St. LouiS AmericAn
Deaconess funding black-led COVID-19 efforts
$1.2M from local foundation matched by $1M from Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
“When black people are dying, black people should be in charge of the healing process for what is killing them,” Rev. Starsky Wilson, president and CEO of Deaconess Foundation, told The St. Louis American. “I thought, ‘I’ve got to say something.’”
Knowing that money talks, and speaking as the leader of a grant-making foundation, he is speaking with money: $2.2 million to be awarded to black-led organizations working in COVID-19 relief and recovery in the St. Louis region.
Of that investment in local black leadership, $1.2 million comes from the coffers of Deaconess Foundation;
n “We need to center institutions led by black leaders and listen to them.”
– Rev. Starsky Wilson, Deaconess Foundation
the other $1 million is a contribution from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
“It is important to affirm in this moment that the largest health philanthropy in the country announced $50 million in COVID-19 relief on April 7 and reached out
Mourning a colonel and a deacon
Members of Christ’s Southern Mission Baptist Church stood in Page Boulevard on Friday, April 24 to pay
to retired St. Louis Police Col. Gregory Hawkins, who died from COVID-19 on April 9. A memorial processional stopped in front of the church where he was a lifelong member, deacon and treasurer. Because of public health precautions, mourning was
social distance.
‘The door is open’
New superintendent Marcus Robinson wants us to help him transform
Normandy Schools
By Chris King Of The St. Louis American
Marcus Robinson is preparing for his first day as superintendent of the Normandy Schools Collaborative on May 1 with another month of instruction still on the calendar for the semester. But he is already thinking about welcoming students back after the summer when they will not have seen the inside of a school for more than four months.
“It’s not just an instructional challenge, there are emotional growth challenges,” Robinson said. “Many of our kids depend on their schools for regular food, emotional support, access to broader co-curricular activities like sports and the arts. Most of our kids need schools in important ways that are not just reading, writing and doing math.”
write and do math at McKinley Elementary in the district, though he would change schools six times by the 6th grade and graduate from Pattonville High School.
“I developed my first confidence in my ability to learn in the Normandy School District,” he said. “I went all the way to the Ivy League with the foundation I got in Normandy.”
Marcus Robinson
Robinson himself learned to read,
He is completing his doctorate in Educational Leadership at Columbia University, an Ivy League school
where he earned a master’s degree in Educational Administration. He also has a graduate degree in the field from Butler University and a bachelor’s degree in English from DePauw University. Butler and DePauw are in or near Indianapolis, where he had the bulk of his work experience in educational administration. He was chancellor and CEO for the Tindley Accelerated Schools, a charter school network in Indianapolis. But he got his start in teaching at Jennings Junior High School and
See ROBINSON, A7
Parson vague as he lifts public health order
St. Louis city and county remain under stay-athome orders
By Rebecca Rivas Of The St. Louis American
Missouri Gov. Mike Parson gave vague ideas about what will happen when he lifts the statewide stay-athome order on May 4, during his Monday, April 27 press briefing. While not giving specific guidelines for businesses or individuals, Parson said the first phase of the order will be more like “the turning of a dial and not a flip of a switch.”
When reporters repeatedly asked for more detailed guidelines, Parson said they will come during his daily briefings throughout this week.
Hospitalizations could be plateauing
‘Initial wave’ may be behind us, says region’s pandemic incident commander
By Rebecca Rivas
Of The St. Louis American
The hospitalization rate for COVID-19 in St. Louis has been “flat and stable” for the past week, said Dr. Alexander Garza, chief medical officer of SSM Health, on Tuesday, April 28.
“If our modeling holds true, we should start to see a taper over the next week or so,” Garza said. “And it will start to move back down gradually. That’s when we’ll know that we are, in fact, on the downward side of this initial wave.”
Garza is the incident commander for the St. Louis Metropolitan
Pandemic Task Force. The task force includes four major health care systems: BJC HealthCare, Mercy, SSM Health and St Luke’s Hospital. Every day, Garza gives a briefing on the task force’s COVID-19 statistics that represent 2.8 million people for an area that encompasses surrounding counties in Missouri
and Illinois in the larger St. Louis region.
At his Tuesday briefing, Garza showed a graph of the “seven-day moving average” of hospitalizations for the task force’s healthcare systems.
See PLATEAUING, A6
Photo by Wiley Price
See DEACONESS, A7
By Chris King Of The St. Louis American
See PARSON, A6
“When black people are dying, black people should be in charge of the healing process for what is killing them,” said Rev. Starsky Wilson, Deaconess Foundation president and CEO, seen praying here at the foundation’s Center for Child Well-Being on Tuesday, April 28.
Photo by Wiley Price
New York rapper Fred
The Godson passes from coronavirus
Bronx rapper Fred the Godson Thursday after being diagnosed with COVID-19, his manager confirmed to USA TODAY. He was 35.
“New York City, hip-hop and the world lost a really good one yester day,” the rapper’s manager, Evans, said in an emailed statement.
“Fred left this world better than he found it.”
The rapper revealed that he had contracted coronavirus in a social media post earlier this week.
“I’m in here with this Covid-19 [expletive]! Please keep me in y’all prayers!!!” Fred wrote on April 6 alongside a photo that showed him in a hospital bed wearing
an oxygen mask. A few days after Fred’s post, his wife
LeeAnn Jemmott told XXL Magazine that her husband was in the intensive-care unit, but she hoped he was going to make it.
“He is Cov-19 positive on a ventilator. However, he is progressing! He went in having difficulty breathing on Monday evening,”
Jemmott told the outlet in an interview published April 9. “Tuesday morning, I received a call he was not going to make it because his lungs were not working. He was then put on a ventilator, and as of today, the doctors already weaned him down from 100 percent support to 40 percent support of ventilation.”
Scarface on dialysis due to COVID-19
Scarface has suffered kidney failure due to novel coronavirus and is on dialysis. The musi cian, who opened up about his diag nosis on March 26, gave an update on his health in a virtual conver sation with rapper and fellow Geto Boys that was shared on YouTube.
“I’m glad to be alive. I fought COVID double bilat eral pneumonia - both lungs - and kidney failure in my house. I went back to the hospital. I just got out of the hospital Monday (April 20),” Scarface said.
“That’s my new lifeline,” the rapper added pointing at his dialysis port. “I gotta change my entire diet, I gotta do dialysis four days a week, three hours a day. That’s taking all my blood out, cleaning it and putting it back in my body,” he added. Scarface said he did not have any kidney issues before testing positive for COVID-19.
Talking about the symptoms, he said, “I couldn’t keep food down, I couldn’t get com fortable, I couldn’t sleep, I couldn’t stay woke, I could not breathe. It was the worst time of “Hanging on that string of death makes you really appreciate life,” Scarface said. “I was
allowed [there], but there were definitely certain moments of shade if she was mentioned. And management did explain she wasn’t welcomed.”
Apollonia claims Prince wanted no parts of Sheila E. in his final years
An anonymous source provided Page Six with more insight.
“He was [expletive] off because she put information about him in a book without his permission,” the source said. “They got into a huge fight and did not speak for five years. She was not allowed at Paisley Park. He wouldn’t allow her to come to shows. It was a complete shutout … And now she acts like she’s the widow.”
Ashley Ross from ‘Little Women: Atlanta’ fatally injured in car accident
On the four-year anniversary of Prince’s Apollonia Kotero Sheila E. Kotero accused Sheila E. of being an opportunist and trying to capitalize on Prince after his death, and claimed that Prince didn’t speak to Sheila E. for the last five years of his life.
Prince’s longtime saxophonist Adrian that Kotero was telling the truth about the estrangement between
“After Prince died, it seems like everything she does is focused around Prince or his legacy and it’s strange because we never saw her at Paisley Park,” Crutchfield told Page Six. “I never heard Prince say she’s not
NOW HIRING TEMPORARY TEAMMATES
Reality television star Ashley Ross, known as Ms. Minnie on Lifetime’s “Little Women: Atlanta,” died Monday from injuries sustained in an automobile accident. She was 34 years old.
Her publicist Liz Dixson confirmed the tragic news through a statement that was posted on the show’s Facebook page.
“It is with profound sadness that we confirm on behalf of the family of Ashley Ross aka ‘Ms Minnie’ of Little Women Atlanta has succumbed to injuries from a tragic hit and run car accident today at the age of 34,” the statement said. “The family respectfully asks for their privacy as they grieve during this very difficult time.”
Sources: People.com, YouTube.com, XXL. com, Page Six, USA Today
Ward committeewoman, passes at 35
By Rebecca Rivas
Of The St. Louis American
The day before 18th Ward Committeewoman Ellen Todd passed away, she was organizing a food giveaway.
“That’s what I want Ellen to be remembered for,” said her father, Alderman Jesse Todd of the 18th Ward. “If we want to know Ellen, we would know Ellen best as a passionate person for equal treatment of all people.”
Ellen Todd passed on Friday, March 27 from unknown causes, but sickness related. She was 35.
On April 3, her friends and family held a Facebook Live virtual memorial service. It was videotaped at Maple Temple Church of God at 5195 Maple Ave. The five people who spoke and performed at the memorial service waited in their cars until the service organizers, Kimberly-Ann Collins and Pamela McLucas, called them into the church to speak. They sanitized the microphone and changed the microphone cover for each person.
Ellen Todd spent her entire life serving the 18th Ward, Collins said, and she wanted to provide ward residents with a way “to remember their daughter.”
Ellen Todd was born on August 6, 1984 in St. Louis to Jesse and Judith Todd, and she was a loving daughter who cared for her parents, her friends said.
“She was a daddy’s girl,” Jesse Todd said. “She always wanted to spend time with me. She wanted to be with me when I knocked on doors, so she came and passed out the flyers after I became president of the neighborhood association.”
As a teenager, Ellen Todd herself became president of the same neighborhood association that her father led, the 18th ward Regular Democratic Organization. Then at 23 she was elected as the Democratic Committeewoman for the 18th Ward in 2008.
“She was a beautiful woman with almond-shaped eyes,” said Teri Powers, Democratic Committeewoman of the 24th Ward. “She was feisty, spunky, stubborn, smart and such a fighter.”
Throughout her life, she helped to
n “If roses were in heaven, Lord please give her a bunch from us. Place them in her arms and tell her they are from us. Hug her tight.”
– Chantell McCline
Ashcroft must protect our right to vote and our health
coordinate Christmas parties in the ward, assist seniors and residents with disabilities to complete their taxes and made sure residents who needed absentee ballots got them, Jesse Todd said. She graduated from Soldan International Studies High School in 2002 and was heavily involved in U.S. Air Force ROTC. She then attended Harris-Stowe State University, where she became an esteemed member of the Alpha Delta Chapter of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority Incorporated.
At the memorial service, Ellen’s friend from Harris-Stowe, Chantell McCline, read a poem.
“If roses were in heaven, Lord please give her a bunch from us,” McCline read. “Place them in her arms and tell her they are from us. Hug her tight because we are thinking of her, which is easy to do every day with a smile.”
Ellen Todd is survived by her parents Jesse and Judith Ann Todd, and her sister Jennifer Todd.
or self-quarantine as a result of the COVID19 crisis.
Several local elections authorities have appealed to you that someone can vote absentee if “prevented from going to the polls to vote on election day due to: ... incapacity or confinement due to illness or physical disability, including a person who is primarily responsible for the physical care of a person who is incapacitated or confined due to illness of disability.” Existing law provides a path to do what is needed under our current circumstances, and I wish you would heed the words of those authorities who simply want to ensure people can cast their votes safely.
Dr. Anthony Fauci of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and other health officials have stated that during the fall we are likely to have another outbreak of COVID-19. I recognize the logistical implications such a transition might have, which is why I’m urging you to begin work on preparing for such a contingency to ensure that all precincts and election authorities across the state have access mail-in ballots or have the ability to vote absentee.
Feasibility should also not be an issue. We have a little over six months to organize these efforts at the statewide level. You currently sit on a $9 million slush fund to fund such an effort, so I do not foresee voting by mail to be a financial issue.
If we seriously want to put the health of Missourians first, which is the whole reason Gov. Mike Parson established the Stay at Home order, then the solution is simple: we need to get creative in how we expand the voter’s access to social distancing-compliant voting.
Rasheen Aldridge (D-St. Louis) is state representative for Missouri’s 78th House District.
Guest Columnist Rasheen Aldridge
Editorial /CommEntary
COVID-19 funds must serve the hardest-hit communities first
Let’s not miss some encouraging news that emerged this week. The St. Louis Metropolitan Pandemic Task Force had projected that hospitalizations from COVID-19 would plateau right about now, and that seems to be happening. “We are not heading downward yet, but this plateau is encouraging,” said Dr. Alexander Garza, the task force commander. “And it’s only possible because of the sacrifice and dedication from everyone in the region.” St. Louis County Executive Sam Page and St. Louis Mayor Lyda Krewson –along with the four hospital systems that formed this critical task force – deserve credit, as does everyone who has taken public health orders and guidances seriously.
should be unmistakable. Both Page and Krewson have declared their intentions to be “equitable” in distributing federal COVID-19 relief funds. Page, not unusually, was more pointed and specific than the mayor, clearly stating “equitable rather than equal” in public remarks. That means distributing the funds according to disparate impact, which would mean black communities in the county would receive twice the COVID19 relief funds as white communities, reflective of the 2:1 impact the disease is having in the county.
We’re having this argument about Biden, Democrats and Trump
By Mike Jones Of The St. Louis American
Now that Joe Biden is the official unofficial Democratic nominee, all the other candidates have dropped out and endorsed him, and former President Barack Obama’s endorsement is seen as his official unofficial coronation, the question is: now what?
Missouri Governor Mike Parson deserves no such credit. He was belated in issuing a public health order to stay at home that had no teeth and really was only a restated social distance guidance. Now, he plans to lift even that weak, symbolic order on May 4. To justify this misguided decision, he gives the state credit for reductions in COVID-19 impact mostly attributable to the urban centers that put (and keep) in place more protective orders than anything the governor has issued. Because of Parson’s poorly informed and weak leadership, the worst statewide suffering from this pandemic lies ahead.
In St. Louis, we have not averted a catastrophe, but only mitigated it. Since the first death from COVID-19 in the region five weeks ago, St. Louis County has reported 159 deaths from the disease and the City of St. Louis has reported 59 deaths as of Wednesday, April 29. That is the loss of a lot of life in a short time, all mourned at a distance that frustrates closure. The devastation of our economy and loss of livelihoods in an effort to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus is collateral damage that will result in untold suffering.
The devastation in the black community is especially pronounced. Two-thirds of the COVID-19 deaths in the city (40 of 59) have been black people, though blacks form less than half of the city’s population. One-half (80 of 159) COVID-19 deaths in St. Louis County have been black people, though blacks form only 24.9% of the county’s population.
The implications for these grave disparities for public policy and the disbursal of public funds
Since the county already has received its federal funds – $173.5 million of them – Page already has fought and won a pitched battle against reactionary white Republicans on the County Council. If Krewson is true to her word, she should find an ally in Aldermanic President Lewis Reed, who told The American that “funding and efforts need to be distributed and directed proportionate to the impact the virus is having, and we must address the areas hardest hit to save more lives and to slow the overall spread.” Reed has formed an aldermanic committee to monitor COVID-19 relief funds.
We believe that we all must be vigilant in seeing that the actions of these leaders live up to their words. In St. Louis, we have much more experience studying and reporting racial disparities than funding any informed effort to forge a more equitable future. Our thinking is guided by Rev. Starsky Wilson, president and CEO of Deaconess Foundation. He noticed that the region formed a new pandemic task force that excluded the region’s black-led health centers, when we already had a Regional Health Commission led by a black woman that included those centers. Also, many start-up regional COVID-19 relief funds were established independently, rather than routing them through the United Way of Greater St. Louis, which also is led by a black woman. This is not the way to remedy racial disparities.
“When black people are dying, black people should be in charge of the healing process for what is killing them,” Rev. Wilson told us. To that, we say, “Amen” – and we have more hard work to do, now more than ever, while this federal money is still on the table.
Missouri needs to adopt no-excuse absentee voting
By David Kimball For The St. Louis American
Missouri has three elections scheduled for later this year, culminating in the general election on November 3. Some state officials seem reluctant to change voting laws in light of the coronavirus pandemic. However, the recent election in Wisconsin revealed serious inequalities in voting access. Milwaukee, which normally has 180 polling places for an April election, only had enough poll workers to open 5 polling places, creating extremely long lines at those locations.
To avoid these problems Missouri needs to prepare now by expanding opportunities for absentee voting, making polling places safer, and providing resources to county election officials to implement these changes. Missouri is one of a small number of states that only allow absentee voting for a few reasons (like being incapacitated due to illness). While we face the ongoing threat from COVID-19, Missouri voters should not have to choose between risking their health and exercising their right to vote. Missouri needs to adopt no-excuse absentee voting, or allow social distancing as a valid reason for requesting an absentee ballot.
There are additional changes needed to deal with an anticipated surge in absentee voting. The state should establish an online or email portal for absentee ballot requests. In addition, with the voter’s permission, the state should let county election offices pre-fill the absentee request form for voters. These changes will limit human contact and help
make the process for requesting absentee ballots to go smoothly.
Missouri is also one of only three states that requires the voter’s signature on an absentee ballot to be notarized before returning the absentee ballot to the local election office. During a global health pandemic, it is overly burdensome for voters to find a notary to witness their signature. In addition, local election officials check the signature on every absentee ballot against the signature they have on file, so the notary requirement is redundant and needs to be repealed.
