November 1st, 2018 Edition

St. Louis American endorsements

‘This is our time to get the vote out’

voters cast their votes at the St. Louis election board’s headquarters in downtown St. Louis on Tuesday, October

Absentee voting is underway for the November 6 election.

League, grass-roots

groups drive voter turnout for Nov. 6

By Rebecca Rivas Of The St.

Every day, North St. Louis resident Monti

on doors in the three wards that have the lowest voter turnout in the city – the 3rd, 4th and 22nd.

“We just want this to be a residentled campaign,” Hill said. “We are really concerned, and we want to do more in our community.” Hill and her crew are part of the WePower Better Budgets, Better Schools initiative that started six months ago. They are all North City residents. (There is also an East St. Louis group.)

By Dawn Suggs

“We are also Saint Louis Public School educators, students, alumni, parents, aunties and grandparents of students,” according to the group’s website. “As such, we care deeply about the city’s public education system and work together to improve it out of a place of love.”

They learned that a considerable number of people in these three wards are registered

up to sexism, but also something that black women weren’t allowed much of at the time – play,” said writer Lisa Jones. “She was certainly the beginnings of what we know now as black girl magic – black women putting themselves at the center of the narrative and representing joy and style. She was all about black women and the black liberation struggle, but utterly a free spirit. Ntozake was walking, talking freedom.” october 18, 1948 – october 27, 2018

the black woman’s experience was articulated in words and on stage. Shange passed away Saturday, October 27 after health complications from several strokes. She was 70 years old. “A heroine to writers of my generation, Ntozake represented creative experimentation, feminism empowerment, the right to stand

Black and Jewish leaders denounce domestic terrorism

‘This president is directly responsible’

‘We know what we must do, particularly on November 6’

By Chris King Of The St. Louis American

Americans of conscience are reeling from a week of domestic terrorism targeting Jews, blacks, prominent Democrats, CNN and perceived enemies of President Donald Trump, and St. Louis leaders are trying to make sense of the horror and to offer hope.

n “This president is directly responsible for the recent rise in domestic terrorism.”

– St. Louis Treasurer Tishaura O. Jones

On October 27, in the deadliest massacre of Jews in American history, 11 people were slaughtered in a synagogue in the heart of a 100-year-old Jewish neighborhood in Pittsburgh during a baby-naming ceremony. On October 24, two African Americans were shot dead near a supermarket in Jefferson, Kentucky when the gunman reportedly was unable to enter a black church nearby, which was locked. Throughout the week of October 22, a total of 14 pipe bombs were mailed to prominent

By Darryl Gray

The November 6 election is a critical battleground for the fight to retain what is left of our voting rights. This election could have dire consequences to the gains made over the past 50 years in the struggle for civil rights, human rights, and human dignity. We have witnessed in real time, federal policies aimed at punishing and imprisoning the

Darryl Gray

See

Photo by Wiley Price

Ntozake Shange

After the messiest back and forth between rival rappers Nicki Minaj and Cardi B to date, the two seem finally ready to move forward.

Things came to a head Monday after Minaj used part of the latest episode of her Beats 1 “Queen Radio” show to deny a claim from Cardi’s sister that she had leaked Cardi’s phone number. All eyes have been on Minaj and Cardi since September – when cameras caught Cardi B being restrained as Minaj exited the Plaza Hotel during New York Fashion Week’s annual Harper’s Bazaar Icons party.

Cardi B and Nicki Minaj calling a truce

Cardi later said during an interview that everything came to a head after

she saw that Minaj had liked, and then unliked, a tweet critical of Cardi’s mothering skills.

On Monday, Minaj said it was her friend Rah Ali who had really gotten into the altercation with Cardi, which resulted in the knot on her forehead.

“You went home and told people security hit you, and we let that ride for legal reasons,” Minaj said. “Anybody that wanna pull up the surveillance footage, I will give you $100,000.”

Cardi responded by releasing a series of expletive-filled videos on Instagram.

“You lie so much you can’t keep up with your [expletive] lies,” Cardi said.

“First you say you’ve got the footage, but then you say you

THE STUFF THAT HAS PEOPLE TALKING

wanna pay somebody $100,000 if they give you the footage? Make sense when you’re

talking.”

Cardi then said that she is “sick and tired of the back and

forth.”

“We can settle it however you want to settle it,” Cardi said. “We can talk about it, or we can fight it out. I’m with whatever. But I’m sick and tired of that back and forth [expletive]. I’ve always shown you respect because you are somebody I have listened to since I was in high school. What you need to do is stop focusing on other people. Focus on yourself and focus on your craft because you are out here [expletive] up your legacy looking like a [expletive] hater.”

Minaj used her Twitter account to say that she wanted to squash the whole thing and “focus on positive things only from here on out.”

“We’re all so blessed. I know this stuff is entertaining and funny to a lot of people, but I won’t be discussing this nonsense anymore,” Minaj said. “Thank you for the support and encouragement year after year. Love you.”

Cardi posted a screenshot of Minaj’s tweet with the caption “@Nickiminaj alright then! Let’s keep it positive and keep it pushing!”

Pooch pleads not guilty to child abuse/DUI charges, must attend treatment

Earlier this month, “Ray Donovan” actor Marion “Pooch” Hall was arrested for child abuse and driving under the influence after his twoyear-old son was reportedly found behind the wheel of his car – after it had crashed into another vehicle.

According to Celebrity Insider, Hall was charged with one count of felony child abuse, one misdemeanor count of DUI, and driving with a .08 BAC (blood alcohol content level). On Thursday, Hall pleaded not guilty to the charges. He was ordered to remain in a treatment program for the next two months and enroll in an outpatient program upon his release. He must also attend Alcoholics Anonymous meetings a minimum of twice a week, as well as install an ignition interlocking device along with a breathalyzer in his vehicle. Hall was released on a $100,000 bond. His next court date is set for December 18.

Cardi B

Nicki Minaj

Marion “Pooch” Hall

No photo ID needed to vote on Nov. 6

Election director: ‘it will actually simplify the process’

By Rebecca Rivas

American

St. Louis

Of The

Missouri voters: You do not have to show a photo ID in order to vote.

St. Louis city and county election authorities have revised all their election materials stating that voters needed a photo ID to get a ballot.

Earlier this month, Cole County Circuit Judge Richard Callahan issued a ruling in a lawsuit that basically threw out the photo ID requirement - the core of the voter ID constitutional amendment that was enacted on June 1, 2017. And on October 19, the Missouri Supreme Court denied an appeal by Attorney General Josh Hawley and Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft, both Republicans, to halt the lower court’s decision. Under the constitutional

amendment, if voters didn’t have a photo ID, they would have needed to provide another form of ID and then sign a sworn statement.

“What the court said was: you cannot require a voter to produce a photo ID,” said Gary Stoff, St. Louis city election director. “Because they don’t have to show a photo ID, they don’t have to sign the statement if they don’t have one. What that means in terms of election day is it will actually simplify the process.”

Voters with any form of acceptable identification will be immediately processed - as long as they are at the correct polling location, said Eric Fey, Democratic director of elections for St. Louis County. Acceptable forms of ID include a driver’s license, social security card, state college ID, utility bill, bank

Voters cast absentee ballots at the St. Louis election board on Wednesday, October 24. They were not required to show a photo ID, as a constitutional amendment requiring that was overturned in the courts. Absentee voting is underway for the November 6 midterm election.

statement, government check, and paycheck. The voter information cards that come in the mail are also valid.

St. Louis County will deploy about 3,500 election judges to the polls on November 6, and the vast majority have already been trained, Fey said. Election authorities in both the city and county are now sending out

anybody who calls that number from Missouri, that line will be answered by a Missouri attorney.” On November 6, they will have nonpartisan monitors at polling locations throughout the metropolitan area.

mass text messages, emails and calls to update the poll workers on the court ruling.

“It’s going to be a challenge just to get a hold of them in this time frame,” Fey said.

Voters asked for a photo ID should call the city election board at 314-622-4800 or the county board at 314-615-1800.

Also, voters who encounter problems at the polls can call the Missouri Election Protection Coalition hotline at 1-866-OUR-VOTE (687-8683), which is part of a national effort.

“That number is live right now,” said Denise Lieberman, coordinator for the state’s coalition and an attorney with the Advancement Project. “And

Why I am supporting Claire McCaskill for U.S. Senate

By Wesley Bell For The St.

Louis

American

Elections matter. November 6 matters. It is imperative that we support leaders who are invested in our community and to the needs of the people they serve. I ran for St. Louis County prosecutor on those ideals. I believe diversion programs (i.e., drug treatment and mental health care programs) are imperative to making a safer St. Louis, but just as importantly, these programs help people. Claire McCaskill was the first to bring diversion programs to Missouri. As the St. Louis County prosecutor, it will be important to know that someone in Washington will not hesitate to take on the big drug companies to help fight the drug and opioid crisis in our region. Claire led that fight at the congressional level in proving the fraudulent strategy of some drug manufacturers to boost fentanyl sales and add to the terrible opioid epidemic.

Claire has also been on the forefront of protecting voting rights, fighting to protect Medicare and coverage of preexisting conditions, fighting for our veterans, and fighting for higher minimum wage for working families, just to name a few.

Me

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She has worked her entire career to keep us safe and

preserve our rights. These are issues I believe in and that’s why I am supporting Claire McCaskill for U.S. Senate.

Wesley Bell is the Democratic nominee for St. Louis County prosecutor on the November 6 ballot.

Wesley Bell

“Our sole job is to help voters navigate the process and make sure that no one leaves the polling place without casting a ballot,” Lieberman said. Lieberman and election authorities encourage voters to double-check their voter registration and polling location. Voters can’t cast a ballot at the wrong location. They also encourage them to print out a sample ballot and bring it to the polls already filled out. There are numerous constitutional amendments and propositions that all take a while to read for the first time, they said. For a sample ballot in the county, visit www.stlouisco. com/yourgovernment/ elections and click on “Sample Ballot.” In the city, visit www. tinyurl.com/STL-sample-ballot. The Missouri Secretary of State also offers the chance to preview candidates and issues for most voting precincts at voteroutreach.sos.mo.gov. Your local election authority also should have a sample ballot to preview in the office. Call the St. Louis election board at 314-622-4800 or the St. Louis County election board at 314-615-1800.

Photo by Wiley Price

The St. Louis American endorses

Nicole Galloway for state auditor

The election for Missouri state auditor on November 6 is a true litmus test of how much Missouri Republicans, in an era of a chaotic Donald Trump presidency, value party loyalty over the basic competencies of holding a public office with a mandated list of responsibilities that require certain skills and experiences. Incumbent state Auditor Nicole Galloway, a Democrat who was appointed to the position by Gov. Nixon after the tragic suicide of Thomas Schweich, may be the most competent and diligent auditor in the state’s history – and one of the most capable and accountable public officials we have ever observed in any statewide office in Missouri. Moreover, she has been diligent and successful in something that conservative and liberal voters both can agree should be a priority: eliminating government waste, to the tune of some $300 million since she was appointed in 2015.

Galloway has outraised her Republican challenger, Saundra McDowell, by more than $1 million, and it’s not difficult to see why donors would not want to throw good money after bad on a hapless candidate like McDowell. Forget following the money in Missouri’s complex government to root out waste and fraud; McDowell can’t even follow the money from her own back account to her own creditors. She has been sued civilly seven times in the past five years over unpaid bills. One judgment resulted in McDowell being evicted from her home in July 2015, just a few months after Galloway assumed her public duties as state government’s most critical watchdog.

The only voter who would evict a proven battler for the public good like Galloway to replace her with someone who can’t even pay her own bills – lately – is a voter hopelessly lost to party affiliation over reason and evidence. Unfortunately, Missouri is home to many Republican supporters over Trump who have proven themselves capable of making the most irrational, destructive, fact-blind decisions in the voting booth.

St. Louis Comptroller Darlene Green, who audits city government, told us Galloway “has proven that she can protect taxpayer dollars from fraud and mismanagement.” St. Louis Treasurer Tishaura O. Jones – who has been such a good steward of the city’s vast parking revenues that the rest of city government is determined to wrest them from her – told us Galloway “is adamant about following the law and uncovering corruption in throughout our state.” State Senator Jamilah Nasheed said Galloway has “made it her mission to stomp out waste, fraud and abuse in Missouri government” to free up “money that can be reinvested into communities just like ours.” Galloway remaining state auditor is good for everyone in Missouri who is not a fraud, abuser or wastrel. Republicans stand behind a fraud, abuser and wastrel at the top of their party, so we can only hope that a critical mass of those people will vote in this race mindful of their clear, undeniable self-interest as taxpayers. We certainly will. As for voters who lean Democratic, we can only beg that you make your way down the ballot to get to Galloway and vote for her. We strongly endorse NICOLE GALLOWAY FOR MISSOURI STATE AUDITOR

Brendan Kelly for Illinois’ 12th Congressional District

We believe voters who care about this country and its well-being should be focused on disrupting one or both of the Republican majorities in Congress that enable and protect this dangerous, disreputable president. Illinois’ 12th Congressional District is one of the best hopes we have of picking up a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives.

The district – All or parts of Belleville, Cahokia, Carbondale, Collinsville, East St. Louis, Granite City, Herrin, Marion, Mt. Vernon, O’Fallon, Shiloh and Swansea in the Metro East – currently is represented by a Republican from Murphysboro, U.S. Rep. Mike Bost. He voted for the tax overhaul bill that endangered crucial safety net programs to further lighten the tax responsibility of the wealthiest Americans and voted to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act with its many consumer protections, including forcing insurers to cover people with preexisting health conditions. He has to go.

His Democratic challenger is Brendan Kelly, the state’s attorney for St. Clair County and a lawyer and former naval officer. As state’s attorney, he has worked to harness grants for public housing, as well as trauma-informed education and policing. Kelly has campaigned in the district’s black communities and received a campaign visit from none other than Congressman John Lewis (D-Georgia), who asked voters to send Kelly to him as a colleague. We agree. We strongly endorse BRENDAN KELLY FOR ILLINOIS’ 12TH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT

Kwame Raoul for Illinois attorney general

Two pending lawsuits could make a big difference for people whose coverage depends on Obamacare, via either Medicaid’s expansion in Illinois or the subsidies the law makes available for middle-income people without workplace health benefits. One features Democratic attorneys general suing to stop the Trump administration’s tactic of dismantling the Affordable Care Act one piece at a time. In a second lawsuit, Republican attorneys general – including Josh Hawley of Missouri – want a federal court to rule that Obamacare is unconstitutional. Democratic AGs have intervened in the ACA’s defense.

It’s abundantly clear which group Kwame Raoul, a Democratic state senator running for Illinois attorney general, would join. On healthcare access – as well as civil rights, student debt, the environment and other key areas – he intends to challenge, not acquiesce to, the Trump administration in court. We are confident that he has the legal and advocacy skills to do so successfully.

His Republican opponent, Champaign attorney Erika Harold, is unlikely to take such an activist stance. She speaks of simply “enforcing the law” and suing the federal government only when necessary to protect Illinois interests that she appears to define narrowly. Would that include defending the law responsible for over one million Illinoisans’ health coverage? She has avoided directly answering that question, and we are left to assume that since she said she would repeal the ACA during her 2014 congressional run, her enthusiasm for defending it in court would be limited at best.

Both candidates praise outgoing Attorney General Lisa Madigan’s admirable record on consumer protection. Both prioritize government transparency. And both speak passionately about criminal justice reform and combating police brutality. But it is Raoul who has the knowledge and experience to back up his commitment with a proven record; he understands how to navigate political realities and work with legislators, law enforcement and activists to produce the reforms that make a difference on the ground. And he is ready to fight Trump. Raoul’s legal and policy expertise, passion for healthcare access, and willingness to challenge injustice in an unusual and frightening time are what Illinois needs in its attorney general. We strongly endorse KWAME RAOUL FOR ILLINOIS ATTORNEY GENERAL

Cort VanOstran for Missouri’s 2nd Congressional District

Something is happening in Missouri’s Second Congressional District. When we endorsed Cort VanOstran in the Democratic primary, we did so in part because he had demonstrated an unprecedented ability to challenge U.S. Rep. Ann Wagner (R-Missouri), a three-term incumbent and Trump acolyte. He has outraised her in multiple quarters and helped to garner national attention for their race. Now, it looks like we were right. The most recent polling shows that VanOstran in a statistical dead heat with the incumbent Republican, an impressive feat considering that the GOP intentionally redrew the Second Congressional District years ago to try to make it a safe Republican district.

VanOstran’s message has resonated because he believes in the same things that the voters of the Second District believe in: affordable health care, strong public education, common-sense gun reform, getting money out of politics. He got in the race after Wagner voted to repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA), including its protection of people with pre-existing conditions. VanOstran’s mother relied on an ACA plan at the end of her life, which makes this race personal for him. VanOstran’s story reminds voters how decisions made in Congress affect the lives of people here at home, a lesson Wagner seems to have forgotten.

At the same time, VanOstran has bucked the national trend by advocating for policies Democrats don’t often talk about, from lowering tax rates to increasing border security (without spending billions on a wall). He has pledged to join the Problem Solvers Caucus, a bipartisan group in Congress committed to finding innovative ways to get politicians to cross the aisle and work together. And he has listened to his constituents by holding six town halls in just the past three months and promising to hold one at least four times a year once he is elected. Meanwhile, his Republican opponent still hasn’t held one single town hall in the district in her six years in office.

The voters of the Second Congressional District are independent-minded people. They deserve an independent-minded congressman, not a representative who thinks it is her job to vote with Trump 97 percent of the time, rather than show up to listen to the people she is sworn to represent. It is time for a change – in the district and in the nation, which would benefit greatly from Democrats retaking a House majority and gaining leverage to curb this this dangerous, destructive president. The St. Louis American strongly endorses CORT VANOSTRAN FOR CONGRESS FOR THE SECOND CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT

County propositions 1, 2, B and C

St. Louis County’s long November 6 ballot will give voters four chances to rein in County Executive Steve Stenger: the County Charter amendments contained in Propositions 1, 2, B, and C. All of these amendments are designed to prevent some of the most glaring problems with Stenger’s first four years.

County Proposition 1 is a direct challenge to Stenger’s ability to exchange campaign donations for county contracts. Stenger’s campaign donors received nearly $400 million in public funds after giving his campaign almost $4 million. Proposition 1 would present a big roadblock in Stenger’s way by limiting campaign donations to only $2,600 per person. The proposition isn’t perfect: it will likely result in Stenger diverting more campaign donors to political action committees, making it even hard to trace just how much he is for sale. But it’s a step in the right direction. WE STRONGLY ENDORSE COUNTY PROPOSITION 1

County Proposition B would withdraw from Stenger his ability to manipulate the county’s budget during the fiscal year, and ensure that the County Council – which, in its current iteration, is much more responsive to the community – controls the budget throughout the year. Last year, Stenger tried to use his budget authority to starve the County Council of funds, requiring a judge to step in just before the council ran out of money to declare Stenger’s budget manipulations illegal. WE STRONGLY ENDORSE COUNTY PROPOSITION B

County Proposition C would ensure that a website make public county financial documents, ensuring that the county’s financial picture be as transparent as possible. Requiring Stenger’s administration to be more transparent with its finances, together with the County Council’s continued scrutiny over Stenger’s every move, will help protect taxpayer funds from misuse.

WE STRONGLY ENDORSE COUNTY PROPOSITION C WE PREVIOUSLY ENDORSED COUNTY PROPOSITION 2, which would curtail Stenger’s plans to sell or lease county park land to developers by requiring a public vote for any transaction.

Adam Layne and Jared Opsal for St. Louis Board of Education

There is a critically important election on the ballot November 6 that could impact 25,000 children and their families in the city of St. Louis. At the very bottom of a very long ballot, voters will have the chance to choose two candidates for the St. Louis Board of Education. This is the most important school board election in a decade because there is a distinct probability that next year the State Board of Education will return control of Saint Louis Public Schools (SLPS) to the elected board from the appointed board that has done so much to stabilize the previously troubled district.

There are seven candidates vying to fill two seats. At a recent candidate forum, all seven demonstrated the thoughtfulness, ability to fully articulate their ideas, and stable temperament required to do the job. Voters have an exceptional field from which to choose, but choose we must.

Four candidates have extensive experience with SLPS; one of them, Joyce Roberts, was recognized as Lifetime Achiever in Education by this newspaper’s foundation seven years ago. But The American recommends moving in a different direction. St. Louis needs new, able leadership, and to get new leadership requires generational change.

For the sake of St. Louis’ children, this emerging, diverse generation must claim its inheritance, the right and responsibility to shape the future they and their children will share. And it’s time for the rest of us to entrust them with that future. The St. Louis American strongly endorses ADAM LAYNE AND JARED OPSAL FOR ST. LOUIS BOARD OF EDUCATION

• Claire McCaskill for U.S. Senate

• Kwame Raoul for Illinois attorney general

• Jake Zimmerman for St. Louis County assessor

• Jill Schupp for Missouri Senate

• Yes on Amendment 1 to clean up Missouri politics

• Medical marijuana: Yes on Amendment 2, no on Amendment 3, yes on Proposition C.

• Yes on Proposition B to raise the minimum wage

In recognition of its

Urban League Square on Thursday, October 18. Michael P. McMillan, president and CEO of the Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis, led the ceremony renaming

Follow the voices of adoptees

Bethany Christian Services, a global non-profit organization committed to bringing and keeping families together, is asking adoptees to share their experiences. By discussing adoption from this critical perspective of the adoptee’s voice, Bethany hopes to increase awareness for the adoptees’ journey and help adoptive families better understand their experiences.

Approximately 135,000 children are adopted in the United States each year, and there are an estimated seven million adoptees in America. However, when it comes to talking about adoption, it is rare that the adoptees’ story is shared. Follow Bethany Christian Services on social media to hear stories directly from adoptees’ perspectives, and visit www.Bethany.org/NAM for downloadable resources.

December 1 deadline for Teen Talent Competition

Talented teens have until December 1 to enter the 9th annual St. Louis Teen Talent Competition hosted by the Fox Performing Arts Charitable Foundation. Contestants must be enrolled in the 9th, 10th, 11th or 12th grade in the 2018-2019 school year and must attend a high school/home school within a 50-mile bi-state radius from the Gateway Arch.

Performing arts categories include (but are not limited to): singer, actor, musician, dancer, band, comedian, magician, circus act or specialty act, which may include up to six students performing as a group and can perform original or published material.

Students will be vying for more than $40,000 in college scholarships, cash awards, and prizes as well as performance opportunities. Registration is free and is now open at foxpacf.org.

Amendment 1 would clean up state politics

By Louise Wilkerson For The St. Louis

American

Amendment 1 is officially on the November 6 ballot, giving Missouri voters a chance to clean up state politics. Opponents – whose spokespeople are mostly powerful lobbyists – claim its five reforms will confuse voters. What voters should not be confused about is that Amendment 1 ends gerrymandering. The League of Women Voters has studied this legislative reform initiative and knows it would prohibit racial and partisan gerrymandering in Missouri. About 90 percent of races under the current maps have not been competitive, leaving both Republicans and Democrats able to get re-elected while ignoring their constituents. Amendment 1 ensures neither party gets an unfair advantage when state legislative maps are drawn after each census and protects minority communities from vote dilution. An independent demographer would draw district maps that would then be reviewed by a citizen commission that must hold public hearings. Currently, the process is not transparent. Lobbyists and politicians draw maps behind closed doors to protect incumbents and their parties. That undermines our representative democracy, giving politicians the power to choose voters, instead of giving voters the power to choose their politicians. A key goal of Amendment 1 is to have fair maps and transparency in the redistricting process, in addition to decreasing the influence of lobbyists and big money in the legislature. The League of Women Voters supports Amendment 1 to clean up Missouri politics. Learn more at lwvmissouri.org.

