Làshell Tolliver 314-420-3566.
Soldan High Class of 1965 presents: “On the Road Again” to Washington, DC. Cost: $479 per-person, double occupancy, 6-Days and 5-Nights, Thurs. June 2- Tues. June 7, 2016. First payment due now $75 each person. For more information and reservations contact: Corinne Stuckes (636)-294-4373, Brenda Yancey (314)-8301334 or Isaiah Hair, Jr. (314)387-7592 email: cstukes@ charter.net.
Soldan High Class of 1966 has planned its 50-year reunion for September 9-10, 2016 at Christian Hospital Atrium, 1111 Dunn Road St. Louis, Mo 63136. For more information, please contact: Meredith Wayne Farrow, 314.521-8540, Robert Collins, 908.313-5002 or Marilyn Edwards Simpson, 341.837-7746. Facebook, soldan class of 1966 or email: stlsoldan1966@yahoo.com.
Happy 90th Birthday to Eumar Alexander on June 5—the best mother, grandmother and big sister in the world! We’re blessed to have you in our lives. May God’s blessings and mercy keep shining on you. We love and appreciate you more than you know. Love you! Your kids, grandchildren, great-great grandchildren, sister and brothers
Caring – Helpful – Loving– Observant – Entertaining. That’s my angel, Chloe’ June 1 will be her 5th birthday, and we are so excided to celebrate it! Have a great day baby. Love you so much! Mommy, Daddy and Big Sis
Happy 30th Birthday on June 2 to my son, Richard Donovan Jones! I love you! Your mother, Shirley Jones
Soldan Class of 1971 is planning its 45th year reunion for: June 17-19, 2016 at the Ameristar Casino Resort & Spa, One Ameristar Boulevard, St. Charles, Mo 63301.
Soldan Class of 1976 40-year reunion will be held the weekend of June 10-12, 2016 at the Renaissance St. Louis Airport Hotel. Contact Monica A Stewart at 314-420-9373 or email: soldanclassof1976@ yahoo.com for information and/or with your complete mailing address and telephone number. Also you can join us on Facebook, Soldan High School Class of 1976.
Sumner Alumni Association will host its 8th Annual Scholarship Awards & Luncheon June 4, 2016, Noon - 4 p.m. at Marriott St. Louis Airport Hotel. Cost $50 with a cash bar, free parking, attendance prizes and more. For more info, contact B. Louis at 314-385-9843.
Sumner High School Class of 1956 will celebrate its 60th reunion July 15-17,2016, at the Sheraton Westport Plaza Hotel. For more information, please contact Gloria at 314438-7339 with your contact information (address, phone number, e-mail).
Sumner High Class of 1964 70th Birthday Gala will be held Sat. Aug 13. 2016 at the Norwood Hills Country Club at 6:30 pm. Please contact Joyce Camp for additional information 314-423-8821 or Yvette Allen 314-997-2214 or Fannie Clark Rogers 314-3554337 your Gala Committee.
Sumner High School Class of 1966 is planning their 50th Class Reunion. Please contact Ella Scott at 314-436-1696, Els2188@sbcglobal.net with your name, address and email or join the Sumner Class of 1966 Facebook Group page.
Sumner High Class of 1971 is planning its 45th year reunion for August 12-14, 2016 at the Holiday Inn Earth City. Contact: Rita Shields at 314-868-7989 or email ritashields@att.net, Al Wilhite 314-302-3448 or email 27alhouse@sbcglobal. net for more information.
Sumner Class of 1976 will celebrate its 40th Reunion July 15 - 17, 2016 at the Holiday Inn Earth City and Shalom Church City of Peace. Contact B. Louis at 314.385.9843 or email: sumnerclassof76@ yahoo.com for info and/or with your complete mailing address and telephone number(s) or join our Facebook page Sumner Class of 76.
University City High School Class of 1976 is planning its Fabulous 40th year class reunion for June 24-25, 2016. We need your contact information. Please email your information to: weareuc76@gmail.com or call the UCHS Class of 76 voicemail at 314-3019597.
