March 28th, 2019 Edition

LouiS AmericAn

‘Diapers impact almost every aspect of a family’s stability’

Jessica Adams, founder and executive director of the St. Louis Area Diaper Bank, prepares diaper packets to be distributed to the 44 partner organizations that give out about two million diapers to 40,000 children throughout the region every year.

By Rebecca Rivas Of The St. Louis American

‘Topping out’ the teen center

McCluer High School students signed the final beam during the “topping out” ceremony for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater St. Louis’ new $12.4 million Boys & Girls Clubs Teen Center of Excellence in Ferguson. The final steel beam included signatures of donors who contributed to the funding of the project, community partners, club members and staff. The center will offer afterschool and summer programs to teens and youth (ages 12-18) in the North County area.

Integrating Rosati-Kain

Norma English Thompson broke the color line five years before Brown v. Board

By

n “At that time, there wasn’t any social media – I just had a mouth, and I told everyone that I met who inquired about it.”

–Norma English Thompson

in St. Louis. She transferred from Kinloch High School to RosatiKain in 1949 –before school integration was mandated by the U.S. Supreme Court in the 1954 Brown v. Board of Education decision. After attending two years at Kinloch, she was chosen by Holy Angels Parish to be one of six or so outstanding

See THOMPSON, A6

Norma English Thompson transferred from Kinloch High School to RosatiKain in 1949 –before school integration was mandated by the U.S. Supreme Court in the 1954 Brown v.Board of Education decision.

SLPS board candidates debate

the classroom alongside evolution? Yet surprisingly, the firm “no” responses only came from three of six Saint Louis Public School (SLPS) Board of Education candidates who were present at the forum on Monday, March 25. The debate was moderated by the League of Women Voters and hosted by the St. Louis Young Democrats and Democrat groups for the 5th, 7th and 15th Wards. One candidate – Barbara A. Anderson – said that schools should teach both.

Two African Americans among three candidates with cumulative voting on April 2

By Sandra Jordan

Seven candidates vie for two open spots on April 2 See FERGUSON, A6

‘By Rebecca Rivas Of The St. Louis American

Sandra Jordan Of The St. Louis American

Photo by Wiley Price

Photo by Rebecca Rivas

Photo by Wiley Price

Charges dropped against Jussie Smollett

Prosecutors on Tuesday abruptly dropped all charges against Jussie Smollett, defense attorneys said, apparently abandoning the case barely five weeks after the “Empire” actor was accused of lying to police about being the target of a racist, anti-gay attack in downtown Chicago.

Smollett’s attorneys said his record had “been wiped clean” of the 16 felony counts related to making a false report that he was assaulted by two men. The actor insisted that he had “been truthful and consistent on every single level since day one.”

“I would not be my mother’s son if I was capable of one drop of what I was being accused of,” he told reporters after a court hearing. He thanked the state of Illinois “for attempting to do what’s right” after saying the whole ordeal was one of the hardest experiences of his life.

Smollett’s lawyer confirmed, “All criminal charges against him were dropped and his record has been wiped clean of the filing of this tragic complaint against him.”

He pleaded not guilty after being charged with 16 counts of filing a false police report stemming from an incident in January that was described as a “possible hate crime” in court on April 17.

Chicago Police department held a press conference last month where the Superintendent of Police accused Smollett of staging the attack.

His lawyers released the following statement: “Today all criminal charges against Jussie Smollett were dropped and his record has been wiped clean of the filing of this tragic complaint against him.

Jussie was attacked by two people he was unable to identify on January 29th. He was a victim who was vilified and made to appear as a perpetrator as a result of false and inappropriate remarks made to the public causing an inappropriate rush to judgment.

Jussie and many others were hurt by these unfair and unwarranted actions.

This entire situation is a reminder that there should never be an attempt to prove a case in the court of public opinion. That is wrong. It is a reminder that a victim, in this

case Jussie, deserves dignity and respect.

Dismissal of charges against the victim in this case was the only just result.

Jussie is relieved to have this situation behind him and is very much looking forward to getting back to focusing on his family, friends and career.”

It was not immediately clear what prompted the decision to dismiss the case. In a statement, the Cook County prosecutors’ office offered no detailed explanation.

“After reviewing all of the facts and circumstances of the case, including Mr. Smollett’s volunteer service in the community and agreement to forfeit his bond to the City of Chicago, we believe this outcome is a just disposition and appropriate resolution to this case,” the statement from spokeswoman Tandra

Monica files for divorce

According to TMZ.com, R&B Monica filed for divorce from her husband, Shannon Brown. The celebrity news and gossip site was first to break the news.

“The singer filed the paperwork earlier this month in Atlanta. Monica and Shannon have a 5-yearold daughter named Laiyah together, and she has two sons from a previous relationship with

rapper Rocko,” TMZ.com. “So far there are no details on whether she’s seeking child or spousal support ... but we’ve learned Monica was unsuccessful in sealing the divorce docs.”

Did news of husband’s love child send Wendy Williams to the hospital?

Earlier this week, there were rumors that talk show host Wendy Williams’ husband, Kevin Hunter’s longtime mistress had given birth to his child.

Insiders claim the news caused Williams to be hospitalized.

The Daily Mail reported that the 54-yearold checked herself out of her sober living home in Long Island City, Queens on Monday afternoon and started drinking, eventually being found by her team who took her to the hospital to sober up.

“She was in a bad way and disappeared from the studio after her show Monday. She went back to the sober house only to check herself out and decided to start drinking,” a source told the tabloid. “It’s not clear where she went but she headed in the direction of her home in Jersey and managed to find alcohol along the way. She was eventually found and taken to the hospital.”

On Wednesday, Williams announced that she would be taken a previously planned weeklong break from her daytime show.

Sources: TMZ.com, Twitter.com, The Daily Mail

Monica

Harvard sued over slave images

Woman who claims descent sues university over refusal to return photos from 1850

American staff

A Connecticut woman has accused Harvard University of the wrongful seizure, possession and monetization of photographic images of her family’s patriarch, an enslaved African man named Renty, and his daughter, Delia, according to a filing in Middlesex County Superior Court. According to the filing, the images were commissioned in 1850 by a Harvard professor, Louis Agassiz, and used to support a theory, known as polygenism, that Africans and African-Americans are inferior to whites. Polygenism was used to justify both the ongoing enslavement of black people prior to the Civil War and their segregation afterward. According to the lawsuit, Harvard stood by its professor and has never sufficiently repudiated Agassiz and his work.

The images, known as daguerreotypes, were captured in the winter of 1850 in a South Carolina photography studio. According to the filing, Renty was brought to a photography studio, stripped naked and photographed, and his daughter Delia was then stripped to the waist and forced to pose for photographs.

The lawsuit alleges that

Harvard has ignored Tamara Lanier’s repeated requests to stop licensing the pictures for the university’s profit and to stop misrepresenting her great-great-great grandfather, whom she knows as Papa Renty. Lanier, who claims direct descent from Renty, seeks return of the photos to her family, as well as damages from Harvard.

“For years, Papa Renty’s slave owners profited from his suffering – it’s time for Harvard to stop doing the same thing to our family,” Lanier said in a statement. “Papa Renty was a proud and kind man who, like so many enslaved men, women and children, endured years of unimaginable horrors. Harvard’s refusal to honor our family’s history by acknowledging our lineage and its own shameful past is an insult to Papa Renty’s life and memory.”

Agassiz’s assertion of black inferiority came when the Fugitive Slave Act was being hotly debated in Congress. For those seeking to prove that African Americans were inferior, Agassiz’s work, backed by Harvard’s prestige, was an invaluable gift. According to Lanier, Renty was born in Africa. After being kidnapped by slave merchants, he was enslaved on the B.F.

Taylor plantation in South Carolina. Though prohibited by South Carolina law, she claimed, Renty taught himself and other enslaved people to read and also conducted secret Bible readings and Bible study on the plantation.

Agassiz published the results of his research in an

“a peculiar indifference to the advantages afforded by civilized society.”

In 1976, an employee of Harvard’s Peabody Museum, the late Ellie Reichlin, discovered the photos in a corner cabinet of the museum’s attic. Despite Reichlin’s expressed concern

n “For years, Papa Renty’s slave owners profited from his suffering – it’s time for Harvard to stop doing the same thing to our family.”

– Tamara Lanier

article entitled “The Diversity of Origin of the Human Races,” noting that he had recently studied “closely many native Africans belonging to different tribes, and [have] learned readily to distinguish their nations ... and determine their origin from their physical features.” He went on to describe the essential characteristics of Africans as “submissive, obsequious, [and] imitative,” possessing

IN LOVING MEMORY OF

for the families of the men and women depicted, Harvard University chose to make no effort to locate the subjects’ descendants, Lanier claimed. Harvard insists that anyone seeking to view the photographs sign a contract, and anyone wishing to reproduce the images pay a hefty fee to the university, Lanier claimed.

“Harvard – the wealthiest university in the world – has

seen fit to further enrich itself from images that only exist because a Harvard professor forced enslaved men and women to participate in their creation without consent, dignity or compensation,” Ben Crump Law stated in a release.

In 2011, Lanier, then the chief probation officer in Norwich, Connecticut, wrote a letter to Dr. Drew Faust, the president of Harvard University from 2007-2018, according to the suit. Lanier detailed her ancestry and expressed her belief that she was a direct, linear descendant of Renty and Delia. “Dr. Faust’s evasive response made no mention of Lanier’s heritage and offered no opportunity to discuss returning the pictures to the Lanier family,” Ben Crump Law stated.

Lanier continued to gather documentation of her heritage and consult with genealogical experts who validated her ancestry, according to the suit. Lanier claimed she also made additional unsuccessful attempts to engage Harvard University in a conversation about the images. Lanier claimed that she reached out

to the Harvard Crimson, the university’s student newspaper, to suggest a news story about the daguerreotypes in 2016. She claimed that the paper responded positively and she traveled to Cambridge for an interview, but an editor at the Crimson then told her that the story had been killed due to “concerns the Peabody Museum has raised.” According to the suit, Harvard continues to use the Renty images as a source of income. In 2017, the suit claims, Harvard used Renty’s image to sell its 13th anniversary edition of “From Site to Sight: Anthropology, Photography and the Power of Imagery.” A photograph of Renty is the sole cover image for the book, which is listed on Amazon for selling for more than $40. The same year, Harvard hosted a national academic conference called “Universities and Slavery: Bound by History.” Lanier claimed the program for the conference referred to Renty as “anonymous,” even though she had repeatedly told the university that the man was her great- great-great grandfather and his name is known.

“By my calculation, Renty is 169 years a slave. When will Harvard finally set him free?”

Benjamin Crump, co-lead counsel for Lanier, said in a statement. “We cannot erase the wrongs of the past or the legacies of slavery within higher education, but we can forge a new path of respect, dignity and equality moving forward. Returning the images would be a first step in the right direction.”

Lanier is represented by Crump, Talley Kaleko and Scott Carruthers of Ben Crump Law; Michael Koskoff, Joshua Koskoff, Preston Tisdale and Katie Mesner-Hage of Koskoff Koskoff & Bieder; and Elizabeth Mulvey of Crowe & Mulvey.

Harvard University and the Harvard Crimson have been asked to respond to the claims in the suit, and The American will include their comments if received.

Tamara Lanier and Benjamin Crump, her co-lead counsel

Editorial /CommEntary

Louis Cross III and David Merideth for SLPS Board of Education

The Missouri Board of Education is expected to return the governance of the Saint Louis Public School District back to the elected Board of Education before the start of the next school year. Though the appointed Special Administrative Board has been criticized as antidemocratic, we believe it has been a stabilizing force in the district and overseen a steady rise in student achievement under the leadership of Superintendent Kelvin R. Adams. It is critical that an elected board continue and build upon this progress. We believe that Louis Cross III and David Merideth have both the life experience as well as the experience within the school district to serve the new governing board well going into the future.

education instructor, guidance counselor and academic instructional coach.

Merideth is a retired U.S. Air Force officer and an SLPS alum, and several of his 11 children are SLPS students or graduates. He has been an active parent in the district for many years.

At a candidate forum on March 25, Merideth in particular showed the leadership needed, in a state like Missouri, to preserve the proper teaching of science and the scientific method in our public schools, correctly identifying evolution as “a scientific theory” and creationism as a subject of “religious studies.”

Governor’s new school safety task force needs diversity

By Adolphus Pruitt For The St. Louis American

Cross is well-known in the community, being a 40-year veteran of SLPS as a physical

Both Cross and Merideth have the support from the local teacher’s union – and they have our support. We strongly endorse Louis Cross III and David Merideth for the Saint Louis Public School Board of Education.

Connie Harge and Sheila Powell-Walker for FergusonFlorissant Board of Education

Voters in the FergusonFlorissant School District will elect two Board of Education members on April 2, and they have two capable and committed candidates –Constance “Connie” Harge and Sheila Powell-Walker – to choose out of a field of three.

Harge is an incumbent and board secretary elected in 2016. She is one of three (out of seven) current board members who are AfricanAmerican. The lack of representation of black members on the board governing the majority-black school district was why the ACLU of Missouri and NAACP Missouri State Conference filed a federal suit alleging violations of the Voting Rights Act that went all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court and won. She is a voice from the community who has knowledge of the inner workings of the board and the district who should be reelected.

“You all have a voice, and we should listen to what you say,” Harge said to a passionate audience of voters at a candidate forum organized by the ACLU and NAACP on March 26. The audience response made it clear that voters do feel well represented by Harge, and we urge them to return her to the board.

Powell-Walker would join the board with an extraordinary amount of training and experience, including a doctorate in education and current position as a social worker in the School District of Clayton. She previously worked 14 years in the Riverview Gardens School District, including the time when it regained its accreditation. At

the forum, she explained that she applied for a senior administrative position in Ferguson-Florissant and took the job in Clayton only when she was passed over for it. Asked about the disconnect between the school board and the black community in the district at the forum, Powell-Walker said, “First, the district has to own it and admit that there is a problem.” This is the kind of accountability in leadership that this school district needs. Powell-Walker also showed a candor that is rare for candidates who often over-promise to tell voters what they want to hear. Even if she is elected, she said, “We’re not always going to do everything the community wants. But we will listen.”

The other candidate, Leslie Suzanne Hogshead, has been a member of the board since 1992, the year Bill Clinton was first elected U.S. president. Clearly, she does not think that she or the white-dominated board majority has anything to own up to regarding the black community. “I have always been responsive to the community and follow through with their concerns,” she wrote to the ACLU and NAACP. However, she wrote this in a letter where she said she would not attend the candidate forum to avoid “the bullying and harassment,” though she did not explain why she expected such treatment.

The St. Louis American strongly endorses Constance “Connie” Harge and Sheila Powell-Walker for the Ferguson-Florissant Board of Education.

On March 13, Missouri Gov. Mike Parson issued Executive Order 19-04 establishing the Missouri School Safety Task Force. It is charged with conducting a statewide analysis of school safety and developing comprehensive, coordinated, and effective recommendations for school safety. In order for the task force to do such, its makeup should also be comprehensive and inclusive of the African-American community and the school districts where our children attend. In order for it to draft effective statewide recommendations, the task force also will need statewide representation.

The task force was given the charge to “identify gaps, shortfalls, or suggested policy changes.” It should start with its own internal gap – such as the lack of representation from urban minority school districts. Diversity, both racially and geographically, is important because school issues are as widely varied as the schools that have them. Schools have fundamental differences in physical plant issues, school practices, and student and staff behaviors.

Active shooters are not the principal danger to school safety; the biggest threat to school

safety might be the lack of strategies to address more pervasive problems. While efforts to reduce risk, prevent loss, and prepare for emergencies are warranted, unfortunately a preoccupation with school shootings has caused other threats to be overlooked. Having a plan to deal with the threat of gun violence is imperative, but so is preparing schools to address more common dangers such as cyberbullying, social isolation, and sexual exploitation.

A recent study of New York City schools reported that students felt safer in their classrooms and hallways if they rarely saw fights, bullying, drugs or gangs.

By John C. Muhammad For The St. Louis American

No human being should have to stay in jail because of poverty. Yet, every night people in the City of St. Louis, Missouri, and throughout the country sit in jail without being convicted of a crime, simply because they are poor – because they don’t have enough money to make bail. For many people, even what is considered a fairly low bail amount is unfeasible. Every day, judges habitually put a price on a person’s freedom, and it is often one he or she cannot afford. Additionally, studies show that African Americans are assigned higher bail amounts than non-AfricanAmerican defendants for the same crimes. It is immoral to be subjected to prison simply because of poverty. I witnessed this firsthand when I was arrested in 2018 because of multiple traffic tickets. A judge issued me a bond totaling $5,000. I

don’t know about you, but I can count on one hand how many people I know who have $5,000 to just give away. The stakes at these bail hearings could not be higher: freedom or imprisonment. If you are wealthy, you can post the bail amount and walk free, whether or not you pose a danger to other people or a risk to flee before your trial date. In the City of St. Louis, a movement to reform the cash bail system has gained steam behind the Bail Project, led by a group of concerned St. Louisans who believe it’s time for a change. The Bail Project and its community partners advocate for ending the cash bail system and closing one of St. Louis’ two jails, the Medium Security

Institution, also known as “the Workhouse.”

Over 70 percent of the population in the Workhouse is African-American (in a city where African Americans are 48 percent of the overall population). The Workhouse typically confines people who are awaiting trial. Most are charged with non-violent crimes and low-level offenses. The average stay in the Workhouse is almost 300 days. That’s 7,200 hours a person has lost, simply because he or she is poor. I will work my colleagues on the St. Louis Board of Aldermen to rectify this gross injustice in our city. I urge state legislators, Attorney General Eric Schmitt, and Governor Mike Parson to respond to this issue and enact or support comprehensive bail reform in our justice system – or, depending on who you are talking to and how much money they have, our injustice system.

John C. Muhammad is alderman of St. Louis’ 21st Ward.

Letters to the editor

Our legislators fear the people

Government of the people, by the people, for the people is in jeopardy here in Missouri. Sixty-two percent of us voted for Constitutional Amendment 1 (CLEAN Missouri), giving it more votes than any candidate for U.S. Senate. You said you want your vote to count, you want to be represented by someone who has your values, and you want transparency in your government.

Now our state legislators are undermining everything you voted for. Rather than having open records by following the Sunshine law, they’ve simply redefined the law to keep them closed. Rather than explaining that the Senate majority and minority leaders (a Republican and a Democrat) will select the next person to balance our voting districts, they misinterpret the truth.

Our legislators or so afraid of the will of the people, they have introduced numerous bills to undermine what we the people have voted for. Tell your state representative and senator to keep their hands off your amendment. Tell them we the people have changed the Missouri constitution for the better

Ellen Wentz Kirkwood

Revenues and expenses in Clayton schools

On April 2, the School District of Clayton will have the opportunity to vote on Proposition E. If approved, Prop. E will ensure our district has the funding necessary to continue our long-standing tradition of excellence. In recent years, we have been faced with the challenge of our expenditures rising faster than our essentially flat revenue stream. To overcome this challenge, we have worked to control costs and limited expenses to an average increase of 2.3 percent per year over the past 15 years.

We have reduced expenditures by more than $2.8 million while maintaining academic excellence and bridging the gap between revenues and expenditures. However, we have reached the point where further reductions would impact our ability to

retain and recruit high-quality teachers, maintain class sizes and offer quality educational programs. Absent an operating levy increase, the gap between the district’s revenues and expenses is projected to be $4.8 million for the 2019-2020 school year.

A state law, the Hancock Amendment, limits our ability to keep revenues on pace with expenses. This law provides property owners with a safeguard from having their property taxes raised due to increases in assessments higher than increases in the cost of living. As a result, our local property tax revenue (which amounts to about 71 percent of our revenue budget) has increased an average of 0.78 percent annually since our last voter-approved operating levy increase in 2003.

On April 2, the district will ask voters to consider Prop. E, an operating levy increase of 56 cents per $100 of assessed valuation and an eight-cent waiver of Proposition C sales tax revenues. We want to ensure both academic excellence and future financial stability by eliminating the gap between revenues and expenses, addressing facility

The governor’s task force is charged with reviewing and developing policies. The president’s commission developed polices and recommendations that are a precursor to a further entrenchment of racial- and gender-based discrimination in school discipline. They will ultimately deny students an opportunity to learn and the freedom to thrive.