Louise Wilkerson is secretary of the League of Women Voters of Missouri.

Louise Wilkerson

100th anniversary, the Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis hosted an honorary street dedication of

Grandel Square as Urban League Square.

Grandel Square becomes Urban League Square

Photo by Wiley Price

to vote, but they often don’t have the resources or support to get to the polls, Hill said.

“We can increase that,” Hill said.

Getting people to vote has become a way to engage people in the voting process while soliciting thoughts and concerns about the public schools.

When they talk to people, they ask them if they plan on voting. They explain that the polls are open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday, November 6 and ask if they know how to look up their polling location (visit Bit.ly/lookuppoll).

If they aren’t able vote on November 6, they provide the number to call the Board of Election Commissioners (314-622-3250 in the city, 314615-1800 in the county) to ask about absentee voting, which is underway.

If they plan on going to the polls, they ask if they need a ride. If so, they provide the number for Souls to the Polls, which is 314-562-0411.

Hill’s team explains which forms of ID to take to the polls. You only need one of these: a voter registration card, utility bill, bank statement, paycheck, Missouri driver or non-driver’s license, non-expired military

McCASKILL

Continued from A1 racism and hatred.

I am a progressive Democrat, which in the moderate to conservative climate of the Midwest implies that my political goals are usually unattainable. However, I stand solid behind my belief that government has an unequivocal responsibility to care for the marginalized and most vulnerable in society. These core values are why I am supporting U.S. Senator Claire

ID, U.S. Passport, ID from a Missouri college or technical school. They also explain that no photo ID is required to cast a ballot, since a court ruling in early October. If voters are asked for a photo ID, Hill explains that they should call the election board (314-6224800 in the city, 314-615-1800 in the county).

Also, voters who encounter problems at the polls can call the Missouri Election Protection Coalition hotline at 1-866-OUR-VOTE (866687-8683), which is part of a national effort.

McCaskill’s re-election bid. McCaskill believes that one of the most fundamental rights is the right to vote, and she has backed legislation to restore the full protection of the Voting Rights Act. She has stood firm against voter photo ID laws. She has pushed for bipartisan criminal justice reform and called for a top-to-bottom review of the criminal justice system. She has fought to protect the Affordable Health Care and SNAP for lowincome families.

I would like to see McCaskill make a stronger commitment to raising the

Aside from voting information, they also let residents know about the Better Budget, Better Schools public hearing on why equitable school funding matters. It will be held from 6:30-8 p.m. Wednesday, November 14 at Central Print, 2624 N. 14th St. It’s free and open to the public with dinner provided. RSVP at bit.ly/bbbspublichearing.

Souls to the Polls

Mary Wheeler-Jones retired from her longtime post as Democrat director of the

minimum wage, health care for all, free college tuition, and eliminating cash bail, among other issues that I believe are important to making our society and environment safer and better for all. I pledge to work with her, or against her, to aggressively address and attain these things. But what I will not do is stay at home or vote for a third-party candidate.

We must not allow our being fed up with government ineffectiveness and political partisan bickering – or our mistaken

St. Louis election board in February. She didn’t get to rest long before the Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis tapped her to direct their Souls to the Polls initiative. She dived into her role in September, by visiting numerous high schools, libraries and colleges to register people to vote.

Getting people out to vote is her passion, she said.

“From my past life, that was the most disturbing part,” Wheeler-Jones said. “We would do all these preparations to get ready for the election, and 20 percent or less of the

belief that our vote doesn’t change anything or that one candidate is just as bad as the other – to keep us from exercising one of the only avenues for change that we really have: our vote.

I know progressives who believe a vote against McCaskill is their only avenue of protest against a Democratic Party that has not been too welcoming. But there are groups of people and communities that need your vote and cannot afford your protest. The results of this election could literally mean life or death for many

Elise Hawkins and Monti Hill spoke with Jerome Harris on Tuesday, October 30 as they canvassed the 3700 block of North Market Street to help get out the vote for the November 6 general election.

people show up and we still have to do the same preparation if 100 percent of the people show up. This is our time to get the vote out.”

Back in those days, she would never fail to get the call that they ran out of stickers at the polls.

“Everyone wants their ‘I voted’ sticker,” WheelerJones said. “That gave me the idea to create something that says, “I will vote” prior to the election.”

Michael McMillan, president and CEO of the local Urban League, loved the idea,

Americans and others around the world already living in fear, famine, and frustration.

I’ve met with her opponent, Josh Hawley, and he did not give me false hope, or any hope, that he would support my issues. He was clear and has been consistent that he would follow the lead of the current president. That alone was enough for me to fully support McCaskill.

There is, without a doubt, too much at stake in this election, and a Hawley victory would not be a people’s victory. A McCaskill defeat would be devastating to

she said. So they printed 1,000 “I will vote” buttons that she has been passing out wherever she goes. They are also located at the Urban League offices is anyone wants to stop by and get one, she said.

Wheeler-Jones is also directing the rides to the polls on election day. If anyone needs a ride to the polls, call 314-562-0411. If you’d like to volunteer to be a driver, call 314-348-2234. Her main piece of advice to voters is to print and fill out a sample ballot.

“It would help the voters and everyone if they get a copy of the sample ballot,” she said. “For St. Louis County, it’s going to be the longest in history. So they can print out the ballot and have it all filled out. You can take your sample ballot in with you to the vote.” For a sample ballot in the county, visit www.stlouisco. com/yourgovernment/ elections and click on “Sample Ballot.” In the city, visit www.tinyurl.com/STLsample-ballot. The Missouri Secretary of State also offers the chance to preview candidates and issues for most voting precincts at voteroutreach.sos.mo.gov. Your local election authority also should have a sample ballot to preview in the office.

communities of color for years to come.

Claire McCaskill is not the perfect candidate for a progressive like me, but she still gives me hope. I believe that she has heard the criticisms and cries of the people. I’m not going to allow my vote to be about Claire. I’m going to make my vote be about me and the future of my family and community. I trust that you will too.

Rev. Darryl Gray is a civil rights activist, former Kansas state senator, and chairperson of the Missouri Democratic Party Progressive Caucus.

Photo by Wiley Price

SHANGE

Continued from A1

‘Buffered by the black community’

Born Paulette Linda Williams in Trenton, New Jersey, she came with her family to St. Louis so that her father Paul Williams Sr., a surgeon, could further his training at Homer G. Phillips Hospital. Her mother, Eloise Williams, was an educator and psychiatric social worker.

Starting at the age of 8, Paulette spent several years of her childhood in St. Louis as a Gem, the daughter organization of The Links, Inc. She developed lifelong friendships lovingly cultivated well after her family moved back to their native New Jersey when she was in her early teens.

Though St. Louis was segregated, the Williams family enjoyed a comfortable existence at their home on Windermere Place.

“As children buffered by the black community, we were able to live full lives,” said Emily Jenkins, a friend and fellow Gem. They took ballet lessons, played the piano, learned to knit and were taught public service. Their comfortable lives didn’t mean they were shielded from ever-present racism. It was more blatant in St. Louis during William’s early childhood, when the Civil Rights Movement was in its infancy, than on the East Coast. The Gems remember not being permitted to take a dip at the pool at the Forest Park Highlands amusement park during scorching St. Louis summers. When they attended a popular movie theater downtown, they had to sit in the balcony, recalled Dianne Williams Powell, a Gem and next door neighbor. They also had to settle for takeout food at the popular Parkmoor restaurant as opposed to being seated inside. When Paulette was

transferred to Dewey Elementary School to participate in the school’s gifted program, the Brown v. Board of Education Supreme Court ruling was still fresh. As the first black student many of her classmates had studied alongside, she experienced the acute pain and humiliation of racial harassment. She retreated to the Cabanne Branch Library, read avidly and furthered a love of writing nurtured by her parents.

Patrons of the arts and part of the black intelligentsia, her parents often carted Paulette and her younger sister Wanda (later known as playwright Ifa Bayeza) to poetry readings. Her experiences in St. Louis would inspire Shange’s acclaimed novel “Betsey Brown.”

“She had a glint in her eye,” said Williams Powell. “Little did we know that a fire would emerge from within her,” Jenkins said, “and come out on the page in a way it never had before.”

The emancipation of Ntozake Shange

After graduating from Lawrence High School in New Jersey, Paulette Williams attended Barnard College in New York City. While at Barnard, she met future Grammy Award-winning writer, poet and playwright Thulani Davis (then known as Barbara Davis). The two would become longtime collaborators – and their creative connection would continue well after Williams graduated cum lade from Barnard with a bachelor’s degree in American Studies. She then earned a master’s degree in American Studies from the University of Southern California. Her college years were marked by personal turmoil. As the identity of Paulette Williams came undone, according to Jenkins, “she traveled to Africa and emerged ‘Ntozake Shange.’”

In the South African Xhosa language, Ntozake means “she who has her own things,” and Shange means one “who walks/

Ntozake Shange with lifelong St. Louis friends Connie Gladney Agard and Dianne Williams Powell in 2017.

lives with lions” in Zulu.

In addition to her new identity, Shange’s pain and subsequent liberation would set the stage for a creative masterpiece.

‘for colored girls who …’

Shange returned to New York in 1975. She became a founding member of the Nuyorican Poets Café, where she first performed her selfdescribed “choreopoem –for colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf.” That same year the work was adapted for the stage. The title alone is revolutionary. Colored girls aren’t allowed to think about taking their own lives when the load of the world becomes unbearable, let alone use art as a means to talk about it. Through the perspectives of a handful of women of color, the work details the ecstasy and pathos of falling in love and the risk of losing oneself by forming attachments to others without a grounded critique.

“for colored girls,” agilely conveys what it feels like to be mistreated, abused, and violated by those we trust and love.

“This was a time when men were allowed to do anything they wanted to do,” said Leslie Word Leath, another Gem and friend.

“And ‘Zake (as friends called Shange), through ‘for colored girls,’ said firmly, ‘You can’t do anything you want with me. This behavior is not acceptable.’ Black women needed to define who we were for ourselves – and determine our own rules.”

Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Lynn Nottage quoted a line from “for colored girls”: “I found god in myself, and I loved her, I loved her fiercely.”

“It was a glorious choreopoem that gave voice to a generation of young black women’s desires, joys and frustrations,” Nottage said. “It was the first time many of us saw our truth presented in full color on the American stage.”

“It was a game changer

for black women to tell the truth, speak their truth and be recognized for their full humanity,” Jenkins said. “The Black Liberation Movement didn’t fully address who we were – neither did white women’s feminism.”

“‘for colored girls’ is more than a play,” said Brown University professor Kym Moore, who has directed the masterpiece numerous times. “It is a ritual of healing and transformation. Shange’s poetry is an incantation that is designed to affect the root of who we are as women and as human beings.”

The play became an instant classic in the canon of the black theater and is still performed by historic and contemporary black theater organizations alike.

More than 40 years after the Obie Award-winning play made its debut, “for colored girls” is scheduled to run at the Public Theater in New York soon in preparation for a Broadway revival. Leath said Shange, who was still performing despite being confined to a wheelchair at recent appearances, was “off the charts with excitement” that “for colored girls” would soon resurge on the New York theater scene. And The Gems were planning a group trip to New York to be by her side for the premiere.

“We’re still going to go to support our sister and celebrate her work,” Leath said. “She’ll be there in the rafters, with her red lipstick and beautiful earrings. The fact that she’s moved onto another realm will not change our love for her.”

Nor will it for her many fans – and the countless artists she inspired.

Nottage said, “Her passing leaves a huge hole in our theater community.”

Shange is survived by her daughter Savannah Shange, sister Ifa Bayeza, sister Bisa Williams, brother Paul T. Williams, Jr. and granddaughter Harriet ShangeWatkins. Final services are pending. Kenya Vaughn contributed to this report.

TERRORISM

Continued from A1

Democrats and one media outlet that Trump repeatedly has attacked by name.

All suspects arrested in all of these acts of domestic terrorism were white men.

One, the alleged pipe bomber, reportedly was driving a van plastered with images of Trump.

St. Louis leaders across the spectrum, both black and Jewish, are clear where to direct the blame – and for the need to remain strong and, above all, to vote on November 6, despite the hate and danger.

“This president is directly responsible for the recent rise in domestic terrorism,” said St. Louis Treasurer Tishaura O. Jones. “He has consistently encouraged these attacks through his hateful rhetoric, both at campaign rallies and via social media.”

Rabbi Susan Talve – the founding rabbi of Central Reform Congregation, the only Jewish congregation located within the city limits of St. Louis – pointed to a text that many blacks and Jews hold sacred: the ancient Hebrew scripture.

“Pharaoh is a symbol of

dangerous leadership. The root of his very name in Hebrew –divider –tells us why,” Talve said.

“As the great divider, his power depended on the antidemocratic principles of divide and conquer, of a society based on fear, on haves and have-nots where the haves are willing to do anything to hold on to what they think they have. When the leadership of our nation uses this playbook, we should not be surprised that we are in mourning, again.”

U.S. Rep. Wm. Lacy Clay (D-Missouri), one of Trump’s most staunch opponents in Congress, called these recent acts of violence “a symptom of the vile disease that the president has inflamed by embracing intolerance, division, racism and hate.” Clay derided Trump as “a morally bankrupt leader who gives safe haven and credibility to the most toxic voices in this country.”

State Senator Jill Schupp (D-Creve Coeur) – one of two Jews in the Missouri Legislature and the only one on the November 6 ballot (in the 24th Senate District) –described these terrorist acts in the context of the racist, violent culture stoked by Trump.

“The rise of white nationalism, ignoring gun

violence as a community health issue, the leadership that allows separation of parents from their children at our borders, incendiary remarks and name-calling, all create an environment that permits the unspeakable to become normalized,” Schupp said.

State Rep. Stacey Newman (D-Richmond Heights), a Jewish legislator who is termlimited, listed a wider range of victims of hate crimes than those targeted last week.

“Not one of us is protected as this president and his enablers promote anti-Semitism, Nazism, white supremacy, bigotry, transphobia, misogyny, Islamophobia and nationalism,” Newman said. “Thoughts and prayers by those in office are

not action and do not keep any of us safe as uncontrolled hatred runs rampant.”

Adolphus M. Pruitt II, president of the St. Louis City NAACP, offered a public prayer to the victims at the Tree of Life Synagogue and traced the hate and violence back to a pivotal event in the Trump era.

“The same sort of hate was prevalent last year when white supremacists in Charlottesville invoked the classic imagery of Nazis racist terror with a torchlight march, chanting, ‘Jews will not replace us,’” Pruitt said.

Karen Aroesty, regional director of the Anti-Defamation League, pointed out that the perpetrators of this hate and violence are not the terrorists that receive the Trump

A makeshift memorial stands outside the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh.

administration’s focus.

“We have been sharing information about the rise in anti-Semitism, racism, and anti-immigrant sentiments connected to white supremacists,” Aroesty said, “explaining that more than 70 percent of such incidents are due to the actions of domestic terrorists, and not the result of Islamist or ‘foreign’ terrorism.”

Local leaders agreed that the only response to hate and violence is unity in non-violent resistance and activism at the polls on November 6.

“We call on everyone to condemn these heinous acts and bring about a renewed commitment to civil discourse and to embrace our nation’s diversity,” said Michael P. McMillan, president and CEO of the Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis.

Aroesty said she has been “uplifted by friends, colleagues and allies of all religions, races and ethnic backgrounds coming together to support

each other, share sadness and commit to actions that will build community long after the haters are gone.”

Rabbi Talve admitted that she fears “the bullies and the growing violence,” yet holds onto hope – “hope that enough of us know that ‘nationalism’ is code for more division, that incivility breeds immorality, and that the outpouring of support for those who are targets of ignorance and hate will join together to overcome this wave of violence with learning and love.”

Schupp said these horrible events “call us to stand up, vote, call out the indignities and the hate rhetoric – to be the change that will bring humanity and goodness, acceptance and tolerance back to the public sphere.”

Newman offered a steely challenge.

“None of us should stand idly by, stand by in silence or of complicity against extremism and hate. We know exactly who encouraged and propelled the gunman to act with hatred. We know who the enablers are and exactly who still remain silent,” Newman said.

“Even though none of us are safe, we know what we must do, particularly on Tuesday, November 6. We know that enablers cannot remain in office and that our lives are dependent on state legislatures and Congress standing up to bullies and the rise of toxic domestic right-wing white extremism.”

Three voting myths that should not keep you home on Election Day

Grant Doty, a civil rights attorney in St. Louis, offers a guest Political EYE this week.

Perversely, an important court victory protecting citizens’ right to vote and the resulting media coverage may actually have muddled things for voters. Some may now wrongly think if they recently moved and did not re-register to vote that they are not eligible to exercise their rights on Election Day. It is important to dispel this and two other myths before November 6.

Last month, a federal judge ruled the Missouri secretary of state and Department of Revenue likely violated federal voting law when in 2017 they stopped providing those who updated their mailing address online with the required voter registration services, specifically allowing it to also serve as notification of change of address for voter registration. As a remedy, the judge ordered the state to mail 22,000 notices to those who might have been impacted, instructing them how to ensure they are properly registered.

Both the court’s ruling and the mass mailing were picked up by a significant number of media outlets. Unfortunately, the necessary summarizing of the court’s 13-page order resulted in one concluding hyperbolically: “Missourians who changed their mailing address may not be registered to vote.” Combine this with the new Missouri voter photo identification law, and there are three voting myths that must be debunked.

Voting Myth 1. If I moved and did not update my voter registration, I am no longer registered to vote.

Fact. The majority of people who move remain registered to vote in Missouri.

Although the U.S. Census Bureau reports that one in nine people change addresses each year (which comes to an estimated 1.3 million Missourians since the 2016 election), most do so close to home – 62 percent of moves are in the same county.

It is therefore significant that Missouri law states if you move within the same county (or within the City of St. Louis) you remain registered and need only provide “written or oral affirmation by the voter of the new address” on Election Day “at the polling place that serves [your] new address.”

So if, for example, you were registered to vote at a home in one ward and recently moved to a nursing home in another ward, or you moved from an apartment or college dorm near Saint Louis University

to Soulard, you remain registered and can vote at the polling place serving your new address. And you must be permitted to vote after giving “written or oral affirmation” that you moved – i.e., they cannot require documentary proof.

If, on the other hand, you moved from St. Louis city to St. Louis County, from one voting jurisdiction to another, your voter registration will not follow you. You must re-register. If you did not do so before the voter registration deadline on October 10, you will not be eligible to vote in November (although you will be registered for future elections).

Voting Myth 2. If I have the wrong address on my driver’s license, this will prevent me from voting given Missouri’s new photo identification law. Fact. A current address on your photo identification is not required to vote. The law does not even mention the voter’s address for any form of primary identification (e.g., driver’s license, non-driver license, military identification, passport, etc.). In fact, neither passports nor military IDs even list addresses.

Note, however, if you do not have a photo identification (see Voting Myth 3), poll workers will require something with your address, such as a bank statement or utility bill.

Voting Myth 3. If I don’t have photo identification, lose it just before Election Day,

or leave it at home, this will prevent me from voting.

Fact. It is estimated that 5 percent of registered voters in Missouri lack the prescribed non-expired Missouri or federal photo identification. But as long as those voters present a secondary form of identification – such as a college ID, the voter notification card they got in the mail, or a current utility bill, bank statement or other government document – they can still vote. Do not be dissuaded from going to the polls because of any of these myths. And if you get to your local precinct and are told you can’t vote, push back hard. You have a right to vote.

Finally, before giving up, please call the non-partisan Election Protection Hotline at 866-OURVOTE (866-6878683) to speak to attorneys who can answer any questions about your eligibility and assist you in defending your right to vote. The hotline is answered live now through Election Day. Election Protection volunteers will also be at polls throughout the region on Election Day and available to help.

New zoo sales tax –fair to none

Ben Uchitelle, former Clayton mayor and former chair of the Metropolitan Zoo Museum District, also offers a guest Political EYE item this week.

Voters check in at a polling location for the March 2016 Presidential Preference Primary. For the November 6 midterm general election, voters need to warned against various myths and misinformation. If you moved and did not re-register to vote, check to see if you are registered; you will be if you moved within the same county. You do not need to have the correct address on your driver’s license to vote. And you do not need a photo ID to vote.

The St. Louis Zoo is a regional and national treasure. Consistently voted one of the best in the nation, it annually attracts upwards of 3 million visitors. Where does the zoo obtain its basic funding? Since 1972 an annual property tax levied against residents of St. Louis and St. Louis County. That generates $21 million a year and is essential to its operations. Of the $21M, a whopping 80 percent is footed by St. Louis County residents and properties. All revenues are carefully supervised by

the independent Zoo Museum District (the ZMD). Yet now the zoo has put on the St. Louis County November 6 ballot Proposition Z, a one-eighth percent sales tax that would be in addition to its existing property tax. This is unfair in the extreme for many reasons. The proposed sales tax would be imposed only in St. Louis County, not St. Louis, not St. Charles, not other ring counties. This on top of the 80 percent of the property taxes St. Louis County already is paying. Now the zoo wants the county to pay all of the sales tax! The sales tax is highly regressive. It would apply to every taxable sale in St. Louis County including food and other necessities. It would cause overall sales taxes to come close or in many places exceed 10 percent. There would be no supervision of the sales tax funds by the independent ZMD. All moneys would go directly to the zoo, and it would have the sole discretion on how it spends the funds. There is no sunset provision. So, if approved, the tax would go on forever without any outside supervision.

Granted, the zoo needs more funds. A far fairer way to raise more money would be a small admission fee charged to non-city or non-county visitors. This is particularly equable since annually more than 55 percent of zoo visitors are neither city nor county residents! The fee would raise millions of dollars annually from the more than 1.5 million non-city and non-county zoo visitors. The Missouri Botanical Garden does that right now. Would non-city and noncounty visitors support an admission charge? The answer is yes, as demonstrated in a recent survey which showed a high majority of the residents of St. Charles County who visited the Zoo would support an admission charge. Rather than approve a tax that is unfair in all respects, we should support the zoo in seeking approval of an admission fee for non-city and non-county visitors.

Photo by Lawrence Bryant

Democrats have nothing to lose –but a majority (or two) to win

By Eugene Robinson Washington Post

Dear Democrats, You can do this. Stop fretting and second-guessing. Get out of your own way. Concentrate on turning out the vote and remember you have everything to gain in this midterm election and nothing to lose.

I say you have nothing to lose because that is literally true. Republicans control both chambers of Congress, most governorships, most state legislatures – and, of course, the White House, which isn’t up for grabs this time. The great blues artist Muddy Waters put it best: “You can’t spend what you ain’t got. You can’t lose what you ain’t never had.” So stop worrying, Democrats, that your House majority might be slipping away. You don’t have a House majority. But the odds of your winning one still look excellent – if you step up and grab it. And don’t let Republicans convince you that the Senate is already a lost cause. Yes, this year’s battlefields are mostly on GOP turf. But almost every race is close enough to be within reach. Think of it this way: Do Democrats’ chances of threading the needle and somehow snatching a Senate majority look any worse than Donald Trump’s chances of winning the presidency looked with 10 days to go before the 2016 election?