Vashon Class of 1986 will be celebrating its fabulous 30th Class Reunion in beautiful Las Vegas Nevada, July 21-23, 2016. For more information contact, Claudette at 314 368-1502 or cctreze@att.net.
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Do you have a celebration you’re proud of? If so we would like to share your good news with our readers. Whether it’s a birth, wedding, engagement announcement, anniversary, retirement or birthday, send your photos and a brief announcement (50 words or less) to us and we may include it in our paper and website – AT NO COST – as space is available Photos will not be returned. Send your announcements to: kdaniel@stlamerican. com or mail to:
Reunion notices are free of charge and based on space availability. We prefer that notices be emailed to us! However, notices may also be sent by mail to: Kate Daniel, 2315 Pine St., St. Louis, MO 63103 Deadline is 10 a.m. on Friday. If you’d like your class to be featured in a reunion profile, email or mail photos to us. Our email address is: reunions@ stlamerican.com
Jimmie Ann Graves and John W. Edwards are happy to announce that they will be wed on September 3, 2016.
Swag Snap of the week
Poppin’ up at Brennan’s. My first stop for the weekend was the Tanqueray 10 Pop Up Series Thursday at Brennan’s. The crowd was a bit on the light side, but it was still a win considering the baby Tsunami that was threatening to break loose outside –and the fact that CWE parking is such a nightmare for parties that people fight the temptation to not bother. It was a chill vibe and just what I needed to ease me into the mood of the Memorial Day party scramble.
Doing it big with District Rhythm. Any potential marketer looking to do a focus group on African-Americans between the age of 32-55 should have been at the kick-off of the Old School 95.5 District Rhythm Concert Series starring Mint Condition Friday night at Ballpark Village. It was so thick with folks I see why they didn’t move the show from outside to on the Midwest Live stage when they heard the weather might set trip. The only comfortable indoor option if they had relocated the concert would have probably been the Fox Theatre! DJ Kut and opener Aunyae Heart held the stage down during the in between time. Folks really got life from her 90s tribute portion – well, everyone except Mother Nature, who didn’t appreciate her calling the weather’s bluff by singing SWV’s “Rain.” Speaking of SWV, I have a question for the woman who was playing tribute to Coko’s nail game that decided to use the trash can as her personal picnic table. How you gonna just leave your hot wing bones and beverage container on the lid like that? I guess I should have known that the actual purpose of the receptacle was of little concern to you by the way you would catch all types of attitude every time someone tried to actually throw something away. Now back to the concert…I loved the experience of the event, but was I the only one who felt like Mint Condition was lowkey having an off night? Maybe they didn’t know what to do without a headliner to upstage. I would blame the rain, but I don’t think that was it. Speaking of the rain, it staved off until the last couple of songs and I was shocked that so many folks actually stayed put to get their dose of “Pretty Brown Eyes.” Yes, I know the song title is “Breakin’ My Heart,” but how many people have you actually heard call it that.
Attack of the living day parties. Y’all already know what time it was when you mix the day party overload phenomenon with a holiday weekend. The good news is that the folks had sense enough not to encroach on the actual holiday – thank you promoters for leaving Monday open for memories and glorious barbeque meat! I started my day party game off strong with the Day Party STL crew on Saturday. It was quite lit if I do say so myself. I ran into more than a few of my favorites. Mousie and Smitty and a few others within the Haley clan were on deck to show love to Triky. There was certainly plenty to see as far as the beautiful people. Who was that crew of competitive fitness models that made me feel ashamed of myself for stopping by Straubs for a slice of their million-dollar carrot cake on my way over to Mandarin? I wasn’t the biggest fan of Triky’s man blouse, but he made it work and the ladies seemed to enjoy it. Kelly was driving the girls mad with his pre-Memorial Day muscle shirt. Host Dre-Co could barely focus thanks to the woman in the red body dress that took bootylicious to a whole ‘notha (yes, ‘notha) level.