Since the state may not be able to afford pre-paid postage for returned absentee ballots, the state should allow counties to provide drop boxes in hightraffic areas where voters can return absentee ballots rather than mailing them. Furthermore, Missouri should adopt procedures to notify absentee voters if their signature is missing or if there is a discrepancy with their signature, so that voters can correct the problem and have their ballot counted. These changes will help reduce errors that sometimes cause absentee ballots to be rejected.
At the same time, in-person voting will continue so we need to adopt procedures to make polling places safer for voters and poll workers. It will help to allow counties to establish “vote centers” in larger facilities that allow for more social distancing than a typical poll-
ing place. Any voter in the county would be able to vote at one of these vote centers. An even better change would be to allow people to vote in person at a vote center up to two before the election, to avoid large crowds of people at polling places on Election Day.
It will take resources, staff, and planning to implement these changes in time for the upcoming elections.
For example, election officials will need to work with the U.S. Postal Service to create a system for tracking absentee ballots moving through the mail. It is also important for the federal government to support the continued viability of the postal service. County election officials will need more time to process and count the expected surge in absentee ballots. Also, counties will likely need to find replacements for elderly poll workers who are more vulnerable to COVID-19. Finally, any voting changes need to be clearly communicated to the public well before these elections take place so that voters know their rights and responsibilities. Adapting our voting rules to COVID-19 needs to be one of the priorities when the Missouri legislature returns to work. Time is short, and Missouri county clerks are already requesting many of these changes. It is crucial for our democracy that free and fair elections continue during this health crisis.
David Kimball is a professor of political science at the University of Missouri-St. Louis and a member of Scholars Strategy Network. Email: dkimball@umsl.edu.
everything, but before I tell you what I’m thinking, I want hear what y’all thinking.
The argument starts back up, and everybody is heard from.
Barbershop: Ok. But since you do politics, what we still wanna know is: what do you think?
To win the White House and the Senate (without which the presidency has only marginal value) and hold the House, Democrats will need Obamalike turnout numbers in the black community and among young voters (under 30-35). Biden does very well with older voters (over 50), including older black voters. But when it comes to younger voters, including younger black voters, he ain’t got it like that.
I spent a good portion of my adolescence working in my father’s barbershop, where I had the benefit of regularly hearing old black men talk about politics and life. Now I’m one of those old men. So, I thought I’d have an imaginary conversation in the barbershop about all this is.
Me: Hey, what’s up, y’all?
Barbershop: We were just talking about you. We’re having this argument about Biden, Democrats, Trump and the election. Brothers got a lot of different opinions, and some of these young ones are a little salty or indifferent. I told ’em you were due to come through, and damn if you didn’t walk in!
Me: Yeah, well, timing is
Me: Well, I heard all y’all, but I was really listening to the younger brothers. Look, here’s the truth of the matter, if you’re young (say, 30 or under), the only thing exceptional about America is how screwed up it is, and it’s been screwed up your whole life. You got a legitimate list of grievances and injustices And it’s clear why so many of you were favoring Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, because they were the only two who correctly identified that Trump wasn’t your problem; the system is the problem. I’ll be the first to say: you’re right. On his best day, Joe Biden ain’t the answer to no problem you got. This means nothing about if this ended up the way you wanted or needed it to. So, I’m not gonna tell you you’re in a good place, ‘cause you’re not. Not gonna tell you to like where you are, ‘cause you shouldn’t. And know you wanna kick somebody’s ass
Letters to the editor
WHO blew COVID-19?
I thought our president had lost his ability to shock me. I was wrong! I learned that Trump is considering withholding funds to the World Health Organization (WHO). His reason is that the WHO failed to take steps to contain the coronavirus. It should have shut down the parts of China where the virus originated. That is not only wrong; it is cruel.
First of all, the U. S. has never depended on the WHO for its information on the virus. Trump’s own intelligence was warning him as far back as December that the coronavirus was posing a catastrophic threat and urged strong measures. Trump ignored them.
As for shutting down parts of China – that is not possible. China is a sovereign nation. The WHO is not a sovereign power. It may enter a country by invitation only. For countries that do not have the level of health care that exists in the U.S., the WHO is the lifeblood for combatting this disease.
The WHO played a major role to eliminate smallpox in the 1970s and coordinated the fight against Ebola. Had the U.S. listened to the WHO as well as its own intelligence we would not be leading the world in confirmed cases and deaths. Mine is only one voice, but if others read this, please I beg you – in the name of decency: reach out to your elected officials, your religious leaders – even the pope, if you can. Prevent this abomination.
Catherine Stoltz Belleville
Cruel and heartless hypocrisy
Mayor Lyda Krewson has a lot of nerve and gall. In an April 11 tweet she acknowledged the disproportionate number of minorities being affected by COVID-19. Also, the mayor’s director of health noted the first 12 persons to die in the city from the virus were minorities.
This is all the while the mayor’s appointed Director of SLATE (St. Louis Agency on Training and Employment)
about all of this, and, well you should. But you can’t. But here is where we are, and from here is where we have to decide our next move.
Here’s something to consider If Trump wins in November, your bad gets worse. If Biden beats Trump, your bad is unlikely to get better, if he’s left to his own devices. So, in November, beat Trump so your bad won’t get worse. Then, in January 2021, go to war on Biden and establishment Democrats and take what you think you got coming. Now, I know all of this is kinda messed up, but life is kinda all messed up (something we fail to teach our young now). But in life, if you gonna be a playa, you don’t get to sit it out, ‘cause if you do, you’re gonna get played. So, whether it’s politics or life, the only question you really gotta answer is: are you gonna be a playa, or are you gonna get played? Ain’t nothing else.
I’m not trying to tell you what do, just telling you how an old man sees it Barbershop (young brother): Thanks, man, I get it. I don’t like it, but I get it. I got a little one, so I’m gonna have to think on it.
Me: Let me say this to you: I hope I see you in November. But, if I don’t, I’ll understand, and I’m not mad at ya, cause you’re grown and it’s your call. But, just remember: whatever you decide, you’re gonna live with the consequences.
All letters are edited for length and style.
fired a minority SLATE employee who is a female, mother, grandmother and a person who was fearful of the virus and of spreading it to her family. She was fired for staying at home due to fear of the virus while working in a city building closed to the public where no SLATE services could be offered. This was a cruel and heartless thing to do. Meanwhile the mayor pushes all to stay at home. Adding insult to all of this, since firing the employee the SLATE director has changed policy and now employees can stay at home. What hypocrisy.
James Sahaida St Louis
We should increase SNAP
I am comforted to learn the University City Education Foundation is fundraising to continue expanded meal service to families during the COVID-
19 crisis. With 22 million Americans now unemployed, families need immediate help. SNAP, formerly “food stamps,” is our primary defense against hunger. It feeds families when breadwinners can’t work and kids can’t go to school. Economists agree that increasing SNAP benefits will provide a needed financial boost to our struggling economy. In the next COVID-19 bill, our members of Congress should include a 15 percent increase in the SNAP maximum benefit, increase the minimum SNAP benefit to $30. They should also suspend all administrative rules that would end or cut SNAP benefits. I encourage our U.S. Senators Roy Blunt and Josh Hawley, along with our U.S. Representatives Ann Wagner and Lacy Clay, to work with congressional leaders to enact these provisions and keep them in place until the economy improves.
Cynthia Levin Town and Country
Columnist Mike Jones
Guest Columnist David Kimball
As I See It - A Forum for Community Issues
Pandemic shopper waits safely for bus
A man waited for a Metro bus after doing some shopping while talking on the phone through a protec-
tive mask at Page and Union boulevards on April 6, 2020 in the Hamilton Heights neighborhood. Riders must board from the rear of the bus due to the COVID-19 outbreak, and buses are running limited routes. Passengers also should wash their hands after touching surfaces on buses or at bus stops, as the novel coronavirus can survive many hours on some surfaces.
Orders of protection can be requested online in St. Louis County
Getting an order of protection is now safer, simpler and easier for victims of domestic violence in St. Louis County during the COVID-19 health emergency. Victims now can file for orders of protection online.
“We are concerned about an increase in domestic violence with the stay-at-home order currently in place,” said St. Louis County Circuit Judge Jason Dodson.
The court also has established a new domestic violence protocol to ensure that one judge is always on-call to review exclusively requests for orders of protection. As of April 20, court hearings on orders of protection can be con-
ducted remotely, providing victims, respondents, attorneys and witnesses the option of appearing by videoconference. In-person hearings observing appropriate social distancing rules are also available.
The online application process currently is available during regular business hours, Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Saturday 9 a.m. to noon, but soon will be available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Download the necessary forms from www.stlcountycourts.com, complete them and email them back to the court for review and approval by a judge.
Now is
a
good time to close Workhouse
By Jocelyn Garner For The St. Louis American
Two years ago, I spent over five months inside St. Louis’ Medium Security Institution, more commonly known as the Workhouse. I arrived at the Workhouse in March 2018 and was finally released that August. Originally from Texas, I’ve been in St. Louis for over seven years and I never imagined spending months of my life in such a horrible place.
My experience in the Workhouse was terrifying. Every day I experienced horrible living conditions, including mold on the walls and in the showers. We were forced to live in a cell with two other people which led to routine fights breaking out. I never felt safe in the Workhouse.
Every day I worry about the safety of people who are locked inside that facility. Now that the novel coronavirus is in our communities, I fear that people being held in the Workhouse are vulnerable to catching the deadly virus. Too often we hear stories of people dying in the Workhouse, and I’m terrified that people in the jail will contract this virus and not get the help they need. The human body can only take so much.
The guards do not prioritize the safety and well-being of people being held there and, with more and more confirmed cases of the virus, it’s very possible that a worker can pass it on to the jail population.
Long before the pandemic, it was hard to get medical care in the Workhouse. They weren’t equipped with enough materials. They don’t clean the medical area regularly, which can cause the virus to spread, making more people sick. When I went to medical, not once after someone coughed did anyone wipe anything down. People get sick from just sitting in there. It makes me angry that you could go there because of a headache and come out with the flu – or worse now.
Two years ago, when I was trapped in the Workhouse, there was an average of 516 people there. As of April 13, there were only 121 people there. While that is still 121 people too many, the city needs to take this moment and this crisis seriously and close the Workhouse for good. Every day they waste public money on keeping the Workhouse open, city leaders prove their disregard for everyone’s health and wellbeing.
The majority of people in the Workhouse have not been convicted of a crime and are only there because they can’t afford bail. Being poor shouldn’t keep you locked up and being locked up shouldn’t put your health in risk. People need to be released from the Workhouse and the City Justice Center immediately. It would reduce the risk of spreading the virus for others and themselves. We need to take this moment and rethink how we do public safety and public health.
That’s why I want to see the Workhouse closed. The $16 million that keeps it open every year should go to meeting people’s needs during this pandemic. It should go towards job resources, investing in schools, mental health care, and housing. It should be used to help the community, not to lock up its members.
That’s what investing in public safety looks like. In fact, we wouldn’t need the Workhouse if we had enough resources. Locking people up isn’t working. It’s time to try a different approach.
Jocelyn Garner is a St. Louis resident, a member of the Close the Workhouse Campaign, a mother, and a grandmother.
Jocelyn Garner
Photo by Wiley Price
Parson’s statewide guidanc-
es — even his stay-at-home order was so weak it amounted to guidance — have permitted more restrictive orders, like those in St. Louis County and the City of St. Louis, which will remain in place beyond May 4. Black clergy leaders with the St. Louis Metropolitan Clergy Coalition said during a press conference on April 28 that they will remind their church members that they need to stay home — and that the governor’s orders do not pertain to them. Some clergy members also questioned Parson’s move to lift the order for the rest of the state.
“There is still so much that we don’t know about government responses to this pandemic,” said Rev. Darryl Gray, political advisor for the coalition, and State Progressive Baptist Social justice chairperson. “We have not reached out to enough people yet to open the state. We still have so much more work to do.”
Parson said Monday that expanding the state’s testing capacity is a major part of the first phase of lifting the order and that the state is prepared to go into COVID-19 hot spots to test. However, the state rolled out its expanded testing strategy in Buchanan County, which is 88% white, when Parson himself has acknowledged that statewide data show a clear, adverse impact on black people.
“How much testing will be necessary for proper revaluations?” Gray asked during the coalition’s press conference. “Who is determining testing site access? Will health treatments for chronic illnesses be part of the post response? We
Plateauing
Continued from A1
“We want to keep this trend coming down over time, and that will require continued vigilance and discipline,” Garza said. “We are not heading downward yet, but this plateau is encouraging. And it’s only possible because of the sacrifice and dedication from everyone in the region.” Garza has said many times that hospitalization data is the best “barometer” for community spread and transmission of the virus. Looking at this, he said that regional leaders’ decision to continue stay-at-home
haven’t even factored in the discussion that there are people in the black community who are afraid to take the test.”
During his briefing, Parson fielded questions about whether or not Missouri can meet the White House’s criteria to lift the statewide stay-at-home order on May 4.
One of the president’s three guiding benchmarkers for governors to proceed with a “phased comeback” is a “downward trajectory of documented cases within a 14-day period.” On Monday, Parson responded to reporters’ questions about this saying that he did have this data. However, according to data analysis by one St. Louis University (SLU) professor, all the real declines in documented cases have actually come from the St. Louis region, and not the rest of the state.
Christopher Prener, assistant
orders “are absolutely the right move because of the continued high number of hospitalizations.”
Despite all of the progress in flattening the curve, Garza said there are still about 45 percent more patients in the hospital because of the virus than there were on April 5, when Garza started giving the briefings.
During the 1918 influenza pandemic, he said the St. Louis region relaxed its social distancing restrictions too soon and there was a second wave of infections that was more devastating than the first. We have a chance to learn from that mistake with the COVID-19 pandemic, he said. Regional leaders also need
professor of sociology at SLU, has been analyzing the number of COVID-19 cases since the middle of March. First of all, he believes the White House’s description of a 14-day decline is vague, and the best way to look at the numbers is a seven-day average — just in case there’s a bunch of new tests one day or other factors.
Taking the St. Louis region out of the state’s numbers, Missouri is not currently far below its peak average of 73.86 cases per day reported on April 6. The average on April 27 was 66.57, and the state has actually seen an uptick in averages in the last week. And the state has come close to its peak number twice since April 6.
“Our current numbers are trending upwards,” Prener said. “Again, it’s hard to read between the lines of the White House’s website, but if we’ve had several straight days of
to ensure that the health care systems have recovered enough from the first wave. That includes ensuring that there’s adequate protective medical equipment for healthcare workers.
“If we loosen restrictions, again you’re increasing the probability of transmission, which could result in a rebound of cases,” Garza said. “What we don’t want to happen is for those cases to rebound and then the health care system not adequately be able to take care of that amount of patients.”
increase in our chosen metric to track change, then does that then mean we are still on track with the White House’s guidance?”
When asked if he believes that the governor can justify lifting the order with the current data, Prener said that he’s not in a position to evaluate that because the White House has two other benchmarks — one regarding hospitals and one regarding COVIDlike symptoms — that states are supposed to meet before lifting stay-at-home orders. That information is not publicly available on the Missouri health department’s website, he said.
In regards to the state’s hospitals, the White House said they need to be able to treat patients without crisis care — and failing that, they need a robust testing program in place for at-risk healthcare workers,
n “We want to keep this trend coming down over time, and that will require continued vigilance and discipline.”
— Dr. Alex Garza
On Tuesday, Garza reported that there were 678 people hospitalized, 159 of whom were in the intensive care units and 115 were on ventilators. Hospitalization numbers reflect both people who have tested positive and those who are awaiting COVID-19 test results.
Across the system hospitals, Garza reported Tuesday that the cumulative number of COVID-19 patients discharged was 1,167.
‘Science and math’ of decreasing spread
The St. Louis region has
made “important progress” in slowing the number of infections by staying home and taking precautions, said Garza. “It is based on science and math,” he said. “With any contagious, dangerous virus like this coronavirus, you have to slow or stop its ability to spread from person to person. That is the reproduction factor.” The goal is to keep the reproduction factor below 1, he said, which means each infected person is infecting less than one other person, on average. “That is how you stop a virus,” he said.
The estimated reproductive factor takes into account both asymptomatic and symptomatic people. Garza has estimated that 70,000 people of the 2.8 million within the task force’s statistical area will become infected with COVID-19. And 30 percent of those 70,000 — or 21,000 people — will be asymptomatic cases.
When the region saw its first infection, the task force estimated that the reproduction factor was running above 5, meaning that one infected person was spreading the virus to approximately five additional
department has 70 people currently doing contact tracing and is currently hiring 100 more people.
“What stands out to me is there’s a number of parts of the state where we’re seeing really significant increases right now,” Prener said “That sort of nuisance about how different the trajectories are in specific regions and specific counties didn’t stand out to me in Parson’s press conference.”
The places that are seeing growth are more rural counties that are just outside of metropolitan areas. Lincoln County in the St. Louis metro is an example, he said. Saline County between Kansas City and Columbia is another one.
including emerging antibody testing. There also needs to be a downward trajectory of COVID-like or influenza-like syndromic cases reported within a 14-day period.
The St. Louis Metropolitan Pandemic Task Force releases hospitalization data daily for the St. Louis region’s four major healthcare systems, but statewide data for hospitalizations is not available on the state’s website.
“It’s hard to evaluate the governor’s statement with the data that’s publicly available,” Prener said.
In his April 27 briefing, Parson’s team also said that the state health department has 15 people assigned to contact tracing — which is an essential part in being able to track where people are being exposed to the virus and slow community spread. In comparison, St. Louis County’s health
people, on average, at that time.
“At that pace, we would be overwhelmed as a health system and we would lose many, many people to this virus,” Garza said.
When the stay-at-home orders went into place in the region in the third week of March, the task force leaders estimated the reproduction factor was around 2.