Consider Texas. The conventional wisdom seems to be that Democrat Beto O’Rourke, after a stunningly effective campaign, is likely to fall short in his bid to unseat GOP incumbent U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz. But if the outcome is already ordained, why did the Republican Party waste so much of its most valuable asset – Trump’s time and effort – on a rally in Cruz’s hometown of Houston? Why

did Cruz humiliate himself by sharing the stage with a man who made fun of his wife’s appearance and accused his father of being involved in the JFK assassination?

Much has been made of an uptick in Trump’s approval rating – now at 44 percent, according to Gallup. But in the 2010 midterms, when Democrats lost 63 seats in the House and Republicans took control, Barack Obama’s approval was 45 percent. And in 1994, when Democrats lost 53 seats and the speaker’s gavel, Bill Clinton’s approval was 46 percent. In 2014, when Obama’s approval was lower than Trump’s is now, Democrats did manage to hold their losses in the House to just 13 seats. But Republicans took control of the Senate.

The point is that with an unpopular president and a host of unpopular policies, Republicans are at a distinct disadvantage. They have to play defense. Democrats, who have so little to defend, can and should play offense with abandon.

To understate the obvious, much is at stake.

An aberrant, corrupt, out-ofcontrol presidency is widening our divisions, spitting on our values and mortgaging our future. Republicans, who once could call themselves the Party of Lincoln, are now the Party of Trump; they will not lift a finger to constrain the president or hold him accountable. Congress has the power to do both – but will not unless at least one chamber is in Democratic hands. But obsessing about the fact

that the November 6 elections are so consequential does not help. The one thing Democrats can and must do is get their voters to the polls. It should be no surprise that what once looked like a Democratic landslide now appears, as my friend Dan Rather might say, “as tight as a tick.” Anyone who has been paying attention knows that the country is divided along regional, cultural and demographic fault lines. Republicans were bound to find or manufacture some issue, some reason to claim victimhood, that would incite the party’s base. A bedraggled group of men, women and children, nearly 2,000 miles away in southern Mexico, is apparently the best they could come up with.

But Democratic enthusiasm remains stronger – and, I believe, deeper. We saw that passion at the Women’s March following Trump’s inauguration and across the country after the Charlottesville horror. We saw it in the party’s success at recruiting young, dynamic candidates from coast to coast. The Democratic leadership may be a bit long in the tooth, but when you look at rising stars such as Stacey Abrams in Georgia, Andrew Gillum in Florida and O’Rourke in Texas, you realize that the future is now.

Don’t be dour and doubtful, Democrats. Be joyous and determined. Stop worrying about losing what you “ain’t got” and focus on winning elections district by district, state by state. Don’t let Republicans bluff you into folding. You’re playing a very good hand.

Sincerely, A friend Eugene Robinson’s email address is eugenerobinson@ washpost.com.

Voters in Missouri will face a long ballot on November 6 with a number of complex ballot initiatives (including not one or two but three measures that would legalize and regulate medical marijuana).

For this reason, the St. Louis County Board of Elections is offering voters the opportunity to view the sample ballot for their precinct well before Election Day. Simply visit www. stlouisco.com/yourgovernment/ elections and click on “Sample Ballot.” After agreeing to the terms, voters will enter their address, and on the pop-up screen the voter can click on their sample ballot, view their polling place name, and find it on the map.

The City of St. Louis election board, which has a far simpler task than the county board,

already offers a sample ballot for each election online. For November 6, visit www.tinyurl.com/ STL-sample-ballot.

All registered voters will receive a white “notice of election” card in the mail, which also includes a sample ballot, approximately one week before Election Day. Election commissioners suggest voters mark the sample ballot they receive in the mail or the sample ballot they print from the website with their intended selections, so they can use it as a guide while voting.

The Missouri Secretary of State also offers the chance to preview candidates and issues for most voting precincts at voteroutreach.sos.mo.gov. Your local election authority also should have a sample ballot to preview in the office.

Columnist Eugene Robinson

Getting into the weeds on Missouri’s three medical marijuana measures

Former Supreme Court justice says ‘yes’ on Amendment 2, ‘no’ on Amendment 3

By Michael A. Wolff

For The St. Louis American

You will be able to vote

“yes” or “no” on November 6 on each of three ballot propositions to legalize and regulate medical marijuana in Missouri. This is complicated but worthy of your attention.

My recommendation:

Vote “yes” on Constitutional Amendment 2 and “no” on Constitutional Amendment 3. Proposition C, the third proposal, is acceptable but flawed – it lets the Legislature change the rules on medical marijuana and lets local authorities do the licensing of facilities.

Constitutional Amendment 2 would legalize sale and use of medical marijuana for patients to treat ailments as recommended by physicians. The state Department of Health and Senior Services would license and regulate the cultivation and distribution of medical marijuana.

A tax of four percent would support health care for veterans after the costs of the regulation are paid. The proposal is similar to laws in about 30 other states that have legalized medical marijuana. Patients would be permitted to grow a little of their own marijuana for their treatments.

The Epilepsy Foundation, the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), the National Organization for Reform of

Marijuana Laws (NORML) are among the organizations that have endorsed Amendment 2. Constitutional Amendment 3 proposes to legalize marijuana and imposes a sales tax of 15 percent, plus a flat tax on cultivation of $9.25 per ounce of marijuana flowers, $2.75 per ounce of leaves. Control of medical marijuana, including the tax money, would be vested in a “research board” of private citizens that would develop a research institute on at least one square mile of land. The institute would be devoted to finding cures for cancer and other “incurable” diseases. The research board could issue bonds in the name of the state and could use eminent domain to acquire the land needed for the institute. The initial research board would be appointed by Brad Bradshaw, a wealthy Springfield trial lawyer who is the initiator of Amendment 3. Bradshaw has funded about 98 percent of the cost of the Amendment 3 campaign.

Proposition C proposes to legalize medical marijuana through changes in Missouri statutes, instead of the state constitution. Its provisions are similar to those of Amendment 2, except that it provides for counties to license marijuana facilities. Its tax of two percent would, after regulation is paid for, be distributed for veterans care, early childhood education, drug treatment, and public

VOTE YES ON PROPOSITION 2!

Amendment 2 simply allows doctors to authorize patients to buy, and dispensaries to sell, marijuana for the treatment of a variety of conditions for which it may be effective.

safety. Proposition C does not allow patients to grow any of their own marijuana. If voters approve Proposition C, the legislature could make changes in the laws that differ from those that the voters approved. The proposal is sponsored by Missourians for Patient Care, an organization that includes lobbyists. What if two or all three of these ballot propositions receive more than 50 percent of the votes? The past provides little guidance because we apparently have not been so lucky as to have three ballot measures at once on the same topic. The Missouri Constitution says: “(A)ny measure proposed shall take effect when approved by a majority of the votes cast thereon. When conflicting

measures are approved at the same election the one receiving the largest affirmative vote shall prevail.”

Amendment 2 conflicts with Amendment 3, so the one that gets the most “yes” votes wins. Amendment 3 also conflicts with Proposition C, and if Amendment 3 gets the most yes votes, Proposition C fails. If Amendment 2 beats Amendment 3, and Proposition C gets more than 50 percent of the votes, a court might try to reconcile their provisions. Courts define “conflicting” as a situation where one would prohibit what the other permits. By that definition Amendment 2 and Proposition C may not be conflicting; both measures legalize and regulate medical marijuana within the structures of existing state government, while Amendment 3 would set up a privately appointed board

appointed by an unelected citizen – to regulate an industry, operate a taxfunded research facility, and control and spend hundreds of millions of dollars with no accountability to the voters. Two of the three branches of government – the executive and the legislative branches – are cut out of the process.

The Research Board – whose members are physicians and pharmacists who also hold PhDs or law degrees, or are Nobel laureates – are appointed by the research chairperson. The research chairperson is a board member elected by the board. These nine highly degreed board members would be paid at least as much as the chief justice of the Missouri Supreme Court. I could get further into the weeds explaining this convoluted process but I would

Amendment 2, Proposition C, the statutory proposal, also is acceptable as a way of legalizing medical marijuana. Both Proposition C and Amendment 2 are ready to go within the existing structure of our government. Statutory provisions in Missourians for Patient Care Prop C, if enacted, will be subject to change by the legislature, which has the authority to re-write statutes enacted by voters. We should remember that our legislature thus far has rejected bills that would legalize medical marijuana, and the criminal laws it has enacted currently result in prison for quite a few Missourians whose highest level of offense is marijuana possession. Amendment 2 seems preferable because its provisions would be in our well-cluttered constitution and, therefore, largely out of the reach of legislative meddling.

If Bradshaw’s Amendment 3 wins the race, patients in dire straits who want medical marijuana might consider moving to Illinois. Bradshaw’s marijuana government –largely unrestrained by our elected government – is likely to be challenged in court. A court challenge would delay, and ultimately may derail, the availability of medical marijuana in Missouri. Amendment 3 looks like a constitutional accident waiting to happen. Because voters can vote “yes” or “no” on each of the marijuana proposals on November 6 it might make sense to vote “yes” on both Amendment 2 and Proposition C, and, of course, “no” on Amendment 3. If Prop C gets the most affirmative votes, Amendment 3 may be defeated even if it gets more than 50 percent “yes” votes. But if Amendment 3 gets the largest number of affirmative votes, Amendment 2 and Prop C will be defeated, even if those proposals get a majority but not the largest number of “yes” So, if you favor medical marijuana, the bottom line is this: Resist the temptation to vote “yes” for all three. Definitely vote for Amendment 2. And, if you want insurance against Amendment 3 prevailing, you also should vote for Proposition C. In my opinion, one of these two acceptable proposals –Amendment 2 or Proposition C – will have to get the most affirmative votes if medical marijuana is to become a reality in Missouri. Amendment 2 is preferable, but it is rational to vote “yes” for Proposition C as Michael A. Wolff is former judge and chief justice of the Supreme Court of Missouri and former dean and professor emeritus of Saint Louis University Law School. This piece is based on a keynote address to Missouri NORML conference in June 2018; revised and updated, October

Guest Columnist Michael A. Wolff

The rise of American fascism depends on voter alienation

By Charles Jaco

For The St. Louis American

Shortly after civil rights hero and Georgia Congressman John Lewis appeared in East St. Louis last week at a get out the vote rally for Democrats, he tweeted a plea weighted down with history and sacrifice.

“I have been beaten, my skull fractured, and arrested more than 40 times so that each and every person has the right to register and vote,” he wrote. “Friends of mine gave their lives. Do your part. Get out there and vote like you’ve never voted before. #vote #goodtrouble.”

But to around half the eligible voters in the United States, John Lewis might as well have never existed. In 2016, 43 percent of eligible voters, around 100 million people, didn’t vote. In the last midterms, in 2014, 63 percent of eligible voters, over 146 million, stayed home. Some of that is due to voter suppression and purging of voter rolls. But a Government Accountability Office study under the Obama administration in 2014 concluded that those policies suppress turnout by, at most, two percentage points.

In Georgia, purging of voter rolls by Secretary of State

Brian Kemp (who also happens to be the GOP candidate for governor) and his refusal to recognize over 50,000 new voter registrants have become the major issues in Kemp’s fight to keep Democratic candidate Stacey Abrams from becoming Georgia’s first black governor. But a friend of mine who’s been canvassing for Abrams sent a disturbing note a few days ago.

“I was canvassing in Glynn County, GA this weekend, and it felt to me, as far as the citizens of Brunswick, GA are concerned, November 6 will be just another Tuesday in November,” he wrote.

“There’s a feeling that they couldn’t care less. They’ve been unmoved for a very long time.”

The areas he canvassed were working-class and poor and were mostly, but far from exclusively, African-American.

The attitudes in rural Georgia seemed to mirror a 2016 New York Times story about low turnout in predominantly black areas of Milwaukee. It quoted Milwaukee resident Cedric Fleming: “I don’t feel bad for not voting. They never do anything for us anyway.”

Anecdotes are not data. And the outcome of the 2017 special U.S. Senate election in Alabama shows just the

2016. Why?

Among all Americans, 63 million voted for Trump, 66 million voted for Hillary, and 100 million didn’t vote at all in 2016. Why?

opposite: robust AfricanAmerican turnout, especially among women, propelled Democrat Doug Jones to victory over Republican candidate and accused pedophile Roy Moore. Pundits like the incomparable Eugene Robinson have written that black women will be the key to these midterms, especially in the Missouri Senate race between Incumbent Democrat Claire McCaskill and GOP challenger Josh Hawley.

But the fact remains that, among all Americans, 63 million voted for Trump, 66 million voted for Hillary, and 100 million didn’t vote at all in

The Pew Research Center studied registered voters who didn’t vote in 2016 to find out. They discovered that 26 percent said they didn’t vote because they didn’t like the candidates or the campaign issues. Another 15 percent chose not to vote because they just weren’t interested or felt that their vote wouldn’t make any difference, while 14 percent didn’t vote because they were “too busy” or had conflicting schedules. Only six percent said they didn’t vote because of registration problems or because the polling place was too far away.

The disinterested, apathetic, alienated, and over-scheduled account for around 55 million potential votes. And while the entire phenomenon is often filed under “voter apathy,” the largest number of nonvoters are due to something else entirely – voter alienation. While that alienation from the entire system cuts across racial and demographic groups, it’s more severe in some than in others.

Despite the surge in registrations spurred by high school activists who survived the massacre at Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, voters under age 29 have the worst voting record of any group in the United States. In the 2016 election, only half of eligible 18- to 29-year-olds voted. In the last midterms, in 2014, their turnout was less than 20 percent. When four out of five members of any demographic group fail to vote, any candidate depending on that

group is going to lose. As some African Americans say their lifetime’s experience with racism and unresponsive politicians have convinced them that voting is usually futile, members of the under29 voting bloc have their own life experience that’s soured them on voting. Their earliest memories are of 9/11 and the surveillance state and two failed wars that followed and still continue. As adolescents, they saw greedy financiers take down the world’s economic system and not go to jail. They’ve seen wages stagnate, steady full-time jobs with benefits become rarer, and the part-time benefitless gig economy take over employment, from Uber and bartending to temporary coding and IT jobs that offer long hours and minimal pay. They find themselves crushed under student debt, with 44 million borrowers owing a staggering $1.5 trillion in student loans. Attempts to solve the problem through automatic voter registration, increased numbers of polling places, and making election day a federal holiday are worthy endeavors, and each of those things should be implemented. But the crisis of voter alienation is profound. Tens of millions of Americans have simply given up on, and checked out of, the entire political system. The cause has been the slow decline of American economic life, with two, sometimes three jobs necessary to keep a family’s head above water, while the oligarchical one percent hoovers most of the nation’s wealth into their own pockets. The result has been the rise of Trump and American fascism as white nationalist voters blame the decline not on the rich, but on non-whites. This is arguably the most important election since 1860. It’s also a chance for non-voters to look John Lewis straight in the eye and explain why they’re too alienated, or too busy, or too unengaged to vote. Charles Jaco is a journalist, author, and activist. Follow him on Twitter at @charlesjaco1.

Columnist Charles Jaco

Photo by Abigail Censky / St. Louis Public Radio

Congressman John Lewis implored a crowd at New Life Community Church in East St. Louis to get out and vote on October 16. He appeared on behalf of congressional candidate Brendan Kelly, who is running against Republican incumbent Mike Bost.

By Mike Jones

Once

again,

we ride to the rescue of an undeserving America

For The St. Louis American

Why I keep writing about the centrality of race and politics from a historical perspective is best summed up by James Baldwin: “Not everything that is faced can be changed. But nothing can be changed until it has been faced. History is not the past. It is the present. We carry our history with us. We are our history.”

On Tuesday, November 6, we will face an election of historic importance and, no matter the outcome, the aftershocks will resonate

through society and define the stakes for November 2020. And, no matter the outcome, the events of the last week –attempted pipe bomb political assassinations and mass murders in houses of worship – will continue unabated. We’ve been here before. In 1858 Abraham Lincoln,

accepting the Republican nomination for the U.S. Senate, arguably gave his first great speech. “A house divided against itself cannot stand,” he said. “I believe this government cannot endure permanently half slave and half free. It will either be all one thing or all the other.” The United States is facing a similar and very related existential dilemma 160 years later. The Civil War resolved

the question of slavery’s expansion and its legal status, but it didn’t resolve the issue of race. Race was merely deferred to the structural racism that created and sustained slavery.

It was this deferral, the unwillingness or inability to deal with race in an anti-racist manner that has brought us to this moment. Today

Americans are confronted with similar dilemmas that also superficially appear to be about race but really are about identity – who is an American? And just like in the 1850s, there is no middle ground.

Conservatives are forever whining about identity politics, especially when people of color or other marginalized communities use their identities to politically mobilize against conservative white privilege. This would be ironic if it were not so hypocritical. The real creators of identity politics in America are rich, privileged white men, who have conned working class white men and women into supporting their status and privilege by getting them to believe they too are part of America’s ruling elite. What tale has to be told to make someone believe something so absurdly untrue? The answer lies in 19th century pre-Civil War America. U.S. Senator John C. Calhoun of South Carolina, who was also vice president from 1825-32, is considered the architect for the intellectual rationalization for slavery and the plantation system.

“With us the two great divisions of society are not the rich and the poor, but white and black, and all the former, the poor as well as the rich, belong to the upper class, and are respected and treated as equals,” Calhoun wrote, “and hence have a position and pride of character of which neither poverty nor misfortune can deprive them.”

Average white people have internalized this theory of whiteness articulated by Calhoun, and that explains why low-income, workingclass white men routinely vote against their obvious economic interests. It explains why the majority of white women, despite the misogyny inherent in the Trump presidency, see their interests aligned with white men rather than their sisters of color. Not only did 52 percent of white women vote for Donald Trump, the majority of white women in Alabama voted for Roy Moore.

James Baldwin posed a question that speaks directly to this notion of America’s whiteness. It’s as jarring, relevant, and impossible to understate today as it was 50 years ago. “What white people have to do is try to find out in their own hearts why it’s necessary to have a nigger,” Baldwin wrote. “I’m a man, but if you think I’m a nigger, you need it.” The short answer is the “other” is required to maintain an army of average white people to protect the power and status of the privileged white few. So whether it’s us as the N-word, Mexicans as rapists, Muslims as terrorists, or the stereotypical Jewish Shylock, we are all necessary as the shiny object that keeps average white people from focusing on their alienation and oppression.

Just as Lincoln could not win the Civil War without black soldiers, anti-racist white Americans won’t prevail on Election Day without the 2018 electoral equivalent of the 54th Massachusetts Infantry in all its glory showing up on November 6 to make the difference. So once again, my brothers and sisters, we ride to the rescue of an undeserving America in order to save ourselves.

Mike Jones is a former senior staffer in St. Louis city and county government and current member of the Missouri State Board of Education and The St. Louis American editorial board. In 2016 and 2017, he was awarded Best Serious Columnist for all of the state’s large weeklies by the Missouri Press Association.

Mike Jones

Get yourself covered

Health insurance Marketplace is open until December 15

By Sandra Jordan Of The St. Louis American

The six-week window to sign up for health insurance coverage is now open. From November 1 until December 15, the federal healthcare Marketplace is open to sign up for health insurance coverage at healthcare.gov.

“I think it’s super important to keep and then maintain health insurance,” said Tim Williams, manager of the St. Louis hub of Cover Missouri, “because it is a way to get access to our health care system and, even more specifically, to get really good access to great preventative care.”

n Most who sign up for Marketplace health insurance coverage in Missouri qualify for lowered monthly premiums, according to Cover Missouri.

Cover Missouri is a coalition of certified application counselors that work across the St. Louis area to answer questions and provide free, one-on-one assistance to whoever needs or wants assistance in

making an application on healthcare.gov.

Preventative care for adults and children includes disease screenings, vaccines, behavioral and other health assessments by providers in your selected health plan’s network. Although the mandate for health coverage and penalty have been removed as a way to systematically dismantle the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, those who qualify on the Marketplace get health insurance options with tax credits and costsharing to help pay their monthly premiums.

Hawley should drop lawsuit against Affordable Care Act

By Elinor Simmons For The St. Louis American

Without the Affordable Care Act (ACA), cancer would have bankrupted me or, worse, taken my life. Luckily, the ACA and its protections for people with pre-existing conditions was available when I was diagnosed with stage three endometrial cancer. Prior to the ACA, people who most needed insurance could have been denied coverage based on their medical history, leaving the most vulnerable to fend for themselves.

The racist Republican health care hustle

By Charles Jaco For The St. Louis American

If America were an all-white country, we would have had universal health care decades ago. Even though cancer, heart disease, and diabetes are color-blind, conservative whites have consistently opposed expanded health care access because many whites would rather be sick than share a waiting room with African Americans. It’s as true now with GOP politicians like U.S. Senate candidate Josh Hawley, U.S. Rep. Mike Bost, and U.S. Rep. Ann Wagner as it was under Harry Truman.

In 1947, intrigued by the national health care systems of World War II allies Britain, France, and Canada, Truman proposed a national health care system for the United States, to be administered by federally funded hospitals. But conservative Dixiecrats from the Old Confederacy killed the plan because it would have meant, under federal anti-discrimination guidelines, that black and white patients would have been treated side-by-side. When the brand-new Medicare system came along in 1966, U.S. Sen. John Stennis almost shoved through an amendment that would have allowed states to give federal Medicare money to legally segregated hospitals. That move failed, but the following year, a white physician, Dr. Jean Cowsert, was assassinated in Mobile, Alabama because she demanded that hospital admissions under Medicare be based solely on medical need, not on race.

n A 2015 study by Cornell Medical Center and the University of Maine found that the primary predictor as to whether someone opposes universal health care is racial prejudice.

Elinor Simmons The Empowerment Network is participating in

That’s why I was filled with disgust when I heard that Missouri Attorney General Josh Hawley is pursuing a lawsuit that would remove what’s left of the ACA, including protections for people with pre-existing conditions. Millions of working Americans across the country are insured because of the ACA. Yet, Hawley is trying to strip us of our health insurance and the GOP now wants to raise the hours to qualify as a full-time employee from 30 to 40, which would remove insurance from even more families. The GOP and Josh Hawley need to stop their war on health care. My life depends of the protections of the ACA. Stop misleading us about health care. Drop your lawsuit.

Race has always colored the views of conservative whites when it comes to universal access to health care. A mammoth 2015 study by Cornell Medical Center in New York and the University of Maine found that the primary predictor as to whether someone opposes universal health care is racial prejudice. It found that the prime driver for opposing universal health care was that “pimps, welfare queens, thugs” or any other euphemism for black people, would get a “free ride” on the tax dollars of “hard-working (white) people.” When Obamacare was being debated in Congress in 2009, opposition to the Affordable Care Act by the Tea Party and other right-wing activists was ostensibly because of Big Government. But the real reason was never far below the surface, and it occasionally popped into the daylight, as when conservative flamethrower Glenn Beck said on Fox News in July 2009, “Everything that is getting pushed through this Congress, including the health care bill, are transforming America. And they are all driven by President Obama’s thinking on one idea – reparations.”