Teese at the Parks. The annual Teese Party made its way to the new creative/ cool kids stomping grounds for 2016. The scene of the first Friday gallery walk became the stomping grounds of the annual party where people express themselves through graphic t-shirts. Parks was the perfect fit. Was it me, or were the t-shirts a lot less…well…graphic (all pun intended) than usual. There have been too many NSFP (not safe for Partyline) phrases written and/or illustrated on the front of shirts to count, but this year it was relatively mild. If I had to pick a favorite, I’m going to go with the young woman who had the shirt that had “Pretty for a dark skinned girl” but with a line through the “for a dark skinned girl.” The shirts were mild, but the turn up was typical for the type of life you catch at Teese.
Attack of the Day Party 2: Rock the Block. On Sunday I scooted on over to the Marquee for the Rock The Block Day Party and it had the quantity and quality on lock with respect to the crowd. There were too many of my fashion crushes to name but my favorite look from “the block” had to be Jamila Boone with her pink body dress and matching Sophia Webster strappy sandal pumps. She slays better than a Kardashian when it comes to style. Now before you get started, the Kardashians irk me more than anyone, but when it comes to fashion, they nail it nearly every time – well, except for Kanye Kardashian. Anyway, Jamila was my style win, but the day parties were too close for me to call. So I’m going to give blue ribbons to both –and an honorable mention to the Mint Condition show, which wasn’t technically a day party but the time before the show could qualify. LooseCannon vs. The Money Team. Do I have to tell you I can’t wait for what will be going down this Sunday (June 5) at Chaifetz Arena thanks to the LooseCannon annual Celebrity Basketball Game? Of course not. Y’all already know the full family fun flow is going to be a sight to see. Floyd Mayweather and his Money Team will be playing against LooseCannon and I’m expecting epic smack talkin’ that will be more entertaining than the game. And just the idea of the LA4ss halftime show probably has your tweens and nieces perched in the Dots or Rainbow in search of the perfect outfit at this very moment. Be sure to get your tickets if you haven’t done so already by visiting ticketmaster.com or the
Arena box office.
Chaifetz
Juicy the Grinch and Melanie @ The Marquee for Rock the Block Sunday
Rhashad, Cornell Boone and Teddy had the block rocking for the Rock the Block block party Sunday afternoon @ The Marquee
Shonte, Keyonia and Mani kicked Memorial Day weekend off @ The Marquee Friday night
Promoter Vito Bracy with Aunyae Heart and District Rhythm Series headliner Mint Condition for the kick-off of the super successful summer concert series Friday @ Ballpark Village
Cindy, Tameka, Monie and Lonise were all smiles Saturday at Teese 2016 @ Parks.
Local hip hop artist A-Game Fat-Fat kept the crowd entertained @ Rock The Block @ The Marquee on Sunday
Rikki and Egypt Floetic @ Friday night @ KDHX
Corey of Cool Story and Video model Tori Brixx kicked back in VIP @ HG Saturday for Social Saturdays.
Michelle and Toya mingled on the outside patio for Rock the Block Sunday @ The Marquee Sunday
Ashley and Q of BPLR celebrated their new union Saturday night @ The Marquee
Mint Condition kicked the Old School 95.5 District Rhythm Concert Series off in a major way Friday night at Ballpark Village. Larry Blue and Theron Morgan were part of the team that helped pull the super successful show together.
Photos by Lawrence Bryant & John Scott
REGISTRAR
Stegall.
REQUESTFOR BIDS SAINTLOUIS
ZOO
Saint Louis Zoo, Lakeside Café Fire Protection Upgrade 2016. For more information, go to ttp://www.stlzoo.org/about/ contact/vendoropportunities Orcontact Patrick Williamson C.P.M., Director of Purchasing and Distribution (email preferred) williamson@stlzoo.org, p: 314-646-4631.
METROPOLITAN ST. LOUIS SEWER DISTRICT
INVITATION FOR BIDS
COMMUNITYACTION AGENCYOFST. LOUIS COUNTY, INC. (CAASTLC)
LOWINCOME WEATHERIZATION PROGRAM (LIWAP)
CAASTLC is accepting sealed bids to provide laborand materials for its residential weatherization program. LIWAP(made available through CAASTLC) is federally funded and controlled by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) through the Missouri Department of Economic Development (DED).