We can only pray that the governor’s task force does not see safety as more police, metal detectors and armed teachers in schools. It should strive to get to the root causes of student misbehavior. To do that, it will need to be more diverse than its initial all-white group of outstate appointees, and it will need to listen to all of the communities that it and the governor are supposed to represent. Adolphus Pruitt is president of the St. Louis NAACP.

The governor’s executive order also referenced President Donald J. Trump’s federal Commission on School Safety to provide meaningful and actionable recommendations to keep students safe at school. According to the executive order, the commission’s report and findings included recommendations based upon policies already working in many states and local communities. Now that’s a scary proposition. The recommendations from the president’s commission called for rescinding critical federal civil rights guidance on school discipline, provided a blueprint for how to arm school staff, and encouraged the entrenchment of the schoolto-prison pipeline through militarizing schools with military personnel, police, metal detectors, and surveillance equipment.

edited for length and style.

and maintenance needs and rebuilding reserves. I encourage you to visit claytonschools. net/PropE to learn more about Prop. E.

Sean N. Doherty, superintendent School District of Clayton

Give Wellston time

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development recently informed Wellston residents that they plan to demolish their public housing. HUD should give the mayor and residents time to develop an alternative housing plan before going ahead with their plans. Legal Services of Eastern Missouri has already asked HUD to delay demolition and the mayor of Wellston has already been talking to investors, but they need time! It would be a shame to break up this community or over five hundred people. If we can develop Cortex and some of North St. Louis, we can surely help with the development of Wellston.

Frances Foy Hazelwood

Guest Columnist

Adolphus Pruitt

Louis Cross III David Merideth

Connie Harge Sheila PowellWalker

The McCluer High School thespian program (seen here in its fall 2018 production of “The Color Purple”) has been awarded a $10,000 Classroom Resource Grant from the Andrew Lloyd Weber Initiative. The grant will allow for the purchase of working stage lights and sound and new chairs for the school’s Little Theatre. The grant is part of the American Theatre Wing’s Andrew Lloyd Webber Initiative, a major new national program which received $1.3 million in seed funding from the Andrew Lloyd Webber Foundation to promote diversity, equity, and access to the arts.

April 26 deadline for Great Rivers Biennial

Visual artists have until April 26 to apply for the Great Rivers Biennial, hosted by Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis (CAM) and the Gateway Foundation. This collaborative initiative identifies talented emerging and mid-career artists working in the greater St. Louis metro area, provides them with financial assistance, and gives them significant professional exposure across the Midwest and nationally. The artists selected receive $20,000 and are featured in the Great Rivers Biennial exhibition at CAM, May 8–August 16, 2020.

Emerging and mid-career artists are invited to submit work in drawing, film and video, installation, mixed media, painting, photography, printmaking, and sculpture. To be eligible, artists must have lived within the six counties of the St. Louis metro area (St. Louis city and the counties of St. Louis, Jefferson, and St. Charles in Missouri, and

St. Clair, Madison, and Monroe counties in Illinois) for at least one year prior to the application deadline and continue to reside in the area during the designated planning, production, and exhibition period.

A panel of jurors will review all submissions that meet the eligibility requirements. Ten artists will be selected as semi-finalists, with these artists then receiving studio visits from the jurors. Up to three artists will be selected for the award. The jurors include José Carlos Diaz, chief curator at The Andy Warhol Museum; Christopher Y. Lew, the Nancy and Fred Poses Curator at the Whitney Museum of American Art and co-curator of the 2017 Whitney Biennial; and Amanda Ross-Ho, a Los Angeles-based artist who has exhibited widely in galleries and museums worldwide. For complete eligibility requirements and to apply, visit camstl.org/grb.

Local voters are waking up

By Jamala Rogers For The St. Louis American

The March 5 election results revealed some important insights that could be misread or ignored by elected and appointed officials, future candidates and the powers that be. There is an emerging electorate that is more informed and strategic. They will not be taken for granted.

One of the issues that I found troubling was the capacity of candidates (and some of the elected officials supporting them) to understand and gauge voter sentiment. They were stone cold clueless about voters’ situations and how disconnected those running for office are to that reality. A barrage of campaign mailers is no substitute for building constituent relationships.

The most contested city race was president of the Board of Aldermen. Despite wide disparities in fundraising, it was nearly a three-way split between incumbent Lewis Reed, Alderwoman Megan Green and state Senator Jamilah Nasheed. What does this tell us? I believe it tells us that s/he who has the most money doesn’t always win. Nasheed raked in a little over half a million dollars, Reed raised $304,000 and Green brought up the rear with about $117,000. It also said that voters are paying attention to track records (or lack thereof), to the way candidates run their respective campaigns, and to their articulated vision for the city. There was criticism by candidates and political pundits that voters kept the status quo. Again, I think this is a misread. What I hear from constituents is that this incumbent may not be the best for the job. However ...

What others surmise is very different. We hear, “No more voting for Tweedle Dum(b) just to unseat Tweedle Dee. We will either groom a candidate of our choice or wait it out. No more swapping out incompetence over our community interests.”

For years, I have written about voter turnout and the lack of a plan by black elected leadership to address how they engage and grow their constituencies. No self-respecting candidate – especially an incumbent – should be crowing about a victory when they can’t inspire voters to get to the polls. Aldermen like Jeffrey Boyd won with only about 600 votes, just 10 percent of the 22nd Ward’s voting population.

St. Louis has some big challenges ahead. Some are old, like crime, and very old, like racial inequality. Others are new, like the proposed city-counter merger and privatization of airport operations. We need fresh, bold leadership of all hues and genders to take on these issues. This leadership must be pressed out of a community mandate that favors collective progress and not individual elevation.

Just like we need a new type of leadership – elected or not – some of us are working on how to build a powerful electorate that does not rely on a savior. We’re looking at the re-investment of our tax dollars. We’re organizing citizens around issues they deem important to their families. We’re advancing a progressive agenda rooted in the aspirations and needs of the people.

The movement for political power is paying attention to woke voters. Voters are awakening and flexing their political muscles. Elected officials need to get woke if they are to be relevant.

Jamala Rogers

FERGUSON

Continued from A1

diluted the voice of black residents. A federal court found Ferguson-Florissant in violation of the Voting Rights Act and ordered the district to implement a fairer voting system. According to the ACLU and the NAACP, the cumulative voting system gives minority groups an equal opportunity to gain representation in government.

Candidate Sheila PowellWalker is a Ferguson resident who spent her entire career serving youth and their families in a number of capacities in education and in social service. Powell-Walker works as a social worker at the School District of Clayton and previously worked 14 years in the Riverview Gardens School District, including when it regained its accreditation. She is also an adjunct professor

THOMPSON

Continued from A1 black students to attend the white all-girl’s school.

“Norma English was one of our esteemed graduates of the Class of 1951,” a school spokesperson told The American. “Among Gloria Waters White and Rose Marie Banks, to name a few, she graduated in 1951 as one of the first African Americans to become Rosati-Kain alumnae. Coming from a most difficult, but historical time in our nation’s history, Norma English is an alumna our students are very proud to call their R-K sister.”

Sisterhood did not feel very sisterly back then.

“That’s where I learned how deeply prejudice was rooted,” Thompson said. “I was under the impression that it was religious, Catholic – everything was going to be okay.” But it wasn’t.

at Lindenwood University, Missouri Baptist University and has presented at local and national education conferences.

“My reason for wanting to run for the school board is to take the skills I have acquired over the last 20 or so years and use them to support many of the positive things the district has going on but also wanting to work alongside the other board members to figure out how to solve some of the problems that the district is facing,” Powell-Walker said, such as attracting and retaining highly qualified staff.

Powell-Walker’s two children attended FergusonFlorissant schools, one at LeeHamilton Elementary where Powell-Walker was a member of the PTO, and the other at McCluer High School.

Powell-Walker is a member of Third Presbyterian Church, the St. Louis County Juvenile Justice Association and Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. She has received the Bridge

“She thrived at R-K,” according to the school. “Her grades reflected that.” While Norma English (her maiden name) thrived academically, it was in spite of repeated challenges to her self-worth because of her race. She described her experience to The American – isolation, disparaging comments, invisibility.

“I remember the chemistry class when the teacher was talking about the mineral carbon, and she said, ‘Look out that window – it’s as dense and black as that man who’s putting in the coal.’ And I turned around and told her, ‘No, you should have said that it was the coal – not the man,’” Thompson said. Thompson said she was good at art. However, she had to use creativity to get around her work being overlooked for a competition for poster art about St. Louis veterans when she was in the 11th grade.

“I did my poster, turned it in and just happened to be walking by the art room, and there

Constance “Connie” Harge and Sheila Powell-Walker participated in a candidate forum for the FergusonFlorissant School District Board of Education organized by the ACLU and NAACP on March 26. Leslie Suzanne Hogshead did not attend because she said, without explanation, that she wanted to avoid “bullying and harassment.”

Builder, St. Louis County Community Partner and Student Services Leadership awards.

Candidate Constance

“Connie” Harge has lived in the Ferguson-Florissant School District for 40 years and was first elected to the Board of

my poster was laying on the desk,” Thompson said. “And the nun told me, ‘Oh, I’m so sorry, I forgot about it.’” She grabbed her poster, submitted it herself and won first prize in the city.

Integrating Rosati-Kain also meant having little interaction with girls who should have been school friends and being relegated to participating only in certain activities.

“The Glee Club – that was one thing I could belong to,” Thompson said. However, on an occasion when the club was going to perform at Kiel Auditorium, she was forewarned not to be so conspicuous – singing while black.

“The nun called me down and she said, ‘Don’t turn your head, don’t move too much, because you’re so noticed,’” Thompson said. “In other words, I was going to stand out from the group. I wasn’t the only black, but I think I was the most defiant one.” Thompson bravely refused

Education in 2016; she serves as its current secretary. Harge has received advanced and master’s certification from the Missouri School Board Association. She and her husband Bill have two adult children who are McCluer North graduates and they have two

to keep quiet.

“My mother was like that,” Thompson said. “My mother would stand flatfoot and tell people, ‘No,’ and she made sure that she took us any place that we could go and she never accepted ‘low,’” Thompson said. “She taught us about education: ‘Get your education because I don’t want you to have to take care of master’s children.’”

Thompson also recalled a school field trip as a sophomore in Kinloch that prompted race-based confrontations. Thompson was among students selected to visit the state capital in a chartered Greyhound bus.

“I got on the bus, and they said, ‘You might be more comfortable with your friends,’” she said. “All the black students, they had sent them to the rear of the bus, and I refused to go. I told them, ‘In the state of Missouri, I don’t have to sit in the rear,’ so I stood in the front.” She finally got to sit down because the bus had to start moving.

That was only the precursor to what was to come in Jefferson City, where segregation made an ugly reappearance at St. Henry’s, a Catholic church.

“We were told that our name tags would be on the table. I didn’t see mine,” she said.

grandchildren who are also graduates of McCluer North. Harge has been a member of the Halls Ferry Elementary School PTO.

Harge is an ordained minister and a member of Hope Church. She is also a member of the Eastern Star, Ferguson Lions Club, Florissant Township Democratic Club, Florissant Youth Advisory Board and director of the Ferguson Youth Initiative. She is employed by Washington University as a pain management pre-certification/insurance coordinator.

“I want to continue to make positive changes, especially with our reorganization that is going on, and I also want to make sure all kids are represented and that they get the quality education that they deserve,” Harge told The American.

Candidate Leslie Suzanne Hogshead has lived in the Ferguson-Florissant School District for 42 years and has

“‘No, no, no, no, no. The colored will be in the basement,’” Thompson said she was told.

“I said, ‘But I won’t be able to see the speaker, and I’m not eating in a basement ... I’m above that... If I’m qualified to be outstanding like the others are, then I should be equal with them – and this is not equal.”

She and two girls she did not know from other schools who were assigned to the basement walked out and found a nearby store, where they bought some crackers to eat and sodas to drink. They sat on the steps until the bus came.

“When we finally got back to St. Louis, one of the women said, ‘Please don’t discuss with anyone what occurred today,’” Thompson said. “At that time, there wasn’t any social media – I just had a mouth, and I told everyone that I met who inquired about it.”

She said not all of the black girls who integrated with her stuck it out. But she graduated from Rosati-Kain, went to Stowe Teachers College for a year before joining the U.S. Air Force at age 18. She was there 19 months.

“I got a ‘general discharge under honorable conditions’ for one thing, because I had to ball out my commanding officer because he called me a ‘negress,’” Thompson said.

served on the district’s Board of Education since 1992. She and her husband Ken have one adult child who is a graduate of McCluer High School. Hogshead has served on various committees within the district, including the Walnut Grove PTA, McCluer High PTSA, Ferguson Middle School PTSO, and she is the founder of Project Graduation. She is also a member of Harvester Christian Church. Hogshead is an incumbent and currently serves as the assistant secretary on the Board of Education. Hogshead is employed as a nursing home administrator with Health Systems, Inc.

Hogshead did not attend a candidate forum organized by the ACLU and NAACP on March 26 because she said, without explanation, that she wanted to avoid “bullying and harassment.”

For more information, visit www.fergflovotes.com.

She worked at the General Electric plant that used to be in St. Louis, was married and had three children. The assassination of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in 1968 prompted her to register for college again, this time at Harris Teachers College. A generous benefactor paid her tuition, and she excelled academically on the Dean’s List. Thompson became a teacher and taught at Turner Middle School for a number of years and worked as an instructional coordinator in Saint Louis Public Schools before retirement. She also left the Catholic Church. After a period of being a non-affiliated Christian, she joined a Baptist church.

“I wanted to feel the presence of the Holy Spirit ... I needed more,” she said. “My mother belonged to a Baptist church, so I joined that church and they were very lively. I felt something – baptized in the Mississippi River.” In the 1980s when she moved to a different area of town, she joined the AME church, where she remains an active member. All three of her children have their masters degrees, and now she has grandchildren getting their masters degrees. “I’ve been very fortunate,” she said. “I’m very satisfied.”

Photo by Wiley Price

SLPS

Continued from A1

“I believe that creationism and evolution can possibly fit into the same curriculum,” said Anderson, a longtime SLPS educator. “Where do I think they belong? Science, social studies.” Anderson said that the district’s job is to “disseminate information, not opinions.”

“It’s not up to us to tell our children what they should and should not know,” Anderson said. “We should teach them everything.”

A vague response came from Louis C. Cross III, a 40-year veteran of SLPS as a physical education instructor, guidance counselor and academic instructional coach.

“If it’s under the right heading, I think it’s certainly something that could be addressed and should be addressed,” Cross said, “so that all students can understand all aspects.”

However, he did not specify what the “right heading” would be.

Retired U.S. Air Force

Officer David Meredith is an

DIAPERS

Continued from A1

I felt like maybe good moms could figure out how to get diapers.”

Later in 2013, Adams had just finished her masters in social work when she heard a radio story about the National Diaper Bank. One statistic struck her: that one in three moms routinely don’t have the diapers they need to keep her kids clean and dry. Adams soon found that there was a diaper bank in every major city, but not in St. Louis. She decided to start an effort that prevented moms from feeling the same worry and embarrassment she felt, she said.

In the spring of 2014,

SLPS alum, and several of his 11 children are SLPS students or graduates. He hoped the question was based on the discussion currently happening in the state Legislature regarding bills to bring Bible school into the schools.

“Evolution is a scientific theory; therefore it should be taught in science,” Meredith said. “Theory is not always correct. It can change over time. Creationism are not scientific theories, they are

Adams started the St. Louis Area Diaper Bank at her kitchen table, distributing a few thousand diapers. Now, the organization has 44 partners — including Parents As Teachers and several food pantries — that distribute two million diapers every year to about 40,000 children in the region.

And on April 1, the St. Louis Area Diaper Bank will move into a new warehouse in Wellston, where it will act as manager for a “basic needs hub” for agencies serving to provide basic services to families. It was designed and orchestrated by the Community Impact Network. “For me, the experience of looking into an empty pantry was distressing and painful, but I knew where we could get food,” Adams said. “Looking

religious studies.”

Many public schools offer elective classes that delve into different religions, he said.

“I don’t think we should change that at all,” Meredith said.

Tracee Miller, who worked in SLPS as a middle-school math teacher, said that she strongly agreed with Meredith. Miller currently works at Khan Academy, which provides free instructional videos and practice exercises that can be

at an empty diaper basket feels completely different from that in so many ways. It’s so intimate to what your role is as a parent. When you can’t provide that, it feels awful and embarrassing.”

used in and outside classrooms worldwide.

“There’s no doubt that religion has had an important role in the formation of society,” she said, “but I do believe they belong separate.”

Adam Layne, a former Teach For America corps member at the SLPS school

Clyde C. Miller Career Academy, said that “the separation of church and state is still in effect.” Layne, who is currently on the board of the

n “Looking at an empty diaper basket, when you can’t provide that, it feels awful and embarrassing.”

– Jessica Adams, St. Louis Area Diaper Bank

Studies show that this is a common feeling, she said, as mothers consistently tell researchers that diaper need is more distressing to them than food insecurity.

Adams’ organization has elevated this conversation in the region, said Emily Koenig, board president for the St. Louis Area Diaper Bank, who also leads the St. Louis County

Children’s Service Fund.

“Although it might seem like a small thing, a diaper, or lack of a clean diaper, can lead to big problems for children and families,” Koenig said. “Through the work of the diaper bank, we are working to eliminate the stress of diaper need in order to support strong social, emotional and healthy relationships. And we’re having an impact.”

Local families are now reporting that they feel less stressed because they don’t have to choose between paying for diapers and paying for food,

new Kairos Academy charter school, said he knows that many SLPS families attend local churches. But he doesn’t believe Bible studies need to be brought into the classroom.

William Haas, a former SLPS board member for four terms and longtime educator, did not address the question directly, saying that creationism and intelligent design were the “least of our problems.”

One candidate, Dan McCready, who works at KIPP

Koenig said. And that leads to healthier, happier children and parents.

This is among the reasons that the St. Louis Area Diaper Bank is receiving the Health Advocacy Organization of the Year Award at the St. Louis American Foundation’s 19th annual Salute to Excellence in Health Care Awards Luncheon on Friday, April 26.

“Over the past several years, it’s become so clear to us at the diaper bank that it is completely impossible to raise a healthy baby if you don’t have diapers,” Adams said. “And diapers impact almost every aspect of a family’s stability.”

Mothers who don’t have enough diapers are three times more likely to experience negative mental health issues

Victory Academy Schools, a charter school, was not present at the forum. At the forum, candidates largely agreed that encouraging more engagement with parents and families needed to be a key part of the elected board’s role. They also agreed that retaining and recruiting qualified teachers was paramount. The forum also touched on ways to provide services for homeless and low-income families, among other topics.

In the Tuesday, April 2 general municipal election, seven candidates will vie for two open spots on the SLPS Board of Education. Incumbents Charli Cooksey and Katie Wessling are not running for re-election.

The seven-member elected school board is soon expected to take back governance of the district. For more than 10 years, a three-member appointed board has governed the district after it lost accreditation.

The St. Louis Young Democrats livestreamed the March 25 forum, and the video can be viewed on the group’s Facebook page.

like anxiety and depression, Adams said. It also interferes with the healthy development of a baby’s brain not to have clean diapers, she added.

“Toxic stress, we know, affects baby’s brains forever and changes families’ lives,” she said. “And we know that giving diapers to families helps a lot to relive some of that shame and that painful stress that comes with living in poverty.”

Tickets for the 19th Annual Salute to Excellence in Health Care Awards Luncheon on Friday, April 26 at the Frontenac Hilton are $750 per table for VIP/Corporate seating and $50 each/$500 table for Individual seating. To order tickets, call 314-533-8000 or visit www.stlamerican.com.

The St. Louis Young Democrats and Democratic groups for the 5th, 7th and 15th Wards hosted a forum for Saint Louis Public School Board of Education candidates on Monday, March 25.

Photo by Wiley Price

By James T. Ingram

For The St. Louis American

East Boogie has been on a literal high for the past two weeks in celebration of the East Side Flyers’ crowning as the IL 3A division boys State Basketball Champions. Led by my cousin, star senior Terrence Hargrove Jr. (shameless plug) and coach Mark Chambers and overwhelmingly supported by the community, this was a much-needed win for the entire city.