Elinor Simmons is a healthcare worker at SEIU Healthcare Missouri.

TEN expands prostate health outreach to East Side

and

In the minds of the right-wing commentariat and their minions, the Affordable Care Act wasn’t about reforming a for-profit healthcare system driven by money and not medicine; it was about masses of unworthy African Americans demanding free health care, to be paid for by the oppressed, hard-working, virtuous white man. It was John Stennis all over again, this time in high-definition. But a funny thing happened on the way to the new Nat Turner Rebellion. Millions of Americans, black and white, discovered that while Obamacare was an imperfect mess in many ways, it contained some provisions that almost everyone loved. And at the top of the list was the ACA’s requirement that insurance companies no longer deny coverage to people

Charles Jaco

Annual Open Enrollment for the insurance Marketplace starts November 1 for health insurance coverage in 2019.

Photo by Sandra Jordan

We need funding increase for TB

It may surprise you to learn that tuberculosis is the world’s biggest infectious killer. It’s treatable, curable, and preventable, so how did we let this happen?

For years, ending TB hasn’t been a political priority. It’s been underfunded and under-prioritized, and it claimed 1.7 million lives last year as a result. Fortunately, leaders of both parties in Congress, including Representatives Wagner and Clay, have already called for a desperately needed funding increase for TB, and on September 26, world leaders will gather at the UN to make new commitments in this fight.

I thank Representatives Wagner and Clay for the steps they’ve already taken, and I encourage midterm challengers like Cort VanOstran to decide what they will do to stop global diseases if elected.

– Yara Levin, Town and Country

Students learn of health –and construction – careers

Students from North Tech High School in Florissant recently took the first tour of the Career Resource Center on the Northwest HealthCare campus with Brian Shaw,

Know

By Nancy Kelley Missouri Foundation for Health

Emergency Room Patient Care manager at Northwest HealthCare. The Career Resource Center – located in a trailer on the Siteman Cancer Center construction site along Graham Road

– creates a space for high school students and community agencies to gain knowledge on career opportunities within the construction and health care industries. Christian Hospital and BJC HealthCare

by

have partnered with Tarlton Corporation to create this community resource. The Career Resource Center is open one day a week for scheduled high school visits and the third Saturday of each month for community groups and individuals to stop by. To schedule a visit or for more information, email BeyondToday@ tarltoncorp.com.

your health insurance options Get affordable Marketplace coverage Nov. 1 – Dec. 15

From November 1 to December 15, Missourians can enroll in 2019 health coverage through the Health Insurance Marketplace. Cover Missouri assisters are available free of charge throughout the state to help consumers compare health plans, see if they qualify for financial help, and help consumers sign up. There are quality, affordable insurance options that fit consumers’ individual health needs. Last year, 88 percent of consumers who got covered through the Missouri Marketplace received tax credits, which lowered their monthly premiums (payments). Some Missourians even had silver-level plans with a $0

INSURANCE

Continued from A16

“The vast majority of people who do enroll in health insurance through the online Marketplace qualify for a lot of tax subsidies in the form of tax credits that are applied to their premiums as well as cost-sharing reductions that help lower their out-of-pocket costs ... sometimes to zero,” Williams said. He added that those shortterm health plans offered on the commercial market don’t cover as much and do not provide cost savings for consumers.

The Marketplace is the only place that you can get this financial assistance, he said, as well as consumer protections for those with preexisting conditions and “that full

JACO

Continued from A16

with pre-existing medical conditions.

Nine years after Beck’s vein-bulging reparations rant, Republicans who have spent the better part of a decade trying to nuke Obamacare and its pre-existing conditions coverage find themselves in the position of the guy who murdered his parents and then threw himself on the mercy of the court because he was an orphan. After spending years trying to get rid of the pre-

comprehensive coverage in the form of those ten essential health benefits that are required under the Affordable Care Act.”

Healthcare.gov describes 10 categories of services or benefits that health insurance plans must cover under the Affordable Care Act to include doctors’ services, inpatient and outpatient hospital care, prescription drug coverage, pregnancy and childbirth, mental health services, and more. Plans are required to offer dental coverage for children; however, dental benefits for adults are optional. The plans offer different levels and types of covered health services.

Most who sign up for Marketplace health insurance coverage in Missouri qualify for lowered monthly premiums, according to Cover Missouri. “The vast majority of

existing conditions coverage mandate, all of them are suddenly in favor of keeping it. The front runner in the “who are you going to believe, me or your lying eyes?” sweepstakes is Missouri Attorney General Josh Hawley. Hawley, the GOP Senate candidate on November 6, filed a lawsuit as attorney general (along with 16 other Republican AG’s), demanding that all of the ACA, including preexisting conditions coverage, be declared illegal. His lawsuit, with his name firmly attached, is still active.

n Consumers can find an in-person assister near them by visiting findlocalhelp.covermissouri.org, or by calling 1-800-466-3213.

monthly premium. Consumers should know some health plans outside the Marketplace – like association health plans and short-term,

people that do come on to the Marketplace qualify,” Williams said. He said the majority of people whose income falls outside of being eligible for financial assistance make over 400 percent of the federal poverty line. The 2018 poverty guidelines at 400 percent are $48,560 for an individual; $100,400 for a family of four; and $134,960 for a family of six. Those who are under 100 percent of the poverty guidelines don’t qualify for assistance either. Williams said they fall into the Medicaid gap. Because

limited-duration plans – are not eligible for financial help, and may not include the protections required by plans offered in the Marketplace,

Missouri hasn’t expanded Medicaid to receive federal funds to cover families with incomes below 100 percent of the federal poverty guideline, Williams said, Cover Missouri connects them to other safety net programs, like Gateway to Better Health program.

n “The vast majority of people who do enroll in health insurance through the online Marketplace qualify for a lot of tax subsidies in the form of tax credits.”

– Tim Williams, manager of the St. Louis hub of Cover Missouri

But in both a Senatorial debate and in TV ads, Hawley insists that he’s all in favor of keeping pre-existing conditions coverage, that his wife has a pre-existing condition, and hey, believe my TV spots, not the lawsuit I’ve filed. Hawley, of course, is lying.

So is U.S. Rep. Mike Bost, the Republican congressman whose 12th Congressional District includes East St. Louis and Belleville, but also runs down to the Ohio River and covers over a dozen white, rural, conservative Southern Illinois counties. Bost voted to repeal Obamacare and the preexisting conditions coverage,

The 2018 poverty income guideline at 100 percent would be $12,140 for an individual; $25,100 for a family of four; and $33,740 for a family of six. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and the U.S. Treasury recently issued a new guidance called State Relief

and yet tweeted last month,

“Since day one in Congress, I’ve been clear that we must protect individuals with preexisting conditions.” Bost, charitably, is confused. Uncharitably, he’s a liar. He’s even scrubbed his official website, which in 2016 said, “Obamacare is more than a broken website. The website was just the tip of the iceberg.”

That’s now gone from his website, replaced with “Mike believes Southern Illinoisans should have the right to make their own health care choices.”

The biggest bait-andswitch, though, may belong to GOP U.S. Rep. Ann

including coverage of essential health benefits (like emergency care, rehabilitative services, maternity and newborn care, among others), and may have other restrictions. Marketplace plans are required to cover 10 essential health benefits. These plans may also be able to deny consumers based on pre-existing conditions, which Marketplace plans cannot do under the Affordable Care Act.

and Empowerment Waivers, which grants states more flexibility to design alternatives to the Affordable Care Act. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said, “Now, states will have a clearer sense of how they can take the lead on making available more insurance options, within the bounds of the Affordable Care Act, that are fiscally sustainable, private sectordriven, and consumer-friendly.” This new “flexibility” allows for more coverage options, including short-term plans. But just how this will be used by Missouri and other states remains to be seen.

Consumers can find an in-person assister near them by visiting findlocalhelp. covermissouri.org, or by calling 1-800-466-3213. Information and resources are also available at covermissouri. org.

Nancy Kelley is the Expanding Coverage program director for the Missouri Foundation for Health.

Williams said, “Pay attention when you are shopping for those short-term plans that they may not always offer the most comprehensive coverage and will not always offer all of the consumer protections that are offered to the plans on the Marketplace.” Indeed, many short-term health plans are derided as “junk plans” by health care advocates. When completing a health insurance application, Williams said, consumers should have handy the birthday and Social Security numbers of everyone that is applying and an estimate of what their pre-tax household income will be in 2019.

Wagner, representing the 2nd Missouri Congressional District in the St. Louis County suburbs. Along with several other panicked Republicans in the House, Wagner is co-sponsoring the Pre-Existing Conditions Protection Act. Since Wagner voted four times to repeal the ACA, including pre-existing conditions coverage, and appeared on C-SPAN screeching “Freedom!” after voting to ok the Trump “replacement” for Obamacare, Wagner either underwent a conversion worthy of Saul of Tarsus on the road to Damascus, or she saw the polls and dove for cover. Or maybe,

“Sometimes it’s recommended to bring recent pay stubs or, if you are selfemployed, a self-employment ledger,” he said, “so that we can work together to develop an estimate for your 2019.” For more information or to find a Cover Missouri assister in your area, visit covermissouri.org or call 1-800-466-3213 for English or 1-855-284-3236 for Spanish.

more simply put, she’s lying. Across the country, Republicans like Wagner, Bost, and Hawley were glad to go along with the racist antiACA dog whistles because they played well with their rural white, or suburban white flight, constituents. But often as not, reality has a liberal bias. And the reality is they are now twisted themselves into political pretzels, denying that they spent years trying to get rid of the coverage they now claim to support. They’re all lying. Charles Jaco is a journalist, author, and activist. Follow him on Twitter at @charlesjaco1.

Photo

Wiley Price

Explore the Zoo as

Saint Louis Zoo is a wonderful science and students of all levels and abilities. We offer a variety of programs, tours and learning opportunities.

Visit stlzoo.org/education for a complete list of our program offerings and teacher resources.

Banteng calves are born with red coats. During their first year of life, bantengs develop their characteristic white stockings and rump patches. At this time, juvenile banteng bulls’ coats gradually turn from red to black.

Business

In the business of stopping the killing

James Clark of Better Family Life is 2018 Nonprofit Executive of the Year

By Rebecca Rivas

Of The St. Louis American

Paula Neely had not been sleeping at night.

She was too afraid that someone was going to shoot up her house to kill her only son. Then, she heard a radio advertisement about Better Family Life’s centers that de-escalate gun conflicts.

“It was right on point because my son was just shot at a day before,” Neely said through tears.

She called the hotline, and James Clark, director of Better Family Life’s communityoutreach programs, answered the line. He immediately asked her for information about the conflict and arranged a meeting with her.

“The next thing you know I got another phone call, and he said, ‘Ms. Neely, you don’t have to worry anymore. Everything is settled,’” Neely said. “That was like the best news that I ever received in my life.”

n “We are now saying to our corporate partners and to our funders, ‘Let us scale up.’ All we’re going to do is save lives.”

– James Clark, Better Family Life

Not only was Clark able to “magically” settle the dispute, she said, but he was also able to help both Neely’s son and his adversary get help in other ways, including jobs.

“My son didn’t have that male constructive support at home,” Neely said. “And I think that’s what we lack in our community and where Mr. Clark steps in with the male figure. It doesn’t actually have to be a father figure. It can just be a mentor.”

Neely’s story is similar to that of many families who have saved their loved ones’ lives by calling that same number: 314-203-3900.

The Gun Violence De-escalation Centers, which opened in December 2016, are one of many community-outreach services that Better Family Life provides the city’s most vulnerable neighborhoods. The centers were born out of the organization’s Neighborhood Alliance, which started out as volunteers in the community knocking on doors in troubled neighborhoods every Saturday and helping to connect individuals with resources. The Neighborhood Alliance has now formalized into having 14 fulltime staff members dedicated to doing this work every day, while adding case management and data collecting to the process.

As the community’s trust began to deepen, Clark’s team started getting calls asking for help

See CLARK, B2

Krewson rejects public vote on lease of airport

By Rachel Lippmann

Of St. Louis Public Radio

St. Louis Mayor Lyda Krewson said she does not support giving the public a chance to vote on whether a private company should operate St. Louis-Lambert International Airport.

Bill to force public vote stalled in aldermanic committee chaired by Davis n Alderwoman Cara Spencer said she has asked the chair of the committee, Alderwoman Marlene E. Davis, to take a vote on her bill to force a public vote on leasing the airport operations.

“There are four entities that would have to ultimately decide on this,” Krewson said on October 24 at a news conference. “That would be the Board of Aldermen, which they represent the people of St. Louis, that would be the Board of E&A [Estimate and Apportionment], it would be the FAA and the airlines. So I personally think that those four groups will do a good job of evaluating any proposal, if we get to the point where we even receive proposals.”

A bill to force a public vote, sponsored by Alderwoman Cara Spencer, D-20th Ward, remains in the Board of Aldermen’s

Transportation and Commerce Committee. Spencer called the mayor’s comments “disappointing” and said she has asked the chair of the committee, Alderwoman Marlene E. Davis (D-19th Ward), to take a vote on her bill. She said she is considering a procedural move to force it out of committee.

See KREWSON, B2

B. Todd Jones was elected to the Board of Trustees of Saint Louis University. He joined the National Football League as Senior Vice President and Special Counsel for Conduct in April 2015. He previously served as the director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. He was nominated by President Barack Obama in January 2013 to serve as the agency’s permanent director while he was serving as the acting director.

Bridget Jones joined Covenant House Missouri as director of Advancement and a member of the organization’s leadership team. She formed and led Innovative Education Concepts, which provides workforce development programs in St. Clair County. As a consultant with Changing Our World, she helped to raise more than $120 million for the Roman Catholic Foundation of Eastern Missouri. Covenant House Missouri provides services to help homeless, runaway and at-risk youth ages 16 to 21.

Jack Thomas Jr. earned the President’s Award from Airport Minority Advisory Council. The award recognized Thomas for demonstrating leadership, service and dedication to execute AMAC’s mission and strategic plan at his previous employer, the Jackson Mississippi Municipal Airport Authority. Thomas is the chief diversity officer for St. Louis County.

Lydia Huston joined Fontbonne University as director of Fontbonne Promises. In this newly created position, she will lead the fundraising efforts for a unique scholarship program that aims to provide debt-free college education for lowincome students. She previously served as the Assistant Director of Development at YWCA Metro St. Louis and has more than 14 years of non-profit philanthropy and management experience.

John Gaskin III received the Liberty Bell Award from the Missouri Bar’s Young Lawyers’ Section. The award recognizes a nonlawyer or nonlegal organization engaged in public service activities that enhance the legal community or are dedicated to the advancement of justice. He is regional outreach manager for diversity and inclusion at the St. Louis Economic Development Partnership and the youngest member of the NAACP National Board of Directors.

Louis Mayor Lyda Krewson told reporters on October 24 that she does not think a public vote is needed on any potential lease agreement for St.

Pat SmithThurman will co-chair the Arts and Education Council’s 2019 St. Louis Arts Awards in January. She is co-owner of 10th Street Gallery and a retired IT executive at Mastercard, who served on the Arts and Education Council’s Board of Directors from 2003 to 2006. The event is the region’s

John Gaskin III

Bridget Jones

Pat SmithThurman

Lydia Huston

B. Todd Jones

Jack Thomas Jr.

Photo by Rebecca Rivas

St.

LouisLambert International Airport.

Photo by Carolina Hidalgo / St. Louis Public Radio

James Clark, community outreach director for Better Family Life, led the Clean Sweep initiative on Saturday, October 27, where several construction companies and community groups tore down 12 vacant buildings in North St. Louis. Clark will receive the 2018 Nonprofit Executive of the Year Award at the St. Louis American Foundation’s 19th annual Salute to Excellence in Business Awards & Networking Luncheon on Friday November 30.

CLARK

continued from page B1 in preventing gun conflicts.

“I sat down with my team, and asked, ‘What have we learned from this?’” Clark said. “We learned that third-party people who knew of a conflict were willing to come forward with information and give us an opportunity to de-escalate the conflict.”

With a grant from Missouri Foundation for Health, Better Family Life opened two fulltime de-escalation centers with five staffers, and contracting with four therapists. Both centers are located in churches. However, it hasn’t been enough.

“It’s gut-wrenching, and it’s very painful,” Clark said. “We had to pull the gun violence de-escalation ads off the air because we did not have the staff dedicated to go out and do a quality job. We understand that we have to de-escalate conflicts within 72 hours. So it’s a 72-hour dash to where we want to have both parties signing the truce.”

Any time the ads would run, the calls would flood his line shortly after, Clark said.

“We are now saying to our corporate partners and to our funders, ‘Let us scale up,’” Clark said. “All we’re going to do is save lives.” He is seeking sponsors for 50 staff members, he said.

“Give me 50, and I’ll change St. Louis in less than a year and a-half for future generations,” Clark said. “It’s not going to take five years. It will be evident in a year and a-half that crime is going down.”

The program has already gained national attention, and Clark recently presented to attorney generals and community organizations around the country in meetings set up by Jeff Jensen, the U.S. attorney for Eastern Missouri and a strong supporter of the program.

It’s one reason Clark will receive the 2018 Nonprofit Executive of the Year Award at the St. Louis

American Foundation’s 19th annual Salute to Excellence in Business Awards & Networking Luncheon on Friday November 30.

‘It was a blessing for us’

However, Clark said they have to put out fliers advertising the program “scarcely” because they are only able to de-escalate about eight conflicts every three weeks, even though the need is much greater than that. Samuel Wallace, 32, found out about the de-escalation centers when he saw a flier at a gas station.

Not long before that, he had been walking in his former Spanish Lake neighborhood and became the target of a drive-by shooting. He was able to evade the shots that day, but he was constantly looking over his shoulder every day afterwards. And his natural instinct was to retaliate.

“Now that I have three kids, I have to think before I act,” Wallace said.

After calling the hotline, he sat down with Clark.

“Talking to Mr. Clark, it made me look at things in a whole other light,” Wallace said. “Normally I wouldn’t even talk to nobody about anything that’s going on with me. Since I’ve been here, I talk to people more and don’t walk around with a chip on my shoulder, like everybody is out to get me.”

Clark helped Wallace move out of Spanish Lake and got him into therapy to deal with some of the issues in his family life.

“It’s not something you have to be ashamed of coming here,” Wallace said, “because they do what they say, they are going to do. If it wasn’t for them, I honestly don’t know where I would be right now.”

Melvin Askew’s son was being “hunted,” he said. His

adversaries had already shot at him on two occasions. The second time they hit him but didn’t kill him. Clark and Askew both came to the conclusion that his son had to leave town; that was his only option. Clark reached out to the courts to help the family past a probation barrier, and he was able to leave Missouri.

“It was a blessing for us to be able to do this, and now my son is living in another city about a month away from getting off of probation,” Askew said. “He was able to find a decent job, has his own apartment and now actually has his boys down with him.”

A new social-work paradigm

On a Friday afternoon, Clark met with his Neighborhood Alliance team, who are all cross-trained to de-escalate conflicts and knock on doors to do needs assessments and case management. The meeting looked a lot different than the typical room full of social workers. It was majority African-American men under 40, sporting tattoos and dressed in street clothes.

KREWSON

continued from page B1

A group calling itself STL Not For Sale is working to gather signatures for a referendum in case aldermen do not act.

A seven-person advisory group has been working since August to evaluate a potential lease of Lambert, a process that could take 18 to 24 months. Krewson said she hopes the group will put out

“Our outreach staff, each of them is uniquely qualified because of where they came from, their life experience, and the obstacles they had to overcome – most of them literally from birth,” Clark said. Many of his “solid team members” come from underserved neighborhoods and have spent time unemployed, in jail and raising children at a young age.

“Those lessons are the things that have prepared them for going out in the community and effectively inspiring people,” Clark said. “What they know, you can’t learn from a college campus.”

Clark said he doesn’t bother looking at resumes anymore because they don’t tell him if the individuals are able to hold a conversation with five guys on a street corner dealing drugs. They can’t tell him if they can sit in a living room with a single mother who needs help getting her teenage sons under control.

“They do strong social work for the new social-service paradigm. We see this model as being cutting edge. And we see the outreach-worker position being what the case-worker

requests for qualifications in the first three months of 2019.

Those would give the group a sense of what companies would have the skills needed to operate the airport.

The process has been criticized over potential conflicts of interest. A group connected to billionaire Rex Sinquefield paid for the application for privatization with the Federal Aviation Administration. That group, Grow Missouri Inc., has a representative on the advisory board and is paying the

position once was. When you look at the old social-service construct, which is the current social-work construct, the case worker was the most touted position,” Clark said.

“We’re saying that because of the depth of dysfunction in our neighborhoods, the most important position in social service organizations moving forward is the outreach worker – the man and woman who is able to immerse themselves in the neighborhood and challenge the culture of the neighborhood. And that’s why we have to empower the individuals who know this area the best.”

Clark has made it his life work to serve the community’s most vulnerable, said Michael P. McMillan, president and CEO of the Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis. McMillan first met Clark 30 years ago when McMillan was volunteering in the community as a high school senior. Clark was a couple years older.

“Back then, it was taking trash bags and rakes and shovels up and down Dr. Martin Luther King Boulevard,” McMillan said.

Just on Saturday, October 27, Clark helped lead several construction companies and community groups to tear down 12 vacant buildings in North St. Louis through BFL’s Clean Sweep initiative. The Greater Ville neighborhood was lined with giant excavators and hauling trucks. The Urban League also teamed up in the effort.

“He still has that heart of gold and commitment to the community,” McMillan said.

“It’s now manifesting itself on a whole new level. Now people are starting to take note of the impact he’s having and learn about his work, not only in St. Louis but across the country.”

The 19th annual Salute to Excellence in Business Awards & Networking Luncheon will be held Friday, November 30 at the RitzCarlton Hotel St. Louis, with a networking reception at 11 a.m. and luncheon program at noon. Tickets are $100 for Preferred/VIP seating and $75 for general admission. Call 314-533-8000 or visit www. stlamerican.com for more information or to purchase tickets.

consultant fees for the first 18 months, which will be reimbursed if the city goes through with privatization.

Additionally, former Mayor Francis Slay, who started the process during his last months in office, has been hired as a lobbyist for a firm that is believed to be a leading contender for a privatization contract.

Follow Rachel on Twitter: @rlippmann. Reprinted with permission from news.stlpublicradio.org.

Photo by Rebecca Rivas

James Clark, community outreach director for Better Family Life, and substance abuse counselor Byron Johnson talk to a young man at the corner of Wells and Hamilton avenues about getting help, as part of the organization’s Neighborhood Alliance program.

n “You probably don’t want to be around when my patience runs out. I’m serious.”

— LeBron James, on the Lakers 2-5 start

Sports

Losing streak halted

Hazelwood West ends drought against rival Central

It was a case of turnaround is fair play for the Hazelwood West Wildcats in their Class 6 District 1 first-round playoff game against Hazelwood Central.

On September 17, Hazelwood West bolted to an early 12-0 lead, only to see the Hawks stage a fourth-quarter rally to defeat the Wildcats 15-12.

Last Saturday, the shoe was on the other foot as host Hazelwood Central took an early 14-0 lead in the playoff showdown. Only this time, it was Hazelwood West staging the big rally as they scored 20 unanswered points to end a 14-game losing streak to its district rivals.