“That also would have been a very difficult situation for the entire community,” he said. “But, because of the work everyone in this region has been doing to stay home, wash hands and practice social distancing, right now we believe we have brought the reproduction factor below 1. That is tremendous progress and allows us to keep this virus in check if it continues.”
If that reproduction factor spikes, Garza said, we could easily see larger numbers of people becoming infected, getting sick and dying.
“We want to do all we can to keep that reproduction rate down below 1 as we consider how to begin the stabilization and recovery process,” he said.
Testing will help manage the virus and keep the reproductive factor below one when restrictions begin to lift, he said. However, testing must be paired with contact tracing, isolation and quarantine.
“It really doesn’t do us
“None of these areas seem inclined to continue to stay-athome orders past May 3, when it expires statewide,” Prener said. “It’s easy in the city where you have a mayor and a county executive who have been very clear that they’re going to continue this, but a lot of counties are following the governor’s lead. These decisions have real consequences for these counties, who right now are experiencing dramatic growth in the number of cases they have.”
St. Charles County, which is just outside of a metropolitan area, has had enough of staying at home, according to County Executive Steve Ehlmann. At the County Council meeting on Monday, April 27, he said the county will follow Parson’s lead.
“The rate of COVID-19 cases per 10,000 population is less than half that of St. Louis city and county,” Ehlmann said. “We believe St. Charles County is ready to reduce restrictions and, while continuing to require social distancing, allow individuals to make decisions on whether to frequent a business.”
any good to test, if we don’t have those other mechanisms in place,” he said. “That will be essential to keeping the reproductive factor below 1 and avoiding a second wave of infections.” Currently the region is largely only doing “diagnostic testing,” and not the surveillance testing that needs to be done, he said. More testing is becoming available now, he said, but the “floodgates haven’t opened up, where we can do large-scale prevalence testing.”
St. Louis County Executive Sam Page announced on Friday, April 24, that the county will be hiring 100 people to do contact tracing, in addition to the 70 people who are already currently doing this work at the county’s health department. On Wednesday, April 29, Page said they have received 800 applications for those positions, and increasing the contact-tracing workforce is an essential part in lifting the stay-at-home orders. For more information on working as a contact tracer or to apply, visit http://ow.ly/ nXqu50zqOmm or call 314615-5182.
Dr. Garza gives daily briefings on the St. Louis Metropolitan Pandemic Task Force Facebook page at 3:30 p.m.
Social distancing was practiced by St. Louis Clergy Coalition members during a press conference at the Deaconess Foundation’s Center for Child Well-Being on Tuesday, April 28.
Photo by Wiley Price
Continued from A1
to Deaconess wanting some of that money to come to St. Louis and told us, ‘We want to follow your lead and move at your discretion,’” Wilson said.
“They could have partnered with anyone, and they chose to partner with us. I am deeply honored by that.”
Following the lead of Deaconess Foundation, as led by Wilson, means following local black leaders.
“We are funding only blackled organizations working on the COVID-19 crisis, both in response and recovery,” Wilson said. “We will choose a cohort that understands the critical importance of holding the community accountable for equitable results.”
The emphasis on recovery, as well as immediate relief, is telling.
“We are willing to offer general operational support and technical assistance to maintain longer-term financial stability,” he said. “It’s clear that some organizations are not going to make it through this crisis. Some, we think, really need to make it.” Wilson has been puzzled that so many black-led orga-
Robinson
Continued from A1
nizations that were natural conveners and leaders in this crisis were not tapped to convene and lead. Two came readily to mind: the United Way of Greater St. Louis and the Regional Health Commission, both led by black women.
“In creating all of these new tables to coordinate social services, why was that not entrusted to the United Way?” Wilson said. “It’s led by a black woman. Why was the United Way not the default response?”
Michelle D. Tucker is the president and CEO of the United Way of Greater St. Louis.
The United Way of Greater St. Louis will receive $250,000 for its COVID-19 Crisis Response Services and Fund providing coordinated social services. This includes the 2-1-1 Information and Referral Center for people seeking assistance to meet basic needs and mobilization with Community Organizations Active in Disasters.
“And why develop a new task force (the St. Louis Metropolitan Pandemic Task Force) that includes just the health systems,” Wilson said, “when we already had the Regional Health Commission and that commission is led by a black woman?”
Angela Fleming Brown is
has kept an eye on that district as two dynamic superintendents – Tiffany Anderson and Art McCoy – transformed it. Normandy and Jennings are comparable districts, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. Normandy is a little larger (3,233 students compared to 2,511) and poorer (42.5% of families under the federal poverty line compared to 30.6%), while Jennings has a slightly higher percentage of black students (90% compared to 83%). But what is working in one district should work in the other.
“Dr. Anderson understands that we will never have better outcomes for kids in urban areas unless we lift our expectations,” Robinson said. “She implemented an early college program and articulated it down through junior high, and that made a difference, not just in graduating from high school but moving beyond.”
When Anderson left Jennings to lead Topeka Public Schools, McCoy succeeded her.
“Dr. McCoy understands that you can’t afford to just be a school,” Robinson said. “You have to leverage a continuum of community
CEO of the St. Louis Regional Health Commission.
Another $250,000 for public health response will be granted to the St. Louis Regional Health Commission. There the funding into their RHC COVID-19 Emergency Fund will support continued access to care for uninsured patients. Funds will be used for urgent medical supplies and equipment, costs of testing for uninsured patients, transitional staffing, treatment services and basic equipment to expand capacity and navigation services to meet the needs of the increased demand for community healthcare organizations, primarily federally-qualified health centers.
Further relief funding of
partnerships to access clothing, housing, healthcare. What we call ‘wraparound’ services, in this setting, has to be integrated in how we do school – not a referral.”
Robinson said he will “pick up the baton” on both approaches: elevating expectations with a more rigorous curriculum and integrating more community services inside the schools.
For supportive community services, he inherits from his predecessor, Superintendent Charles J. Pearson, a strong and willing partner in Beyond Housing with its 24:1 initiative, which is named for the 24 municipalities that send students to Normandy schools.
$25,000 will be provided to Solidarity Economy St. Louis for STL COVID-19 Monetary Mutual Aid. This is a grassroots mobilization to provide funding solidarity for those whose livelihood is being directly impacted by the coronavirus crisis in the St. Louis area.
“From the beginning, when there was a reasonable suspicion that black people would be disproportionately impacted by this health crisis, why were the first testing sites not in black St. Louis?” Wilson said.
“Why were they not talking to the FQHCs that serve the black community? If they had asked the people they serve –black people – they would have had COVID testing sites there
Robinson already has started a conversation with Beyond Housing President and CEO Chris Krehmeyer.
“We can strengthen that partnership,” Robinson said. “We can become thought partners in how we integrate our work even better, in how our systems talk to each other. Our teachers should have the same information as their support staff. We should all be singing from the same hymnal and playing from the same playbook with a deeper integration of analytics.”
Robinson comes by this wonk-speak honestly. He is reentering school buildings as an administrator from The Opportunity Trust, which
first.”
Medical meals on wheels
Just as public health officials warn that the pandemic is only beginning, Wilson knows that relief and recovery efforts are only beginning – and it’s not too late to do better.
“We need to center institutions led by black leaders and listen to them,” Wilson said. “This will be even more critical in the deployment of hundreds of millions in federal dollars pouring into the region to address this crisis. All of these tables and task forces first need to be accountable to the black community in our region.
And I don’t see that rising right now.”
An open application process for additional grants from $5,000 to $50,000 will be
he co-founded and where he served as the group’s executive in residence. He called it a “sector-level organizer” trying to work across public and private and district divisions in education. Before that he served in education philanthropy as CEO for the Memphis Education Fund.
The very good news for Normandy students, families and staff is that their new superintendent has an intimate working knowledge in both funding public school districts and making more money pay off in better-trained staff and improved student outcomes.
available beginning Tuesday, April 28. Eligible organizations will be black-led, provide direct aid (i.e. food, shelter, financial supports) to people most affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and/or lead efforts to mobilize these communities to meet social needs. Organizations are classified as black-led if either the chief executive officer or chief volunteer officer identifies as black. The geographic footprint for funding includes St. Louis city; St. Louis, Jefferson, Franklin and St. Charles counties in Missouri; and Madison, Monroe and St. Clair Counties in Illinois. Replies will be provided weekly on a rolling basis. The application can be found at www.deaconess.org.
First, of course, he has to get to know everyone – from a safe social distance during a pandemic.
“It will be complicated to build relationships at a distance when we really don’t know when we’ll be able to pull anyone back together,” he said.
“We’ll have to do staff meetings by Zoom and invite the community into virtual town halls to present their ideas and have their voice and vision included.”
Pearson, who exited retirement to serve as superintendent, will retire again, but he will stay on board until June 30 to help support the transition.
“The door is open,” Robinson said. “We welcome any and all input. We need all hands on deck to build a movement.”
Christian Hospital Food & Nutrition team members preparing Meals on Wheels on Wednesday, April 29, from left: Mike Anderson, Diane Taylor, Doris Otojareri and Jaime Ridenhour.
Page attacked for directing COVID-19 relief at black communities hit hardest
Many people are saying that nothing will ever be the same after COVID-19, but the EYE is watching a few things not change. We still have death, taxes and Tim Fitch – who doesn’t want to pay taxes for racial equity, he keeps saying in various ways from his bully pulpit on the St. Louis County Council.
Fitch played a key role in fostering the media campaign that weakened St. Louis County Executive Charlie Dooley enough to be beaten in a primary by the untested, inexperienced Steve Stenger. Stenger, of course, now consumes his media in federal custody. He was replaced as county executive by Sam Page – who played a key role in influencing media coverage of the U.S. Attorney’s Office investigation that put Stenger out of business.
Page is not black, which appeared to have been Dooley’s only crime. Dooley was never so much as charged with a crime, despite years (literally) of Post-Dispatch and KMOX reports on alleged “swirling rumors” of corruption and “federal investigations” of his administration, all stoked by Fitch and Stenger. However, Page won his fellow council members’ support to fill Stenger’s unexpired term. He has been governing with a diverse, new, progressive, North-Central-South County coalition that excludes Fitch – and that has Fitch throwing stones (and his toys) around. Page has been looking at the data on COVID-19’s impact in St. Louis County. As of Wednesday, April 28, the county had reported 159 deaths and 3,060 cases since the onset of the pandemic. Though the county has stopped transpar-
ently reporting raw numbers for death by race, it reported that the death rate for COVID19 in the county for blacks was more than twice that of whites. The county reported that 50.3% of positive tests in the county were of black people and 43.6% were of people who identified as two or more races, when blacks form only 24.9% of the county’s population. So, the disparate impact of COVID-19 on blacks in the county is right at 2:1 in both deaths and cases. That means when Page called for “equitable rather than equal” disbursement of COVID-19 relief funds, he was in effect calling for black communities in the county to get twice as much COVID-19 relief funding as white communities. That is a major statement with $173.5 million in federal funds to disburse. It also sent Fitch into a fit. Fitch loudly opposed Page’s equitable vision for disbursing the funds – quickly, with a medical practitioner’s sense that lives are being lost by the minute. Fitch’s opposition devolved into a series of ad hominem attacks. He even attacked Page, who is himself a medical doctor, for making regular public updates on the pandemic, saying in a written comment to the council that it was “much cheaper than buying campaign ads.” Fitch, however, had no such insults for his party mates Governor Mike Parson and President Donald Trump. Like Page, they are on the ballot this year; like Page, they routinely provide public updates on the pandemic.
Fitch even noted that Page is trying to direct COVID-19 relief funding as the one-year anniversary of Stenger’s resignation approached on April
health needs of the region’s most vulnerable is not merely a political calculation for Page – or, if it is, then it’s a political calculation that he has been making so long in coalition with black leaders that it’s been just as useful as a personal belief (and, in fact, much more useful than many personal beliefs that never lead to action). Page served in the Missouri House of Representatives for three terms early in this century, where black state legislators found him a useful ally in crafting progressive health reform bills. State Rep. Maria ChappelleNadal, who was then serving in her first stint in the state House before moving up to state Senate and then back, always defended Page when anyone questioned his motives or values.
29. Clearly, Fitch is trying to swirl up new rumors of corruption. He has his work cut out for him, as Page opened a new web dashboard that reports every penny of federal COVID19 funds as they come and go from county coffers.
So far, Fitch has succeeded in slowing the process but not stopping it. This week, Page’s administration began the process of ordering millions of dollars of COVID-19 tests, and the County Council voted 4-3 on Tuesday, April 28 to put the $173.5 million into a special fund for immediate use. Page plans to use some of those funds to determine how COVID-19 is impacting different communities — like the black community — differently. As a medical professional, he knows that data (like the 2:1 disparate impact of COVID-19 on blacks in the county) should guide further investigation. Note that attending to the
As for Fitch, he was St. Louis County Police chief for much of the Dooley administration. Along with Stenger and then-St. Louis County Prosecutor Bob McCulloch he kept the “swirling rumors” (actual source citation in one front-page Post-Dispatch news story) about Dooley’s alleged corruption circulating through Post and KMOX news reports for years. In place of Dooley, this gang installed Stenger, who is watching the COVID-19 pandemic from a prison cell. Stenger’s former consultants — the race-baiting specialists Jane Dueker, Patrick Lynn and Ed Rhode, of Mayor Francis G. Slay flack fame — now have no one but Fitch and his Republican cronies on the council to amplify. Sad.
It’s also sad to see Jake Zimmerman using their talking points and toxic PostDispatch editorials in his campaign mailings as he runs against Page in the August primary for county executive.
Jake is no Eric Schmitt for having his credibility fall completely out from under him as his political ambitions ascend, though he has fallen far enough to enable this snarky transition to the Schmitt fiasco.
Eric Schmitt vs. The People’s Republic of China
One of the candidates to oppose Schmitt as Missouri attorney general in November, Rich Finneran, is a former federal prosecutor. So, although most of us thought it was bat dung crazy for a lawyer who works for a Midwestern American state to file suit against a sovereign Asian nation, Finneran knows the law well enough to know exactly how stupid it was.
“Our unelected Attorney General Eric Schmitt filed a lawsuit against China. Yes, the entire country,” Finneran wrote. “Many legal experts have already opined that the lawsuit is unlikely to succeed given the various legal hurdles required to file suit against a sovereign nation. So, Eric Schmitt is spending untold taxpayer dollars on a lawsuit that will almost certainly result in $0 recovered for the people of Missouri. And of course, for the Missourians who have lost their jobs, gotten sick, or, God forbid, have lost their lives, this lawsuit will achieve nothing.”
After acknowledging that China is not blameless in the spread of COVID-19 – despite Trump believing China’s every assurance when the outbreak had not yet gone global –Finneran moves much closer to home.
“Look closely at Schmitt’s allegations, and you’ll see that many apply with equal
force if we look at Governor Mike Parson’s response to this crisis,” Finneran wrote. “Schmitt says that China violated Missouri law by ‘failing to quarantine its population against a virus known to be exceptionally dangerous.’ He says that China’s conduct ‘was unreasonable and was reckless in light of the known risks’ of the virus and demonstrates ‘a complete indifference to or conscious disregard for the safety of the public.’” And that sounds just like Missouri’s unelected governor.
“Governor Mike Parson ignored the Missouri Medical Association’s recommendation, delaying a stay-at-home order by two weeks,” Finneran writes. “Disregarding medical experts, he’s already making plans to reopen, claiming ‘we are beginning to stabilize,’ though just this week Missouri had the sharpest one-day increase in hospitalizations yet. If Eric Schmitt really wanted to address the risks that the people of Missouri are facing today, he wouldn’t look to China, he’d look a lot closer to home.”
Speaking of closer to home, Schmitt got his experience using state resources to meddle in other sovereignties in the City of St. Louis, where he has been working for months with the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department to try cases that the elected St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kimberly Gardner rejects. The latest effort is a provision added to a bill in a Senate committee on Tuesday that would give the attorney general “concurrent” authority to prosecute cases of 1st and 2d degree murder and carjacking in the City of St. Louis, and only in the city. Let’s hope Schmitt and the police fail to help Schmitt break into the city courts as they have failed in the past.
Photo by Bill Greenblatt/UPI
St. Louis County Executive Sam Page
Krewson and Reed should join Green and close the Workhouse
By Blake Strode For The St. Louis American
In case you missed it, the City of St. Louis’ infamous Workhouse jail is nearly closed already. You just keep paying for it.
Last week, St. Louis
Budget Director Paul Payne made his annual presentation to the Board of Estimate & Apportionment with a budget proposal for the upcoming fiscal year. If there is one theme of this budget, it is “cuts,” a devastating reality brought on by the viral pandemic.
Perversely, the COVID-19 outbreak has exponentially increased the need for robust public and social services at the same time that it has drastically reduced the economic means to provide those services. Hard budget choices across the country, and the world, are a reflection of this new normal.
the Workhouse as a source of much-needed savings and to finally start putting the city’s money where its mouth is. But we should not, and cannot, stop there.
There is a scene in the movie
“Happy Gilmore” – stick with me, here – in which Happy (Adam Sandler) picks a fight with his pro-am partner, Bob Barker of “The Price is Right” fame. As things get heated, Happy asks, “You want a piece of me?”
Barker responds, “I don’t want a piece of you. I want the whole thing!” He proceeds to “lay hands,” so to speak, floral golf shirt and all. (YouTube it at https://tinyurl.com/ y7e6gaqe; it’s 25 seconds well spent.)
When it comes to the Workhouse, we should demand nothing less than the whole thing. There are three simple reasons why.
But for a city left searching for change between the sofa cushions, there remains one particularly curious choice in the proposed budget: $8.8 million for the Medium Security Institution, better known as the Workhouse.
Let’s start with the good news.