The victory and subsequent parade through the streets of ESL, plus TV and radio appearances by the team, have been a welcome diversion

from the challenges that lie ahead after the confetti and cheers have subsided. And just as the Flyers’ championship has been a capstone achievement, the upcoming ESL mayoral election on April 2 quickly takes voters from the sublime to the ridiculous if one scrutinizes the backgrounds of many of those running, as well as who is funding the would-be mayor of East Boogie.

The field of mayoral candidates includes incumbent Mayor Emeka Jackson-Hicks, city Councilman Robert Eastern III, former mayor Carl E. Officer and activist Darnell Thompson, a mix of new,

establishment and seasoned leadership.

A recent political forum/ debate sponsored the local NAACP allowed candidates to mix it up in a spirited exchange on the future direction of ESL.

Eastern was a no-show, later informing me that a “mentor” had passed away and that he

was indisposed as a result.

Nonetheless, all one has to do is scrutinize many of the full page ads that have run in the ESL Monitor newspaper and wonder if many of the candidates were even vetted for precinct committeemen, city council and other offices.

Having covered ESL “poli-

candidates. Unfortunately, most of the donor information won’t be available until after the elections.

However, if a mayoral candidate is backed by the St. Clair County (Belleville) machine of County Board Chairman Mark Kern and Democratic boss Bob Sprague, it speaks volumes to who will be calling the shots in East Boogie.

tricks” extensively for over 20 years and having written about several of those running for office, some of the ads (complete with mug shots) strike me as resembling an FBI poster for “America’s Most Wanted” instead of a political ticket, with nearly a dozen candidates having multiple felonies or being unindicted co-conspirators of some sort. Some of the choices are depressing as an ESL voter.

Even President Nixon, who resigned in disgrace, famously noted that American voters had the right to know whether their president was a crook. I submit that the same standard should be true for ESL. Criminality should not be a credential in East Boogie and I hope that, whomever ESL voters choose, they ask themselves whether voting a felon back into elected office is their best choice.

The second question that ESL voters need to ask of their candidates is “Who’s your daddy?” in terms of those funding their candidates, especially the mayoral

On the other hand, if a candidate is receiving thousands of dollars in donations from a number of prominent Belleville law firms as well as from “straw donors,” who protect the anonymity of true donors, then those entities will pull the chain of their candidate if they become mayor of East Boogie.

The third question an ESL voter should ask is who do you trust – not to steal, sell you out, put their interests first or, potentially, be a source of embarrassment for the community?

Those three questions should be the guide for ESL voters. We can’t control the politricks. Manufactured absentee ballots will appear out of thin air on election night as if David Copperfield were performing an election magic show. Suit cases of money will be distributed to voters at the polls. That’s the game. It hasn’t changed in 100 years. I’m just asking East St. Louis voters, who are street wise, to see past the games and poli-tricks and vote your political conscience, if that still exists, on April 2. Some of the choices may stink, but hold your noses and vote anyway. Email: jtingram_1960@ yahoo.com; Twitter@ JamesTIngram.

Columnist James Ingram

When Candice Cox

Stenger,

elected on ‘swirling rumors,’ eats a subpoena in public

In the earliest hours of Sunday, March 24, as far as the public knew, St. Louis County Executive Steve Stenger was a made man. An organization funded and driven by a billionaire was pushing for a statewide ballot initiative that would make him (in effect) mayor for life of a newly merged and expanded metro St. Louis, where he would rule over what is now the City of St. Louis even though none of what would then be the former city’s citizens had ever voted for him for mayor – or dog catcher, for that matter.

Two days later, retired financier Rex Sinquefield’s Better Together had dropped Stenger like the bad investment he was and is, deciding –in a sudden flourish of democratic spirit – that all of the people of the newly merged and expanded metro St. Louis should have an opportunity to elect their chief executive, rather than letting Sinquefield knight Stenger with the grinning support of what would be the last mayor of old St. Louis, Lyda “Let Clayton Have the city” Krewson

by everybody but Robert Mueller and Gerard Carmody

Three days later, not only did Stenger no longer have Sinquefield by his side, but he suddenly also felt the need to have the notorious defense attorney to the stars Scott Rosenblum covering his suddenly exposed hindquarters. Among the many good jokes about Rosenblum, there is this one: If you wake up and there is a dead body in your house and you don’t know how it got there, call Ed Dowd. If you wake up and there is a dead body in your house and you do know how it got there, call Scott Rosenblum. The kicker to this joke is then-Gov. Eric Greitens called them both when he was under investigation

The very, very troubling news for Stenger is he is now ending up the butt of the jokes and stories that Greitens ended up in. The man who was supposed to be the unelected king of the metro St. Louis of the future is now scrambling simply to stay on the safe side of orange jumpsuits and nightly lockdowns. What happened? What happened – or, at least, the only thing that we can be sure at this point has happened – is that Stenger got a bitter taste of his own medicine. His nemesis St. Louis County Council Chair Sam Page administered this dose when he leaked to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch the fact that Stenger and others in his administration had been served with a federal subpoena. Page is a veteran political operator with an efficient subrosa media operation who knows that reporters feast on public corruption stories – or even the whiff of public corruption. So, though Sinquefield dropping Stenger and Stenger calling Rosenblum sound like terrible indicators of innocence, Stenger is not only innocent of any criminal charges, he has not even been charged with any crime. To twist an old phrase, you can subpoena a perfectly innocent ham sandwich. But allegations of guilt – or even of criminal investigation – tend to appear incriminating to the public, and absolutely no one knows this better than the county executive who is now turning over emails, texts and tears to a federal grand jury. Stenger got where he is by doing to Charlie Dooley exactly what Sam Page is doing to him, and he weaponized the same news outlet that Page used against

him, the Post-Dispatch

Dooley, for the record, was never charged with any crime in connection to his service as county executive.

Unlike Stenger – whose senior staff was subpoenaed along with him, according to Page – Dooley never even had key members of his senior staff served with a subpoena. The Post ignored considerable evidence that Dooley was not the subject of any serious federal investigation of corruption and ran instead with stories – in at least one case, a frontpage news report – where literally the tightest sourcing the paper had for the allegations was “swirling rumors.”

Then-Post reporter Paul Hampel reported that story. After his reporting – and companion editorials and endorsements directed by Tony Messenger, then leading the Post editorial board – got Stenger elected, Stenger hired Hampel to work for him. His title is “senior policy advisor,” Mike Jones’ former title, which seemed like an inside joke at the expense of Jones and this newspaper. The joke may be on Hampel now. His name has not been mentioned in connection to the subpoena, but thus far all we have to go on is Sam Page’s alleged memory of having seen the subpoena, what he told to the Post and what the Post chose to report.

No one in the news or criminal justice businesses when Stenger was campaigning against Dooley doubts that Stenger was the source of the

“swirling rumors” that Hampel and the Post reported as front-page fact. Stenger requested a meeting with The American’s managing editor during the campaign, and over lunch rumors of corruption in the Dooley administration swirled right out of Stenger’s mouth. He was told to provide documents and on-the-record sources, and the rumors stopped swirling. A federal prosecutor working in the office that is now investigating Stenger told The American at the time, off the record, that the office heard from Stenger about Dooley on a regular basis. If Stenger fed swirling rumors to this newspaper and to the Department of Justice, then it’s a very safe bet that he was Hampel and the Post’s deep (or, really, shallow) throat for those “swirling rumors” of corruption that the Post used to bring Dooley down and install Stenger in power. Once Stenger was elected county executive, he quickly began arousing suspicion in the handling and awarding of contracts where key campaign donors ended up profiting handsomely. Tony Messenger – perhaps exorcising guilt for the jeremiad of editorials he wrote and approved to bring down Dooley based on Stenger’s claims – began writing a series of searing columns making Stenger look like a crook. The Post’s investigative team (perhaps exorcising guilt for past news coverage based on “swirling rumors” written by a reporter who landed a job with Stenger) did similar take-down pieces on Stenger and the St. Louis Economic Development Partnership. It’s as if a loud cry went out – “cleanup in aisle Stenger!” – and the same news outlet that made the mess began to clean it up.

What happens next?

If Stenger is merely the victim of on-the-record news opportunism fomented by a political rival who has seen a subpoena, well, at least that is more than “swirling rumors,” which is all he could expel to hurt Dooley. (He also got his then-ally St. Louis County Prosecutor Bob McCulloch to do a TV commercial accusing Dooley of corruption, which was itself just this side of criminal slander, given that if McCulloch had any credible evidence of corruption against Dooley he would have been compelled to file criminal charges, not film a commercial.) Page and the Post cost Stenger the good graces of Sinquefield and a cakewalk into unelected mayor of a new and expanded metro St. Louis, not to

mention the expensive services of Scott Rosenblum and the notoriety of having had to call Scott about that proverbial dead body in the office. If the subpoena is about to draw blood on Stenger, then the feds will seek his resignation early in the plea bargaining process. This is excellent procedure: When you find a crook in public office, first stop the bleeding by getting the crook out of public office. The EYE confesses that it would be a pleasure to see Stenger with his little banty rooster swagger doing a perp walk out of the office that he, McCulloch, the Post, and gullible readers and voters stole from Dooley. If Stenger does resign then, according to the County Charter, “A vacancy in the office of county executive shall be filled by the council. The person so selected shall be a member of the same political party as the previous occupant. He shall hold office until January 1 following the next general election. A successor shall be elected at the next general election for the unexpired or the full term as the case may be.” The County Council would get to choose a Democrat to replace Stenger. Notably, unlike Stenger, who was a council member when he ran against Dooley, no council member opposed Stenger in the most recent primary. Maybe none of them wants the job. At least Sam Page currently is acting like someone who wants the job.

This unknown factor is especially juicy, since Better Together’s almost incredibly unwieldy plan for merging city and county governments calls for the existing mayor and county executive to agree on a transition plan. When Better Together officials were asked by The American’s editorial board what would happen if the existing mayor and county executive could not agree, they responded with a stunning silence that could only be translated as “but Lyda and Steve already agreed to all this [expletive].” Take Steve out of that agreement and who knows what we get, other than more versions of Better Together’s petition, which it keeps refiling as the public and press continue to find gaping holes in their plan.

As of now, Stenger is not worried about the keys to the kingdom. He is worried about the keys to where he sleeps at night, and whether those go into his pocket or into the pocket of an employee of the federal Bureau of Prisons.

Photo by Andy Field / St. Louis Public Radio

St. Louis County Executive Steve Stenger.

Preparing for baby while hospitalized

BJC’s Women & Infant’s Center supports patients with pregnancy complications

A pregnancy complication is causing Jackson to stay at the Women and Infants Center at Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis through the duration of her pregnancy and delivery.

By Sandra Jordan

Of The St. Louis American

Since February 23, expectant mother Angela Jackson’s home away from home has been on an upper floor of the Women and Infants Center at Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis. That was the day after her amniotic fluid started leaking. At first, she didn’t know what caused the water gush. It was about 3 a.m., and she decided to go back to sleep. She was only about halfway through her pregnancy, and it was far too early for labor.

When she woke up and realized the leak continued, Jackson called her doctor, who had her go to her hospital in Poplar Bluff, Missouri. Although she could not feel them, Jackson was

n “For some of these moms, they are spending a few months with us, which isn’t very fun, so we try our best to make it as non-traumatic as possible.”

– Nicole Arciniega, Barnes-Jewish

Hospital

told she was having contractions. Jackson was at the hospital overnight before she was advised that she would be better off at Barnes-Jewish, where the hospital is better equipped to monitor her health and that of

her unborn baby girl.

Barnes-Jewish was three hours away. She was flown by a hospital transport team to the Women and Infant’s Center, where she will stay until after her baby is born.

“Our Antepartum Unit is for moms who are hospitalized during their pregnancy, either because they have something medical going on and they are pregnant that requires us to watch both mom and baby, or there is something going on specifically with their pregnancy,” said Nicole Arciniega, Women’s Health Education and Outreach coordinator at Barnes-Jewish Hospital.

“For some of these moms, they are spending a few months with us, which isn’t

See BABY, A11

Looking for clues to suicide

Many children need to see a licensed professional, not just their pastor

By Denise Hooks-Anderson, M.D.

Of The St. Louis American

It was once almost unheard of to have conversations around the topics of suicide in the black community. However, recently it seems to be a frequent subject of discussion. Not only have I lost a patient as a result of suicide but I have also known people within my personal circle who have lost loved ones. Just so that we are clear, someone does not just wake up one day and decide to take their life. In general, people who commit suicide are battling depression, bipolar disorder, or some other form of mental illness. Unfortunately, sometimes it is difficult to recognize that the individual is mentally ill due to their unblemished public facade. However, the black community cannot continue to pretend that mental health problems only occur in white communities. Our community is suffering, crying out for help. We must respond.

n If your sweet child all of a sudden becomes sullen or withdrawn, something has happened. Don’t wait to see if it passes. Investigate the situation early.

The first step is recognizing that mental illness exists and understanding that even young children are affected. I just recently returned from a small Kentucky community where a 10-year-old child had committed suicide by hanging himself. This young boy was a victim of bullying. He was the eighth suicide in that particular school district for the 2018/2019 school term. Hearing that news story made me sick to my stomach. A 2018 JAMA Pediatrics study found that among children ages 5 to 12, the suicide rates of black children exceeded that of young whites. This was true for boys and girls. Much of the past research has been on suicide rates in whites but with this disturbing trend, it is obvious that more investigation is needed.

Cyber-bullying is definitely contributing to the daily pressures our young people are

See ANDERSON, A11

Suicidal kids understand concept of death

WUSM study refutes idea that children who talk about suicide don’t understand it

By Jim Dryden Of Washington University

When very young children talk about wanting to commit suicide, conventional wisdom is that they don’t understand what they’re saying. But researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have found that depressed children ages 4 to 6 who think and talk about committing suicide understand what it means to die better than other kids of the same age. They also are more likely to think of death as something caused by violence. Depressed children ages 4 to 6 who think and talk about committing suicide understand what it means to

die better than other kids, according to new research at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

Such children with suicidal thoughts and words — what psychiatrists call suicidal ideation — were more than three times as likely to think about death as something caused by violence than young children with depression who did not think or talk about committing suicide.

“The historic take on young children and suicide has been that they have no idea what they’re talking about, that maybe they’re repeating something they’ve

See KIDS, A11

Depressed children ages 4 to 6 who think and talk about committing suicide understand what it means to die better than other kids, according to new research at Washington University School of Medicine

A10

AMERICAN • MARCH 28 – APRIL 3, 2019

Denise HooksAnderson, MD

in St. Louis.

Poplar Bluff resident Angela Jackson painted a bowl that she will use to feed her baby after she arrives.

Photo by Wiley Price

BABY

Continued from A10

very fun, so we try our best to make it as non-traumatic as possible.”

Although the hospital has the latest in technology to comfortably care for Jackson and other women who have long-term stays in the Antepartum Unit, the confinement can close in on anyone, particularly if they are far away from home. Also, the pre-baby preparation that takes place before the new baby arrives can be delayed or not happen at all when a mom-tobe is stuck in the hospital.

Arciniega teaches childbirth, newborn care and breastfeeding classes for mothers on the Antepartum Unit so they can prepare for the new baby even though a health crisis caused an extended hospitalization.

“We talk through what to expect,” Arciniega said. While the doctors talk to patients about what they are going to do technically, procedurally and medically, Arciniega said her job is to talk about how long it’s going to take, what it is going to feel like, what supports the mother will be able to use, and what will they not be able to do because of the mother’s situation. By listening to what the mother wants to

learn about, what they are afraid of and what they are excited about, Arciniega said she can tailor the information accordingly.

“She’s very helpful and has been helping me since

By Jenny Wendt

For The St. Louis American

St. Louis, like the rest of the country, is seeing the effects of too much contamination in recycling. China has stopped accepting recycling from the U.S., and recycling companies are working to find alternative solutions. The biggest contaminant? Plastic bags. To address this, OneSTL, a sustainability collaboration in our region, is working to get out our main message: Keep plastic bags out of recycling

KIDS

Continued from A10

heard or doing it for attention,” said senior investigator Joan L. Luby, MD, the Samuel and Mae S. Ludwig Professor of Psychiatry. “Our findings refute that. It really does seem that children expressing suicidal ideation understand what it means to die, and they understand it better than their peers.”

The researchers studied 139 children — 22 of them were depressed and expressing suicidal ideation; 57 had depression but no suicidal thoughts; and 60 didn’t suffer from depression — finding that those with suicidal ideation had the most developed understanding of death.

The children in the study were interviewed about death to measure their understanding of five concepts. They were asked about death’s universality — the fact that all living things eventually die. They also were asked about the specificity of death, to help determine whether children understood that although their

ANDERSON

Continued from A10

I’ve been here,” Jackson said.

“The childbirth class that we had a couple of weeks ago – I learned a lot in there because I’m a first-time mom. I heard today there’s going to be a breastfeeding class, so I’m

going to try to do that because I have about four weeks left.”

On Thursday afternoons, in a sun-bathed space on the unit that overlooks Forest Park, the hospital’s Arts and Health Coordinator Sarah Colby

teaches baby-centric arts and crafts to antepartum patients.

It gives the women something different to do for a few hours and breaks up the isolation from one another. Colby said the idea started several years

Plastic bags pollute recycling bins

bins. We’ve declared Saturday, April 13, Plastic Bag Awareness Day. Our volunteers will be at stores reminding people not to place plastic bags or plastic film in their recycling bins and to bring a reusable bag when shopping. Some stores will be giving out reusable bags or other discounts or prizes. Plastic bags jam recycling

n Plastic bags are recyclable, but they need to be brought back to grocery and retail stores for recycling.

equipment and put workers at risk for injury. When plastic bags get baled with paper, cardboard or cans, they ruin large amounts of materials that could otherwise have been recycled. Plastic bags are recyclable, but they need to be brought back to grocery and retail stores for recycling.

Thanks to our partner stores including Straub’s, Local Harvest, Lucky’s, Pete’s

Market, Fenton Walmart, and Kirkwood Dollar Tree and Dierbergs. Business districts including The University City Loop, Kirkwood, South Grand, Maplewood and Clayton are also giving out reusable bags or other discounts or prizes.

For plastic bag recycling locations, visit RecycleResponsibly.org and click on Plastic Film Recycling. Jenny Wendt is a OneSTL member and senior project manager for the City of University City.

were more than three times as likely to think about death as something caused by violence than young children with depression who did not think or talk about committing suicide.

grandparents could die, their stuffed animals could not.

Other questions dealt with death’s irreversibility, the

cessation of bodily functions that occurs with death, and potential causes of death.

“The first cause of death

ago and was suggested by the Women and Infants chaplain.

“A hospital arts program works best when there are people together,” Colby said. “It’s really about celebrating the best part of your humanness when you are sitting and making and chatting. It’s become a thing now.”

During a previous craft day, Jackson painted a bowl using bright colors to create flowers and a lady bug adorn the bowl that her child will use one day.

“It helps to get out of the room and have something to do or look forward to, because normally they’ll let you know ahead of time if there’s going to be a class or if there’s going to be projects to do,” Jackson said. “That’s something to look forward to.”

Something to look forward to as she, like most moms do in their last trimester, counts down the weeks and days until her delivery.

“It’s been okay,” Jackson said about her stay.

One thing that could make things better than okay, she said, would be if food that she orders electronically would arrive as ordered and at its estimated time.

“I have family that come in and visit (on weekends),” she said. “It’s okay. It ain’t good; it ain’t bad – it’s just right there in the middle.”

first author Laura Hennefield, PhD, a postdoctoral research scholar in the Department of Psychiatry and in the Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences. “Poison came up a few times, too. That was a bit surprising, given that accidents and illness actually are much more common causes of death across the life span.”

n Depressed children ages 4 to 6 who think and talk about committing suicide understand what it means to die better than other kids, according to new research at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

ideation in these depressed children,” Hennefield said. Luby, who directs Washington University’s Early Emotional Development Program, added, “Similar to our past studies of depression in preschoolers, these findings suggest greater emotional awareness and capacities in younger children than previously was understood.”

that seemed to pop into the heads of kids with suicidal ideation was something like getting shot or stabbed,” said

The depressed children with suicidal ideation understood all of the components of death better than children in the other two groups. In addition, all of the depressed children with suicidal ideation were able to describe something that could cause death, compared with 61 percent of the other children with depression, and 65 percent of the nondepressed children.

“We started this analysis after observing higher-thanexpected rates of suicidal

The researchers are continuing to follow these children to learn whether a parentchild interaction therapy might help improve health as the children begin school. In prior studies, the intervention reduced rates of depression and the severity of symptoms in depressed children.