This weatherization grant is funded through the DOE and is subject to all of its provisions. Bid packages will be available to be picked up at CAASTLC starting Thursday, 6/2/2016, at 9:00 a.m.
CAASTLC will have a Pre-bid Conference, Wednesday, 6/08/2016, at 9:00 a.m. forquestions, etc.
Bids must be sealed, marked “LIWAP– DED Sealed Bid” and delivered to CAASTLC, Inc., 2709 Woodson Road, St. Louis, MO 63114, no laterthan 5:00 p.m., Friday, 6/17/2016.
Bids will be opened and read publicly at 2:00 p.m., Wednesday, 6/22/2016 at CAASTLC’s main
If you do not have access to the internet, call (314) 768-6314 to request a copy of this bid
The Metropolitan St. Louis SewerDistrict is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
LETTING #8612
At Lambert-St. Louis International Airport
Sealed proposals will be received by the Board of Public Service in Room 208 City Hall, 1200 Market Street, St. Louis,
and
be purchased directly through the BPS website from INDOX Services at cost plus shipping. No refunds will be made.
Bidders shall comply with all applicable City, State and Federal laws (including MBE/WBE policies). ). Mandatory pre-bid meeting will be held on Tuesday, May 31, 2016, at 10:00 AM in the Training Room at the Airport Office Building, 11495 Navaid Rd., Bridgeton, MO 63044.
All bidders must regard Federal Executive Order 11246, “Notice of Requirement for Affirmative Action to Ensure Equal Employment Opportunity”, the “Equal Opportunity Clause” and the “Standard Federal Equal Employment Specifications” set forth within and referenced at www.stl-bps.org (Announcements).
ADVERTISEMENTFOR BIDS
The St. Louis Economic Development Partnership (“SLEDP”) is seeking bids from qualified firms for the STLVenture Work Building Expansion Project. The proposed new facility is a single story office building addition to be constructed of concrete tilt-up
and
The proposed building is to be protected throughout with automatic sprinkler systems.
Sealed bids will be received until 3:00 p.m. on Tuesday, June 21, 2016 at the Partnership’s offices at 7733 Forsyth, Suite 2300, Clayton, MO 63105, attention Joe Bannister, at which time said bids will be publicly opened and read. Amandatory pre-bid meeting will be held at 10:00 A.M. Monday, June 06, 2016 at the Project site, located at 6439 Plymouth Avenue, St. Louis, MO 63133.
Additional information, including the Request for Proposals, Instructions to Bidders, Project Manual, and a complete set of all Contract Documents, may be obtained from Vanessa Greene at 6439 Plymouth Avenue, St. Louis, MO 63133 – 314.727.6132, or from Cross Rhodes Reprographics, 1701 Macklind Avenue, Saint Louis, MO 63110 - 314.678.0087, upon payment by the General Contractor.
Any project related questions should be directed to Admo Ogun, Atelier3 Design at 314.727.7705 or aogun@atelier3design.com by close of business on June 03, 2016.
NOTICE TO CONTRACTORS
Notice is hereby given that The Metropolitan St. Louis SewerDistrict (District), the Owner, will receive sealed bids for SUBURBAN PUBLIC
I/I REDUCTION (HARRISON DR AND SUBURBAN AVE) under Letting No. 12473-015.1, at its office, 2350 Market Street, St. Louis, Missouri 63103, until 2:00 PM, local time, on Wednesday, June 29, 2016.
All bids are to be deposited in the bid box located on the first floor of the District’s Headquarters prior to the 2:00 p.m. deadline. Bids may, however, be withdrawn prior to the opening of the first bid. BIDS WILLBE PUBLICLYOPENED AND READ IMMEDIATELYAFTER THE BID DUE DATE/TIME AT2350 MARKETSTREET, ATAPLACE DESIGNATED.