Last year’s general fund budget for the city, following the trend from prior years, allocated $16.3 million to operate the Workhouse. From that baseline, the proposed $7.5 million budget reduction is significant and deserves a moment of pause and acknowledgment of the sustained collective effort that has brought us to this moment.
Payne was right to highlight
First, the Workhouse jail population is at a historic low, which means that every person detained in the city could fit into the City Justice Center with room to spare.
The Workhouse is a jail built to house nearly 1,200 detainees. At the time of this writing, there are 111 people detained in it. Given this population level, the current budget proposal calls for allocating more than $79,000 annually per detainee. This would be an absurdly irresponsible use of funds under any circumstance; it is even more so when you consider that the city operates a second jail, the City Justice Center, with capacity to spare.
The Justice Center holds 860 detainees, and currently
For a city searching for change between the sofa cushions, there remains one particularly curious choice in the proposed budget: $8.8 million for the Workhouse.
has 609 people detained in it. Between the Justice Center and Workhouse combined, there are 720 total people jailed in the City of St. Louis, only 504 of whom are jailed on city and state charges (after accounting for federal detainees that the city is not required to house). Solving the problem of the Workhouse is as simple as doing the math. Second, the jail population is still too high.
The decreased numbers of people in St. Louis’ jails are not and should not be a temporary phenomenon. It is the result of
The ST. LouiS AmericAn
years of organizing, activism, litigation, bailouts, and policy reforms, all of which have led to a sustained reduction. Since the Close the Workhouse campaign released its first report in September of 2018, we have seen a steady decline in the city’s total jail population, with a 44 percent decrease overall. In that span, the Workhouse population has declined by 80 percent. This shows that the Workhouse is not needed in this region, nor is any replacement. What we do need is an ongoing commitment to do better.
There are still far too many people in our jails who would be outside of cages living their lives if only they had enough money to pay for their freedom. These are mothers and fathers; sisters and brothers; caretakers and co-workers. The health and stability of our communities depends on the continued decarceration of St. Louis.
Third, we can improve our region by putting the funds to much better use.
From the beginning, the efforts to close the Workhouse have been about ending the period of mass incarceration
and inhumane treatment of marginalized people in St. Louis and instead re-envisioning public safety as community well-being. In the midst of this global health crisis, it is clearer than ever that we need to correct our longstanding structural inequities. We need to put our resources toward equal access to healthcare, jobs, education, childcare, community-based crisis interventions, public spaces, and more. The money saved by defunding the Workhouse cannot fund all of that, but it is a good start. For these reasons and many others, Mayor Lyda Krewson and President of the Board Lewis Reed should join Comptroller Darlene Green in the call she made one year ago to close the Workhouse. If they do not, the Board of Aldermen must use its budget authority to do so. The Workhouse has been a stain on the City of St. Louis and the St. Louis region for far too long. It has deepened and exacerbated the suffering of those already surviving the hardships of poverty. It has devastated entire swaths of the black community in St. Louis, particularly hard-hit neighborhoods in North City and, increasingly, North County. It has become synonymous with the hellish and inhumane conditions that thousands have been forced to endure. We have the opportunity to close its doors for good. We should do so. Now. Blake Strode is executive director of ArchCity Defenders, a civil rights law firm in St. Louis, which is a member of the Close the Workhouse campaign.
Kate M., G
Hazelwood Middle
TheSt.Louis American's SummerScience Academywas heldat LittleCreek Nature areathis pastJune. Twentyfive exceptional young scientists attendedtwofull weeksofintensive science lessons, research,hands-on experimentsand guest speakers. Thisweekly series will recognize these aspiring scientists!
Hazelwood School District
“I enjoyed the hands-on activities including fishing, canoeing, and hiking. The Little Creek Nature center is beautiful and I'm looking forward to next summer“
-Kate M.
Guest Columnist Blake Strode
STL County opens portal for COVID-19 spending
More than $174M in federal relief funds received on April 22
By Chris King Of The St. Louis American
St. Louis County Executive Sam Page knows something about opacity – not to mention deceit – in county government contracting and expenditures. Eleven months ago almost to the day, he leaked to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch a federal subpoena that the County Council had been served regarding county contracts. The target was Steve Stenger, then the county executive. The leak of the subpoena made the federal investigation of Stenger public, and the assistant U.S. attorney working the case had little choice but to wrap up his investigation and
seek charges.
As a result, the COVID-19 pandemic caught Stenger in federal prison. Page, a council member when he leaked the subpoena and hastened Stenger’s downfall last March, is now county executive. So, it is Page and not Stenger who will oversee how the county spends the $173 million in federal COVID-19 relief funds that were disbursed on April 22.
Actually, the sum is $173,481,105.80 to the penny. It’s possible to be exact because the Page administration released an image of the wire transfer – along with the announcement of a transparency portal to track all spending and contracts associated with the county’s response
to the COVID-19 crisis at stlcorona.com.
According to the portal, that money is already spent and then some. On April 23, when the portal was announced, the county was reporting nearly $6 million in funds already committed to the COVID-19 crisis. But Page intends to direct the new federal funds towards new expenditures: “purchasing tests, tests and more tests,” he stated in the release.
At the opening of a new COVID-19 testing site at the Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis center in Jennings on April 21, Page said this spending should be “equitable not equal” –
See PORTAL, A16
Akande leaves WashU to lead Champlain College
‘Why Burlington? To take on a challenge – and I love challenges’
By Chris King Of The St. Louis American
COVID-19 survivor embarks on nursing career
Richelle Herron graduating from SLCC-Flo Valley to Mercy Hospital
By Pat Matreci Of St. Louis Community College
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to impact our lives for the foreseeable future, Richelle Herron has a renewed sense of purpose.
Herron, 38, will graduate with an associate degree in nursing from St. Louis Community College in May. Her life was turned upside down in mid-March when COVID-19 attacked her family. The virus claimed the life of her beloved grandmother, Josie Lee Everett.
Herron and her husband, Carl Herron, as well as Herron’s mother, Carolyn Wallace, all were infected and required hospitalization. They all have been discharged and continue to recover.
Richelle Herron, a COVID-19 survivor, is president of the St. Louis Community CollegeFlorissant Valley Student Nurses Association and will join the staff of Mercy Hospital St. Louis after graduation.
The death of her grandmother, herself a nurse for 50 years, has been particularly painful.
“I deal with grief on a daily basis because my grandmother and I were closer than close. She was my grandmother, sister, best friend, mentor, everything. She raised me when I was a newborn while my mother was in the military. We have a bond that death cannot break,” Herron said.
“But it is indescribably difficult to be outside of her presence right now, especially with my completion of school. I wanted her to be the one to pin me at our pinning ceremony. Not only is that impossible now, but there will not be a pinning due to the social distancing issues.” Herron credits her faith, resolve to excel in whatever she commits herself to do, and a strong sense of purpose in leadership as elements that push her through this emotional and physical storm.
n “Having been a COVID-19 patient, I know that the healthcare professionals – but mainly the nurses – made and continue to make the difference.”
– Richelle Herron
The last time Benjamin Ola. Akande left St. Louis to lead a college, it was anything but socially distant. He was leaving Webster University, where he was the longtime dean of the George Herbert Walker School of Business and Technology, for Westminster College, just down the road in Fulton. Dignitaries descended on the small college town from near and far.
n “We have to adjust and react and find new ways to do old things and introduce completely new ways of doing things to stay current.”
– Benjamin Ola. Akande
Then-Washington University Chancellor Mark S. Wrighton delivered the keynote address. Abiola Ajimobi, the executive governor of Oyo State in Akande’s home country of Nigeria, attended to announce a new trans-continental academic partnership. Indeed, Fulton, then a town of 13,000 with 12% of them black, turned into a little Nigeria for
See AKANDE, A16
Vermont.
“Nursing is in my DNA,” said Herron, whose mother also has been a nurse for more than 25 years. “I have a background in customer service, but I’ve always been interested in helping and understanding others, medicine and how to best make an impact on the world that will last when I leave.”
With graduation on the horizon, Herron is well prepared for the challenges that lie ahead.
“Having been a COVID-19 patient, experiencing the fear of the unknown, the psychological toll of isolation, and the pain of familial loss from this pandemic, I know that the healthcare professionals – but mainly the nurses who took care of me and my family – made and continue to make the difference,” Herron said.
“Personally, nurses were my point of contact. They had the most personal contact with me, gave me medicine, brought me my food, and helped me
The COVID-19 pandemic has not stopped entrepreneur and longtime jewelry maker Kenya Ajuniku from selling his products –safely – near the corner of Delmar and Union boulevards in front of Walker’s Wash N’ Go, 5246 Delmar Blvd.
See HERRON, A16
Benjamin Ola. Akande is leaving Washington University and St. Louis to be president of Champlain College in Burlington,
Photo by Wiley Price
Entrepreneur persists despite pandemic
“TakingCareofYou”
New free COVID-19 testing in Ferguson
Islamic Foundation partners with Ezekiel Elliott’s family foundation
By Rebecca Rivas Of The St.
American
Louis
A new drive-through testing site was opened in Ferguson at 800 Chambers Rd. on Tuesday, April 28. It is being fully funded through the Islamic Foundation of Greater St. Louis and Dallas Cowboy running back Ezekiel Elijah Elliott’s family foundation. Testing is free.
“The African-American community is being affected worse than any other community by COVID-19, and we are addressing that need in an African-American community,” said
Donnell “Malik” Sims, entity administrator, Islamic Foundation of Greater St. Louis. The foundation is working in collaboration with St. Louis County Executive Sam Page, the City of Ferguson and other local officials.
Dr. Mahrukh Khan, a family medicine physician with her own private practice and one of the foundation’s members, will run the testing site. She will also treat and care for patients who are infected with COVID19 and don’t have access to a doctor or health insurance.
Most common symptoms are screening protocols for clinicians
By Sandra Jordan
Of The St. Louis American
The medical community is still learning about the new coronavirus, including symptoms that manifest in patients and what those symptoms may mean in terms of severity of its disease, COVID-19.
While this is considered a respiratory disease, an April 17 article in Science Magazine by the American Association for the Advancement of Science points out the new coronavirus can cause destruction through multiple organs and symptoms.
“[The disease] can attack almost anything in the body with devastating consequences,” cardi-
ologist Harlan Krumholz of Yale University and Yale-New Haven Hospital is quoted in the article. “Its ferocity is breathtaking and humbling.”
By April 24, according to the John Hopkins University Coronavirus Resource Center, there had been more than 890,000 cases of COVID-19 in the U.S. and nearly 2.8 million worldwide, killing more than 195,000 globally. Dr. Hari Nallapaneni, chief medical officer at CareSTL Health, said symptoms they screen for include fever, shortness of breath and cough, and the screening questions are
The test site will be open from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. People must call for an appointment and preliminary screening at 314735-0220. This is also the number for the HomeSafe1st App, which was designed jointly by St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kimberly Gardner’s Office and Amazon Web Services. Gardner rolled out the app on April 2 as a way for St. Louis residents to self-report their symptoms and seek appropriate medical
See FERGUSON, A13
They’re stories about black women giving birth
By Congresswoman Alma Adams For The St. Louis American
Beyoncé’s health was in grave danger. Serena Williams, the greatest athlete of her generation, told the world she “almost died.”
My own daughter acted quickly and made a choice that probably saved her life.
These aren’t stories about the coronavirus – they’re stories about black women giving birth.
Alma Adams
Tragically, those women were the lucky ones. Kira Johnson had just given birth to her second child, Langston. She and her husband Charles noticed that there was blood in her catheter. An emergency CT scan was ordered, but they waited for hours before it came. Kira knew something was wrong. She knew her body. However, in that critical couple of hours she lost her chance. She died from hours of neglect and severe hemorrhaging, nearly 12 hours after delivering her second son. Despite being in excellent health, despite being a successful businesswoman, despite having health insurance and doing everything right, Kira did not make it out alive. Kira and thousands of other women left behind children who never got to know their moms.
n The Momnibus says, unequivocally, that Black moms matter, but if passed, it will improve maternal health outcomes for all moms.
The data are clear: we have a maternal mortality crisis in the United States, and since childbirth suppresses the immune system of the mother and the newborn, it’s likely the coronavirus pandemic will make the crisis worse. No country in the developed world has a higher maternal mortality rate. There were 7.2 deaths per 100,000 live births in 1987; that number more than doubled to 16.9 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2016. In addition, black women are now four times more likely to die in childbirth than white women in the United States.
Now take those troubling statistics and think about what’s happening in the corona-
Dr. Hari Nallapaneni, chief medical officer at CareSTL Health, said COVID-19 symptoms they screen for include fever, shortness of breath and cough. Other symptoms include muscle pain, chills, and new loss of taste or smell.
Photo: Healthcare for Missouri
A free drive-through testing site was opened in Ferguson at 800 Chambers Rd. on Tuesday, April 28, funded through the Islamic Foundation of Greater St. Louis and Dallas Cowboy running back Ezekiel Elijah Elliott’s family foundation.
Photo by Wiley Price
“TakingCareofYou”
Disinfectants kill viruses –and poison people
COVID-19 pandemic results in spike of calls to poison centers, hospital visits
By Chris King Of The St. Louis American
When the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released a new report about the COVID-19 pandemic resulting in more calls to poison control centers on April 20, its researchers could never guess that three shorts days later President Donald Trump would speculate on live television about injecting disinfectants as a treatmentment for the disease.
“I see the disinfectant, where it knocks it out in a minute,” Trump rambled.” One minute. And is there a way we can do something like that, by injection inside or almost a cleaning? Because you see it gets in the lungs and it does a tremendous number on the lungs. So it would be interesting to check that.”
In fact, as the CDC knew when it published the report days earlier, most disinfectants are deadly poisons.
“We must be clear that under no circumstance should our disinfectant products be administered into the human body (through injection, ingestion or any other route),” the maker of Lysol and Dettol immediately stated.
The CDC was reporting on people who had accidentally ingested disinfectants and cleansers, not acting on the advice of an ignorant politician. Disinfectants and cleansers are more in use, of course, because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but not because they are medications. Those who are following public health guidance regarding the pandemic are more carefully cleaning and disinfecting surfaces and personal items, since the virus that
Adams
Continued from A12 virus era. If pregnant women are experiencing issues like hunger, homelessness, or a lack of access to healthcare, imagine how stay-at-home orders exacerbate those problems.
If women aren’t getting the prenatal care they need, imagine how many visits are being cancelled due to the pandemic.
COVID-19
Continued from A12
crucial to determining a person’s risk of COVID-19 exposure and possible illness.
“I really wanted to make sure in the questionnaire that we identify somebody who is not very critically ill,” Nallapaneni said. “We want to make sure that we don’t have anyone who is clinically unstable coming through the drivethrough.”
Nallapaneni, a cardiologist, said there are other big killer diseases out there, like influenza, heart attack, pulmonary embolism, aortic dissection.
Ferguson
Continued from A12
attention. When people fill out the online questions through the app or call the number, they will be connected with a volunteer from the Islamic
causes the disease can survive for many hours on some surfaces. That also explains why frequent hand-washing is urged, along with not touching your face. The virus is easily transferred from surface to hand to face and into the body where it can start to do its damage. Regularly cleaning surfaces and hands – warm, soapy water works as well as anything to neuter the virus – breaks the chain of transmission.
However, cleansers and disinfectants pose their own health risks, unknown to the president, and a new report by the CDC shows that many people are not remaining properly mindful of those risks.
A team of researchers led
Now, with restrictions on who can be present during a birth, imagine how many fewer advocates moms have at the hospital should something go wrong?
We can’t afford for this problem to get worse. That is why I have worked with Senator Kamala Harris since 2018 to recognize Black Maternal Health Week, and why I founded the Black Maternal Health Caucus in Congress with U.S. Rep.
The most common COVID19 symptoms – fever, cough, shortness of breath – are the three things that most of the driving centers use as a questionnaire. He said this disease also is impacting the heart, even with symptoms of heart failure.
There are also some early descriptions of COVID-19 causing uncommon neurological effects.
“Sometimes patients can have confusion or a disturbed state of consciousness from the systemic involvement, especially if the oxygen level is low,” Dr. Raymond Roos, professor of Neurology at the University of Chicago in Illinois, said in an April 17 article in Medscape
Foundation.
Source: CDC
n “Users should always follow directions on the label, avoid mixing chemical products, wear eye and skin protection, ensure adequate ventilation, and store chemicals out of the reach of children.”
– CDC
by Arthur Chang of the CDC reviewed chemical exposures reported to the National Poison Data System for the months that the U.S. has been dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic in comparison to that same time frame in the two previous years. And they found a significant increase in reports of chemical exposures to cleansers and disinfectants.
Lauren Underwood last year.
This year, after months of research, data collection, and listening to the stories of Black women and parents across the country, we developed the Black Maternal Health Momnibus of 2020: nine bills in the House with an omnibus companion bill in the Senate.
The Momnibus is a historic piece of legislation that not only targets failures in maternal healthcare, but also addresses pervasive maternal health dis-
Neurology
From January to March 2020, poison centers received 45,550 exposure calls related to cleaners (28,158) and disinfectants (17,392), representing an overall increase of 20.4% over the same time span in 2019 (37,822 calls) and a 16.4% increase from 2018 (39,122 calls).
parities through solutions that are culturally competent and proven effective.
These bills make investments in social determinants of health, community-based organizations, the growth and diversification of the perinatal workforce, improvements in data collection and quality measures, digital tools like telehealth, and innovative payment models. They provide a roadmap so our healthcare systems, providers, and soci-
n Further analysis of these symptoms will reveal more of “what it means in terms of clinical significance” than is known now, said Dr. Hari Nallapaneni, chief medical officer at CareSTL Health.