The study is published in the March issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.

facing. Whether it is a mean post about how someone is dressed, posts about who is having sex, or sexting photos shared with the entire school, social media in the 21st century is out of control. And when you combine social media with an underdeveloped pre-teen and teen brain, negative results should be expected. As a community, what are some clues that should trigger concern?

Talk with his/her teachers and counselors. Maybe they have noticed something as well.

Change in behavior. If your sweet child all of a sudden becomes sullen or withdrawn, something has happened. Don’t wait to see if it passes. Investigate the situation early.

Change in style of dress Most kids have their own sense of style. If however, out of nowhere your usual prissydressing daughter changes to all black, baggy clothes and insists on staying in her room, don’t just assume it is a phase. Maybe it is a phase – or maybe

she is depressed.

Change in life outlook. Take what kids say seriously. If your child starts to make comments like: “I would be better off dead,” don’t brush it off as a joke. All such comments should be addressed. The threshold for seeking help for mental illness should be low and free from embarrassment and ridicule.

If our prized Mercedes was leaking oil, we would not ignore the issue in hopes that the problem would fix itself.

In fact, we would seek out the best mechanic in town. Mental health problems in our children deserve our attention. Many of our children need to see a licensed professional, not just their pastor or priest.

If you are concerned about your child, teen, or

young adult, please call your insurance company and ask for a list of therapists who take your insurance. That one call could save your child’s life. Denise Hooks-Anderson, M.D., is assistant professor at SLUCare Family Medicine and medical accuracy editor of The St. Louis American. Email: yourhealthmatters@ stlamerican.com.

Such children with suicidal thoughts and words — what psychiatrists call suicidal ideation —

Angela Jackson has been taking childbirth, newborn care and breastfeeding classes for mothers during an extended stay on Barnes-Jewish Hospital’s Antepartum Unit.

Photo by Wiley Price

Why Am I Eating?

Nutrition Challenge:

A good healthy habit to start is to eat only when you’re hungry. While this might sound obvious, very few of us actually do it.

Counting Steps

EatingMyJournal

Walking is one of the best ways to stay active. Throughout the day you can look for ways to increase the amount of steps you take. You can walk around the living room while watching TV. You can take the

Animal Safety

While animals can be cute and furry, we should all be careful anytime we are around any kind of animal (especially if it isn’t your own pet). A dog you see while walking down the street might seem friendly, but if it doesn’t know you it could be afraid and jump up on you, or bite. When you see someone walking a dog,

Healthy Kids Kids

Keep an Eating Journal for a week to see when and why you ate. Was it because you were bored?

Did you eat when you were sad or upset? Or maybe you ate just because it’s what you always do.

stairs instead of an elevator, or maybe you can walk to a nearby store instead of riding in a car.

Some studies show that kids that take about 12,000 steps per day are healthier. Consider purchasing a pedometer. This small,

it’s always a good idea to ask the dog’s owner if it’s ok to pet the dog.

And finally, if you see an unleashed dog (or any kind of wild animal) wandering around, do not approach the animal or attempt to pick it up. Wild animals are scared of you and may lash out at you in fear.

Learning Standards: HPE 5, NH 5

(Perhaps you usually eat a snack when you sit down to watch a movie.)

Now try to make it a habit to wait until your stomach tells you that you’re hungry before you eat. You’ll eat a lot less junk food… and you’ll be healthier!

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

inexpensive device clips onto your waistband and measures how many steps you take a day. Challenge yourself to increase the amount of walking you do. Try adding in more and more walking each and every day.

Learning Standards: HPE 1, HPE 4, NH 1

Careers

Dr. Akemie Gray, Pediatrician

Where do you work? I work for SIHF Healthcare.

Where did you go to school? I graduated from Avon Park High School in Avon Park, Florida. I then earned a bachelor of science degree from Spelman College in Atlanta, Georgia, and a medical degree from the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida.

What does a play pediatrician do? I get to perform check-ups on babies and children every day. I check their heart, lungs, tummies, eyes, and ears.

Why did you choose this career? I chose this career because I love children. I also wanted to be able to make a difference in my community. As a pediatrician, I am able to care for patients ranging in ages from newborns to young adults.

What is your favorite part of the job you have? I love being able to help my patients stay healthy, get well when they are sick, and watch them grow into healthy adults.

Learning Standards: HPE6, NH3

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

The Saint Louis Science Center’s Summer Science Blast Summer Camp provides children ages four to sixteen learning experiences to develop their interest and passion for science.

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11’s historic trip to the moon, and our camp theme for the summer is “One Giant Leap”.

Visit slsc.org/summer-camps, call 314.289.4439 or email daycamps@slsc.org for more information.

Whether you want to learn more about turtles, penguins, apes, or big cats, the Zoo has a class for you! Our programs are designed to help individuals of all ages and abilities learn through experience, involvement and discovery. Programs include live animals, guided tours, and exciting activities and experiences for the whole family. Programs available for homeschoolers and scouts too!

For program listings and registration information, visit www.stlzoo.org/education or call (314) 646-4544, option #6.

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

CLASSROOM SPOTLIGHT

Teachers, if you are using the St. Louis American’s NIE program and would like to nominate your class for a Classroom Spotlight, please email: nie@stlamerican.com.

What Are Bacteria?

Did you know that bacteria are all around us? Most people think of germs and disease when they think of bacteria. Harmful bacteria are called pathogens. Examples of pathogens include leprosy, food poisoning, pneumonia, tetanus, and typhoid fever. Pathogens cause disease in people, plants, and animals.

Bacteria can also be helpful. Good bacteria live in our bodies, particularly our stomachs to help aid in digestion. Some forms of bacteria also help your immune system to stay strong and fight off disease and infection. Good bacteria can also be found in your food. Some

Dr. Katie Harper Wright Elementary School 4th grade head teacher Alecia Johnson shows students Daniel Keel, Ja’Myriah Bethea, Akiyah Jett and Oliver Washington math lessons inspired by The American’s STEM page. Photo by Wiley Price/ St. Louis American. Do Hand Soaps and Hand Sanitizer Prevent the Growth of Mold?!

Background Information:

In this experiment you will evaluate the effectiveness of hand soaps and sanitizers.

Materials Needed:

• 8 Slices of Fresh Bread With No Preservatives • 16 Sealing Plastic

Sandwich Bags • Latex Gloves

• Sticky Labels or Masking Tape

• Pen • Toaster • Knife • Spray Bottle

• Baking Sheet • Camera • Sanitizer

• Measuring Teaspoon • Liquid Soap Process:

q Put on the gloves and toast 4 slices of bread.

w Cut all 8 pieces of bread in half. You will have 8 pieces of toasted bread, and 8 pieces of untoasted bread.

e For each of the 4 sets, you will place one piece of toasted bread, and one piece of untoasted bread in separate bags, one to be sealed, the other unsealed, for a total of 4 bags per set (16 bags total). Label each bag appropriately—”untoasted, sealed,” “untoasted, unsealed,” “toasted, sealed,” and “toasted, unsealed.” Be sure to label each set of bags with the additives you sprayed on the bread.

SET 1 – NO ADDITIVES

The first set has no additives.

SET 2 – WATER ADDED

Fill the spray bottle with water. Spray each piece in the second set lightly with water. Follow the directions in 3.

Now that you’ve been practicing your math facts, you are ready to solve equations. An equation will display a math fact with a missing number. You will use your knowledge of math facts, and your critical thinking skills, to solve the problems.

DID

YOU KNOW?

have 18 times more bacteria than toilet handles.

examples include yogurt, cheese, pickles, and soy sauce. Bacteria are found everywhere—in the air and soil, on our skin and in our bodies. You need a microscope to see bacteria because they are so small. Bacteria come in many shapes, including rods, spirals, and spheres. Some bacteria use a tail called a flagella to swim.

For More Information, Visit: http://www.biology4kids.com/files/micro_bacteria.html.

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

SET 3 – SOAPY WATER ADDED

Add 1 teaspoon of soap to the water in the spray bottle. Mix well. Spray each piece in the third set lightly with soapy water. Follow the directions in 3.

SET 4 – HAND SANITIZER-WATER

ADDED

Dump out the soapy water in the spray bottle and wash the bottle well. Fill it again with water and add 1 teaspoon of hand sanitizer. Mix well. Spray each piece in the fourth set lightly with water. Follow the directions in 3.

r Lay out all of the bags on the baking sheet spray-side up. Be sure the labels are visible. Place the tray in a warm, dark place.

t After 1 week, seal all of the open bags. Be sure not to open any of the bags again once mold starts to grow. Which bread do you think will grow the most mold? Which bread do you think will grow the least? Why? Use this as an opportunity to formulate your hypothesis.

y Take notes and pictures over the next 21 days. When does mold start growing? Which grows the fastest? After you’ve completed your experiment, dispose of the bread, keeping the bags sealed, and evaluate your hypothesis.

Learning Standards: I can follow sequential directions to complete a procedure. I can form and test a hypothesis.

Sharpen Your Math Skills With This Fun Equation Search: http://www.learn-with-math-games.com/ elementary-math-activities.html. Learning Standards: I can add, subtract, multiply, and divide to solve a problem. It’s All in the Equation! A dollar bill has 3,000 types of bacteria.

SCIENCE STARS

AFRICAN AMERICAN BACTERIOLOGIST & EDUCATOR: Welton Ivan Taylor

Welton Ivan Taylor was born on November 12, 1919, in Birmingham, Alabama. He was a descendent of President Zachary Taylor. When he was young, Taylor’s family moved to Chicago, where he attended DuSable High School. Taylor was very interested in science and nature. Louis Pasteur was his idol. He was also active in the ROTC while in school. His academic performance and strong interest in science inspired local African-Americans to sponsor him and pay for his bachelor’s degree in bacteriology (the study of bacteria) from the University of Illinois. Next, Taylor was part of an African-American division that fought in World War II. While serving in the military, Taylor was promoted to First Lieutenant. His fondest memory of the war was seeing Charles Lindbergh pilot a P-61. His service in the war allowed him to earn a GI Bill, which helped pay for his master’s and doctorate degrees in bacteriology from the University of Illinois. While earning his degrees, Taylor faced racism from some of the professors who did not want to see him earn a degree.

In 1948, Taylor began working at the University of Illinois as a bacteriology instructor. It was during this assignment that he learned that antibiotics could be used to treat gangrene and tetanus to help war victims. In 1954, Taylor was asked to help solve an outbreak of salmonella poisoning in baby food. After he was successful, Taylor’s approach was used in labs worldwide. Taylor helped hospitals, health care organizations, and government agencies. From 1961 to 1962, he worked abroad with British and French scientists. After that time, he developed a method to detect bacteria that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) still uses to this day. His research was also used by the World Health Organization. The Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta named a bacterium in his honor. Taylor received numerous grants to help fund his research. He spent a lot of time lecturing about health issues, such as STDs and HIV. In 1960, he began the Chicago chapter of the Episcopal Society for Cultural and Racial Unity. Discuss: Why is the study of bacteria important?

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

MAP CORNER

Use the newspaper to complete the following activities.

Activity One — Point of View: Choose a news story to read. Is it written in first, second, or third person point of view? How do you know? Rewrite the story in a different point of view.

Activity Two — Healthy Living: Look through the newspaper to find examples of healthy foods, exercise options, and medical treatment or prevention. Healthy living includes mental health, as well. How many examples of healthy living can you find in the newspaper?

Learning Standards: I can use the newspaper to locate information. I can identify point of view. I can identify examples of healthy choices.

Business

Wells Fargo invests in Courageous Conversations

Arts

leaders invited onto corporate campus to talk race, inclusion and opera

By Kenya Vaughn Of The

St. Louis American

On Tuesday, March 19, Wells Fargo invited company leaders and staff as well as arts innovators throughout the region to join its Courageous Conversations discussion series.

“We believe that corporate America has an opportunity – and maybe even an obligation – to start conversations like this,” said Heather HuntRuddy, head of Client Experience and Growth at Wells Fargo Advisors. “And to our team members, we want you to know that you can come to work every day and be your authentic selves.”

The courtyard area of Wells Fargo’s campus was transformed into a performance space where a discussion was held on race, diversity and

n “We believe that corporate America has an opportunity – and maybe even an obligation – to start conversations like this.”

– Heather Hunt-Ruddy, Wells Fargo Advisors

inclusion framed around Opera Theatre of Saint Louis’ upcoming world premiere of “Fire Shut Up In My Bones” by six-time Grammy winner and Oscar nominee Terence Blanchard.

“Never before has a corporate funder invited us to our headquarters to have an important conversation about race and any deep important

issue with art as an anchor,” said Andrew Jorgensen, general director of Opera Theatre of Saint Louis.

The panel was moderated by Gene Dobbs Bradford, president and CEO of Jazz St. Louis, which is co-commissioning “Fire.” It included hip-hop artist Bates, Joanna Mendoza of the Ariana String Quartet, and Wells Fargo Advisors Senior Vice President and Advocate Coach David Dawkins.

“Fire” is based on the autobiography by New York Times columnist Charles Blow.

“Taking up Charles Blow’s memoir – this incredibly powerful story of abuse, of race and one man’s journey to find forgiveness and selfacceptance – is the heart of what great opera

Family Savings Night celebrates College Kids Program

Over 12,000 SLPS students have saved nearly $900K

Treasurer Tishaura O. Jones recently hosted a St. Louis College Kids “Family Savings Night,”

n “I did not even consider beginning college savings. It didn’t seem feasible. But with this program I’ve found money to invest.”

– Lakesha Dean

from families’ personal deposits, incentives for good attendance, and donations from the public. The St. Louis College Kids Program has now helped over 12,000 St. Louis Public School students start educational savings accounts since it was founded by Jones. Nearly $900,000 has been saved by city students, helping more city children plan to get a higher

Steven M. Scott is now president of SSM Health Saint Louis University Hospital, where he has been serving as interim president. Scott is responsible for leading the 356-bed academic medical center that specializes in organ transplant, advanced cancer therapies and trauma services. Scott also will work closely with leadership of the School of Medicine and SLUCare Physician Group. He previously served as interim chief operating officer at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, Texas.

Mary E. Nelson was honored as a Legal Legend by the Mound City Bar Association. She serves as General Counsel and Chief Legal Officer at St. Louis Community College, the largest community college district in Missouri. The award recognizes African-American attorneys who have devoted more than 30 years to the highest standards of the practice of law and exemplary service to the community.

Stefan M. Bradley is one of the 2019 finalists for the Pauli Murray Book Prize in Black Intellectual History. His book, “Upending the Ivory Tower: Civil Rights, Black Power and the Ivy League” (NYU Press 2018), illuminates how the Black Power Movement, which was borne out of an effort to edify the most disfranchised of the black masses, also took root in the hallowed halls of America’s most esteemed institutions of higher education.

Johanna R. Jones joined Places for People as vice president of Development and Advancement. She will oversee the organization’s fundraising, marketing and brand awareness efforts. Most recently, she served as director of Workforce Development and Strategic Partnerships for Southern Illinois University East St. Louis Center, where she was responsible for workforce development and community partnerships along with strategic planning, innovation and sustainability planning.

Marvin Mitchell earned the Elite Advisors Group award from Advisors Excel for being in the top 1 percent of financial advisors in the nation and for providing great ethical advice for retirees and clients close to retirement. Mitchell is president and CEO at Compass Retirement Solutions LLC in Creve Coeur. Karen Morrison joined the board of breast cancer support organization Gateway to Hope. She is one of four new members of Gateway’s board of directors. Morrison is the Community Engagement manager for

Marvin Mitchell

Mary E. Nelson

Karen Morrison

Johanna R. Jones

Steven M. Scott

Stefan M. Bradley

College Kids Art Contest winners with adult judges: Alderwoman Sharon Tyus, 1st Financial Federal Credit Union CEO Carol Minges, St. Louis Treasurer Tishaura O. Jones, and Regions

St. Louis-area Market Executive Mike Hart

Wells Fargo Advisors held the first public presentation of its Courageous Conversations series at company headquarters on Tuesday, March 19. The panel discussion was framed around Terence Blanchard’s upcoming world premiere “Fire Shut Up In My Bones,” which premieres June 15 at Opera Theatre of Saint Louis.

Photo by Wiley Price

WELLS FARGO

continued from page B1

can be, and it resonates in the world that we live in today,” Jorgensen said. “Opera does not have to be a museum piece that reflects the stories and experiences of the 17th and 18th century.”

The 45-minute panel discussion focused on race and the arts. It touched upon consumer bias in hip-hop, audience discrimination at the opera, the frustration of being in a black art form with a mostly white fan base, and building diverse audiences by creating a reflection of the audience on stage.

“If you want a more diverse audience, you will have to get more diversity on the stage,” Mendoza said.

Blanchard offered evidence of this when he spoke of the lone black man he saw playing in the orchestra during his first trip to the symphony as a young child growing up in New Orleans. “I watched him the entire time,” Blanchard said. Dawkins talked about the

experience of being the lone black in the audience when he decided to visit the symphony in The Bronx as a youth growing up. The stares and the attitude of the patrons made

him uncomfortable, to say the least.

“There is a stigma associated with opera,” Dawkins said. “There’s the ‘they don’t belong here.’ And

not only are ‘they are not supposed to be here,’ but they certainly aren’t supposed to be performing it.”

“Fire” takes that notion and turns it on its head. According

to Jorgensen, that is the premise of the “Bold Work, New Voices” series that commissioned both “Fire” and Blanchard’s 2013 debut opera “Champion.”

“My mission is to reach as many people as I possibly can and to let them know that they have an authentic home at the opera,” Jorgensen said. “And that’s not just us saying, ‘Come like our thing.’ That’s actually telling stories that speak to people and finding the powerful ways to tell stories through music that will speak to a larger swath of our community.”

Blanchard gave props to Wells Fargo and its willingness to invest in the arts through a broad range of programming.

“Being here at Wells Fargo drives home how important it is. I know that these are bankers, and bankers want to see a return on investment.

But you won’t see your return right away,” Blanchard said.

“I’m the perfect example of that. I’m the product of programs that have been funded by corporations like this one. If it weren’t for

programs like that, I would have been out on the street doing things that I shouldn’t have been doing.”

Courageous Conversations, which has been in place for a few years, engages company staff and leadership around the subject of diversity and inclusion.

“It is really fascinating how many people have a better sense of the concept of privilege – and how it feels to be in someone else’s shoes,” Hunt-Ruddy said. “We’ve had courageous conversations about race. We’ve had courageous conversations about gender. We’ve had courageous conversations about sexual orientation – and about abilities.”

But this is the first time that Wells Fargo invited outsiders, and Hunt-Ruddy hopes that it sparks a new trend.

“I want corporations to feel like they want to be a part of it,” she said. “I want the community to feel like they can talk about it, and I want our team members to know how dedicated we are to continuing it.”

Clergy protest payday lenders at Trump resort

By Charlene Crowell For The St. Louis American

Every year the payday lending industry convenes in an effort to further expand and preserve the combined $8 billion in fees generated each year by consumers caught in payday and car-title loans.

Prayers and petitions call for Payday Rule enactment

This year also marks the second consecutive year that the organization representing sellers of these debt-trap loans, the Community Financial Services Association of America (CFSA), has held its event at the Trump National Doral resort in Miami.

Pardon me, but it appears that the payday lending industry is proud about its closeness to the White House. After all, the Trump Administration has relentlessly and broadly pursued its pledge to end consumer protections.

From Mick Mulvaney, CFPB’s former acting director

Rev. Cassandra Gould protested the Community Financial Services Association of America during its annual convention at the Trump National Doral resort in Miami on March 18.

who was a beneficiary of the industry’s campaign donations as a member of Congress, to Kathleen Kraninger – its new director, who is determined to block a rule that was set to go into effect this August – the payday lending agency has multiple reasons to be pleased.

But I suspect just as much resentment about these developments are felt by the broadbased coalition of concern that for more than 10 years has fought against these lenders. These are the people who contrast greedy glee with the distress of borrowers caught in loans that average $361 and come with interest rates as high as 600 percent or more.

It’s enough to call a “Come to Jesus” meeting.

And on March 18, that is exactly what faith groups representing 118 million Americans did. As payday lenders registered for the first day of their conference, clergy and other activists came to proclaim the harms of predatory lending and to pray for the souls of those who appear content with robbing the poor.