The Work to be performed under these Contract Documents consists of: The work to be done underthis contract consists of the rehabilitation of approximately 28,781 lineal feet of sewers, varying in size from 6-inch to 33-inch diameter, using cured-in-place (CIPP) methods, 212 manholes and 1,110 service connections. The project is within the Metropolitan St. Louis SewerDistrict Boundaries, inside the city(ies) of Ferguson and Kinloch in the State of Missouri. The work will be performed in various quantities at various sites.
All prospective bidders must prequalify in the Cured-In-Place Pipe category, and be certified prior to the Bid Opening. Prequalification forms for obtaining said certification may be obtained from the Owner at the above mentioned address. All bidders must obtain drawings and specifications in the name of the entity submitting the bid. This project will be financed through the Missouri State Revolving Fund, established by the sale of Missouri Water Pollution Control bonds and Federal Capitalization Grants to
Notice is hereby given that The Metropolitan St. Louis SewerDistrict (OWNER) will receive sealed bids for Deer Creek Sanitary
2016 at a place designated.
The WORK to be performed under these Contract Documents consists of:
The WORK includes the installation of approximately 22,814 feet of 19 foot finished inside diameter
1,835 ft of 72-inch finished inside
(4) diversion structures, two (2) junction chambers, associated manholes, paving, fencing, dog park improvements, grading, electrical and other associated WORK. Amandatory Pre-Bid conference will be held at 1:00 PM on June 21, 2016 at the Moolah Shrine facility, 12545 Fee Fee Road, Maryland Heights, Missouri 63146.
Bids will be received only from companies that are pre-qualified by the OWNER’S Engineering Department.
Plans and Specifications are available for free electronic download. Please go to OWNER’S website and look for a link to “ELECTRONIC PLANROOM.” Bidding Documents are also available for viewing or purchase at Cross Rhodes Reprographics located at 1710 Macklind Avenue, St. Louis MO 63110. All bidders shall obtain a set of bidding documents in order to submit a bid in the name of the entity submitting the bid. The Metropolitan St. Louis SewerDistrict is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
access to the building to observe current existing conditions and to address any technical questions concerning the project from prospective bidders. All Contractors are highly encouraged to attend this meeting. Those Contractors who do not attend the Pre-Bid Meeting but wish to schedule a site visit must contact Vernon Pfeil, Project Manager at S. M. Wilson & Co 314/645-9595. Contractors are not allowed to visit the site unless prior arrangements are made with the Construction Manager.
The bid package will be available for viewing after June 1, 2016 at the following locations: Smartbidnet
https://secure.smartbidnet.com/External/PublicPlanRoom.aspx?Id=238856&i=1 PlanGrid www.plangrid.com Send email to Vernon.Pfeil@smwilson.com to request link
The Bid Package may be reviewed at those locations or may be ordered from Hampton Printing Services (2185 Hampton Ave., St. Louis, MO 63139) Contact Hampton Printing Services to order a set of documents. (Keith Tegeler, 314/633-9624 phone, keith.tegeler@smwilson.com e-mail, or 314/644-0390 fax.)
The Owner reserves the right to reject any and all Bids, to waive informalities therein to determine the lowest and best bid, and to approve the Bond. The prevailing wage law is in effect on this project. No Bid may be withdrawn for a period of Ninety (90) days subsequent to
April 5, 1915 - May 17, 2016
Reverend Joel Kelly Davis
Oldest living active minister in the St. Louis metropolitan area
American staff
Reverend Joel Kelly Davis was born April 5, 1915 in Clarendon, Arkansas. He was educated in the Arkansas school system and later relocated to St. Louis in 1927, where he attended Vashon High School.
Rev. Davis began his career with employment at the Emerson Electric Company in 1934. He was also active on the Emerson Softball team.
Rev. Davis was a WWII Veteran. He entered the United States Navy in 1945 and was honorably discharged in 1947. Rev. Davis continued his career as an employee of the federal government’s Mobility Equipment Command Center, from which he retired after 34 years of dedicated service.
