January 30th, 2020 Edition

St. LouiS AmericAn

‘You should get an honest day’s pay’

WestbrooksHodge appointed to Mo. Board of Education

Says investing in teachers is a key priority

By Rebecca Rivas Of The St. Louis American

Gov. Mike Parson has appointed Pamela Westbrooks-Hodge, a board member of the Normandy Schools Collaborative, to the Missouri Board of Education.

n “We need to make an investment in the people who are most instrumental in determining the outcomes of our children’s lives.” – Pamela WestbrooksHodge

“For my entire life, I have strongly felt that education was the great equalizer,” said Westbrooks-Hodge, who heads Information Systems Audit at Edward Jones Investments. “Education has made all the difference in my personal life. Every child in our state desires to live a productive life, and education is the way to do that.” Westbrooks-Hodge will replace board member Mike Jones in representing District 1. Jones recommended Westbrooks-Hodge’s appointment, he said, because he admired her leadership as vice president of the Normandy Schools Collaborative Joint Executive Governing Board.

“There are three essential qualities required for leadership: intelligence, integrity and courage,” Jones stated in a letter to the governor. “Westbrooks-Hodge possesses a double portion of all three of these qualities.” Her skills in strategic planning and executive leadership development are “equally impressive,” Jones said.

By Sophie Hurwitz

By Sophie Hurwitz

“I’m here to support all the working families,” Harris said. “We’re here for $15 an hour, and if we can get that goal, I’d be very happy.” Harris said this was his first time risking arrest. “It’s not a stressful thing,” he said. “If that’s what it takes to get to the goal, I’m willing to do it.” If successful, SEIU Local 1’s campaign could raise the wages of over 2,100 workers. One of those workers is Alishea Bell, who is only able to make ends meet by working another full time job on top of her full time janitorial work cleaning the trading floor at Wells Fargo.

and Medicaid coverage

project. Project leaders also have not been able to confirm that the facility will be able to accept Medicaid or Medicare — despite the hospital being located in the middle of one of the most impoverished and medicallyunderserved areas in the region. Alderwoman Cara Spencer (D-Ward 20) said that the Board of Aldermen approved a substantial

Photo by Wiley Price

Jason Frazier, president and CEO of Mind’s Eye, shows where the radio station for the blind has listeners. He was drawn to the station because he believes his grandmother, who was blind, could have used a resource like it.

Photo by Wiley Price

Kobe Bryant tributes pour in

The world has continued to mourn the loss of basketball great Kobe Bryant, 41, who was killed along with his 13-year-old daughter Gianna “Gigi” Bryant and seven others as the result of a helicopter crash in the Los Angeles region on Sunday.

“I haven’t felt a pain that sharp in a while,” Bryant’s Los Angeles Lakers teammate Shaquille O’Neal said during a TNT tribute to Bryant on the Staples Center floor, where he was joined by Dwyane Wade, Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith, Ernie Johnson, Reggie Miller and Jerry West. “We, our names will be attached together for what we did. I still can’t believe it.”

“Kobe was a legend on the court and just getting started in what would have been just as meaningful a second act,” President Barack Obama said via Twitter. “To lose Gianna is even more heartbreaking to us as parents. Michelle and I send love and prayers to Vanessa and the entire Bryant family on an unthinkable day.”

“The world lost a giant today,” said Pharrell Williams. “Rest In Peace Kobe Bryant. Also praying for the other passengers that we lost and their families.”

T.I. publicly apologizes to daughters in wake of Kobe Bryant’s death

Rapper T.I., who received backlash last year when he revealed he takes his eldest daughter to the gynecologist every year to check that she’s still a virgin, has posted a heartfelt message to Deyjah, 18, and Heiress,3, to ask for their forgiveness for his “imperfections” two days after the Kobe Bryant died in a helicopter crash over the weekend with his daughter Gianna, 13, and seven other people.

“I love you girls more than my vocabulary will allow me to express. Please forgive me for any and all imperfections that cause misunderstandings between us.... Charge my mind, not my heart. You see, life may throw us curveballs & deal us some pretty bad hands at times. But rest assured, you’ll NEVER find yourself in a place too high or low for me to be there to catch you when you fall. I just Can’t let another second go by without letting you know while we’re still here in this life together.... You have ALL MY LOVE FOR ALL MY LIFE...&AFTER (sic)”

He also paid tribute to his wife Tameka “Tiny” Harris.

“I love you Mrs H. @ majorgirl imperfections, misunderstandings and all....

we’ve shared most of the happiest moments of our lives together,” T.I. said. “I know I’ve had my moments, but... despite all my shortcomings & transgressions the fact remains. You Give me a thousand choices & I’d choose you every time.” *

Nicki Minaj asks for leniency in bother’s case, Jelani Maraj gets 25 years

FOR

Tomatoes on the Vine

brother Jelani Maraj was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison this week after being convicted of raping his 11-year-old stepdaughter. According to reports, Nicki wrote the judge begging for a more lenient

“The judge said his heart was like a ‘stone’ when it came to pleas for mercy from those who advocated on Maraj’s behalf, which included letters from the defendant’s sister and other supporters,” Newsday reported. According to the outlet, Nicki Minaj’s letter, dated Sept. 19, 2016, described her brother as “the most patient, gentle, genuine, giving, selfless man” she knows and someone “who came to my mother’s rescue often when she endured domestic violence so that she and I could sleep peacefully at night.”

In the letter, Minaj also reportedly accused the victim’s mother of trying to extort her and asked the judge to “show mercy” to her brother and “rethink punishing him for something he did not do.”

Wendy Williams divorce is final

Last year, talk show host Wendy Williams filed for divorce from her husband and business partner, Kevin Hunter, after he fathered a child with his longtime mistress. According to Page Six, Wendy’s divorce was granted this week.

Kevin will not receive any alimony, but Wendy is required to keep a $1 million life insurance policy on herself with Kevin as the sole beneficiary. Wendy has the right to reduce the amount of the policy on a yearly basis. It is reported that Wendy must also cover Kevin’s health insurance costs and the former couple will split the proceeds from the sale of their marital home and Kevin gets to keep his cars.

Wendy also bought out Kevin’s shares in her production company for an undisclosed lump sum. Both are responsible for their own legal fees.

*Spelling and grammar as it appeared in original post.

Sources: Instagram.com, Newsday.com, Espn.com, SI.com, Twitter.com, Pagesix.com

Nicki Minaj

The police residency requirement and racial equity

Relative to demographics, SLMPD is already 20 percent over-represented by white officers

By Joel Sjerven For the St. Louis American

In the early 1970s Detroit elected Coleman Young, its first black mayor. In an effort to diversify the disproportionately white Detroit Police Department, Mayor Young passed a residency requirement. A residency requirement makes it so those applying to work in the city must reside in the city as a term of their employment. In this case it was specifically for police, and it was very effective. The black police officers in Detroit increased from 20 percent to 50 percent –more than doubling within four years.

In St. Louis city the residency requirement was passed unanimously on May 9, 1973 by the St. Louis Board of Police Commissioners. This agreement came as a compromise by allowing the current 2,220 city police officers to continue to reside in either St. Louis city or county, while establishing any new hires would need to establish city residency within 90 days of hire.

Nearly 50 years later St. Louis Mayor Lyda Krewson is trying to repeal the residency requirement for St. Louis police

officers. Currently, anyone who applies for a position with the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department (SLMPD) must move to the city within 120 days.

Krewson first attempted to have the Board of Aldermen remove the residency requirement, but the board voted to uphold it on September 13, 2019. Krewson’s next step has been to take the issue to the state legislation, finding common ground with Republican Attorney General Eric Schmitt. Historically, residency requirements have been used to enhance diversity in a local

police force. They also aim to keep the force local to respond more quickly to urgent situations and to encourage community policing by having police work in or near the communities that they live.

Removing the residency requirement would allow those living in St. Louis County to apply for city jobs. Saint Louis County is 65 percent white and 24 percent African American, compared to the City which is 44 percent white and 45 percent African-American. The county has over 40 percent more white residents than African Americans, while the city is almost even.

Therefore, removing the residency requirement would offer current city jobs to a much whiter pool of county applicants.

The most recent data available on the SLMPD lists its racial breakdowns as 66 percent white and 31 percent African-American, so relative to the city demographics, the police department is already 20 percent over-represented by white officers.

Aside from workforce diversity, a reason to keep the residency requirement is to keep the “community” in “community policing.” For true community policing,

police should be from the communities where they work and should live among those communities.

Contrary to her history of running on support for community policing, Krewson has continued her attempts to repeal the residency requirement. Krewson ran on community policing and has continued her intention to “develop a set of community policing standards,” so why is she pushing legislation that would move police further from the community?

Black journalist Carl Rowan summed up the importance of Detroit’s residency requirement, stating, “They go to the heart of issues like law and order, of the staffing of police and fire departments in our increasing black cities.”

While successful in Detroit, the residency requirement was challenged, particularly by white police leadership.

J.A. Levenson suggested that they fought the requirement because they preferred “living in the suburbs where housing was more readily available to whites and racial unrest was virtually nonexistent, largely due to de facto segregation.” The white leadership was successful, and in 1999 the residency requirement was overturned. That same year 20 percent of Detroit’s officers moved out of the city into the suburbs.

The residency requirement should not be rescinded for the SLMPD. The funding for the unfilled police positions could

be better invested in a holistic approach to crime prevention. St. Louis Treasurer Tishaura O. Jones has suggested that SLMPD could expand its social worker pilot project, making permanent and expanding social worker positions that partner with the police. Other feasible options can be found directly at Krewson’s website (LydaKrewson.com), such as “recreation and education programs for youth” and “expansion of communitybased anti-violence programs” – think Cure Violence. St. Louis wouldn’t be alone in redirecting funds to crime-reduction measures. Durham took money meant to hire 18 officers, and used it to give a raise to the city’s part-time workers. Minneapolis moved $1 million from the police department budget to fund and create a violenceprevention program. However, any consideration to repeal the residency requirement should take a racial equity approach and consider the impact it will have on the diversity of our police force. Although it is unlikely that removing the residency requirement will fill the vacant positions, there are better ways for that money to be invested in our community.

Joel Sjerven is a social worker who has served people who use drugs, people with mental illness, and those experiencing homelessness. He will graduate from UMSL in December with his Master of Social Work.