“Payday and car-title loans are an abomination in plain sight,” said New Orleans’ Rev. Dr. Willie Gable, the National Baptist Convention USA, Inc.’s Housing and Economic Development chair. “These

lenders weave themselves into the fabric of our neighborhoods and purport to lend a helping hand. But they are wolves in sheep’s clothing.”

“Seeing this exploitative industry show up at the lavish resort of the current occupant of the White House and spending money they have collected from the millions struggling to break free from their traps is an obscenity,” said Dallas’ Rev. Dr. Frederick D. Haynes III, senior pastor of FriendshipWest Baptist Church.

“Instead of taking from the rich and giving to the poor, payday lenders take from the poor to become richer,” said Bishop Frank M. Reid, III, presiding prelate of the Third Episcopal District and chair of

n This is the second consecutive year that the organization representing sellers of debttrap loans held its event at the Trump National Doral resort in Miami.

the Social Action Commission and ecumenical officer of the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church in Columbus, Ohio.

Beyond these three pastors, other clergy and social activists joining them hailed from Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Missouri, North Carolina and Virginia. Together, their prayers and petitions called for the rule now suspended to take effect as planned. Further, they seek a 36 percent interest rate cap at the federal levels and in states that have no rate cap protection. Currently, 16 states and the District of Columbia have enacted state rate cap protec-

tions. Additionally, the Military Lending Act extends protections to active-duty military. The faithful protesters also carried signs that quoted scripture such as Proverbs 22:22, “Do not rob the poor because they are poor” and Jeremiah 22:3 that teaches, “Do justice and righteousness, and deliver the one who has been robbed from the power of the oppressor.”

As Florida’s faith protest got underway, another form of outrage occurred in Washington. A group of 130 organizations representing 31 states and national organizations – including Unidos, formerly the National Council of LaRaza; Military Family Association, Color of Change, and the National Fair Housing Alliance – wrote Director Kraninger about the payday rule as well. The coalition = reminded Kraninger of CFPB’s own research that earlier found that 85 percent of payday loans are reborrowed and that 75 percent of all loan fees are due to borrowers being stuck in more than 10 loans a year.

“The bureau should not prioritize industry profits at the expense of the consumers it was created to protect,” states the letter. That same sentiment was shared by Rev. Dr. Russell Meyer, executive director of the Tampa-based Florida Council of Churches. “Because their greed knows no shame,” said Rev. Meyer, “we must insist regulation is compassionate.” Let the church say, Amen! Charlene Crowell is the Center for Responsible Lending’s Communications deputy director. She can be reached at Charlene.Crowell@ responsiblelending.org

Schnucks Rewards app adds convenience and wellness features

The Schnucks Rewards app now has two new features –shopping lists and a wellness guide. The in-app shopping list automatically organizes the order of customers’ lists based on the layout of their selected Schnucks store, while the wellness guide allows customers to view nutritional information and labels, as well as attributes such as heartsmart, gluten-free, high protein, and organic. Schnucks Rewards also now denotes WICapproved products. Customers can add items to

their in-app shopping list in one of three ways – typing in the name of the item, scanning a product barcode, or clicking on an item in the Schnucks digital ad. Once an item is added to the shopping list, the Schnucks Rewards app automatically clips any digital coupons for instant additional savings.

The Schnucks Rewards app shopping list updates in real time, allowing customers who share the same Rewards account to leave a note for a family member or to cross off items that have already been purchased. The Rewards app also makes it easy to view each item’s price.

Schnucks Rewards allows members to earn 10 rewards points for every dollar spent on qualifying* purchases. After accruing 1,000 points (the equivalent of $100 in purchases), customers earn $2 off a future purchase. The Schnucks Rewards app can be downloaded to smartphones through the App Store or Google Play. Schnucks Rewards is also accessible on desktops and tablets.

Charlene Crowell

Courageous Conversations, which has been in place for a few years, engages Wells Fargo staff and leadership around the subject of diversity and inclusion.

Photo by Wiley Price

n “LeBron’s not a guy that is accustomed to losing and not making the playoffs.”

— Miami Heat Star Dwyane Wade

Sports

TraCk noTebook

With Earl Austin Jr.

Track & field athletes to watch

AAU national champion

Willie Johnson leads ESL

Another exciting season of track and field in the area is upon us with some of the best talent in the country residing right here in the STL. Here is a look at some of the top returning track athletes in the St. Louis area.

Boys

Willie Johnson (East St. Louis) – After not getting to compete at the IHSA state championships because of his team was disqualified from the postseason, Johnson made up for it by winning championships at the national level. He was the national champion in the 400meter dash at the AAU Junior Olympics in August. Earlier this month, Johnson was the national champion in the 400 at the New Balance Indoor Nationals in New York.

Brandon Miller (John Burroughs) – The sensational junior performer broke a 31-year old state record last year when he won the Class 3 800-meter run in an overall state-record time of 1:49.55 seconds. Miller has been setting records at the high school and grassroots level for several years.

Justin Robinson (Hazelwood West) – The talented junior was the Class 5 state champion in the 200 and 400 at last year’s state meet in Jefferson City. He also helped the USA to a silver medal in the 4x400-meter relay at the World U-20 Championships during the summer. He turned in a 46-second leg to help the USA rebound from a dropped baton to finish second.

Malik Stewart (Maplewood) – Excellent junior distance runner who was the Class 2 state champion in the 1,600-meter run as a sophomore. He was also the state runner-up in the

Lindenwood University held the Les Petites Cotes High School Invitational Saturday, March 23, 2019 at Lindenwood University in St. Charles. In the girls 100-meters Trinty Catholic’s Akilah Heffner, left, had a time of 12.86, Battle’s Merosjane Libimbi, center, crossed the line at 13.73 and Shaila Jones, right, also of Trinity Catholic finished with a time of 13:22.

I

Giannis vs. Harden

And then there were two.

Tuesday night, the Milwaukee Bucks and the Houston Rockets squared off in a highly-anticipated, nationally-televised game. The game featured two playoff-bound, title-contending teams. More importantly, it was likely the last opportunity to see the two leading candidates for NBA MVP in a head-to-head matchup. All season long, Giannis Antetokounmpo and James Harden have been considered MVP favorites. As the season winds down, they’re not only frontrunners for the award, they’re the only two acceptable answers for ballot’s top spot. To quote old-school Charles Barkley, “Anything less would be uncivilized.” Both players are having extraordinary seasons. However, a shared MVP coronation is pretty lame and has never occurred in league history, therefore only one of these players is likely to claim the

prestigious Maurice Podoloff Trophy. (Shout out to anybody who knew that was the trophy’s actual name without the help of Google or Wikipedia) Case for The Beard Harden is having one of the greatest scoring seasons of all-time. If the season ended today, Harden’s average of 36.2 points per game would rank 7th in the history of the league. Only Wilt Chamberlain (19601964) and Michael Jordan (1987) have averaged more points for an entire season. Harden’s 32-game streak of dropping at least 30 points is second all-time behind Chamberlain’s 65. The last three MVP awards have gone to the league’s scoring leaders (Harden, Russell Westbrook and Stephen Curry). Harden hasn’t just led the league in scoring this season, he’s dominated. His scoring average is 8.0 points more than his closest competitor (Paul George, 28.2). Out of the top-10 individual

scoring performances in the 2018-19 season, Harden has seven of the top performances. He even put scored 61 points twice just so he could share the top spot with himself. Antetokounmpo’s best scoring performance, a 52-point

game against the Philadelphia 76ers, ranks just outside the top 10. Harden hasn’t been

Giannis Antetokounmpo and James Harden are

Earl Austin Jr.

Ishmael H. Sistrunk

Photo by Wiley Price

Dexter Fowler started slowly in 2018, but there was no reason to believe his season would be the disaster it was.

Especially after his twostrike, two-out, two-run home run propelled the St. Louis Cardinals to a 4-3 victory over the Chicago Cubs in 14 innings at Busch Stadium. Fans cheered loudly and he wore a bright smile as he circled the bases triumphantly and then took a curtain-call bow for the crowd.

To say Fowler went on to have a disappointing season after that evening would be a classic understatement.

He played in just 90 games, mostly because of various injuries, including a fractured foot he suffered on August 3, but also because he had basically been benched by manager Mike Matheny.

SportS EyE

With Alvin A. Reid

Dexter Fowler deserves his shot in right field

Fowler was an afterthought heading into the off-season.

It’s a cliché – but hope does spring eternal and Fowler will start in right field today (March 28) when the Cardinals open the season in Milwaukee.

He’s healthy, apparently happy and has put last year’s gloom behind him.

“I figured, man, God has a plan for me. Right, wrong or indifferent, you learn from it and you keep going,” Fowler told Tim Brown, Yahoo Sports MLB columnist.

“You know, winning cures everything. Just have fun. Be around the guys. When you’re around good guys and good atmosphere I think everything else takes care of yourself.”

His .180 batting average, eight home runs, 31 RBIs and 40 runs scored were hardly a match with his $16 million salary. The fans let him know it through boos, attacks on social media and sports radio trolling. It took its toll.

Fowler was mentally struggling just as he was physically. He admitted that, at times, he was depressed and disgusted with himself for not overcoming his feelings. His relationship with Matheny was toxic, with both men bearing some responsibility.

Unfortunately for Fowler, soon after the Cardinals wisely axed Matheny and he began playing better he suffered the foot injury in Pittsburgh. His team responded under then-interim manager Mike Shildt and almost reached the postseason.

Soon after the season ended John Mozeliak, president of baseball operations, made it clear - to many fans’ dismay - that the Cardinals weren’t giving up on Fowler.

The Fowler has saw during Spring Training is one that has given him renewed confidence in the expensive free-agent he signed a year after he led the Cubs to a World Series title in 2016.

“His attitude and approach have been great. And I think the Dex that we expect to see from a production standpoint will be there,” Mozeliak said.

“His personality has always been something of a strength for him and I think you’re going to continue to see that be an asset for him as he moves forward.”

Of course, Fowler is far from a fan favorite and if he doesn’t hit well and hit early this season, there will be immediate pressure to replace him in

the starting lineup.

Fowler, who is still owed more than $49 million by the Cardinals, hit just .200 in Spring Training. He did pop two home runs and played a respectable right field.

Tyler O’Neill hit .230 and led the team with five home runs. Depending on Marcel Ozuna’s suspect right shoulder in left field, O’Neill could find himself in right field should Fowler struggle.

For now, Fowler is fine.

Let’s see where he is when the anniversary of his dramatic game-winning home run against the Cubs gets here on May 6.

Three’s a charm

Of the 16 teams that reached the Sweet 16, three of them have a black coach.

Leonard Hamilton and Florida State survived a scare in the first round Vermont. Then laid a whooping on Murray State and top NBA prospect Ja Morant.

Hamilton has proven to be a top-notch coach throughout his career – and he and his representatives can also negotiate a great contract. He earned a $225,000 bonus

Dexter Fowler’s .180 batting average, eight home runs, 31 RBIs and 40 runs scored in 2018 were hardly a match with his $16 million salary.

for reaching the Sweet 16 and has earned $675,000 in bonuses this season. He makes $2.25 million as a base salary. Should the Seminoles reach the Elite Eight, Hamilton will pocket another $250,000. A Final Four showing is worth $275,000, a finals berth is another $150,000 and a national championship will garner him $500,000.

Standing between him and the bonuses is West Regional top-seed Gonzaga, which Florida State plays tonight (March 28) in Anaheim, California.

Kelvin Sampson and the Houston Cougars take on Kentucky in one the Sweet 16’s most anticipated games. Trouble has followed Sampson throughout his coaching stops at Oklahoma and Indiana – but he’s back in the NCAA’s good graces and has many pundits picking his team to topple favored Kentucky.

Sampson used some of his press conference time following his team’s first-round win over Georgia State to lobby the NCAA to help family members see their sons play in the tournament.

“I’ve had families ask me, ‘Can I sleep on my son’s floor, in his room? Think about that now. That’s my life. That’s not unusual for me. ‘Can I sleep on his floor?’ Because they don’t have the money to pay for a room,” he said.

“When you look around at how big this industry has become, why can’t we figure that out?

“I’m not saying give them this, or give them that. I’m saying that when young men get to the NCAA tournament, let’s

find a way to get their parents and their brothers and sisters a plane ticket and a hotel room. I don’t think that’s asking too much.”

I’m sure his plea is falling on deaf ears at the corrupt and out-of-control NCAA.

Most basketball fans, including me, had no idea who the third black coach in the Sweet 16 is until about three weeks ago, LSU interim coach Tony Benford took over for coach Will Wade after Wade was caught on an FBI wiretap allegedly discussing cash payments for prospective recruits. He led his team to a last-second win over Maryland to reach a matchup with perennial power Michigan State.

The Wade suspension pales in comparison to the first shock LSU received.

The Tigers’ were days from the first practice of the season when popular junior forward Wayde Sims was shot to death following a party in Baton Rouge on Sept. 28

“They’ve been through a lot,” Benford said following the Maryland win.

“We know the story of adversity these guys have gone through, losing obviously Wayde at the beginning of the year. And then obviously with Coach Wade not being here with us. I give it to these guys. They have taken ownership of this team.”

Benford, who has gone from unknown to a “Cinderella Story,” said Sims’ murder became a catalyst for LSU’s success long before the head coach was suspended.

“They dedicated the season

to Wayde Sims,” Benford said.

“That really made these guys a tighter-knit group, brought them closer together, more trust and respect for one another.”

Benford was North Texas University head coach for five seasons – and compiled a less-than-stellar 62-95 overall record. He was fired in March 2017.

During his 27-year career, Benford was an assistant coach at Nebraska and Marquette. While at Marquette, he coached future NBA stars Jimmy Butler, Wesley Matthews and Jae Crowder.

Benford played for Texas Tech in the mid-80s and earned All-Southwest Conference honors in 1985-86. He led the Red Raiders with 14.4 points per game, and hit three straight game-winning shots in an eight-day span against Houston, Arkansas and Rice.

“That was about 100 pounds ago,” he recently said with a laugh after being ranked No. 8 on the list of “Best Players Who Are Now Coaches,” in this year’s NCAA Tournament.

The Reid Roundup

Paul Goldschmidt is in the money before he even reached St. Louis for the Cardinals season opener next week. He signed a $130 million contract, which will run through 2024 … Cards pitcher Carlos Martinez was officially placed on the injured list with rotator cuff concerns. Oh oh … Playing mostly in Texas and the South, Harris-Stowe State University’s baseball team is 14-16, including a 6-5 win over Lindenwood University-Belleville last Saturday. Infielder Chase Goldwater leads the team with a .409 batting average … Murray State’s Ja Morant showed he is the real deal during his team’s two games in the NCAA Tournament, which included an upset win over Marquette … Florida State will play against Gonzaga tonight (March 28) without forward Phil Cofer. His father passed away after a lengthy illness last Thursday ... It’s clear that Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin won’t miss running back Le’Veon Bell or receiver Antonio Brown. “We can’t do this with hostages, we need volunteers, we need good players, good guys that want to be here. If guys can’t check those boxes, then it’s probably best for all parties involved we go our separate ways.” … The bracket I posted here last week is a disaster. My apologies if you were unwise enough to think I knew what I was talking about.

Alvin A. Reid was honored as the 2017 “Best Sports Columnist – Weeklies” in the Missouri Press Association’s Better Newspaper Contest and is a New York Times contributor. He is a panelist on the Nine Network program, Donnybrook, a weekly contributor to “The Charlie Tuna Show” on KFNS and appears monthly on “The Dave Glover Show” on 97.1 Talk.” His Twitter handle is @aareid1.

Alvin A. Reid

CLUTCH

Continued from C7 to back down the 6-foot-5 Harden on the lower block. Harden occasionally still gets caught “Shaqtin-A-Fool” on defense, but he has certain been active and engaged on the defensive side of the basketball. Case for Greek Freak It would be easy to summarize Antetokounmpo’s case for MVP as “the best player on the best team.” However, that would not quite do justice for Milwaukee’s best.

Barring a colossal collapse over the last seven games, the Bucks will finish the season with the best record in the NBA. Currently sitting at 56-19, the Bucks are on track to become the only 60-win team this season. That has everything to do with Antetokounmpo.

Antetokounmpo’s traditional stat line is a healthy 27.3 points, 12.6 rebounds and 6.0 assists per game. His 30.53 PER leads the league. He also leads the league in defensive rating (98.6) and defensive win shares (5.4). That means he’s a legitimate candidate for MVP and Defensive Player of the Year. It should come as no surprise though that the Bucks boast the top defensive rating in the league (104.2), average the most points (117.4) and sit third in offensive rating (113.4).

I know what you’re thinking. The MVP Award is an individual award, not a team trophy. That is absolutely correct. However, it’s impossible to ignore the fact that the “Greek Freak” leads the team with the best record in the NBA in points, rebounds, assists and field goal percentage (58.1).

TRACK

Continued from C7

800-meter run. He led the Blue Devils to a second-place finish in the Class 2 team standings at the state meet.

Josh Sutton (MICDS) –The most dominant sprinter in the Class 4 ranks. He returns after winning individual state championships in the 100- and 200-meter dashes as a junior last season. Sutton is headed to Tulsa next season on a track and field scholarship.

Jameson Williams (Cardinal Ritter) – An Ohio State football recruit, Williams also led the Lions to the Class 3 state championship in track. At the state meet, he turned in the improbable double by winning state championships in the 400-meter dash and the 300-meter intermediate hurdles in back to back races.

Kemeric Winston (Trinity) – The senior sprinter won four gold medals and led the Titans to a second-place finish at the Class 3 state championships. Winston won individual state championships in the 100- and 200-meter dashes and anchored

Keep in mind that the Bucks have won a whopping 43 games by 10 points or more. That means Antetokounmpo is more likely to be chilling on the bench cracking jokes late in the fourth quarter while Harden is still side-stepping, back-stepping and extra-stepping his way to more buckets. That explains why Antetokounmpo has accumulated his stats is just 32.9 minutes per game compared to Harden’s 36.2. According to SB Nation’s Paul Flannery, “That comes out to almost 11 fewer games. Wild.”

That’s why even with Harden’s crazy scoring spree, if we are being honest, Giannis is the real MVP. Harden is clearly the most unstoppable offensive player in the game. In terms of overall impact, it’s almost impossible to deny that Antetokounmpo stands taller than the competition.

J-Mac hangs ‘em up

Shout out to Jeremy Maclin. The former Kirkwood High/Mizzou/NFL wide receiver announced his retirement from the NFL over the weekend.

The 30-year-old St. Louis native spent nine seasons in the NFL with the Philadelphia Eagles, Kansas City Chiefs and Baltimore Ravens. Over his professional career, Maclin amassed 514 receptions for 6,835 yards and 49 touchdowns. He’s one of “the best that ever did it” in the St. Louis area and at Mizzou. Congratulations and enjoy your retirement!

Be sure to check In the Clutch online and also follow Ishmael on Twitter @ishcreates. Subscribe to The St. Louis American’s YouTube page to see weekly sports videos starring Ishmael and Melvin Moore at youtube.com/stlamericanvideo.

the Titans to state championships in the 4x100- and 4x200-meter relays.

Girls

Alicia Burnett (Parkway North) – She is a transfer from Fort Zumwalt South who sat out here sophomore year due to transfer. As a freshman, she swept the 100-, 200- and 400meter dash state championships at the 2017 Class 4 state meet. She is also a phenom on the summer track circuit in national competition.

Madison Fuller (John Burroughs) – Very talented senior sprinter who returns after missing her junior season due to injury. She was the Class 3 state champion in the 100- and 200-meter dashes as a sophomore. Fuller has signed with Vanderbilt on a track scholarship.

Jhordin Galmore (MICDS) – The senior sprinter helped lead the Rams to the Class 4 state championship last season. She won individual state champions in the 200- and 400-meter dashes and also ran legs on the Rams’ state champion 4x100- and 4x200-meter relay teams.

Sydney Juszczyk (Trinity)

Let It Fly

The Let it Fly Elite 2028 boys third-grade basketball team is one of the best in the country in its age group. The North County-based team has won tournaments in Missouri, Kentucky, Indiana, Kansas, Tennessee and Arkansas while also playing up in fourth and fifth grade divisions. They were also the champions of the Coach T Classic, which was held in St. Louis last weekend. Each of the seven players is also an honor roll student in the classroom. They have already qualified for the Amateur Athletic Union National Tournament, which will be held in Florida in July. The team members are (in alphabetical order) Jesiah Buchanan, Landon Hamilton, Donovan Irving, Dallas Owens, Elijah Poniewaz, Milton Proctor III and Chase Williams.

