Bishop Elijah Hankerson III, pastor of Life Center International Church of God in Christ, joined The Church of God in Christ’s National Prayer Walk on Saturday, November 2 as the saints gathered in St. Louis for COGIC’s 112th annual Holy Convocation.
“No matter what denomination or religious background, the community is welcome to worship with us at convocation.”
– Bishop Frank A. White, COGIC financial secretary
‘This
By Elizabeth Sharpe-Taylor
“The time for assembly is God’s time,” said Superintendent John Smith during the welcome service for The Church of God in Christ’s (COGIC) 112th annual Holy Convocation. “It is not time to go to a beauty salon. It is not time to go play golf. It is not time to watch a basketball game. This is God’s time.”
In its tenth consecutive year in St. Louis, COGIC’s annual spiritual gathering is bringing
thousands of people to downtown St. Louis for praise and worship at America’s Center. More than 30,000 faithful are assembling for biblical instruction, training, and spiritual inspiration.
“The Church of God in Christ is one of the oldest Pentecostal denominations in the country and our annual Holy Convocation is the largest, singular Christian conference that inspires and encourages hundreds of thousands of believers across the globe,” said Bishop Charles E. Blake Sr., presiding bishop of COGIC worldwide.
Black veteran of three wars says, ‘You did what you had to do to survive’
By Clara Germani
For The St. Louis American
At the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace in London a couple years back, Willard Smith heard some younger tourists nearby speaking Korean and he began to hum the South Korean national anthem, turning to them and greeting them in Korean. The moment of mutual delight between the 90-something African American, who as a U.S.
Resisting arrest charges routed to city muni court to shield police; city denies it broke law
By Rebecca Rivas Of The
The worship service broadcasts to 12,000 local congregations across the nation and 105 countries globally. COGIC is comprised of more than six million members around the world.
During Holy Convocation, convention members spend a substantial amount of time in the community as servant leaders, service providers and patrons.
St. Louis has benefited from hosting
Army sergeant commanded South Korean and black platoons in the Korean war, and the younger South Koreans is captured in photos Smith likes to share. Proud of the languages he picked up during his Army career – spanning 23 years and duty in three Pacific theaters of war – Smith finds his skills to be a useful peacetime remnant of difficult war experiences.
As the U.S. celebrates Veterans Day, a holiday for thanking living veterans for their service, Smith – now 93 – reminisced about his Army service in war in Japan, Korea and Vietnam without a tinge of emotion.
Rather, he tells war stories – spanning the prosaic details of being a private specializing in automotive parts identification on a makeshift base
See SMITH, A7 Willard Smith
By Jason Rosenbaum and Julie O’Donoghue Of St. Louis Public Radio
Rasheen Aldridge faced no competition in the contest to fill out of the rest of former state Rep. Bruce Franks’ term in the St. Louis-based 78th House District in a special election on Tuesday, November 5. Franks resigned to tend to his anxiety and depression. Aldridge first came on the political scene in the city as an activist within the movement to raise the minimum wage. Then-Gov. Jay Nixon later appointed Aldridge to the Ferguson Commission, which sought to chart out a policy path after Michael Brown’s shooting death. Aldridge was ultimately elected 5th Ward committeeman in 2016,
Solange splits from husband
Grammy winner Solange Knowles revealed she separated from her husband, 56-year-old Alan Gerard Ferguson earlier this year. Their 2014 nuptials in New Orleans broke wedding tradition by having the entire wedding party in white, becoming legendary and inspiring for young couples with wedding goals.
In an Instagram post, the 33-yearold Houston native wrote, in part, “11 years ago I met a phenomenal man who changed every existence of my life. Early this year we separated and parted ways, (and tho it ain’t nan no body business) I find it necessary to protect the sacredness of my personal truth and to live in it fully just as I have before and will continue to do.”
Niecy Nash files for divorce
engineer Jay Tucker. The DailyMail.com had reported news of the split, saying that the couple had separated months ago. In a joint statement posted on IG, Nash said, “We believe in the beauty of truth. Always have. Our truth is that in this season of our lives, we are better friends than partners in marriage. Our union was such a gorgeous ride. And as we go our separate ways now, we feel fortunate for the love we share – present tense. Thank you all out there for your support of us as a couple over the last eight years. We are grateful.”
St. Louis born “Claws” actress Niecy Nash confirmed on her Instagram page that she filed for divorce from her husband, electrical
Pilar Sanders engaged to J. Prince
Last year Sanders, ex-wife of NFL great Deion Sanders announced that she was dating J. Prince of Rap-A-Lot Records. Pilar took to Instagram over the weekend to announce that the pair has become engaged. In a photo and video, Pilar showed off a huge diamond engagement ring as well as a matching diamond necklace and tiara.
Below the photo and video – which included closeups of her new jewelry as Q Tip’s “Vibrant Thing” plays in the background – was the caption, “When you manifest the vision that others said was impossible.”
Charges and accusations mount against Cuba Gooding Jr.
On Thursday, October 31, Academy Award winning actor Cuba Gooding Jr. was arraigned on new charges related to a third alleged sex abuse victim. In the arraignment, prosecutors revealed that more women have come forward with claims against
“Not guilty,” Gooding said, according to Page Six, as he was escorted into the courtroom in Gooding faces a total of six misdemeanor counts of forcible touching and sex abuse stemming from three accusers’ allegations.
Page Six said that during the brief hearing in Manhattan Supreme Court, Assistant DA Jenna Long accused the defense team of leaking an edited video to the press, which shows the actor
tapping the backside of a TAO nightclub server on Oct. 24, 2018. He was previously indicted for touching her buttocks and for squeezing the breast of a 30-year-old accuser in June at the Moxy hotel. Prosecutors claim that at least 17 accusers have come forward.
Defense lawyers Mark Heller and Peter Toumbekis denied releasing the video and blasted prosecutors for charging Gooding in the first place. Heller insisted no crime occurred.
Stevie J. temporarily retains full custody of Bonnie Bella
According to Bossip.com, “Love & HipHop Atlanta” personality Stevie J will continue to have full custody of the daughter he shares with former co-star Joseline Hernandez through early 2020.
According to documents obtained by Bossip, a Georgia family court judge pushed back a status hearing on the case for another four months and ordered the exes to attend mediation to possibly settle the matter.
Stevie sued Hernandez for full custody earlier this year. According to the terms of the judge’s ruling, Stevie will no longer pay Hernandez $1,000 in child support in addition to continuing as the custodial parent of twoyear-old Bonnie Bella
Sources: BlackAmericaWeb.com, The Root, Page Six, Bossip.com, Daily Mail, Instagram
YWCA will implement $1.3M HUD grant to city for homeless domestic violence survivors
By Rebecca Rivas
Of The St. Louis American
Domestic violence is more than broken ribs and black eyes, said Christine B., a formerly homeless YWCA client and a mother of three.
“It’s about emotional abuse — putting her down, calling her names, making her feel like she is crazy,” said Christine, whose last name has been withheld for her protection.
“It’s about isolation — controlling who she sees, talks to, where she goes. It’s about taking away financial security — preventing her from getting a job or keeping a job. It’s about using the children against her — threats of taking them away from her. Domestic violence takes away a woman’s pride and replaces it with fear and hopelessness.”
and in cemeteries and ate at churches,” she said. She eventually landed at the YWCA, where she learned the “life skills that empowered me with knowledge, courage and self-worth to become an independent woman and a productive member of society.”
n “If I had known then that there was a place for me and my children to be safe and people to help me, it would have saved me and my children so many years of pain.”
– Christine B.
Christine told her story during a press conference on Monday, October 28 announcing a $1.3 million grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to the City of St. Louis to rapidly re-house women and children who are homeless due to domestic and sexual violence and stalking.
After a 14-year marriage, Christine left her abuser and became homeless. She was unable to bring her children with her.
“I slept on truck docks
YWCA Metro St. Louis will implement the grant, working with the Healing Action Network for case management, ArchCity Defenders for legal assistance, and Vatterott Properties for property location.
“If I had known then that there was a place for me and my children to be safe and people to help me, it would
have saved me and my children so many years of pain,” Christine said. “This program is going to save lives and more importantly empower our children to not have to live in that cycle.”
The announcement came before an audience that included survivors and others working to end homelessness in the St. Louis region. Survivors of domestic and sexual violence face unique challenges in finding housing due to the power and control dynamics in abusive relationships, said Eulonda Nevels, chief
Saturday, November 23, 2019
Betty Jean Kerr People’s Health Centers 5701 Delmar Blvd. 9:00 am to 1:00 pm Intake, Assessments, and Referrals Health Insurance Marketplace Assistance
*Preventative and Blood Pressure Screenings
* Health Assessments * How to Grow A Backyard Garden.
*The first 250 households will receive a turkey and produce after receiving enrollment assistance, a health assessment/ screening and nutrition/cooking skill workshop.
administrative officer for YWCA. The women may have poor rental histories due to repeated 911 calls or evictions and may not have been allowed to build their own credit rating. The new program is designed to meet those challenges and to quickly get women and children into permanent, safe housing. City residency is not a requirement of the program.
“It takes a village to attack a problem this broad and complex,” Nevels said. “So we are pleased to have the support of St. Martha’s Hall, ALIVE, Kathy J. Weinman,
The Women’s Safe House, Safe Connections, and the National Council of Jewish Women to help us maximize the benefits of this grant.”
Calling the program “pioneering,” Mayor Lyda Krewson said that the project “will not only provide access to safe housing to give survivors a pathway to freedom, but also support in housing advocacy, community engagement and financial assistance.”
More than one in three women in the United States have experienced rape, physical violence and/or stalking by an intimate partner in their lifetime, according to the National Domestic Violence Hotline.
YWCA CEO Adrian Bracy said, “This grant recognizes that domestic and sexual violence are leading causes for homelessness among women and children and gives YWCA and our partners the resources to change the trajectory of these families for the positive.”
Anyone in need of homeless services in the City of St. Louis should call the Continuum of Care at 314 802-5444.
We recently had to issue thinly veiled threats of a civil rights lawsuit against Mayor Lyda Krewson to get her to restore our editors and reporters to media lists to receive public information from her office and the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department. Now we turn our attention to another source of official silence: aldermanic President Lewis Reed. Reed and his chief of staff Tom Shepard stopped answering questions from our newsroom immediately after his victory in the March 5 Democratic Primary. On March 5, after Reed’s victory was declared, our reporter Rebecca Rivas texted Shepard asking for Lewis’ comment on his victory. Reed’s response about his victory to the majority-black readership of this newspaper: silence.
On March 8, three days after the election – and following a campaign where Reed and Shepard were very available for comment to our newspaper – Rivas asked Shepard about the Close the Workhouse event held at the Deaconess Foundation the previous night, where cash bail and pre-trial detention were discussed. “I’d like to talk with Lewis or you about some of the ideas that were discussed.” She included a link to the archive of a live stream, in case no one from their office was present.
Reed’s response about closing the Workhouse, cash bail and pre-trial detention to our readers: silence.
On April 17, Rivas asked for a response to St. Louis Comptroller Darlene Green being stunned when Krewson and Reed blocked a vote on refunding St. Louis Lambert International Airport bonds issued in 2009 that will save taxpayers in excess of $20 million.
Reed’s response to our readers about blocking the refunding of the airport bonds: silence.
In the same April 17 email, she asked for a comment about the concern expressed by aldermen who didn’t have the documents they needed to vote on the rules for the board.
Reed’s response to our readers about bungling the rules process: silence.
On August 27, Rivas wrote to Shepard, “I sent you a text yesterday and wanted to follow up in case email is better for you these days. I wanted to talk with you or Lewis about Cure Violence coming to town.”
Reed’s response to our readers about Cure Violence: silence.
On September 23, Rivas asked about a board bill that Reed had filed to fund Cure Violence. “Could I speak with Reed about the bill?” she asked.
Reed’s response to our readers about funding Cure Violence: silence.
On October 8, our managing editor asked Reed and Shepard to comment on an open letter from a coalition of community groups condemning St. Louis Public Safety Director Jimmie Edwards for making incriminating public statements about youth and teens who had been killed in St. Louis. These groups called “on the St. Louis Board of Aldermen to make clear where they stand by censuring director Edwards and affirming the value of life for our community’s children.”
Reed’s response to our readers about Edwards demonizing dead children and teens: silence.
On November 1, Rivas asked about the resolution passed the day before at the Board of Estimate & Apportionment, where Reed has one of three votes (along with Krewson and Green), regarding the convention center expansion. “I’d like to get a comment from President Reed. In your opinion, what is the significance of the resolution?” she asked.
Reed’s response to our readers about the convention center expansion: silence. In that same message on November 1, she noted that Green and the mayor’s chief of staff both said the next step in moving the bond financing forward is to schedule a meeting with the St. Louis Municipal Finance Corporation, which Shepard serves as president. “Tom, as president of the corp., how quickly do you see a meeting being scheduled to review the finance agreement?” she asked. “How likely is it to be approved?”
Reed’s chief of staff’s response to our readers about
scheduling a meeting to move forward the convention center expansion: silence.
Interestingly, when Reed was campaigning for reelection and asking for our readers’ votes, he and Shepard were very responsive. A couple of weeks before the election, Shepard asked if he could respond to activist Umar Lee’s claim that Reed had expressed Islamophobia towards one of his opponents, Jamilah Nasheed. We published Shepard’s rebuttal as a commentary. “Those who have dealt with religious persecution and/or racial discrimination, as well as those who have helped with the cause, should be insulted by Lee’s malicious stretch of the truth,” Shepard wrote and we published.
Reed was given space in the paper for commentaries in a rotating cycle that also featured Nasheed and a third candidate, Megan Ellyria Green. He and Shepard were asked by Rivas to comment on many issues that emerged in the campaign, and their responses were included in our reporting throughout the campaign.
So if Reed and Shepard want to claim that they stopped answering our questions because we would not give them a fair hearing or fairly report their side of the story, we can provide a tremendous amount of evidence to the contrary.
It is true that we strongly endorsed Nasheed and argued that Reed was a status quo candidate. And it also is true that Reed’s actions since winning the election have proven our assessment of him to be accurate. He has sided with Krewson, the status quo mayoral candidate, on countless crucial issues – in fact, the very same issues about which he was silent when asked: closing the Workhouse, privatizing the airport, stalling the convention center expansion and funding Cure Violence. He even sided with Krewson on the critical matter of whether or not our readers deserve public information from their offices or answers to our questions.
Our readers might ask themselves and Reed: what is he hiding from? Why won’t he answer our – your – questions?
As I See It - A Forum for Community Issues
By Alexis Wright For The St. Louis American
This school year marks the 50th Anniversary of New City School. New City was founded by a group of visionary leaders who wanted to build a strong and unique school that provided opportunities for a diverse group of children (and adults) to learn together, to be creative, and to develop a sense of independence and confidence. The secondary goal of our founders was to help stabilize the then-struggling neighborhoods of the Central West End. Over the last 50 years, New City School has consistently stayed true to the vision of its founders. New City considers the needs of children first, is built upon a commitment to diversity, and is a place that brings children, parents, and teachers together in a community of joyful learning. Our campus is located on Waterman Boulevard, in a thriving Central West End neighborhood. New City School was conceived as a school for a broad set of families and that remains true today. For 50 years, New City has maintained a deep commitment to academic excellence with an understanding that social and
racial justice and equity are integral components of a strong education. Students learn to be upstanders throughout their time at New City due to our history of social-mindedness and emphasis on diversity, community and inclusion.
Students in the earliest days attended peace rallies at local universities; students today work with the Central West End Farm to address issues of poverty by helping to provide fresh produce to local food pantries. Recent social studies units have focused not only on historically significant issues of civil rights, but also delved deeply into the causes and consequences of the Delmar Divide in our city.
Through our Variable Tuition program, we work hard to ensure that our school community mirrors that of our larger society. Our current student body includes children from 51 zip codes around the metro area, with 45 percent of our families receiving some sort of financial assistance to
As I See It - A Forum for Community Issues I cannot allow my
By Wesley Bell For The St. Louis American
I recently posted on social media a response to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch article regarding my expense account as St. Louis County prosecutor. But, upon further reflection, my post was inadequate given how I’ve come to understand the importance of what was really at stake in this issue.
So let me begin by apologizing for a lapse in judgment for which there’s no acceptable excuse. Serving as St. Louis County prosecutor is a public trust, and it is important to recognize even the appearance of impropriety can cause many to believe that trust has been violated. The most valuable asset any public official possesses is the trust of the public and their confidence that he will exercise his best judgment. It is clear in hindsight that I didn’t exercise good judgment. But the work we are doing is too important to be sidetracked by what many would justifiably consider irresponsible spending, regardless of the wellmeaning intention of building relationships.
Letters to
Additionally, the argument that my predecessors spent similarly, while true, is not an excuse – I was elected to do better.
While it is important to me to show appreciation to the hard-working public servants in our office, I must always remember this is county government, not the private sector.
Guest Columnist Wesley Bell
The norms of government and the public’s perception of appropriate and acceptable behavior are not the same for the public sector as the private sector.
This region has seen more than enough of its share of divisiveness. But with a great team, we have made a point to reach out to build strong relationships with law enforcement, with community organizations and with residents, with the understanding that the justice system is built on trust. That endeavor has been
Disappointed in Bell It’s disappointing. Many of us voted for Wesley Bell with the (apparently unfounded) belief that he was an honest lawyer who would clean up St. Louis County’s prosecuting attorney’s office and related law enforcement. Unfortunately, it didn’t take Bell very long to hobnob with those in St. Louis’ “pay-to-play” power base while spending tax dollars on expensive meals in Miami. (Hopefully, not at Donald Trump’s place.) Bell’s excuse for blowing through $30,000 in expenses (tax dollars) in a mere 10 months is ludicrous. He attributes the expenses to the building of partnerships to achieve desired goals, which required expensive meals. Balderdash! Worthwhile partnerships are built on honesty, integrity, knowledge and sincere belief in what you wish to achieve – if you’re an honest broker.
Michael K. Broughton Green Park
Addressing environmental racism
help with the cost of tuition. Intentionally building a diverse community is important, but so is building a curriculum for students and families to help support their development around gaining a true understanding and appreciation of difference.
New City is a private school with a public purpose, and we work hard to improve our community through a mission of bold vision and unlimited possibilities. Our students are active learners, use the city as a classroom, and our Multiple Intelligences frame for teaching and learning helps our students challenge themselves, pushing them to become well-rounded, lifelong learners.
New City graduates go on to attend some of the most reputable secondary schools in the St. Louis area, and have been accepted into a truly extraordinary list of colleges. Interested in learning more about New City School? Sign up for a private tour by contacting Melanie Harmon, our director of Enrollment Management, at mharmon@ newcityschool.org, calling the school at (314) 361-6411, or visiting www.newcityschool. org for more information.
Alexis Wright is head of school at New City School.
To address environmental racism, we need to advocate our emphasis on urging our authorities to acknowledge racial diversity and build a basis for equality in decision-making. We need to establish racial equivalence in law enforcement and implementation in all aspects of our lifestyle such as economy, healthcare, education, societal planning and development, and evaluation of the different issues faced by different races in different cultures. The issue can also be addressed by insisting that our authorities conjure up a variety of sound strategies and policies which will aim towards the equal provision of resources such as basic necessities, adequate healthcare, and economic opportunities, by striving for the growth of infrastructure (urban development) and hygiene in undeveloped and unhealthy communities which are exposed to toxins and other environmental risks. Lastly, and most importantly, the issue should also be addressed from the roots – by educating our youth about the issues of all aspects of racial discrimination and its negative implications in society and personal well-being. We also should help youth recognize the significance of equality in cultural and racial diversity and comprehend
very successful, and we will continue working to bring people together. I am proud of the work we have accomplished and the reforms we have implemented these first 10 months, e.g. helping to change the cash bail system, working with stakeholders to reduce the jail population of non-violent offenders by over 20 percent, being selected for a $1.2 million grant, working with community partners to expand treatment programs, creating a dedicated homicide unit so the most experienced attorneys will deal with the most serious crimes. I want to be clear that this has been a collaborative effort. We thank the stakeholders, community and grassroots organizations, and supporters who have worked tirelessly alongside us to reform the justice system and work to end mass incarceration. However, there are those who do not want to see these changes come to our region, and I cannot allow my missteps to undermine our mission. I must and will be better.
Wesley Bell is the St. Louis County prosecutor.
its critical implications in personal, societal, and universal prosperity.
Rohan Keni, Columbia
Readers of The St. Louis American often know the painful truths of racial inequality. Not as well-known is the power of their voices to make a difference. Only Social Security has brought more people out of poverty than the combination of the Child Tax Credit and the Earned Income Tax Credit. Bettering lives for over two million Missourians represents a lot of voters.
Representatives can cosponsor the Working Families Tax Relief Act of 2019, and members of the House and the Senate can call for expanding these tax credits when any new tax bill comes up. Calling, writing, and visiting those who represent us to let them know how important this is can make a difference
Willie Dickerson Snohomish, Washington
Pro-life how?