Officers from the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department guarded the St. Louis Workhouse during a protest in July 2017. St. Louis Mayor Lyda Krewson is currently trying to repeal the residency requirement for St. Louis police officers.

Joel Sjerven

Photo by Wiley Price

Editorial /CommEntary

Let’s stop enabling Jeff Roorda to spew hateful lies

Watching the U.S. Senate trial of the president’s impeachment, it’s not hard to feel a deep sense of helplessness at all the lies and enablers of lies. Our country’s leader spends his time lying, breeding hate and creating division — arguably doing Russia’s bidding with actions that tear our country apart.

There’s not much we as St. Louisans or local journalists can do about that. But there is something we can do about powerful players in this town who seek to divide us. One of them is Jeff Roorda, the business agent and spokesman for the St. Louis Police Officers Association. Both citizens and media outlets should stop enabling Roorda on behalf of the community his divisive rhetoric continues to harm.

On January 23, representatives for Circuit Attorney Kimberly Gardner held a press conference to talk about Roorda’s “atrocious misrepresentation of the facts” regarding Gardner’s December 23 traffic stop and his call for one of Gardner’s investigators to be arrested.

Redditt Hudson, diversion specialist in Gardner’s office, said that Roorda is not a police officer and does not work for the city, yet is “afforded these platforms to misrepresent facts consistently.”

“We think this is a pattern of behavior with him: character attacks, false information, accusations of lies,” Hudson said. “Jeff Roorda lost his job as a law enforcement officer for falsifying a police report and has consistently provided incorrect and false information.”

When reporters directed questions to Hudson, a black man who is a former city police officer, they were posed with a tone of disbelief and even dismissiveness. That tone completely changed when the same reporters stepped out of the conference room and into the hall where Roorda staged his own impromptu press conference. In contrast, reporters asked Roorda questions in a soft, validating tone and nodded along to his answers. It was shameful.

This is a man who just this summer — on the fifth anniversary of Michael Brown’s shooting death in Ferguson — posted an intentionally hurtful and

inflammatory “Happy Alive Day” post with a picture of Darren Wilson, the police officer who killed Brown. Roorda continuously urges police officers and the community to participate in actions that cause the community — especially the black community — harm. And he’s been doing it for years. During her 2017 mayoral campaign, Mayor Lyda Krewson called on the union to fire him after his inflammatory Facebook post about Treasurer Tishaura O. Jones, her opponent. Krewson even said that if she won, Roorda “would not be welcome in my office.”

Yet now as mayor, we have not heard Krewson denounce Roorda’s actions. Her administration, especially City Counselor Julian Bush, actively participates in the campaign to undermine Gardner, with Roorda their head cheerleader.

In June, Roorda made a Facebook post calling people to adopt the Punisher Blue Lives Matter symbol as their profile pictures, in protest of Gardner “penalizing” two city officers for posting the image. Police departments across the country have prohibited their officers from using the Punisher as a propolice symbol because it encourages police to be the judge, jury and executioner and has been called racist in the context that it’s being used. In 2017, the Punisher logo became a symbol during the Unite the Right rally, a white supremacist and neo-Nazi rally in Charlottesville, Virginia. Following the rally, it was co-opted by right-wing hate groups, which Marvel Comics

condemned. Gerry Conway, who created the character, told Newsweek that police posting the image on their cop cars was the equivalent of “a Confederate flag on a government building.”

To be clear, the police deserve a spokesperson to defend their interests. But this could and should be done respectfully, truthfully and fairly, not with hate, deceit and racist implications.

On January 15, the Ethical Society of Police (ESOP), a police association that advocates for racial justice, held a press conference to say that the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department has a problem with racism, which is outlined in Gardner’s recent federal lawsuit. The union and Roorda have never stood with ESOP or their own AfricanAmerican members, they said.

“It would be a powerful move if we ever heard the police union come out and state that protestors, activists, Milton Green, Luther Hall and some of the issues that African-American officers face are valid and they’re accurate,” said Heather Taylor, president of ESOP. “That would be a powerful move, instead of putting out memes of the circuit attorney and racist, homophobic and vile statements about women. Instead of targeting people. Let’s do that.”

Instead of giving Jeff Roorda a platform to target individuals – almost always black people like Tishaura O. Jones and Kimberly Gardner – it would be a powerful move to call out and counter his lies and to ignore him if he continues to spew hateful lies.

Let’s do that.

Let the conversation begin about closing public schools

By Ray Cummings For The St. Louis American

Guest Columnist

Ray Cummings

The resolution of issues like school closings typically starts with some type of branding campaign complete with, slogans, comforting language which conveys compassion and leadership, as well as the closures being labeled as the soundest financial decision. With respect to Saint Louis Public Schools, school closure has started no different with a branding campaign of “consolidation,” including a cute symbol, “right size” language, complete with the assurance that closures will get us in line with other school districts in the state based on enrollment.

Some people are even saying that school closures (sorry about that, I mean school consolidations) will generate a shower of resources from savings. Then, those savings could be used to pay for things such as services critically needed by our students, as well as salary increases for SLPS employees.

This approach sounds good, but fails to even consider having a conversation about our school system leading the way to helping St. Louis become the best city possible.

We need to start a conversation about the role SLPS can play in neighborhood rebuilding and stabilization.

Ever wonder why SLPS buildings tower over the other buildings in the neighborhoods in which they are located? The most obvious answer is that they had to be large enough to hold the students needing to enroll. That is only partly true, since a review of history reveals that some of the most world-famous architects were brought in to design powerful symbols of the community’s commitment to the importance to education.

I believe that present circumstances provide us with the opportunity to reaffirm that commitment. This is sorely needed, given that many of our schools are located in areas where the school is the last vestige of community in lowincome neighborhoods that have become blighted due in part to neglect from business leaders and city and state politicians.

Kelvin Adams, superintendent of SLPS, recently made a comparison between the average enrollment of buildings in SLPS and other school districts. But let us not forget that the City of St. Louis experienced nearly 200 murders in 2019, yet none of the school districts cited in his comparisons have ever experience that level of violence and trauma. It is fair to say that our students are like

Question what Krewson is saying about the Workhouse

By Callion Barnes For The St. Louis American

With the recent news of the release of the Close the Workhouse campaign’s 2.0 report, City Resolution 205 and growing public official support, I wanted to voice why this needs to happen and share my firsthand account.

The first time I was in the Workhouse was in 1992, and the last time I was in the Workhouse was in 2017. The core issue for me was mental health and lack of resources. My mom was killed when I turned 12. My dad was killed when I turned 13. I didn’t have the resources to deal with the loss of my parents. Their deaths sent me to the streets to survive.

It’s important to question what Mayor Krewson is saying about the Workhouse because it is not accurate based on

what people on the inside have been experiencing. For years, the Workhouse has harmed people in ways that can’t be changed. The Workhouse is a place of great uncertainty for the people there. You don’t know how long you’re going to be there or when your next court date will be.

Do you know what happens in the Workhouse when it rains? Rats, bugs, spiders come out. The mold gets worse. You don’t know if you’ll have access to medical care. The first thing that happens when you go in there is you lose hope.

On and off for two decades, I have survived the Workhouse and now work as a canvasser for Action St. Louis to close the Workhouse. I have been canvassing since June. From canvassing I know that neighborhoods in St. Louis overwhelmingly support shutting the Workhouse down.

I think it’s important to understand what leads people to be locked up in the Workhouse in the first place. A lot of people want to do right,

Letters to the Editor

Mayor Krewson is the worst mayor I have worked for in 48 years as a City of St. Louis employee. She has been about as successful as the Loop Trolley that she is now trying to get Bi-State to take over. There has been one blunder after the next. She was a major supporter of the Better Together effort whereby her friend, former County Executive Steve Stenger, would have become the leader of St. Louis. He is now in prison. She was a big

but they don’t have the option or opportunity to do so. When you back someone who is a scared into a corner, you’re asking for a fight. That’s what has been happening to people in St. Louis. A lot of people want to do right but they have been backed into a corner. They just need help. People need more resources, especially mental health resources. If we close the Workhouse we could use that $16 million dollars to give people resources. In conclusion, I want people to read the “Close the Workhouse Report 2.0” and check out the resolution because this is a moment for St. Louis to really do the right thing and close the Workhouse.

Read the report at https:// tinyurl.com/Workhouse2-0. Read the aldermanic resolution at https://tinyurl. com/Resolution205.

Callion Barnes is a St. Louis resident, member of Close the Workhouse and canvasser with Action St. Louis.

All letters are edited for length and style.

We all know how that worked out backer of airport privatization that jeopardized the city’ biggest and best asset. That effort finally collapsed in a pile of rubble. Unable for forge necessary alliances with the Board of Alderman, she has been unable to appoint a slate of freeholders. Also unable to garner necessary aldermanic support, she has turned to the state Legislature to deal with the city residency issue for employees. This should be a locally determined issue.

How can we let this

The City of St. Louis is a truly confounding place. Here is a locale where, similar to other American cities, we unabashedly ruffle feathers and rally for the rights of the consumer. Like birds, we flocked to block the privatization of the airport for noble reasons that benefited St. Louis city’s citizens, yes, but that ultimately protect consumers. When the president floated notions of privatizing the U.S. Postal Service in 2018, as a city, we stood in rare formation (united) and balked at the efforts to deny vital services

any other students; they are a microcosm of the communities from which they come. Therefore, it is not a stretch of the imagination to conclude that a significant number of our students are casualties of that violence and are suffering from severe trauma. That must be considered along with measurements like building capacity when we decide what schools close or stay open. We must consider the safety of the students, not to mention the life or death of the communities where schools are located.

I am old enough to remember the Pruitt-Igoe experience, where buildings filled to capacity with those experiencing violence, a sense of hopelessness and suffering from severe trauma ended in the complete destruction of that community. There is a better way. Let’s began a conversation about how the schools slated to be closed can become the hubs of innovation, neighborhood rebuilding and neighborhood stabilization. This is a call to city residents, parents, students, SPLS employees, politicians and community activists. Come out to town hall meetings and let the conversation begin. Ray Cummings is a product of Saint Louis Public Schools, 30-year veteran teacher in SLPS, political director of the American Federation of Teachers St. Louis Local 420 for 15 years, and a 50-year community activist.