– Talented sophomore performer who was the Class 3 state champion in the javelin. She also earned all-state medals in the 100-meter high hurdles (second) and the triple jump (sixth) at the state meet as a freshman.

Jada Moore (Pattonville) – The talented senior sprinter returns after winning the Class 5 state championship in the 100-meter dash in 11.93 seconds. She also finished second in the 200, fifth in the 400 and anchored the Pirates’ 4x400-meter relay team to a second-place finish. She was also a state champion in the 200 as a sophomore.

Michelle Owens (McCluer North) – The talented junior continues the Stars’ great tradition of hurdlers as she follows former state champion Jasmine Barge. Owens was the Class 5 state champion in the 100meter hurdles. She was also an all-state performer in the long jump.

LaQwasia Stepney (Belleville West) – An outstanding combination hurdler-jumper who has already signed with Nebraska. She was the Illinois Class 3A state champion in the long jump as a junior last season. She was

Willie

Johnson East St. Louis – Boys Track & Field

The standout senior sprinter brought home three national championship medals from the recent New Balance Indoor Track Championships in New York.

Johnson was the National Emerging Elite National champion in the 400-meter dash with a time of 48.39 seconds. He was also part of the Flyers’ 4x200- and

4x400-meter relay teams that also won national championships. Johnson was also a national champion during the summer track season when he won the 400 at the AAU Junior Olympics in the 15-16 age division in early August.

also a top three finisher in the 100-meter high hurdles and the 300-meter low hurdles at last year’s state meet in Charleston.

Courtney Williams (Nerinx Hall) – One of the top overall sprinters in the state, Williams was the Class 5 state champion in the 400-meter

dash with a time of 55.43 seconds. She also took home state runner-up honors in the 100 and third-place in the 200 at the state meet.

Urban League partners in paid apprenticeship program

The Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis and Lutheran Senior Services were certified to offer federally a recognized paid apprenticeship program for the positions of Head Start teacher’s aide apprentice. Candidates for the Head Start Teacher’s Aide Apprenticeship Program will receive two years of paid on-the-job training and professional development. After completing the apprenticeship, teachers will receive a national Child Development Associate Certificate, a Department of Labor Apprenticeship Certificate and a raise. Eligible candidates must be 18 years of age, have a high school diploma or GED, and pass a criminal background check

KIDS

continued from page B1 education.

“I did not even consider beginning college savings,” said Lakesha Dean, whose daughter attends St. Louis Language Immersion School. “It didn’t seem feasible. But with this program I’ve found money to invest. I’m so thankful.”

Research shows that children with less than $500 saved are three times more likely to enroll in higher education, and four times more likely to graduate, than children without college savings accounts.

“There is no better investment than the future of our children,” said Jones said. “We must do everything we

upon acceptance into the program.

The Urban League and Lutheran Senior Services also were certified to offer a certified nursing assistant apprentice program.

“These paid positions will now offer skilled job opportunities to those who otherwise could not have afforded to attend college to obtain these certifications on their own,” said Michael P. McMillan, president and CEO of the Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis, Inc. For more information regarding the Head Start Teacher’s Aide Apprenticeship program, contact Keesha Strong, vice president of Human Resources, at (314) 506-5395.

can to invest in our children’s education, their well-being, and the future of our community.”

Seventy students attended Family Savings Night and deposited their $20 bonus bucks for attending. There were a total of $1,981 in total deposits made on site, including personal deposits by family members.

Family Savings Night also featured an art contest. Students were asked to draw what they wanted to be when they grew up or where they want to go to college and what they will look like there. First and second place awardees received a $100 or $75 scholarship, provided by 1st Financial and Regions Bank.

To access an account, learn more, or donate to help other families save, please visit www.stlcollegekids.org.

Leadership and staff of the Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis and Lutheran Senior Services

Women in Africa on film

‘Rafiki,’ a Kenyan film that was banned in its native country, won the praises of audiences and critics alike when it screened at the Cannes Film Festival in France last year. The film is featured among the lineup for the Washington University’s 14th Annual African Film Festival taking place this weekend (March 29 – March 31) at Brown Hall.

Female-driven

stories anchor lineup of 14th Annual Wash U. African Film Fest

By American Staff

“When we think of Africa, we often think of disease, poverty, war and charity and not how these people live their everyday lives,” said Wilmetta Tolliver-Diallo, an assistant dean in the College of Arts & Sciences and founder of the Washington University African Film Festival.

“Black Panther” shed light on black excellence and on-screen representation by way of Africa – and offered a counter to the constantly reinforced narrative of famine and dysfunction with respect to the continent. But Wilmetta TolliverDiallo had been doing so for more than a decade by screening films that reflected the diaspora via the Washington University’s African Film Festival.

n Highlights include two Kenyan films, the controversial “Rafiki,” which was banned in its own country and “Supa Moda,” a family-friendly film that one critic called, “the most important superhero movie you’ll see this year.”

“There is an everyday life that operates that I think sometimes we forget when we think of other cultures, and these films and these filmmakers capture that,” TolliverDiallo said. “They offer – either through the storyline or the glimpses behind the storyline – the culture beyond the culture.”

This weekend the festival returns for a 14th year and will screen eight of Africa’s most acclaimed films on the big screen.

Highlights include two Kenyan films, the controversial “Rafiki,” which was banned in its own country and “Supa Moda,” a family-friendly film that one critic called, “the most important superhero movie you’ll see this year.”

“Rafiki” is a tender romance between two teen girls who fall in love. The Kenya Film Classification Board banned the film “due to its homosexual theme and clear intent to promote lesbianism in Kenya contrary to the law.” But critics and audiences hailed “Rafiki,” which earned a spot at the Cannes Film Festival.

“Supa Moda” headlines the festival’s “Eye on Youth” program and tells the story of a sick girl who dreams of becoming a superhero. The film debuted at the 68th Berlin International Film Festival and was the Kenyan entry for the Best

See FILM, C4

The power of ‘Us’

Imperfect

film as potential to breed flawless phenomenon

By Kenya Vaughn Of The St. Louis American

It’s no secret to anyone who read the paper or visited the website that I didn’t care for “Us” as a film. I already said as much last week, but I might as well mention again that I thought Jordan Peele missed the mark in the execution of his ingenious idea for a horror film. For me, it didn’t live up to the hype because of incomplete themes and storylines – and plot twist ending that was not properly pieced together

or flushed out. I also took issue with how he lowkey chopped the black male characters in the film off at the knees in an attempt to present strong black female leads. If you haven’t seen “Us” yet, and are nervous about continuing with this commentary, you can relax. I’m one of the three or four critics out here in these streets not serving up major spoilers.

Smooth southern soul

full lineup of blues and southern soul acts – including the region’s own blues legend Shirley

BLACK DANCE – USA springs forward

By Sherri A. Robins For The St. Louis American

Better Family Life is shouting an energetic roll call to attend BLACK DANCE – USA: A Celebration in Movement. All professional dancers, choreographers, dance enthusiasts, dance students, musicians, educational institutions, arts and cultural institutions and anyone else who loves to work that body are welcome to attend. Now in its 34th year, guests will have the opportunity to join dancers from around the country for the region’s longest running dance festival of its kind, held right here in St. Louis at the Better Family Life Cultural, Educational and Business Center, 5415 Page Blvd. Traditionally held during the Memorial Day weekend, this year the festival will be held

The 34th Annual BLACK DANCE – USA will take place April 3-6 at the Better Family Life Cultural, Educational and Business Center, 5415 Page Blvd. This year’s festival will culminate with a concert at 8 p.m. on Saturday, April 6 at the historic Sun Theatre in Grand Center.

April 3-6. The new dates will accommodate those who enjoy other annual cultural events offered in May, as well as ensure that all dance enthusiasts – including area students – have the

North Carolina crooner Calvin Richardson closed out the 13th Annual St. Louis Bluesfest Friday night at Chaifetz Arena. Richardson, who earned a Grammy nomination for his Bobby Womack tribute album, blended the old with the new for his performance. The festival featured a

Brown.

Photo by Lawrence Bryant

of White Kids: Growing Up with Privilege In a Racially Divided America. St. Louis Community College Forest Park, 5600 Oakland Ave., 63110. For more information, visit www.eventbrite.com.

Tues., Apr. 2, 7 p.m., Left Bank Books hosts author Jennifer Eberhardt, author of Biased: Uncovering the Hidden Prejudice That Shapes What We See, Think, and Do. St. Louis Public Radio Community Room, 3651 Olive St., 63108. For more information, www.left-bank. com.

Sun., Apr. 7, 2 p.m., Kirkwood Public Library hosts author Jacqui Germain, author of When the Ghosts Come Ashore. 140 E. Jefferson Ave., 63122. For more information, visit www.leftbank.com.

Wed., Apr. 10, 7 p.m., Whitaker Jazz Speaks presents A Love Supreme: The Music and Message in John Coltrane’s Magnum Opus ft. Ashley Kahn. St. Louis Public Library Schlafly Branch, 225 N. Euclid Ave., 63108. For more information, visit www.left-bank.com.

Thur., Apr. 11, 7 p.m., Kwame Hightower: Community Event & Book Signing. A night of comics, food, music, and community. Unveiling of Kwame Hightower and the Man with No Name. Urb Arts, 2600 N. 14th St., 63106. For more information, visit www. eventbrite.com.

Wed., Apr. 17, 7 p.m., Left Bank Books hosts poet Alison C. Rollins, author of Library of Small Catastrophes. An interrogation of the body and nation as storehouses of countless tragedies. 399 N. Euclid Ave., 63108. For more information, visit www.leftbank.com.

Thur., Apr. 18, 4:30 p.m., University Libraries Faculty Book Talk Series: Rafia Zafar. Zafar will discuss her new book Recipes for Respect: African American Meals and Meaning. Olin Library, 1 Brookings Dr., 63130. For more information, visit ww.library.wustl.edu/event.

art

Mar. 29 – 31, The Greater St. Louis Art Association presents Spring Art Fair. 130 artists from over 20 states will display original works ranging from ceramics, jewelry, sculpture, and more. Queeny Park, 550 Weidman Rd., 63011. For more information, visit www.artfairatqueenypark. com.

Sat., Mar. 30, 4 p.m., Come to the Table: Art Show and Sale Opening Reception. Celebrate food and community, support local artists, and enjoy amazing artwork. Sale runs through Apr. 27. Good Shepherd Arts Center, 52 S. Florissant Rd., 63135. For more information, visit www.goodshepherdarts. org.

Kenya Vaughn recommends

Through Apr. 13, Griot Museum of Black History presents Brilliance, Beauty, Blackness. A special exhibition of photographic portraits of extraordinary Black women from St. Louis and Atlanta. 2505 St. Louis Ave., 63106. For more information, visit www.thegriotmuseum. com.

lectures and workshops

Mar. 28 – 29, The Collaboration on Race, Inequality, and Social Mobility in America invites you to Race at the Forefront: Sharpening a Focus on Race in Applied Research. Brown School of Social Work, Washington University, One Brookings Dr., 63130. For more information, visit www. eventbrite.com.

Fri., Mar. 29, 10 a.m., Gender Impacts: Mothers and Reentry. The 560 Music Center, 560 Trinity Ave., 63130. For more information, visit www.prisonedproject. wustl.edu.

Sun., Mar. 31, 3 p.m., Bridging the Delmar Housing Divide: Partnering with Fountain Park-Lewis Place Neighbors to Sustain Their Homes. Second Presbyterian Church, 4501 Westminster Pl., 63108. For more information, visit www.stlvillage.org.

Tues., Apr. 2, 6:30 p.m., Missouri History Museum presents Birth of a Nation. View selected clips from the

1915 film Birth of a Nation, and stay for a panel discussion that dives deeper into the film’s representation of blackness. 5700 Lindell Blvd., 63112.

Tues., Apr. 2, 6:30 p.m., Mound City Bar Association Young Lawyers Division presents Trying to Cope with Cosby & Kavanaugh? #MeToo. St. Louis University, 1 S. Grand Blvd., 63103. For more information, visit www. facebook.com.

Fri., Apr. 5, 8 a.m., Transitioning Veterans Summit and VA Town Hall. Clark Hall, UMSL, 1 University Blvd., 63121. For more information, visit www. eventbrite.com.

Sun., Apr. 7, 2 p.m., The Made Moguls Dress, Style, & Etiquette Workshop. For youth ages 11 – 17. Embassy Suites St. Louis Airport, 11237 Lone Eagle Dr., 63044. For more information, visit www. eventbrite.com.

Fri., Apr. 12, 8:15 a.m., 2019 Annual Housing Conference: Facing Segregation –Building Strategies in Every Neighborhood. Central Baptist Church, 2842 Washington Ave., 63103. For more information, visit www. eventbrite.com.

Through Apr 16, numerous Volunteer Income Tax Assistance & AARP TaxAide sites will open to prepare income tax returns free of charge. For more information, visit these sites: https://mctcfreetax.org/, https://stlouistap.org/, http://

Jonathan McReynolds Make More Room Tour For more information, see SPIRITUAL.

naba-stl.org/vita/location/, http://gatewayeitc.org/index. html

Wed., Apr. 17, 1 p.m., Grace Hill Women’s Business Center presents Office Hours with a Banker. Sign up for a 30-minute session with a banker. 2125 Bissell St., 63107. For more information, visit www.eventbrite.com.

Wed., Apr. 24, 4 p.m., Better Family Life presents Ask an Attorney Entrepreneurial Legal Clinic. Participants will

have a 30-minute session with an attorney from Legal Services of Eastern Missouri to discuss a business legal issue. 5415 Page Blvd., 63112. For more information, visit www. bizbyfaith.com.

health

Fri., Mar. 29, 6:30 p.m., Sing for Siteman. World-class vocalists come together to support raise funds to support Siteman Cancer Center. John Burroughs School, 755

Price Rd., 63124. For more information, visit www. singforsiteman.org.

Sun., Mar. 31, 1 p.m., Pros and Cons of Medicare for All. Four panelists will discuss this important issue in healthcare. Central Reform Congregation, 5020 Waterman Blvd., 63108. For more information, visit www.pnhpmo.org.

Apr. 5 – 7, GO! St. Louis Marathon & Family Fitness Weekend. The weekend includes a full marathon, half marathon, marathon relay, 10K, 5K, children’s fun runs, and more. Downtown St. Louis and Forest Park. For more information, visit www. gostlouis.org.

spiritual

Sun., Mar. 31, 1:30 p.m., Martha J. Christmas Memorial Jazz Gospel Brunch, Central Baptist Church Educational Building. For ticket information, call (314) 5887105.

Sat., Apr. 13, 7 p.m., Jonathan McReynolds Make More Room Tour. The Ready Room, 4195 Manchester Ave., 63110. For more information, visit www.eventbrite.com.

Mar. 29 – 31, 14th Annual African Film Festival. The films showcase the latest talent and new directions in cinema while highlighting themes in a variety of African countries. Brown Hall, Washington University, Hoyt and Chapin Dr., 63130. For more information, visit www. africanfilm.wustl.edu.

Wed., Apr. 3, 7 p.m., Do Not Resist Film Screening. A vital and influential exploration of the rapid militarization of the police in the United States. TechArtista, 4818 Washington Blvd., 63108. For more information, visit www. facebook.com.

participants to expand their knowledge base and skill set for dance styles rooted in the African and African Diaspora traditions.

“I wanted people to understand that dance that originates from Africa and the African Diaspora is alive, vibrant and has purpose, legitimacy and value,” said Deborah Ahmed, senior vice president of Cultural Affairs at Better Family Life and the founder of Black Dance USA. “If people want to study these dance styles, they should have a broad range of dance styles to choose from.”

BLACK DANCE-USA provides the dance community access to master instructors who train in rich cultural African traditions and artistry, who are committed to passing this culture on to succeeding generations.

Financial support for BLACK DANCE-USA is provided by the Missouri Arts

Council, the Regional Arts Commission, Kranzberg Family Charitable Foundation and the Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis.

Dance workshops will be offered in Traditional West African, Afro Cuban Folklore, Cuban Salsa, Dance, African Caribbean, Yoga, African Swing, and hip-hop.

This year’s festival will culminate with a concert featuring St. Louis’ phenomenal home grown artists including Better Family Life’s Kuumba Youth Performance Ensemble (KYPE), Afriky Lolo and Best Dance Center at 8 p.m. on Saturday, April 6 at the historic Sun Theatre in Grand Center. Dance class participants will receive discounted tickets to the concert. To practice the 7th principle of Kwanzaa (UJAMAA – Cooperative Economics) and provide a cultural shopping experience, BLACK DANCE-USA is sponsoring the Essences of Earth Marketplace. Guests will have the opportunity to shop throughout the week with vendors that will provide unique handcrafted merchandise inspired by the rich ancestral

global systems of inequality.

Continued from C1

Foreign Language Film at the 91st Academy Awards.

Other films include “Borders,” which tracks four women as they travel across western Africa and “Bariga Sugar” which chronicles the unlikely friendship between two children raised in a Nigerian brothel.

“The films tease out diasporic conversations as well as the universality of the human spirit,” said Toliver-Diallo.

She was intentional about presenting the work of new, female African filmmakers who explore bonds of sisterhood and

“In creating this year’s lineup, I thought not only about genres, but really wanted to think about the younger generation of creatives emerging from the continent building on the foundation of the forefathers of African filmmakers.” Toliver-Diallo said. “The films all tell great stories, but they also ask us to consider the story before the story which causes us to raise important questions.”

The festival is sponsored by the Department of African & African American Studies, Program in Film & Media Studies, African Students Association, with funding from the Washington University Women’s Society and the Missouri Arts Council. Saturday’s films are co-

cultures of Africa.

“We treasure our ability to support dedicated choreographers and dancers and bring authentic African dance and culture to St. Louis year after year through concerts and classes,” Ahmed said.

“We need to use our art to educate, to liberate – to tell stories about where we are and where we came from.”

The 34th Annual BLACK DANCE-USA will take place April 3 through April 6 at Better Family Life Cultural, Educational and Business Center, 5415 Page Blvd. Individual scholarships are available to participants on a first-come first-serve basis for full and partial registrants only (not available for single classes.) and prospective scholarship applicants must be at least 18 years old to apply. To register for classes, apply for scholarships, and to purchase your concert tickets, please go to http://www.betterfamilylife. org/black-dance-usa.html. Follow us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/betterfamilylife.org/

presented with the Saint Louis Metropolitan Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. who will sponsor a reception following Saturday’s evening screening. Seating is first come, first serve; no tickets needed. Because of the construction on the campus’s east end, free shuttles are offered from the Danforth University Center parking lot down to Brown Hall.

Washington University’s 14th Annual African Film Festival will take place from March 29 – March 31in Brown Hall on the Danforth Campus. All films and related programming are free and open to the public. For a full list of films at this year’s festival, visit africanfilm.wustl.edu or call (314) 935-7879.

I will say that he didn’t eclipse the brilliance of his debut film “Get Out” with “Us.” But on the strength of his Academy Award-winning debut as filmmaker, his followup crushed every bit of competition at the box office and broke records in the process with $70M plus opening weekend.

“Us” now holds the title for the biggest opening weekend for an original horror movie – and the movie is now the third best horror opening of all time after 2018’s “Halloween” sequel and 2017’s reimagination of Stephen King’s “It.” I’m over the moon by the commercial success of the film – and hope with all my heart that it continues. Yes, I want a film that I didn’t like to keep winning. Here’s why: thanks to Jordan Peele, black lives matter in horror films too.

The subject of whether or not black people are the first to die has been a subject of constant debate. A poll by Complex.com claims to prove otherwise, even though the running joke about how long black characters last is still regarded as a funny fact.

Regardless of how long we live, side from cult classics like “Blacula,” “Tales From The Hood (and its sequel),” “Blackenstein,” “Def By Temptation,” “Bones,” and a few others, black characters are of little consequence to the storyline – regardless of how long we last. Roland from “Nightmare on Elm Street 3” and Brandy’s character from “I Still Know What You Did Last Summer” are among the few exceptions that come to mind for me.