Rev. Davis entered the ministry as a disciple of the historic Central Baptist Church under the pastorate of Rev. T.E. Huntley. It was during this time that he met and married Juanita Kathleen Turner. They were wed in 1952.
Rev. Davis was further educated at Western Baptist Bible College and founded the Grace Missionary Baptist Church in 1956. The first location was at 22nd and Cole Street. They then moved to a new location at 2323 Cass Ave. In an effort to continue his service to the community, Rev. Davis renovated
a building and moved to his current location at 2319 Cass Ave. He continued his pastoral service for 48 years, retiring in 2004.
Rev. Davis enjoyed matrimony with Juanita Kathleen Davis for a total of 59 years until her passing in 2011. He was a proud father of 10 children, 28 grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren. He was the epitome of life, love, wisdom and encouragement. He loved to preach, sing, be sung to, tell jokes, play checkers, eat peach cobbler and be around his family. When he was asked what is the key to long life, he would always tell you to, “Honor thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee” (Exodus 20:12). Rev. Davis was the oldest living active minister in the St. Louis metropolitan area and served as pastor emeritus of Grace Missionary Baptist Church, where his son Rev. Jonathan K. Davis is presently serving as pastor.
Second Baptist celebrates pastoral anniversary
The Second Baptist Church, located at 5508 Rev. Dr. Earl
Rev. Davis served as pastor emeritus of Grace Missionary Baptist Church, where his son Rev. Jonathan K. Davis is pastor.
Miller St. in Kinloch, will celebrate Pastor Rev. Alfred L. Washington’s 3rd Pastoral Anniversary on Sunday June 26 at its 10 a.m. morning service. Rev. Bill Moore, associate minister, Metropolitan Missionary Baptist Church of Kinloch, will be guest speaker. A dinner in pastor’s honor will be served in the lower level immediately following the morning service.
Mastering sin
How do you master sin, if that’s even possible? Is sin for you not sin for me? What are the consequences of sin? Or, is it all just a set of rules that someone down through history decided were the moral conditions needed to keep society in check?
There have been countless volumes of space and dialogue devoted to Jesus’ blood contract with us that in fact freed us from our sins. “…and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and ruler of the kings of the earth. To Him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by His blood…” Revelation 1:5.
It shouldn’t be complicated at all, but living morally, living righteously, living between the lines is a struggle matched only by trying to understand the meaning of life itself. This is hard, yes. But is it worth it? I don’t know about you but the struggle to live without sin is a recognized, acknowledged and appreciated impossibility. The beauty of this is that God is a God of yet another chance. The key here is attitude; yours, not God’s. Your attitude will eventually dictate the outcome. If it is God-centered, if it is truly controlled by a sense of humility and vulnerability in relation to God, if remorse is real, then mercy will be forthcoming.
It stands to reason, then, that with the right attitude grounded in the right relationship, maybe sin can be mastered. It starts with confession, I’m told. Confession to God is not like any other confession. God knows when you’re lying to him and to yourself. In this instance, the truth cannot hide, won’t even try to hide from the Lord.
The celebration will continue at 3 p.m. with an inspiring message from guest speaker Rev. Antonio Stevenson, pastor of St. Joseph Missionary Baptist Church in St. Louis.
The Second Baptist family will also host a luncheon for the pastor’s wife, Lady Agnes Washington, at noon on Saturday, June 25. Organizers urge, “Come and celebrate with us.”
“If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” 1 john 1:8-9. The outcome, should you dare to comprehend it, is eternal life, which requires faith, which requires belief, which requires a daily resolve to choose against sin in the name of something so much greater. If you believe this life we live now is all there is, then I might understand deliberate sinful pursuits. If you believe in more, however, then sinful pursuits are real mistakes and mistakes can never be made in the name of the Lord.
“But if anyone does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense – Jesus Christ.” 1 John 2:1. From time to time, Jesus deserves a break. Consciously do the right thing. You know you can. Choose to do so. It’s not as hard as you think. And remember, the rules are really etched in stone.