Martin Luther King Jr.’s work paved the way for black Americans, marginalized people, and allies everywhere to stand up for dignity, understanding, and freedom. Now more than ever, it’s important to celebrate the progress we’ve made while acknowledging the fight isn’t over. We must continue working against racism and

to individuals who didn’t live in areas where delivering mail translated into dollars. Is this not the very basis of the fear of the privatization of services? Ensuring that all citizens are serviced equitably, despite the financial impact of providing said service on the business’ balance sheet? We stood proudly, unflinchingly, in agreement that we could not –under any circumstances –make profitability the basis for mail delivery.

Heroic acts, indeed. Yet 2020 finds us collectively cowering behind the (black) face of school closings, citing

Sikh solidarity

discrimination to create a world where everyone is treated with respect.

At the St. Louis Agency on Training and Employment (SLATE), it has been a debacle with an appointment that should never have happened. This agency is still reeling from the disaster she created. In general, her appointments have been has-beens and carryovers from the previous administration. Her top priority when she ran for mayor was fighting crime, and we all know how that has worked out.

James Sahaida St. Louis

fly?

“cost-effectiveness” as our rationale? Are we saying, then, that poor black kids are not consumers worthy of our rallying, nor our cries? That closing schools in their neighborhoods makes sense since they don’t make dollars? How can we let this fly? Under whose wing will the blatant attack on the educational empowerment and cultural history of black kids residing in North St. Louis receive reprieve? Should they simply fly South in search of warmer schools?

Arthurine Harris St. Louis

Sikhism’s founder, Guru Nanak, began his work in the 1500s by speaking out against discrimination of women and the poor – a fight for justice that mirrors Dr. King’s hundreds of years later. Sikhs hold Guru Nanak’s values of equality closely, and believe that everyone has access to God, regardless of their background. For this reason, Sikh Americans are honored to stand with our black neighbors in celebration and solidarity.

Anjleen Kaur Gumer, executive director National Sikh Campaign Scottsdale, Arizona

One of the largest weekly newspapers in Missouri CAC Audited 100% independently owned & operated

Columnist

Callion Barnes

Jeff Roorda, business agent and spokesman for the St. Louis Police Officers Association

Photo by Wiley Price

MLK Day at SIUE

Volunteering their time on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Service Day at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville were Zach Stinebaugh and Stephen Baumgartner, both graduate students in industrial-organizational I/O psychology; Tyler Wheeler, a senior in education; Kyle Johnson, a senior in business management; and David Robinson, a senior in biology. More than 65 SIUE students, staff and their families assembled 164 winter care kits for homeless shelters on Monday, January 20.

Take Your Child to the Library Day 2020

St. Louis County Library will celebrate Take Your Child to the Library Day on Saturday, February 1. Several SLCL branches are participating in the event, offering free activities for families throughout the day including visits by storybook favorite Little Critter, scavenger hunts, story time, crafts and games.

Fans will have an opportunity to meet and take photos with Little Critter, star of many children’s books created by Mercer Mayer, at two branches: 10 a.m. at Rock Road Branch, 10267 St. Charles Rock Road, St. Ann, MO 63074; and 1 p.m. at Cliff Cave Branch, 5430 Telegraph Road, St. Louis, MO 63129.

With the elimination of overdue fines, getting a library card is easier than ever. Those who visit on Take Your Child to the Library Day can use their library card to bring some fun home by checking out books, magazines, DVDs, music CDs, musical instruments, binoculars, telescopes, Parent Packs Sci-Finders kits, puzzles, board games and much more. A full listing of events can be found at www.slcl.org/events.

McDonald’s workers and MLK

By Frances Holmes For The St. Louis American

Nearly 52 years ago, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. marched with striking sanitation workers in Memphis, who were demanding higher pay, safe working conditions and the right to a union. “It’s a crime in a rich nation for people to receive starvation wages,” he said. Those were Dr. King’s final days, and some of his final words – and they still ring true today.

He knew back then that economic and racial justice were intertwined. He knew that you couldn’t have real equality without addressing the racism and economic inequality that were holding back wages, job opportunities, and wealth creation from black and brown families across the nation.

That’s why if Dr. King was alive, I’m sure he would have marched with McDonald’s workers in the Fight for $15 and a union. He would be standing with us in our call for $15 and union rights from one of the world’s most powerful companies, McDonald’s. He would be raising his voice to demand an end to the economic and racial injustice we bear each and every day.

scalding hot oil, with the golden arches stitched on our uniforms – it’s no better. Like me, many of us are paid so little that we have to rely on public assistance to get by. And when we joined together to call for $15/hour, McDonald’s responded by threatening, intimidating and even firing some of us. Then, when it got caught, the company colluded with the Trump administration to push through a bargain basement settlement that enabled it to refuse to take responsibility for the way its workers – the overwhelming majority of whom were of color – were treated for the simple act of joining together for a better life.

I have been working at McDonald’s for over five years, paid at just $9 an hour. While the company makes billions of dollars each year, I struggle to survive. Some days, I don’t eat because I can’t afford food. When I pay my rent, my bank account empties out. Now, Missouri passed a law that gets me 45 more cents an hour. But our struggle to survive is day-to-day.

That’s what I’m facing. And I’m far from alone. Across the country, this is what we’re facing.

Earlier this month, two black women filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against the company, alleging systemic racism at McDonald’s. Their mistreatment ranged from incidents of overt racism – like being called the n-word, being told they were “too angry,” and being passed over for less-qualified white employees – to systemic hiring practices that favored white men, over more experienced people of color. In fact, from 2015 to 2019, the number of black executives at the vice president level or higher fell from 42, to just seven, they allege in their suit.

Meanwhile, the company’s black franchisees are also under fire. One of three Black franchisees has left the company since 2015, the suit alleges, as the disparity between cash flow at their restaurants and those of their white counterparts grows.

When it comes to front-line workers – those of us standing at the cash register or over vats of

In the last three years, more than 50 McDonald’s workers have filed sexual harassment charges and suits against the company. The overwhelming majority were filed by workers of color, including horrific allegations of assault, groping and retaliation for speaking out. And despite our repeated attempts to meet with McDonald’s to come up with a solution to the problem, our voices have been ignored, over and over again. In addition to our harassment complaints falling upon deaf ears, from California to North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and even Brazil, we have stood up to call out racial discrimination on the job. From being subject to demeaning and racist remarks, like being called “ghetto” or “burnt,” to being told that “blacks need not apply” to jobs at the stores, to –in Memphis, no less – having the city’s own police department team with McDonald’s to surveil, intimidate, and harass McDonald’s workers of color coming together to organize for $15 an hour and union rights.

And then, there’s the issue of how McDonald’s exploits prison labor. An investigation by the Marshall Project revealed poor people were being forced to work in places like McDonald’s to try to earn enough to pay off debts and get out of jail.

We can draw a line straight from 1968 in Memphis to today at McDonald’s stores across the country, where black workers are leading the charge to make a uncompromising demand for union rights so we can raise wages and be safe and free from discrimination and harassment at work, and so that all workers have a true seat at the table.

It’s time to lift our voices together again, to carry out the same tradition of organizing for our families and our communities. And it’s time for McDonald’s to listen to us, instead of pretending we are not the company’s responsibility. Until they do, we will keep on marching.

Frances Holmes is a St. Louis-based McDonald’s worker and leader in Show Me $15, the movement for a $15 minimum wage.

Frances Holmes

her ex-husband shot her in the head, immediately rendering her completely blind. When she filed for divorce, her ex-husband “did not like that, and shot me in my right temple,” Tabor said. “I went totally blind instantly, so I came back to Missouri to retool myself, and this was when I was introduced to Mind’s Eye.”

As Tabor was a schoolteacher before going blind, she said reading was the thing she most missed. Mind’s Eye, she learned, would read the newspaper for her.

“It has been a lifeline to me,” Tabor said. “It made me get connected to the world again. Seventy-five percent of my life came back through Mind’s Eye.”

Jason Frazier, president and CEO of Mind’s Eye, was drawn to the radio station because he believes his grandmother, who was blind, could have used a resource like it.

“We read all the printed materials straight from the source,” he said. “When you have your talk radio station or your music station, you’re basically getting entertainment. And some of the things we read are entertainment-based, like Rolling Stone, but we also read a lot of your daily newspapers.”

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Belleville News-Democrat and St. Louis American are all read on-air.

According to volunteer Trenetta Sanders, who is the primary Mind’s Eye reader for The American, about an hour of the paper is read each Thursday evening around 9 p.m. One section of the paper that she always reads, she said, is Hot Sheet.

“I love it,” Sanders said. “It’s a simple but necessary and genius concept to provide up-to-date information for those who are visually impaired.”

by Wiley

Saving

“If I’m looking for sales on stuff, I can just go into the store. I don’t even have to look ahead of time,” Frazier said.

“But someone who’s blind or visually impaired doing their grocery shopping, how are they getting that information? So in addition to reading your print materials, we read something that’s essential for just keeping your independence.”

This is true for Tabor. When she found out that Mind’s Eye airs ads, she said, “I thought,

One crucial item for many listeners is the grocery-store sale information and coupon inserts that come with the newspapers, which Mind’s Eye reads on-air, too.

‘I’m back in business! I get to shop again.’”

Mind’s Eye’s listener base skews older, with an average listener age of 67. This is, however, significantly younger than the average age was a decade ago. According to Frazier, when he first arrived at Mind’s Eye in 2012, the average listener age was 74.

So, while adapting to the internet age with apps and internet-only programming has been useful, Frazier said the station needs to remain accessible to listeners who may have less familiarity with newer technologies.

“We kind of keep our foot

in both doors – keeping up with the technology, but also making sure we can serve our listeners,” he said.

Mind’s Eye has increasingly been moving into live event narration for sports events, theatre productions, and even events such as the solar eclipse of two summers ago.

“We’re doing a lot of different things, and it’s really revolutionized our organization,” Frazier said. “Up until 2016 we were only a radio reading service. And that was great, but we saw another need in the community.”

Audio description for films and theatre was an increasingly common project in the U.S. at the time, but Mind’s Eye has been one of the first groups to bring live play-by-play commentary to sports.