From my first memory of a scary movie, “Friday the 13th: A New Beginning,” we have been getting chopped in the most obligatory and in some cases derogatory methods imaginable. Remember Demon

n “Us” now holds the title for the biggest opening weekend for an original horror movie – and the movie is now the third best horror opening of all time after 2018’s “Halloween” sequel and 2017’s reimagination of Stephen King’s “It.”

and Anita’s “Ooh Baby” outhouse duet that ended in an R&B massacre? It was as much a mess as it was memorable.

But with “Us,” Peele is serving a genre that has virtually ignored black people yet another mic drop to the question of whether black led horror films can thrive in the genre.

“It really is one of the best greatest pieces of this story, feeling like we are in this time [where] a renaissance has happened and proven the myths about representation in the industry are false,” Peele said recently speaking at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre in East Hollywood.

“I don’t see myself casting a

white dude as the lead in my movie. Not that I don’t like white dudes, but I’ve seen that movie.” We all have. And we are so glad that Peele has come to show us something else.

“I feel fortunate to be in this position where I can say to Universal, ‘I want to make a $20 million horror movie with a black family – and they say yes,” Peele said. The hope is that his success will pave the way for others to do the same.

“Us” is currently open in theaters nationwide. The Film is rated R with a running time of 121 minutes.

Celebrations

Birthdays

Twins Charline Young and Christine Hobson are celebrating 90 years of God’s blessings! Born on April 1, 1929, they are twins to a “T”—neither has driven a car, both are very funny and they still talk on the phone a few times a day. We honor God for your wisdom and sharing lots of love and friendship. We celebrate you! From, your children, grandchildren, greatgrandchild, families and friends

Reunions

reunion announcements can be viewed online!

Beaumont Class Of 1969 will celebrate it’s 50-year reunion Sept 20-22, 2019 at Embassy Suites St. Charles. Come join us as we celebrate these golden years, “Living Life Like It’s Golden.” For more information contact Dennis Hayden 314 276-6188 or beaumontclassof1969@yahoo.

com or send your questions to P.O. Box 155, Florissant, MO 63032.

Beaumont Class of 1979 is planning its 40-year reunion. All activities are scheduled for the weekend of September 27-29. The location is The Airport Marriot at 10700 Pear Tree Drive, St. Louis 63134. For more information, contact Milton Jackson at 314-2764392 or Yolanda Lockhart at lockhartyo08@gmail.com.

Kinloch Class of 1969 is planning its 50-year reunion on August 21, 22 and 23. Dinner dance at Orlandos, 2050 Dorsett Village Plaza. For information call Ruben at 314239-5202 or Ophelia at 314-

280-6596. Classmates please respond by April 2019.

Northwest Class of 1979 is planning on cruising for our 40-year reunion and would love for you to join us! Date to sail is set for July 20, 2019 and you can feel free to contact: Duane Daniels at 314-568-2057 or Howard Day at 414-698-4261 for further information. Please don’t miss the boat!

Soldan Class of 1974 Alumni Association is planning its 45-year reunion. Please get your contact information to dhblackjack@charter.net or call 314-749-3803.

Soldan Class of 1979 is

Congratulations to Wallace and Annie McPherson on their 25th wedding anniversary on March 26. Rev. Wallace McPherson is a retired City of St. Louis Fire Chief and Annie McPherson is a retired Accountant from Reliance Automotive Inc. Their children and grandchildren wish them the very best!

Happy 98th Birthday to Ms. Ann J. Carter on March 24! From, your loving sons Arthur, Dennis, Craig, Steven and family

planning its 40-year reunion for the weekend of August 2-3, 2019. Yearlong reunion activities will begin with a kickoff at Soldan High School Homecoming on Saturday, October 13, 2018 prior to the game at 1 p.m. For more information or to assist with reunion activities, please email at: soldanclassof1979@gmail. com or call Barbara at 314 456-3391.

Sumner Class Of 1969 50th reunion “Living Life Like It’s Golden” June 28-30, 2019. Looking for classmates of 1969 to contact us with your updated information via address:sumnerclass1969@ gmail.com or our FB page: Sumner High.

Sumner Class of 1979 will hold its “Bulldogs Rock the Boat” BIG 4-0 Reunion Cruise, June 22-27, 2019. For further information, email your contact information to sumner1979@ymail.com or call 314-406-4309. Join our Facebook group at Sumner High Class of ‘79. Vashon Class of 1974 is planning for its 45-year reunion. We are in the process of rounding up all classmates. To provide or update your contact information, please email ljbady@gmail.com or contact: Joe Verrie Johnson 314-640-5842, Jordan Perry 314-724-4563, or LaVerne James-Bady 314-382-0890.

Do you have a celebration you’re proud of? If so we would like to share your good news with our readers. Whether it’s a birth, wedding, engagement announcement, anniversary, retirement or birthday, send your photos and a brief announcement (50 words or less) to us and we may include it in our paper and website – AT NO COST – as space is available Photos will not be returned. Send your announcements to: kdaniel@stlamerican. com or mail to:

St. Louis American Celebrations c/o Kate Daniel 2315 Pine

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

The blues we could all use. I’m not gonna lie, I have the time of my life when I head over to the Chaifetz Arena for the St. Louis Blues Festival – and Friday night was absolutely no different. I have so much fun that I picked Theodus and Pokey Bear and ‘nem over R&B diva Patti LaBelle – who played a sold-out house over at Lindenwood. As much as I love her, I just knew that the blues show would make for better Partyline material. I was absolutely right. Y’all’s mannish grandparents, great aunties and uncles outdid themselves as they broke it down to the blues. None of the folks in that building can say a single word about the twerkers after they did “the dog” and bumped and grinded on each other in the aisles. Somebody’s 71 year-old great-granny in some Shoe Dazzle “suede” stilettos and leggings dropped it during the old school dance contest like she heard “Cash Money taking over the 99 and the 2000s.” And the performers put them to shame. Theodus Ealey needs to come with a parental advisory warning – even if the average age his fan base is over sixty. I can’t say I was mad at her for doing it, but can anyone tell me how Shirley Brown can go from bragging about her “skills to pay the bills (edited to make safe for Partyline) in one song and have a praise break for the next one. I rock with Terry Wright, TK Soul and Sir Charles Jones too. But I must admit that I don’t get what draws y’all to that Pokey Bear. Hey, if y’all like it, I love it. I hate that the show went so long, because by the time Calvin Richardson came on stage looking as clean as the board of health (what? This is a blues item. Great Migration slang is totally appropriate) most of the crowd was done for the night. That plaid suit and the musclebound body underneath were pure life. And he had the nerve to sound good too. I just hate that he had to cut the show short, and what little bit of show he had, the folks were walking out on because they had been their all night. I also learned at the blues show that the whole music industry has been going about their Aretha Franklin tributes all wrong – well, with the exception of Fantasia. They should have been tapping these blues divas on the shoulder to pay homage. A surprise guest named Chick Rodgers and Shirley Brown made your faves look like fools and should be booked for every Aretha tribute hence forth.

A legendary night of rap. Speaking of Cash Money and the Chaifetz, you could not have told me that Juvenile, DJ Quik, Bun B, 8Ball&MJG Scarface and Too Short sold out the arena for their Legends of Hip Hop Show if I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes. This is not a diss. With Scarface and Quick at the Pageant, Too Short and Juvenile at Mystic and 8Ball &MJG at the Marquee over the course of last year, it just didn’t’ seem like they would pull a 10K crowd when you add up the capacities at the aforementioned venues. Well they did. And to the promoters, I know when the show is selling well – it’s tempting not to come up off of reviewer tickets – but you need me to tell everybody else who wasn’t there about the win. Quik came out first. He was dressed to prove to the Migos that we started the colorful silk blouse trend. The whole show was hype. And the energy from the audience was downright bananas. I haven’t seen an audience lit like that since the acts on stage were in style the first time. If I had to pick a favorite performance, I’d go ahead and give it to Bun B. Him and Scarface were neck and neck until ‘Face started having technical issues. He powered through. I’ll still follow them around like Deadheads do the Grateful Dead, but I was quietly underwhelmed by 8Ball & MJG – mainly because they didn’t perform “You Don’t Want Drama.” I can’t believe they would skip it for the sake of time. Perhaps they didn’t want the energy to shift when they started singing the hook. But everybody was grown enough to know it’s just a song. Speaking of, who else was afraid that a riot was gonna break out when Juvenile left the stage without performing “Back That Thang Up?” And who else was surprised that when he returned to the stage after the crowd rumbled, the folks where already over it and started walking out. I still had a ball at the show though.

Lamont’s long opening. I have been going to shows since The Ambassador was at Northland Shopping Center – and I cannot for the life of me remember an opening act that went on as long as Lamont Hadley did when he warmed the stage for the one and only Will Downing Saturday night at Harris-Stowe. Since the show started at 6:30 p.m., I thought I would have time to catch almost the whole thing before I scooted down the street to Chaifetz for the rap show. Wrong (in my Charlie Murphy voice). Lamont Hadley gave what I believe was a 90-minute opening act. It was good, don’t get me wrong. He gave some cute covers and showcased his diversity as a cover artist by singing everybody from Luther, to Babyface, to Keith Washington, to Kem. But because he took his sweet time leaving the stage, I was only able to catch a sip of Will Downing. He sounded good and I really don’t remember him being so mannish (I mean that in a good way) which tickled me. I just hate that I didn’t get to hear but about a one-third of his show. Shout out to Witherspoon Ent. and Breakaway Productions for bringing him to town though. I heard nothing but great things about the show regarding Lamont and Will. And let me say that hostess with the mostess Niecy Davis looked super cute in her Brandin Vaughn Collection ensemble. Trap.Soul.Paint returns. Since I’m on the subject of grown folks getting hype, I might as well remind y’all that Trap.Soul.Paint will be happening this Sunday at the House of Soul. Last month was extra lit because of Mocha Latte and her twin/daughter Sidney’s birthday celebration. That turn up was real, honey. But Trap.Soul.Paint is all the way live regardless. Where else can you get the refined taste of visual arts and itch your inner ratchet with a random twerk session amongst an understanding group of sophisticated ladies and gentlemen? Things usually kick off around 6. Visit trapsoulpaint.com for more information.

The Rice family was a whole mood after getting hype to throwback rap @ The Legends of Hip Hop Tour Saturday night @ Chaifetz Arena

Chris of Made Moguls and team at Gourmet Soul during their successful R&B Brunch Saturday @ Gourmet Soul

Erika, Katrice and Imani caught an inspirational vibe from Tori Kelly as she brought her acoustic tour to The Pageant Tuesday night

Kim, Chadd and Andrea checking out Will Downing Saturday night @ Harris-Stowe State University

Ervin Williams III was celebrated by family, friends and supporters at his farewell party Saturday night before he heads off to ATL

Alanna and Cindy kicked back to Tori Kelly Tuesday night @ The Pageant

Courtney and Shana took a stroll down rap memory lane @ the Legends of Hip Hop Show Saturday @ Chaifetz Arena

Lady Re came through to catch some grown folks R&B courtesy of Will Downing Saturday @ Harris-Stowe

Tiki and John were in old school rap heaven @ The Legends of Hip Hop Tour Saturday @ Chaifetz Arena

Chiriga and Keisha were just a couple of the pretty faces in the place @ The Legends of Hip Hop Tour Saturday night

American columnist James T. Ingram met up with Will Downing on more than one occasion when the R&B veteran came to town for a special show Saturday at Harris-Stowe State University.

EDUCATION PROGRAM MANAGER

The Alzheimer’s Association Greater Missouri chapter is currently hiring an Education Program Manager. Located in St. Louis, the Education Program Manager is responsible for developing, managing and implementing an education and outreach strategy. The position goal is to significantly expand the reach of Alzheimer’s Association Community Programs through partnership building and volunteer resources. For more information please visit: https://jobs.alz.org.

PATROL OFFICER

The City of Brentwood seeks a Patrol Officer to join our current Police Force. This position is responsible for, but not limited to, performing a variety of routine and complex public safety duties including police patrol, criminal investigations, traffic enforcement, apprehension and prosecution of criminals and all related local, state and federal law enforcement activities in an assigned area. The incumbent is responsible for accomplishing department objectives and goals within guidelines established by the Sergeant/ Corporal. Starting rate of pay is $57,084. Minimum qualifications are as follows:

• High school diploma or equivalent

• Current P.O.S.T. (Peace Office Standard Training) Certification as a police officer of a first class county in the State of Missouri through Police Academy training.

• Valid Missouri Driver’s license without record of suspension, revocation or felony convictions in any state

• Must be 21 years of age and US citizen at time of employment

This position will close on Friday, April 26, 2019 at 5 PM. For more information regarding this position, please visit our website at www.brentwoodmo.org/jobs

EOE A/M/F/D/V

SENIOR PRICING ACTUARY TREATY REINSURANCE

Responsible for providing Pricing Analyses and Technical Support for Workers Compensation Treaty Reinsurance and Other Lines of Business.

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

IFRS ACTUARY

Provide actuarial expertise for implementation and maintenance of IFRS 17.

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

Loyola Academy of St. Louis, a Jesuitsponsored middle school for boys, seeks a dynamic individual to serve as its full-time High School Persistence Coach. The High School Persistence Coach provides guidance and ongoing support for alumni and their families, throughout high school, with the goal of a successful high school experience culminating with graduation. Qualifying candidates must have a background in social work with a Master’s Degree (MSW). The successful candidate will also possess exceptional organizational, communication and interpersonal skills. Previous work experience in an educational setting with underserved, first-generation college students is preferred. Interested and qualified applicants should submit a letter of interest and resume to Mr. Elbert Williams III, Director of Graduate Support, at ewilliams@loyolaacademy.org, by April 26, 2019. No phone inquiries, please. For additional information about the school and a job description, please visit our website at www.loyolaacademy.org.

DIRECTOR OF GRADUATE SUPPORT

Loyola Academy of St. Louis, a Jesuit-sponsored middle school for boys, seeks a dynamic individual to serve as Director of Graduate Support. The Director manages the executive functions of the Graduate Support Department. The Director provides guidance and assistance to Loyola Academy 8th grade students and their families during the high school selection and admissions processes. Graduates and their families select from many of the private, college preparatory high schools in the St. Louis area. The Director and Graduate Support staff provide ongoing support for alumni throughout high school and college. Contact with alumni and administrators requires some travel, both local and out-of-state. The successful candidate will possess excellent organizational, communication and interpersonal relationship skills. Previous work experience in an educational setting with underserved students and managerial experience are preferred. A Bachelor’s degree is required for this position. Interested and qualified applicants should submit a letter of interest and resume to Mr. Elbert Williams III, Director of Graduate Support, at ewilliams@loyolaacademy.org, by April 26, 2019. No phone inquiries, please. For additional information about the school and job description, please visit our website at www.loyolaacademy.org.

DATA SCIENCE ANALYST

Provide analytical and technical support to the Chief Risk & Predictive Analytics Officer.

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

COLLEGE PERSISTENCE COACH

Loyola Academy of St. Louis, a Jesuit-sponsored middle school for boys, seeks a dynamic individual to serve as its full-time College Persistence Coach. The College Persistence Coach provides guidance and support, for alumni and their families, through the college selection, admissions and financial aid processes and throughout the college careers of alumni. Contact with alumni and administrators requires travel to both local and out-of-state college campuses. The successful candidate will possess exceptional organizational, communication and interpersonal skills. Previous work experience in an educational setting with underserved, first-generation

REQUEST

FOR PROPOSALS (RFP)

Gershenson Construction Co., Inc. a local contractor located at 2 Truitt Drive, Eureka, MO 63025 is seeking qualified and certified W//MBE subcontractors/suppliers for on Great Rivers Greenway District Katherine Ward Burg Garden, Project No. 2019-002-004 located in St. Louis County, MO. Project details can be found on the Bid Express Web - Site at www.bidexpress, GRG 2-002-402 Mississippi Greenway: Katherine Ward Burg Garden (402). Interested W/MBE vendors should contact Chuck Risley at Gershenson Construction., Inc. at (636) – 549-0202 or by email at crisley@gershenson.com by April 9, 2019.

Public Notice of Single Source Procurement

Notice is hereby given that the Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District is proposing to procure temporary help services from Adaptive Solutions Group in an effort to support the IT Technology Plan. The District is proposing single source procurement for this service because MSD does not have the internal expertise to fulfill this Information Technology role. Any

Two, and Three Bedroom WAITING LIST OPENING

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the Kendelwood Place Apartments located in Black Jack, Missouri in accordance with regulations outlined by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and in accordance with the Section 8 Tenant Selection Plan for the above project will reopen the TWO, & THREE BEDROOM waiting list for all individuals from May 6, 2019 through May 9, 2019. Applications will be available to the public and accepted each business day during this open period from 10:00AM – 3:00PM at the Kendelwood Place Leasing Office, 12404 Centerbrook Drive, Black Jack, Missouri 63033. You may call or email you and request an application is emailed to them in lieu of coming to the office to apply in person. In addition to the Approved Tenant Selection Criteria, eligibility is based on annual income limits which vary by household size and location. Federal fiscal year 2018/2019 Income limits may be found at www.HUD.gov. Kendelwood Place Apartments shall not discriminate because of race, color, sex, religion, familial status, disability, handicap, national origin, sexual orientation or gender identity in the leasing, rental or other disposition of housing. There is no application fee, picture ID and a social security card is required. No applications for this notice will be accepted after May 9, 2019 at 3:00PM.

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

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

AUCTION NOTICE

The following people are in debt to Gateway Storage Mall of Belleville, LLC. The contents of their storage unit(s) will be sold at auction to compensate all or part of that debt. Auction will be held on site with Jersey County Auctions on April 9, 2019 at 10 am. A cash deposit will be REQUIRED for all winning bids. Bel. 25 – Danyell Binford, Bel. 19 –Yawantia Binford, Bel. 544 - Elijah Cadle, Bel. 416 – Angela Davis, Bel. 219 – Jaye Dones, Bel. 532 – Beverly Driver, Bel. 636 – Jules Johansen, Bel. 208 - Brian Jung, Bel. 3 - Stacy Kettler, Bel. 319 – Tameka Lilton, Bel 101 – Fred Merritt, Bel 13 & 308 - Jenna Monroe, Bel. 307 Rachel Peddicord, Bel 514 – Brittany Ramsey, Bel. 620 & 633 – Rachelle Russell, Bel. 409- Donny & Mesha Sykes. For all rules, regulations and bidding process, contact Jersey County Auctions. All other questions, please call 618-421-4022 or mail PO Box 81, Dupo, IL 62239.

www.stlamerican.com

Public Notice of Single Source Procurement

Notice is hereby given that the Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District is proposing to procure Firstech for our Walk-in Payment Processing Services for our pay-stations. The District is proposing a single source procurement for this service. Any inquiries should be sent to strenz@stlmsd.com.

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

Public Notice of Single

Source Procurement

Notice is hereby given that the Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District is proposing to procure service to raise manholes in St. Louis City from the City of St. Louis Street Department. The District is proposing a single source procurement for this service because St. Louis City is required to complete this action. Any inquiries should be sent to strenz@stlmsd.com.

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

PUBLIC NOTICE

ST. LOUIS COUNTY

SEALED BIDS

for Construction Services, Telecom & Data Wiring, Statewide, State of Missouri, Project No. ZASIDIQ-9021, will be received by FMDC, State of MO, UNTIL 1:30 PM, Thursday, April 11, 2019. For specific project information and ordering plans, go to: http:// oa.mo. gov/facilities

Availability of 2018 Draft Consolidated Annual Performance and Evaluation Report

PUBLIC HEARING

Wednesday, April 10, 2019 5:30 p.m.

St. Louis County Administration Building 41 S. Central, 5th Floor Conference Room

To All Interested Agencies, Groups and Persons:

St. Louis County is the “Lead Agency” for the St. Louis HOME Consortium. The St. Louis HOME Consortium is a group of contiguous units of local government that have joined together for the purpose of receiving HOME funds and administering a HOME Program as a single grantee. The members of the St. Louis HOME Consortium include St. Louis County, the City of Florissant, the City of O’Fallon, Jefferson County and St. Charles County. As required by federal regulations, St. Louis County has prepared a draft of its Fiscal Year 2018 Consolidated Annual Performance and Evaluation Report (CAPER) for the St. Louis HOME Consortium. This report provides information on how funding received through the Community Development Block Grant Program and the Emergency Shelter Grant Program was spent in St. Louis County. This report also provides information on how funding was spent for activities funded under the Home Investment Partnership Program in St. Louis County and in the jurisdictions which are members of the St. Louis HOME Consortium.