In The Hospitalist on April 6, neurologist Dr. Robert Stevens at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in Baltimore said most COVID19 patients have had a normal neurological presentation. However, he said, “Abnormal neurological findings we have seen include loss of smell and
taste sensation, and states of altered mental status including confusion, lethargy, and coma.”
Nallapaneni said that ophthalmologists in China had documented that COVID19 can affect the eyes, with patients going to doctors with eye inflammation or conjunctivitis.
Nallapaneni said that further
n “The African-American community is being affected worse than any other community by COVID-19, and we are addressing that need.”
– Donnell “Malik”
From January to March 2020, poison centers received 45,550 exposure calls related to cleaners and disinfectants, representing an increase of 20.4% over the same time span in 2019 (37,822 calls) and a 16.4% increase from 2018 (39,122 calls).
culty breathing, coughing, and wheezing, and called 911. An ambulance took her to a hospital where she improved with oxygen and bronchodilators and was discharged after a few hours of observation.
In the other incident, a preschool-aged child spent 48 hours in a pediatric intensive care unit after ingesting an unknown amount of ethanol-based hand sanitizer from a 64-ounce bottle that she found open on the kitchen table. Her blood alcohol level was recorded at 0.27%, more than three times the 0.08% blood alcohol content that is the legal limit to drive in Missouri and most states.
“Associated with increased use of cleaners and disinfectants is the possibility of improper use, such as using more than directed on the label, mixing multiple chemical products together, not wearing protective gear, and applying in poorly ventilated areas,” the researchers reported.
Of those 45,550 exposure calls made during the months of the COVID-19 pandemic, the researchers summarized two incidents. Though in both cases the affected individual returned home without reported lasting damage, they reveal the kinds of mistakes people are making with these products, resulting in trips to overburdened hospitals where they risked infection. In one incident, a woman heard on the news to clean all recently purchased groceries before consuming them. She filled a sink with a mixture of 10% bleach solution, vinegar, and hot water and soaked her produce. After noticing a noxious smell, she developed diffi-
ety will finally make black maternal and infant health a priority.
The Momnibus says, unequivocally, that black moms matter, but if passed, it will improve maternal health outcomes for all moms.
Every Democratic senator who ran for president this year has cosponsored the Momnibus, but this isn’t a partisan issue. It is, however, a life and death issue.
Our maternal mortality and
analysis of these symptoms will reveal more of “what it means in terms of clinical significance” than is known now.
According to the CDC, COVID-19 symptoms that appear two to 14 days after exposure now include fever, cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, chills, shaking with chills, muscle pain, headache, sore throat, and new loss of taste (hypogeusia) or smell (anosmia).
There is overlap between these symptoms and those of other infections and irritants.
“Flu typically has all those things, like upper respiratory tract infection, which also includes having a slight inflammation of the eyes,”
“To reduce improper use and prevent unnecessary chemical exposures, users should always read and follow directions on the label, only use water at room temperature for dilution (unless stated otherwise on the label), avoid mixing chemical products, wear eye and skin protection, ensure adequate ventilation, and store chemicals out of the reach of children.”
The corresponding author for the CDC report “Cleaning and Disinfectant Chemical Exposures and Temporal Associations with COVID19 — National Poison Data System, United States, January 1, 2020– March 31, 2020” is Arthur Chang, ctn7@cdc.gov.
morbidity rates are unacceptable, especially among black women. There’s no greater time than now to solve this crisis, even during a pandemic. U.S. Rep. Alma S. Adams, Ph.D., has represented the 12th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives since 2014. She is the co-chair and co-founder of the Black Maternal Health Caucus and the first bipartisan Congressional HBCU Caucus.
Nallapaneni said. Eye irritation is also common among allergy sufferers. Fever or having a high body temperature is the symptom Nallapaneni said almost all COVID-19 patients experience.
“Ninety nine percent, according to the literature, do report temperature,” he said. He said that explains the protocol for taking the temperature of visitors and staff at CareSTL Health before they go inside the building.
“One reason fever is a good way to screen is that fever is objective,” he said. “You check it, and it gives you a number and you know where the number is.”
Becky Sims (not related to Malik Sims) used the app because she was concerned about her 73-year-old mother, who had tested positive for COVID-19 and was released from the hospital to recover at home. Over the period of three days, her mother’s health seemed to deteriorate and her breathing became more labored.
Sims
This is a case where the app worked “on multiple levels,”
said Dr. Khaldoun Elzoobi, a volunteer for the program and who spoke with the family. Dr. Elzoobi told the family to take her back to the hospital immediately. “When the hospital doctor says, ‘You’re fine, wait,’ for how long do you wait?” Dr. Elzoobi said. “I believe had she not called the volunteers and not gotten the quick response, she may have deteriorated much worse. If a doctor takes a call, there’s a force of someone in the medical field telling them, ‘This is really serious and you need to be seen.” For more information about testing, call 314-735-0220 or complete the Health Report Form on the HomeSafe1st App
Healthy Kids Healthy Kids
Staying Healthy During the Quarantine
Carmel D. Brown, LCPC, CPT, FNS
As we all face these uncertain times of Covid-19, there are some simple habits that will help you stay happy and healthy during this unprecedented time in history.
Eating Right, While Stuck at Home
part of your life. Sitting at the table as a family during mealtime helps to avoid the temptation to snack all day while
• Always stay well hydrated; aim for 8 glasses of water a day!
• If having a snack, sit at the table until you are finished. (This prevents the whole, “oh no, I ate the whole
Have a Living Room Dance Party! You know, crank up the music and just have fun. with a family member around the block each
Staying mentally strong during this difficult time
Here are just a few suggestions for staying mentally active.
• Try positive affirmations before getting out of bed every morning and getting in bed each night. This means to think to yourself, “I am strong. I control my own emotions. I deserve to
be happy Tomorrow will be an even better day.”
• Now is a great time to organize an area of your home that brings stress to you. Is there a pile of shoes in your closet that could be sorted? What about your dresser, your bookshelf? Getting and staying organize is proven to reduce stress, and you will have a real sense of a job well done!
• Be sure to get plenty of rest. Now that
we have long days at home, be sure to still make a point of still going to bed at a time that allows you to have 8 solid hours of sleep.
• Journaling your thoughts each day can help you process the moment, but it will remind you later of how everything felt.
Learning Standards: HPE 2, HPE 5, NH 1, NH 5, NH 6
Where do you work? I am a counselor, wellness coach and owner of Carmel D. Brown LCPC Counseling Practice and Club Exhilaration Wellness Center.
Where did you go to school? I graduated from Mt. Vernon Township High School, in Mt. Vernon, Illinois. I then earned a B.A. in Criminal
What does a clinical wellness coach do? I work with children, adults, and families to help them become a healthier version of themselves. My counseling, training, and coaching sessions are structured to help the individuals and families I serve to improve relationships, adopt healthy habits, change unhealthy patterns of thinking to positive and healthy patterns of thinking, in order to achieve happiness and improve quality of life.
Why did you choose this career? I started my career in criminal justice and realized that many of the clients I worked with were people who presented with multiple psychosocial factors, and mental and physical health deficits. Many of them may never have entered the criminal justice system if they’d been given healthy coping skills, mental health treatment, examples of healthy thinking and healthy habits, a healthy sense of self, and a healthy and helpful worldview.
I recently started talking to adults and I find joy in helping
navigate through
for the better! One successful client of mine was
What is your favorite part of the job you have? I enjoy seeing my clients experience a breakthrough in their ability to manage symptoms, improve relationships with family members, achieve stability and happiness in key areas of life, and begin living a life of purpose in which they are happier and healthier versions of themselves.
Learning Standards: HPE6, NH3
The St. Louis American’s award winning NIE program provides newspapers and resources to more than 8,000 teachers and students each week throughout the school year, at no charge.
Questions or comments? Contact Cathy Sewell csewell@stlamerican.com or 314-289-5422
FAMILY SPOTLIGHT SCIENCE STARS
The Townsel family enjoys using the e-edition of The St. Louis American’s NIE STEM page to continue science lessons at home. Will and Kristen Townsel are working together to complete an experiment found in a previous week’s edition. The activity demonstrates how to turn mlk from a liquid to a solid.
SCIENCE CORNER
Water Pollution
Water pollution is the contamination of water from foreign objects, such as chemicals from factories, or trash from people. Water pollution kills many waterbased animals due to an unsanitary habitat. This also disrupts the food chain. When water is polluted, it affects not only rivers, lakes, and oceans, it also affects drinking water. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), 1.2 trillion gallons of untreated sewage, storm water, and industrial waste are found in U.S. water each year. The World Health Organization reports more than 250 million cases annually of water-based diseases.
To prevent water pollution, remember to always put trash in the proper trash can. When you litter, trash often ends in water. Use water conservatively. For example, don’t leave
SCIENCE INVESTIGATION
the water running while you brush your teeth. Choose environmentally safe cleaning products, fertilizers, and pesticides. These products interact with your local water supply. And finally, do not dispose of chemicals, oils, paints, or medicines in sinks or toilets. Contact your local authorities to see where you can drop these materials off so that they can be disposed of properly.
Formoreinformation,visit: http://www.ducksters. com/science/environment/water_pollution.php.
LearningStandards: I can read nonfiction text for main idea and supporting details. I can make text-to-text and text-to-world connections.
Drink of Density
In this experiment, you will observe the density of different liquids.
Materials Needed:
•A Tall, Clear Glass
• Turkey Baster
• Different Juices (suggested: pomegranate, orange, grape, apple, etc.)
Procedure:
q Before you begin, form your hypothesis. Which of the liquids is the densest?
w Use your turkey baster to measure the juices. Place the first type of juice in the glass.
e Next, fill the turkey baster with the second kind of juice. Will it have the same density and mix with the current juice? Will it have a higher density and settle on the bottom of the glass? Or will it have a lighter density and rise to the top? Slowly add the new juice on top of the juice already in the glass.
r Repeat step 3 until you have used all flavors of juice.
Analyze: Sugar increases density. Observe the labels of the juices. Which juices have a higher sugar content?
LearningStandards: I can follow sequential directions to complete an experiment. I can form and test a hypothesis.
Liquid Conversions
REMEMBER: 1 gallon = 4 quarts • 1 quart = 2 pints • 1 pint = 2 cups • 1 cup = 8 fluid ounces
z ½ pint = ______ quart
x _____ cup = 2 fluid ounces
c _____ quart = ½ gallon
v 128 fluid ounces = ________ quarts
b Amelia needs 3 cups of milk to make a vanilla milkshake. Should she buy a pint, a quart, or a gallon of milk? Explain. _______________
DID YOU KNOW?
African Inventor & Engineer Ludwick Marishane
Ludwick was born in Motetema, Limpopo, in 1990. He always had a mind that loved to problem solve and create new things. In ninth grade, he created a form of biodiesel. The following year, he created a mobile dictionary and began creating a national security magazine. In eleventh grade, he began developing DryBath, a gel that can be used to take a bath without water. He wrote a 40-page business plan and applied for a patent at just 17 years old. Marishane was the youngest South African to ever file for a patent. One year later, he founded his business, Headbody Institutes. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting and Finance from the University of Cape Town. DryBath gel has many uses. Campers find it handy and many hotels and gyms carry it for their customers’ convenience. Most importantly, it is used in developing countries, such as remote areas of Africa, which lack access to clean water. When the water is unsanitary, it can cause irritation and rashes on the skin. It can cause intestinal issues when it is absorbed through the stomach. When this type of water comes in contact with the eyes, it can cause infection and even blindness. Citizens can use the individual packets of DryBath gel to bathe.
Marishane has received many awards, such as the Global Student Entrepreneur of the Year Award in 2011. This award came with $10,000 to start his business. He also won the Lee Kuan Yew Global Business Plan competition. In 2013, he was one of Time Magazine’s 30 People Under 30 Changing the World. In 2015, he appeared in Forbes Magazine in the 30 Under 30 African Young Entrepreneurs. He was nominated for “African Young Person of the Year.” He received the Frost & Sullivan Growth Leadership & Innovation Award and was named one of the City Press “100 World Class South Africans.”
In an interview with Peter Horsfield on thextraordinary. org, Marishane gave the following advice, “Find what you love doing, and exert all your effort on pursuing it. Do as much as you can on your own, and always ask for help when you need it. Embrace failure, because you will only ever experience it if you give up, not if you try & fail to succeed.“
TowatchMarishane’sTedTalkabouthis product,visit: https://www.ted.com/talks/ludwick_ marishane_a_bath_without_water.
LearningStandards: I can read about a person who has made contributions in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and math. I can make text-to-world connections.
Formore informationon recommended mathapps, visit: http://www. parents.com/kids/ education/mathand-science/ best-math-appsfor-kids/.
LearningStandards: I can understand the importance of math fluency. I can make text-to-self connections and text-to-world connections.
1 in 9 people worldwide do not have access to safe and clean drinking water. 1 in 3 people, or 2.4 billion, are without sanitation facilities. In developing countries, 80% of illnesses are caused by poor water and sanitation conditions.
According to the World Health Organization, for every $1 invested in water and sanitation, there is an economic gain of $3 to $34.
MAP CORNER
Enjoy these activities that help you get to know your St. Louis American newspaper.
Activities — Verb Forms: On the front page of the newspaper, circle in red all forms of the verb “to be,” and in blue, all forms of the verb “to have.”
Tone/Mood: Look at a feature article closely to see what words and sentences help to make you have strong feelings about the article. Make a list of these words and sentences.
LearningStandards: I can identify verb forms. I can analyze tone/mood in an article.
Photo by Anika Townsel
Gallon
American staff
Malik Ahmed, founder and chief executive officer of Better Family Life, Inc., is retiring and Darryl Grimes, its chief operating officer and vice president of Workforce Development, has been appointed interim CEO, effective May 30.
“I am looking forward to working with Mr. Grimes in this new capacity,” Etefia Umana, board chairmen, said in a release. “We will continue to do excellent work serving the constituents of our community.” This comes on the heels of James Clark, BFL’s longtime vice president of Community
Continued from A11
Akande’s installation. Whether or not that was too much African diaspora for Westminster and Fulton was never stated publicly, but Akande left the college only two years later after a change in leadership at the Board of Trustees. Wrighton soon brought Akande and his African diaspora A-game aboard at Washington University as assistant vice chancellor for International Affairs-Africa and the associate director of the Global Health Center. Now, just two years later, Akande is once again leaving a cabinet position at a university in St. Louis for the top job at a small college. His destination this time is not Fulton (109 miles away) but rather
Darryl Grimes appointed interim CEO at BFL
Founder Malik Ahmed retires on May 30
Outreach, leaving to work for the Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis in a similar leadership role.
n “His vision and courage have had an exceptional impact on the St. Louis metropolitan area.”
“Darryl Grimes has been an invaluable asset to Better Family Life for the past 13 years. I am pleased he has been selected to serve as interim CEO. He has risen through the ranks to become vice president of Workforce to Chief Operating Officer,” Ahmed said in a release.
– Etefia Umana
“We know he will continue to serve the community with
Burlington, Vermont (1,118 miles away). And though his welcome surely will be warm – Champlain College Board of Trustees Chair Charles Kittredge described Akande as “an agent of change and a visionary leader with a global perspective” – it will be difficult to show any warm feeling at this time.
Vermont, like Missouri, is under a Stay at Home order to slow the spread of COVID-19. Akande’s role at the college does not become effective until July 1, but were he to move to Burlington right now the state would expect him to self-quarantine for 14 days. Burlington is located in Chittenden County, which has almost half of Vermont’s COVID-19 cases (393 of 823) and more than half of its deaths (25 of 40) as of April 23. Today, Akande would step foot on a ghost campus where instruction is happening through digital
professionalism and creativity while maintaining his goal of helping indigent families and individuals. One of his chief programmatic initiatives will be to reduce intergenerational poverty through robust workforce, housing, youth leadership development programs, and increased economic opportunities for populations residing in urban core communities.”
The agency stated that its Housing Department, Workforce Department, Youth
screens, not between physically present human beings. Like university and college presidents everywhere, he does not yet know whether the Fall 2020 semester will start with virtual or physical instruction.
Family and Clinical Services Department, Cultural Arts Department and Community Outreach Department continue to distribute food, work with schools to provide lesson plans and provide clients with necessary resources to equip them with their careers during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Malik Ahmed is a trailblazer in St. Louis,” Umana stated. “He has been able, by sure force of will, strong intellect, cultural competence and compassion for the AfricanAmerican community to create and expand this community development agency. His vision and courage have had an exceptional impact on the St. Louis metropolitan area.”
n “Why Burlington? It’s an opportunity to make a remarkable difference, to help a college that I am falling in love with, to take on a challenge – and I love challenges.”
“The situation that we are faced with now with COVID is unprecedented,” Akande told The American “This is an equal opportunity pandemic. It covers higher education in virtually every sector. We don’t know what we don’t know, but what we do know is we have to adjust and react and find new ways to do old things and introduce completely new ways of doing things to stay
– Benjamin Ola. Akande
current.”
As an economics professor (Ph.D. in economics from the University of Oklahoma) and former business dean, Akande has an eye for competitive advantage –and he sees some here. Champlain College offered online instruction 27 years before COVID-19 – “it’s embedded in the DNA of the institution,” he said –and the college has an entrepreneurial outlook and approach that larger and more traditional institutions will need to develop, fast, to survive. “With our entrepreneurial outlook,” he said, “we’re better prepared for this crisis.”
The college was developed
Portal
Continued from A11
that is, allocated proportionate to need. COVID-19 is having a disproportionate impact in black communities.
As of April 23, according to the county, 40.2% of positive tests in the county were of black people and 36.8% were of people who identified as
Herron
Continued from A11 move around my room when I was too weak to do those things on my own.”