Junior quarterback Darius Cooper had a big offensive performance to lead the Wildcats as he amassed nearly 300 yards of total offense. Cooper passed for 177 yards and one touchdown and rushed for 120 yards on 20 carries.

The district playoff victory concluded a big two-week stretch for the Wildcats against their Hazelwood School District brethren. The week before defeating Hazelwood Central, the Wildcats defeated Hazelwood East 36-12 in the final game of the regular season.

Hazelwood West will visit a powerhouse CBC squad on Friday night in the semifinals of the District 1 playoffs at 7 p.m.

Darrius the Ball Hawk Junior cornerback Darrius Jackson of Roosevelt continues his continued ball hawking excellence last weekend with two interceptions in the Roughriders 30-12 victory over DuBourg in the Class 4, District 2 opener.

Golden State offense is downright scary PreP FooTball noTebook

Time for Petty Russ to get tough

Beverley’s carelessness could have ended Westbrook’s season once again.

It’s unclear if the NBA will fine Beverley, but it should. Beverley’s play could have put one of the league’s biggest stars out of the game for no reason. In this age of routine 150 point games, the NBA needs guys who play with an edge like Beverley. However, playing without regard to other players’ safety is no bueno.

Pardon me if I wanted to see Westbrook catch Beverley with the Rajon Rondo-esque left hook or a State Farm Chris Paul-ish uppercut. He’s a repeated offender and often relishes in his

I don’t want to be a perpetual advocate for basketball violence but it might be time for Russell Westbrook to serve up a spicy, crispy two-piece to Patrick Beverley’s jawbone. Tuesday night, Westbrook and Beverly got into a skirmish after Beverley dove wildly for loose ball and clipped Westbrook’s knees with his flailing body. Luckily Westbrook was not hurt. The Oklahoma City star was not so lucky during a similar incident during the 2013 playoffs. During a first-round matchup between the No. 2 seed Thunder and No. 7 seed Houston Rockets, Beverley took out Westbrook’s knees attempting to go for a steal. Westbrook suffered a torn meniscus and the Thunder’s hopes for a rematch with the Miami Heat in the NBA Finals were instantly dashed. Beverley has made his mark in the league as a gritty tenacious defender. He is known for getting under opposing players’ skin and often straddles the line between dogged and dirty. But diving at a player’s knees is not cool. It’s one thing to play hard. It’s another to play reckless.

Earl Austin Jr.

Golden Ghouls It is Halloween season and NBA teams should be frightened out of their minds. Why? The murderous monsters from

See PREP, B5

Ishmael H. Sistrunk

Ishmael H. Sistrunk

Hazelwood Central free safety Kayden Jackson (16) attempts to bring down Hazelwood West quarterback Darius Cooper (8) during their contest Saturday, October 27, 2018. The Wildcats of West went on to defeat the Hawks of Central 20-14.

The Los Angeles Clippers’ Patrick Beverley dives into the knees of the Oklahoma City Thunder’s Russell Westbrook while going for a loose ball. Westbrook escaped injury, unlike in 2013, when Beverley caused Westbrook to tear his meniscus on a similar play.

Photo by Wiley Price

SportS EyE

With Alvin A. Reid

Hue Jackson’s gone – he probably won’t be only black NFL coach fired

The black NFL coaching fraternity is now down to five with the firing of Cleveland Browns head coach Hue Jackson

Jackson was gifted the unenviable task of saving the sorry Browns from poor drafts, horrible free agent signings and a depleted roster when he was hired three years ago. It wasn’t his fault the Browns lost every game last year. But he lost every game last year.

Offensive coordinator Todd Haley was also fired, fitting since he and Jackson began feuding in the preseason on HBO’s “Hard Knocks.” The drama continued last week when they traded barbs through the media about the direction of the offense.

Owner Jimmy Haslam had enough of the in-house drama and fired both men Monday.

that was purposely torn down by GM Jeff Luhnow and the Astros’ front office in order to rebuild.

The Astros had All-Star Jose Altuve on the MLB roster and talented players including George Springer in the minor leagues. But Porter’s teams were still under-manned, and he went 51-111 his first season in 2013. With a 59-79 record in 2014, Luhnow fired Porter saying that the decision was not based “on our current level of competitiveness.”

There is hope in Cleveland with quarterback Baker Mayfield at the helm and a bright young offensively minded head coach in his future. Cleveland’s defense isn’t too shabby, either. Better days are ahead.

Browns defensive coordinator Gregg Williams has been named interim head coach. Yes, this is the same Williams that is a former Rams coach and was suspended by the NFL for a season for his role in the New Orleans Saints “Bountygate” episode. Williams inspired his players to purposely hurt their opponents.

Jackson’s tenure reminds me of former manager Bo Porter’s time with the Houston Astros. He inherited a team

A year later, the Astros reached the postseason and came within two innings of upsetting the eventual World Series champion Kansas City Royals in an American League Division Series. The Astros won the World Series in 2017 and returned to the American League championship Series this year.

Porter helped craft many players that became champions. The same might be true for Jackson.

Unfortunately, I don’t think Jackson will be the lone black coach in search of a job at season’s end.

With the season reaching its midway mark, here’s where the other black NFL coaches stand.

Todd Bowles, New York Jets – At 3-5, the New York Jets are riddled with injuries and face a demanding schedule in the next month. Bowles has a future franchise quarterback in Sam Darnold, but the rookie has been up-and-down. The Jets could finish at or close to .500 but that won’t be enough to save Bowles’ job. The Jets owners see what young, offensive-minded head coaches are doing with young quarterbacks and the result will be that Bowles will most likely be out as coach come the season’s end.

Vance Joseph, Denver –Joseph didn’t sign free-agent quarterback Case Keenum nor create the mess that led to the signing. That’s on team president John Elway. But Joseph is catching hell for the Broncos’ 3-5 record and stagnant offense. They have lost to the Chiefs twice but battled them both games. The 30-20 loss last Sunday was not a disaster, but Joseph needs to win close games and finish above .500 to save his job. My guess is Joseph will join Jackson and Bowles as fired black coaches at season’s end.

Marvin Lewis, Cincinnati Bengals – One week, Lewis is about to be fired. The next week, his job is safe. At 5-3, Lewis’ team could make the playoffs and give Lewis yet another shot at winning his first postseason game. Should the Bengals fall short, Lewis will most likely be let go with a year left on his contract. Lewis said two seasons ago that Hue Jackson was his heir apparent when Jackson took the Browns

job. He would be a candidate to replace Lewis.

Anthony Lynn, L.A. Chargers – Lynn has had several of his in-game coaching moves questioned by local and national media members, but his team is 5-2 and if the playoffs began today the Chargers would be in the mix. L.A. is a Top 5 team in several NFL power rankings and if Lynn’s team reaches the playoffs, he is certain to return next year. Lynn’s Chargers also play in the AFC West, which features the most talked about team in the NFL – the Kansas City Chiefs. There will be a high-profile matchup in KC later this year between the teams. It will be a chance for Lynn to establish himself as the Chargers’ long-term answer as coach.

Mike Tomlin, Pittsburgh Steelers – After all the drama involving running back Le Veon Bell’s holdout and a rugged start to the season, Tomlin’s Steelers are 4-2-1 and in first place in the AFC North. Once again, it seems like the Steelers are destined to make the playoffs. Tomlin brings a unique emotional quality to his team and he proved it again in an emotional speech with his team Saturday night. Tomlin lives in the Squirrel hill community where the Tree of Life synagogue shootings happened last Saturday. He lives less than a half mile from the synagogue. Players called his speech “a passionate moment.” Should the Steelers stumble and not reach the postseason Tomlin could be fired – and then become a sought-after TV commentator.

a long time. You’ve played that card extremely well. But you don’t have it anymore. None of you do. And that feels really good.”

now down to five with the firing of Cleveland Browns head coach Hue Jackson.

Steve Wilks, Arizona Cardinals – The Cardinals stink and Wilks knew that when he took the job. He’ll be back next year regardless of his team’s final record. But the 18-15 win over San Francisco was sparked by a suddenly resurgent offense that came alive in the second half. Wilks had fired offensive coordinator Mike McCoy and replaced him with black assistant coach Byron Leftwich. The Cardinals are 2-6, admittedly with both wins over the 49ers. There is hope in the future for Wilks and his franchise.

Price is right

Make no mistake about it –Boston Red Sox pitcher David Price was the World Series Most Valuable Player. The award went to Steve Pearce, who hit three home runs in five games. My guess is that the same Boston media members that have purposely hounded Price during his tenure in Boston voted for Pearce out of spite.

But Price, who was 3-0 this October with a 2.66 ERA and a 0.97 WHIP including a pair of World Series wins, got the last laugh and the last word after the clinching game.

He was asked “How do you feel?” after the game and his previous postseason struggles. He let the world know exactly how he felt.

“To answer that question [about his postseason struggles] in spring training, and day-in, day-out, over and-over, and over and-over,” Price said.

“I hold all the cards now. That feels so good. That feels so good. I can’t tell you how good it feels to hold that trump card. You guys have had it for

Price has always refused to be humble. He stands up for teammates and refuses to stand down to the thousands of Red Sox fans who don’t like him or his attitude. He’s considered “uppity” and he could care less. Yes, his being black is a factor.

Clinton Yates of ESPN’s The Undefeated website wrote “Baseball has enough on-field unwritten rules, and in some minds, Price managed to break an off-field unwritten rule too: He confronted Dennis Eckersley on the team plane about something the broadcaster and former Red Sox pitcher said about a teammate on a telecast. He also called him out for not taking his job seriously. The incident flatly rocked the Boston sports media world.”

“To that point, Price had been a well-respected guy in the league. Ask guys around the (Major Leagues) particularly black players, about his reputation for sticking up for people and it’s well-known.” After David Freese homered on the first pitch of the game, Price dominated for seven innings and set up the Red Sox for an easy 5-1 win in Game Five. Price is a champion – and Boston must deal with it and him. He ain’t backing down.

The Reid Roundup

Stubby Clapp, the Cardinals former Triple-A manager at Memphis, has been named Cardinals first base coach. Can you say, ‘interim manager?’… I still can’t believe the Missouri Tigers blew that game on Saturday night against Kentucky… Dave Roberts, Dodgers manager, is catching heat for some of his postseason moves. The game’s only black manager got his team to the World Series two years in a row. Leave him alone… Pat Mahomes how has 26 TD passes this season, Incredible … Lewis Hamilton won his fifth Formula 1 driver’s championship after a fourth-place finish in Mexico on Sunday. The record is seven titles … After a 0-6 start, Tyron Lue was fired by the Cleveland Cavaliers … My guess is that Steph Curry will hit 15 three-point shots in a game this year to get the record back from teammate Klay Thompson who hit 14 in a win over Chicago on Monday.

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

The black NFL coaching fraternity is

From The easT side

With Maurice Scott Jr.

Flying ahead in Metro East playoff action

East St. Louis Flyers head football coach Darren Sunkett was all smiles after his team’s victory over Hoffman Estates in the first round of the Illinois Class 7A playoffs.

Sunkett was very happy with his defensive unit that held Hoffman Estates to only 17 yards rushing and 195 yards of total offense in what was one of the team’s top defensive performances of the season.

“I’m proud of our defensive performance today,” said Sunkett. “If we continue to perform on defense during the playoffs like we did today, we will have an opportunity to make a run at the 7A state title again.”

The state’s all-time win-

CLUTCH

Continued from C7

Golden State are terrorizing the league. In a span of 5 days, the Warriors watched both Steph Curry and Klay Thompson eclipse the 50-point mark in less than three quarters.

Curry dropped 51 points on Oct. 24 versus the Washington Wizards. Thompson, who had been off to a relatively cold start to the season, went NBA 2Klay with 52 points, including a record-setting 14 three-pointers, in a game versus the Chicago Bulls. Oh yeah, Kevin Durant dropped a modest 41 points on the New York Knicks on Oct. 26.

The Warriors are 7-1 and injured four-time All-Star DeMarcus Cousins hasn’t even sniffed the basketball court yet. Considering the fact that defense around the NBA is trash, it is very likely that the Warriors could average 160 points per game if the team desired to do so.

The idea sounds absurd right? Just remember though both Curry and Thompson sat on the bench the entire 4th quarter on their remarkable nights. The Warriors still racked up 144 and 149 points respectively in those games.

The NBA record for most

PREP

Continued from C7

The two interceptions added to Jackson’s St. Louis area-leading total of 16 for the season. He returned his first interception 20 yards for a touchdown to open the scoring for the Roughriders.

Some top individual performances

• Quarterback Tabraon Neal of Roosevelt passed for 250 yards and two touchdowns in a victory over DuBourg.

ningest program will take its show on the road this weekend for a second-round matchup at undefeated Glenbard East. Kickoff is schedule for 2 p.m. in Lombard, Illinois. Glenbard East will be making its first playoff appearance since 1999. They have one of the state’s top quarterbacks in Brent Bushka. He passed for 399 yards and five touchdowns in a 40-14 victory over Mt. Prospect in the first round. He also rushed for 83 yards and another score.

Bushka’s main target is receiver Jeremy Johnson, who hauled in nine passes for 251 yards and four touchdowns against Mt. Prospect. Running back Jake Wetchin rushed for 104 yards, adding to Glenbard

East’s total of 628 yards on the day. However, Glenbard East might have wanted to hold on to some of those offensive yards as the Flyers’ high-octane offense is averaging more than 50 points a game this season.

Sophomore quarterback Tyler Macon has passed for 1,899 yards and 21 touchdowns and only four interceptions. Macon has also rushed for 1,092 yards and 17 touchdowns.

rushed for 1,100 yards and 15 touchdowns while Swingler has for 1,105 yards and 15 touchdowns.

Maurice Scott

The Flyers’ backfield also features a pair of 1,000yard rushers in DeMonta Witherspoon and Treven Swingler. Witherspoon has

Wide receiver Antonio “A.J” Johnson has 26 receptions for 492 yards and six touchdowns while LaWaun Powell Jr. has 30 receptions for 679 yards and 8 touchdowns. In addition, wide receiver Keontez Lewis had 18 receptions for 318 yards and five touchdowns.

If East St. Louis wants to have Thanksgiving dinner in Champaign and play for the state championship, its defense will have to perform for the next four weeks. The

points in a regular-season game (by a single team) is 186 points. That record occurred in a triple overtime game by the Detroit Pistons in 1983. I’m going to go out on a limb and say we’ll see the Golden State Warriors break that record this season on a night when Curry,

• Senior Sam Sanderson of Pattonville rushed for 208 yards and three touchdowns in a 21-17 victory over Marquette.

• Junior Jairus Maclin of Kirkwood had three receptions for 115 yards and two touchdowns in a victory over Lafayette.

• Sophomore Travion Ford of Lutheran St. Charles recorded his 17th sack, which set a new school single-season record in a victory over Soldan.

• Jennings High defensive tackle Jordan Bohlen had 11 tackles and two quarterback

Durant and Thompson all get hot on the same night. What’s wrong with the Rockets?

To quote former NFL coach Dennis Green, the Warriors “are who we thought they

sacks in a 26-7 victory over Clayton.

Weekend Schedule

Class 6 District Semifinal

(All games are Friday at 7 p.m., unless otherwise noted)

Hazelwood West at CBC

Pattonville at DeSmet

Kirkwood at Eureka

Francis Howell at Joplin

Lindbergh at Joplin

Class 5

Seckman at Fox

Chaminade at Mehlville

Parkway West at Vianney

Class 4 St. Mary’s vs. Ladue at

Linebacker Sydney Houston has 88 solo tackles while Kendrick Scarborough has seven quarterback sacks.

The Flyers are making their unprecedented 48th appearance in the state playoffs and they seem to be clicking on all cylinders as they head to Chicago this weekend. And Flyers’ fans will be in full force cheering them on.

Scott’s Notes

The Cahokia Comanches will host Carbondale in the second round of the Class 5

Klay Thompson broke the NBA record for three-pointers in a game with 14 against the Chicago Bulls. In the game, Thompson scored 52 points in just three quarters of play.

a bunch of buzzer-beater battles either. James Harden’s club has lost by 19 points to the New Orleans Pelicans and Portland Trail Blazers and by 20 points to the lowly Los Angeles Clippers. Last season, the Rockets finished seventh in defensive efficiency. Houston currently sits 25th in the same category. What’s the difference?

The Rockets lost two key defenders during the offseason. Trevor Ariza signed with the Phoenix Suns. Luc Mbah a Moute joined the Los Angeles Clippers. Those defensive stalwarts were replaced with none other than Carmelo Anthony Jeff Bzelik, the assistant coach who served as Mike D’Antoni’s defensive guru, also retired.

were.” The Houston Rockets, however, seem to be some sort of imposter. What in the world is happening in Houston? The Western Conference runner-ups from a season ago are off to an abysmal 1- 6 to start for the 2018-19 campaign.

The Rockets are not losing

Kirkwood Roosevelt at Summit

Jennings at Hazelwood East, Saturday, 1 p.m.

Parkway North at MICDS, Saturday, 1 p.m.

Class 3

McCluer South-Berkeley at Trinity

Miller Career Academy at Cardinal Ritter

St. Charles West at Lutheran

St. Charles

Lutheran South at St. Clair

Class 2

Duchesne at Lutheran North

Principia at Lift for Life

So far, opposing teams have salivated at the oppor-

state playoffs on Saturday at 3 p.m. It has been a very nice season for the Comanches, who are 8-1 and champions of the South Seven Conference. However, you Cahokia fans need to stop it with the “All Gas, No Brakes” chant on social media. That has been an East St. Louis slogan for more than 15 years. You guys haven’t made the playoffs since 2009. Enjoy your season. I don’t think the LeBron James production company will be making a documentary on your football team until you guys put some football trophies in the case and produce some football scholarships.

tunity to lure Anthony into a one-on-one with a speedy guard. I stated it in last week’s column and I’ll state it again: Not every team in the NBA is built to switch everything on defense.

D’Antoni has seemingly acknowledged that fact and has talked publicly about changing his defensive strategy. It’s possible though that Bzelik was the key to the Rockets defensive improvements over the past few seasons. Now that he’s gone, the Rockets look like the typical D’Antoni defense that we have all come to know and ridicule.

Follow Ishmael and In the Clutch on Twitter at @ishcreates. Also, subscribe to The St. Louis American’s YouTube page to keep up with the latest episodes of Sports Break with Ishmael and Melvin Moore. defense will lean heavily on defensive tackle Demond Taylor, a Northern Illinois recruit who has 95 tackles.

The senior outside hitter has been a top performer in leading the Lancers to a Final Four appearance in the Class 4 state tournament.

The 5’8” Stock led the Lancers to victories over Ursuline Academy and Cor Jesu in the sectionals and state quarterfinals last Saturday at Farmington. For the season, Stock has

amassed 320 kills while averaging 4.4 kills per set, which is among the best in the St. Louis metro area. As a junior, Stock recorded 174 kills in helping the Lancers to a 33-4 record. Lafayette (305-1) will face Eureka on Friday afternoon in the state semifinals at the Show-Me Center in Cape Girardeau at noon.

Let’s raise the

minimum wage – and clean

up politics – on Nov. 6

Vote Yes on Proposition B and Yes on Amendment 1

By Jamala Rogers

Louis American

For The St.

It is poetic justice that both Prop B to raise the minimum wage in Missouri and Amendment 1 to clean up Missouri politics are on the same ballot statewide on November. The two seemingly unrelated ballot initiatives are undeniably connected at the hip. For proponents of both measures, it has made for a clear example when explaining to voters about how politics play out.

Let’s go back a couple of years.

Wages in the U.S. have been stagnant 40 years despite productivity increasing a little over 72 percent. That’s right: two generations going deeper into the financial abyss.

During the flatlining of workers’ raises in wages, corporate profits skyrocketed. The pay gap—no, gulf –between workers and CEOs is now at a magnitude of 312:1. That was the conclusion of a recent report by the Economic Policy Institute when its researchers surveyed 350 U.S. companies. CEOs took home an average salary of nearly $20 decadent millions while working families are saddled in debt and locked in poverty.

To reverse this negative trend, a momentous, grassroots effort to raise wages in St. Louis was carried out by labor, faith, business and community leaders and organizations. In 2015, a city ordinance was passed to raise the minimum wage to $11 over time. It was challenged in court, a gangster tactic often used by corporate interests to show their strength

and influence. The people prevailed, and we celebrated. Too soon.

As workers started to enjoy a few extra dollars in their pockets, a sinister plot already had been hatched. Three months after the ordinance passed, the Republicandominated state Legislature snatched the victory and capped the wage before workers knew what hit them.

Republican legislators’ shameful deed was done at the finger snap of special interest groups and business associations, such as the Missouri Restaurant Association and the State Chamber of Commerce. They used their money and influence to steamroll over St. Louis voters and their elected legislators.

Then-Governor Eric Greitens proudly stomped on Missouri families with his vision of implementing Right to Work (another wage-busting law) as he coldly overturned the minimum wage increase. The same groups who worked to make the ordinance happen in 2015 came back with a vengeance, hitting the streets to gather tens of thousands of signatures for a ballot initiative to raise the minimum wage. You will have the privilege to vote for Proposition B on Missouri ballots statewide on

November 6 to give Missouri workers a well-deserved raise.

The raise will not get us to the living wage calculated by MIT, but we’re headed in the right direction. While organizers have been locked in a fight for $15 an hour, the MIT living-wage calculator says an adult with two children should be bringing in $27.22 per hour.

Ever since the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that corporations were citizens, the people have been fighting for our basic individual rights in a system where being rich, white and male is highly favored. Our right to a decent-paying job is central to our quality of life. We need to expose those who cap our wages and restrict our pursuit of happiness while they exploit our labor to support their lavish lifestyles. We have an obligation to ourselves and to the next generation to organize against these savage tactics and policies at every turn.

When you go to the polls on Tuesday, November 6, remember there are some hard-fought citizen-led ballot initiatives that need your vote. Vote Yes on Amendment 1 to clean up corrupt politics in Missouri, and Yes on Proposition B to raise the minimum wage.

Voters have made it clear that we will wrestle corporations and their paid legislative servants to the ground. We beat back Right to Work in August. We gave Eric Greitens his pink slip. When you leave the election booth, flash a victory sign and a big smile. On to democracy!

Financial Focus

By Courtney Bond Walters

Time to think about year-end investment moves

We’ve still got a couple of months left in 2018, but it’s not too soon to start thinking about some year-end investment moves that might benefit you. Here are a few possibilities (although not all will apply to your situation):

Add to your IRA. For the 2018 tax year, you can put up to $5,500 into your traditional or Roth IRA (assuming you are eligible), or $6,500 if you’re 50 or older. If you haven’t reached this limit, consider adding some money. You have until April 15, 2019, to contribute to your IRA for 2018, but why wait until the last minute?

Increase your 401(k) contributions. You already may be investing in your 401(k) or similar employer-sponsored retirement plan, but you might be able to bump up your contributions for the rest of the year, if it’s allowed. Of course, you should always put in enough to earn your employer’s matching contribution, if one is offered.