“We’re kind of the first ones to step out of the box and do sporting events,” Frazier said. “We’re the guinea pig for everybody else.”

Tabor has now been listening to Mind’s Eye for 34 years. In that time, she has become deeply involved in advocacy and communitybuilding among the blind in St. Louis. She leads the Service Club for the Blind, which provides groceries to “about a hundred” blind people each month, as well as shopping trips with personal shoppers at Macy’s and monthly social events, such as bingo. She reads and writes braille, has remarried, and works with the Missouri Council for the Blind. Though she can read braille, she still gets her newspapers through Mind’s Eye. “Even reading and writing braille didn’t help me with the newspaper,” she said. “I love me some Mind’s Eye! They have been so many people’s eyes.”

Hodge

Continued from A1

Westbrooks-Hodge has held roles in senior governance, risk and compliance for Express Scripts, Anheuser-Busch and Bank of America. At Normandy, she was able to lead the school district in establishing a framework for organizational improvements in all departments, said Charles J. Pearson, superintendent of Normandy schools.

“Why is this knowledge and skill set critical to the role of a State Board of Education member?” Pearson said in his recommendation letter to the governor. “Complex problems require strategic thinking, clarity of purpose and goals, and concise steps to be taken for goals to be met. Complex problems require a real grasp of the principles of systems thinking. When you combine these habits of mind with a sense of moral purpose about educational equity for children, you are identifying what will embody Ms. Westbrooks-Hodge if she is selected to serve on the State Board of Education.”

Westbrooks-Hodge graduated from Normandy High School, and her family moved back to the area in 2015. She was appointed to the district board shortly afterwards. She hopes to create a comprehensive state-level education strategy with the other board members, legislators and all stakeholders, she said.

“Pamela’s time on the board in Normandy has given her a front-row seat to the great work happening in our public schools, the challenges they’re currently facing and how the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) supports their efforts,” said Missouri Education Commissioner Margie Vandeven.

“That experience makes Pamela such a valuable addition to our State Board of Education. We are so looking forward to the insight she will bring to our discussions.”

Westbrooks-Hodge believes the number one driver of student performance is teacher quality.

“I’m not sure the investment in our teachers from a salary and benefits perspective is in alignment with that brutal fact,” she said. “If we know that to be true, we need to make an investment in the people who are most instrumental in determining the outcomes of our children’s lives.”

Fortunately, this is a big focus for the governor as well, she said. A wife and mother of two, Westbrooks-Hodge attended Northwest Missouri State University from 1987 to 1991, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in finance. She earned a master’s degree in business administration from the University of Missouri-St. Louis in 2013. She currently serves on the Board of Directors for Beyond Housing. She is also an active life member and former president of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., Omicron Eta Omega Graduate Chapter (Normandy, MO) and an active member of the Gateway Chapter of the Links Incorporated.

Jones said that Westbrooks-Hodge’s “intellectual curiosity” will be an asset on the state board.

“It’s the quality that causes you to challenge assumptions and avoid obsolete policy paradigms,” Jones said. She also brings “a deep reservoir of professional integrity,” he said, and tremendous courage.

“Without courage you lack the ability to be willingly at risk on behalf of those for whom you’re responsible,” Jones said. “In an environment where it’s easy to overlook the interest of the poor and powerless, I have witnessed her dayto-day advocacy on their behalf.”

Westbrooks-Hodge said, “I do not take this appointment lightly, and I don’t intend to be passive.”

Photo

Price

Keithen Stallings of the Bayer Company spoke with area youth before the start of the Save Our Sons program organized by the Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis at Harris-Stowe State University on Saturday, January 25.

our sons

Janitors

Continued from A1

“I’ve been there four years,” Bell said. “I feel that $15 would make it a little easier. I have two small children, 13 and 11. It used to be one job would make you middle-class.”

Now, Bell said, if she did not work two full-time jobs, she would have to go back on welfare and struggle to feed her children. Her job at Wells Fargo, where she is paid $10.20 an hour, is highly technical.

“Before I got there, they weren’t able to keep anyone, because they couldn’t figure out what they were doing,” Bell said.

Several public officials were in attendance to express solidarity with the janitors.

Alderwoman Megan Ellyia Green, who was among the 17 arrested, noted that in 2017, the St. Louis Board of Aldermen passed a $10 minimum wage in the City of St. Louis, but was pre-empted by the state government ruling that localities could not raise their minimum wage above that of the state.

Both Green and St. Louis

Treasurer Tishaura O. Jones noted that a livable wage was one of the recommendations of the Ferguson Commission. When that report was released

Hospital

Continued from A1

incentive package, even though some aldermen had raised major concerns about the medical side of the hospital and the financing.

“When you have a huge amount of incentive, you want to make sure those are going to serve the citizens,” said Spencer, who voted against approving the incentives.

“When basic questions couldn’t be answered about the basic medical services provided there, you have grave concerns.”

The hospital’s developers were required to submit proof of financing to the St. Louis Development Corporation (SLDC), the City of St. Louis’ development arm, by December 31.

SLDC provided The American with those documents, which showed that the developers had a letter from United Bank of Union located in Union, Mo. committing to an $8 million direct loan for the project. However, letters from other lenders only confirmed “availability” of loan amounts or “interest” in investing in the project – and that’s where SLDC’s questions focus.

Earlier this month, Williams told the St. Louis Business Journal that documents submitted to the city “essentially provided letters of interest” from potential lenders for the project. The St. Louis American requested a comment from SLDC’s Executive Director Otis Williams but did not get a response by press time.

SLDC officials told the developers at a Jan. 16 meeting that they had some questions about financing, said attorney Joseph Dulle, who represents the hospital team. SLDC sent the project team a letter outlining those questions on January 23, Dulle said.

“We’re in the process of reviewing and responding,” Dulle said. “I’m confident that the project will continue to move forward.”

A SLDC spokesman said, “NorthSide Regeneration has been asked to attend the February SLDC board meeting to provide further details regarding this submission. The SLDC board will make the final determination.”

In October, the St. Louis Board of Aldermen approved nearly $8 million in incentives for a three-bed hospital and emergency room to be completed by June 2021, along with a medical complex and expanded hospital to be completed by June 2023. Developer Paul McKee Jr. has maintained that the complex will be named Homer G. Phillips Hospital, despite fervent and continuous opposition from

five years ago, it recommended a minimum wage of $15.69, which was what was required to rent a basic two-bedroom apartment in St. Louis at the time. Now, however, the minimum wage is currently $9.45 an hour. Most janitors make within a dollar of that number.

“All work deserves dignity, and all work matters,” Jones said while marching with the union. “We are really serious about making sure that people stop making poverty wages.” Jones herself took that step with service workers in the Treasurer’s Office last year.

“It’s made a hell of a difference in our employees being able to make a livable wage and take care of themselves and their families,” Jones said.

Many of the protestors see janitorial pay as a racial equity issue, as signs reading “HONOR KING: END RACISM” demonstrated. The racial income gap in the St. Louis region has grown by more than 10 percent since 2010, with black families three times more likely to live in poverty than white families.

Reverend Darryl Gray drew parallels between this action, which drew around 120 supporters, to Martin Luther King’s final campaign: the 1968 Memphis sanitation workers’ strike.

“Dr. King knew it was important, that people needed

the black medical community and community leaders who say McKee has no right to the name of the historic AfricanAmerican medical institution.

The hospital was originally supposed to be completed in March 2019. The city eventually stripped the building permits — one of several controversies that have dogged NorthSide Regeneration since the beginning, St. Louis Public Radio reported. In a heated debate before the final vote on the hospital’s TIF agreement in October, aldermen raised questions about the medical side of the project, which went unanswered. One alderman even accused an alderwoman of being “racist” for asking basic questions about the insurance structure.

Alderwoman Annie Rice (D-Ward 8) asked if the hospital would accept Medicaid, and the TIF bill’s sponsor Alderwoman Tammika Hubbard first responded that she wasn’t sure. She later said, “Yes.”

However, freestanding emergency rooms are not recognized by the federal government and cannot accept Medicaid and Medicare. In fact, studies have found that freestanding emergency rooms end up costing patients more than standard emergency room fees.

Rice told Hubbard that there have been concerns raised about “massive” medical bills in this type of a hospital in rural Missouri and other inner cities throughout the country.

“Patients are getting hit with astronomical medical bills that they wouldn’t get if they were coming out of a hospital,” said Rice, who is a civil rights and immigration attorney. “If the care is going to come attached with a massive medical bill that is going to then bankrupt folks.”

Rice asked Hubbard if the facility would be associated with an area hospital, which would make it more likely to be recognized by the federal government. Hubbard said the former CEO of Missouri Baptist Medical Center will be the CEO of the hospital, but that she did not believe it would be “anchored” to any other medical system.

Dulle said that he believed having the three-bedroom hospital attached to the emergency room would be enough to get federal recognition. The American asked if they had official confirmation or a legal opinion reflecting that, and Dulle said that he didn’t know.

The American also reached out to the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, along with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, about whether or not the hospital would be able to accept Medicaid and was not able to get confirmation by press time.

When Rice later asked if

jobs with dignity,” Gray said. “It was important for him to be with those sanitation workers, and it’s important for us to be out here. Even $15 is not enough, and people should not have to beg. You should get an honest day’s pay for an honest day’s work.”

The protestors sat down holding hands in a circle at 7th and Washington, but were only able to hold the street for a few minutes before policemen on bicycles arrived, grabbed and handcuffed those sitting in the street, and took them away to police vans. But the janitors and their allies seemed to be in good spirits--even those being led away in handcuffs.

“It shows building owners, it shows business and civic leaders, that janitors are willing to do whatever it takes to win the strong new contract they need to support their families,” said union representative Nick Desideri.

“Fifteen dollars to make this region more equitable across racial lines — that’s what the Ferguson Commission recommended. Now it’s time that businesses, civic leaders, building owners, step up and make this a reality for our region.”

The action garnered support on social media from presidential candidate Bernie Sanders and former Missouri Secretary of State Jason Kander.

the hospital would turn away people without insurance, Hubbard said she was “offended” because she felt the questions made her look like she didn’t care about her constituents. Despite working with developers on the project

for five years, Hubbard claimed she couldn’t answer the question because she wasn’t a “hospital expert.”