While recovering and continuing her studies, Herron, who serves as the president of the STLCC-Florissant Valley Student Nurses Association, shared some insights with her fellow students in a very personal letter. Herron’s letter has been shared with the director of education for the Missouri Board of Nursing for publication in a newsletter that is distributed to all licensed nurses in the state.
from a business school operating out of storefronts in downtown Burlington into a junior college of business and then into a four-year multi-disciplinary college only in the 1990s. “We’ve weathered those storms well,” Akande said, “with an entrepreneurial administration and an engaged board.”
According to the college website, only one trustee of the 19-member board that hired Akande is black. The website shares a robust diversity statement and strategic plan, though offers no detailed demographic data. The collegefactual.com site, with apparent input from the college, reports 5.9% black student population and 4.4% black faculty. That’s comparable with the town of Burlington, which is 5.3% black, according to Census data. Given Akande’s track record as a one-man African
two or more races. Blacks form only 24.9% of the county’s population. Though the county has stopped transparently reporting raw numbers for death by race, it reports that the death rate for COVID-19 for blacks was more than three times that of whites.
Page will take his spending priorities back to the County Council on Tuesday.
Expenditures of the funds will be overseen by the U.S.
“This is a time of self-inventory and fortified resolve. If there was ever a time for dedicated, fire-tested nurses with a heart to make a difference, this is IT. WE ARE THOSE NURSES!!” she wrote.
diaspora, the college and town had better be prepared for change – perhaps more than Westminster and Fulton had been prepared.
Akande is leaving a region with much more black population, but where blacks have struggled for representation. Akande has succeeded more than many in his 20 years here. In addition to his senior positions at two local universities with global impact, he has served on the boards of Enterprise Bank & Trust, Argent Capital Management, Forest Park Forever, the Saint Louis Art Museum and the Muny. It’s a lot to leave.
“Why Burlington?” he said.
“It’s an opportunity to make a remarkable difference, to help a college that I am falling in love with, to take on a challenge – and I love challenges. It’s a calling, of sorts. I am being called.”
Department of Treasury and a special inspector general, according to federal guidelines released on April 22.
“We must follow the federal rules we were given,” Page said in a release. “Otherwise, we would have to reimburse the federal government for any expenses that did not fit those guidelines.”
To follow COVID-19, visit www.stlcorona.com and click on “COVID-19 Spending.”
“We’ve BEEN doing this. We’ve taken care of patients with HIV, MRSA, cancer, post-operative, and other precautions. We’ve been the liaison between our patients healing and the challenges they face! We’ve been there when life enters the world and we’ve comforted those who are transitioning! FLO VALLEY NURSES ARE TRAINED to RESPOND IN times such as THESE!!” Karen Mayes, professor in nursing who also serves as STLCC’s director of nursing education, said she knew Herron had a heart for making a difference from the first time the two met.
“She genuinely wants to help others, whether it be through her service as the Florissant Valley Student Nurse Association president, her many communications of support to the students, and through heart-to-heart thoughtful conversations with faculty and administrators on how to improve the educational process,” Mayes said.
“Now, as someone who has survived being a COVID-19 patient, she will have a new outlook and be better able to provide empathetic care to her patients as she soon enters the nursing profession.” Herron will join the staff of Mercy Hospital St. Louis. The Spanish Lake resident, who will celebrate her 11th wedding anniversary on July 4, is ready to embark on a mission to defeat not only this pandemic, but also whatever challenges are thrown at her profession.
“I hear a lot of people say that nursing is a job that they admire, but they just don’t have the stomach or the nerves for,” Herron said. “They ask why anyone would willingly jump into such a dangerous and sometimes ‘thankless’ profession. I am eagerly anticipating the completion of our degree so that we can all get out there and join this fight. It is truly one that we have been trained for and one that we can
Akande
Darryl Grimes has been appointed interim chief executive officer of Better Family Life, Inc.
Proceeding with caution
By American staff
The resilience of The Muny has been apparent since even before the institution’s inception more than a century ago. A world war and a worldwide pandemic could not halt plans to bring the cultural gem to the region. And torrential storms didn’t stop the Muny’s inaugural opening night performance.
The deadly influenza outbreak of 1918 –which resulted in more casualties than World War I and World War II combined – was not mentioned in Dennis Brown’s book MUNY SAGA, which details the organization’s evolution from an idea to a one-of-a-kind musical theater staple that has served the city for 100 summers. As The Muny prepared to step into its 102nd season, they were faced with yet another unprecedented challenge due to coronavirus.
The Muny is ‘hopeful’ as it moves 102nd season opener to July 20
The organization is making the health and safety of the tens of thousands who have made The Muny a part of their summer tradition a priority. There are yet again, The Muny displays its resilience with the announcement that although delayed, the show will go on for their summer season.
The Muny announced on Tuesday, April 28 that it will offer a revised season featuring five
productions that is scheduled to begin July 20 due to COVID-19 precautions. According to a news release, the decision to continue planning and moving forward at this time with a modified season was made based on all available information from national and local health experts and officials.
“Since early March, The Muny team has been exploring every possibility that would give us the best chance of presenting a season for our audience so long as the environment becomes safe and healthy enough to do so,” said Muny Chairman of the Board, Louis A. Cella. “Like you, we hope this situation continues to improve so that we may gather to celebrate our Muny magic once again.”
The modified 2020 season featuring new
Isley Brothers become St. Louis stars
year ago this week,
Horns
By Chad Davis
Of St. Louis Public Radio
going stir-crazy,” Burton said while walking down Juniata Street. “It’s just good to get out,
See Horns, B2
April
‘He was a radio
legend’
Randy ‘O’Jay’ Brooks dies at age 61
By Kenya Vaughn Of The St. Louis American
Randy O’Jay Brooks, a staple in Black St. Louis radio, passed away on Tuesday, April 22. He was 61.
Reared in the Pruitt-Igoe housing projects, Brooks figured out his life’s path early. He wanted to be a radio man.
St. Louis radio legend Bernie Hayes remembered a 15-year-old Randy O’Jay, as he would later be known, hanging around the station when Hayes was a personality at KATZ.
He was always there doing whatever he could to prove himself useful. He left such an impression that Doug Eason, who was one of the bosses at KATZ at the time, hired the teen on to assist him and everyone else. It was the beginning of a career that stretched nearly 45 years.
“He worked his way into our community,” Hayes said. “He was just a part of the [radio] family,” Hayes said. “Every place you would be, Randy would be there.”
Eddie O’Jay was an overnight personality for KATZ when Brooks started. He would let Brooks sleep there when he was between homes. Brooks paid tribute to O’Jay with his radio persona Randy O’Jay, but in St. Louis, he would become more famous than Eddie, because of the bond he built with a regional black radio icon. Early on, he carried crates of records for legendary radio personality Dr. Jockenstein. The two eventually became close friends.
“They were pretty much inseparable twins until Dr. Jockenstein passed away in 2007,” O’Jay said. He had that effect on people.
and
Maurice Falls met Brooks while in college – when Gary Star recruited him and his dance crew, The Rockers, to be a promotional street team of sorts for KATZ. His connection with Brooks was instant. At the time of his death, more than 40 years after they met, Falls considered Brooks to be one of his best friends.
“We were just together on his birthday – which is March 6,” Falls said. “I called Randy a “fouro-clocker – meaning that if there was somebody I needed to call at 4 a.m. to pick me up for whatever reason, I knew Randy was on that list. I’m going to miss him. There was just nobody like him.”
From his days at KATZ, to Majic 108 and most recently Mix 99.5 FM, Brooks was a staple in the black radio community – a reliable one-man support system.
“Randy O’Jay was a radio man – a radio legend.” Falls said. “He knew how to do it all – run the boards… everything. That’s why as soon as Lou Thimes Jr. started his radio station [Mix 99.5 FM] he brought Randy O’Jay in.”
He could also lighten any mood.
“He was the sweetest man ever,” Tammie Holland said, remembering the days they spent as coworkers on Majic 108 FM. “I never heard him say one bad thing about anyone, not even when we were all mad at the ‘establishment.’” I’m going to miss the twinkle in his eyes, all the funny things he’d say and that little whistle in his voice.”
Hayes remembered Brooks’ optimism as well.
“He was always smiling – and managed to find something positive, no matter what the situation was,” Hayes said. “He was a positive force, the person that whenever he was around, he made you feel good.”
Brooks taught Falls a powerful lesson about
See Legend, B2
Photo by Chad Davis The Red and Black Brass Band marches down Juniata Street on the afternoon of Sunday,
5. The group became a viral sensation after a Twitter user uploaded a video online.
See Muny, B2
Beloved black radio staffer Randy O’Jay passed away on Tuesday, April 21 at age 61. He was best known for his close friendship with legendary personality Dr. Jockenstein. He worked for KATZ, Majic 108 FM
most recently, Mix 99.5 FM.
One
longtime St. Louis residents and music icons The Isley Brothers were blessed with a star on the St. Louis Walk of Fame in front of the Pageant concert venue. Originally from Cincinnati, Ronald and Ernie Isley have lived in the St. Louis region for more than two decades.
Photo by Wiley Price
community in mind. If by June 8 conditions for a July 20 opening have not been deemed safe and positive for our community, the entire season will be postponed until the summer of 2021.
production dates includes: “Chicago,” |July 20 – 26; “Smokey Joe’s Cafe,” August 15 – 21; “The Sound of Music,” July 29 – August 4, “Seven Brides for Seven Brothers,” August 24 – 30; and “On Your Feet!” August 7 -13. The two shows originally slated for 2020 that will move into the 2021 season lineup are: Disney and Cameron Mackintosh’s “Mary Poppins” and “Sweeney Todd.”
The Muny said it will continue to monitor and adapt to the guidance of those officials with the best interest of the
“We’re hopeful that by late July we will be far enough on the other side of this situation to have the chance to share a few nights under the stars together at The Muny,” said Muny President and CEO, Denny Reagan. “Ultimately, the guidance of health and government officials will determine if this is possible.”
Current season ticket holders will be contacted personally with more information regarding their options and next steps. New season tickets for the fiveshow package are available
now.
“In this incredibly challenging time, it has been so gratifying how our subscribers, donors and friends have been telling us how much they hope they will get their Muny season,” said Muny Artistic Director and Executive Producer, Mike Isaacson. “I’m so grateful to all of the creative teams and artists for their continued faith in The Muny.”
The Muny Box Office in Forest Park is currently unavailable. However, tickets can be purchased online at MetroTix.com. For more information, visit www.muny.org.
The latest updates will also be available on The Muny’s various social media channels, including: Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
Horns
Continued from B1
stretch your legs and do what you love.”
Burton, a music teacher at Sumner High School, and Kosberg, a carpenter, had no idea their impromptu performance would become a viral internet sensation.
But a video of the duo posted to social media became a sensation with more than 150,000 likes – and has Tower Grove residents taking to sidewalks to hear them play. The audiences bring joy to the musicians’ hearts.
“When [Dominique] and I went out, it was just such a lovely response, you know, we get to the end of the street and you just hear the whole street clapping, and it just feels great,” Kosberg said.
When the group goes outside now, they’re joined by four friends who play saxophone, drums and trumpet. Kosberg told St. Louis on the Air, “We found a way that we could be with our musician family and be safe about it.
“The neighborhoods are fairly empty so we can be in the
Legend
middle of the road and away from the people – and each other.”
Inspired by the stay-athome order to form a band, the six-member ensemble played together as the Red and Black Brass Band for the first time earlier this month.
“All of us are really, really good friends,” said Ravie Junior, a drummer for the band. “It gives us an opportunity to walk about the streets of St. Louis and really dig into the thing that we love and watch other people fall in love with it as well.”
When the band performs on the streets, they often play the Ben E. King song “Stand By Me.”
“It’s good for the people to sing,” Burton said. “The message behind it is pretty nice – not literally stand by me, but stand by me in these times of hardships.”
Because of social distancing, the group doesn’t practice as a collective.
“Ben and I can practice because we stay together, but the other guys are so well rounded in this universe of music,” Burton said. “We can just relay the message to each other, tell them what key it is and tell them what particular
parts we are looking for and they can put out the best interpretation. It’s about the chemistry. That’s the magical part of working with these guys is that we all have great chemistry.” Burton said they’ll keep hitting the streets to keep the music going. They want everyone to know that St. Louisans are getting through the crisis together.
“The reason why we wanted to keep with it and the reason why it meant so much to us was because we wanted to connect with the people in our neighborhood – the people we are used to seeing walking around,” said Kosberg.
“We were all sort of having the same kind of feeling, so it was important for us to get out there and show people that we are not completely alone.” The Red and Black Brass Band can be reached by way of their social media channels: https://www.facebook. com/redandblackbrassband/ or https://twitter.com/ redandblackbb?lang=en.
Republished with permission of St. Louis Public Radio: https://news.stlpublicradio.org/ post/horns-joy-st-louis-bandtakes-music-streets-soothe-isolated-neighbors
Continued from B1
positivity early on in his career in radio promotions. Falls was all about the rivalry – making instant enemies of those who worked for competing stations.
“For me it was all out war – I was tripping,” Falls said. “But Randy told me, ‘Maurice, we are radio family. As soon as you leave that radio station, you never know whether you might be asking that person for a job at the next radio station.
Always remember that we are a family and we’re all we’ve got here’”
They also accompanied a record promoter by the name of Ralph Little in introducing markets to music and the stars who made it.
“Every summer I would come home from college and it would be me, Randy O’Jay and Nate Perkins,” Falls said.
“Eddie LeVert loved Randy. Teddy Pendergrass loved Randy. Albert King loved him. We could go anywhere, and everybody loved Randy.”
Falls transitioned into production and stage management for major urban shows – which he still does today. And Brooks
Muny
stayed with his radio family.
“All the good things that people say about Randy O’Jay will never be enough,” Hayes said. “He was a piece of everybody’s heart and soul.”
Randy “O’Jay” Brooks (center) with Victor Roberson and Maurice Falls. Brooks, a veteran of St. Louis radio, died Tuesday, April 21.
Henry Townsend’s piano will be in ‘St. Louis Sound’ exhibit in 2021
By Andrew Wanko For The St. Louis American
It’s hard to overstate how important blues musician Henry Townsend is to St. Louis’s musical heritage. Everyone seemed to know him, and St. Louis musicians from across a huge spectrum of styles and backgrounds counted him among their friends. He certainly had enough time to make the rounds in the city’s music circles: Townsend released his first recording in 1929, and in 2000 he was still going strong. Henry Townsend was born in Shelby, Mississippi, and spent his early childhood in Cairo, Illinois. In 1918, at age nine, Townsend ran away from home by jumping in a boxcar headed north. He got off in East St. Louis and walked across the Mississippi River to the city that would become his home. The young Townsend lived a tough life and was often on the streets. He found work shining shoes and standing guard for the police at a speakeasy.
But one day in the mid-1920s, Townsend got a chance to see a show at the Booker T. Washington Theater at Jefferson and Market. When he heard Lonnie Johnson playing the guitar and singing the blues, he immediately knew he had to learn how to play.
“It took me a long time to figure out how I was gonna get me a guitar,” Townsend recalled to biographer Bill Greensmith in the 1990s. “I didn’t know how, when, or where, but I knew sooner or later I’d get one.” A woman he knew named Corrine bought him his first guitar (he later smashed it in frustration at not progressing faster), and by 1929, he was making his first records.
Townsend spent the 1930s playing in St. Louis’s saloons and billiard halls and at local house-rent parties. His 1999 book, “A Blues Life,” provides one of our most valuable looks into the early St. Louis blues scene.
Conserving the St. Louis blues SUPPORT.
As the years passed, Townsend never slowed down. In fact, he’s one of the only musical artists in history to make at least one recording in nine consecutive decades. In this time—and all while continuing to perform in St. Louis—he was interviewed by folk historians, played tours of Europe and America, and even received a
National Heritage Fellowship. In the late 1980s, a project cataloging his career turned up at least 178 different songs Townsend wrote or co-wrote, at least 24 different record labels that released his music, and another 150 recordings on which he was a sideman.
Townsend kept making music right up until his death in 2006 at the age of 96. He won a posthumous Grammy Award for the album Last of the Great Mississippi Delta Bluesmen: Live in Dallas, which was released the following year.
After Townsend’s death, his son Alonzo generously donated the blues legend’s prized piano to the Missouri Historical Society. This instrument spent decades in the living room of Townsend’s North St. Louis home. Many visiting bluesmen tinkled its keys, including Johnnie Johnson, Honeyboy Edwards, and Alvin Youngblood Hart. Even the piano’s keyboard has a story to tell: Each ivory key is labeled in permanent marker, remnants of Townsend teaching young Alonzo how to play.
This piano is more than an artifact—it’s a tangible reminder of Townsend’s life and impact on the St. Louis blues. That’s why we’re not only honored to preserve it for generations to come but also to showcase it as part of our upcoming “St. Louis Sound” exhibit. When it opens in 2021, “St. Louis Sound” will take you on a tour of the history of popular music in St. Louis, from ragtime to hip-hop. Townsend’s piano will help us tell his story. It will also highlight the importance of conservation and show just what our community can do when we band together.
Prior to entering our collections, Townsend’s piano had been vandalized, so the piano is undergoing extensive conservation. In May 2019 we partnered with Townsend’s son and a range of great St. Louis musicians to hold a fund-raising concert for the piano’s conservation, an ongoing project.
Learn more about the project and listen to some of Townsend’s songs at mohistory.org/ blog/nine-decades-playing-the-blues.