How can anyone justify thinking that the president is pro-life when he and
his administration support Stephen Miller saying that what the Statue of Liberty stands for is not American policy; that a migrant father and his 2-year-old daughter drowned, she with her arm around his neck; tax cuts that benefit the rich, instead of tackling poverty, affordable housing, homelessness, unemployment, prison reform, human rights, education and teachers’ salaries, military spending and disarmament, world hunger, and the safety of the water in Flint, Michigan; being against unions, which have always advocated for their workers to be paid well and to have good benefits; being against immigration (in direct opposition to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, which supports immigrants); being against health care reform, such as the Affordable Care Act, which gives protection for pre-existing conditions for members of families; being against helping LBGTQ people; undermining public education; being against ecology, such as approving the use of pesticides that have been proven to harm children; using speech that is racist and full of prejudice and encouraging white supremacy and hate groups; and speaking about women in unbelievable language.
Linda Caravelli, Florissant
Staff from SIUE’s Discovery Center
Little Scholars Head Start/Early Head Start are giving away an assortment of hygiene products and personal items to families in need. The donations are made possible Head Start staff, Discovery Center parents and community members. Front row: Celestine Stephens, Head Start staff, and Heidi Eichenseer, Discovery Center coordinator. Back row: Head Start staff Benny Lewis, Curtricia Hudson, Shenette Hubert and Ora Lockett.
Metro Transit has partnered with Lyft on a new pilot program to help passengers connect with the Metro Transit system. Transit customers who live in one of eight preselected areas in the St. Louis region will be able to use a Lyft code for rides to or from a nearby Metro Transit Center or highfrequency MetroBus route for just $1 a ride. To be eligible, transit users must start or end their $1 Lyft ride within 500 feet of the preselected corridors in St. Louis County and the City of St. Louis. These corridors were chosen for the pilot program based on customer feedback and because of their distance from current Metro Transit options. Discounted Lyft rides are only available to make connections between these areas and Metro transit centers or MetroBus stops.
Eligible areas include: Northeast St. Louis County: Connections to #61 Chambers; Trampe Road, between Bellefontaine Road and Larimore Road; Larimore Road, between Trampe Road and Coal Bank Road; Lookaway Drive, to Shepley; Spring Garden Drive, between Shepley and Ben Nevis
North St. Louis County: Connections to North Hanley Transit Center; Woodstock Road, between S. Florissant and Bermuda; Bermuda Avenue, between Woodstock and Florissant Road; Florissant Road, between Bermuda and University Place; Larimore Road, between Trampe Road and Coal Bank Road West St. Louis County: Connections to #94 Page; Lackland
Road, between Page and Schuetz; Schuetz Road, between Lackland and Guelbreth
Mid-St. Louis County: Connections to Sunnen MetroLink Station; Big Bend Boulevard, between Murdoch and Manchester City of St. Louis: Connections to Civic Center Transit Center; Park Avenue, between Compton and Jefferson
South St. Louis County: Connections to Hampton-Gravois Transit Center; Heege Road, between MacKenzie and Gravois; connections to multiple bus options at South County Center; Forder Road, between Lemay Ferry and Telegraph.
To take advantage of the program, Metro riders should call 314-231-2345 or text 314-207-9786 to determine if they are eligible for the program and to receive the special code. Customers can enter their code in the “promos” section of the Lyft App, and the discount will automatically be applied on eligible Lyft rides. Customers must have or purchase a valid fare to continue their rides on MetroLink or MetroBus.
Transit riders who do not have a smartphone or who require a wheelchair-accessible vehicle can take advantage of the program by calling 314-231-2345 to have a Metro Transit specialist assist with scheduling their ride.
Metro customers can use the discount code for a maximum of 40 trips per month during the pilot program, which is currently scheduled to run for three months. For full details, visit metrostlouis.org/lyft.
By Jamala Rogers For The St. Louis American
“American holds onto an undemocratic assumption from its founding: that some people deserve more power than others.”
The above quote is from one of the 1619 Project’s essays by Jamelle Bouie, an introspective thinker and columnist for the New York Times. Bouie’s essay is entitled “What the Reactionary Politics of 2019 Owe to the Politics of Slavery.” The pull quote shook my soul when I first read it because it speaks to what’s happening in St. Louis in the enduring struggle for black political and economic power.
The 1619 Project is the brainchild of another Times journalist, Nikole Hannah-Jones, to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the arrival of the first captured Africans to these shores. The Time’s essays are powerful explorations into the racialized dehumanization of a people and its consequences for a nation. Missouri fits prominently in the institution of slavery. This year marks the 300th anniversary of the first enslaved people arriving in the state. St. Louis was the biggest slave market in Missouri. The so-called discoverer of the city, Pierre Laclede, was a slave owner. The city was home to the infamous Dred Scott decision of 1857.
The St. Louis white power structure constantly reminds us that blacks have no rights whites are bound to respect, as U.S. Supreme Court Justice Roger B. Taney said in the Dred and Harriet Scott opinion. Many are still fighting to suppress the rights of black people in 2019.
St. Louis holds onto an undemocratic assumption from its founding that some people deserve more power than others. When Bouie writes about using “every available tool to weaken” black influence, we see that happening daily in the Gateway City. Consider the drive to nullify democratically elected officials like prosecutors Kimberly Gardner and Wesley Bell.
As the 400th anniversary of the momentous historical marker comes to an end, St. Louis needs to do a deeper examination of its relationship to slavery and the impact of its unique implementation. We could spend all of 2020 delving into the racial inequities in employment, housing, health care and education, come up with some real solutions, even seriously discuss reparations.
Last in the series of the local commemoration of 400 Years of Blacks in America will occur on November 10. Washington University is bringing MSNBC political analyst Karine JeanPierre to keynote the event. The series is what the 400 Years of African American Commission would be proud to promote.
The African American Commission was created by federal law to plan and coordinate events that acknowledge the destructive impact of slavery. The commission seeks to highlight the resilience and accomplishments of Black people despite the oppressive, legal system of chattel slavery.
Slavery is real. The legacy of slavery exists. Ultimately, America must pay for its crimes to humanity. St. Louis could lead the way to racial redemption.
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form. In order for the municipal prosecutors to consider dismissing the charge, White was told he had to sign a form agreeing that he would never file a lawsuit against any city or police department employee related to the arrest. Wooten had seen the form before and previous clients had signed it. But it didn’t pique his suspicions until it was presented in White’s case “That’s when we started asking, ‘Why would he have to sign that if you’ve seen the video?” said co-attorney Daniel Dailey, of Kingdom Litigators, a public interest law firm. “And that’s when prosecutors explained that ‘this is just our policy.’ Most secrets are in plain sight. And this one here was very well known to everyone. It never dawned on anyone that the blanket policy and practice was illegal.”
Wooten and Dailey began putting the pieces together from previous cases. What they learned is that since about 2009, the City Counselor’s Office, which is now led by Julian Bush, has been requiring those charged with resisting arrest to sign the same agreement White was presented with in order to get it dismissed or dropped to a lesser
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COGIC’s Holy Convocation as the convention has generated a sizable economic footprint in the area. In a statement from COGIC’s spokesperson, since 2010 the impact to the St. Louis regional economy is expected to exceed $143 million with this year’s convention.
“When you consider the impact on the restaurants, local mom-and-pop shops, the hotel industry, and all the other
charge. The policy is known as the “Rec,” they stated in a lawsuit filed on White’s behalf on Feb. 26.
In a statement to The St. Louis American, Bush said, “I deny that the City Counselor’s office has been using an illegal blanket policy in resisting arrest charges, and I can tell you that I certainly have never made a policy that charges of resisting arrest and interfering with arrest cannot be dismissed or plea bargained without execution of a release if circumstances suggest that this would be a just or expedient result.”
In Wooten’s and Dailey’s investigation, they obtained a municipal prosecutors document titled, “Recommendations,” which states that these charges “cannot” (with the word underlined) be amended without the signed release. Bush told The American that this document is from “guidelines given and used by legal interns and not by the lawyers who prosecute ordinance violations. There is no mandate that charges cannot be amended.”
However, Craig K. Higgins, who was the attorney manager for municipal prosecutors until recently, testified in a deposition, “Why would I plead down a charge and potentially be looking at civil liability? I’m not doing myself any favors.” Higgins was appointed as an
businesses and commerce it takes to accommodate tens of thousands of people coming to a city, it’s amazing what happens,” said Bishop Frank A. White, COGIC financial secretary.
As the week-long devotional gathering proceeds, COGIC is hosting several urban project initiatives called COGIC Cares. For 10 years convention attendees have participated in a community cleanup to beautify St. Louis’ 4th Ward. COGIC Cares expands the church’s community involvement program by providing muchneeded support to underserved
associate circuit judge in the 22nd Circuit Court in July.
Wooten and Dailey believe that from 2009 to 2018, about 3,500 people have signed this agreement, and they have copies of nearly 1,000. The blanket practice of having people sign such release forms — without properly reviewing the facts in each individual case — has been unenforceable under federal law since 1993, they said.
“Prosecutors knew this federal law but enforced this blanket practice for its psychological deterrent effects, not its legal effects,” according to a statement from Dailey and Wooten. “The executed release agreements are key to uncovering and remedying dozens of police misconduct patterns.”
‘The victim signed his rights away’
When the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department came under city control in 2012, then-chief Dan Isom issued a special order for officers to charge “resisting arrest” cases in municipal court instead of state court — which means going through Bush’s office instead of the Circuit Attorney’s Office. This may have been an unspoken police practice before Isom, Dailey said, but Isom made it an order and policy.
The release agreements
speak to a “clear pattern” within the police department, the attorneys said. Once the forms are signed, the cases are closed and the police don’t investigate the police officers’ potentially improper actions in these arrests.
“The prosecutor never investigates the underlying facts of the settlement agreement, and the SLMPD doesn’t have to either,” according to a motion filed in White’s case, “because the victim signed his rights away. The number of incidents exposing patterns of police misconduct could be astronomical, but they are hidden in the release agreements.”
The police department said the 2012 special order on resisting arrests is still in effect, but would not comment on any pending litigation.
Wooten and Dailey filed a class-action lawsuit on February 5, alleging that Bush, the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department and the Mayor’s Office deprived citizens of their civil rights by making them sign the release agreements.
The lead plaintiff in the class-action suit is Lakenia Mahdi, an African-American stay-at-home mother of three children. On January 14, 2016, Mahdi was holding her onemonth-old daughter when she used her cellphone to record three white city cops allegedly
n Since 2010 the impact of Holy Convocation to the St. Louis regional economy is expected to exceed $143 million with this year’s convention, according to COGIC.
families during convocation. In the decade of the convention’s St. Louis presence, over 15,000 people have been assisted during the Holy Convocation Christmas in November at the Williams Temple COGIC.
Legal assistance is also provided during Holy Convocation. Known as “Law Day,” COGIC Lawyers are donating their time to assist
violating the civil rights of a group of 10- and 12-year-old black boys, the suit states.
To recover Mahdi’s phone, an officer arrested Mahdi and attempted to “snatch” her infant child from her arms.
Mahdi “made it clear that she was not resisting arrest, but her child was only one month old,” it states. The officer ignored her pleas and attempted to break her finger to get her phone.
The officer then deleted the video at the scene, arrested Mahdi and refused to let her feed her baby. While in jail, Mahdi was denied medical care to relieve the painful engorgement caused by her breastmilk. When she appeared in municipal court on March 1, 2016 without a defense attorney, the prosecutor allegedly escorted her out of the courtroom and told her that she would go to jail if she did not sign the release form, the suit states. She alleges that she did not have time to adequately read or review the documents— they gave her only about two minutes. After she signed the document, the prosecutor said he could recommend reducing the charge to littering on public property.
The municipal judge allegedly did not read the documents in open court nor ask Madhi about the facts surrounding the arrest. And after the proceeding, the
prayer, praise, and worship.
anyone in need of support. In a statement from COGIC’s spokesperson, topics to discuss range from “wills, trusts, church law, business topics, mortgage alternatives, foreclosure, and more.”
Each community initiative will take place during the seven-day conference. However, the focus of Holy Convocation remains on
“We want everyone who can attend our speaker events to join us,” said Bishop White. “No matter what denomination or religious background, the community is welcomed to worship with us at convocation.”
An all-night prayer commenced Holy Convocation followed by a morning praise service where Superintendent John Smith preached a powerful message of the purpose of convocation.
Speakers such as Bishop S. E. Iglehart, Evangelist Joyce Rodgers, and Pastor John
prosecutor allegedly told Madhi that if she made the incident public, she could still be charged with felony resisting arrest. Bush filed a motion to dismiss the case, arguing that Mahdi’s “theory of municipal liability is far too attenuated to plausibly allege that the ‘rec. & normal’ policy directly caused her arrest or the alleged use of excessive force by the arresting officers.”
Wooten and Dailey have filed a motion to consolidate all the cases they have filed — including White, Mahdi and Dennis Ball-Bey — under into one case to address the blanket practice. They urge anyone who has signed the city’s release agreement to contact Wooten’s law firm, the Legal Solution Group, at 736-5770.
Wooten and Dailey have been trying to find the person who started the practice at the City Counselor’s Office. They have not yet found that person, they said, but they will.
“If you are asking yourselves, ‘Who did this?’ – It was the prosecutors and judges,” Dailey said. “The issue isn’t necessarily the police department. It’s how the police department gets away with what they do. But it was us, the attorneys. I think it’s important that we acknowledge that.”
Hannah will lead services up to Sunday’s official day of convocation.
“COGIC is pleased to return our annual, spiritual gathering, known as the ‘Holy Convocation’ to the City of St. Louis,” Presiding Bishop Blake said. “Our partnership and commitment to the city has grown and blossomed over the last decade.” Services are free and open to the public.
For more information on The Church of God in Christ’s 112th Holy Convocation, visit www.cogic.org/hc2019.
House Continued from A1 on the Ferguson City Council. He previously served on the Riverview Gardens School Board and works for Ameren on diversity and inclusion issues.
defeating longtime incumbent Rodney Hubbard Sr. Michael Person defeated Libertarian Nick Kasoff in the 74th House District, which takes in parts of Ferguson, Jennings, Dellwood and Country Club Hills. Person captured 57 percent of the vote. Person is the Ferguson Township Democratic committeeman who recently ran unsuccessfully for a seat
Continued from A1
near the bloodstained shores of Okinawa to the adrenalinefueled fear of a combat mission in the mountains of Korea that earned him a Silver Star – as simply missions to complete. And he was not just fighting foreign enemies. As a black man in the later part of the Jim Crow era, Smith also was fighting to survive racial segregation and bigotry within the military.
“Segregation was the law of the land,” he said. He received generic chocolate bars while white soldiers got name brands. He was called names by white soldiers. He was denied a battlefield commission by a white superior he had stood up to. He was issued malfunctioning rifles and inferior cold weather gear.
Smith clearly embraces what the military gave him – life lessons and a technical education – but does not gloss over truths that hurt. “To fight was an obligation.” He said. “I wasn’t like Cassius Clay, I was a nobody. You did what you had to do to survive – and you can get accustomed to anything if you’re exposed to it long enough.”
His daughter, Stephanie Ledesma, associate dean at the Thurgood Marshall School of Law at Texas Southern University in Houston, summed it up this way: “Nobody would risk their lives knowing full well that the people for whom he is making the ultimate sacrifice of his life don’t give a damn about him. Nobody would do that but for their love of humankind.”
He also was good at what he did and taught her a soldier’s strategies for survival.
“My father is a soldier, and soldiers have missions; and missions are either accomplished or not. And given
Person will serve out the rest of former state Rep. Cora Faith Walker’s term in the Missouri House. Walker resigned to become policy director for St. Louis County Executive Sam Page. The statewide headline news came with Democrat Trish Gunby winning a high-profile Missouri House race in the 99th District over Republican
my father’s experiences ... if the mission was unsuccessful, it could mean death. His mission was to prepare me to be adequately equipped in a world that had been brutally unkind and unfair to him.”
Smith was certainly recognized by the U.S. Army as an excellent soldier. He was one of six African Americans in a class of 200 soldiers selected for officer candidate school at Ft. Riley, Kansas, between World War II and the Korean War. Only three of the black soldiers graduated –Smith was one of them.
He was greeted by a white soldier from Alabama declaring: “I ain’t gonna take no orders from no [racial slur].”
But everyone in the class –black or white – took their turn being in charge of formation. And, Smith said, “the only way to shut him up” was to call “’attention,’ which means shut up and stand still.”
His yearbook from his time in officer candidate school shows him as an achiever – and popular. In one photo, he is sitting jauntily smiling as an elected member of the student council, a single black man among whites.
“I have backbone,” he said. The confidence that put him on the student council also led to what he calls “a run-in with my battalion commander” in 1946, near the end of his first Army stint. When the commander asked him for a smoke and a light, Smith said he didn’t smoke. “And he said a subordinate should have a lighter and cigarettes for their superior,” Smith said. “After that he was after me, so I resigned my commission and got out of the Army completely.”
His automotive parts experience helped him get a coding job in the civil service. But, he said, the military still called and he re-enlisted because “three hots and a cot and going where I wanted to
Lee Ann Pitman, capturing a historically Republican seat with 54 percent of the vote in west St. Louis County.
Gunby prevailed over Pitman 3,357 to 2,855 in a district that includes Manchester, Valley Park and Twin Oaks. Turnout was 25 percent.
Gunby, who has been a marketing professional for Citicorp and Purina, will fill out the last year of Jean Evans’ term. Evans resigned earlier this year to become the executive director of the Missouri Republican Party.
go” was better, even if it paid less.
When he was drafted in 1944, not long after graduating from Sumner High School, it was late in World War II and he spent most of his enlistment in Okinawa where the fighting was over. But, he got a vivid glimpse of war there, sinking above his boot tops in ground pulverized by artillery and witnessing bone piles of the war dead.
In Korea, leading platoons in combat, Smith
Gunby raised significantly more money than Pitman and received help from Democratic elected officials and activists throughout the state. Her platform includes making it easier for people to vote, enacting stricter background checks on firearms and extending statewide antidiscrimination protections to the LGBTQ community. “I believe there are more people who have Democraticleaning ideals and ideas than people originally thought,” Gunby said in an interview after her victory. “I kept
volunteered to “creep and crawl” by himself to an enemy position, eliminating an unknown number of snipers with the accurate toss of a grenade. It won him a Silver Star for gallantry in combat. And later, he led what he was informed – after the fact – was a “suicide mission” to get his platoon across a river under fire. He lost one man. (Efforts by superiors to give him a battlefield commission were nixed by that commanding officer who wanted a smoke.)
In Vietnam, he wasn’t in
reassuring them: You have a voice; there are other people who feel this way.’ And that just kept getting bolstered throughout all of our canvassing efforts.”
Gunby said her campaign hit over 30,000 doors in the run-up to the special election.
“And we just kept saying, ‘Trust me, there are other folks out there. We can do this,’” Gunby said. “I think this victory shows with the right candidate and the right message, you can really win. And you can take the message you’re hearing at the doors and
combat, but picked up enough Agent Orange exposure to have a 10 percent disability.
His experiences did give him nightmares overwhelming enough that he once hit his wife in his sleep, he said. His solution to post-war trauma, he said, is “you gotta have goals.”
Working toward something important occupies your thought and time in healing ways.
After retiring from the military in 1967 (with 23-plus years of service), three marriages and a second career
take it to Jeff City.” Pitman, a senior accountant for Protective Life Corp., focused her campaign on reducing regulations around small businesses, assisting veterans with benefits and opposing the Better Together proposal that would have merged St. Louis and St. Louis County. Follow Jason on Twitter: @ jrosenbaum. Follow Julie on Twitter: @jsodonoghue. Edited for space and reprinted with permission from news.stlpublicradio.org.
in the U.S. Postal Service, Smith retired completely and settled 30 years ago in St. Peters
‘I came here to defend the Constitution’
By Chris King Of The St. Louis American
U.S. Rep. Wm. Lacy Clay (D-Missouri) voted with the majority to approve the rules for a public impeachment inquiry against President Donald Trump. Member of the U.S. House of Representative approved the rules by a vote of 232-196 on Thursday, October 31.
“Today, I voted to approve the rules for the public process of the impeachment inquiry that will ensure that the American people see and hear all the facts regarding Donald John Trump’s
abuse of power and violations of his Oath of Office,” Clay said in a statement.
“I did not come to Congress to impeach the president. I came here to defend the
Constitution and to advance the vital interests of my constituents and our country. That is exactly what I did today.”
Two Democrats, U.S. Rep. Jeff Van Drew of New Jersey and U.S. Rep. Collin Peterson of Minnesota, voted against the resolution. No Republicans supported it. Independent Rep. Justin Amash of Michigan, who left the Republican party earlier this year, voted in favor. The text of the resolution lays out how the House Intelligence Committee will conduct public hearings and how the House Judiciary Committee “shall report to the House of Representatives such resolutions, articles of impeachment, or other recommendations as it deems proper.”
Rebecca Rivas of The St. Louis American reported an investigative piece on the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department’s Real Time Crime Center, in partnership with Type Investigations, where she is an Ida B. Wells Fellow, and data reporting by Taylor Eldridge. This is part three.