Take your RMDs. If you are 70½ or older, you must start taking withdrawals – called required minimum

distributions, or RMDs – from your traditional IRA and your 401(k) or similar retirement plan. Generally, you must take these RMDs by December 31 every year. But if you turned 70½ in 2018, you can wait until April 1, 2019, until you take your first RMD. However, you will then have to take a second RMD (the one for age 71) by December 31, 2019. Taking two RMDs in one year could give you an unexpectedly large taxable income for the year, possibly bumping you into a higher tax bracket and affecting the amount of your Social Security benefits subject to taxes. So, if you are considering delaying

Jamala Rogers

Quincy Troupe returns to town

Quincy Troupe

Photo by Wiley Price

Poet and memoirist reads from new and reissued work, performs with jazz quartet

By Chris King Of The St. Louis American

St. Louis poet Quincy Troupe is returning home from his longtime base in New York to perform with a jazz quartet at Saint Louis University and to read and sign books at Left Bank Books.

The jazz gig – 8-9:30 p.m. Friday,

November 2 – is part of the Nu-Art Series

“Jazz n’ Tongues: The Art of Music and Poetry” project. Co-hosted by Saint Louis University Music Program, it will be held in Saint Louis University Theatre, 3733 West Pine Mall Blvd., with an admission price of $10. For

tickets, visit https://tinyurl.com/Troupe-SLU.

Troupe has two new books of poems to perform from, “Seduction” and “Ghost Voices,” both forthcoming (with gorgeous covers) from Northwestern University Press, which is trying to rush their publication to coincide with Troupe’s homecoming gigs.

“Seduction” – with brilliant cover art by St. Louis painter Oliver Jackson – has more than love poems for Troupe’s longtime wife, Margaret Porter Troupe, though it has those.

“You can be seduced by language, beauty, music, art, the weather, anything. You can be

See TROUPE, C4

An opera star is born

Internationally acclaimed soprano Julia Bullock delivered an absolutely spellbinding performance when she appeared at The Sheldon Concert Hall Wednesday, October 24 as part of a collaborative presentation with Opera Theatre Of Saint Louis. With seamless transitions from Franz Shubert and Samuel Barber to Billie Holiday, Bessie Smith, Nina Simone and fellow St. Louisan Josephine Baker, the John Burroughs and Opera Theatre St. Louis Young Artist alum proved herself to be a future giant within the genre. Visit www. stlamerican.com to read the full review of her performance.

SLIFF features STL black history

“Race in America” sidebar of acclaimed film festival explores African-American experience

By Kenya Vaughn

Of The St. Louis American

As Cinema St. Louis presents the 27th Annual Whitaker St. Louis International Film Festival starting next week, the organization has continued its commitment to the African American experience through its “Race In America,” programming.

A sidebar of the festival – which takes place Nov. 1 – 11 at various venues – was developed as a response to the Ferguson unrest. This year’s group of films give a comprehensive look at the diverse perspectives that encompass blackness.

A pair of films speak specifically to the rich and complicated history of black St. Louisans.

‘Where The Pavement Ends’ Director and Ferguson native Jane Gillooly, a 2018 SLIFF Charles Guggenheim Cinema St. Louis Awardee, points her lens towards the neighboring municipality of Kinloch with

“Where The Pavement Ends.” Once a thriving African-American community, the subjects of the film must now mostly rely on stories and footage to give texture to the place and the people that once called the history black North County Community home.

Viewers will cringe at the blatant racism anchored by a barrier that physically cut the community off from Ferguson. The roadblock was a microcosm of the relationship between blacks and whites in the region and the nation – as is the plight and decay that came with integration – a relationship that reached a climax before the world’s eyes with the death of Michael Brown and the unrest that followed.

“You always hear the stories of how prominent it was,” Jay Will said in the movie. “I think it breaks people’s confidence when they hear how it ended, because it’s the same story every time.” The film, which weaves together footage

See SLIFF, C4

historian and author

The quest to find Phoenix

and Sunday, November 4.

By Kenya Vaughn Of The St. Louis American

When Shawndrea Thomas met with the family of Phoenix Coldon, her mother Goldia Coldon handed Thomas a small card that included all of the information about her daughter. Phoenix disappeared without a trace a week before Christmas in 2011.

“I taped it to my desk and I told my ‘co-worker, I’m not taking this down until we find out what happened to her,” Thomas said. “The whole time I was at Fox 2 it was there.”

She is no longer with the station, because her quest for answers in the case took precedence. She went on to help the Oxygen Network tell Phoenix’s story – which will premiere next weekend.

“The media wouldn’t give us the time of day, but if Phoenix looked like Natalie Holloway, we wouldn’t have had this problem,” Goldia Coldon said in the preview for “The Disappearance of Phoenix Coldon.” The two-night special that will air on the Oxygen Network next weekend about the Spanish Lake woman who vanished without a trace in 2011.

“When I first heard about this story, an intern brought the flyer in to the morning meeting,” Thomas said. “I was the only black reporter sitting in that day and I felt like I had to push for the story. I shot the story myself – I was a backpack journalist at the time.”

Two hours after leaving her family’s home in Spanish Lake on December 18, 2018, 23-yearold Phoenix Coldon was never seen again. Her car was found abandoned in East St. Louis with all of her personal belongings, even her shoes, inside the vehicle.

“I was just drawn to it,” Thomas said about

See PHOENIX, C4

Phoenix Coldon

Noted

Dr. John A. Wright Sr. is among those interviewed for ‘The Color of Medicine’ which will screen November 3 as part of SLIFF’s ‘Race in America’ programming.

Photo by Ray Marklin

concerts

Fri., Nov. 2, 7 p.m., Delmar Hall presents Bettye LaVette 6133 Delmar Blvd., 63112. For more information, visit www. delmarhall.com.

Nov. 2 – 4, St. Louis Symphony Orchestra presents Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas. The Pumpkin King of Halloween Town attempts to seize Christmas with the help of mischievous trick-ortreaters. 718 N. Grand Blvd., 63103. For more information, visit www.slso.org.

Sun., Nov. 4, 5 p.m., 95.5 The Lou presents Keri Hilson feat. Bobby V. Ballpark Village, 601 Clark Ave., 63102. For more information, visit www. ticketf.ly.

Nov. 7 – 8, Jazz at the Bistro presents Nicole Henry. Jazz St. Louis, 3536 Washington Ave., 63103. For more information, visitwww.jazzstl. org.

Fri., Nov. 9, 7 p.m., Chaifetz Arena presents Ladies Night Out feat. Keith Sweat and Blackstreet. 1 S. Compton Ave., 63103. For more information, visit www. thechaifetzarena.com.

Sat., Nov. 10, 7 p.m., Enterprise Center presents the Aubrey & The Three Migos Tour. 1401 Clark Ave., 63103. For more information,

visit www.ticketmaster.com.

Sat., Nov. 10, 8 p.m., The African Heritage Association of St. Louis, Inc. presents Soweto Gospel Choir Live in Concert. Touhill Performing Arts Center, UMSL, One University Blvd., 63121. For more information, visit www. touhill.org.

Thur., Nov. 15, Stifel Theatre presents Maxwell: 50 Intimate Nights Live With special guest Marsha Ambrosius. 1400 Market St., 63103. For more information, visit www.stifeltheatre.com.

Sat., Nov. 17, 7 p.m., The Sheldon’s Rhythm & Jazz Series presents Dee Dee Bridgewater and the Memphis Soulphony. 3548 Washington Blvd., 63108. For more information, visit www. metrotix.com.

Sat., Nov. 17, 7 & 9 p.m., The Soulful, Saxy Sounds of Jeanette Harris. .Zack, 3224 Locust St., 63103. For more information, visit www. metrotix.com.

Sun., Nov. 18, 6 p.m., For Lovers Only: A Tribute to Babyface & El DeBarge Performance by KC The 4th Son. Voce, 212 South Tucker Blvd., 63102. For more information, visit www. PurplePass.com.

Sat., Nov. 24, 7:30 p.m., Urban Vibe presents Thanksgiving Soul Jam feat.

The Guide

Kenya Vaughn recommends

The Whispers. Stifel Theatre, 1400 Market St., 63103. For more information, visit www. ticketmaster.com.

special events

Fri., Nov. 2, 5 p.m., The Metropolitan St. Louis Fisk University Alumni Association presents Fisk Fridays. Jay’s Ultra Lounge, 12667 New Halls Ferry Rd., 63033. For more information or to RSVP, email tllovelace0608@gmail.com or alabamagirl_55@charter.net.

Sat., Nov. 3, 10 a.m., Women’s Winter Bazaar Shop, eat, and fellowship. Emmanuel Temple Church of God, 4935 Union Blvd., 63115. For more information, call (314) 598-8187.

Sat., Nov. 3, 4 p.m., Reggae MusicFest 18. Feat. SistaSol’Chile and Diverse Culture. Boenker Hill Vineyard & Winery, 12855 Boenker Lane, 63044. For more information, visit www. purplepass.com.

Sat., Nov. 3, 6 p.m., Greater St. Louis Association of Black Journalists presents the 2018 Living Legend Celebration. Honoring Art

Holliday & Wiley Price. Il Monastero, St. Louis University, 3050 Olive St., 63103. For more information, visit www.eventbrite.com.

Sat., Nov. 3, 7 p.m., The Legendary Miss Fannie’s Ball. Hosted by The Vivacious Vicky Valentino. Ambassador, 9800 Halls Ferry Rd., 63136. For more information, visit www.metrotix.com.

Sun., Nov. 4, 12 p.m., St. Louis Best Bridal Show. Brides to be can check out photographers, DJs, caterers, reception sites, and more. St. Charles Convention Center, 1 Convention Center Plz., 63033.

Sun., Nov. 4, 5 p.m., Community Women Against Hardship 30th Annual Circle of Support Gala Feat. violinist Regina Carter. Sheldon, 3648 Washington Blvd., 63108. For more information, visit www. metrotix.com.

Fri., Nov. 9, 6 p.m., Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater St. Louis’ Great Futures Gala Chase Park Plaza, 212 N. Kingshighway Blvd., 63108. For more information, visit www.eventbrite.com.

Sat., Nov. 10, 8:30 a.m., St. Patrick Center invites you to the Veterans Day 5K Race & Observance. We will also have a one-mile fun run & walk, bubble bus, and more. Soldiers Memorial Military Museum, 1315 Chestnut St., 63103. For more information, visit www.stpatrickcenter.org.

Sat., Nov. 10, 10 a.m., National Coalition of 100 Black Women, Metropolitan St. Louis Chapter presents the 2018 S.T.E.A.M. Fair. Learn and experience interactive activities in science, technology, engineering, arts and math for students in grades K-12th. 818 Cass Ave., 63106. For more information, visit www.eventbrite.com.

Tues., Nov. 13, 11:30 a.m., Girls Incorporated of St. Louis invites you to the 12th Annual Strong Smart and Bold Luncheon. Recognizing Frankie Muse Freeman and William Danforth. The RitzCarlton, 100 Carondelet Plaza, 63105. For more information, visit www.eventbrite.com.

Fri., Nov. 23, 2 p.m., Black Owned Black Friday Pop Up Market. Black makers, artists, creatives, and brands. The Luminary, 2701 Cherokee St., 63118. For more information, visit www.facebook.com.

Sat., Nov. 3, 10 a.m., St. Louis Indie Book Fair 2018 40 authors to discuss, sell, and sign copies of their work, 7 publishers, and 100s of titles in every genre. Treffpunkt, 3453 S. Jefferson Ave., 63118. For more information, visit www. stlouisindiebookfair.org.

Sun., Nov. 4, 4 p.m., Left Bank Books hosts author Quincy Troupe, author of Miles & Me: Miles Davis, the Man, the

The African Heritage Association of St. Louis, Inc. presents Soweto Gospel Choir Live in Concert. See CONCERTS for details.

Louis County Library hosts

author Jane Sherron de Hart, author of Ruth Bader Ginsburg: A Life. 1640 S. Lindbergh Blvd., 63131. For more information, visit www. slcl.org.

Tues., Nov. 27, 7 p.m., Left Bank Books hosts author Michelle Purdy, author of Transforming the Elite: Black Students and the Desegregation of Private Schools. With Professor Lerone Martin. 399 N. Euclid Ave., 63108. For more information, visit www.leftbank.com.

Wed., Nov. 28, 7 p.m., St. Louis Public Library hosts author Jabari Asim, author of We Can’t Breathe: On Black Lives, White Lies, and the Art of Survival. Schlafly Branch, 225 N. Euclid Ave., 63108. For more information, visit www.slpl.org.

comedy

Nov. 1 – 4, Helium Comedy Club presents Arnez J. 1151 St. Louis Galleria St., 63117. For more information, visit www.heliumcomedyclub.com.

Fri., Nov. 2, 8 p.m., Nick Cannon Presents : Wild’N Out Live with special guest Katt Williams, Enterprise Center. For more information, visit www.ticketmaster.com.

Nov. 2 – 4, The Laugh Lounge presents Dyon Brooks a.k.a. Mr. James. 11208 W. Florissant Ave., 63033. For more information, visit www. etix.com.

Fri., Nov. 9, Helium Comedy Club presents Bruce Bruce. 1151 St. Louis Galleria St., 63117.

Sat., Nov. 10, 7 p.m., Comedy Night with Sarge, author of Black Boychik, Staenberg Family Complex, Edison Gymnasium. For more information, visit https://jccstl. com/arts-ideas/st-louis-jewishbook-festival/festival-eventsschedule/

Sun., Nov. 18, 7 p.m., Code Red Entertainment presents the Lil Duval Comedy Laughaganza. Ambassador, 9800 Halls Ferry Rd., 63136. For more information, visit www.metrotix.com.

Tues., Nov. 20, 7:30 p.m., Impractical Jokers: The Cranjis McBasketball World Comedy Tour. Enterprise Center, 1401 Clark Ave., 63103. For more information, visit www.ticketmaster.com.

theatre

Nov. 2 – 11, Hawthorne Players presents A Raisin in the Sun. A family struggles with what to do with their new inheritance. Florissant Civic Center Theatre, 1 James J. Eagan Dr., 63033. For more information, visit www. florissantmo.thundertix.com.

Nov. 7 – 25, Fox Theatre presents Disney’s Aladdin 527 N Grand Blvd., 63103. For more information, visit www. fabulousfox.com.

Sat., Nov. 17, 7 p.m., The Girl Who Never Cried. A single mother of three who longed for a good man finds the true beast behind the suit and scriptures of the man she’s found. Harris-Stowe State University, 3026 Laclede Ave., 63103. For more information, visit www.eventbrite.com.

Nov. 17 – 18, A Call to Conscience, Inc. and Annie Malone Historical Society present Celebrating the Power of Dreams: The Annie Malone Story. Commemorating the 100 Year Anniversary of Poro College. Missouri History Museum, 5700 Lindell Blvd., 63112. For more information, visit www. anniemalonehistoricalsociety. org.

Thur., Nov. 1, 6:30 p.m., For Freedoms Town Hall: The 50 State Initiative. The Initiative was begun by artists to show what democracy looks like through art and arts institutions. Contemporary Art Museum, 3750 Washington Blvd., 63108. For more information, visit www.camstl. org.

Through February 10, Kehinde Wiley: Saint Louis, Saint Louis Art Museum. One Fine Arts Drive, Forest Park. For more information, call (314) 721-0072 or visit http:// www.slam.org/exhibitions/ kehinde-wiley.php

lectures and workshops

Thur., Nov. 1, 6:30 p.m., Excellence Overcomes All Obstacles: The Story of the Tuskegee Airmen. Maplewood Public Library, 7550 Lohmeyer, 63143. For more information, visit www. maplewoodpubliclibrary.com.

Sat., Nov. 3, 8:15 a.m., How to Start and Manage Your

Kenya Vaughn recommends

Own Business. Learn to assess your prospects, considerations before starting, and initial steps. Anheuser-Busch Hall, Fontbonne University, 6800 Wydown Blvd., 63105. For more information, visit www. eventbrite.com.

Mon., Nov. 5, 7:30 p.m., Bus Ride to Justice – The Montgomery Bus Boycott. Fred David Gray is a nationally recognized civil rights attorney who helped change history by helping to organize the Montgomery Bus Boycott. Morris University Center, SIUE, 1 Hairpin Dr., 62025. For more information, visit www.artsandissues.com.

Tues., Nov. 6, 7:30 p.m., UMSL Office of Student Involvement presents A Night of Conversation with Gabby Douglas. Touhill Performing Arts Center, One University Blvd., 63121. For more information, visit www. touhill.org.

Thur., Nov. 8, 7 p.m., Women’s Voices Raised for Social Justice presents Policing in America: Problems, Perspectives, and Priorities. Richmond Heights Community Center, 8001 Dale Ave., 63117. For more information, visitwww. facebook.com.

Sun., Nov. 11, 1 p.m., Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., St. Louis Metropolitan Chapter presents the 3 rd Annual High School

Professional Development Day. Seigle Hall, Washington University, One Brookings Dr., 63105. For more information, visit www.eventbrite.com.

Sun., Nov. 11, 4 p.m., The A.W.M.K. Memorial Foundation presents Pathways to Freedom, Dismantling Mass Incarceration & Cash Bails. A discussion with community leaders on how we got here and how we move forward. 2035 Shenandoah Ave., 63104. For more information, visit www.abdul-wakilfoundation. org.

Wed., Nov. 14, 6:30 p.m., Public Hearing on Why Equitable School Funding Matters. Hear community leaders speak on the need for policy solutions and share best practices from other districts. Central Print, 2624 N. 14th St., 63106. For more information, visit www.bit.ly/ bbbspublichearing.

Thur., Nov. 15, 7 p.m., Missouri History Museum presents Restorative Justice and Community Healing. Dr. Fania Davis, discusses changing schools and communities through restorative practices. 5700 Lindell Blvd., 63112. For more information, visit www. mohistory.org.

Tues., Nov. 20, 5 p.m., Grace Hill Women’s Business Center presents a Legal Clinic. Meet with an attorney

Enterprise Center presents the Aubrey & The Three Migos Tour. For more information, see CONCERTS.

from Legal Services of Eastern Missouri to discuss business related questions. 2125 Bissell St., 63107. For more information, visit www. eventbrite.com.

health

Sun., Nov. 4, 12 p.m., HealthWorks! Kids’ Museum St. Louis hosts The Great Candy Exchange. Children can exchange portions of unopened Halloween candy for chances to win prizes. 1100 Macklind Ave., 63110. For more information, call (314) 241-7391.

Fri., Nov. 9, 7:30 p.m., Daphne Rice-Bruce Live in Concert. Victory Christian Outreach Church, 7091 Olive Blvd., 63130. For more information, call (314) 7262009.

Fri., Nov. 16, 6 p.m., Kierra KiKi Sheard with Gods Chosen and Michael Lampkin. San Francisco Temple Christian Assembly, 10191 Halls Ferry Rd., 63137. For more information, visit www.eventbrite.com.

Sat., Nov. 3, 7:30 a.m., St. Louis Dental Center’s Free Dental Exams for Veterans. First-come, firstserved opportunity. Walks-ins welcome. Bring a photo Id and your veteran certification form or VA card. 1500 Park Ave., 63104. For more information, call (314) 685-3553.

Sun., Nov. 25, 10 a.m., Newstead Avenue Missionary Baptist Church invites you to Family and Friends Day. 4370 N. Market St., 63113. For more information, call (314) 3714436.

Nov. 1 – 11, 27th Annual Whitaker St. Louis International Film Festival. The festival will screen 413 films including international films, documentaries, American indies, and shorts. For more information, visit www. cinemastlouis.org.

Continued from C1

from the good old days, is juxtaposed with the skeleton of mostly overgrown weeds and dilapidated structures that the municipality has become. Audio footage from a hearing that sought to have the roadblock removed was also featured.

“We probably didn’t realize how blessed we were as kids, but as we got older, we realized what a treasure we had,” longtime resident Julia Boyd said during the film. “We got what we wanted, but we lost what we had.”

“Where the Pavement Ends” screens at 2:30 p.m. Saturday November 3 at the Tivoli, 6350 Delmar.

The film is sponsored by Movie Friends of the Ethical Society of St. Louis.

‘The Color of Medicine’

St. Louis was also home to a phenomenon in the field of medicine by way of the legendary Homer G. Phillips Hospital.

The acclaimed institution was one of only a select few hospitals in the nation were African-Americans could train as doctors. The hospital catered to the city’s black community, which was barred from being treated at other hospitals because of segregation.

Joyce Fitzpatrick & Brian Shackelford share the history of Homer G. Phillips with “The Color of Medicine,”

which gives a complete history of the hospital from when it opened its doors in 1937 to become a model for medical training, education and treatment to when it closed its doors in 1979.

Dr. Earle U. Robinson Jr., is among the film’s subjects.

A second-generation physician and alumnus from Homer G. Phillips, he shares his personal story and that of his father, who was one of the hospital’s first 27 graduates.

“A hospital that was built especially for the black community, that was staffed by a totally black administration and employees was able to achieve so much,” Robinson told St. Louis Public Radio when speaking about the film. “To me, it is as beautiful as something like the Washington Monument or the Lincoln Memorial.”

The Color of Medicine screens at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, November 3 at Washington University’s Brown Hall.

The film is sponsored by Paul A. Randolph (a Cinema St. Louis board member) and the Randolph Family, in honor of the late Dr. Bernard C. Randolph Sr. and all of the healthcare professionals who trained or worked at Homer G. Phillips Hospital.

The 27th Annual Whitaker St. Louis International Film Festival will take place from November 1- November 11 at various venues. For full schedule, locations and related programming, visit www. cinemastlouis.org or call (314) 289-4150.

TROUPE

Continued from C1

seduced by the love of a car, the love of food – anything –clothes, travel. I am seduced by geography, terrain, places, or cars. All of that seduces me,” Troupe told The American

“Or you can be seduced like Miles was seduced by a voice he heard while walking in the dark, by the voice of some old, black woman. He never saw her face, but her voice seduced him, and he tried to imitate it on the trumpet. That seduced him forever.”

In “Ghost Voices,” a booklength poem cast as a prayer (with haunting cover art by the late abstract painter Jack Whitten), Troupe was seduced by voices of the dead.

“In Guadalupe we have a house that looks out at the Caribbean Sea, and you can hear the ocean waves washing in every night. One night it came into my head that those ocean waves were bringing in the voices of African slaves who jumped off the ship or were pushed overboard, and those sounds were those voices foaming up onto the shore,”

PHOENIX

Continued from C1

Phoenix’s case. “As a reporter you do tons of stories and you meet thousands of people and do tons of stories, but seeing Phoenix’s poster plastered all over the glass windows and door and knowing what I did about her – she’s smart, she played piano, from a religious background and had all of these things going for her – I just couldn’t get it out of my mind.”

Finding Phoenix became somewhat of an obsession for Thomas. So much so that when she was told by Fox 2 that she had to choose between keep-

Troupe said.

“It evolved from there. The voices went through the West Indies, with the ghosts following the slave ships, following their kinfolk who had been kidnapped in Africa, carrying them to the West through Brazil and Haiti into the Gulf of Mexico and into New Orleans, then upriver to St. Louis, where I was born, and then coming to New York.”

Those poems mix traditional poetic forms with forms of Troupe’s own creation.

“The poem is based in history, and it is based in imagination,” Troupe said. “Miles said, ‘I try to be free in the

ing her job and working on the Oxygen series about Phoenix, she chose the latter.

“I had to pray about it and I talked to my husband about it, and I said, ‘if I don’t stand for something, then what am I doing?” Thomas said.

She also felt that as a woman of color it was important as a woman of color to be a part of telling Phoenix’s story – that she could add another layer of understanding of how things can be with respect to how black women are viewed in society as far as stereotypes and assumptions.