Alderman Joe Vaccaro (D-Ward 23) then got up and said, “Is the assumption that people in that area don’t have

insurance? Why are we asking this question? It’s ridiculous and it’s racist.”

Various aldermen told the American that they did not agree with Vaccaro’s accusation and felt that their questions were being silenced

with these kinds of attacks.

“There is a need for this on the north side,” Rice told the American. “But are we giving people false hope if we continue to do business with someone who has not done right by the north side?”

Alderwoman Megan Ellyia Green, who was among the 17 people arrested, noted that in 2017, the St. Louis Board of Aldermen passed a $10 minimum wage in the City of St. Louis, but was pre-empted by the state government ruling that localities could not raise their minimum wage above that of the state.

Photo by Wiley Price

Homegoing for Anita Banks

St. Louis Convention and Visitors Commission

Where to find black history in St. Louis

By Kiara Bryant For The St. Louis American

During the month of February, we invite you to explore Black History Month in St. Louis with events and attractions that celebrate the achievements and contributions of African Americans. A common theme for Black History Month 2020 is “African Americans and the Vote.”

Beginning February 1, the St. Louis Public Libraries will host events with the topics of “Leaders in the Suffrage Movement,” “Make Your Mark” and “Can You Guess the Political Party.” One of the highlights of the SLPL’s month-long celebration is the “Black History Month 2020 Panel Discussion” on Saturday, February 22 at the Central Library location from 3-5:30 p.m. At the event, the panelists will discuss the importance of voting locally and voting in the black community.

n One of the highlights of the SLPL’s monthlong celebration is the “Black History Month 2020 Panel Discussion” on Saturday, February 22.

Panelists include St. Louis Treasurer Tishaura O. Jones; St. Louis Recorder of Deeds Michael Butler; Gena Gunn McClendon, director of Voter Access and Engagement and Financial Capability, from the Center for Social Development at Washington University; and Carole Strawbridge, League of Women Voters of Metro St. Louis. A meet and greet with the panelists will take place after the discussion.

Seating is on a first come, first served basis and no tickets are needed to attend this event.

The St. Louis Public Library system is offering a full list of Black History Month programming on its website, slpl.org.

The St. Louis County Library system will offer a “Beginning Reader Book Club” for children ages 5-8. The book club will feature books such as, Let the Children March on Sunday, February 19 from 4-4:45 p.m. at the Grand Glaise Branch and Trombome Shorty on Friday, February 24 from 6:30-7:30 p.m. at the Cliff Cave Branch. Other branches will offer additional programming including: “After School Art: Kehinde Wiley,” “Adrinkra Symbol Making,” “African-American Folktales,” as well as “African-American History at Bellefontaine,” Black History Month

bingo, jeopardy and trivia and a multitude of other activities at different branch locations. Go to the slcl.org website for more details about all of the events offered by the St. Louis County Libraries. The Metro Theater Company brings the premiere of “Ghost” to the Grandel Theatre in the Grand Center Arts District, February 2 - March 1. “Ghost” is the story about a young man who harnesses his talent on the track team while battling the difficult realities of his past and present. As he bonds with his teammates and coach, the young man gains a sense of belonging at last.

The Missouri History Museum and Soldiers Memorial Military Museum will host a series of events. A round table discussion titled “Unflinching: The Power of the African American Vote,” will be held at the Missouri History Museum on February 4 at 6:30 p.m. Guest lecturer, Dr. Miller W. Boyd III, will honor the efforts of soldiers in “The Founding of Lincoln University: The USCT and Black Education in Civil War Missouri,” on February 8 at 11 a.m. and don’t miss the community screening of “The Kinloch Doc: The Story About Missouri’s First Black City,” on February 9 at 2 p.m. at the Missouri History Museum.

The Saint Louis Art Museum will screen the film “Black Is the Color” (2017) on Friday, February 7. The film highlights key moments in the history of African-American visual art, featuring the works of Edmonia Lewis, JeanMichel Basquiat and others. A free ticket is required.

At the Scott Joplin House State Historic Site, a National Historic Landmark, you can step into the King of Ragtime’s home where he composed what would become legendary music.

Pay tribute to African-American history with a visit to The Griot Museum of Black History & Culture, Old Courthouse, National Blues Museum and numerous other sites across St. Louis. These venues are a great way to learn more about theses significant moments in time. Find more events and fun places to visit in St. Louis at www.explorestlouis.com.

Metro Theatre Company’s Ghost director Idris Goodwin and author Jason Reynolds discuss the play. The Metro Theater Company brings the premiere of “Ghost” to the Grandel Theatre in the Grand Center Arts District, February 2 - March 1.

Photo by Sara Keith Studios

The women’s auxiliary of St. Mary’s Infirmary Nurses Alumnae opened the homegoing services for Anita Banks at St. Alphonsus “Rock” Liguori Church on Monday, January 13. She died on January 2 after recently celebrating her 95th birthday on December 3.

Photo by Wiley Price

This guest Political EYE column by Chief Justice George W. Draper III of the Supreme Court of Missouri was edited from his State of the Judiciary address delivered Wednesday, January 22 during a joint session of the Missouri General Assembly.

History is the tie that binds, and in that regard, let me begin by telling you a bit of my history. I am the greatgrandson of a North Carolina slave girl and a Union soldier on my mother’s side, and a dark-skinned black man from Florida and third-generation German immigrant woman from New Jersey on my father’s side.

My parents met in college at Howard University in Washington, D.C. They came to Missouri in 1949 so my father could teach at Lincoln, the “separate but equal” law school this legislature had created a decade earlier for Negroes. Then, and as chief of the criminal division in the attorney general’s office in the 1950s, he was prevented from dining in certain restaurants here in Jefferson City.

This phenomenon was not surprising – after all, our state entered the union as a slave state, via the 1821 Missouri Compromise, and our courts were the genesis of the infamous Dred Scott decision that precipitated the civil war just 40 years later.

Since then, there has been great change, and this year, we celebrate the bicentennial of our Supreme Court. The first constitution, adopted in July 1820, created for us a three-member Supreme Court. By the way, so coveted was the position that, of the first three individuals Governor Alexander McNair sought to appoint to our now prominent bench, only one accepted – the other two said, “No thank you.”

Much has changed over the past two centuries. Rather than “riding the circuit” and meeting in courthouses throughout the state, we now have a permanent home – our third, actually – for which our Court’s first female clerk is overseeing restoration efforts. Early tools of our trade included quill and ink. Yet now we stream our sessions live and publish our decisions online. We are now a seven-member Court. Of the four women who have served on our Court, three are currently on its bench, and I am only the second African American. Missouri’s first constitution established only four circuit courts, each serving four to eight counties. Now our 114 counties and the City of St. Louis are divided into 46 judicial circuits, with our constitution requiring at least one judge in every county.

In 2013, through section 478.073, RSMo, this legislative body authorized the Judicial Conference of Missouri to determine what alteration, if any, is necessary for the geographic boundaries of the

‘Justice shall be administered without sale, denial or delay’

state’s current judicial circuits. Prior circuit adjustments had been made solely by this legislature.

To ensure input reflecting the judicial and geographic diversity of our state, we established a 16-member judicial realignment task force. They have worked diligently over the past two years, making reasonable compromises, to bring to you an honestly workable circuit court realignment plan. The process was arduous, governed by the factors in section 478.073 to determine optimal circuit configuration. Key in the study was mapping various factors to determine if disparities exist between circuits with regard to workload, delay and travel, and how changes in circuit boundaries would affect any observed disparities.

Two factors provided strong guidance for circuit realignment – excessive judicial travel and the location of a primary business center across current circuit boundaries. In the report, the task force recommended moving two counties, resulting in the realignment of only four circuits.

As the example with the realignment report shows, some changes in our justice system have been facilitated by the legislature. But many are driven by the courts – and the public we serve.

Perhaps the most transformative of these changes has been technology. Missouri was among the very first states to institute court automation more than two decades ago, altering the way we do business and enhancing the public’s ability to participate electronically in cases. They now can sign up for text or e-mail alerts about cases they are following; they can plead guilty and pay fines electronically; and soon we are piloting a new program to let people who have received a ticket file documents, message the prosecutor and submit a proposed sentencing agreement all from their mobile devices.

Let me take this opportunity to thank you for the $2 million in funding you provided our court automation systems last session. The current court automation fee covers only a third of the funding needed to support our case management system, which runs on 25-yearold technology and is likely to reach the end of its meaningful life in as little as 18 months.

We are working hard to build a new system to replace it – we have completed state traffic, ordinance and associate criminal cases; nearly all St. Louis County municipal divisions plus those in 60 other local communities are using it; and we expect to have all criminal cases moved into the new system by the end of this fiscal year. But to continue developing the system at a viable pace, to protect against cyber threats, and to implement more user-friendly features for

our citizens, we are asking you to consider an additional $2.8 million in funding as you plan Missouri’s fiscal 2021 budget. Technology is not the only change the public has demanded over the last 200 years. We currently face a period of change – and criminal justice reform.

Missouri has been on the national forefront in the fight against addiction. When our courts were established 200 years ago, they were designed merely to resolve disputes. Our courts are now called upon to help resolve the most pressing problems facing our society.

This legislative body passed the first treatment court legislation in 1998. Twenty years later, as the state was grappling with the rising opioid epidemic, this body passed legislation standardizing the way our treatment courts operate and ensuring consistency for treatment court participants. You also authorized our treatment courts to accept participants from locations with no local treatment court, vastly expanding the reach of services. In 2019, you restored core funding and appropriated additional funding to expand the full spectrum of treatment

court services. As a result of this collaboration among all three branches of government, Missouri now has more than 100 counties served by more than 120 treatment courts –adult, juvenile, family and DWI courts. And because of House Bill 547, which you also passed last year, we will have treatment courts established in every circuit in the state by August 2021. The judiciary has also been hard at work to continue improving our treatment courts. During 2019, a task force met monthly to formulate rigorous standards ensuring ongoing consistency and effectiveness for our adult treatment courts. The state’s treatment court coordinating commission is scheduled to vote on these standards at its quarterly meeting at the end of this month.

Together, we have built a strong foundation from which our state can continue to fight the substance abuse crisis on multiple fronts – alcohol, opioids and, as health officials have forecast, another rise in methamphetamine use.