Although we can’t come together for Twilight Tuesdays this spring, MHS is finding new ways for St. Louisans to connect to our city’s deep musical heritage! On May 7 and 21 at 6 p.m., MHS is hosting STL History Live: Vinyl Tales with DJ G. Wiz, a Zoom presentation that explores some of our favorite songs from the past. Learn more at mohistory.org/events.
This column was originally published on MHS’s blog, History Happens Here. Andrew Wanko is a public historian at the Missouri Historical Society.
Busey’s right beside you.
We’re here to support your dreams. For over 150 years, Busey has promised close relationships with our associates, customers and communities to fulfill them.
And right now, we’re at the ready to support our neighbors and vibrant communities, offering financial relief for those in need. Visit busey.com/financialreliefprogram or contact our team at 1.800.67Busey to learn more.
Busey. Honored to Support Our Communities.
Henry Townsend’s piano
Religion
Manna from … Uncle Sam?
Churches should look into support from COVID-19 relief funds
By Reginald L. Harris
For The St. Louis American
The financial strain that American businesses are experiencing as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic is also being felt by churches across the country, including in the St. Louis metropolitan area.
Like other American businesses, churches have, in some cases reluctantly, implemented social distancing practices as a way to guard against the continued spread of the virus. That has meant ceasing all worship services and other church activities that normally include gatherings of people in physical church buildings. Not surprisingly, canceling worship services negatively affects churches’ bottom lines because a decrease in attendance historically translates into a decrease in donations to churches that members and attendees normally make in the form of tithes and offerings.
Also, like other businesses, churches and faith-based organizations depend on employees to function and carry out the mission of the organization. A substantial decrease in a church’s income may mean layoffs, furloughs, and reductions in salary for church employees. Churches often are a significant source of income for Americans and an important contributor to the economy, as they employ ministers, musicians, information technology and audiovisual personnel, administrative and clerical staff, custodial and maintenance workers, and grounds keepers.
Like employees of other small business, these individuals are losing jobs, income, benefits, and the feeling of security that a steady income can provide, all due to the sudden halt in economic activity brought about by the pandemic.
That is why churches should be rushing to try and take advantage of any measure that the federal government has implemented to provide emergency financial assistance to entities that employ people and that are adversely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act may be one such measure.
Canceling worship services negatively affects churches’ bottom lines because a decrease in attendance historically translates into a decrease in donations to churches that members and attendees normally make in the form of tithes and offerings.
of the sudden halt of economic activity owing to the social distancing practices put in place in response to the spread of the virus.
An important component of the CARES Act is the Paycheck Protection Program (“the PPP”).
n “A faith-based organization that receives a loan will retain its independence, autonomy, right of expression, religious character, and authority over its governance.”
The CARES ACT, which became law on March 27 and is considered the largest relief bill in United States history, seeks to confront many of the hardships faced by individuals and businesses adversely affected by the pandemic. From financial aid to large and small businesses to direct payments to individuals, this unprecedented new law is aimed at stabilizing the American economy, which has taken a devastating hit as a result
The PPP provides federally guaranteed loans to eligible businesses, which can be partially forgivable, to encourage businesses to retain employees through the COVID-19 crisis by assisting in the payment of certain operational costs. The program is aimed at small businesses. The vast majority of churches in the St. Louis area likely would qualify for the program because they fit into the act’s definition of “small business concern” and employ far less than 500 employees.
– SBA
To be eligible for a Paycheck Protection loan, an applying entity must certify that the loan is needed to support ongoing operations during the COVID-19 emergency, that funds will be used to retain workers and maintain payroll or make mortgage, lease, and utility payments, and that the applicant does not have any
other application pending under this program for the same purpose. The proceeds of a Payroll Protection loan may only be used to pay for certain costs, such as payroll, group health care benefits and insurance premiums, mortgage interest payments, rent and utilities, and interest on prior debt obligations. Portions of the loan are forgivable if all employees are retained between February 15, 2020 and June 30, 2020, and assuming other conditions are met. The interest rate on a PPP loan cannot exceed 1%, and interest payments are completely deferred for one year.
Understandably, faith-based organizations might question whether they are eligible to participate in the PPP on one hand, and might question whether it is wise to accept financial assistance from the federal government on the other hand.
The PPP is administered by the Small Business Administration (SBA), which recently published Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) regarding participation of faith-based organizations in the program. The SBA clarified explicitly that churches are eligible to receive PPP loans without regard to whether the churches provide secular social services. The SBA further made clear that PPP loans can be used to pay the salaries of ministers and other employees engaged in the religious mission of the church.
Regarding the potential for unwanted government interference in the independence of the religious organization, the SBA states: “Simply put, a faith-based organization that receives a loan will retain its independence, autonomy, right of expression, religious character, and authority over its governance, and no faith-based organization will be excluded from receiving funding because leadership with, membership in, or employment by that organization is limited to persons who share its religious faith and practice.”
Biblical tradition teaches that during the Israelites’ 40-year period in the wilderness following the Exodus, God miraculously supplied them with manna, which was an edible substance meant to sustain them during their travels. The financial assistance being offered through the PPP may not be manna, but churches should seriously consider whether it may be a worthwhile measure to help sustain them and those employees who rely on them for income during the economic wilderness that has only just begun.
Reginald L. Harris is a partner in the Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner’s St. Louis office. His practice focuses on white collar criminal matters, internal investigations, corporate compliance, and civil trial and appellate litigation.
Sports
SportS EyE
Miami’s black brain trust wins raves for its 2020 NFL Draft selections
The Miami Dolphins were supposed to have the first draft pick in the NFL 2020 draft.
Heading into the season, the Dolphins had a black first-year head coach in Brian Flores, a depleted roster after several star players were traded and a forecast to be one of the worst teams to ever play in the NFL. Flores was not distracted. The former New England Patriots defensive coordinator took what he had and surprised the NFL by winning five games. Those wins came after the Dolphins opened the season 0-7.
Instead of picking first, and most likely taking former LSU quarterback Joe Burrow, the Dolphins landed the fifth pick.
al manager, assistant general manager, head coach, offensive boss and defensive coordinator).
Caldwell could not fulfill his obligation to the Dolphins because of a health issue, but the four remaining black men helped transform the Dolphins’ future from bleak to promising.
While his defense ranked 30th in the NFL last season, Graham impressed the New York Giants and was hired as its defensive coordinator two weeks ago.
“With the fifth pick of the 2020 NFL draft, the Miami Dolphins select quarterback Tua Tagovailoa,” Commissioner Roger Goodell announced from his basement on the draft’s first day, April 23.
After 10 more selections, the Dolphins won national praise for piecing together one of the NFL’s best draft classes. Draft pundits showered Miami with mostly A’s and some B’s. Suddenly, the Dolphins are being taken very seriously.
It’s important to note that the Dolphins are guided by General Manager Chris Grier, one of few black GMs in the NFL. It was Grier that convinced Dolphins owner Stephen Ross to hire Flores. Ross deserves credit for entrusting his franchise to Grier by handing total control of scouting and the draft to a young black man.
After hiring Flores, Grier tabbed former Buffalo Bills front-office member Marvin Allen, who also is black, as his assistant GM. He’s second in command to Grier and helped mastermind the deals that secured the high number of draft picks the Dolphins used in 2020.
Former Indianapolis Colts and Detroit Lions head coach Jim Caldwell joined Flores’ staff as an associate head coach in charge of the Dolphins offense.
Patrick Graham, who worked with Flores with the Patriots, was named new defensive coordinator.
This was the first time in NFL history a team has had a black person in its top five non-playing positions (gener-
The Dolphins’ immediate future will certainly depend on Tagovailoa’s health and his success as an NFL quarterback. But Grier and Flores’ immediate success should be an example to other NFL owners - and other major sports team owners - that black men can turn around moribund franchises and put their respective teams on the road to excellence.
Two and 16 for Mizzou
The hate for Missouri football generated within this state – mostly from rural area fans that don’t like the complexion of the team – has always astounded me.
The Tigers program accomplished a feat that the majority of Power 5 conferences did not during the 2020 NFL Draft - Mizzou had two players drafted.
Missouri defensive tackle Jordan Elliott was selected in the third round Friday by the Cleveland Browns, making him the 88th pick in the draft. Elliott said his mother’s boyfriend had dreamed that he would be drafted by the Browns.
“It was just something calling my name about the Browns. My family members would have dreams about me going to play for them. I don’t know. I just feel like it’s something that’s meant to happen,” he said.
On Saturday, Mizzou tight end Albert Okwuegbunam learned he would be united with former Missouri quarterback Drew Lock in Denver when the Broncos picked him in the fourth round.
After becoming the 118th player selected, Okwuegbunam said, “it’s awesome.”
“I can’t even explain how fired up I am to get into this new offense — just to have
The Miami Dolphins selected quarterback Tua Tagovailoa from the University of Alabama with the team’s first-round selection.
that chemistry, that trust and confidence kind of already established there,” he told Denver media members on a conference call.
The selections in the 2020 NFL Draft mean that Missouri has had at least one player selected for 16 consecutive years. That is truly impressive.
Lakers cash in –then out
In February, FORBES valued the Los Angeles Lakers at $4.4 billion - second only in the NBA to the New York Knicks at $4.6 billion. That is a 19 percent jump from 2019 and it certainly shows that the owner, coaches and players are doing a great job for this small business.
Wait? Small business?
Yes, somebody with the
Lakers considers this sport juggernaut a small business and, even more amazing, the Trump Administration agrees.
After applying for and receiving $4.6 million through the Small Business Administration’s Paycheck Protection Program, the Lakers have been shamed into returning the money. As hundreds of thousands of worthy small businesses facing financial disaster because of the COVID-19 pandemic were shut out of the first round of payouts - and then the program ran out of money - the Lakers got theirs.
While never admitting it was out-of-line, the Lakers organization issued a statement to ESPN on Monday.
“The Lakers qualified for and received a loan under the Payroll Protection Program,”
the Lakers said. “Once we found out the funds from the program had been depleted, we repaid the loan so that financial support would be directed to those most in need. The Lakers remain completely committed to supporting both our employees and our community.”
LeBron James must be so proud.
Lest, I not just pick solely on the Lakers, many other multi-billion-dollar outfits somehow got a boatload of federal bail-out money too, including Shake Shack and AutoNation.
Impressive NBA numbers
In 2011, less than a decade ago, there were no NBA franchises valued at $1 billion. According to FORBES, there are now 11 franchises worth at least $2 billion.
Following the Knicks ($4.6 billion) and Lakers (4.4 billion) are the Golden State Warriors at $4.3 billion. There is a noticeable drop in franchise value after that trio - but don’t feel sorry for any of the NBA’s other franchise owners.
Rounding out the Top 10 in NBA value are the Chicago Bulls ($3.2B); Boston Celtics (3.1); L.A. Clippers ($2.6B); Brooklyn Nets ($2.5B); Houston Rockets ($2.475B); Dallas Mavericks ($2.4B); and Toronto Raptors ($2.1B).
The Philadelphia 76ers, at $2 billion exactly, are the final franchise at that level, ranking them at No. 11. Every NBA team, there are 30, are valued at more than $1 billion.
The NBA’s bottom three in value are the No. 30 Memphis Grizzlies ($1.3B); No. 29 New Orleans Pelicans ($1.35B); and No. 28 Minnesota Timberwolves ($1.375B).
While the NBA will lose a huge amount of money because of the season’s delay because of the pandemic, its future still remains bright financially.
According to FORBES, NBA franchise values climbed an average of 14 percent since the 2019 valuations - or $2.12 billion on average per franchise. In addition, the NBA’s 30 teams tallied $8.8 billion in revenue in 2019, a jump of more than 10 percent over 2018.
The Reid Roundup
Former St. Louis
Battlehawks safety Kenny Robinson was selected in the fifth round of the NFL Draft by the Carolina Panthers. A star at West Virginia before being dismissed for academic fraud, Robinson didn’t seek to transfer, made himself eligible for the XFL and was tabbed by Battlehawks’ coach Jonathan Hayes. He said an open letter to NFL GMs which included him “owning my mistakes,” helped create the NFL opportunity...Robinson was the lone XFL player that joined the league with college eligibility remaining. We’ll never know if other players would have followed in his footsteps because the XFL folded after five games. XFL owner Vince McMahon was reportedly $44 million in the hole when he filed for bankruptcy...Missouri basketball coach Cuonzo Martin acquired some help at guard when former Hawaii player Drew Buggs announced this week that is transferring and playing for the Tigers. Buggs, who is eligible in 2020 as a graduate transfer, averaged 9.4 points, 5.4 assists and 4.5 rebounds last season with Hawaii. He earned Honorable Mention honors on the 201920 All Big West team...I’ll bet you didn’t know that Venus and Serena Williams are partners in ownership of the Miami Dolphins...I just don’t understand the interest in “The Last Dance.” I never was a big Michael Jordan fan, so I guess that must be it...Antar Thompson, who starred at Maplewood-Richmond Heights High School before joining the Missouri Tigers, was arrested last week in Columbia on charges of operating a motor vehicle in a careless and imprudent manner, along with resisting arrest. Thompson allegedly failed to stop when a police officer attempted to pull his vehicle over. Ten minutes earlier, Thompson had been stopped by another officer for allegedly speeding. He was later arrested.
Alvin A. Reid was honored as the 2017 “Best Sports Columnist – Weeklies” in the Missouri Press Association’s Better Newspaper Contest and is a New York Times contributor. He is a panelist on the Nine Network program, Donnybrook, a weekly contributor to “The Charlie Tuna Show” on KFNS and appears monthly on “The Dave Glover Show” on 97.1 Talk.” His Twitter handle is #aareid1
Recognizing the top boys track athletes in the area
The COVID-19 pandemic has caused the cancellation of the high school sports spring season, which includes the track and field season.
Although these great athletes were not able to compete this spring, the American would like to recognize them. Here is a look at the top boys track and field athletes in the metro area:
Angelo Butts (McCluer North): An excellent junior sprinter who was an AllState performer in the 100meter dash and a member of the Stars’ state-champion 4x400-meter relay.
Malcolm Harvey (Trinity): The standout junior was the returning Class 3 state champion in the javelin. His winning throw at the state meet was 182
feet 8 inches.
Michael Jenkins (McCluer): The standout jumper was the Class 4 state champion in the high jump last season. His winning effort at the state meet was 6 feet 7 inches.
Willie Johnson (East St. Louis): The excellent senior sprinter led the Flyers to the Illinois Class 2A state championship. He was the state champion in the 400-meter dash and the anchor of the state-champion 4x400-meter relay.
Marcus Lampley (East St. Louis): A standout sprinter who was a state runner-up in the 200 and 400 and a state-champion in the 4x400-meter relay.
track & FiEld NotEbook
With Earl Austin Jr.
Elijah McCauley
(Belleville East): An excellent young field event performer, he finished second in the Class 3A state meet in the long jump with an effort of 23 feet 3 inches.
Deablo McGee (Cleveland Naval Jr.
Earl
ROTC): A football standout at Roosevelt during the fall, McGee was the Class 2 state champion in the high jump and triple jump as a junior.
Brandon Miller (John Burroughs): The star middle-distance runner is the overall state record in the 800-meter run and a multi-state champion during his career. He was looking to bounce back from an injury-plagued junior season. He is headed to Texas A&M.
Justin Robinson (Hazelwood West): After leading Hazelwood West to its first state championship last season, Robinson went on to achieve success at the national
and international level during the summer. He is one of the top 400-meter runners in the world, which is amazing for an American teenager. He has signed with Arizona State University.
Jamarrion Stewart (Collinsville): The senior sprinter was one of the top sprinters in the state of Illinois. He finished second in the 100 and 200 at last year’s Class 3A state meet.
Malik Stewart (Maplewood): An excellent middle-distance performer, he was the Class 3 state champion in the 800-meter run and the state-runner-up in the 1,600meter run.
Brian Stiles (Hazelwood
West): The standout junior was a big part of the Wildcats’ state championship team. He finished second in the 400 and was a member of the Wildcats’ state-champion 4x400-meter relay team.
Jaden Williams (Cardinal Ritter): The senior standout was the Class 3 state champion in the 300-meter intermediate hurdles. He was also a member of Ritter’s state-champion 4x400-meter relay.
Lazarus Williams (SLUH): The standout senior was the Class 5 state champion in the 800-meter run. He also anchored the Jr. Bills to a second-place finish in the 4x800-meter relay.
Austin Jr.
With Alvin A. Reid
Alvin A. Reid
HANDYMAN WANTED for Apt Complex
$12hr Ask for Tim 314-319-8597
ADVERTISE YOUR JOBS WITH US
MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER
Laumeier Sculpture Park is seeking a Marketing & Communications Manager! The full job description can be viewed at https://www. laumeiersculpturepark.org/ job-opportunities.
INVITATION TO BID
McCarthy Building Companies, Inc. requests bids from qualified and certified MBE and WBE subcontractors and suppliers for the following project:
Washington University School of Medicine
4370 Duncan - Research Building and Garage Bid Package 5
For the following scopes of work:
Design Assist MEPFP and Temperature Controls
Bids Due June 4, 2020 by 2:00 PM CST
Contact: Mike Bax at mbax@mccarthy.com or 314-919-2215
Prequalification is required and can also be accessed through the McCarthy website above.
McCarthy Building Companies, Inc. is proud to be an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer.
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.
ST. LOUIS COMMUNITY
COLLEGE
St. Louis Community College will receive separate sealed bids for Contract No. F 20 001, Asphalt Paving Repairs, St. Louis Community College at Florissant Valley, Meramec and Forest Park, until 2:00 p.m. local time, Tuesday, May 19, 2020. Bids can be dropped in a mail slot at the front door of Engineering and Design, 5464 Highland Park Drive. Bids will be opened and read by the Manager of Engineering and Design (Ken Kempf), 5464 Highland Park Drive (Plan Room). Specifications and bid forms may be obtained by emailing Angie James at ajames84@stlcc.edu.