A draft copy of St. Louis County’s Fiscal Year 2018 Consolidated Annual Performance and Evaluation Report (CAPER) will be available for public review and comment beginning on Friday, March 29, 2019 at the locations specified in this notice during normal business hours, Monday thru Friday. Also, interested persons, groups and agencies are invited to attend a public hearing regarding St. Louis County’s expenditure of these federal grant funds reported in the “draft” 2018 CAPER. The draft CAPER document discusses the County’s performance in meeting its goals, which are to fund programs and activities that provide decent housing, create suitable living environments and expand economic opportunities for low and moderate-income residents of St. Louis County.

If you wish to attend this Public Hearing and require accommodations due to a disability, please contact the Office of Community Development 48 hours in advance. The address and phone are at the bottom of this notice.

St. Louis County Government Centers

• West-74 Clarkson-Wilson Centre Chesterfield, MO 63017 (314-615-0900)

• Northwest Crossing-715 Northwest Plaza Drive Saint Ann, MO 63074 (314-615-5000)

• South-4546 Lemay Ferry Road St. Louis, MO 63129 (314-615-4000)

St. Louis County Department of Planning

• Office of Community Development-41 S. Central Avenue 5th floor, Clayton, MO 63105 (314-615-4457)

City of Florissant

• Government Building - 1055 rue St. Francois, Florissant, MO 63031 (314-839-7680)

County of St. Charles

• Administrative Building, 201 N. Second St., St. Charles, MO 63301 (636-949-7900)

Jefferson County

• Jefferson County Economic Development Corporation, 5217 Highway B, Hillsboro, MO 63050 (636-797-5336)

City of O’Fallon

• City Hall, 100 N. Main Street, O’Fallon, MO 63366 (636-240-2000)

St. Louis County Library System

• St. Louis County Library Headquarters, 1640 S Lindbergh Blvd., St. Louis, MO 63131

Also located on our website at stlouisco.com/Property-and-Roads/Community-Development/ Consolidated-Plan-CAPER

Comments regarding the “draft” of the St. Louis County Fiscal Year 2018 Consolidated Annual Performance and Evaluation Report may be submitted in writing and directed to:

Mr. Jim Holtzman, Director Office of Community Development 41 S. Central, 5th Floor Clayton, MO 63105 Phone: (314) 615-4414 (VOICE) (314) 615-5467 (TTY)

E-Mail: JHoltzman2@stlouisco.com 1-800-735-2966 (Relay Missouri TTY Callers) 1-800-735-2466 (Relay Missouri Voice Callers)

Comments will be received until 2:00 p.m. on April 12, 2019 or made at the public hearing April 10, 2019 at 5:30 p.m. EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER

BID NOTICE

Contegra Construction Company, LLC, 22 Gateway Commerce Center Drive W, Suite 110, Edwardsville, IL 62025, O-618-931-3500, F-618-9313535 will be submitting bids on the following Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District (MSD) project: Lemay WWTF Aeration Tunnel Ventilation Replacement -13264015.1, bid date 4/26/19. We are requesting bids from qualified Minority Business Enterprises (MBE) on this project to help in our effort to meet or exceed the 17% goal set forth in MSD’s MBE utilization program. Bidding opportunities for this project specifically include demolition and removal of mechanical equipment, electrical demolition, installation of circulation pumps and associated piping, piping insulation, reheat coil installation, HVAC supply and exhaust fan installation, ductwork installation and insulation, and electrical wiring and communications including pump control panel installation and wiring. Contegra will be holding a pre-bid meeting for this project at the above address on 4/9/19 at 2pm. MBE firms interested in bidding are encouraged to attend to learn about subcontracting opportunities. For additional information or any questions, please contact Tony Uzzo, ext. 129.

NOTICE TO CONTRACTORS

Sealed bids for 2019 ITS Program - Advanced Detection, St. Louis County Project No. AR-1727, will be received at the Office of the Director of Procurement for the County of St. Louis, County Government Center Administration Building, 41 South Central Avenue, 8th Floor, Clayton, Missouri 63105, until 11:00 a.m. on April 17, 2019

Plans and specifications will be available on March 25, 2019 from the St. Louis County Web Site (www.stlouisco.com), or by contacting County Blue Reprographics, Inc., 1449 Strassner Drive, St. Louis, Missouri 63144, (314) 961-3800.

SEALED BIDS for

Construction Services, Electrical, Central Region, State of Missouri, Project No. ZASIDIQ-9022, will be received by FMDC, State of MO, UNTIL 1:30 PM, Thursday, April 18, 2019. For specific project information and ordering plans, go to: http:// oa.mo. gov/facilities

ST. LOUIS COMMUNITY COLLEGE

St. Louis Community College will receive separate sealed bids for CONTRACT NO. F 19 404. Abatement for Tile and Mastic in Offices at St. Louis Community College at Forest Park Campus. until 2:00 p.m. local time April 9, 2019. Bids will be publicly opened and read aloud at the office of the Manager of Engineering and Design. 5464 Highland Park. St. Louis. MO 63110-1314. Specifications and bid forms may be obtained from the Manager’s office. at the above address or by calling (314) 644-9770.

Mandatory Pre-Bid Meeting: March 28. 2019. 8:00 am Meet at Fourth floor C TowerForest Park Campus An Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action Employer

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING

March 28, 2019

Proposed Substantial Amendment to the St. Louis County Application for Promise Zone Designation

St. Louis County Office of Community Development is accepting citizen comments regarding this proposed substantial amendment to the St. Louis County Application for Promise Zone Designation.

The St. Louis County Application Promise Zone Designation was approved by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). This application delineated the boundaries of the St. Louis County Promise Zone. HUD subsequently awarded $2,400,000 in Declared Disaster Recovery (DDR) funds to St. Louis County to be used in the St. Louis County Promise Zone. These funds are intended to promote physical and economic recovery in the wake of the tornado that impacted this area on or around May 31, 2013.

St. Louis County now proposes to revise the boundary of the St. Louis County Promise Zone to be able to award up to $1,000,000 in DDR funds for a proposed project that will take place at 10124 Natural Bridge Road. This property sustained documented physical damage in the storm that resulted in St. Louis County receiving DDR funds. The proposed scope of the project consists of demolition of the vacant structure that currently occupies this site, and construction of a new hotel that is expected to result in the creation of 40 permanent full-time jobs. The proposed project will be included in St. Louis County’s 2019 Annual Action Plan and the public will be given opportunity to comment. The following boundary revision is proposed under this amendment:

The southwestern border of the St. Louis County Promise Zone shall be revised to include 10124 Natural Bridge Road, located within the municipality of Woodson Terrace, 63134.

Public Comment

Comments will be accepted no later than 2:00 P.M. on April 29, 2019, and should be submitted to St. Louis County Office of Community Development, 41 S. Central Ave., 5th Floor, Clayton, MO, 63105.

For more information, please contact Mr. Jim Holtzman, Director, Office of Community Development at jholtzman2@stlouisco.com or 314-615-2520.

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING

March 28, 2019

Public Hearing to Solicit Citizen Feedback on a Proposed Substantial Amendment to the St. Louis County Application for Promise Zone Designation

St. Louis County is hereby providing notice to the public of proposed changes to the St. Louis County Application for Promise Zone Designation (hereinafter referred to as “Application”).

A draft amendment detailing the proposed substantial amendment to the Application is now available for public comment for a period of at least 30 days.

An important part of the process of developing the Application was to allow for citizen participation and input. All interested parties are invited and encouraged to provide comments. The public comment period will end at 2:00 P.M. April 29, 2019.

A public hearing to solicit citizen input on proposed changes to the Application will be held: Thursday, April 11, 2019, at 5:30 p.m.

St. Louis County Government Center 41 S. Central Ave., Clayton, Missouri 63105 5th Floor Conference Room

For additional information or to request special accommodations, call 314-615-4405 or 314-615-5467 (TTY). Written comments may be sent to St. Louis County Office of Community Development, 41 S. Central Ave., 5th Floor, Clayton, MO, 63105. For more information, please contact Mr. Jim Holtzman, Director, Office of Community Development at jholtzman2@stlouisco.com or 314-615-2520.

NOTICE OF ELECTION

Notice is hereby given by the Board of Election Commissioners for the City of St. Louis, State of Missouri, that a General Municipal Election will be held at the designated polling place for each precinct in the City of St. Louis, State of Missouri, on Tuesday, April 2, 2019. The polls will be open between the hours of 6:00 A.M. and 7:00 P.M. for the purpose of electing candidates for President of the Board of Aldermen and Alderman in the even-numbered wards. Eligible voters will also be able to vote on candidates for the Board of Education (two) and Trustee from Sub-District 3 of the Junior College District, as well as vote on a Metropolitan Sewer District proposition. In addition, eligible voters in the Cathedral Square and Central West End North Special Business Districts will be able to vote on whether the terms of those Districts should be extended for another ten years.

The last day the Board of Election Commissioners can accept an application to vote an absentee ballot by mail in the April 2, 2019 General Municipal Election was 5:00 P.M. on Wednesday, March 20, 2019. Absentee voting in person will conclude at 5:00 P.M. on Monday, April 1, 2019. The office of the Board of Election Commissioners will be open on Saturday, March 30, 2019 from 9:00 A.M. until 1:00 P.M.

THE OFFICIAL BALLOT WILL BE SUBSTANTIALLY IN THE FOLLOWING FORM:

INSTRUCTIONS TO VOTERS: In today’s election, you have your choice of using either an electronic, touch screen voting machine or an optical scan voting machine to cast your ballot.

IF YOU USE THE OPTICAL SCAN VOTING MACHINE to cast your ballot, you must completely darken the oval to the left of the name of the candidate of your choice. To vote on a proposition, if you are in favor of the proposal completely darken the oval to the left of the word “YES.” If you are against the proposal, completely darken the oval to the left of the word “NO.” Do not try to punch through the ballot. Use only the marking device provided to you. If you tear, deface or make a mistake and incorrectly mark your ballot, return it to the Election Judges and obtain a new ballot. IF YOU USE THE ELECTRONIC, TOUCH SCREEN VOTING MACHINE to cast your ballot, follow the directions on the screen. For each candidate, touch the box on the screen to the left of the name of the candidate of your choice. To vote on a proposition, if you are in favor of the proposal touch the box on the screen to the left of the word “YES.” If you are against the proposal, touch the box on the screen to the left of the word “NO.” If you need assistance in using this machine, please ask the Election Judges to help you.

OFFICIAL BALLOT

GENERAL

MUNICIPAL ELECTION

CITY OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI TUESDAY, APRIL 2, 2019

DEMOCRATIC PARTY

REPUBLICAN PARTY

(REP) (DEM) (GRN) (IND)

FOR PRESIDENT OF THE BOARD OF ALDERMEN (VOTE FOR ONE)

LEWIS REED DEM

JEROME BAUER GRN WRITE-IN________________________________________

FOR ALDERMAN WARD 2 (VOTE FOR ONE)

LISA MIDDLEBROOK DEM WRITE-IN________________________________________

FOR ALDERMAN WARD 4 (VOTE FOR ONE)

SAMUEL L. MOORE DEM WRITE-IN________________________________________

FOR ALDERMAN WARD 6 (VOTE FOR ONE)

MICHAEL J. HEBRON, SR. REP

CHRISTINE INGRASSIA DEM WRITE-IN________________________________________

FOR ALDERMAN WARD 8 (VOTE FOR ONE)

ANNIE LEE RICE DEM WRITE-IN________________________________________

FOR ALDERMAN WARD 10 (VOTE FOR ONE)

JOSEPH (JOE) VOLLMER DEM WRITE-IN________________________________________

FOR ALDERMAN WARD 12 (VOTE FOR ONE)

LARRY ARNOWITZ DEM WRITE-IN________________________________________

FOR ALDERMAN WARD 14 (VOTE FOR ONE)

CAROL J. HOWARD DEM

FOR ALDERMAN WARD 16 (VOTE FOR ONE)

THOMAS ROBERT OLDENBURG DEM WRITE-IN________________________________________

FOR ALDERMAN WARD 18 (VOTE FOR ONE)

JESSE TODD DEM WRITE-IN________________________________________

FOR ALDERMAN WARD 20 (VOTE FOR ONE)

CARA SPENCER DEM

FOR ALDERMAN WARD 22 (VOTE FOR ONE)

JEFFREY L. BOYD DEM

WRITE-IN________________________________________

FOR ALDERMAN WARD 24 (VOTE FOR ONE)

BRET NARAYAN DEM

STEVEN BASINGER IND

MICHAEL BERG IND WRITE-IN________________________________________

FOR ALDERMAN WARD 26 (VOTE FOR ONE)

SHAMEEM CLARK HUBBARD DEM

FOR ALDERMAN WARD 28 (VOTE FOR ONE)

HEATHER B. NAVARRO DEM

FOR MEMBER OF THE BOARD OF EDUCATION FOUR-YEAR TERM (VOTE FOR TWO)

ADAM LAYNE

DAVID MERIDETH

LOUIS CLINTON CROSS III

BARBARA ANDERSON

WILLIAM (BILL) HAAS

TRACEE A. MILLER

DAN MCCREADY WRITE-IN_________________________ WRITE-IN_________________________

FOR TRUSTEE FOR SUB-DISTRICT #3 OF THE JUNIOR COLLEGE DISTRICT OF ST. LOUIS-ST. LOUIS COUNTY, MISSOURI (ST. LOUIS COMMUNITY COLLEGE) (SIX-YEAR TERM – VOTE FOR ONE)

PAULA M. SAVARINO

ANNE ADAMS MARSHALL WRITE-IN________________________

OFFICIAL BALLOT ELECTION

METROPOLITAN ST. LOUIS SEWER DISTRICT APRIL 2, 2019

PROPOSITION S

Shall the Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District (MSD) charge a Stormwater Capital Rate upon all customers, whether public or private, within the District based on the amount of impervious area (IA) on each customer’s real property for the purpose of providing revenue to fund capital improvements for flooding and erosion control, as set forth in the following schedule?

Single-family Residential (per month)

Commercial and Multi-family Residential (per month)

$2.25 per 2600 sq. ft. IA

YES – FOR THE PROPOSITION NO – AGAINST THE PROPOSITION

OFFICIAL BALLOT

STATE OF MISSOURI CITY OF ST. LOUIS APRIL 2, 2019

PROPOSITION

(CATHEDRAL SQUARE SPECIAL BUSINESS DISTRICT)

Shall a tax of $.85 per $100.00 valuation be imposed for the tax years 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025, 2026, 2027 and 2028 on all real property located in the Cathedral Square Special Business District as defined in Ordinance No. 63777, approved June 4, 1996, (Floor Substitute Board Bill No. 66) for the purposes as set forth in said Ordinance?

YES – FOR THE PROPOSITION NO – AGAINST THE PROPOSITION

OFFICIAL BALLOT

STATE OF MISSOURI CITY OF ST. LOUIS APRIL 2, 2019

PROPOSITION (CENTRAL WEST END NORTH SPECIAL BUSINESS DISTRICT)

Shall a tax of $.85 per $100.00 valuation be imposed for the tax years 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025, 2026, 2027 and 2028 on all real property located in the Central West End North Special Business District as defined in Ordinance No. 62622, approved May 29, 1992, for the purposes as set forth in said Ordinance?

YES – FOR THE PROPOSITION NO – AGAINST THE PROPOSITION

YOU HAVE NOW COMPLETED VOTING

IN WITNESS WHEREOF: The undersigned, comprising the Board of Election Commissioners for the City of St. Louis, State of Missouri, have caused this notice to be signed and the official seal of the office to be affixed at the office of the Board in St. Louis, Missouri, this 11th day of March, 2019.

BOARD OF ELECTION COMMISSIONERS

JERRY M. HUNTER Chairman/Member

GERALDINE M. KRAEMER GENE R. TODD Member Member

(Seal) Attest: JOSEPH A. BARBAGLIA

CITY OF ST. LOUIS

BOARD OF PUBLIC SERVICE

REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS for PROFESSIONAL ENGINEERING AND ARCHITECTURAL SERVICES FOR ADA SELF-EVALUATION AND TRANSITION PLAN, ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

Statements of Qualifications due by 5:00 PM CT, April 5, 2019 at Board of Public Service, 1200 Market, Room 301 City Hall, St. Louis, MO 63103. RFQ may be obtained from BPS website www. stl-bps.org, under On Line Plan Room-Plan Room, or call Board of Public Service at 314-622-3535. 25% MBE and 5% WBE participation goals.

Public Notice of Single Source Procurement

Notice is hereby given that the Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District is proposing to procure repair services for our Foxboro boards and processors manufactured by and serviced by Schneider Electric Systems USA, Inc. The District is proposing a single source procurement for this service because Schneider Electric Systems USA is the exclusive servicer for Missouri. Any inquiries should be sent to strenz@stlmsd.com. Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Public Notice of Single Source Procurement

Notice is hereby given that the Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District is proposing to procure: UPGRADE SCADA SERVER. The District is proposing single source procurement for this service because R E PEDROTTI CO INC is the only known available source for the service. Any inquiries should be sent to gjamison@stlmsd.com.

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

BID

Great Rivers Greenway is seeking qualifications from vendors to provide professional services related to the Chouteau Greenway project. Check https://greatriversgreenway. org/jobs-bids/ and submit by April 26, 2019.

METROPOLITAN ST. LOUIS

SEWER DISTRICT

Notice is hereby given that the Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District will receive RFQ’s in the Purchasing Division, 2350 Market Street, St. Louis, Missouri 63103-2555 until 11:00 a.m. on April 30, 2019 to contract with a company for: LIDS AND BOTTLES.

Specifications and bid forms may be obtained from www.stlmsd.com, click on the “MSD AT WORK” link, (bid opportunities). The bid document will be identified as 9895 RFQ. If you do not have access to the internet, call 314-768-6254 to request a copy of this bid.

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

SEALED BIDS

for Connect Facilities to Public Water System, Capitol Complex, Jefferson City, Missouri, Project No. O1719-01 will be received by FMDC, State of MO, UNTIL 1:30 PM, 4/25/2019. For specific project information and ordering plans, go to: http://oa.mo. gov/ facilities

SEALED BIDS

for Batschelett

County, Missouri, Project No. Y1903-01 will be received by FMDC, State of MO, UNTIL 1:30 PM, April 25, 2019. For specific project information and ordering plans, go to: http://oa.mo. gov/ facilities

and

Requests for Proposals

Discount $750/mo + Deposit 314-243-2222

be

from the City of St. Louis Department of Health, Franda Thomas, 1520 Market Street-Suite 4027, St. Louis MO 63103, thomasf@stlouis-mo.gov, (314) 657-1461. Proposals may also be downloaded from the City of St. Louis website at http://www.stlouis-mo.gov/. All questions must be submitted in writing no later than April 1, 2019, to Franda Thomas at the information listed above. All questions will be addressed through addenda posted on the St. Louis City website at http://stlouis-mo.gov/. The deadline for submitting proposals is April 15, 2019, by 5:00 P.M. at the address listed above. The Department of Health reserves the right to reject any or all responses with or without cause.

2020-2022

CORE FUNDING CYCLE ANNOUNCEMENT

St. Louis County Children’s Service Fund is seeking proposals from qualified service providers to provide mental health and substance use treatment and prevention services to children and youth ages 0-19 residing in St. Louis County. From March 29-May 10, proposals will be accepted from new and returning applicants under all ten service areas listed on CSF’s website. Three pre-application meetings are scheduled in the 500 Tower in Northwest Plaza on April 9 and 11. To register, please email keepingkidsfirst@stlouisco.com, or visit our website, www.keepingkidsfirst.org, to learn more about CSF.

LOUIS COMMUNITY COLLEGE

St. Louis Community College will receive separate sealed bids for CONTRACT NO. F 19 202. Corporate Office Renovations at St. Louis Community College at Corporate College, until 2:00 p.m. local time March 26, 2019. Bids will be publicly opened and read aloud at the office of the Manager of Engineering and Design. 5464 Highland Park. St. Louis. MO 63110-1314. Specifications and bid forms may be obtained from the Manager’s office. at the above address or by calling (314) 644-9770. Mandatory Pre-Bid Meeting: March 15. 2019. 10:00 am Meet in Lobby at the Corporate College An Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action Employer

BIDS

Great Rivers Greenway is seeking qualifications for Facilitation Services for its Regional Plan Update. Check greatriversgreenway.org for more information and submit by Friday, April 12, 2019.