At least one alderwoman feels the City of St. Louis’ plan of relying on private businesses or special taxing districts to buy cameras is irresponsible and a “huge mistake.”
“Part of the root causes of crime in St. Louis, and in general, is poverty and a lack of access to resources,” said Cara Spencer, who represents the 20th Ward, an area that has one of the higher crime rates in South St. Louis. “To increase public safety by measures of access to capital required to purchase cameras, that furthers the problem. Right now, when you look at crime stats, there are huge disparities in neighborhoods. Neighborhoods that have high poverty have high crime.”
St. Louis Public Safety Director Jimmie Edwards noted that the Central West End and other communities can afford to put cameras up through their business organizations and ward taxing districts.
“And so North City just can’t compete in terms of money,” he said. “They don’t have the tax base to put these things up.”
When we asked if he still believes that the public-private relationship can create equity in public safety and surveillance, Edwards said, “Yes.”
Edwards said he has been working on securing about $3 million through “economic development funds” for 300 cameras in high-crime areas, mainly North St. Louis and Dutchtown. He believes he is about six to eight months away from securing the funding and about 18 months away from getting cameras installed in these areas.
One of the biggest challenges in expanding the camera network citywide is the underground “fiber system.” Fiber lines primarily coordinate the street lights, but they’re now used to connect surveillance cameras to the RTCC.
“You can picture it like a vein,” said Traffic Commissioner Deanna Venker, who has an office within the Real Time Crime Center (RTCC). “You have major veins and then little arteries that spread off. That’s what our fiber network is like.”
But there are swaths of the city where the fiber network doesn’t exist — including some bigger roads that run through high-crime areas. Page and Goodfellow boulevards and Dr. Martin Luther King Drive don’t have fiber, for instance. And in the highly trafficked Riverview Circle in North St. Louis, there are no street lights so there is no underground fiber. That means getting cameras up in that location is challenging,
$524,400, and for FY2019 of about $535,300, which included mainly salaries and a small amount for supplies.
Are surveillance cameras helping?
Whyte allowed us to tour the CWE-NSI, a small basement office on Euclid Avenue, and answered questions for almost two hours. Whyte said he believes that the cameras have helped reduce crime since the CWE-NSI was established in 2007. In 2018, the CWE-NSI helped police make 70 arrests, Whyte said. That was up from 53 arrests the year before and up from 49 arrests in 2016. However, Whyte is careful to say that he does not believe that cameras alone deter crime.
Venker said.
The police know this is an “artery” for criminal suspects coming in from and exiting to Interstate 270, but there are no cameras there of any kind –not even license plate readers, according to Edwards.
The cameras could be connected to the RTCC through a Wi-Fi connection, but that requires a monthly fee for Wi-Fi near each camera, Venker said.
Venker could not show us a map of the fiber network because it’s against U.S. Department of Homeland Security regulations, but she explained that the fiber lines appear equally in different parts of the city.
and not elected officials. You should be doing this in a smart manner that is in everyone’s best interest.”
A project to put fiber in on Goodfellow just received federal funding and design is underway, Venker said. The project includes putting cameras on some intersections, according to city documents. That would mean that three of the boundaries that make up the high-crime “Hayden’s Rectangle” would have fiber, West Florissant Avenue to the north, Vandeventer Avenue to the east, and Goodfellow Boulevard to the west.
Aside from private entities expanding RTCC’s camera network, alderman can also purchase new cameras through Ward Capital Improvement funds. The city’s 28 aldermen are each allotted about $326,700 a year for improvement projects in their ward.
Some aldermen said with all the other demands — such as fixing sidewalks and giving to neighborhood programs — cameras take up too much of their annual budgets, especially in wards with more needs. Overall, it reflects poor city planning, Alderwoman Spencer said.
“It shouldn’t be politically driven,” Spencer said. “It should be data-driven, and it should be done by experts
If aldermen want to use their ward capital funding to buy cameras, they have to go through the city’s Board of Public Service (BPS), said Todd Waelterman, the city’s operations director. There, they are often told that they have to connect to the city’s fiber network, according to at least two aldermen. If there is no fiber in the locations where they want cameras, then most of the time they have to use the capital funds to build a fiber line, Waelterman said. And this kind of construction is expensive because it has to be outsourced, according to Venker.
With all the expenses, Edwards said aldermen are often only able to purchase about one surveillance camera or one license plate reader camera per year. According to BPS documents, it cost $130,937 for six camera systems that were split between Alderman Samuel Moore’s Fourth Ward and another neighboring North St. Louis ward.
Sixth Ward Alderwoman Christine Ingrassia put in two of the same camera systems in Fox Park, and it cost $93,000.
Areas in the Central West End also lack access to a fiber line, according to Jim Whyte, executive director of the Central West End Neighborhood Security Initiative (CWE-NSI).
“The RTCC started because of groups like mine and Downtown Partnership,” Whyte said. However, the Central West End’s taxing districts do not have to abide by the BPS’s guidelines for fiber because they are governed by their own boards of directors.
Whyte said the CWENSI just finished a camera project with The Grove Community Improvement
District — which includes the restaurant and business district on Manchester Avenue just south of the Central West End neighborhood. It cost about $206,000 for 66 cameras.
The investment for the CWE-NSI’s first 87 cameras was $575,000, which Washington University Medical Center helped fund through a grant, according to the initiative’s annual reports.
Because they aren’t connected to the fiber network, CWE-NSI pays about $77,000 for Wi-Fi connections and maintenance of the cameras every year, Whyte said. They have 29 sites in commercial or apartment buildings, where they store their servers.
The American requested to view all of the RTCC’s expenditures. We were given
the crime center’s budget for fiscal year 2018 of about
“If you think putting a camera on a light pole is going to keep somebody from shooting and killing someone, I think we need to manage expectations a little better,” Whyte said. “I don’t see cameras as a huge deterrent of criminal behavior. What deters crime is identifying, apprehending and charging criminals. And that technology helps police do that now.” To be concluded next week.
A medical office building that will be connected to
By Sandra Jordan Of The St. Louis American
Just a week after opening a new Siteman Cancer Center in North St. Louis County, Barnes-Jewish Hospital unveiled a new hospital in West St. Louis County, constructed behind the existing 50-year-old facility, which began operations on Tuesday, November 5.
“Every detail of the new BarnesJewish West County Hospital is designed
to improve outcomes, as well as the experience for our patients, families and the team providing their care,” said Bob Cannon, president of BarnesJewish Hospital and group president of BJC HealthCare. “The combination of advanced technology, adaptable clinical spaces and a welcoming campus will create the ideal environment for care and healing.”
The project included minority participation in workforce and contracting.
“Twenty percent of our construction workers are identified as minorities, and 20 percent of the apprentices on our project were minorities, and we had 25 companies that were minority- or women-owned that were contractors or subcontractors,” said Brook Eggleston, director of Human Resources and Transformation Support Services.
The new 260,000-square-foot hospital
By Dr. Denise Hooks-Anderson Of The St. Louis American
If you know anything about teenagers and young adults, you recognize that they desire to be “cool,” “fly,” “dope,” “on fleek,” “dank” or any other word associated up to date and on point. What is the latest fashion or tennis shoe: Adidas vs. Vans? Or is it the tight and skinny ankle-length pants that men are wearing without socks? Whatever the newest trend, you can be assured that Millennials and Generation Z young people want to be a part of it. For that reason alone we should all be concerned about the dramatic increase in vaping among youth. The use of electronic cigarettes has seen a dramatic rise among youth and young adults. From 2017 to 2018 there was nearly an 80 percent increase in vaping among high school students and nearly 50 percent increase in middle school students.
n Currently, there are over 15,000 different e-cigarette flavors on the market, such as bubble gum, chocolate, and mint.
The Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act gave the FDA the authority to regulate tobacco products, including cigarettes, cigarette tobacco, rollyour-own tobacco, and smokeless tobacco in 2009. The sale of flavored cigarettes except for menthol was also banned. Interestingly enough, menthol cigarettes are most commonly used by blacks. Less than 30 percent of white smokers use mentholated cigarettes as compared to over 80 percent of African Americans. Tobacco companies have historically targeted black and Hispanic communities. Tobacco companies have been targeting youth with a variety of flavorings because they know that is what attracts this new generation of users. Young adults erroneously believe that hookah is a safe alternative to cigarettes and is a smoother experience due to the flavorings and the way they smoke the product.
Currently, there are over 15,000 different e-cigarette flavors on the market, such as bubble gum, chocolate, and mint. However, these products are far from benign. Studies have found that short-term exposure to inhaled flavorings in vaping products can have damaging effects on the regulation of blood vessel function due to their effects on endothelial cells which is a risk factor for
See ANDERSON, A11
Georgetown University Center for Children and Families issues new report
By Chris King Of The St. Louis American
The number of uninsured children increased nationally by more than 400,000 between 2016 and 2018, reversing a long-standing positive trend according to a new report released by the Georgetown University Center for Children and Families. Nationwide, more than 4 million children were uninsured in 2018, the highest level since the Affordable Care Act’s major coverage expansions first took effect in 2014. In Missouri, an estimated 83,000 children were uninsured in 2018, an increase of approximately 17 percent since 2016. This alarming trend took place during a period of economic growth when children should be gaining health coverage.
“This trend is troubling, especially when combined with the 100,000 children who have
n In Missouri, an estimated 83,000 children were uninsured in 2018, an increase of approximately 17 percent since 2016.
fallen off Medicaid and CHIP in Missouri over the past two years,” said Traci Gleason, vice president of External Affairs for the Missouri Budget Project. “We must do all we can to get and keep kids covered, which means embracing solutions like 12-month continuous coverage and boosting outreach to turn this trend around.” Gov. Mike Parson did not respond to a request for comment. The report finds the following factors have
See UNINSURED, A11
DHSS says it was ‘using legally obtained information which was required by law’
By Chris King Of The St.
Louis
American
Neither Gov. Mike Parson nor Dr. Randall Williams, director of Missouri’s Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS), are responding to demands that Williams resign or be investigated after he testified that he kept a spreadsheet to track the menstrual periods of women who visited the St. Louis Planned Parenthood clinic.
administrative hearing about the clinic’s licensing.
n “Governor Parson should fire
Dr. Randall Williams immediately.”
– State Auditor Nicole Galloway
The Kansas City Star reported that Williams gave sworn testimony to that effect on Tuesday, October 29 during the second day of an
Continued from A10 has 64 private rooms with accommodations for family members. To accommodate future demand, it has capacity for another 32 rooms. Patients can receive treatment and care in 14 operating rooms (with capacity to add two more), including one robotic operating room and four intensive care unit rooms. It also has separate elevators for staff, patients, visitors and supplies. There are waiting areas, a café and concierge services.
“We are excited to welcome our patients to a place that has been created for their healing, comfort and well-being,” said Yoany Finetti, vice president of patient care services and chief nursing officer at BarnesJewish West County Hospital. “Our new hospital brings together the science of care with the compassion of caregiving.”
The hospital is designed for same day or short stay inpatient and outpatient surgical and medical procedures. This includes joint replacements; ear, nose and throat procedures; abdominal and GI procedures; minimally invasive surgeries; and plastic and reconstructive surgeries.
The spreadsheet, which was based on medical records a state investigator had access to during the state’s annual inspection, also included medical identification numbers, dates of medical procedures and the gestational ages of fetuses, which are reported to the state regarding women seeking an abortion, or Induced Termination of Pregnancy (ITOP).
“The spreadsheet was attached to an e-mail sent between health department employees with the title
‘Director’s Request,’ and found through legal discovery,” the Kansas City Star reported.
“The subject line of the email was ‘Duplicate ITOPs with last normal menses date.’”
State Rep. Crystal Quade, D-Springfield, the House minority leader called on Parson, a Republican, to “immediately investigate” whether “patient privacy was compromised or laws broken” or whether Williams was a “a person who Missourians can be comfortable having in a position of public trust.”
NARAL Pro-Choice
Dr. Randall Williams
Missouri Executive Director Mallory Schwarz called for Williams to resign or be removed from office.
“Randall Williams is a disgrace to Missourians across the state, and he must go,” Schwarz said in a statement. “As long as abortionobsessed extremists like Williams are in power, NARAL Pro-Choice Missouri will fight back in every way we know how. We demand his resignation, as this is clearly the only way to prevent him from continuing to wreak havoc on our health, and impose his fringe, anti-choice agenda on all Missourians.”
State Auditor Nicole Galloway, a Democrat who is running for governor, also challenged Parson to fire Williams.
“Governor Parson should
fire Dr. Randall Williams immediately,” Galloway said in a statement. “If the governor won’t take this step now, then Missourians will hold him accountable at the ballot box. I am committed to replacing Dr. Williams as Health director on my first day as governor.”
Galloway called Williams’ actions a “brazen violation of women’s private health information” and said Parson “has shown his willingness to weaponize his regulatory authority to interfere in gross, weird, and medically unnecessary ways.”
However, in a statement DHSS claimed that the email subject line “Director’s Request” was “erroneous” and that both staff had testified to that effect in sworn testimony.
DHSS pointed that
identifying an abortion patient’s last normal menstruation is required by a state rule, 19 CSR 10-15.010, that establishes the content of the ITOP report to be filed with the department. As such, DHSS claimed, state investigators did nothing more than “efficiently investigate” concerns about whether Planned Parenthood was reporting all failed abortion procedures “using legally obtained information which was required by law and which Planned Parenthood routinely submits” and they did so “without a directive from Dr. Randall Williams.” As for Williams, DHHS claimed, he first saw the spreadsheet with the menstruation data during an October 17 deposition.
“BarnesJewish West County has truly been the hospital of choice in this community, and across the St. Louis region, because of the caring people who make this hospital what it is,” said Greg Branham, M.D., chief medical officer at BarnesJewish West County Hospital. Washington University, BJC Medical Group and private practice physicians will continue to provide care to patients. The new
Continued from A10 contributed to the erosion in children’s health coverage nationwide: efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act and cut Medicaid; delays in funding the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP); elimination of the individual mandate penalty; cuts to enrollment outreach and advertising; inadequate oversight over state Medicaid programs that have created more red tape barriers; and the creation of a climate of fear and confusion for immigrant
Continued from A10
cardiovascular disease. As of October 15, per the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), there are 1,479 cases of lung injury illnesses associated with electronic cigarettes.
families that discourages them from enrolling eligible children in Medicaid or CHIP.
“Recent policy changes and the failure to make children’s health a priority have undercut bipartisan initiatives and the Affordable Care Act, which had propelled our nation forward on children’s health coverage,” said Joan Alker, executive director of the Georgetown University Center for Children and Families and a research professor at the McCourt School of Public Policy. “This serious erosion of child health coverage is due in large part to the Trump Administration’s actions or inactions that have made health
n “Our new hospital brings together the science of care with the compassion of caregiving.”
– Yoany Finetti, vice president of patient care services and chief nursing officer at Barnes-Jewish West County Hospital
100,000-square-foot medical office building that will be connected to the hospital opens in 2020.
coverage harder to access and have deterred families from enrolling their eligible children in Medicaid and CHIP.”
Expanding Medicaid to more parents and adults would also help as studies show that when parents are covered, kids are more likely to be covered too. The report found that children in states that have not expanded Medicaid, like Missouri, are nearly twice as likely to be uninsured than those in states that have expanded Medicaid.
The child uninsured rate increased nationally from 4.7 percent to 5.2 percent between 2016 and 2018, according to data from the
Cases have been reported in the District of Columbia, one U.S. territory, and all states except Alaska. Sadly, 33 deaths have been confirmed in 24 states. Unfortunately, the specific cause of these injuries is unknown but all of the patients reported some type of e-cigarette use. So far, tetrahydrocannibinol or THC has been found in most of the samples tested by the FDA. Many of these THC-containing products were obtained from other sources: family, friends, and illicit sources. Because current information is still limited and the investigation is not complete, the CDC recommends that individuals consider refraining
Census Bureau’s American Community Survey. Coverage losses were widespread, with Missouri as one of 15 states showing statistically significant increases in the number and/ or rate of uninsured children (Alabama, Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, Montana, North Carolina, Ohio, Tennessee, Texas, Utah and West Virginia).
“As a pediatrician, I understand first-hand how important health insurance coverage is to my patients; it helps ensure children can receive the care and services they need, when they need them,” said Lanre Falusi,
from all vaping products. The use of e-cigarettes is unsafe for everyone, not just young people. Furthermore, these products contain nicotine, and prior research has shown that nicotine is a harmful, addictive substance. Lastly, the American Heart Association advocates for the banning of all flavors from
Missouri Foundation for Health is a resource for the region, working with communities and nonprofits to generate and accelerate positive changes in health. As a catalyst for change, the Foundation improves the health of Missourians through partnership, experience, knowledge and funding.
As for the old hospital, it will be razed to add green space and additional parking. Eggleston said the abatement process on the old hospital begins this week. “We are taking out any old furniture for donation or repurposing and then starting the building to be taken down,” Eggleston said. Demolition and parking lot resurfacing will be completed next year.
MD, FAAP, American Academy of Pediatrics national spokesperson.
“The findings in this report are deeply concerning to me. For children who are uninsured, I worry about the critical services they are missing out on and what it will mean for their short- and long-term health. Our federal leaders must advance policies that ensure children can get the health care they need to grow up healthy and thrive.”
Along with the report, the Georgetown University research center launched a new interactive data hub that provides a more in-depth look at child health care trends
The campus will keep its park-like setting that will include new groves of trees and extensive landscaping. Next year, a new health and wellness trail will be added to the West County campus for use by staff, patients and the community.
across the country, allowing users to compare a variety of metrics across states. This is the ninth annual report on uninsured children published by the Georgetown University Center for Children and Families, an independent, nonpartisan policy and research center founded in 2005 with a mission to expand and improve high-quality, affordable coverage for America’s children and families. CCF is based at the McCourt School of Public Policy at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. Access the report and the data hub at https:// kidshealthcarereport.ccf. georgetown.edu/.
tobacco products. Curbing usage has been challenging since the devices used for e-cigarettes can be quite deceptive in appearance, often mimicking a key fob or a USB drive. This disguise makes it difficult for teachers and parents to intervene. Therefore, it is imperative to have a conversation with teens before they initiate vaping as a pastime. Denise Hooks-Anderson, M.D., FAAFP, is associate professor at SLUCare Family Medicine and the medical accuracy editor of The St. Louis American. Email yourhealthmatters@ stlamerican.com.
Your Health Matters is provided in partnership with
Drink at least eight glasses of water every day. This helps prevent overeating, it improves digestion and it’s even good for your skin!
This time of year there are many different charity walks and fundraisers. Find out how you and your family can get involved. Perhaps you can take “pledges” to raise money for an organization like the American Heart Association or the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.
Many of these are 5K which stands for 5
Try this Get in the habit of filling a glass full of water every time you feel thirsty. Don’t drink anything else until you’ve finished the water! This will greatly increase the amount of
water you drink and reduce the amount of sugary drinks you consume throughout the day.
Learning Standards: HPE 1, HPE 2, HPE 5, NH 1, NH 5
kilometers; this is just a little over 3 miles. You should always start slowly and build up your strength, speed and endurance. You could begin by walking a mile every day, then try walking three blocks and running one.
Keep
If someone is hurt, sick, or in danger, calling 911 can get help on its way. 911 is designed to bring aid from emergency services personnel (firefighters, police officers and paramedics). As a class, discuss when you should (and should not) call 911.
Learning Standards: HPE 2, HPE 3, NH 1,
this up until you can switch that to running three and walking one block. Eventually you’ll be able to run the full mile. But of course, if running’s not your thing, you can always walk the 5K instead. Just make sure you walk briskly (quickly) to increase your heart rate while raising money for charity.
Learning Standards: HPE 1, HPE 2, HPE 5, HPE 6, NH 1, NH 3, NH 5
Chicken Wontons
Ingredients: 1 14-oz Package Wonton Wrappers 1 lb Shredded Chicken
Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place one Tbsp of chicken along the wonton wrapper and roll up. Seal the wrapper by dabbing a little water along the edge with your finger. Place in a greased 9x13 baking dish and bake for about 15-20 minutes, until the wontons are crisp. Season as desired.
Where do you work? I am an Emergency Medical Technician for Abbott EMS.
Where did you go to school? I graduated from R.H. Watkins High School in Laurel, Mississippi. I then became a licensed barber by attending the Academy of Hair Design Barber College, and I studied fine arts at Jones County Junior Community College, both in Mississippi. I then earned my EMT licenses for Missouri and Illinois through the Respond Right EMS Academy in St. Peters, Missouri.
What does an emergency medical technician do? At my core, I am a nurturer. I enjoy helping others, from a simple conversation with a patient to encourage, affirm or just to be a listening ear, or when there is an emergency situation and I’m actually breathing for a patient. I love helping others be a better them – daily.
Why did you choose this career? I experienced extreme adversity during my childhood and into my teen years. This made me want to be of service to my community, to be an upstanding citizen and role model to so many behind me. I wanted to create my place, establishing who I am that others who come after may remember the work I have done in and for my community.