“I have an opportunity to do an investigative series, one like I’ve never seen before that focuses on a woman of color, and I can be the voice of that,

“Miles said, ‘I try to be free in the way I play,’ and I was trying to be free. Why not have new forms?”

– Quincy Troupe

way I play,’ and I was trying to be free. Why not have new forms?”

The “Miles” who so often comes to mind for Troupe is, of course, Miles Davis, who told his autobiography to Troupe, a collaboration the poet captured in the memoir “Miles and Me.”

Seven Stories Press has repackaged and republished “Miles and Me” in advance of the starstudded film based on the book, directed by none other than Denzel Washington, expected to start shooting soon and to appear next year.

Troupe will read from and sign this handsome new edition 4 p.m. Sunday, November

then why wouldn’t I do it?”

Thomas added. “Something in my spirit says you need to do it. And when I look back on it, I’m so glad I did.”

Thomas worked closely with retired deputy Police Chief Joe Delia for the series. And while “The Disappearance of Phoenix Coldon” doesn’t come to a specific conclusion, Thomas says that show provides compelling new information about the case.

“We got a lot of answers, but it is a little disheartening to not be able to say what conclusively happened,” Thomas said. “I’m hoping to shake some feathers and turn over a few rocks, so we can get the final answer.”

Thomas ultimately wants the show to compel people to call

4 at Left Bank

399 N. Euclid Ave. This event is free and open to the public, but proof of purchase of “Miles and Me” from Left Bank Books will be require to enter the signing line.

Troupe reflected on something that Miles told him and is included in the autobiography: that he liked people from St. Louis because they were country.

“Miles Davis was very country. He was very clean and could dress, he had a fashion sense, he was a musical and a fashion genius, but he was country. We are all country in St. Louis. St. Louis is country,” Troupe said.

“That is not derogatory. You can be country and be sophisticated also. It doesn’t mean you’re not sophisticated. It means you come from a basic way, from a place. I am not confused about where I am from. I don’t care how much I travel, how many books I have read, how many achievements I have, I understand where I come from. I come from St. Louis. And there is a certain code there: don’t lie to me. Do not lie to me. Or you’ll pay. Don’t be

in with tips, but also that a conversation is started about how people of color are covered in media – and how long they are featured in a news cycle.

“I think that is critical when it comes to solving cases too,” Thomas said. “I’m hoping that when we do missing person stories that there doesn’t have to be a color factor – and no matter what the person looks like, the story should be covered.”

“The Disappearance of Phoenix Coldon” airs on the Oxygen Network at 6 p.m. CST on Saturday, November 3 and Sunday, November 4. Check local listings for channels. For more information, visit www. oxygen.com.

Bringing history alive at Soldiers Memorial

Plus, talking restorative justice with Fania Davis

By Kristie Lein

For The St. Louis American

As part of a unique public-private partnership, the Missouri Historical Society took the helm of the Soldiers Memorial Military Museum from the City of St. Louis in November 2015. On November 3 – three years and $30 million later – Soldiers Memorial will again open to the public as a state-of-the-art museum facility that honors the sacrifices of St. Louis-area veterans and their families.

As the Soldiers Memorial Military Museum’s Visitor and Experience lead, Marvin-Alonzo Greer is one of the key players in shaping the institution’s future. We caught up with him to talk about his passion for history and his plans for the years ahead.

Alonzo Greer is Visitor and Experience lead at the Soldiers Memorial Military Museum.

What does a Visitor and Experience lead do?

Marvin-Alonzo Greer: As the Education and Visitor Experience lead at Soldiers Memorial, my job is to develop programming to help interpret and highlight the stories of St. Louisans from the past and the present. Our objective is not to glorify war. Rather, it’s to remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country.

Why is bringing living history to AfricanAmerican youth important to you?

n “We will not shy away from tackling the difficult topics of racial, gender, and sexual orientation discrimination in our programming.”

– Marvin-Alonzo Greer, Soldiers Memorial Military Museum

Greer: Every civilization since the beginning of time has used stories – some real, some based on mythology – to inspire those in their empire, country, or town. For many years in the United States, we have highlighted and glorified military leaders like George Washington, Robert E. Lee, and Teddy Roosevelt. Historically the stories of AfricanAmerican military figures have been greatly marginalized. It is important to youth development to see prominent historical figures who look like them. As the civil rights icon Marcus Garvey once said, “A people without the knowledge of their past history, origin, and culture is like a tree without roots.” We have the opportunity to bring those stories to life and use history to help heal our communities from past trauma as well as inspire youth to live up to their potential.

How do you hope to use Soldiers Memorial

to bring the military history of minorities – and other historically underrepresented groups – to greater public awareness?

Greer: We are partnering with community groups like the Tom Powell Post of the American Legion – which is the oldest allblack American Legion post in the world –Jewish War Veterans of America, and other groups to allow visitors, especially students, to meet and hear about their experiences. We want to be in the community as much as we can to let the public know the amazing role that St. Louisans have played in the building of America.

What else would you like people to know about Soldiers Memorial?

Greer: While we will be discussing American military successes, American history is riddled with stories of triumph, tragedy, glory, and hypocrisy. We will not shy away from tackling the difficult topics of racial, gender, and sexual orientation discrimination in our programming. We are committed to telling a complete story – not just one that makes us as a society feel good. The only way to grow and learn is to acknowledge our shortcomings, celebrate our bright spots, and work toward a better tomorrow.

Fania Davis to speak on restorative justice

On Thursday, November 15, the Missouri Historical Society will welcome Fania Davis to the Missouri History Museum for the event Restorative Justice, Community Healing, and Interrupting the School-to-Prison Pipeline.

As a social-justice activist and civilrights attorney, Davis is one of the most respected voices of the restorative justice movement in the nation. She grew up in Birmingham, Alabama, during the civil rights era. In 1963 she lost two friends after members of the Ku Klux Klan bombed the steps of the 16th Street Baptist Church. That tragedy inspired her life’s work. In her search for a healing justice, she has spent time with indigenous healers from across the world. Today she serves as the founding director of the organization Restorative Justice of Oakland Youth (RJOY).

At the Missouri History Museum event, she will offer an overview of the history, origins, and meaning of restorative justice, and she’ll share stories and research about the effectiveness of restorative justice strategies in schools and in the juvenile justice system. Davis will also touch upon critical issues facing the restorative justice movement, including the urgent need for U.S. practitioners to develop a greater capacity to practice restorative justice through a cultural healing and equity lens.

The event – which is presented with CharacterPlus, a division of EducationPlus, and the St. Louis Area Restorative Justice Collaborative – is free and open to the public. It begins at 7 p.m.

Let’s keep our good judges

By John G. Simon and Edward L. Dowd Jr.

The

For

St. Louis and St. Louis, Clay, Greene, Jackson and Platte counties.

John

G. Simon

St. Louis American Missouri’s judiciary is wellrecognized nationally as a leader. One of the many reasons is that our state’s judges are selected under the Missouri NonPartisan Court Plan. The plan is the least political way of providing our courts with quality judges while still giving voters the final say.

Our courts, legislators and the lawyers from The Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis (BAMSL) worked very hard in 1940 to pass a constitutional amendment that instituted what is now nationally known as the Missouri Plan. It applies to judges on the Missouri Supreme Court, the Missouri Court of Appeals, and the circuit courts in the city of

When there is a judicial vacancy, applicants are screened by commissions made up of civilians appointed by the governor and attorneys elected by their peers – based on experience, intelligence and common sense – and chaired by the chief justice or an appellate chief judge.

n The judges up for retention this year have been given excellent ratings.

The commission selects three candidates from whom the governor chooses the new judge. No matter the political party, every governor in Missouri since the early 1940s has appointed excellent, wellqualified judges.

We were way ahead of the rest of the states in adopting this excellent system, and more than 30 states have adopted similar plans. The Missouri Plan consistently has ensured we have fair and impartial judges who are beholden only

Edward L. Dowd Jr.

to the rule of law and not to politicians or campaign donations. We must protect it. Under the Missouri Plan, the people retain the final say over their judges. You will have the chance to have your say during the Nov. 6 general election. For judges seeking to be retained in office, a committee made up of lawyers and non-lawyers has studied the judges’ performances and provided judicial reviews. The judges up for retention this year have been given excellent ratings.

We encourage you to visit www.YourMissouriJudges. org for more information about each judge and vote to retain our excellent judges.

John G. Simonof the Simon Law Firm was BAMSL president, 2018-19. Edward L. Dowd Jr. of Dowd Bennett was BAMSL president, 2017-18.

State warns of data breach, has mailed letters to those impacted

The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (HSS) has mailed over 10,400 letters to individuals informing them of a breach of security of their personal information and advising them to be vigilant of their credit and assets.

Individuals who received a letter from HHS and have additional questions may call 1-888-252-8045, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

HSS advises anyone who is concerned to remain vigilant by reviewing account statements and monitoring free credit reports for unusual activity.

Consumer credit reporting agencies include Equifax (1-800-525-6285; www. equifax.com), Experian (1-888397-3742; www.experian.com) and TransUnion (1-800-680-

7289; www.transunion.com).

“You may wish to contact these agencies to place a free fraud alert on your credit or to request a free credit freeze,” HSS advised. Additional information about obtaining credit reports may be obtained from the Federal Trade Commission by visiting https:// www.consumer.ftc.gov.

According to HSS, the breach occurred because, sometime before September 30, 2016, an information technology contractor for the State of Missouri, who had worked on a HSS information system, improperly retained the information. The past contractor then allowed the information to be stored in an electronic file that was not password-protected.

The type of personal information found in the electronic file includes names,

dates of birth, identification numbers issued by some state agencies and a very limited number of social security numbers. The types and amount of personal information retained by the contractor varied by person. Each person did not necessarily have all types of personal information listed previously retained by the contractor. When the State of Missouri learned of this situation on August 30, 2018, it took immediate steps to secure the information. At the present time, HSS said it has no reason to believe that the information was actually viewed or used by anyone intending harm. The matter has been referred to the appropriate legal authority to investigate and determine appropriate legal action.

VFW endorses Amendment 2 to legalize medical marijuana

American staff

The Missouri Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Chapter has endorsed Amendment 2, one of the three medical marijuana measures that will be on Missouri’s November 6 general election ballot.

“If it passes, Missouri’s veterans could possibly benefit from the increase in revenue to fund more veteran healthcare services through the Missouri

Veterans Commission,” the group wrote in a letter, Under Amendment 2, revenue from the 4 percent sales tax on medical marijuana would go to the Missouri Veterans Commission.

Under Amendment 2, PTSD would be a qualifying condition under law, allowing state-licensed physicians to recommend medical marijuana as a treatment option. The U.S. Department of Veterans

Affairs estimates that PTSD afflicts almost 31 percent of Vietnam veterans, 20 percent of Iraqi war veterans and 11 percent of veterans of the war in Afghanistan.

“If approved, the legislation would make Missouri the only state to devote the proceeds from the sale of medical marijuana to assist veterans,” the national VFW noted of Amendment 2 in its October 2018 magazine.

Marvin-

Fania Davis

American staff

Navy Retirement

reunion announcements can be viewed online!

Beaumont Class of 1978 40th Reunion Extravaganza Save the Date: October 5-7, 2018. Call or text Marietta Shegog Shelby at 314-799-5296 for further details.

East St. Louis Sr. High

Class of 1968 will celebrate its 50 year reunion on Friday, October 12, 2018 at the Main Street Brewing Center, 6435 West Main Street, Belleville, IL. 62223. For more information contact Linda Ward Spencer (618) 830-8221 or laws50@aol.com.

Northwest Class of 1979 is planning on cruising for our 40th class 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!

Celebrations

Birthdays

Happy Birthday to Apostle Arlene B. McClendon on November 3! She is the Pastor at Chronicles Christian Center Church, wife of Kenneth W. McClendon and has two daughters, Dr. Ingrid Carter (Tony) and Iris McClendon and one granddaughter, Toni.

O’Fallon Tech Class of 1968 Reunion will be held on Nov 2, 2018 from 12 p.m. until 3 p.m. at the Hollywood Casino Buffet, Maryland Heights, Missouri. The cost will be $18 per person which will include the buffet, taxes, and gratuities. All classes and PHL graduates are invited to attend.

Soldan Class of 1979 is planning its 40th 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

Happy King 13th to our trick-or-treat kid, Cameron Jones on October 31! Love, Mom, Dad, Jay and Granny

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

at: soldanclassof1979@gmail. com or call Barbara at 314 456-3391.

Sumner Alumni Association presents it’s Maroon & White Homecoming Week Oct. 8-13, 2018. Bowling Mon. 7-9pm at Crest Bowl ($10), Alumni Happy Hour Wed. at Dejavu II Cafe, Old School Sock Hop Fri., 6-10pm at Sumner ($5/$7), Tailgate/Block Party noon, Sumner’s Homecoming Football Game at Sumner’s Tuskegee Airmen Field at 1pm Sumner vs. Vashon. Contacts: Ms. Prissy at 314.556.3944, Michelle Elgin at 314.452.1275 or email: sumneralumniassn@yahoo. com.

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

Congratulations to Petty Officer 1st Class Corey

Lyles Sr on his 20 year retirement from the US Navy. We are so proud and appreciative of your hard work and dedication. Love, Danielle, MyCaila, Chloe, Corey Jr. and Nia Rhe

Religion

COGIC Convocation commences on November 5

2017 Convocation drew more than 25,000, generated $18M economic impact

By Bishop Frank Anthone White

For The St. Louis American

It is certainly no overstatement to assert that the Church of God in Christ (COGIC) is “the Church that keeps on giving.” From every angle of its 111-year presence as a household acronym tightly woven into the vibrant fabric of the American experience, COGIC carves out a crystal clear diamond of determination for giving St. Louis something to look forward to each year.

“The Church of God in Christ is one of the oldest Pentecostal denominations in the country,” said COGIC

Presiding Bishop Charles E. Blake Sr. “Our annual Holy Convocation, held in St. Louis since 2010, is the largest, singular Christian conference that inspires and encourages hundreds of thousands of believers across the globe.”

Once again this year, COGIC is poised to converge upon the City of St. Louis again to make a tangible economic impact on the St. Louis community. Slating a full agenda of activities commencing on Monday, November 5 from morning until night, the church’s flourishing membership will powerboost the St. Louis economy, leaving no street corner untouched.

Our members arrive at the Convocation fully prepared to invest heavily in local businesses –from its restaurants and clothing outlets to its gift shops and salons. The whole principle of leaving an impact only reinforces our global model of ministry.

Since 2010, COGIC’s impact on the St.

the nation, she said, and helped to generate an estimated $18 million in direct economic impact for the St. Louis region.

This inspiration travels far, runs deep and engenders outreach which is both visible and tangible, all within the immediate scope of the downtown area, flowing from the multi-layered initiatives of our COGIC Cares Community Events, including Christmas in November (9 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday, November 10), job referrals, distribution of free cell phones for those qualified, hot lunches, practical household items, clothing, health screening and free legal advice.

Although the services of the annual Convocation do not directly require the onsite participation of the local population, the Convocation’s mere presence catalyzes economic growth. This is stimulated through the natural instinct of its membership to instantly create new friends with shopkeepers who, in turn, enthusiastically look forward to seeing their annual weeklong customers stop into their favorite establishments daily –collectively offering them a robustly seasoned taste of what it means to be first-hand partakers of COGIC’s purchasing power.

The Message

Does this sound revolutionary?

I saw something the other day that made me stop and think: “Jesus, Revolutionary.”

The phrase made me think of revolutionary in terms of my own faith walk. One of the core truths and teaching principles about the life and death and life of Jesus Christ is that he was all about substance. He could care less about style. I have come to know through Jesus that the outward act of prayer has little, if anything, to do with the internal purpose of prayer.

The literal and technical interpretation of God’s laws has little value if not filtered through the intent of God’s will. Jesus was executed because He challenged the rigid practice of the intellectual and literal enforcement of rules and regulations. He simply asked of those in charge, “Where is the love and compassion in what you do?” To Christ, church hierarchy had little to do with church purpose, and He challenged the leadership to forego the rigidity of rules and focus on doing God’s will.

As a follower of Christ, then, is it not our duty to be just as vigilant against church law and order in today’s church?

Louis regional economy has exceeded $150 million. In 2017, the St. Louis Business Journal ranked the 2017 COGIC Holy Convocation second on its list of St. Louis’s Largest Conventions & Group Events and projects that this year’s Convocation will be the second largest in 2018.

“We want to congratulate Bishop Blake and the entire COGIC family on another successful Convocation here at the America’s Center,” Kathleen “Kitty” Ratcliffe, president of Explore St. Louis, said at the close of last year’s Convocation, “and we eagerly await their return in 2018.” The 2017 Convocation drew more than 25,000 attendees from across

So, on Tuesday, November 6, during your lunch break, stop into Starbucks, Sugarfire Smokehouse, the Marriott Grand St. Louis, The Holiday Inn or The Hilton. From front desk lines two rows deep will emanate a unique, engaging buzz unassumingly drowning out the programming airing from the lobby’s flat screens. Suffice it to say, then, that Christmas really does come in November for retailers and proprietors in downtown St. Louis. The joy of unwrapping and setting out their welcome mats to COGIC seems almost as rewarding as the warmth that fills the city as the they make St. Louis their home for a full week. Greeted by invigorating billboards and banners that roll out the table for the saints to keep coming, this has become a tradition as recognizable as the Gateway Arch. As long as COGIC keeps coming, it will continue to assert its own unmistakable personality as the church that keeps on giving … and giving. Bishop Frank White is the financial secretary of the Church of God in Christ.

Duty rooted in faith and belief in the Almighty demands a certain kind of action. Following the literal interpretation of doctrine demands little more than an external demonstration of an understanding of the rules. So are we revolutionary if we investigate the size of the choir’s budget as opposed to the effectiveness of the Outreach Ministry? Does Jesus’ message demand that we reorder our thinking to go beyond church walls and deal with those we might think we’re better than because we are in church every Sunday at the same time, in the same place, in the same seat?

A Sunday seat doesn’t guarantee a Monday heart. Does this sound revolutionary to you? The revolutionary part becomes apparent when you look at who Jesus helped. The miracles were more about the lame and the lost, the poor and the blind, even the wretched and the vile. Paul spoke to power without fear. Christ’s revolutionary example gave Him the courage to do so. The love Jesus spoke about is the love you give, not the love you expect to receive. The same held true for mercy and charity. This was enough to get Him killed. If you only preach these principles, nothing will happen to you. But if you actually practice these truths, you too might fall prey to gossip, jealousy, envy and maybe even death. You know you’re a revolutionary when people see you challenging the status quo in order to do God’s will. Is anybody paying attention to you these days?

Photo by Wiley Price

COGIC Presiding Bishop Charles E. Blake Sr. addressed the faithful during the 2016 Convocation in St. Louis.

Columnist James Washington

Guest Columnist

Bishop Frank Anthone White

CORRECTIONAL OFFICER

The City of Jennings is accepting applications for Correctional Officers.

Duties entail working a 12-hour shift, which includes booking, processing and supervising prisoners. Must be a high school graduate or have a GED; 21 years of age and have no disqualifying criminal history. Valid driver’s license required. Starting salary $30,571.00 (C8C).

Interested applicants must complete a Corrections application, which is available at Jennings City Hall, 2120 HordAve. or online at www.cityofjennings.org. NO

RESUMESACCEPTED WITHOUT ACOMPLETEDAPPLICATION!

CCC&C INC. ARMED AND UNARMED SECURITY NEEDED APPLY IN PERSON, EXPERIENCED OFFICERS

CITY OF ST PETERS, MO CAREER OPPORTUNITIES

Are you a team player? Work for an employer who values and supports teamwork for their employees. St. Peters Rec-Plex and Golf Course offer their employees competitive pay and a chance to work in a fun atmosphere. To view current openings and to apply please visit: www.stpetersmo.net/jobs

AA/EOE

of Alton, IL Must have been a full-time

Officer See website for further requirements and application www.cityofaltonil.com/careers

The Brentwood School District seeks to hire the following position

FT Night Custodian-2:30pm-11pm Mon-Fri during the school year and 7 pm-3:30pm during the summer and as needed

• Custodial experience required. School Custodian experience preferred.

• Must have a stable work history and excellent attendance

• Demonstrate aptitude/competency for assigned responsibilities

• Demonstrates initiative, cooperation and enthusiasm

• Must be willing to open to learning basic computer programs Terms of Employment

• 12-month, full-time position.

• Board paid medical, dental, and vision for employee.

• As a condition of employment, all new hires will be required to complete a FBI, State Highway Patrol and Children’s Division of the Department of Social Services background check.

Visit the following website for to apply: www.brentwoodmoschools.org Click on the Human Resources tab at the top of the page. Deadline is 11 p.m., Wednesday, October 31, 2018. Only online applications are accepted. If you have applied in the past you will need to reapply. Please No Phone Calls. EOE.

JOB POSTING CORRECTION

LIEUTENANT

The City of Jennings is seeking applications for the position of Correctional Lieutenant. This position is responsible for the administration of the jail and supervision of correctional officers. Duties include, but are not limited to, overseeing jail functions, enforcing rules and regulations, overseeing training of new employees, preparation and monitoring of departmental budget, working with federal, state and local agencies and the St. Louis County Police Department.

Five years of experience as a correctional and/or police officer and four years management experience is required. Must have a valid driver’s license. Starting salary is $42,000 - $45,000 annually.

Interested applicants must complete a Corrections application, which is available at Jennings City Hall, 2120 HordAvenue or online at www. cityofjennings.org. NO RESUMES ACCEPTED WITHOUT COMPLETEDAPPLICATION! Returned application must include a current record check from St. Louis City and County Police Dept and copy of your valid driver’s license. The deadline to submit applications is November 15, 2018 at 4:30 p.m.

HELPWANTED: Great Rivers Greenway

OUTREACH SPECIALIST

Great Rivers Greenway is seeking up to three permanent, part-time, Outreach Specialists to set up and staff information table/booth at regional festivals, races or other events on an as-needed basis. To apply, visit www.GreatRiversGreenway.org/jobs

DISTRIBUTION SPECIALIST

Great Rivers Greenway is seeking up to four independent contractors to identify, document and assist with the distribution of maps & information about regional greenways. Distribution will focus primarily on medical or allied health profession waiting rooms. To apply, visit www.GreatRiversGreenway.org/jobs

Returned application must include a current record check from St. Louis City and County Police Dept. and a valid driver’s license. Application deadline is November 16, 2018 at 5:00 p.m. RECRUITER

Archivist Please visit www.mohistory.org

VOCATIONAL REHABILITATION COUNSELOR

The State of Missouri is accepting applications for a Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor in the St. Louis area. Starting salary is $38,808-$40,776. View job description, benefits and application instructions at https://dese.applicantpro. com/jobs/application instructions at https://dese.applicantpro.com/jobs/

ASSISTANT - PSAPOLICY OPERATIONS

Responsible for monitoring and follow through of service related requests for the Policy Operations unit, and tracking all Primary Workers’Compensation, CommercialAuto, and General Liability transactions to include: New Business, Renewals, Endorsements, Cancellations, Reinstatements and Non-renewals. This position includes the accuracy in which transactions are issued and distributed to our customers.To apply, please visit: https://www. safetynational.com/careers-page/.