Perhaps more significant to you will be the fact we now have 15 treatment courts serving the special needs of veterans in 40 counties. For the

401 veterans who were helped last year through our treatment courts, it represents a win-win for all Missourians by helping those who have served our country regain their lives while reducing crime and improving public safety.

Now, the use of treatment courts is not the only way to improve our criminal justice system. Last year, we made significant changes to our rules governing misdemeanor and felony criminal procedures, including pretrial release, as well as rules governing ordinance violations. Together, these reforms alleviate practices inconsistent with our state constitutional mandates to guarantee bail with sufficient sureties in all but capital offenses and to not require excessive bail or impose excessive fines.

In addition, this legislative body took actions last year that are likely to make a positive impact on the lives of our citizens for many years to come. As a body, you chose to expand the crimes for which an individual can seek an expungement. You also authorized prosecutors to enter into agreements with defendants to send certain criminal cases into diversion programs, allowing them to avoid prosecution altogether when appropriate.

One additional segment needs your attention. I spent a decade as a prosecutor in the City of St. Louis, serving as first assistant in my last year before becoming a trial judge. In most of my cases and those of the prosecutors I supervised, opposing counsel was a public defender. Speaking from the perspective of both a former prosecutor and a former trial judge, I can tell you the system simply does not work without a sufficiently funded and staffed public defender system.

To be sure, all attorneys

in public service work long, hard hours, and many are underpaid and underrecognized. But if criminal cases cannot be moved efficiently through the system because of overloaded attorneys, we risk leaving those who are guilty on the street, those who are not guilty unable to return to being productive members of society, and victims and their families powerless to find closure. Together, we all share the burden of our state constitutional mandate demanding that “justice shall be administered without sale, denial or delay.”

As we all enter this new year, this new decade, and new century of Missouri courts, together we have the opportunity to look back on how far we have come since Missouri’s first constitution was adopted 200 years ago. After 25 years of working my way through the judiciary – as an associate circuit judge, circuit judge, appellate judge and now Supreme Court judge – fulfilling my family’s legacy of service, I have come to appreciate the Court in its broadest sense, as an institution existing well beyond the seven of us who may sit at any given time. In every branch of service, we have always had an imperative – to consider the legacy we will leave for all those yet to come. When Missourians 200 years from now look back upon this time, and examine all our works, reforms, and accomplishments, I hope they will find us to have been leaders … innovators … collaborators … who left our state greater than we found it and fully supported those who toiled in and built cooperation among our co-equal branches of government.

Photo courtesy of the Supreme Court of Missouri Chief Justice George W. Draper III

“TakingCareofYou”

Walnut Park mom responds to governor’s State of the State

Diedre Wortham’s son is one of more than 100,000 Missouri

By Chris King

Of The St. Louis American

Diedre Wortham of Walnut Park and her son Aden helped Nicole Galloway offer her response to Governor Mike Parson’s State of State Address, which he delivered on January 15.

“Aden struggles with sever anxiety and ADHD. I take him down to a clinic. And Aden loves his therapist, so it’s real important that I get him in there to see her because Aden have a lot of breakdowns,” Wortham said on a video released by Galloway’s campaign for governor.

“And we go there, and we found out my son did not have health insurance. He broke down

children who lost health care

n “Governor Parson must act and restore coverage for every eligible child in Missouri.”

– Nicole Galloway

that day. And there was not one doctor that he could see that day. There was no way he should have had to go through that.”

Aden is one of more than 100,000 Missouri children who have been dropped from the state’s Children’s Health Insurance

Program since 2018. In September 2019, the Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission reported that Missouri had the largest decline — 15.1 percent — in children covered by those two insurance programs between May 2017 and May 2019. Parson became governor on June 1, 2018, following the resignation of Governor Eric Greitens.

While Parson credited a strong economy for the drop, advocates pointed out that the cause is actually bureaucratic barriers created by the administration, as The American reported in February 2019.

“We have regular discussions with the

By Dr. Gail C. Christopher For The St. Louis American

After the National Day of Racial Healing on January 21, let’s celebrate the progress towards rejecting the belief in a hierarchy of human value that fuels racism, xenophobia and religious bias. Even as loud voices and despicable acts across the globe spew bigotry and division, what I also see is a growing understanding of our common human ancestry and interconnectedness, the components for a just society where everyone has equal value. At this moment, the mobilization of an array of individuals, organizations and establishments is creating historic opportunities for a societal change that will impact communities. People are relating to one another with greater empathy, compassion and a willingness to challenge the status quo, as they strive for a fairer and more just society.

To be sure, there are many threats to unity that must be overcome. But what we must recognize is that it is happening.

n The American Academy of Pediatrics issued a policy statement declaring that “racism is a social determinant of health” with a profound impact on the health status of children.”

#RxRacialHealing, a movement launched with five organizations – Association of American Colleges and Universities (AACU), American Public Health Association, Community Action Partnership, National Collaborative for Health Equity and Ntianu Center for Healing and Nature – is inspiring progress. Our objective is to mobilize a critical mass of people across the United States committed to healing the racial wounds of the past while seeking an end to racism, inequities and injustices that plague

Missouri awards 192 dispensary licenses

State has said medical marijuana sales will begin this spring

By Jaclyn Driscoll

Of St. Louis Public Radio

The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services began awarding the 192 state medical marijuana dispensary licenses on Thursday, January 23.

According to the constitutional amendment that voters approved in 2018, the department was required to license at least 192 dispensaries, 24 in each of Missouri’s eight congressional districts. This means DHSS could have awarded more licenses, but officials want to see if the minimum number can meet demand.

“In early 2019, DHSS commissioned an independent study from the University of Missouri to determine how many licenses would be necessary to meet Missouri’s demand,” according to a statement from Lisa

n “I’ve even heard some describe them as similar to an Apple iPhone store or something like that, very sleek and neat.”

– Lyndall Fraker, director of Missouri’s medical marijuana program

Cox, a spokeswoman for DHSS. “The results showed it would be many years before the medical marijuana market would be likely to sustain even the minimum number of licenses mandated by the

See MARIJUANA, A11

Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services has begun awarding the 192 licenses for medical marijuana dispensaries.

Dr. Gail C. Christopher

Diedre Wortham of Walnut Park and her son Aden helped Nicole Galloway offer her response to Governor Mike Parson’s State of State Address, which he delivered on January 15. Aden is one of more than 100,000 Missouri children who have been dropped from the state’s Children’s Health Insurance Program since 2018.

Photo: Wikipedia

More than half of the black students who took the ACT in 2019 and responded to questions about their perceptions of available school-based mental health support said that they did not feel supported.

“TakingCareofYou”

More than half of black students report lack of mental health support

Only 48 percent of the African American students who responded (out of approximately total 5,300 responses) said that they could reach out to a teacher or counselor if they needed mental health support. Of the white students who responded, 57 percent said they could reach out to a teacher or counselor for such support.

This is one of the findings in “Supporting the Mental

Health Well-Being of High School Students,” a new report from ACT.

Additionally, rural students reported less access to basic school-based mental health services compared to students in suburban locations. Seventy-one percent of suburban students, compared to only 65 percent of rural students, said they could access a school-based professional to talk about certain mental health issues.

The ACT’s Center for Equity in Learning offered some recommendations based on the report.

• Promote awareness of the availability of existing mental health services.

• Provide access to universal mental health screenings.

• Increase efforts to recruit and provide ongoing professional development for school counselors.

• Increase state and federal funding for school-based mental health support.

• Provide mental health services through community partnerships.

• Establish competitive grant programs to evaluate program effectiveness. Read the full report and recommendations at https:// tinyurl.com/ACT-mentalhealth.

Wortham

Continued from A10

state agency, so we talked with them about what was happening,” Joel Ferber, director of Advocacy for Legal Services of Eastern Missouri, told The American. He said the problem was based on dual computer systems that “don’t talk to each other,” which interfered with routine renewals.

“Families contact us after they go to the doctor or pharmacy and learn they no longer have coverage,” Ferber said – which was precisely

Marijuana

Continued from A10

Constitution.”

Dispensaries are the sites where medical card holders will go to actually receive their medication. Program director Lyndall Fraker said

Christopher

Continued from A10 communities of color.

AACU has partnered with higher education institutions to establish Truth, Racial Healing & Transformation Campus Centers that are preparing the next generation of strategic leaders and thinkers to break down racial hierarchies and dismantle the belief in the hierarchy of human value. AACU hopes to develop at least 150 self-sustaining, community-integrated Campus Centers that move to erase structural barriers to equal treatment and opportunity on campuses, in our communities and across the nation.

The American Library

Wortham’s experience with Aden.

“Every single case that we’ve handled, the kid has still been eligible,” Ferber said. “It’s not that the family got jobs that made them so much income that they didn’t need Medicaid anymore. They all qualified.”

Galloway’s State of the State response also featured a mother and son from rural southern Missouri. Heather Auler of Senath in Dunklin County (population 1,767) described learning that her son Robbie had lost his health coverage when he slipped from a trailer and hit his head.

“Governor Parson has

Missourians may be surprised by the look of the facilities.

“I’ve even heard some describe them as similar to an Apple iPhone store or something like that, very sleek and neat,” Fraker said. “The products will be, certainly, behind a counter.”

Fraker said they will not look like many of the CBD

Association (ALA) sponsors a Great Stories Club (GSC), where libraries, community partners and low-income teenage audiences engage in reading and discussing themerelated books and participating in programs led by a racial healing practitioner. Local communities engage in racial healing and change efforts that address inequities linked to historic and contemporary beliefs in racial hierarchy. It also seeks to bridge embedded divides and generate the will, capacities and resources for achieving greater equity and healing, particularly in the lives of young adults facing personal challenges such as detention, incarceration, addiction, academic probation, poverty and homelessness.

The American Academy of

n “And we go there, and we found out my son did not have health insurance. He broke down that day. And there was not one doctor that he could see that day.”

– Diedre Wortham

resisted calls to investigate, has offered excuses, and now refuses to take accountability for the purge of eligible kids from their health insurance.

This is unacceptable,”

Galloway said. “Governor Parson must act and restore coverage for every eligible child in Missouri. Not another

(cannabidiol) shops that have become popular throughout the state because those are not subject to the same rules as dispensaries. For example, marijuana leaves are not allowed to be displayed on dispensary buildings.