What is your favorite part of the job you have? I enjoy seeing an instant impact in others in their time of need. The elderly woman who fell and was grateful to have EMS come help her up, the young boy whose glucose levels dropped and seeing how we aid and assist in getting his levels back within normal limits, these are a couple of the many things I love about my job.
Learning Standards: HPE6, NH3
“Questions or comments? Contact Cathy Sewell csewell@stlamerican.com or 314-289-5422
Questions or comments? Contact Cathy Sewell csewell@stlamerican.com or 314-289-5422
At Woerner Elementary School teachers
McLean and
Have you ever realized how often you use math in your daily activities?
If you are shopping, you use math to calculate the total amount spent, the discounted price after a sale, the sales tax, etc. If you are cooking, you use math to adjust the recipe for the appropriate number of servings. If you are making plans with a friend, you need to look carefully at the time and plan a schedule. How long will it take to get to your meeting
In this experiment, you will use a partner to solve patterns.
Materials Needed:
• 2 or More Players • One Big Piece of Paper for Each Player
• Markers
Procedure:
q Each player will draw two grids that have 6 squares across the top and 6 squares down the side for a total of 36 squares.
place? What time will you need to leave?
You can write an equation to solve these types of problems. For example, if 5 friends are splitting the cost of a pizza equally, and the pizza is $14,
the equation would read: 5C=14 (C represents the cost for each person). Solve the equation and you have your answer. Many people create equations to determine how much material they will need for a project, or to alter a recipe, or to plan a budget. Can you think of a way that you use equations?
Learning Standards: I can read nonfiction text for main idea and supporting details. I can make text-toworld and text-to-self connections.
e Finally, using the blank grid, the other players have to try to figure out each other’s patterns. They can do this by marking an X in the squares that they think are part of the pattern. The player who thought of the pattern then tells them if they are right or wrong. Taking turns, who can guess their opponent’s pattern first?
Grace Alele Williams was born in Warri, Nigeria, in 1932. She attended the local schools that the government offered and pursued a math education degree at Queens College, Lagos, and the University College of Ibaden. Williams wanted to take her education further and she received government assistance to attend the University of Vermont. While there, she had many issues due to segregation. She transferred to the University of Chicago. In 1963, she graduated with a PhD in mathematics education. She was the first Nigerian woman to receive a doctorate degree.
She returned to Nigeria where she worked for the Department of Education at the University of Ibaden. Williams became the first female math professor at the University of Lagos, where she worked from 1965-1974. She participated in the African Mathematics Program to help make changes to mathematics education in Africa. In 1985, she became the first female Vice-Chancellor of an African university when she worked at the University of Benin.
Williams served as a member of the African Mathematical Union Commission on Women in Mathematics in Africa, and as Vice-President of the Third World Organization for Women in Science. She has received many honors, such as the Order of the Niger and the Nigerian Academy of Education’s Merit Award Winner. In 1994, she gave the Distinguished Annual Lecture at the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies. She was elected as a Fellow of the Mathematical Association of Nigeria and the Nigerian Academy of Education. She is also the Chairwoman of AMUCWMA, the African Mathematical Union Commission for Women in Mathematics.
w Next, each player will think of a repeating pattern that goes from one end of the grid to the other. Players draw their patterns on one of the grids (do not show your pattern to other players).
Directions: For each problem, write an equation that represents the word problem and solve it.
z 8 students were collecting food for the canned food drive. There were 96 cans collected total, with each student collecting the same amount.
How many cans did each student collect? __________
x Aaliyah has a total of 275 books on two bookshelves. If she has 168 books on her first bookshelf, how many books does she have on her second bookshelf?
c On a spelling test, the highest score was 26 points higher than the lowest grade. The sum of the two
Analyze: What kinds of patterns did you come up with? How did you go about figuring out other peoples’ patterns? How many different patterns were created during your game?
Learning Standards: I can follow a sequential process to complete an experiment. I can analyze results and draw conclusions.
grades was 146. Find the two scores.
v Kenneth works for $8 an hour. A total of 25% of his salary is deducted for taxes and insurance. He is trying to save $450 for a new laptop. How many hours must he work to take home $450 if he saves all of his (after tax) earnings? _________________________________
Learning Standards: I can add, subtract, multiply, and divide to solve a problem. I can write an algebraic expression to solve a problem.
Learning Standards: I can read a biography about a person who has made contributions in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. I can make text-to-world and text-to-text connections.
Enjoy these activities that help you get to know your St. Louis American newspaper.
Activity One — Key Questions Chart:
Whenever you evaluate any type of media (including the newspaper), there are 5 key questions to ask yourself. Who created this message? What creative techniques are used to attract my attention? How might different people understand the message differently from me? What lifestyles, values, and points of view are represented (or omitted) in this message? Why is this message being sent? Choose an article from the newspaper and answer these 5 key questions.
Activity Two —
Identify the Landform: Find a national and international city dateline in today’s newspaper. After locating the datelines on a map, decide on which of the main landforms (plains, plateaus, mountains, hills) each city is built.
Learning Standards: I can use the newspaper to locate information. I can evaluate and analyze information. I can use the map and identify landforms.
By CWAH
Kenya Webster seems like the kind of person to have by your side in a street brawl – one who, when finding herself face down on the sidewalk, will reassess, shake it off, and come up swinging, fully aware that more punches might follow.
Author Brene’ Brown, in her book by the same name, calls it “Rising Strong.”
Quite simply, it’s living with the understanding that each of us will at times in our lives find ourselves face down on the mat. The measure of our character and our success are based on our willingness to rumble with our failures and the stories we tell ourselves and come back fighting.
While each woman’s story is unique and special to her, the framework of the success of the courageous women who’ve sought assistance through CWAH is formulaic –a combination of time, tenacity, education and faith.
For Webster, one of her greatest challenges surfaced when she was laid off from her job with the Bank of America. For two years she was unable to find work. With unpaid bills piling up, the pressure of feeding and maintaining an acceptable living for herself and her three sons grew daily. Her dream of one day owning a home took a back seat to survival.
“I think I was in a state of depression,” she said. “This wasn’t my destiny – scrounging for food at food pantries, trying
to find free school supplies for my boys.”
CWAH benefitted her and her sons as well. They participated in Job Readiness, Career Assessment, Jewelry Making, Youth Enrichment, Engineering and Youth Entrepreneurship classes and had an opportunity to travel to Alabama and study the Civil Rights Movement during the summer program.
She began implementing the educational piece of the formula by returning to school. Her success in that arena -- the Dean’s list and a job with the National Archives of Records gave her the necessary confidence to keep going. But it didn’t last long. The job was contingent upon her being in school. The success of graduation was diminished by the loss of a job – another fall to the mat.
Face down once again, she reflected on the thing she wanted most in her life: to give her kids a home. “I realized I couldn’t move the way I wanted to in the space that I occupied,” she said. Habitat for Humanity was a program she had previously considered, but her credit rating was too low and her debt ratio too high.
“I had applied in 1994 and been turned down,” she said.
“I tried again in 1998 with the same results.” It was time for more education.
“When I’m down, education has been the key to getting myself together. It’s how I get back up,” she said. CWAH was instrumental in
Kenya Webster
providing that education. The Financial Literacy Program gave her the framework she needed to get “credit-ready” for home ownership; Fitness and Health classes gave her the physical stamina to keep going; and Soup for the Soul provided the support of sisterhood and the ability to look truthfully at herself and share her challenges with women who were in similar situations. She’s currently working on her Bachelor’s Degree in Social Work at UMSL. She submitted her third application to Habitat for Humanity and moved into her new 4-bedroom, 2-bath home in November of last year. “It was wonderful to see that my struggles hadn’t been in vain and to see my kids succeed,” she said. She and her sons
By Chris King Of The St. Louis American
Betty Jean Kerr People’s Health Centers is offering 12 months of free credit monitoring services to anyone who may have been affected by a data breach that it discovered on September 3. The health center believes approximately 152,000 people may have been affected.
On September 2, People’s experienced a cyber-attack from an unknown foreign actor that locked data on certain servers. Patient data, provider data and employee data were involved in this incident, but patient medical records, People’s claimed.
participated in the actual building of their new home. Her advice to others: Try to have faith. Believe in your ability to do better. Set goals, educate yourself on how to achieve them; and don’t give up. Sounds like the perfect formula for Rising Strong. Are you ready to rumble?
If you know of a family like Webster’s who needs a little boost this holiday season and could benefit from CWAH programs and services please nominate a family today. Submit nominations by November 15 at measter@ stlamerican.com; mail to The St. Louis American, 2019 People Against Poverty Campaign, 2315 Pine St., St. Louis, MO 63103; or fax to (314) 533-2332.
People’s took immediate action to secure its information. It engaged a forensic information technology firm and notified law enforcement.
The hacker demanded that People’s pay a ransom to unlock the data, which the health center has not done. The data remains locked.
Information about health care providers who sought to be credentialed by People’s from the years 2010 through September 2, 2019 may have been affected. The data relating to health care providers may have included names, addresses and social security numbers.
Employee information from the years 2012 through September 2, 2019 may also have been affected. Data involved relating to employees may have included names, addresses and social security numbers.
n “We have put further safeguards in place to help prevent future cyber-attacks.”
– Dwayne Butler, Betty Jean Kerr People’s Health Centers CEO
Information about patients from the years 2011 through September 2, 2019 may have been affected. The data involved may have included patient names, dates of birth, addresses, social security numbers, limited clinical data, pharmacy data, insurance information and dental x-rays. 2.
“Although we have no way of knowing whether the information that has been locked in our system has actually been viewed or accessed by this foreign actor, we are taking precautionary steps to ensure the safety of our patients and employees are at the forefront of our concerns,” said Dwayne Butler, Betty Jean Kerr People’s Health Centers CEO.
“Be assured that we place a top priority on protecting and keeping secure the information that has been entrusted to us. With the help of highly regarded security experts, we have put further safeguards in place to help prevent future cyber-attacks,” Butler added. For more information, call 314-367-7848 or visit https:// phcenters.org.
On November 1, supporters gathered at the Urban League to launch the Whitney M. Young Society Host Committee for the upcoming Members Only Reception on December 17, hosted by Anheuser-Busch. This committee is dedicated to raising discretionary funds for the Urban League’s civic and community outreach programs. The namesake is the former president of the National Urban League. Michael P. McMillan, president and CEO of the Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis, shared with supporters a quote by Young: “It is better to be prepared for an opportunity and not have one, than to have an opportunity and not be prepared.” The 7th annual Whitney M. Young Society Celebration will take place 5:30-7:30 p.m. December 17 at Anheuser-Busch Biergarten, 1127 Pestalozzi St. For more information or to join the Whitney M. Young Society, call (314) 615-3611 or register online at ulstl.com.
Missouri lawyers interested in serving on the Missouri Court of Appeals, Eastern District have until 5 p.m. Friday, December 6 to apply with the Appellate Judicial Commission. The vacancy created by the September 2019 retirement of Judge Lawrence E. Mooney. The Missouri Constitution requires that a judge of the Missouri Court of Appeals be at least 30 years old, licensed to practice law in Missouri, a United States citizen for at least 15 years and a qualified Missouri voter for at least nine years next preceding selection. The commission expects to meet Friday, January 17, 2020, at the Missouri Court of
Appeals, Eastern District in the Old Post Office at 815 Olive St. in St. Louis, to interview applicants and select a panel of three nominees for the governor’s consideration. The interviews will be open to the public.
Nominations and applications should be submitted to the commission by
e-mail at EDJudgeVacancy@ courts.mo.gov, or by postal mail to Missouri Court of Appeals, Eastern District Judge Vacancy, P.O. Box 150, Jefferson City, MO 65102. The nomination/ application form is available at https://tinyurl. com/y2w8vfuv.
Next step: a meeting with St. Louis Municipal Finance Corporation
By Rebecca Rivas
Of The St. Louis American
Don’t worry, everything is “moving forward” with the financing of the $175 million expansion of the America’s Center Convention Complex in downtown St. Louis. That was essentially the message that members of the Board of Estimate and Apportionment (E&A) — Mayor Lyda Krewson, President of the Board of Aldermen Lewis Reed and Comptroller Darlene Green — tried to send when they passed a resolution on Thursday, Oct. 31. The resolution outlined the parameters for the project’s bond financing — which has been a source of conflict between the board members, particularly Krewson and Green. In a statement, Green thanked Krewson and Reed for their support of the resolution, which she presented to the board on October 31.
“Expansion of the convention center is an economic investment in our region, assuring the health of jobs for working families and businesses alike,” she said. By law, the resolution was not necessary to move the bond financing forward, said Steve Conway, Krewson’s chief of staff.
“But it established the framework which is in the financing agreement,” Conway said. “As to the mayor and the comptroller, they just want to have certainty on moving forward and if [the resolution] gives everyone adequate
certainty, they are all very happy.”
The next step is to schedule a meeting with the St. Louis Municipal Finance Corporation “to affirm the details of the issuance,” Green said. The finance corporation does not have regular meetings, but a meeting should be scheduled quickly, according to Green’s spokesman.
Tom Shepard, Reed’s chief of staff, is the president of the finance corporation. Shepard did not return The St. Louis American’s request for comment about when a meeting will be scheduled. Reed has not yet returned a request for comment on the resolution’s significance.
Conway said regarding the resolution, “What it means for the region is that I can begin booking the conventions four, five, 10 years out into the future with certainty.”
The convention center complex is responsible for generating $265 million in economic spending for the St. Louis region, according to Green.
However this summer, the project stalled out at the “one yard line,” and the hospitality and construction industry are not happy, business leaders said.
The City of St. Louis and St. Louis County currently pay a combined $12 million annually on the debt used to construct The Dome that is connected to the convention center – and the State of Missouri matches it with $12 million. However, those commitments expire in 2021, and the expansion
A praise dancer enlivened a capacity crowd at the Dome, part of the America’s Center Convention Complex, during the Church of God in Christ’s 2018 Convocation last November.
could only move forward if both the city and county agree to continue making those $6 million annual payments. Both the county and city have passed the necessary legislation, but this summer a political struggle over the bond process erupted.
In brief, Green has been the primary mover on convention center-related bonds since 1997, she said, and she was elected to have oversight of the city’s credit rating. Krewson initially questioned the cost of Green’s bond process, according to her chief of staff, and wanted to switch that process over to the St. Louis Development Corporation.
Seeing the resolution pass was “very important and exciting” for the business and hospitality industries, said Andrew B. Leonard, chairman
of the St. Louis Convention and Visitors Commission.
“E&A was a big step,” Leonard said. “We are delighted that the three of them worked out the political issues. We’ve got other steps to do. There could be hiccups. But we’ve got approval from everyone.”
The main goal of the improvements is to be in a position to attract conventions such as FIRST Robotics, he said.
“It fills the city,” Leonard said. “It’s an unbelievable revenue source for all businesses. It makes the city hop. We are trying to get on everyone’s next available schedule. We are itching to make the America’s Center competitive.”
Cassandra Brown Ray, chief financial officer for the Saint Louis Zoo, will receive the 2019 Corporate Executive of the Year Award at the St. Louis American Foundation’s Salute to Excellence in Business Awards and Networking Luncheon on November 21.
Cassandra Brown Ray is 2019 Corporate Executive of the Year
By Rebecca Rivas
As a Normandy High School student, Cassandra Brown Ray loved working as a bank teller at then-Northwestern Savings and Loan (now U.S. Bank) near Lucas Hunt and Natural Bridge roads. Most of all, she liked getting to know the customers and helping them with their financial needs, she said.
“My mother was a vice president at that bank and, long story short, she was a boss,” Ray said. “I decided that I wanted to be a boss and major in accounting. I never turned back, and it’s been quite the journey.”
n “Who would have thought graduating with a degree in accounting to look for a job at a zoo?”
– Cassandra Brown Ray
Ray graduated from University of MissouriColumbia with her accounting degree and went to work for then-McDonnell Douglas (now Boeing) and later for General Dynamics
Corporation as an internal auditor. When General Dynamics decided to move its headquarters to the Washington area in 1991, Ray didn’t want to follow so she applied for other jobs. She got two offers — one from a CPA firm and one from the Saint Louis Zoo.
“There are a lot of CPA firms, but there is only one world famous Saint Louis Zoo,” she said.
She had a plan to work at the zoo for two years, have a baby and then move back out into the corporate world. “And I just really fell in love with this place,” Ray said.
See
Arnold Bullock MD was honored with the Physician of the Year Award at the Christian Hospital Foundation Gala. He is a urologist at Christian Hospital and Washington University School of Medicine specializing in urologic oncology, male voiding and erectile dysfunction. He graduated from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine with residency training in urology at Washington University School of Medicine.
Raegan Johnson joined Spire as the public communications manager. In this role, she is responsible for developing and implementing external communications strategies for relevant communications and marketing channels, including digital and traditional media outlets. Spire is the largest natural gas distribution utility in Missouri, serving approximately 632,000 residential, commercial and industrial customers in the city of St. Louis and ten counties in eastern Missouri.
Alandon Pitts will receive the Trailblazer Award for his work with youth from the Annie Malone Children and Family Services Center at its Legacy Gala on November 15. He is founder of Mentors in Motion. “The Legacy Gala is our way of paying tribute to those organizations and individuals that go above and beyond to advocate for and protect children,” said Sara Lahman Annie Malone CEO.
Opal M. Jones received a 2019 Spirit of Justice award from the Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis. She is president and CEO of DOORWAYS, which provides housing to homeless individuals battling HIV/AIDS and their family members. Allison Price of Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner nominated Jones, explaining “Opal is a dynamic leader and a compassionate person. She is a wonderful mentor, especially for women of color.”
Rod Campbell was appointed to the Board of Trustees for Loyola Academy of St. Louis. He is assistant vice president, senior talent management consultant at Commerce Bank. Loyola Academy of St. Louis is a Jesuit middle school for boys who have the potential for college preparatory work, but whose progress may be impeded by economic or social circumstances.
Sponsored content
St. Louis is celebrating the growing momentum and recognition of its burgeoning startup scene with the first-ever St. Louis Startup Week at the Cortex Innovation Community from November 1-9. The event celebrates the innovation and entrepreneurship in the community and aims to connect local entrepreneurs with the many support resources the St. Louis region offers.
“Our startup community makes the St. Louis region a more vibrant and creative place for students, employees, families and businesses and builds a stronger and more diverse economy,” said Phyllis Ellison, vice president of partnerships and program development for Cortex.
“We are excited to establish long-term connections for local entrepreneurs and small business owners to the many support resources
“The St. Louis startup ecosystem has been instrumental for us at SpenDebt over this past year – there are so many resources and groups in this area, like ITEN, Venture Café, 1 Million Cups and others who have supported our growth,” said Kiley Summers, founder and CEO of SpenDebt.
Winnie Caldwell joined the Board of Directors of the Ferguson Youth Initiative. She is co-founder and program director of Books N Bros. Founded in 2010, the Ferguson Youth Initiative empowers teens from Ferguson and surrounding communities to become productive, positive, and contributing members of the community. For more information, email info@fyifergyouth.org. On the move? Congratulations! Send
KAI Enterprises is 50 percent partner, and 25 percent of joint venture earmarked for
By Chris King
Of The St. Louis American
Ameren Missouri recently broke ground on a new $20.7 million operating center for its electric operations serving North St. Louis and surrounding communities.
The North Metro Operating Center will be located at 4427 Geraldine Ave. and replace the adjacent Geraldine Operating Center, which has employed hundreds of Ameren Missouri workers and served North City for over 60 years.
Construction of the new facility will require a workforce of approximately 500 workers and 20 diverse suppliers to complete, including Ameren Missouri employees, local union contractors and subcontractors.
Ameren Missouri is constructing the project through a joint partnership with its general contractors, PARIC Corporation and KAI Enterprises. KAI Design & Build, a St. Louis-based minority-owned business enterprise (MBE), is a 50 percent partner in the construction project, along with PARIC Corporation. Close to 40 percent of the PARIC/ KAI joint venture construction costs will be diverse spend, and of that 40 percent at least 25 percent will be MBE spend, according to Ameren Missouri. KAI/PARIC have monthly reporting requirements of their diverse spending to Ameren Missouri. “The project schedule/bi-weekly progress meetings will give us insight to diverse companies performing on the job according to the project schedule so we can ensure their on-site participation,” an Ameren Missouri spokesman said.
The project includes a 19,600-square-foot office building for administrative offices and crew area, a 26,000-square-foot open truck shelter for 42 trucks, a 6,400-square-foot storage building, and a 4,400-squarefoot 3-sided trailer storage building. The new facility is expected to be completed by December 2020 and will accommodate close to 70 employees.
“As a former lineman for Ameren Missouri and superintendent of the Geraldine Operating Center, I can attest to the importance of reinvesting in North St. Louis,” said Patrick E. Smith, vice president of division operations for Ameren Missouri. “It’s hard to be what you can’t see. Investment in a facility that provides critical services to its surrounding residents and businesses demonstrates a commitment to the community and inspires a new generation of kids to seek careers in the energy industry.”
The North Metro Operating Center project is part of Ameren Missouri’s Smart Energy Plan that includes thousands of infrastructure
continued from page B1
available to them and raise awareness about our vibrant startup community.”