Safety National has an opening for a newly created position to join our talent acquisition team. The ideal candidate will have at least 2 years’ experience as a recruiter in the Insurance/Financial services industry with an emphasis in IT recruitment. Safety National is recognized as a Best Place to Work in Insurance by Business Insurance Magazine and as a Top Work Place in St.

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

The St. Louis Economic Development Partnership (the “Partnership”) solicits proposals from qualified firms to provide liaison services with state-level governmental officials, agencies, and elected representatives.

To be considered, proposals must be received no later than 3:00 PM CST on Thursday, November 15, 2018. Proposals should be sent by email to hbean@stlpartnership.com, or to St. Louis Economic Development Partnership, ATTN: Howl Bean II, 7733 Forsyth Blvd., Suite 2200, St. Louis, Missouri 63105. DBE, MBE, and WBE consultants are encouraged to bid, and a five percent bid preference may be available to certified MBE firms.

The Request for Proposals may be obtained from the St. Louis Economic Development Partnership’s web site at www.stlpartnership.com. The Partnership reserves the right to reject any or all proposals and to waive informalities therein. Any questions should be directed to Howl Bean II at (314) 615-7663 or hbean@stlpartnership.com.

St. Louis Economic Development Partnership Equal Opportunity Employer

LETTING #8678

FIVE NEW PASSENGER BOARDING BRIDGES AT GATES C-30, A-8, A-10, A-14 AND A-15

Sealed proposals will be received by the Board of Public Service in Room 208 City Hall, 1200 Market Street, St. Louis, Mo. Until 1:45 PM, CT, on Tuesday, November 27, 2018 then publicly opened and read. Plans and Specifications may be examined on the Board of Public Service website http://www.stl-bps.org/planroom.aspx (BPS On Line Plan Room) and may be purchased directly through the BPS website from INDOX Services at cost plus shipping. No refunds will be made.

Bidders shall comply with all applicable City, State and Federal laws (including MBE/WBE policies). ). Mandatory pre-bid meeting will be held on Tuesday, November 6, 2018, at 10:00 AM in the Ozark Conference Room at the Airport Office Building, 11495 Navaid Rd., Bridgeton, MO 63044.

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

NOTICE TO CONTRACTORS

Paric Corporation is seeking proposals for the following project: Ameren St. Louis North Metro Operations Center.

The project consists of a 19,600 sf office building, 6,400 sf vehicle storage building, open truck shelter and trailer storage on a 6.7 acre site.

The project includes but is not limited to concrete, masonry, steel fabrication & erection, rough & finish carpentry, casework, membrane roofing, metal wall panels, architectural sheetmetal, doors/ frames, storefront, drywall, flooring, painting, ACT ceilings, specialties, pre-engineered metal buildings, plumbing, mechanical, fire protection, electrical, grading, utilities, asphalt, landscaping, fencing.

The project has supplier diversity goals of 25% MBE and 10% Other (Women, Veteran/Service Disabled, LGBT).

Bids for this project are due on November 5th at 12:00 p.m. For any questions or would like to find out more detailed information on this opportunity, please contact Evan Chiles at 636-561-9544 or emchiles@paric.com.

All bids should be delivered to Paric via e-mail (bids@paric.com) or fax (636-561-9501).

Plans and specifications will be available to view at Paric’s Main office at 77 Westport Plaza, Suite 250, St. Louis, MO 63146.

PARIC CORPORATION IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER

The following people are in debt to Gateway Storage Mall of Belleville, Columbia, & Dupo, Illinois. 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 November 5, 2018 at 9:00 am. A cash deposit will be REQUIRED for all winning bids. Units: Col. A020 – Sherry Gogolek, Col. 5 – Chico Hudson, Col. 30 –Brian Killingsworth, Col. 43 – Ted Goldschmidt, Col. 123 – Laura Kelley, Col. 126 – Tony Reichwein, Dupo 7 – James Arms, Sr., Dupo 26 – Matt Tudor, Dupo 65 – Jennifer Goforth, Dupo 70 – Matt Ratterman, Dupo 86 –Diana Merzweiler, Dupo 105 – Amanda Venus, Dupo 150 – Joe Barnhardt, Dupo 125/126 – Tammy Watson, Bel. 17 –Lona Bray, Bel. 25 – Jestin Boone, Bel. 28 – Jessica Bailey, Bel. 101 – Cecelie Holmes, Bel. 122 – Michael Vogelsberg, Bel. 206/215 – Bridget Williams, Bel. 219 – Jaye Jones, Bel. 306 – Tony Cotton, Bel. 311 – Jennifer Pribble, Bel. 319 – Tameka Lilton, Bel. 409 – Donny & Mesha Sykes, Bel. 412 – Lakeshia Nicholson, Bel. 504 – Mark Hall, Bel. 514 – Brittany Ramsey, Bel. 522 - Arthur Berreman, Bel. 528 – Tara Davis, Bel. 532 – Beverly Driver, Bel. 533 - Kasandra Atwater, Bel. 544 -Elijah Cadle, Bel. 612 – Sean Cohagan, Bel. 625 – Yeishea Vaughn, Bel. 636 –Jules Johansen/Daryl Jones, Bel. A05/ A06 – Rashonda Coates, Bel. A14 –Allen Klingelhoefer, Bel. A17 – Michelle Morgan, Bel. B02 – Chiquita Bartlett, Bel. C03 – Charles Ballard, Bel. C04 –Vernice Smith, Bel. C08 -Latasha Little, Bel. D04 – Rashonda Coates, Bel. E05 –Samishia Delarocha 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.

Public Notice of

Single Source Procurement

Notice is hereby given that the Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District is proposing to procure: DISPARITY STUDY. The District is proposing single source procurement for this service because MASON TILLMAN AND ASSOCIATES LTD 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.

Advertisement for: REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

The City of St Louis Department of Health is seeking proposals from firms to provide services to its Animal Care and Control Program for animal care and adoption services at the City’s Animal Care and Control shelter. Requests for Proposals may be obtained beginning October 25, 2018, from the City of St. Louis Department of Health, Connie Giunta, 1520 Market StreetSuite 4051, St. Louis MO 63103, giuntac@stlouis-mo.gov (314) 6571500. Proposals may also be downloaded from the City of St. Louis website at http://www.stlouis-mo.gov/ . There is a mandatory pre-proposal meeting November 5, 2018 at 2:00 P.M. at the address listed above. The deadline for submitting proposals is November 28, 2018 by 4:00 P.M. at the address listed above. The Department of Health reserves the right to reject any or all responses with or without cause.

SAINT LOUIS MHB

Accepting Concept Papers

Public Notice of Single Source Procurement

Notice is hereby given that the Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District is proposing to procure: Allen Bradley equipment for pump station communications. The District is proposing single source procurement to French Gerleman for this equipment because French Gerleman is the sole distributor of Allen Bradley/ Rockwell Automation equipment in the St Louis Metro Area. Any inquiries should be sent to ameyer@stlmsd.com.

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

METROPOLITAN ST. LOUIS

SEWER DISTRICT

Notice is hereby given that the Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District is accepting proposals in the Purchasing Division, 2350 Market Street, St. Louis, Missouri 63103-2555 until 10:00 a.m. on December 5th, 2018 to contract with a company for: Prairie Grass Maintenance Services.

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 9652 RFP. If you do not have access to the internet, call 314.768.2735 to request a copy of this bid.

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

METROPOLITAN ST. LOUIS SEWER DISTRICT

Notice is hereby given that the Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District is accepting proposals in the Purchasing Division, 2350 Market Street, St. Louis, Missouri 63103-2555 until 10:00 a.m. on December 6th, 2018 to contract with a company for: Lawn Care Services for Various North County Properties. 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 9649 RFQ. If you do not have access to the internet, call 314.768.2735 to request a copy of this bid. 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: ONBOARDING AND PERFORMANCE SOFTWARE. NEOGOV was used for the service. Any inquiries should be sent to gjamison@stlmsd.com.

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

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 December 3, 2018 to contract with a company for: PLUMBING SUPPLIES.

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 9632 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.

NOTICE TO CONTRACTORS

Paric Corporation is seeking proposals for the following project: PWC – St. Louis

The project consists of a 40,000 sf office build-out in the Ball Park Village Block 100 Tower in downtown St. Louis, MO.

A pre-bid meeting will be held on Tuesday October 23, 2018 at the Paric jobsite trailer for Ball Park Village Block 100 located off of Broadway Street in downtown St. Louis. The current structure is still under construction & this meeting is by no means mandatory. There is parking available in the Ball Park Village parking lot, but parking will not be validated for this meeting. Bids for this project are due on November 5, 2018 by 5:00 PM (CST). For any questions or if you would like to find out more detailed information on this opportunity, please contact Cameron Lang at 314-280-3058 or cclange@paric.com or Evan Fox at 314-578-2542 or ecfox@paric.com .

All bids should be delivered to Paric via e-mail (bids@paric.com) or fax (636-561-9501).

Plans and specifications will be available to view at Paric’s Main office at 77 Westport Plaza, Suite 250, St. Louis, MO 63146.

PARIC CORPORATION IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER MWBE PreBid Meeting Notice

The SITE Improvement Association is hosting a Prebid meeting for Qualified and Certified MWBE contractors to discuss working on

MSD’s Valcour and Burlington RR Sanitary Relief and I/I Reduction (Valcour Rd and Watson Rd) Contract Letting No. 12253-015.1

This meeting is being held on behalf of the following SITE contractor member:

J.M. Marschuetz Construction Co. 15 Truitt Drive Eureka, MO 63025 636/938-3600

The meeting will take place at 9:00 a.m. November 8, 2018

SITE Improvement Association Office, 2071 Exchange Drive St. Charles, MO 63303

Project plans are available from MSD. For questions regarding this prebid meeting, Contact the SITE Improvement Association office at 314/966-2950.

November 5 – 30, from qualified organizations with experience providing behavioral health services to St. Louis city adults. Some organizations will be invited to submit a full application, which may result in financial support. Details available 11/5/18 at www.stlmhb.com.

CITY OF ST. LOUIS BOARD OF PUBLIC SERVICE

REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS for Engineering Design Services for the Reconstruction of Taxiway Delta from Runway 6/24 to Taxiway Charlie at St. Louis Lambert International Airport. Statements of Qualifications due by 5:00 P.M., CT, November 13, 2018 at Board of Public Service, 1200 Market, Room 301 City Hall, St. Louis, MO 63103. RFQ may be obtained from website www.stl-bps.org, under the On Line Plan Room, or call the City of St. Louis, Board of Public Service at 314-622-3535. DBE participation goal is 13.88%.

SEALED BIDS

for Roof Replacement, Multiple Radio Tower Locations, West, Central & East Missouri, Project No. R1803-01 will be received by FMDC, State of MO, UNTIL 1:30 PM, 12/6/2018. For specific project information and ordering plans, go to: http://oa.mo. gov/ facilities

ADVERTISE YOUR JOBS, BID NOTICES, SERVICES HOMES FOR SALE & RENTALS

Saint Louis Zoo Primate Canopy Trails Demolition Package2018

SCOPE OF WORK: This project will consist of demolition of the Former Sea Lion Arena and associated structures, demolition of site paving, as well as fence and tree removal. Additionally, fill and grading in place of the former structure, replacement of a portion of the Perimeter Security fence, and seeding

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

The St. Louis City Family Court is seeking proposals from medical doctors to provide medical services to detained youth in the Detention Center. Proposals should be submitted by 4:00 p.m. on November 16, 2018, but position is open until filled. Interested providers may obtain the Proposal Specifications by accessing www.stlcitycircuitcourt.com then check for RFPs under General Information and follow the Medical Services Proposal Specifications.

NOTICE TO CONTRACTORS

Notice is hereby given that The Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District (District), the Owner, will receive sealed bids for Lemay Public I/I Reduction (2019) Contract D under Letting No. 12038015.1, at its office, 2350 Market Street, St. Louis, Missouri 63103, until 2:00 PM, local time, on Wednesday, December 05, 2018. All bids are to be deposited in the bid box located on the first floor of the District’s Headquarters prior to the 2:00 p.m. deadline. Bids may, however, be withdrawn prior to the opening of the first bid. BIDS WILL BE PUBLICLY OPENED AND READ IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE BID DUE DATE/TIME AT 2350 MARKET STREET, AT A PLACE DESIGNATED.

The Work to be performed under these Contract Documents consists of:

The work to be done under this contract consists of the rehabilitation of approximately 45,619 lineal feet of sanitary sewers, varying in size from 6-inch to 18-inches in diameter using cured-in-place pipe (CIPP) methods, 453 manholes, and 631 service connections. The project is within the Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District Boundaries, inside the city(ies) of varies in the State of Missouri. The work will be performed in various quantities at various sites.

All prospective bidders must prequalify in the Cured-In-Place Pipe (CIPP) category, and be certified prior to the Bid Opening. Prequalification forms for obtaining said certification may be obtained from the Owner at the above mentioned address. All bidders must obtain drawings and specifications in the name of the entity submitting the bid.

This project will be financed through the Missouri State Revolving Fund, established by the sale of Missouri Water Pollution Control bonds and Federal Capitalization Grants to Missouri. Neither the Missouri Department of Natural Resources, its divisions, nor its employees will be party to the contract at any tier. Any Bidder whose firm or affiliate is listed on the GSA publication titled “List of Parties Excluded from Federal Procurement or Non-Procurement Programs” is prohibited from the bidding process; bids received from a listed party will be deemed non-responsive. Refer to Instructions to Bidders B-27 for more information regarding debarment and suspension. Nondiscrimination in Employment: Bidders on this work will be required to comply with the President’s Executive Order 11246. Requirements for bidders and contractors under this order are explained in the specifications.

Plans and Specifications are available from free electronic download. Please go to MSD’s website and look for a link to “ELECTRONIC PLANROOM.” Plans and Specifications are also available for viewing or purchase at Cross Rhodes Reprographics located at 1710 Macklind Avenue, St. Louis MO 63110. All bidders must obtain a set of plans and specifications in order to submit a bid in the name of the entity submitting the bid. The Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

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 Election will be held at the designated polling place for each precinct in the City of St. Louis, State of Missouri, on Tuesday, November 6, 2018, as certified to this office by the Honorable John R. Ashcroft, Secretary of State of the State of Missouri. 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 federal, state and municipal offices; and voting on whether certain Judges whose term expires December 31, 2018, shall be retained in office for new terms. All voters will also have the opportunity to vote on four proposed State Constitutional Amendments (Nos. 1, 2, 3 and 4), and three statutory measures (Propositions B, C and D), as well as vote for two Members of the Board of Education.

The last day the Board of Election Commissioners can accept an application to vote an absentee ballot by mail in the November 6, 2018 General Election is 5:00 P.M. on Wednesday, October 31, 2018. Absentee voting in person will conclude at 5:00 P.M. on Monday, November 5, 2018. The office of the Board of Election Commissioners will be open on Saturday, November 3, 2018 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 judicial retention, if you are in favor of a judge’s retention completely darken the oval to the left of the word “YES.” If you are against a judge’s retention, completely darken the oval to the left of the word “NO.” To vote on an amendment or 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 judicial retention, if you are in favor of a judge’s retention touch the box on the screen to the left of the word “YES.” If you are against a judge’s retention, touch the box on the screen to the left of the word “NO.” To vote on an amendment or 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 ELECTION

CITY OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2018

(REP) (DEM)

MISSOURI SUPREME COURT JUDGES

Shall Judge W. BRENT POWELL of the Missouri Supreme Court be retained in office? YES NO

Shall Judge MARY RHODES RUSSELL of the Missouri Supreme Court be retained in office? YES NO

MISSOURI COURT OF APPEALS JUDGES EASTERN DISTRICT

Shall Judge COLLEEN DOLAN of the Eastern District Court of Appeals be retained in office? YES NO Shall Judge LISA P. PAGE of the Eastern District Court of Appeals be retained in office? YES NO

CIRCUIT COURT JUDGES 22nd JUDICIAL CIRCUIT

Division No. 7 Shall Judge THOMAS C. CLARK, II, Circuit Judge of Judicial Circuit No. 22, be retained in office? YES NO

Division No. 10 Shall Judge REX M. BURLISON, Circuit Judge of Judicial Circuit No. 22, be retained in office? YES NO

Division No. 15 Shall Judge THERESA COUNTS BURKE, Circuit Judge of Judicial Circuit No. 22, be retained in office? YES NO

Division No. 18 Shall Judge JASON M. SENGHEISER, Circuit Judge of Judicial Circuit No. 22, be retained in office? YES NO

Division No. 20

Shall Judge JOAN L. MORIARTY, Circuit Judge of Judicial Circuit No. 22, be retained in office? YES NO

Division No. 22

Shall Judge MICHAEL W. NOBLE, Circuit Judge of Judicial Circuit No. 22, be retained in office? YES NO

Division No. 23

Shall Judge PAULA PERKINS BRYANT, Circuit Judge of Judicial Circuit No. 22, be retained in office? YES NO

ASSOCIATE CIRCUIT JUDGES 22ND JUDICIAL CIRCUIT

Division No. 29 Shall Judge BARBARA TINA PEEBLES, Associate Circuit Judge of Judicial Circuit No. 22, be retained in office? YES NO

CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS

AMENDMENT

Swag Snap of the Week

Kicking back with DELUX. Thursday night I got my weekend started with the folks at DELUX for their Power 100 Reunion Kickback and Game Night Thursday at Brennan’s. As per usual, Keith Griffin and the DELUX people brought out the tastemakers and influencers out – and that’s including the team responsible for the DELUX brand. It was the cutest of times as folks played board games, UNO and threw bones. I don’t remember seeing anybody playing spades. I feel like if they had been, I would not have been able to resist the urge to jump in and shut the whole party down with my ability to catch books – and sometimes with a hand as iffy as one and a possible. I wanted to make sure I gave a birthday shout out to Vanessa Townsend, who was in the place getting her life. Okay, now back to DELUX. By the time you read this, they’ll be naming the next crop of Power 100 recipients. I can’t wait to see who made the cut.

A Trunk or Treat triumph. While at the DELUX kickback, I ran into event producers LaRonn and Onnie. They told me to stop through the Marquee parking lot on Monday night for a citywide trunk or treat. I thought to myself, “Aww, it will be a cute little intimate trick-or-treat experience for the kids.” I had no idea that they would bring the whole entire city for a Halloween experience that I hope to see come back year after year. It was really a sight to see and a family good time as the community came together thanks to them and gave kids an unforgettable family Halloween memory.

A super cute Costumes and Cocktails. I knew when I had to park on the other side of the strip mall adjacent to the Jewel Center that Korey Johnson and Arika Parr had another monster success with their annual Costumes and Cocktails Halloween Party. It was here that Kevin and Elicia Lanier snatched my soul with their tag team presentation of PBS painter Bob Ross. Korey and Arika were adorable in their his-and-hers genie ensembles –and the party was filled with so many of my favorite folks that I would need a whole additional Partyline to name everybody. The party let me know that the curse had been lifted on STL’s

By Delores Shante dshante@stlamerican.com

Newlyweds Jermaine and Tracey made their way to Denise Thimes’ 14th Annual Mildred Thimes Benefit Concert Thursday night @ The Sheldon Concert Hall

Halloween turnup – which had been a bust for the past couple of years. And when the folks at the party jumped into a fully choreographed “reenblactment” of “Thriller” and “Remember The Time,” – which was so well-orchestrated that it must have been rehearsed – my soul smiled from the inside out. Slam dunk for SLAM Underground. After a solid two years – okay, maybe one year – of concerted effort, I finally made it to the Saint Louis Art Museum for their monthly SLAM Underground set. On the last Friday of the month, the museum is open late and they party with programming, a DJ and a concert to cater to the going-out crowd. I’m glad this was the month I made it, because it fell in line with the freshness of “Kehinde Wiley: Saint Louis.” I got a chance to chop it up with several of the subjects of the 11-painting exhibition that featured residents of North City and North County in paintings inspired by pieces in SLAM’s permanent collection. A woman named Ashley told me that she was getting a pizza from the Little Caesar’s on the North Side. I can’t imagine going to get a Hot-N-Ready five meat large stuffed crust pie and ending up larger than life on a portrait that is part of one of the most buzzed about new exhibitions in the visual arts world. And filmmaker Cami Thomas was in the house showcasing her docu-series “Smoke City,” which gives insight on the

different neighborhoods and communities that make up the region from the residents who live there.

True to Trap.Soul.Paint form. Café Soul’s tradition of the Trap.Soul.Paint turnup was taken to the tenth power as folks got into the Halloween spirit Sunday afternoon and evening. The House of Soul was packed to the gills with paint easels and folks –many in costume – who came to kick it hard as part of the unique experience that combines dabbling in artistic expression and dropping it like it’s hot at the same doggone time. This time they added a few slides – including that never ending “Fantasy” slide. I can’t tell y’all how many folks I tripped over trying to make my rounds in the space. And what is about that “Nina Pop” throwback from The Whole 9 that is an instant turnup trigger for women of a certain age and gives them their whole entire life. There was a silver fox that got so into the she ought to have an upper body comparable to Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson the way she was putting her back and shoulders into her Nina Pop.

Ervin party. When I pulled up for Sir Ervin Williams III’s annual Halloween house party and saw the parking lot next to his building, I was like “When did they move a dealership in this spot?” They didn’t. The cars jam-packed in that lot was filled with guests that came through for Ervin’s glorious African-themed bash. The party has been happening for five years, but this was the first year I had stopped by. It will not be the last. Now that stairway to Heaven that leads folks up to Ervin’s spacious loft was more than a notion. I took one step at a time like I was in somebody’s rehabilitation program. Although I’m happy to report that there were no tumbles or related tragedies related to that spiral staircase, but the thought of somebody trying to descend after having one too many spirit-filled beverages is more than a notion. Okay, now back to the party. A lot full of cars that can fit up in Ervin’s spot should not only let you know how spacious his place is. It was enough from for the type of turnup that fell right in line with my restored faith as far as the St. Louis Halloween kicking it activities.

Photos by V. Lang

Elicia and Kevin Lanier were the winners of the best couples Halloween costume of 2018. Kevin was dressed as painter Bob Ross and Elicia as one of the many pieces the late artist created over the years of his PBS show at Korey Johnson and Arika Parr’s Costumes and Cocktails party held Saturday at the Jewel Center.

Rob and Tyrani nailed their tributes to Eazy-E and Beyonce @ Hey Luv’s Halloween Edition Saturday @ Sophie’s in .Zack

Darryl and Vanessa were feeling the scene of SLAM Underground Friday night @ The Saint Louis Art Museum

Arika Parr and Korey Johnson granted the wish of a good time at their annual Costumes and Cocktails Halloween Party Saturday @ The Jewel Center

Power couple Darius and Marquita Chapman @ 2018 HSSU Outstanding Alumni Leader Under 40 Awards Friday night @ Stifel Theatre

Dosia and Candess repped for “Dead Presidents” while working up a sweat at Sir Ervin Williams III 5th Annual Halloween House Party Saturday night

Blair and lifelong friend Cami Thomas were all smiles after the positive reaction to Cami’s ‘Smoke City’ TV series Friday at @ SLAM Underground

Nikki, LaRon and Onnie @ DELUX Magazine’s Power 100 Kickback @ Brennan’s

Rob and Shevare checked out ‘Kehinde Wiley: Saint Louis’ Friday night @ SLAM Underground