Pre-bid Meeting: By Appointment Only
An Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action Employer
ST. LOUIS COMMUNITY COLLEGE
St. Louis Community College will receive separate sealed bids for Contract No. F 20 102, Roof Replacement at Highland Park Building, St. Louis Community College at Highland Park, until 2:00 p.m. local time, Tuesday, May 19, 2020. Bids can be dropped in a mail slot at the front door of Engineering and Design, 5464 Highland Park Drive. Bids will be opened and read by the Manager of Engineering and Design (Ken Kempf), 5464 Highland Park Drive (Plan Room). Specifications and bid forms may be obtained by emailing Angie James at ajames84@stlcc.edu.
Pre-bid Meeting: Monday, May 11, 2020 10:00 a.m. Meet at 5464 Highland Park Drive
An Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action Employer
Request for Proposals for Design & Construction of a Parking/Mixed-Use Development on City Block 177 in Downtown St. Louis, Missouri
The Land Clearance for Redevelopment Authority of the City of St. Louis is seeking proposals from developers to design and construct a new mixed-use parking facility on City Block (“CB”) 177 which it owns. CB 177 is bounded by Convention Plaza, 10th Street, Lucas Avenue, and 11th Street. Proposals will be received until 3:00 PM on Wednesday, June 17, 2020 at St. Louis Development Corp., Attention Rob Orr, 1520 Market St. Suite 2000, St. Louis, Missouri 63103.
The full invitation and all documents related to this RFP may be downloaded at: https:// www.stlouis-mo.gov/government/departments/ sldc/documents/rfp-development-cb-177.cfm
BIDS REQUESTED
Public Services –Advertising & Engagement. Specifications and bid forms may be obtained from www.msdprojectclear.org, click on the “DOING BUSINESS WITH US” link, (View Non-Capital Bids (Goods & Services). The bid document will be identified as 10372 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.
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Sealed proposals will be received by the Board of Public Service, Room 208, City Hall, 1200 Market Street, St. Louis, Mo. Until 1:45 PM, CT, on May 19, 2020, then publicly opened and read. Plans and Specifications may be examined on the Board of Public Service website http:// www.stl-bps.org (BPS On Line Plan Room) and may be purchased directly throughthe BPS website from INDOX Services at cost plus shipping.
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 (Virtual Plan Room).(Announcements).
Street, St. Louis, Missouri, hold a public hearing for the purpose of presenting the District’s proposed Operating Budget, Capital Improvement and Replacement Program, user charges for the 2021 Fiscal Year, and finding and determining the amount of taxes which shall be levied, assessed and collected in 2020 on all taxable tangible
State of Missouri are currently under a Stay-At-Home order. Going forward, and for this upcoming meeting, all MSD Public Meetings will be available live via our YouTube Channel which can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/msdprojectclear or www.msdprojectclear.org
Donald Maggi, Inc. is accepting bids from Disadvantaged Business Enterprises for subcontracting opportunities on the West Main Street Sidewalk located in Sullivan MO 63080
Bid Date & Time: Wednesday, May 13, 2020
Plans and specifications are available for purchase from: Engineering Dept. City Hall, 210 W Washington, Sullivan MO Or may be inspected at our office at 13104 South US Hwy 63, Rolla, MO 65401
Request for Email copies of plans and specs can be sent via drop box Our telephone number is 573-364-7733; fax 573-341-5065. An Equal Opportunity Employer. Email: maggiconst@gmail.com Donald Maggi, Inc.
SEALED BIDS
Bids for Westminster R
t i o n Project, Callaway County, Missouri, Project No. Y2002-01 will be received by FMDC, State of MO, UNTIL 1:30 PM, 5/28/2020 via MissouriBUYS.
Bidders must be registered to bid. For specific project information and ordering plans, go to: http://oa.mo. gov/ facilities
NOTICE TO CONTRACTORS
SEALED BIDS
Bids for Replace Roofs, Multiple B u i l d i n g s a t Montgomery City Youth Center, Project No. H1908-01 will be received by FMDC, State of MO, UNTIL 1:30 PM, 5/21/20 via MissouriBUYS. Bidders must be registered to bid. For specific project information and ordering plans, go to: http://oa.mo. gov/facilities
Notice is hereby given that The Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District (District), the Owner, will receive sealed bids for LOWER MERAMEC RIVER SYSTEM IMPROVEMENTS - BAUMGARTNER TO FENTON WWTF TUNNEL under Letting No. 11746-015.1, at its office, 2350 Market Street, St. Louis, Missouri 63103, until 2:00 PM, local time, on Wednesday, June 24, 2020. All bids are to be deposited in the bid box located on the first floor of the District’s Headquarters prior to the 2:00 p.m. deadline. Bids may, however, be withdrawn prior to the opening of the first bid. BIDS WILL BE PUBLICLY OPENED AND READ IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE BID DUE DATE/TIME AT 2350 MARKET STREET, AT A PLACE DESIGNATED.
The Work to be performed under these Contract Documents consists of: the mining of approximately 35,849 feet of minimum 11-foot excavated diameter Lower Meramec Tunnel through rock utilizing a rock tunnel boring machine; providing 35,961 feet of an 8-foot inside diameter tunnel carrier pipe; construction of the Fenton Construction Shaft; final lining of the existing Baumgartner Construction Shaft; construction of six drop structures including near surface structures, drop shafts, vent shafts, deaeration chambers, and adits; connection to existing Baumgartner Tunnel; installation of bulkhead at Fenton Construction Shaft; demolition of existing pump stations; and near surface sewer connections to drop structures.. The project is within the Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District Boundaries, inside the city(ies) of unincorporated St. Louis County, Sunset Hills and Fenton in the State of Missouri. The work will be performed in various quantities at various sites.
All prospective bidders must prequalify in the Tunneling/Trenchless category, and be certified prior to the Bid Opening. Prequalification forms for obtaining said certification may be obtained from the Owner at the above mentioned address. All bidders must obtain drawings and specifications in the name of the entity submitting the bid.
This project will be financed through the Missouri State Revolving Fund, established by the sale of Missouri Water Pollution Control bonds and Federal Capitalization Grants to Missouri. Neither the Missouri Department of Natural Resources, its divisions, nor its employees will be party to the contract at any tier. Any Bidder whose firm or affiliate is listed on the GSA publication titled “List of Parties Excluded from Federal Procurement or Non-Procurement Programs” is prohibited from the bidding process; bids received from a listed party will be deemed non-responsive. Refer to Instructions to Bidders B-27 for more information regarding debarment and suspension.
Nondiscrimination in Employment: Bidders on this work will be required to comply with the President’s Executive Order 11246. Requirements for bidders and contractors under this order are explained in the specifications.
A mandatory Pre-Bid conference will be held at the Construction Training School, 2nd Floor Assembly Room, 6301 Knox Industrial Drive, St. Louis, MO 63139, on Wednesday, May 27th, 2020, at 2:00 p.m. local time in accordance with Article 6 of the Instructions to Bidders. Following the Pre-Bid Conference, a Diversity Fair will be held from 3:00 pm to 5:00 pm on the same date and in the same location as the Pre-Bid Conference. Additionally, rock core as obtained for the project and for preparation of the Geotechnical Data Report will be available to the bidders by appointment at 1612 Macklind Avenue, St. Louis, MO 63110 on Wednesday, May 27th, 2020 or Thursday, May 28th, 2020.
Plans and Specifications are available from free electronic download. Please go to MSD’s website and look for a link to “ELECTRONIC PLANROOM.” Plans and Specifications are also available for viewing or purchase at Cross Rhodes Reprographics located at 2731 S. Jefferson Ave St Louis, MO 63118. The Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
The Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District is an Equal Opportunity Employer and invites the submission of bids from Women and Minority Business Enterprises.
SEALED BIDS
Bids for Construct New Columbarium Wall, Bloomfield Veterans Cemetery, Bloomfield, Missouri, Project N o . U 2 0 0 1 - 0 1 will be received by FMDC, State of MO, UNTIL 1:30 PM, 5/28/2020 via MissouriBUYS.
Bidders must be registered to bid. For specific project information and ordering plans, go to: http://oa.mo.gov/ facilities
SEALED BIDS
Bids for Construct Battery Room, Trenton Field M a i n t e n a n c e Shop, Project No. T2026-01 will be received by FMDC, State of MO, UNTIL 1:30 PM, 5/28/20 via MissouriBUYS. Bidders must be registered to bid. For specific project information and ordering plans, go to: http://oa.mo. gov/facilities
NOTICE TO CONTRACTORS
Paric Corporation is seeking proposals for the following project: TASMG readiness Center AVCRAD Facility.
The project includes constructing a new two-story Army Readiness Center, approximately 43,000 SF in size, adjacent to the existing AVCRAD facility. This project will adjoin to the phase 3A project scheduled for completion in summer 2020.
The scope of work for this project includes but is not limited to selective demolition, concrete foundations and flatwork, masonry, steel, carpentry, woodwork, metal roof and wall panels, roofing, doors, storefront, drywall, acoustical ceilings, flooring, resinous flooring, painting, specialties, elevators, fire sprinklers, plumbing, HVAC, electrical, earthwork, asphalt, landscaping and storm sewer.
This project has MBE/WBE/SDVE Goals: MBE 10.00%, WBE 10.00%, & SDVE 3.00%.
send all bids to bids@paric.com
NOTICE TO CONTRACTORS
Bids will be received electronically by the Commission until 11:00 o'clock a.m. (prevailing local time) on 05/15/2020 for the project(s) listed below. Electronic bids must be submitted through “Bid Express Secure Internet Bidding” at www.bidx.com. Paper bid bonds shall be addressed to and received by:
Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission
Attention: State Design Engineer/Bid Bond 105 West Capitol Avenue Jefferson City, Missouri
The proposed work includes:
Job J6P3188B Route 141 St Louis County. Interchange improvements and bridge improvements at the Route 364 interchange, the total length of improvement being 0.338 miles.
Job J6P3188C Route 141 St Louis County. Interchange Improvements at the Route 364 interchange, the total length of improvement being 1.619 miles.
Special Needs: If you have special needs addressed by the Americans with Disabilities Act, please notify Pamela Harlan, Secretary to the Commission, at (573) 751-2824 or through Missouri Relay System, TDD 1-800-735-2966.
The wage rates applicable to this project have been predetermined as required by law and are set forth in the Bidding documents. When federal wage rates are applicable and included, this contract is subject to the "Work Hours Act of 1962," (P.L. 87581, 76 State. 357) and implementing regulations.
By virtue of statutory authority, preference shall be given on other than Federal Aid Projects, to materials, products, supplies, provisions, and other articles, produced, manufactured, made or grown within the state of Missouri, where same are of a suitable character and can be obtained at reasonable market prices in the state and are of a quality suited to the purpose intended and can be secured without additional cost over foreign products or products of other states.
The Commission hereby notifies all bidders that it will affirmatively insure that in any contract entered into pursuant to this advertisement, minority business enterprises will be afforded full opportunity to submit bids in response to this invitation and will not be discriminated against on the grounds of race, color, religion, creed, sex, age, ancestry, or national origin in consideration for an award. The Commission reserves the right to reject any or all bids.
Plans and specifications may be inspected in the offices of the Commission at Jefferson City, or the District Office at Town and Country, Missouri. Plans and specifications are available for download at www.modot.org. Complete instructions to bidders may be obtained at the Jefferson City office. All questions concerning the bid document preparation shall be directed to the Central Office – Design Division at (573) 751-2876.
THE MISSOURI HIGHWAYS AND TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION
We dug into the crates of Wiley Price’s archives for a photo of future King of Comedy Cedric The Entertainer just in time for Cedric’s birthday on Friday
Swag Snap of the Week
St. Louis native and filmmaker Damien D. Smith posted a prequarantine throwback of him biking through the streets of Los Angeles on Instagram
J’rel London serving up springtime beauty on Instagram
Nelly claps back and takes his credit. While this stay-at-home/social distancing has been a mess and I’m over it, I must say that I have been thrilled by how the internet has taken this time to give St. Louis rappers some shine. A few weeks ago, Murphy Lee got some much-deserved shine and was trending on Twitter from a place of pure love. And this week, Nelly was back in the news for shutting down the argument of him and the St. Lunatics’ Air Force One fashion influence. I knew when Nelly hopped up in the comments of the footage of A$AP Rocky taking credit for making that particular Nike shoe essential urban footwear with a simple, yet profound rebuttal. I can’t tell y’all how hard I cackled when I saw “lies” as the official statement from Nelly’s verified account. And then he called into “The Breakfast Club” to make it plain that him and the Tics made Ones must-haves back when Rocky was a student at Booker T. Washington Junior High. I wish that A$AP Rocky had 1/100th of the relevancy of Beyoncé, so I could say “that would be like Bey acting like RUN DMC didn’t make Adidas must have urban wear before she launched Ivy Park.” But he doesn’t, so I can’t. Since we are showing global love to St. Louis in these internet streets, what we need next is a collective apology to Chingy from the entire hip-hop community for mistreating him. Between Alexis Starr’s lies and Charlamagne Tha God’s unwarranted slander, folks got on some bandwagon mess several years back and it was not cute or necessary. I can’t stand Charlamange (yes, mange) to this very day for a whole host of reasons – particularly for his body shaming and colorist antics. And I won’t even get into how he let Gucci Mane talk sideways about his co-host. But what set it off for me was when he used to target Chingy for no reason with straight bully moves back when he was but a flunky for Wendy Williams.
My money is on Bone Thugs. The awful news is that because of “The Rona,” I will now have to wait until fall to see Three 6 Mafia and the ratchetry of their Memphis rap collective. The good news is that they will be squaring off against Bone Thugs N Harmony as the latest veterans to go to the IG Live battleground. I know Juicy J and ‘nem have an Oscar, but my heart belongs to the E. 99 St. crew. I just feel like pound for pound, Three 6 can’t hang with Bone’s catalog – and they have collabed with biggest names in hip-hop. ‘Pac, Biggie, Eazy – I mean, how do you compete with a group who has shared tracks with late, great legends like this? And I promise, had “Crossroads” been up against “It’s Hard Out Here For A Pimp” it would have taken Oscar gold by a landslide. The battle goes down at 7 p.m. CST on Bone or Three 6 Mafia’s IG. I’m a little nervous because they are rappers of a certain age, and technology has not been kind or forgiving to the more seasoned artists that have hopped on – yes John P. Kee and Hezekiah Walker, even though this is Partyline, I’m talking about you. But I’m hoping for the best… and praying that Bizzy and ‘nem don’t become memes like Teddy’s tragic fate. And even though it’s unrelated, since I’m talking about hip-hop men of a certain age, can I go ahead and tell y’all about the life that was abundantly given to me through DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince’s virtual reunion performance? I never had the opportunity to catch them as a duo live – and “Brand New Funk” is among the most underrated hip-hop classics. So to see them together… well… sort of… performing that track had my 11-year-old self screaming, “I love you Fresh Prince” at the computer screen. Will Smith is in his fifties and did that track with no backing vocals like it was nothing. And my sixth-grade lungs that were used to swimming laps in the Countryside complex swimming pool could barely keep up with those verses back then!
Mvstemind goes virtual. Since I’m talking about live, I might as well hip ya’ll up to my boy Mvstermind’s livestream show happening Friday night. For those who have been paying attention, I’ve been caping for Mvstermind since “Moolah Money” and after he handled the technical woes of his LouFest mainstage performance like an absolute pro. I know some of y’all might not have been willing to step outside of your cultural comfort zones to catch a St. Louis rap star as he ascends, but there is no excuse since you can check him out in the comfort of your own home. It’s happening at 8 p.m. this Friday (May 1) on Facebook Live, IG Live and according to Mvstermind, every doggone place else where streaming is an option. Be sure to check him out so I can say “I told you so,” and you can act like one of the cool kids, because you can truthfully say “I was up on him way back during the quarantine!” Vastly improved ‘Insecure.’ I was kinder about it than I led on, but I was one absent cackle away from calling it a season with Issa and the crew. Honestly, if it hadn’t been for Kelly being dressed as Halle Berry’s character in “B.A.P.S.’ I probably wouldn’t have tuned back in at all. But I did, and I’m glad. Since I’m one of the few people left that can write about a show without spoiling it, I will keep it vague. But there are some paradigm shifts in relationships that got real – and very interesting. The chemistry – and tension has finally clicked for this season and I no longer feel like I’m watching a parody show like the ones they feature as must-see TV each go ‘round. The “Scandal” and “Underground” spoofs were classic. It’s going to be a whole lot of drama and soul searching going on for the rest of the run. And while y’all were acting like Molly is the mess that keeps Issa’s life incomplete, that toxicity is a two-way street. Had it not been for those Sixlet plaits in Issa’s head and Molly’s disastrous “do too much” of a Thanksgiving blazer blouse item, the episode would have been perfect.
J. Ross, who was blessed to recover from COVID19 earlier this month, took a socially distant walk with Laka this week
The Ray family was reminded of what it was like when they could represent for Cardinals Nation when a Facebook Memory popped up
Mizzou alums Jo Lena, Kim, Tracy and Sylvia caught up through a Zoom Happy Hour Sunday afternoon
Mocha Latte was stunning when she accepted the “Women Who Inspire” award last year at the luncheon presented by DELUX and sponsored by Maryville
Coach Chi showing off the perfect curls in her sister locks on Facebook
Mvstermind and his lovely wife Savis enjoying the sunshine as they socially distance together
Lil D, the newest member of the Hot 104.1FM family, received a warm welcome from her new onair family via Instagram Ric Louis brought his long-running weekly karaoke set into the virtual universe, but he played all the classics that have made his event a favorite over the years