The region’s growing startup scene was ranked second on Forbes’ 2018 list of top rising cities for startups and named the city with the most women entrepreneurs in the U.S. by SeekCapital.com in 2019.
With many events free and open to the public, St. Louis Startup Week features programming around four key tracks to help entrepreneurs connect with the local startup community.
The first track, startup resources, provides opportunities for small business owners and entrepreneurs to connect with each other and local startup resources. The second track focuses on co-working spaces, allowing entrepreneurs to test drive some of St. Louis’ more than 25 co-working spaces. The third track is skill building, giving those interested in working as part of the startup
projects throughout the state to upgrade the energy grid to a smarter, cleaner and stronger system for customers.
The Smart Energy Plan was introduced in August 2018, after Missouri legislators
n “The project schedule/bi-weekly progress meetings will give us insight to diverse companies performing on the job according to the project schedule so we can ensure their on-site participation,” an Ameren Missouri spokesman said.
passed new energy legislation, Senate Bill 564. The law makes possible thousands of upgrades to the electric grid that will reduce outages, generate cleaner solar and wind energy and reduce carbon emissions.
Ameren Missouri will invest $5.3 billion in these and other upgrades that will serve more
community the chance to learn valuable business skills from organizations including CyberUp, Launch Code, Claim Academy and more.
n A recent report by nonprofit MOSourceLink found that Missouri startups created 44,535 new jobs in 2018.
The final track is STEMSTL Week, which features experiences for the next generation of entrepreneurs and helps educators and students K-12 learn more about entrepreneurship. Through St. Louis Startup Week, the hope is that businesses will not just startup, but also take advantage of the low cost of living, resources, vibrant culture that can help them stand out, and ultimately stay and keep their business here.
A recent report by nonprofit MOSourceLink found that Missouri startups created 44,535 new jobs in 2018. Many of those jobs were created by
“As a former lineman for Ameren Missouri and superintendent of the Geraldine Operating Center, I can attest to the importance of reinvesting in North St. Louis,” said Patrick E. Smith, vice president of division operations for Ameren Missouri.
than 500 communities across the state. In addition to building the $20.7 million North Metro Operating Center, Ameren Missouri plans to spend $193 million to improve the energy delivery system in the Archview Division, which includes North St. Louis. Over the next several years Ameren Missouri will build new substations and install smart, automated equipment and new utility poles. These upgrades are designed to reduce the likelihood and length of outages, particularly those caused by storms and high winds.
Ameren Missouri has more than 60 operating centers within six divisions that serve communities throughout the state. These centers are localized hubs for hundreds of workers that perform work from electric system repairs to major infrastructure upgrade projects to storm restoration. The company’s service area covers 64 counties and more than 500 communities, including the greater St. Louis area.
local St. Louis entrepreneurs like Kiley Summers, founder and CEO of SpenDebt, a financial technology company that helps individuals pay off debt through micropayments.
“The St. Louis startup ecosystem has been instrumental for us at SpenDebt over this past year – there are so many resources and groups in this area, like ITEN, Venture Café, 1 Million Cups and others who have supported our growth,” said Summers.
“We have been able to earn non-dilutive funding in St. Louis as an Arch Grant recipient in 2018, a member of the 2019 Capital Innovator Accelerator program, and even winning the MAC Tank pitch competition. We’ve received so much support from the St. Louis startup community, and have found ways to support other local entrepreneurs through mentoring at MultiPass Ventures, speaking on different panels like the Inclusive Entrepreneurship Roundtable, and sharing our story to inspire others.”
For more information and to view the St. Louis Startup Week full schedule of events, visit www.stlouisstartupweek.com.
n "I think we all should be challenging ourselves to create our own masterpiece in some way, shape or form, and mine's not finished."
– Lewis Hamilton
Congratulations to senior standouts
Jordan Johnson of DeSmet and Antonio Doyle of Lutheran North on being selected to the U.S. Army AllAmerican Game, which will be held on January 4 in San Antonio, Texas. The two players received their AllAmerican game jerseys in special ceremonies at their respective schools last week. Johnson is a fivestar wide receiver who has committed to Notre Dame. Doyle is a fourstar linebacker who has narrowed his final three choices to Missouri, Illinois and Texas A&M.
Sumner High is headed to the Hall of Fame
The Sumner High football program, along with legendary head coach Lawrence Walls, will be inducted into the St. Louis Sports Hall of Fame. The ceremony will be held on Monday, November 11 at Liuna Event Center. Under the leadership of coach Walls, the Bulldogs were one of the top programs in the state of Missouri. Walls led Sumner to 20 Public High League championships, nine ShowMe Bowl appearances and four state championships in 1974, 1982, 1990 and 1991. Congratulations to coach Walls, along with all of the former players and coaches who helped make the Bulldogs a dynasty in the Show-Me State.
Top Individual performers from last weekend’s postseason openers
Senior running back Gideon Niboh of Francis Howell
Kawhi Leonard has already missed two games as a healthy scratch
While the three point era is not going away any time soon, there is evidence that we are in the midst of a second era – the Load Management Era. The Load Management Era is one in which teams sit out their star players in hopes of preventing injury and keeping them fresh for the playoffs. Many former NBA players and longtime fans have scoffed at the idea that healthy, millionaire players should sit out of regular season games. The players of the 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s laced them up every day when healthy. What’s wrong with today’s athletes?
The NBA has gone through numerous eras in its 73 years of existence. There was the Bill Russell Era, an era that saw Russell’s Boston Celtics won 11 championships in a 13-year stretch. There was also an extended Big Man Era, in which big men such as Russell, George Mikan Wilt Chamberlain, Moses Malone, Kareem Abdul Jabbar and other great centers ruled the roost. Other notable and immediately recognizable eras include: the Showtime Era, the Jordan Era and the LeBron Era. Sometimes eras can overlap. Players like Shaquille O’Neal, Tim Duncan and Hakeem Olajuwon are considered a part of the Big Man Era, even though they were all active during the Jordan Era. There is little doubt that we are currently in the midst of the three point era. After all, out of the top 20 individual seasons for three-pointers made, 17 of those spots are held by active NBA players. Need further proof? According to Zach Kram of The Ringer, “last season’s Rockets made more 3s than any franchise’s combined total throughout the 1980s.”
Also, the cost of watching NBA games has skyrocketed.
With Alvin A. Reid
The NFL’s popularity continues to grow, while its commitment to diversity is not traveling down the same path.
Most of its players are black.
Most of its head and assistant coaches are white.
The NFL offices in New York are much more devoted to diversity than its franchises.
Only two its owners are not white, and its franchises’ front offices are an insult to inclusion.
The NFL 2019 Racial and Gender Report Card, published last week by The Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sports (TIDES) at the University of Central Florida, gave the league an overall B-minus.
player hiring, with 70 percent of the league’s players being of color.
Racial hiring in Commissioner Roger Goodell’s office received an A-minus, with 28 percent of its employees being of color. Gender hiring in the league office earned a B-minus.
Things get shaky after those scores.
With just 12.5 percent of NFL head coaches being of color, it received a D-plus in that category. Hopefully, the A-plus it earned for a substantial increase in assistant coach hiring will help improve that grade in the near future.
Racial hiring received a B and gender hiring barely topped average with a C-plus. Compared to 2018, the NFL’s score for race tumbled 6.7 percent to 82.3 percent. Its gender hiring score was 76 percent, a two-percentage point increase. The overall grade dipped from 81.6 percent in 2018 to 79.3 percent in 2019.
“People of color and women are seriously under-represented in significant decision-making positions at the team level,” said Richard Lapchick, TIDES director and primary author of the study.
While there are “bright spots,” according to Lapchick, the NFL “has continued to see lower scores within the leadership of participating clubs. There has been a lack of representation of women and people of color in President/CEO and C-Suite positions.”
Starting with the obvious, the NFL received an A-plus in
There are only three black head coaches in the NFL, Brian Flores of the Miami Dolphins, Anthony Lynn of the Los Angeles Chargers and Mike Tomlin of the Pittsburgh Steelers. Carolina head coach Ron Rivera is the lone Latino to hold that position.
“The NFL began the 2019 regular season with only four coaches of color which represented an enormous shift from the record of eight coaches that started the regular season in 2018,” said Lapchick.
“That all-time record was also achieved in 2011 and 2017. There were six coaches of color in 2015 and 2016.”
Now come the Fs.
The NFL failed in hiring of general manager/principle executives and gender hiring of front office positions higher than vice president. It received a D-plus in racial hiring of the latter category.
The lack of diversity in team front offices begins at the top.
Only two owners are people of color – and neither is black.
Shad Khan, a Pakistani-born American businessman, is principal owner of the Jacksonville Jaguars. He would have owned the St. Louis Rams had Stan Kroenke not swooped in and exercised his option to purchase the team.
This move was applauded by most of the region’s sports media when it happened.
Kim Pegula, an Asian American woman, has held a major interest in the Buffalo Bills since 2014. The catch here is that her husband holds the majority interest.
Put the hammer down
Lewis Hamilton finished second in the Emirates U.S. Grand Prix near Austin, Texas last Sunday – but more importantly, he earned his sixth Formula 1 driver’s title.
Hamilton is one short of the record of seven titles held by Michael Schumacher – and he wants that mark and more.
“I am working on a masterpiece,” Hamilton told BBC News after securing the title.
“I haven’t quite finished it yet. I am trying to understand. It takes a long time to master a craft and while I feel like I am mastering it, there is still more to master, still more to add to it, still more pieces of the puzzle to add.”
Hamilton has won 83 Formula 1 races, and also is
chasing Schumacher’s record 91. He won 10 races during the 2019 season – with two more to go before the year ends.
Hamilton is recognized as the world’s best auto racing driver – regardless of the type of racing. He is at the top of his game is racing’s most challenging circuit.
But he admits, it has not been an easy road in 2019.
“Every year you go through a different rollercoaster ride of emotions,” he said.
“Each and every single one of us is struggling with something in life. I try to show people that, from the outside, things always look great but it’s not always the case.
“I am struggling with lots of different things and battling certain demons.”
One of those “demons” is re-building his relationship with his estranged father. Another is the pressure of being a black man dominating an overwhelmingly white sport.
“There’s lots of life after F1 and I want to spend time with my family. I still want to have a family one day. But I love doing what I do so much that I don’t think there’s a lot that can particularly stop me,” he said.
Hamilton won his first F1 title with McLaren, and has added five with Mercedes. He is under contract with Mercedes through next year –but the lure of Ferrari is there.
Mercedes Racing CEO Toto Wolff said he has broached the subject several times with his championship driver.
“Even within the team we have discussed it, with Lewis we have discussed it and we have agreed on the topic,” Wolff said this summer.
“We had the discussion when we negotiated the last
contract and I think that you just have to be open minded and understand that drivers will explore opportunities that exist and benchmark themselves.”
Should Hamilton leave Mercedes behind, Wolf said there would be “no drama.”
Meanwhile, Hamilton is still basking in the glory of another driver’s title.
“It’s beyond surreal that my life journey has brought me to this point in winning the sixth title,” he said.
“I don’t know how I am supposed to feel right now.”
The Reid Roundup
Had it not been for California passing its bill allowing college athletes to profit from their names and images, the NCAA would never have thought of doing the same. I reached out to state Rep. Steven Roberts on the issue, and I’ll bet the NCAA knew many legislators throughout the country shared Roberts’ thoughts. “My first impression is that I would support similar legislation in our state. Given the sacrifices our student athletes make and the millions of dollars paid to coaches, it seems reasonable that they be able to profit off their names and images as well,” Roberts said … Congratulations to Cardinals second baseman Kolten Wong for winning the NL Gold Glove. His defensive excellence was vital to his team reaching the postseason … The Missouri Valley Conference extended is conference tournament run in St. Louis through 2025. It needs SIU-Carbondale to get its act together to increase attendance … Boosters raised almost $20 million to buyout
Florida State coach Willie Taggart’s contract so he could be fired. That brother had to go. Bob Stoops is reportedly going to replace him … I was ready to defend Taggart –until he refused to meet with his team after he was let go … There were eight MLB managerial openings shortly after the 2019 regular season ended. The San Francisco Giants and Pittsburgh Pirates still have openings, but no black candidate has been interviewed … Led by Siya Kolisi, the squad’s first black captain, underdog South Africa beat England 32-12 to win the Rugby World Cup. The Springboks’ win set off a multicultural national celebration … Colin Kaepernick spent his 32nd birthday last Sunday handing out backpacks filled with toiletries and essential goods homeless people in Oakland living in a tent city … Washington Nationals closer Sean Doolittle refused to attend his team’s visit to the White House on Monday. “There’s a lot of things, policies that I disagree with, but at the end of the day, it has more to do with the divisive rhetoric and the enabling of conspiracy theories and widening the divide in this country,” he said.
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.” Find him on Twitter at @aareid1.
With Maurice Scott Jr.
With the Chicago Public Schools teachers strike going on last week, East St. Louis football coach Darren Sunkett didn’t know if his team would play its opening round game of the IHSA Class 6 playoffs against Chicago Morgan Park. But when an agreement was hammered out late Wednesday afternoon to end the strike, the game was on and the Flyers prepared for takeoff and hammered the Mustangs 44-0. East St. Louis will now make the nearly four hour trip to Rock Island on Saturday afternoon to take on the Rocks in the second round of the state tournament. It’s a 1 p.m. kickoff at Almquist Stadium. The Rock Island Rocks defeated Dunlap High School 28-18 last week. The Rocks are led on offense by quarterback Devin
Continued from B3
Imagine forking out more than a cool grand for your family of four to attend a Lakers game, only to see LeBron James sitting in a suit on the sidelines – not because of an injury, but because of load management.
Better yet, as a St. Louisan, imagine driving or flying several hours to an NBA city only to learn that the best players would not be taking the court. Yet, that has been the reality for many over the past few seasons.
Proponents of the idea of load management received a huge “I told ya so” boost last season after the Toronto Raptors won the NBA championship. The Raptors used load management to help preserve Kawhi Leonard and he carried the team to a championship. Furthermore, the Raptors defeated an injury-riddle Warriors team. The Warriors made five straight NBA Finals appearances and the workload has seemingly taken an immense toll on its star players.
Kevin Durant (now with the Brooklyn Nets) is expected to sit out the entire season after rupturing his Achilles during the Finals. Klay Thompson tore his ACL in the playoffs and expected to miss most of the season. Stephen Curry will miss at least three months after breaking his hand in the fourth game of the current season. Draymond Green will miss at least three games after suffering a torn finger ligament.
The Warriors rash of injuries represents one extreme. Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Clippers’ kid glove treatment of Leonard represents another.
The Clippers were criticized heavily after announcing that Leonard would not play a nationally televised game
Swift, wide receiver Perry Slater and running-back Davion Wilson, who rushed for 143 yards on 23 carries in the victory against Dunlap. Defensively, Rock Island is led by linebacker Jaydon Upton and defensive tackle Donavan Rodgers who returned a tipped pass for a touchdown last week against Dunlap. But let’s be clear, Dunlap isn’t the overall No. 1 seed in the state in East St. Louis. The Southwestern Conference champs are playing with a chip on its shoulders and plan on having Thanksgiving desert on November 30 at Northern Illinois University’s Huskie Stadium in DeKalb, the site of this year’s Class 6A state title game. The Flyers won’t be bothered by playing in the hostile environment at Almquist
Stadium, which is only a mile and a half from Davenport, Iowa. Playing its usual Southwestern Conference schedule, the 2019 Flyers are road tested while also playing at Illinois Class 7A and 8A powers Batavia and Naperville Central. In addition, the Flyers traveled to Naperville Neuqua Valley whose only loss was to East St. Louis so far this season.
The Flyers have one of the most prolific offenses in the state.
Maurice Scott Jr.
East St. Louis can pass it or run the football at will. The Flyers are paced on offense by the smooth junior quarterback Tyler Macon, who’s passed for 3,097 yards and 29 touch-
downs. Macon is garnering collegiate attention from several Division I schools. Senior DaMonta Witherspoon leads the Flyers rushing attack with 1,201 yards and 23 touchdowns. In addition, the East St. Louis receiving corps as a group just might be the best ever. Leading the way is the No. 1 high school recruit in the state of Illinois in Antonio “AJ” Johnson. The two-way star and Texas A&M recruit had three receptions for 129 yards and two touchdowns against Morgan Park. This season, Johnson has totaled 615 yards with 25 catches. In addition to Johnson, Rock Island will also have to worry about
senior Lawaun Powell Jr. (34 receptions 576 yards and three touchdowns), juniors Keontez Lewis, 29 receptions 596 yards and seven touchdowns) and Dominic Lovett, who has 25 receptions for 1,080 yards and 10 touchdowns.
Up front for East St. Louis, the Flyers are paced by University of Tennessee recruit offensive lineman Javontez Spraggins. Defensively, the Flyers are again paced by All American Antonio “AJ” Johnson (68 tackles two interceptions) in the secondary. Joining Johnson are cornerback Dylan Appleton (65 tackles), Jamarriante Burgess (67 tackles, three interceptions), and cornerbacks Jalen Reed and Lamar Box Jr. In addition to the outstanding secondary, East St. Louis
against the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday night for load management reasons. It was the second game Leonard has been a healthy scratch. The team has only played eight games. “Kawhi not playing to me is ridiculous at this point,” longtime sports announcer and analyst Doris Burke said on SportsCenter. “I don’t understand it. He is a great player. He is compelling to watch.”
If the Clippers keep up that pace, Leonard will miss at least 20 games as a healthy scratch this season. That is despite the fact that he will earn nearly $33M in salary.
Burke did acknowledge that the Clippers also have a responsibility to Leonard’s long term health and to the long term success of the team.
The NBA finds itself in a precarious position of allowing teams to protect their star players while still putting the best product on the court night in and night out. Unfortunately, there does not appear to be a good answer. The league already started the season a week earlier than usual in order to stretch out the schedule. It
completely eliminated stretches of four games in five nights and sought to minimize backto-backs as much as possible. It appears that that wasn’t good enough. Now the league will have to consider whether to stretch out the season further or shrink its 82 game schedule so that healthy star players aren’t sitting out a quarter of the season.
McGirt strategy costs Kovalev
When it was announced that Canelo Alvarez would venture into the light heavyweight division to face Sergey Kovalev for the WBO title, many wondered if he’d bitten off more than he could chew. Kovalev has not been the same dominant fighter since Andre Ward stopped him in 2017, however, he was still one of the top fighters and heaviest punchers in the division.
For some strange reason, his trainer Buddy McGirt decided that should abandon his natural size and strength advantages against Alvarez. In an effort to preserve his shaky endurance, McGirt instructed Kovalev to
passes in the Vikings 44-0 victory over Francis Howell Central.
Cameron Moore of Affton rushed for 214 yards and scored five touchdowns in the Cougars’ 55-20 victory over Soldan.
Devin Willis of Mascoutah rushed for 267 yards and three touchdowns in the Indians’ 40-28 victory over Carbondale.
Cam’Ron McCoy of St. Mary’s threw five touchdown passes in the Dragons’ 46-0 victory over Riverview Gardens.
Kalin Black of ChristianO’Fallon had five receptions for 154 yards and three touchdowns in the Eagles’ 49-22 victory over North Callaway.
Chris Kreh of Marquette rushed for 244 yards and three touchdowns in the Mustangs 42-9 victory over Kickapoo.
Chevalier Brenson of CBC had eight receptions for 171 yards and a touchdown in the Cadets’ 27-14 victory over SLUH.
features Missouri recruit Kevon Billingsley (98 tackles), Illinois State University recruit Darius Walker (105 tackles) and Kendrick Scarborough, who has 11 sacks this season.
Flyers Head Coach Darren Sunkett doesn’t allow his team to take any opponents lightly.
“We understand here at East St. Louis Senior High that this time of year its one opponent, one game at a time,” he said. “We don’t allow our kids to take any opponent for granted. But at the end of the day, our kids are motivated and will be well prepared.”
A win by East St. Louis will advance the Flyers into the quarter- finals against the winner of Peoria High School and Oak Lawn Richards next Saturday.
Canelo Alvarez knocked out Sergey Kovalev Saturday night to win the WBO Light Heavyweight Title. The win made Alvarez a fourdivision champion.
The idea was that if Kovalev threw a hard punch and missed, it would give the quicker Alvarez a better chance at landing counter punches. The reality is that Kovalev
(34-4-1, 29 KO) is a 36-yearold fighter with stamina issues. Ward exposed him as a boxer who cannot handle body shots. His danger is his power and McGirt took it away. The result was a steady body assault from Alvarez throughout the entire fight, with little consequence. Though he didn’t throw many hard punches, Kovalev was still worn down by Alvarez’s relentless body assault. The result was a devastating 11th round KO that earned Kovalev an instant nap and Alvarez (531-0, 36 KO) a world title in a fourth division and cemented his status as a future Hall of Famer. Kovalev should probably sit down and think about how much longer he wants to do this boxing thing. He is 4-4 in his last eight fights with three of those Ls coming by KO. Be sure to check In the Clutch online and also follow Ishmael on Twitter @ishcreates.
The senior standout was the individual champion at the Class 2, District 2 meet at Florissant last Saturday morning.