Alexis Gabrielson, who helped write applications for one company that was awarded

Pediatrics has valiantly stepped up and filled in the huge gap created when the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) didn’t include mental and physical harm from racism when the CDC acknowledged other social determinants of health impacting the quality of life for Americans – economic stability, education, social and community context, health and healthcare, and neighborhood and environment. The organization of 67,000 pediatricians – which is committed to optimal physical, mental and social health and well-being for infants, children, adolescents and young adults – issued a policy statement declaring that “racism is a social determinant of health” with a profound impact on the health status of children,

parent should have to go through what Diedre and Heather and so many others have gone through.”

In July, House Minority Leader Crystal Quade asked the Speaker of the House to launch an investigation. Parson and the legislative majority leadership have resisted, and

five licenses, said the company has not officially announced approval, so she did not want to disclose its name.

The company will own dispensaries in Belton, Washington, Sedalia, Jefferson City and Kirksville. She said that now it will begin the buildout process and hire employees.

Also, it will begin

adolescents, emerging adults and their families.

The National Association for the Education of Young Children declared last spring that all children have the right to equitable learning opportunities that help them achieve their full potential as engaged learners and valued members of society. “Thus, all early childhood educators have a professional obligation to advance equity,” its statement said. “They can do this best when they are effectively supported by the early learning settings in which they work and when they and their wider communities embrace diversity and full inclusion as strengths, uphold fundamental principles of fairness and justice, and work to eliminate structural inequities that limit equitable

child enrollment remains in decline, according to the state’s reporting.

A year ago, Ferber told The American that the evidence of error was clear. The state only needed to really want to fix the problem it created, which under Parson it has failed to do.

“Missouri’s drop-off rate for Medicaid for kids is nine times the national average, and Missouri’s economy isn’t nine times better than the national economy, and this is the only benefit that shows deviation,” Ferber said.

“So, it’s not the economy, it’s systems issues – whether it’s complicated paperwork,

“developing relationships with the cultivators that were awarded cultivation licenses, because the Missouri dispensaries can only get product from within Missouri,” she said.

or problems with all these systems breaking down, or it’s the phone center, or dueling computer systems that don’t talk to each other.” To find out if you or your child is still enrolled in MO HealthNet Medicaid services, contact the MO HealthNet Service Center at 1-855373-4636 or at www.myDSS. MO.gov.

Legal Services of Eastern Missouri assists families in getting their eligible children back on Medicaid who may have been kicked out of the system in error. Reach LSEM at 314-534-4200, 800-4440514 or at www.lsem.org.

DHSS has said medical marijuana sales will begin in this spring. However, Gabrielson said there’s still a lot of work to be done, and it’s too soon to tell if that’s achievable.

learning opportunities.”

These efforts underscore the need for Americans of all races, ethnicities, religions and socioeconomic standings to come together and heal the wounds of the past, and move forward collaborating on how to enhance the quality of life in their communities. Just as we praise the National Day of Racial Healing, we also celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday and the many words of wisdom he left us. Dr. King believed that division and separation harm not only communities, cities and individuals, but threaten the entire nation. If Dr. King were alive today, I believe he would cite the extraordinary power of the fake news widely distributed online and on social media

The full list of dispensaries will be made public once the licensees have been notified. Follow Jaclyn on Twitter: @ DriscollNPR.

Reprinted with permission from news.stlpublicradio.org.

platforms as the greatest barrier to national unity. The algorithms that drive these platforms feed on our biases, fueling extremism, anti-Semitism and hate. As a visionary leader, Dr. King would champion regulation and oversight of this rapidly exploding industry that values profit over principled responsibility. I see him calling the alarm on the greatest threat to actualizing the Beloved Community he envisioned.

Dr. Gail C. Christopher, the former senior advisor and vice president of the W. K. Kellogg Foundation, is the executive director of the National Collaborative for Health Equity and founder of the Rx Racial Healing movement. Follow Dr. Christopher on Twitter @ DrGCChristopher.

Healthy Kids Healthy Kids

Healthcare Careers

Visualizing Serving Sizes

Nutrition Challenge:

One of the reasons that we might overeat is because we just don’t really recognize what a proper “portion” looks like. (Portion is the size of the serving that you put on your plate.)

Balance is an important part of physical fitness. Balance relates to how steady and straight you can hold your body while doing different activities. Practice your balance by doing the most basic balance test. Stand on one foot, hold your arms out to your side and see how long you can hold this pose. Is it harder if you close your eyes?

Only take pills (medicine) that have been given to you by your parent (or a doctor/nurse). Never take anything that is being offered by a friend just because they say it’ll make you “feel good.” Many school-aged kids die every year because their body has a bad reaction to pills

Bread = 1 ounce = about the size of a CD case/cover

Cheese = 1.5 ounces = 4 dice

Chicken = 3 ounces = deck of cards

Fruit = 1 medium = size of a baseball

To help you visualize what those portion sizes should be, here are a few examples using items that you are very familiar with their size.

For Other Examples, Visit: http://www.webmd.com/diet/ healthtool-portion-size-plate. Try coming up with your own visual portion size ideas!

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

Now challenge yourself to increasingly difficult balancing actions. Try holding something heavy in one hand, leaving the other hand empty. Can you lean over (while still on one foot) and place the object on the floor? Can you stack a number of items on the floor while staying on just the one foot?

that they should not be taking.

If someone offers you a pill, be sure to tell your parent or teacher. By helping to keep these pills away from others, you could be saving a life!

Learning Standards: HPE 2, HPE 5, NH 4, NH 5

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

Do you think balance can be improved with practice? Try some different balance activities for several days in a row and see if your balance gets better the more you do them.

Learning Standards: HPE 1, HPE 4, NH 1

Juice Jigglers

Ingredients:

2 Cps Fruit juice

2 Pkts Unflavored gelatin

1 Tbsp Honey (optional)

Directions: Combine ½ cup of the juice with the gelatin in a bowl. Bring the remaining juice to a boil and pour over the gelatin/juice mixture. Add honey and stir. Pour into a loaf pan and chill until firm enough to cut into squares.

Imani Reid, Nursing Student

Where do you work? I am a clinical partner at SSM DePaul Hospital.

Where did you go to school?

I graduated from University Academy High School in Kansas City, Missouri. I am CPR and AED certified. I’m currently attending UMSL to earn a Bachelor of Science in Nursing, with a Spanish minor.

What does a clinical partner do? A clinical partner is a nursing assistant that helps patients perform everyday routines, also known as ADLs (activities of daily living). I’m also in charge of making sure patients vital signs are within a normal range. These vital signs may include blood pressure, heart rate, temperature and breathing pattern.

Why did you choose this career path? I chose this career path because growing up in my community I noticed that a lot of People of Color were dying from diseases that could have been prevented. My goal is to make a change in my community that will encourage members to practice healthy habits that’ll promote a longer and sustainable life.

What is your favorite part of the job you have? I value the relationships and connections that I have with my patients and coworkers. It’s awesome to be able to teach and learn from your coworkers as well as the patients. It’s also nice to be a caring, listening ear for people who are going through a difficult time in their life.

Learning Standards: HPE6, NH3

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

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

and

how to do a science lesson found using the newspaper’s NIE page.

CLASSROOM SPOTLIGHT SCIENCE STARS

African-American Neurosurgeon Alexa Canady

SCIENCE CORNER

Parts of the Brain

Your brain is pretty small and it weighs approximately 3 pounds. Scientists compare the texture of the brain to the texture of tofu. Your brain has 5 main parts: cerebrum, cerebellum, brain stem, pituitary gland, and the hypothalamus. The cerebrum makes up 85% of the brain. It controls thinking, and the moving muscles. It is divided into two halves. The left of the brain controls the movements on the right side of your body and vice versa. The cerebellum makes up 1/8 of your brain. It controls balance, movement, and coordination. The brain stem is beneath the cerebrum and in front of the cerebellum. It connects to the spinal cord and controls all major life functions, such as breathing air, circulating blood,

SCIENCE INVESTIGATION

and digesting food. The pituitary gland is about the size of a pea. It controls growth, regulates metabolism, and releases hormones. The hypothalamus controls temperature. It tells your body to shiver when you are cold to generate heat; it tells your body to sweat when you are hot to release heat.

For information on creating models of the brain, visit: http://faculty. washington.edu/chudler/chmodel.html.

Learning Standards: I can read nonfiction text for main idea and supporting details. I can make text-to-text and text-to-self connections.

Are You Left or Right Sided?

Are you left handed or right handed? Did you know that your brain has a right or left side dominance, too? In this experiment, you will observe the brain dominance in your volunteers.

Materials Needed:

• 10 Volunteers • Paper • Pencil • Scissors

• Ball • Stairs • Coin • Tube • Shell

Process:

q In your science notebook, create a chart similar to the one we have here.

w Ask each volunteer to complete the tasks on the chart and record the results on the paper—did they use their right hand or left hand, their right foot or left foot, their right eye or left eye, their right ear or left ear?

e Analyze the results — Did your right hand participants use their right side for all the tasks? Did your left hand participants use their left side for all the tasks?

Keep your skills sharp and test your brain power with these math problems.

z Ariel’s father gave her $125. Ariel bought 5 books, each of which cost $12.50 each. How much money does Ariel have left? ______

x For breakfast, Eli bought a bagel for $2.60 and a glass of orange juice for $1.25. At lunch, Eli spent $6.15 on a sandwich with chips and $1.50 on a carton of milk. How much more money did

DID YOU KNOW?

Learning Standards: I can follow a sequential process to complete an experiment. I can draw conclusions and analyze results.

Brain Power!

Eli spend on lunch than on breakfast? ______ How much money did he spend in all? ______

c A group of 9 children and 5 adults are going to a movie. Child tickets cost $3 each, and adult tickets cost $6 each. How much will the movie tickets cost in all? ______

If each person spends $5 at the concession stand, how much money did they spend on food and drinks? ______

v Layla has 19 red beads, and she has 2 fewer yellow beads than red beads. Lyla also has 7 more green beads than red beads. How many beads does Layla have in all?

Learning Standards: I can add, subtract, multiply, and divide to solve a problem.