Stewart covered the 5,000-meter course in a winning time of 16 minutes, 05.86 seconds, which was nearly a minute ahead of his nearest competitor. Stewart has earned All-State honors the past two years after finishing second at the Class 2 state
n “When we wake up in the morning, we are on a mission because we have a zoo that we have to care for but we also have a future that we need to build a foundation for.”
– Cassandra Brown Ray
from page B1
She joined the zoo in 1992 as a staff accountant and then served as the controller/director of finance starting in 1999. Ray had an “amazing manager,” who cared about her and helped her rise through the ranks, she said. Earlier this year, Ray was named the zoo’s chief financial officer, becoming the first African-American woman to hold that position since the zoo opened in 1913. She loves that she gets to work with scientists, doctors and people who are dedicated to protecting animals.
“Who would have thought graduating with a degree in accounting to look for a job at a zoo?” Ray said. “But the opportunity presented itself in The American, as an ad looking for a staff accountant. That was just the beginning of not only my relationship with the zoo, but also my relationship with The American. So this is kind of a full-circle moment here.”
On November 21, Ray will receive the 2019 Corporate Executive of the Year Award at the St. Louis American Foundation’s Salute to Excellence in Business Awards and Networking Luncheon. It will be held at the Hilton St. Louis Frontenac.
“Cassandra is the perfect CFO – she’s smart, numbersavvy, and has a questioning mind,” said Jeffrey Bonner, Dana Brown president and
CEO of the zoo. “The best CFOs know what’s important, but more importantly, know the right questions to ask and when to ask them.”
Over the course of Ray’s 28 years at the zoo, the giraffe — her favorite animal — went from being of “least concern” by conservationists to being critically endangered. Giraffe numbers across Africa fell 40 percent between 1985 and 2015, to just under 100,000 animals, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). The fact that they are entering a “silent extinction” is horrible and unacceptable, Ray said.
“When we wake up in the morning, we are on a mission because we have a zoo that we have to care for but we also have a future that we need to build a foundation for,” Ray said. “And my hope is that many years when I’m no longer here, they will look back and say, ‘What they did back then was foundational and there is no way we could have saved as many animals or as many habitats because they did what they needed to do.’”
A major project that Ray will be involved with is planning for the new Conservation and Animal Science Center in North St. Louis County, made possible by passage of Proposition Z last November.
“This will give us space to breed animals and an incredible opportunity to
experience species in habitats that may be incredibly similar to going on safari,” she said.
“There is so much work to be done. I work with a team of incredible leaders, and they all want to do so much to advance conservation right in line with our mission.”
Ray is passionate about gender equity, and she is the diversity and inclusion team leader for the zoo. She serves on the Board of Directors for Lindenwood University, where she earned her MBA.
She is a graduate of FOCUS Leadership St. Louis (2014) and a member of the inaugural class of the FOCUS Impact Fellows, a team charged with developing and implementing an action plan using the 2015 Ferguson Commission Report as a guideline.
Ray has been married to her high-school sweetheart Quentin Ray for 28 years, and they have two children, Taylor and Jaylen. One thing she always tells her children is: “Live your best life. You get one, so let’s really make it worthwhile.”
The 20th annual Salute to Excellence in Business Awards & Networking Luncheon will be held Thursday, November 21 at the Hilton St. Louis Frontenac, 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 314533-8000 or click here to purchase tickets
By Ana Stringfellow
As
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Powerhouse gospel vocal group Commissioned have reunited and are touring for the first time in nearly 15 years. They will take the stage at the Fabulous Fox Theatre on Friday, November 8.
By Kenya Vaughn Of The St. Louis American
As lead singer K-Ci Haley crooned his way through the Jodeci slow jam “I’m Still Waiting,” he belted out “my arms are open wide, and I don’t have to cry no more.”
Reunion Experience to play Fabulous Fox on November 8 Commissioned Reunion Experience – An All White Affair
8 p.m.
Most fans of the multi-platinum R&B group only associated the culminating moment within the song as a part of the 1991 R&B hit. But the church kids knew better. The line was a direct pull from the gospel super group Commissioned classic “Running Back to You.”
The group that influenced Jodeci and so many others in secular and faith-based music will reunite on stage Friday, November 8 at the Fox for the Commissioned Reunion Experience – An All White Affair.
Louis along with Commissioned alum Marvin Sapp, nearly 15 years since their last tour.
When Commissioned came on the scene in the mid1980s, they changed gospel music forever –but not just gospel music. Nearly a decade before Kirk Franklin blended R&B music with the messages of his ministry, Commissioned was inspiring the next generation of gospel and secular musicians alike with their soulful sounds of praise and worship. They were six singers from
By Kenya Vaughn Of The St. Louis American
“What
sheds lights on ladies who helped shape and continue to have a hand in the hip-hop aesthetic as well as the present and future within the style industry. It is among the robust lineup of films for Cinema St. Louis’ 28th Annual Whitaker St. Louis International Film Festival taking place November 7-17 at various venues.
Cortés was a part of the global cultural empire known as hip-hop just as it was breaking into the mainstream in the 1980s. She worked with some of the biggest names in hiphop through Rush Management and Def Jam Management as an executive and eventually owned her own label.
When she transitioned into filmmaking, it was a priority for her to correct a serious oversight within historical accounts of the art form’s origins.
“I’ve seen so many wonderful documentaries on hip-hop – music and culture – and women are kind of pushed to the sidelines,” Cortés said. “And having been a woman in that business, I know that we occupied essential posts and from the beginning. When Kool Herc DJ’d for the first time and showed the world his innovation,
his sisters were the ones who threw that party.”
The Sugar Hill Gang’s “Rapper’s Delight,” the first rap record to hit national airwaves (played first at East St. Louis’ WESL 1490), was produced by a record label owned by Sylvia Robinson. “Whether it is in fashion, as an artist, as a manager, as a producer, as a record label owner, women have always been an important part of hip-hop culture,” said Cortés. “And they had such boundless entrepreneurship to match the boundless creativity. I saw a gap in the narrative that was being told and the need to highlight the important contributions that
women have always had.”
After feeling like she had ascended to the highest heights possible within the music industry, Cortés found her next chapter while sitting in a movie theater swept away by a film in a language she didn’t understand.
“I had no idea what they were saying, but I knew what was going on,” Cortés said. “That really underscored the idea that a picture is worth a thousand words. All of the great songs could only go so far if you didn’t understand the language they were in, but these films could affect conversations and change.”
She worked alongside Lee Daniels for several years as a producer for films such as the Academy Award winning “Precious,” “Shadow Boxer” and “The Woodsman” among others before launching her own Cortés Films in 2010.
“The Remix: Hip Hop X Fashion” is her debut as a director. She co-directed the film along with Farah X in addition to her role as producer.
The magic of black creativity
Roger Ross Williams’ “The Apollo,” another film that included Cortés as a producer, is also among the films to play SLIFF over the next ten days. Both films premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival earlier this year.
“Roger Ross Williams is an incredible director and visionary,” Cortés said. “I greatly appreciate working with Roger, because there is a rigorous intellectual exploration that is then translated into a cinematic journey that is so rich and compelling. We were equally committed to this love song to the Apollo.”
The film gives incredible context to why The Apollo is as much a historic institution and national treasure as a performance venue.
“You can pass by the marquee of The Apollo and never have a sense of how far ranging the impact of that theater is – and this film takes you through that journey of why it’s important,” said Cortés.
By Shadress Burks
How to place a calendar listing
1. Email your listing to calendar@stlamerican. com OR
2. Visit the calendar section on stlamerican.com and place your listing
Calendar listings are free of charge, are edited for space and run on a space-available basis.
Fri., Nov. 8, 7 p.m., Fabulous Fox Theatre welcomes Commissioned Reunion Experience: An All White Affair. 527 N. Grand Blvd., 63103. For more information, visit www.metrotix.com.
Sat., Nov. 9, 7 p.m., Delmar Hall presents Big Freedia & Low Cut Connie: Azz Across America Tour. 6133 Delmar Blvd., 63112. For more information, visit www. delmarhall.com.
Sat., Nov. 9, 8 p.m., Sheldon’s Rhythm & Jazz Series presents Harlem 100 Feat. Mwenson & the Shakes with special guests Brianna Thomas, Michela Marino Lerman, and Vuyo Sotashe. 3648 Washington Blvd., 63108. For more information, visit www.metrotix.com.
Sun., Nov. 10, 3 p.m., Super Ego & Murphy Boy present The Show Me Kids Concert Series. Ambassador, 9800 Halls Ferry Rd., 63136. For more information, visit www. metrotix.com.
Wed., Nov. 13, 7:30 p.m., Brian McKnight. River City Casino & Hotel, 777 River City Casino Blvd., 63125. For more information, visit www. ticketmaster.com.
Fri., Nov. 15, 8 p.m., #TB Tour The Reunion feat. Immature with special guests
Ray J, Day 26, B5, and J. Holiday. Chaifetz Arena, 1 S. Compton Ave., 63103. For more information, visit www. thechaifetzarena.com.
Sat., Nov. 16, 9 p.m., Pop’s Concert Venue presents All or Nothin. 1403 Mississippi Ave., Sauget, IL. 62201. For more information visit www. ticketmaster.com.
Sun., Nov. 17, 7:30 p.m., Black Violin: Impossible Tour. 1 University Blvd., 63121. For more information, visit www.touhill.org.
Sat., Nov. 30, 8 p.m., Urban Vibe Entertainment presents the Thanksgiving Soul Jam feat. The Whispers, The Dramatics, Enchantment, Bloodstone and Blue Magic. Stifel Theatre, 1400 Market St., 63103. For more information, visit www. stifeltheatre.com.
Sun., Dec. 1, 7:30 p.m., Urban Vibe Entertainment presents An Evening of Soul feat. Anthony Hamilton, Eric Benet, and Vivian Green. Stifel Theatre, 1400 Market St., 63103. For more information, visit www. stifeltheatre.com.
Sat., Nov. 9, 6 p.m., SLACO Blues Off Grand Performances by Marsha Evans, Gene Jackson, Blue
Kenya Vaughn recommends
Lotus Revue with Roland Johnson, and many more. 3610 Grandel Sq., 63108. For more information, visit www. metrotix.com.
Sun., Nov. 17, 6:30 p.m., BeBe Creative presents It’s Alright! Feat. BeBe & The Neosouls, Maxa, Frankie DoWop & Asa. .Zack, 3224 Locust St., 63103. For more information, visit www. metrotix.com.
Sat., Nov. 30, 8 p.m., A Smooth Evening with Jeanette Harris and Althea Rene. The Queens of Soul Jazz. Sheldon Concert Hall, 3648 Washington Blvd., 63108. For more information, visit www.metrotix.com.
Urban Vibe Entertainment presents An Evening of Soul featuring Anthony Hamilton (left), Eric Benet, and Vivian Green. See CONCERTS for details.
live and silent auctions, and performance by the Tim Cunningham Band. RitzCarlton, 100 Carondelet Plaza, 63105. For more information, visit www.epworth.org
Thurs., Nov. 14, Girls Inc. 13th Annual Strong, Smart and Bold Luncheon, Ritz-Carlton. For more information, To register and purchase tickets: www.2019ssb. eventbrite.com
Sat., Nov. 16, 6 p.m., National Sales Network invites you to the 3rd Annual Sales and Leadership Excellence Awards Gala Hotel Saint Louis, 705 Olive St., 63101. For more information, visit www. nsnstlouis.org.
Sat., Nov. 16, 6 p.m., NAMI St. Louis presents the Unmasking Beautiful Minds Annual Gala & Award Ceremony. Chase Park Plaza, 212 Kingshighway Blvd., 63108. For more information, visit www.namistl.org.
Thur., Nov. 7, 5:30 p.m., The Twillman House Legacy Social. 11840 Bellefontaine Rd., in Spanish Lake, MO. For more information, go to www. spanishlakecdc.org. RSVPs are appreciated to angela@ spanishlakecdc.org or (314) 733-9020.
Fri., Nov. 8, 6 p.m., The Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater St. louis (BGCSTL) Annual Great Futures Gala. Chase Park Plaza, 212 Kingshighway Blvd., 63108. For more information, visit www.bgcstl. org. Fri., Nov. 8, 6 p.m., The
Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater St. Louis (BGCSTL) annual Great Futures Gala Chase Park Plaza. For more information, visit www.bgcstl. org.
Sat., Nov. 9, 9 a.m., Veterans Day 5K Run/Walk. Soldiers Memorial, 1315 Chestnut, 63103. For more information, visit www.stpatrickcenter.org.
Sat., Nov. 9, 10 a.m., Black Business Saturday. Food, music, shopping, and guest speakers. 4240 Duncan Ave., 63110. For more information, visit www.eventbrite.com.
Sat., Nov. 9, 6 p.m., Epworth Children & Family Services hosts its 17th Annual Wine Dinner & Auction. Dinner and wine pairings,
Thurs., Nov. 21, 11 a.m., World Wide Technology and the Steward Family Foundation present The St. Louis American Foundation’s 20th Annual Salute to Excellence in Business, Hilton St. Louis Frontenac. For more information, visit www. stlamerican.com or call (314) 533-8000.
Thur., Nov. 21, 5:30 p.m., Operation Food Search’s Holiday Rap ‘N Pack. Volunteers will enjoy upbeat music, appetizers, and adult beverages while helping sort supplies. 1644 Lotsie Blvd., 63132. For more information, visit www. operationfoodsearch.org.
Fri., Nov. 22, 6 p.m., Show Me Classic. Lincoln vs. Harris Stowe, and a battle of the bands. There will also be an HBCU Experience
Admissions, Scholarship and College Fair. Chaifetz Arena, 1 S. Compton Ave., 63103. For more information, visit www.hssu.edu/showmeclassic.
Sat., Nov. 23, 6:15 p.m., Maryville University presents The Musial Awards. The show will be televised nationally on CBS in December. Stifel Theatre, 1400 Market St., 63103. For more information, visit www. musialawards.com.
Tues., Nov. 26, 1 p.m., Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis, Inc.’s Annual Turkey Giveaway. Must bring picture ID, proof of income, proof of residence, and social security cards for household. Pickup sites at 935 N. Vandeventer, 63108; 8960 Jennings St. Rd., 63136; and 6755 State St., East St. Louis, IL., 62203. For more information, call (314) 615-3600.
Tues., Nov. 26, 6 p.m., Generation Next presents HBCU Experience Tour 2020 – Skate Night Fundraiser. Proceeds benefit the HBCU bus tour. Skate King, 2700 Kienlen Ave., 63121. For more information, visit www.shalomccop.org.
Sun., Dec. 1, 5 p.m., Northern Lights Festival. Parade, carriage rides, holiday vendors, food, and more. Ferguson Citywalk, 501 S. Florissant Rd., 63135. For more information, visit www. facebook.com.
Fri., Dec., 6, 12 p.m., St. Louis County Library presents a Small Business/ Non-Profit Expo. Discover the help you need from our workshops and free legal assistance clinic, all while you build your network of fellow entrepreneurs. Library Headquarters, 1640 S. Lindbergh Blvd., 63131. For more information, visit www. slcl.org
Saturdays, 8 a.m., The Ferguson Farmers Market Plaza at 501, 501 S. Florissant Rd., 63135. For more information, visit www. facebook.com.
Nov. 9, 5 p.m., Opening reception for A Solo Exhibit of Artwork by Linda S. Wilmes (runs Nov. 3-29), The Lillian Yahn Galler, 3028 Winghaven Blvd. O’Fallon, Mo. For more information, call (636) 265-1911.
Sat., Nov. 30, 2 p.m., Abstract Art by Black Artists: A Collector’s Journey. Art collector Ronald Ollie will discuss his
influences and the individuals who have inspired him. St. Louis Art Museum, 1 Fine Arts Dr., 63110. For more information, visit www. metrotix.com.
Nov. 15 – 17, Helium Comedy Club presents Arnez J. 1151 St. Louis Galleria St., 63117. For more information, visit www.heliumcomedy.com.
Nov. 22 – 23, 7:30 & 9:30 p.m., Helium Comedy Club presents Michael Blackson. 1151 St. Louis Galleria St., 63117.
Sun., Nov. 24, 7 p.m., Rockhouse Ent. & Drip Ent. present Love & Laughter Holiday Comedy Explosion starring Jess Hilarious. The Pageant, 6161 Delmar Blvd., 63112. For more information, visit www.ticketmaster.com.
Nov. 8 – 9, Ashoka presents Diwali 2019. Celebrate the Hindu Festival of Lights. Edison Theater, Washington University, 6445 Forsyth Blvd., 63105. For more information, visit www.edison. wustl.edu.
Sat., Nov. 9, 7 p.m., Immigrant Song: The Stories and Music of American Arrival. .Zack, 3224 Locust St., 63103. For more information, visit www. metrotix.com.
Nov. 15 – 17, Fox Theatre presents STOMP. 527 N. Grand Blvd., 63103. For more information, visit www. fabulousfox.com.
Nov. 20 – 21, Moscow Ballet’s Great Russian Nutcracker: Gift of Christmas Tour. 527 N. Grand Blvd., 63103. For more information, visit www. fabulousfox.com.
Nov. 21 – 24, Washington University Performing Arts Department presents For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide/When the Rainbow is Enuf. A.E. Hotchner Studio Theatre, 6445 Forsyth Blvd., 63105. For more information, visit www. edison.wustl.edu.
Tues., Nov. 26, Fox Theatre presents The Hip Hop Nutcracker. Performed by a supercharged cast of a dozen all-star dancers, a DJ, a violinist, and MC Kurtis Blow. 527 N. Grand Blvd., 63103. For more information, visit www.fabulousfox.com.
Nov. 29 – 30, Cirque Dreams
Holidaze. The Fabulous Fox Theatre, 527 N. Grand. www. fabulousfox.com.
Wed., Dec. 4, 6 p.m., Disney Junior Holiday Party. Stifel Theatre, 1400 Market St., 63103. For more information, visit www.stifeltheatre.com.
Dec. 4 – 5, COCA presents a Joyful Vocal Concert Celebrate the holidays with a festive repertoire of musical theatre, from COCA’s vocal companies, Allegro & Adagio. 524 Trinity Ave., 63130. For more information, visit www. cocastl.org.
Sun., Nov. 10, 4 p.m., Speak Now: Claudia Schreier. The award-winning Artistic Director of Claudia Schreier & Company. COCA, 524 Trinity Ave., 63130. For more information, visit www.cocastl. org.
Sat., Nov. 16, 8 a.m., The St. Louis Publishers Association presents How to Publish Your Own Book: What You Need to Know. Learn more about editing, design, print options, and more. STLCCMeramec Campus, 11333
Big Bend Blvd., 63122. For more information, visit www. stlouispublishers.org.
Thur., Nov. 21, 6:30 p.m., The New Negro: From the Combat Battlefields of France to the Urban Battlefields of St. Louis: The Colored Soldier and His African American Community of World War I. Maplewood Public Library, 7550 Lohmeyer, 63143. For more information, visit www. maplewoodpubliclibrary.com.
Thur., Nov. 28, 7 p.m., John C. Danforth Center on Religion and Politics presents When Islam Is Not A Religion: Inside America’s
Fight for Religious Freedom. A lecture by Asma Uddin, followed by a panel discussion. Knight Hall, Washington University, 1 Brookings Dr., 63130. For more information, call (314) 935-9345 or visit www.rap.wustl.edu.
Sat., Nov. 16, 9 a.m., Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., Gamma Omega Chapter presents Caregivers Impact Day. Event is free and open to the public. Friendly Village Apartments, 5521 Wells Ave., 63112. For more information, call (314) 550-2301.
Nov. 18 – 22, Washington University presents the 5th Annual Global Health Week
A university wide initiative to educate the community in global health topics such as HIV transmission, nutrition, and abortion. RSVP for all events. For more information or to register, visit www. eventbrite.com.
Through November 12, Church of God in Christ invites you to The 112th Holy Convocation: Miracles, Signs and Wonders…It’s Getting Ready to Happen. America’s Center, 701 Convention Plaza, 63101. For more information, visit www.cogic.org.
Sat., Nov. 9, 10 a.m., Emmanuel Temple Church of God’s Women Department presents Fall Bazaar. 4935 Union Blvd., 63115. For more information, call (314) 5988187.
Sat., Nov. 9, 8 p.m., New Life Evangelistic Center Christmas Market, For more information, call (314) 4213020.
Sat., Nov. 16, 9 a.m., The Alzheimer’s Association presents Aging-Friendly Congregations Workshop. Centennial Christian Church, 4950 Fountain Ave.,63113. To register, call (800) 272-3900.
Sat., Nov. 16, 10:30 a.m., Third Presbyterian Church hosts its Annual Hustle & Show Expo. Shoe shining, automotive goods and services, food, travel, health and beauty and so much more. 9990 Lewis and Clark Blvd., 63137. For more information, visit www. thirdchurchstl.com.
Sat., Nov. 16, 1 p.m., 49th Church Anniversary Benefit Jazz Concert feat. Rod Tate. Christ Community United Methodist Church, 8841 Old Lucas Hunt Rd., 63136. For more information, call (314) 388-1211.
the rich gospel music breeding ground of Detroit with voices strong enough to lead blended together to create breathtaking harmonies.
Through them came a reciprocated blending of sounds and styles between the church and mainstream music – particularly the R&B male vocal groups. Boyz II Men first tenor Shawn Stockman credits the group as one of his biggest musical influences – so much so that years later, Stockman and fellow Boyz II Men member Wanya Morris contributed as producer/songwriters to Commissioned “Irreplaceable Love” and “They Must Know” on the Irreplaceable Love” album. Commissioned created a
new sound to aspire to – and it stretched beyond the confines of gospel and R&B. In addition to Boyz II Men, Jodeci, Silk and 112, pop super boyband NSYNC has also name-checked Commissioned among its influences.
The sextet teamed up in 1982. Their 1985 debut album “I’m Going On,” Christcentered lyrics with smooth music and pristine harmonies set them apart among their gospel contemporaries – a combination that made for an explosive introduction to the gospel scene.
The ten-time Grammy Award nominated group released 10 studio albums before they left to pursue solo careers.
Out of the group grew gospel stars Fred Hammond, a founding member of Commissioned, and Marvin Sapp – who joined the group in in 1990. In 2002, Commissioned
released a reunion album recorded live at the Straightgate Church in Detroit, Michigan on October 26, 2001 which brought back many of the group’s former members and featured most of the group’s greatest hits.
“Commissioned Reunion Live,” earned five Stellar Award nominations and a Grammy Award nomination.
“If it wasn’t for the vision of these guys, you never would have heard Marvin Sapp,” Sapp told the crowd when the group played before a hometown crowd at Detroit’s Fox Theater last Friday, according to Gary Graff of the Oakland Press.
“Never, ever forget the bridge that brought you over.”
Commissioned Reunion
Experience – An All White Affair will take place at 8 p.m. on Friday, November 8 at The Fox Theatre. For more information, visit www.metrotix.com or call (314) 534-1111.
Continued from C1
The Apollo’s significance stretches far beyond African American entertainment history. And with encyclopedic footage that supports nearly each interview, “The Apollo” effectively conveys that notion.
“It is about the important conversations we as black folks have through the art we create,” Cortés said. “It is a reflection of the conditions that we live in, our hopes and aspirations. I think so many times, people just see the surface and are like, ‘I love that song or that joke made me laugh.’ But whether it’s Billie Holliday singing “Strange Fruit” – a protest song – or whether it’s the great comedians and how they used comedy to address the conditions that we are living in, the Apollo provided a platform.”
In addition to having her films screened as a part of SLIFF, Cortés was thrilled to learn that she would be the recipient of their 2019 Women in Film Award.
“It was so unexpected. It means the world to me,” Cortés said. “The company that I’m in as far as the other people who have received this, is truly remarkable.”
Past recipients have included Pam Grier and Kimberly
Steward.
“I don’t do the work for awards, I do the work for the change that I believe these films can make in people’s lives and that they can have a greater understanding, that they can have empathy – that it can be a call to action,” Cortés said.
“I want my work to be of service. And that my service has been recognized, I’m incredibly grateful.”
“The Apollo” and “The Remix: Hip Hop X Fashion” serve their purpose of making our history come alive with vibrancy and depth and demonstrating the continuum of black culture’s place in the world as well as the ingenuity and resilience of the people behind it.
“The two films are documentaries that are so rich with archival and interviews and music, but also great takeaways
and Mystikal were the only artists left to represent the 504 Boyz. Mystikal never came out to perform the number.
For the first time ever, pioneering New Orleans hiphop label No Limit Records brought a collective of its artists to the region to hear the music they grew up listening to in the late 1990s. Nostalgia was in the air and camouflage attire flooded the arena as people took to their seats excited to rap and reminisce over all of their favorite hood classics.
DJ KUT of 95.5 FM turned out to be the best part of the night as he opened with some STL chart-toppers before segueing to a few other 90’s classics getting the crowd amped for the throwback treat soon to come.
The clock continued to tick as St. Louis native comedian Gary “G Thang” Johnson stalled and ultimately invited Murphy Lee & Kyjuan of St. Lunatics fame to the stage. The sibling rappers graced the stage with snippets of “Get Money remix” and their classic song, “Air Force Ones.”
It would be 9 p.m. before a No Limit Soldier took the stage. Master P kicked things off with “Hot Boyz.” Rapper Mystikal joined in and the crowd was hyped up, only to be let down by another delay.
Master P and his crew returned to the stage, but not to perform. The “No Limit Colonel” gave props to Mia X, Silkk the Shocker and Mystikal for always showing support to one another. He then thanked St. Louis for their support.
DJ KLC finally gave an indicator that the performances would commence by spinning “No Limit Soldiers” by TRU. Master P, Silkk and Mia X began to perform, and was soon accompanied by fellow NO Limit artist Fiend.
“Tell Me,” a song originally recorded by 504 Boyz (a collective of No Limit artists), was played. With two of the group’s members (C-Murder & Mac) in prison, one deceased (Magic), and several others (Choppa, T-Bo, Krazy & Curren$y) not on the tour –Master P, Silkk the Shocker
Mia X, also known as “The First Lady of No Limit,” was a brief bright spot in the underwhelming show. The southern belle with raw lyrics began her set with “You Don’t Wanna Go 2 War” where she performed the collaboration alone. It was only when she transitioned to “The Party Don’t Stop” that she was joined by Master P.
“I been in this game for 35 years, and I thank y’all for rocking with me,” Mia X told the crowd during the brief set that felt more like an intermission or interlude than a full-on featured segment. She managed to squeeze in “Thinkin’ About You”, “All N’s”, and her rendition of the Salt-N-Pepa classic, “I’ll Take Ya Man.” Opening with “War Wounds,” Fiend gave the crowd a slight energy boost before cutting his set to give a speech. He wrapped it up quickly, seeing how the agitated crowd had become with the constant talking as opposed to performances.
Finding his rhythm again, he ran through his “36 Hours” track right before cutting the music to show off his lyrical skills. The raspy voiced rapper closed his set with Silkk the Shocker and “If I Don’t Gotta.”
Known for his off-beat rap style, the crowd screamed with excitement as Silkk the Shocker started performing his “I’m A Soldier” and “Just Be Straight With Me” tracks.
The crowd was let down again with him forgetting the words to his songs and Master P being nowhere in sight to perform is portion of the song.
The performance dragged on with him closing out his set with his verse on Master P’s “Mr. Ice Cream Man” featuring Mia X – who didn’t reappear either.
Another pause for a speech compelled the crowd to begin to boo mercilessly. Silkk the Shocker was apparently supposed to be bringing out Master P. Mystikal emerged instead, attempting to calm the boos.
about the ability of African Americans to take straw and spin it into gold,” Cortés said. “And how what we create often comes from what has been discarded by others – and how we have used our genius to re-contextualize, to remix and ultimately elevate what we share with the world.”
“The Remix: Hip Hop X Fashion” will screen as part of Cinema St. Louis’ 28th Annual Whitaker St. Louis International Film Festival at 6 p.m. on Sunday, November 10 at Washington University’s Brown Hall Auditorium. “The Apollo” will screen at 7:30 p.m. on Sunday, November 10 at the same location. For a full lineup of films and related programming for this year’s festival, visit www.cinemastlouis. org or call (314) 289-4150.
A few seconds and a wardrobe change later, Master P appeared on stage to finish his song “Mr. Ice Cream Man.” By this point, crowd was completely disengaged. Collectively, the artists performed “It Ain’t My Fault,” before exiting the stage leaving Mystikal to perform his portion of the tour.
Full of high energy and lyrical swagger, Mystikal salvaged the dying tour and gave the crowd what they had been waiting for all night.
As one of the label favorites, the audience appreciated the respect he showed to them and his craft as he performed his verse in Ludacris’s, “Move [expletive]” before giving the crowd a small taste of his old No Limit sound with “The Man Right Chea.”
Having had his set rushed, the rapper still managed to perform commercial crossover hits “Danger” “Shake Ya [expletive]” and “Bumping Me Against the Wall.” “The Colonel” returned to the stage to close the show, starting with a ten-second performance of “Down 4 My [n-word expletive].” Partial song performances continued with Master P forgetting the words to his songs and rapping over his lyrics to “Break Em Off Something.” Silkk the Shocker came back out to perform “Hoody Hoo.” Amid his set, he continued to stop the performances to scream out “Free C-Murder, Free Mac,” and a few other stop the violence tag lines, instead of performing the songs people came to hear.
Master P finally signaled the DJ to play, “How Ya Do Dat,” then he toyed with the crowd over his song “Bout It, Bout It.” “Are y’all sure I didn’t perform ‘I’m Bout It, Bout It?’” the rapper asked the crowd before pretending to exit the stage.
With their third round of boos on the horizon, Master P ran back to perform the club classic.
After an hour and forty minutes of lazy, unorganized, and ill-prepared performances, all the No Limit artists closed out the concert with” Make Em Say Uh.”
Apostle Arlene B. and Elder Kenneth W. McClendon will celebrate their 47th wedding anniversary on November 17. Apostle Pastor and Elder are the Founders of Chronicles Christian Center Church in Florissant. They have two loving daughters, Dr. Ingrid D. McClendon Carter, son-Inlaw Antonio Carter along with granddaughter Toni Danielle Carter and daughter Iris K. McClendon. Elder retired from the Navy after 20 years and also retired from General Motors after 31.5 years. For two years, he has been with Jubilee 690 KSTL radio station.
All reunion announcements can be viewed online!
Vashon High School Class of 1974 is planning for its 45-year reunion. We are in the process
of rounding up all classmates. To provide or update your contact information, please email ljbady@gmail.com or contact: Joe Verrie Johnson 314-640-5842, Jordan Perry 314-724-4563, or LaVerne James-Bady 314-382-0890.
Vashon High School Class of 1969 Alumni Committee is planning its 50-year Reunion: October 18 and 19, 2019, at the Renaissance Hotel, 9801 Natural Bridge Road, Berkeley, MO. Meet and Greet will take place Friday
Happy Birthday to my grandkids—Amir, Daki, Diya, and Dumia on November 5, 6, 8 and 9. Even though you became my grandchildren through marriage, I love you all so much. You’ve made my life richer, and I’m so happy that I can call all of you my grandchildren. Love, GeGe
Bostick Temple COGIC members congratulated Administrative Assistant Pastor Carl Terrell and First Lady Mother Mary Terrell on their 35th Pastoral Anniversary on October 6, 2019. We are also sending a Happy 82nd Birthday to Pastor Terrell, which he celebrated on October 29. May God continue to bless you.
night from 6-10 p.m. Reunion Banquet is Saturday night from 6-11 p.m. Contact Genies Jordan 314-448-6658, Yvonne Clemons 314-620-0551 for additional information or email Liz35206@yahoo.com to register.
Vashon-Hadley Old School Reunion 1960-67, October 19, 2019, 2-6 pm at The Atrium in Christian Hospital. For more details text (only) Brenda Mahr at 314-580-5155 or email at: brendamahr@att.net.
Calling all students of the Katherine Dunham Dance Technique, as well as lovers of the arts. Sylvester “Sunshine” Lee and Valerie Adams will be celebrating over 40 years of working with E. St. Louis’ Youth. The Royal Wakanda Ball is Saturday, October 26, 219 at 5pm at 603 North 59th Street-E. St. Louis, IL 62208. Come join us for an evening of African Culture. For more information text Ms. V. Adams at 618-420-9926.
Central High School Class
of 1970 is in the process of planning its 50-year reunion in 2020. We are trying to locate former classmates. If you would like to receive additional information as we plan this momentous occasion, please provide your contact information to either Lillian McKinney at mamajoyce314@icloud. com or (314) 335-9760, Eric Armstrong at elarmstr@ yahoo.com or (918) 6503385, Sabra Morris-Pernod at Saboots@centurytel.net or (314) 703-0812.
Do you have a celebration you’re proud of? If so we would like to share your good news with our readers. Whether it’s a birth, wedding, engagement announcement, anniversary, retirement or birthday, send your photos and a brief announcement (50 words or less) to us and we may include it in our paper and website – AT NO COST – as space is available Photos will not be returned. Send your announcements to: kdaniel@stlamerican. com or mail to:
St. Louis American Celebrations c/o Kate Daniel 2315 Pine St. St. Louis, MO., 63103
Reunion notices are free of charge and based on space availability. We prefer that notices be emailed to us! However, notices may also be sent by mail to: Kate Daniel, 2315 Pine St., St. Louis, MO 63103 Deadline is 10 a.m. on Friday. If you’d like your class to be featured in a reunion profile, email or mail photos to us. Our email address is: reunions@stlamerican.com
No Limit, y’all ain’t ready yet. At this point, anybody with a single solitary friend from St. Louis on social media knows that Master P and his crew of No Limit soldiers rolled their tank through St. Louis and dropped an atomic bomb on stage at Chaifetz Arena Saturday night. But for the sake of historical record, I will relive the moment for those who not engaged enough on social channels to see the anticipation as folks bought out every piece of camouflage at City Trends stores across the region and checked in on FB Live letting the whole world know how they would be in the building for the show – only to have the coins they spent on the “con-cert” and the outfits become collateral damage in the disaster that was the St. Louis stop of the No Limit Reunion Tour.
There was actually no limit to the degree of trash this concert turned out to be. First, there was the frustrating “oops, we’re ready…no, not yet…oh, ok let’s start now” opening that faked us out for two hours from when they said they were going to start to when they officially got things cracking. Something tells me that there was a stall as they counted and divided up the spoils from the heist they pulled off on unsuspecting St. Louis No Limit fans in plain sight. Then there were the 1-800-GotJunk performances, with landfill-level stage presence and pick-n-pull production value. I know I’m going hard, but if P did a whole movie on “Janky Promoters,” then he needs to do a sequel entitled “Janky Performers” that shows the promoters having a fit backstage because the artists are giving the least that they’ve got as they stand around mumbling in sync with tracks. They don’t need to shoot it. They can just use footage from the Chaifetz – which led to collective side eyes and boos like y’all wouldn’t believe. Master P. made it his business to point out that he’s made millions from his moves in the industry by way of the No Limit brand. Well sir, you could have spent 17 of those dollars to give us a sip of a special effect. It was so nekkid (yes, nekkid) that I would have appreciated one of those magnifying projectors that science and math teachers used to put their lesson on clear plastic sheets and a person manually changing out red, green and blue color slides on a spotlight. The fifty-leven (yes, I said fifty-leven) people on the bare stage, like Steve Harvey talked about during his portion of the “Original Kings of Comedy,” was what I got instead.
If I had to rate them on their performances from least to most trash, I’d say Mystikal, Mia X, then Fiend as far as decent. Master P and Silkk the Shocker needed to be tossed back in the tank and taken to a rehearsal space to tighten things up. A few folks were defending the show by saying that they’ve always been trash in concert. But Master P. turned it out when he came solo to Super Jam several years back.
What we got for the first ever full No Limit lineup in STL was mundane performances that clearly showed everybody missed sound check, with several sets consisted of the artists rapping 20 seconds of their songs. The worst part was that was only a couple of them even bothered to perform the catalog of songs they recorded together – even though they came together! After Silkk the Shocker begged the irritated and unimpressed crowd for applause, Mr. Ice Cream Man/the Colonel himself appeared on stage with his struggle dancer, screaming, “Free C-Murder” (and a few others). Doing more talking than performing between each set, I was starting to feel like I was at a stop the mass incarceration community event as he constantly reminded us that my former crush – his brother Corey Miller (C-Murder’s government name) – was locked up. We already know. P’s “Reverend Percy Miller” antiviolence, motivational speeches were longer than any of the actual performances. I was ready to throw the whole concert away after Master P (the others too) had made their fifteenth “give folks their flowers while they’re alive” shout out instead serving the repertoire of hood classics the crowd came to hear. Fling in more struggle dancers, a struggle marching band (did they even play anything?), rappers who rapped along as their songs played with backing vocals on full volume and a stage that had more people than decor and you have the complete waste of my Saturday night that was No Limit in STL. Oh, and there were also folks who defended the show by saying that the crew deserved some slack since they are now soldiers of a certain age. My response to them is that if Diana Ross can traipse across the stage in sequined gowns and orthopedic shoes and give a show that 30-something-year-olds wish they could, there is no excuse for Percy and “nem.”
No Limit to STL’s punishment of Master P. Listen, when I tell you every moment lurking on Facebook and Instagram as our city let No Limit crew and its leader have if for whatever that was they did on stage Saturday night was almost worth my suffering, please understand. They booed them to death on stage – then took it to the innanet (yes, innanet) and left no prisoners of that war. They gave that flop of a show the late Charlie Murphy treatment. Remember that show he did at The Fox? Anyway, black St. Louis Facebook’s takedown of Master P. and No Limit made Black Twitter international seem like a social media prayer circle. There was the fake Crimestoppers wanted poster that accused Master P. of a mass robbery that included 10,000 victims with a “last seen at The Chaifetz Arena” and telling the folks they can remain anonymous if they call in with leads or tips. Y’all, folks went to Photoshop and made a whole flier that had Master P. convincingly looking like he was on the FBI’s most wanted list. But when the folks used the tools of
to “mark themselves safe from the Master P. robbery/scam,” I promise you that almost took me out. Why do folks insist on learning the hard way that St. Louis won’t be toyed with?
Forest Park Forever Currently has an opening for the position of Events Manager. Interested applicants should visit the following URL site for the job description and to apply online: https://www.cbizems.com/extranet/ recruiting.aspx?id=2A2725CB-7BD640E1-9E12-4BEC3B92A10E&src=stlamerican&rqid=19A778B0D2E4-4A66-ABEB-FAFA9EAB78A3?id=2A2725CB-7BD6-40E19E12-4BEC3B92A10E&src=stlamerican&rqid=19A778B0-D2E4-4A66-AB EB-FAFA9EAB78A3
The City of Clayton is now accepting applications for the full-time position of Municipal Service Foreman II. To apply, go to www.claytonmo.gov/job.
EOE.
Teachers with current pre-school CDA or current pre-K CDA credential. Current infant/toddler CDA credential or experience in a Childcare Center. Please reply to Center Manager Linda Davis at (314) 679-5440.
BENEFITS MANAGER
Responsible for planning and managing operations of group benefits programs. Performs tasks in line with practices and objectives that will provide an employee-oriented, high performance culture that emphasizes empowerment, quality, productivity and standards, goal attainment and the ongoing development of a superior workforce. Participates in the development of processes and metrics that support the achievement of the organization’s business goals. To apply, please visit: https://www. safetynational.com/careers-page/
East-West Gateway Council of Governments has an opening for a Public Safety Administrator III position. Starting salary is $59,316 annually. Please follow the link to view post at http://www.ewgateway.org/careers/.
An Equal Opportunity Employer
MISSOURI
HISTORICAL SOCIETY NEW OPENINGS!
The Missouri Historical Society has position openings for the following:
• Early Childhood and Family Programs Coordinator
Please visit www.mohistory.org under the “Current Openings” tab for position details and to apply.
An Equal Opportunity Employer
The City of Berkeley is looking for an individual with a high level of professional ethics, integrity, and proven leadership skills to serve as its Chief of Police. Under general supervision of the City Manager, the Police Chief will manage the Department’s 48 employees, of whom 37 are sworn officers (including Police Chief).
The City of Berkeley Department operates under the provisions of the State of Missouri “at will” policy. Annual salary is $85,000 and must reside in City of Berkeley. Our employment applications can be found at http://www.cityofberkeley.us/
The City of Jennings is accepting applications for Code Enforcement Inspectors, Correctional Officers, Public Works Street/Park Laborers, P/T Bus Driver, P/T Site Monitor, Permit Clerk, Court Clerk, & P/T Prosecuting Attorney Clerk. Please see the full job descriptions online at www.cityofjennings.org. Applications are available at the Jennings City Hall or on the website at www.cityofjennings.org.
The City of Jennings is an equal opportunity employer. All applicants will be considered for employment without attention to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran or disability status.
STARRS EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
East-West Gateway Council of Governments has an opening for the STARRS Executive Director position. Starting salary is $83,652 annually. Resumes will be accepted October 29, 2019 through November 12, 2019. Please follow the link to view the post at http://www.ewgateway.org/careers/. An Equal Opportunity Employer
St. Louis County Children’s Service Fund has job openings for the following positions: community outreach coordinator, deputy director, grants manager (accountant III), program officer, and strategic design specialist. Interested applications should visit www.KeepingKidsFirst.org, and click on the link in the banner for more information, or contact KeepingKidsFirst@stlouisco.com with any questions.
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: https://mo-stpeters.civicplushrms. com/careers/ AA/EOE
Nurses for Newborns (NFN) is an independent non-profit organization that serves prenatal, postpartum women, infants and families in St. Louis City and County. NFN nurses work with families in their homes with a goal of nurturing infants and strengthening families. If you are looking to make a difference in the lives of these families NFN is looking for you! NFN nurses independently provide in-home nursing visits following Clinical Guidelines in planning care, assessing client needs and utilizing screening tools to identify potential risks as early as possible in the lives of infants. Nurses work with hospitals, physicians, managed care and community agencies to provide care for clients and refer clients to community agencies to meet identified needs. Qualified candidates must possess an active RN license to practice in the state of Missouri as well as have their own vehicle, a current driver’s license and automobile insurance. 5 years experience in maternal/ child health OR 3 years experience in NICU/Special Care Nursery is required as well as a Bachelor’s degree. Please provide a cover letter, resume and salary history to hr@nursesfornewborns.org
MERS Goodwill is looking for a Director of the STL Youth Jobs Program located in at the Aftergut Center in downtown St. Louis, MO. This position is full-time with great benefits. MERS Goodwill prides itself on offering excellent working conditions to its employees including professional development, flexible work arrangements and competitive pay. Job Duties: (1) Hire and train job coaches in agency and program policies and procedures; (2) Develop and maintain active partnerships with funding sources on both a programmatic and administrative level; (3) Demonstrate ability to negotiate relationships, provide leadership, and motivate staff, supervisors, and make decisions; (4) Work with partner staff and designated job coach(es) to ensure that a sufficient number of youth are recruited to meet the expected number of youth to be served and that there is a sufficient number of employer work sites; (5) Monitor data in CSS to manage program progress and participant case notes; (6) Report program progress to supervisor(s) on a regular basis; (7) Monitor program quality throughout the year, working with agency and partner staff to ensure that goals are met for each funder; (8) Utilize program evaluation results for ongoing improvements to individual participant and programmatic planning; (9) Develop budgets for component programs, effectively manage staffing patterns and other expenses to remain within budgets; (10) Monitor for youth eligibility; (11) Complete all program and grant financial and program reporting to meet deadlines.
The Missouri Historical Society has position openings for the following:
• Epsilon-Dalzell Premier Film Preservationist
• Objects Preservation Administrator
• Special Projects Photographer, Lindbergh 100
Please visit www.mohistory.org under the “Current Openings” tab for position details and to apply.
An Equal Opportunity Employer
Responsible for handling assigned claims from initial assignment to closure as well as provide assistance in various administrative functions associated with the Automobile and General Liability LOB.
To apply, please visit: https://www.safetynational.com/ careers-page/
Qualifications: HS/ GED required; Bachelor’s degree required; Master’s degree preferred. Degree in Social Work, rehabilitation counseling, or a related field. 2+ years’ experience in serving a diverse population in a social service setting preferred; 2 years’ supervisory experience and experience working with youth required; experience in grant management preferred. Valid driver’s license, current auto insurance, and independent transportation required. With MERS Goodwill, you will end your day knowing that you changed lives for the better. Join a great team that makes a real difference. To apply, please visit www.mersgoodwill.org
COORDINATOR
Responsible for various administrative tasks related to: support for the Medical Management team, reinsurance reports, location reports and claim maintenance.
To apply, please visit: https://www.safetynational.com/ careers-page/
Great Rivers Greenway is seeking qualifications for Master Planning Teams and Community Engagement Teams for its Regional Plan Update. Check greatriversgreenway.org/jobs-bids/ and submit by November 26, 2019.
Bayer U.S. LLC’s St. Louis, MO, office seeks Cloud System Analyst to perform the design & build, continued feature development, daily operational support, & project management/SCRUM Master duties that support the advancement of our public cloud platforms. Apply at https://career.bayer.us, #65638.
Senior level professional position which contributes to the accomplishment of project/ program management practices and objectives that will achieve business goals and objectives. Works without immediate supervision and direction. Leads and mentors others within Program Management. Demonstrates advanced working knowledge and concepts of Information Technology.
To apply, please visit: https://www. safetynational.com/careers-page/
ST. LOUIS COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES
2019-2020 WARMING AND COOLING SHELTER
The St. Louis County Department of Human Services, Homeless Services Program, is seeking proposals for the 2019-2020 Warming and Cooling Shelter. The total funding available is $131,900.00. Proposals are due by 11:00 a.m. on November 22, 2019. A Pre-Proposal Conference will be held on November 12, 2019 at 9:30-10:30 a.m. at the Department of Human Services @ 500 Northwest Plaza, 8th floor Conference Room 1, St. Ann, MO 63074. Request For Proposal details and specifications can be obtained at the St. Louis County Bids and RFPs webpage located at http://www.stlouisco.com/ YourGovernment/BidsandRFPs
ST. LOUIS COMMUNITY COLLEGE
Responses for St. Louis Community College on B0003897 for Syllabi Software will be received until 10:00 A.M. (local time) on Friday, November 19, 2019 at the Dept. of Purchasing, 3221 McKelvey Road; Bridgeton, MO 63044, and immediately thereafter opened and read. Bid documents can be accessed on our website at www.stlcc.edu/purchasing or by calling (314) 539-5227. EOE/AA 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 9th, 2019 to contract with a company for: Green Infrastructure Landscape 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 10212 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.
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 10:00 a.m. on December 6, 2019 to contract with a company for: LEMAY P-301 PUMP STATION - 1250 HP VERTICAL SYNCHRONOUS MOTOR SERVICE. 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 10211 RFQ. If you do not have access to the internet, call 314.768.6269 to request a copy of this bid. Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
Soliciting bids on 3315 Berrywood-Medical Center Renovation, UMC, Columbia, MO. Bid date 11/21/19; bids due 11:00 a.m. Qualified disadvantaged subcontractors or suppliers contact Reinhardt Construction, Centralia, MO; 573-682-5505; fax 573-682-3322.
Responses for St. Louis Community College on B0003801 for Photography and Videography Services will be received until 10:00 A.M. (local time) on Friday, November 15, 2019 at the Dept. of Purchasing, 3221 McKelvey Road; Bridgeton, MO 63044, and immediately thereafter opened and read. Bid documents can be accessed on our website atwww.stlcc.edu/ purchasing or by calling (314) 539-5227.
Public Notice of Single Source Procurement
Notice is hereby given that the Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District is proposing to procure: FLYGT EFFLUENT PUMP.
VANDEVANTER ENGINEERING is the only known available source for these parts. 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 is accepting proposals in the Purchasing Division, 2350 Market Street, St. Louis, Missouri 63103-2555 until 10:00 a.m. on December 4th, 2019 to contract with a company for: Janitorial Services for Bissell Pump Station.
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 10207 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.
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 November 21st, 2019 to contract with a company for: Janitorial Services for Lemay Treatment Plant. 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 10181 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.
Public Notice of Single Source Procurement Notice is hereby given that the Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District is proposing to procure: REPLACEMENT VERTICAL SCREW CONVEYOR FOR BELT FILTER PRESS. The District is proposing single source procurement for this part because PARKSON CORPORATION INC/ AMERICAN BULK CONVEYING INC is the only known available source for this part. Any inquiries should be sent to gjamison@stlmsd.com.. Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
Public Notice of Single Source Procurement
Notice is hereby given that the Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District is proposing to procure: FOXBORO SERVER UPGRADES. R. E. PEDROTTI CO INC is the only known available source for this service. Any inquiries should be sent to gjamison@stlmsd.com.
Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
The Saint Louis Zoo seeks bids from qualified contractors to HVAC modifications and recommissioning. The Contractor shall verify proper operating condition and sequencing of existing equipment as noted in the documents. Contractor shall add, repair, and replace equipment as required per the documents. Test, balance, and retro commissioning will be required to complete the scope. Bid documents are available as of Monday, November 4, 2019 on the Saint Louis Zoo website: stlzoo.org/vendor
Curtiss-Manes-Schulte, Inc. is soliciting bids from MBE/WBE/SDVE/ DBE subcontractors and suppliers for work on the AP Green Building MUHC Lab, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO. Bids are due Tuesday, October 22, 2019 by 1:00 pm and can be faxed to (573) 3924527 or emailed to shawn@cms-gc. com. For more information, call Shawn @ (573) 392-6553. CurtissManes-Schulte, Inc. is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
The St. Louis County Port Authority Community Reinvestment Fund is now accepting grant applications through December 15, 2019 for economic development projects that benefit St. Louis County. The application and detailed funding information are available at https://stlpartnership.com/whowe-are/our-teams/real-estate-community-investment/port-authority/ reinvestment-fund-application/
electronic bidsforNew OutdoorFiring Range,Missouri StateHighway Patrol,Jefferson City,Missouri, ProjectNo.R180601willbereceived byFMDC,State ofMO,UNTIL 1:30PM, 10/24/2019via MissouriBUYS. Biddersmustbe registeredtobid. Forspecificproject informationand orderingplans, goto:https:// missouribuys. mo.gov.
Bids for Construction Services,Central Region,State ofMissouri, ProjectNo.
ZASIDIQ-0023, willbereceived byFMDC,Stateof MO,viaMissouri BuysUNTIL1:30 PM,Thursday, November 21,2019.For specificproject informationand orderingplans,go to:http://oa.mo. gov/facilities
Notice is hereby given that The Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District (District) will receive sealed bids for TILLES PARK, LITZSINGER AND PARKRIDGE I/I REDUCTION (LITZSINGER RD AND S MCKNIGHT RD) under Letting No. 12230-015.1, at this office, 2350 Market Street, St. Louis, Missouri 63103, until 02:00 PM on Friday, November 15, 2019, at a place designated. Bids will be received only from companies that are pre-qualified by the District’s Engineering Department for: SEWER CONSTRUCTION – St. Louis County drainlayer’s license required Plans and Specifications are available for free electronic download. Please go to MSD’s website and look for a link to “ELECTRONIC PLANROOM.” Plans and Specifications are also available for viewing or purchase at Cross Rhodes Reprographics located at 1712 Macklind Avenue, St. Louis MO 63110. All bidders must obtain a set of plans and specifications in order to submit a bid in the name of the entity submitting the bid. The Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
Sealed bids for the St. Louis County Library – Phase 3A project are being received by Brinkmann Constructors on Dec 4 at 3:30 PM
All sealed bids to be hand delivered to SLCL - HQ 1640 S Lindbergh Blvd
St. Louis, MO 63131
Attn Steve Hunter, St Louis County Library
Plans may be viewed or downloaded at https://secure.smartinsight.co/#/ PublicBidProject/440965
Contact Brinkmann Constructors for further details on the project or obtaining plans at 636-537-9700
*All bidders must be in compliance with the Fair Employment Practices Commission
*This project is a Missouri Public Works Project
*St. Louis County Library & Brinkmann Constructors are Equal Opportunity Employers
Great Rivers Greenway District is seeking qualifications for project controls consulting services in connection with the district’s design and construction of capital projects. Check www.greatriversgreenway.org/ jobs-bids/ and submit by November 8, 2019.
CITY OF ST. LOUIS ST. LOUIS LAMBERT INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
Solicitation For Bids
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 November 26, 2019, then publicly opened and read. Plans and Specifications may be examined on the Board of Public Service website http://www.stl-bps(BPS On Line Plan Room) and may be purchased directly through the BPS website from INDOX Services at cost plus shipping. No refunds will be made.
Bidders shall comply with all applicable City, State and Federal laws (including MBE/WBE policies). All bidders must regard Federal Executive Order 11246, “Notice of Requirement for Affirmative Action to Ensure Equal Employment Opportunity”, the “Equal Opportunity Clause” and the “Standard Federal Equal Employment Specifications” set forth within and referenced at www.stl-bps.org (Announcements).
The Planning and Zoning Commission of the City of Country Club Hills will hold a public hearing at 6:30 p.m. on November 13, 2019, at the City Hall, 7422 Eunice Avenue, Country Club Hills, Missouri, for the purpose of obtaining public input on the two ordinances listed below. At this time, citizens may comment on the proposed Ordinances. 1. Medical Marijuana Zoning 2. Small Cell Wireless zoning.
REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS TO PROVIDE LEGAL SERVICES FOR THE ST. LOUIS HOUSING AUTHORITY
SOLICITATION NO. LG 19-14 The St. Louis Housing Authority (SLHA) is seeking proposals from Law Firms to provide Legal Services. The purpose of this solicitation is to develop a pool of attorneys from which the SLHA may choose to do business with from time to time. The SLHA anticipates entering into a two (2)
314-2864365 or e-mailing fbruce@slha.org
SLHA will receive sealed proposals for this service until 3:00 p.m. (local time) on December 9, 2019.
All Offerors must comply with MBE/WBE and Section 3 require-
#8706 DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING DRIVE LIGHTING AND TRAFFIC SIGNAL IMPROVEMENTS NEWSTEAD AVENUE TO VANDEVENTER AVENUE
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 November 19, 2019, 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.
A pre-bid conference for all contractors bidding on this project will be held onsite at Dr. Martin Luther King Drive and North Newstead, St. Louis, MO October 29, 2019 at 10:00 A.M. Bidders shall comply with all applicable City, State and Federal laws (including MBE/WBE policies). All bidders must regard Federal Executive Order 11246, “Notice of Requirement for Affirmative Action to Ensure Equal Employment Opportunity”, the “Equal Opportunity Clause” and the “Standard Federal Equal Employment Specifications” set forth within and referenced at www.stl-bps.org (Announcements).
Bids will be received by the Construction Manager, S. M. Wilson & Co. at their office at Pattonville School District Learning Center, 11097 St. Charles Rock Road, St. Ann, MO 63074, until 2:00 p.m. on November 7, 2019 for the Work Package described herein for the project known as the Pattonville School District Proposition K. Bids MUST be hand delivered to the above address no later than the date and time noted.
Pattonville School District Proposition K BID PACKAGE 3B
Contractors are not allowed to visit the site unless prior arrangements are made with the Construction Manager.
The bid package will be available for viewing after April 18, 2019 at BuildingConnected.com.
https://app.buildingconnected.com/public/ 5913928fce945d0a00d28943
You can view the project by logging into the BuildingConnect site by setting up a free account on their Website.
The Construction Manager for this project is S. M. Wilson & Co. and the Project Manager is Mr. Brian Mee, Project Manager, 314-633-5756, brian.mee@smwilson.com
S.M. Wilson & Co. is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Pattonville School District is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
Bids for St. Louis Community College on B0003882 for Janitorial Polyliners will be received until 2:00 P.M. (local time) on Wednesday, November 6, 2019 at the Dept. of Purchasing, 3221 McKelvey Road; Bridgeton, MO 63044, and immediately thereafter opened and read. Bid documents can be accessed on our website at www.stlcc.edu/purchasing or by calling (314)539-5226. EOE/AA Employer.
Great Rivers Greenway is soliciting proposals for Event Services. Check https://greatriversgreenway.org/ jobs-bids and submit by November 8, 2019.
St. Louis Community College will receive separate sealed bids for Contract No. F 20 603, Renovation for Nursing Simulation Lab, St. Louis Community College at Meramec, until p.m. local time, Monday, November 4, 2019. Bids will be publicly opened and read aloud at the office of the Manager of Engineering and Design, 5464 Highland Park Drive (Plan Room). Specifications and bid forms may be obtained from the Manager’s office, at the above address or by calling (314) 644-9770.
Pre-Bid Meeting Monday, October 28, 2019, 9:00 am, Meramec Science West Building, SW108
An Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action Employer
$950,000 available to award in calendar year 2020 for programs designed to prevent crimes perpetrated by youth in the City of St. Louis. The Committee is seeking proposals from qualified not-forprofit organizations to serve at-risk youth in the 11 to 24 year-old demographic. For the purposes of this RFP, crime prevention programs are defined as those programs that, either on an individual or group level, work to reduce the likelihood of
involvement in
activity. An award range from $15,000 to $200,000 has been established for proposals submitted pursuant to this RFP. Please note the application will be online. Applicants may find the online submission page through the following link: https://www.stlouis-mo.gov/youth-at-risk/ For questions please contact Morgan Williams, Department of Public Safety, at WilliamsMor@stlouis-mo.gov . Proposals must be received by 4:00pm CST Monday, November 18, 2019.
ST. LOUIS COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES HOUSING RESOURCE COMMISSION FY2020 GRANT
The St. Louis County Department of Human Services - Homeless Services Program is seeking proposals for the Housing Resource Commission FY2020 Grant. The total funding available is approximately $508.995.00. Proposals are due by 11:00 a.m. on November 7, 2019. A Pre-Proposal Conference will be held on October 25, 2019 from 9:00 -10:00 a.m. @ the Department of Human Services, 500 Northwest Plaza, 1st floor training room, St. Ann, MO 63074. Request For Proposal details and specifications can be obtained at the St. Louis County Bids and RFPs webpage located at http://www.stlouisco.com/ YourGovernment/BidsandRFPs
BIDS forWater &Wastewater SystemsUpgrade, W.E.Sears Youth Center,Poplar Bluff,Missouri, ProjectNo. H1610-01will bereceivedby FMDC,Stateof MO,UNTIL 1:30PM, 11/7/2019via MissouriBUYS. Biddersmustbe registeredtobid. Forspecific project informationand orderingplans,go to:http://oa.mo. gov/facilities
Holy Convocation in St. Louis November 5-12 at the America’s Center
By Presiding Bishop Charles Edward Blake Sr.
For The St. Louis American
If you’re a local resident or a yearly visitor in St. Louis during the first week of November, you will quickly recognize the end of Daylight Savings Time as it perfectly coincides with the convergence upon the downtown area of one of the city’s largest and most opulent conventions – the 112th International Holy Convocation of the Church of God in Christ (COGIC).
The charm of rolling out her red carpet to us is now a nearly 10-year-old tradition and, suffice it to say, we look forward to this time of year in St. Louis with great anticipation. The city first opened its arms to our Holy Convocation in 2010 when the international meeting was moved from our historic home base in Memphis after more than 102 years.
For eight full days and nights – November 5-12 – the America’s Center Convention Complex will house our early morning prayer services, afternoon worship gatherings, a recurring menu of lectures, seminars, workshops, academies and training institutes – all creatively flowing into the evening mass gathering of attendees from every continent, inclusive of the islands of the Caribbean,
representing some 105 countries, nightly at 7 p.m. Rooted in the tenets of the Protestant Reformation, the Church of God in Christ – the largest Pentecostal denomination in the United States with approximately 12,000 congregations worldwide – was organized by Charles Harrison Mason in 1907 and held its first Holy Convocation the same year. From the very outset of our humble beginning, 20 days – November 25 through December 14 – were dedicated as an annual meeting time for fellowship and to transact our ecclesiastical affairs pertinent to the growth of the national organization.
This period of the year was chosen since the majority of the attendees typically lived in farming districts, and by this time of the year, they had sufficient financial resources from the harvesting of their crops to enable them to attend and support a national meeting. This model, which has since flourished with unstoppable growth and expansion, is adopted from the sacred feasts observed by ancient Israel, and has since become enthusiastically embraced and widely celebrated as the flagship meeting of the Church of God in Christ. Having gradually outgrown the parameters of Memphis, St. Louis is where the Convocation
Convocation
has pitched its tent—at least for now. Undergirded by a series of household brand corporate sponsors, our Urban Initiatives outreach and our complete programmatic syllabus available via the downloadable COGIC app, the Church of God in Christ’s presence in St. Louis aims to leave an indelible handprint upon every intersection of its cosmopolitan personality. In fact, our “give-back” morale continues to be the driving principle of the Convocation, evidenced
by our sensitivity to the importance of boosting local businesses, our commitment to strengthening community infrastructure and our passion for mobilizing opportunities for financial literacy and gainful employment.
You can expect the vehicle to these opportunities to be conveniently parked on the Second Level of the Convention Center, occupying such family-friendly passengers as a community-centered Health Fair (November 7-9
from 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. behind the COGIC Mart Exhibit Area) with professionally staffed medical screenings, flu shots and CPR Training; and our Law Day (November 9 from 10 a.m. – 1 p.m., America’s Center, Room 240) featuring a team of legal professionals presenting on relevant topics as Wills and Trusts, Mortgage Alternatives to Foreclosure and Employment Law.
To jumpstart the spirit of the holidays, you’ll find something for the entire family at our Christmas In November (November 9, Williams Temple, 1500 Union Blvd., St. Louis, from 9 a.m. - 2 p.m.) offering job referrals, cell phones for those qualified, children’s toys, hot lunches and free groceries. These and all other week-long communityfocused activities are open freely to the entire public. For gospel music lovers, our International Department of Music will serenade the city from the center stage of the Convention Center Complex (Halls 4 and 5) on Thursday, November 7, beginning at 10:30 p.m. joined by a roaring appearance of guest artists including 13-time Grammy Award Winner Kirk Franklin. This rapidly sold-out event also features Bettye Ransom Nelson, Shelby 5, The COGIC Sopranos: Leslie Pace, Chrystal Rucker and Sharon Jackson and a Tribute to the late Rev. Timothy Wright with his sons, Donny, David and Dwayne. To reserve tickets, visit www. cogic.org/imd.
The crowning service of the week’s multi-layered agenda of events is the Lord’s Day Service, Sunday November 10 at 9 a.m.. All facets will merge into one at The Dome at the America’s Center. Personally, this service marks a deeply meaningful and symbolic moment for me as it spotlights my passion for sharing the greatest news available to mankind for these times. The splendor of the Lord’s Day experience delegates me to reach and engage the multitude of onsite attendees, our local and greater St. Louis families and our international audience of online viewers through a prayerfully crafted message of hope.