Alexa Canady was born on November 7, 1950, in Michigan. Her father was a dentist and her mother was a teacher. They encouraged her to work hard and to take risks. She graduated from high school with honors and went to the University of Michigan to earn her bachelor’s degree in zoology. However, while attending a summer program for minority students, Canady became interested in studying medicine. So, after she earned her zoology degree, she enrolled in the University of Michigan’s medical school. She specialized in neurosurgery, which is brain surgery. She was an intern at Yale-New Haven Hospital. In 1975, she graduated cum laude from medical school.

One year later, she transferred to the University of Minnesota, where she was the first female African American in the U.S. to become a neurosurgery resident. In 1981, she became the first female African American to become a neurosurgeon. She completed surgeries to treat both brain injuries and brain diseases. Canady completed training for pediatric neurosurgery at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. Next, she worked in pediatric neurosurgery at the Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit. She ended her career at the Children’s Hospital of Michigan.

In 1984, she became the first female African American certified by the American Board of Neurological Surgery. Three years later, she became the director of neurosurgery at Children’s Hospital. Canady continued to conduct research and she was a professor of neurosurgery at Wayne State University. Canady retired in 2001 and moved to Florida. When she learned there was not a local pediatric neurosurgeon, she began working part time at the Pensacola Sacred Heart Hospital. Canady was inducted into the Michigan Women’s Hall of Fame in 1989 and she also received the American Medical Women’s Association President’s Award in 1993.

Learning Standards: I can read a biography about a person who has contributed to the fields of science, technology, engineering, and math.

Enjoy these activities that help you get to know your St. Louis American newspaper.

Activities — Perspective: Imagine that you are the main character in a news story. After reading the published story, give your version.

Creating an Advertisement: Look through the classified ads to identify the types of things that are sold. Read a few ads and list important facts included in an ad (item description, condition, price, etc.). Draw a picture of a toy that you have. Next, pretend you are going to sell it and write a classified ad below the picture.

Learning Standards: I can use the newspaper to locate information. I can write for a specific purpose and audience. I can make text-to-self connections.

At Dunbar Elementary School in the East St. Louis School District Mr. Pruett’s 3rd grade class uses microscopes to show students Kai Andrew Williams, Lamarion Burton, Grace Sykes

Tinyla Moore

Photo by Wiley Price / St. Louis American

MAP CORNER

Dr. Canady prepping for surgery.

Doneisha

Business

STL County swears in nine women corrections officers

First all-female class of graduates in county history

By Sophie Hurwitz For The St. Louis American

On Thursday, January 16 at the St. Louis County Justice Center in downtown Clayton, a group of nine women were sworn in as corrections officers, a first for the county in multiple ways. This is the first all-women class of corrections officers and also the first time in recent memory that the county has held a graduation ceremony for a group of graduates from corrections officer training. They took an oath to, among other things, “defend against all evil foreign and domestic” and were blessed by the Reverend Philip Duval, a member of the Justice Services Advisory Board. Duval told them to “learn to be a part of this career, because you’re a part of this family.” He also told the graduates not to give up, though they are entering a notoriously difficult profession – suicide rates among correctional

n

– Asmara Mender

officers, according to an American Military University study, are twice that of the general population.

“Stay around with us,” Duval said. “Don’t rush off. Don’t get so frustrated you think you can’t do this.”

Then, it was time for pictures and cake with families. Though women are not usually pictured as jail guards in the popular imagination, for these women this is a high-prestige job and, for many, a way to hold up a family tradition.

Pristina Hanning’s son Torron Henderson pinned on her badge. He is currently studying at

Lindenwood University for a degree in criminal justice and hopes to be a juvenile probation officer.

Hanning wasn’t the only graduate for whom different forms of policing are a family business, a way of continuing a legacy. Asmara Mender was given her badge by her mother, a St. Louis County Police officer. “I wanted to make a difference and follow in my mom’s footsteps,” Mender said. Stephanie Kelly is a former police officer herself.

Michelle Royal comes from a military family and took this job “for the prestige,” she said. She hopes to use it as an avenue to become a case manager or social worker someday.

Raul S. Banasco, who is two months into his tenure as director of St. Louis County Justice Services, took on this job shortly after several inmates died under county jail supervision.

See OFFICERS, B6

‘An opportunity for you not to waste your life’

By Andrea Y. Henderson Of St. Louis Public Radio

Before being released from prison, Melvin Hill Jr. was doing everything in his power to secure a sustainable job that would allow him to fulfill his lifelong goals. Then a friend told him about the local nonprofit Concordance Academy of Leadership. Hill applied while he was still incarcerated. Last May, he was accepted into the program that supports reentry into society after prison. Recently, the academy received $1 million to advance its mission of reducing recidivism in Missouri and Illinois with a holistic approach to reentry into society.

Beth Kerley, the academy’s senior vice president and director of marketing, communications and development, said not only is the organization hoping to heal the participants, but the community is reaping the benefits as well.

“When people are not going back and committing crimes after their release from prison, they’re keeping our communities safer.

Brandi Smith was promoted to senior director of Human Resources and Administrative Services at Area Resources for Community and Human Services (ARCHS). Smith will oversee human relations and supportive services for the company’s employees. She has served ARCHS for more than a decade in a variety of roles including events specialist and executive assistant. She recently graduated from Lindenwood University with a Master’s in Business Administration.

Ben Thomas will be inducted into the St. Louis Media Hall of Fame in its Print category. He began publishing the Night Whirl as an entertainment paper for the community 1938, changing the name to the Evening Whirl the following year. His colorful coverage of crime stories was liberally sprinkled with nuance and opinion, and the newspaper gained a cult following. Thomas retired in 1995.

LaShana Lewis was named director of the St. Louis Equity in Entrepreneurship Collective (STLEEC), which BioSTL launched with 11 entrepreneur support organizations to create a regional collaborative effort focused on ensuring that systems meant to support entrepreneurs are equitable, especially related to race and gender. She is CEO of L. M. Lewis Consulting and an entrepreneur in the tech and diversity fields who was selected as a Fulbright Specialist in February 2019.

T. Christopher Peoples stepped down as president and majority owner of Pitzman’s Surveying Group, Inc., Missouri’s oldest land surveying company. Minority owner William K. Berthold will acquire majority ownership and become the new president. Pitzman’s Co. – which provides land surveying, 3D Laser HD surveying and modeling, construction staking and land development services – will return to being a subsidiary of Frontenac Engineering Group, Inc., under its corporate umbrella.

Jessireé Jenkins was named Grants and Programs coordinator for The Arts and Education Council. She will work with the director of Grants and Programs to manage the council’s grants and programs. She spent 10 years with the St. Louis Public Library system in a significant community outreach and engagement role, is board chair for A Call to Conscience, an interactive theater for social change, and is a graduate of the LaunchCode CoderGirl program.

Gary S. May was elected to the Executive Committee of the Board of Directors of the Association of Public and LandGrant Universities (APLU). A St. Louis native, he is the chancellor of the University of California, Davis. He serves on the Board of Directors as a representative of the APLU’s Council of Presidents; he is the secretary. May’s position on the executive committee puts him in line to be board president in three years.

Raul S. Banasco, director of St. Louis County Justice Services, addressed the county’s newest group of corrections officers at the St. Louis County Justice Center on Thursday, January 16. Seated: Kayla Cattage, Chelsea Cochran, Chaz Hamber, Pristina Hanning and Dia Harper.

Photo by Wiley Price

Photo courtesy of Concordance Academy

Concordance

continued from page B1

They’re reducing taxpayer burden, and they’re stopping the generational cycle of incarceration,” Kerley said.

Hill said if he’d known about it the first time he was incarcerated, he most likely would not have returned to prison.

A 2018 Department of Justice report shows most prisoners released between 2005 and 2014 re-offended and landed back behind bars.

Kerley said that through interviews, the academy found that over 80 percent of the interested participants were struggling with trauma from a young age.

The academy works with three prisons in Missouri: Missouri Eastern Correctional Center, Eastern Reception Diagnostic and Correctional Center in Bonne Terre, and its women’s facility in Vandalia. It is also working with the Illinois Department of Corrections and looking to serve a correctional facility in Menard, Illinois, this year. While participants are still imprisoned, the academy pitches the program to encourage them to sign up. Soon after, the interested applicants are interviewed to see if they are good candidates for the program. And once accepted, they start the in-depth training phase and the evaluation process, six months before they are released.

“And as an organization, the vision was to be an expert in understanding this population so that we can help keep people from going back into the prison system, and also assist the communities with helping reduce crime,” Kerley said. The leadership program typically does intakes every month, and each cohort includes about 40 participants.

After the pre-release training phase is complete, each participant gets a biological, physiological and sociological exam, which helps coordinate a life plan. When assessment is

KAI receives Keystone Award for Deaconess Center

KAI Enterprises, a black-owned design and build firm based in St. Louis, received a Keystone Award in the General Contractor Building

Construction on a Project Under $15 million category from the Associated General Contractors of Missouri (AGCMO) for its design-build work on the Deaconess Center for Child Well-Being. Keystone Awards honor the achievements of Missouri’s construction firms and their employees in building facilities that support and enhance quality of life. Located at 1000 North Vandeventer Ave. in St. Louis, the 21,272-square-foot Deaconess Center for Child Well-Being was completed in less than eight months in December 2017. The two-level building provides meeting and office space for child advocates, civic leaders and community organizers dedicated to enhancing the well-being of at-risk children. Time was of the essence on the project due to the Deaconess Foundation’s lease at its previous office space that was set to expire on December 31, 2017.

The design and construction of the building reflected Deaconess’ religious legacy in addition to its commitment to social causes by exceeding the city’s minority participation goals. The project achieved 36 percent Minority Business Enterprises (MBE) and 3 percent Women Business Enterprises (WBE) participation.

complete, the participant moves on to the behavioral, wellness, education and employment phase.

The entire program lasts for about 18 months — give or take a few months if a participant needs additional time in any program phase. For individuals to remain in the program, they are required to take frequent drug tests at the academy and to repeat certain parts of programming

n “There are some things you can’t get back, and a wasted life is one of them.”

– Melvin Hill Jr.

related to substance use if they are struggling to maintain clean drug tests.

Hill said that, for the past month, the leadership program has helped him address some of his short-term goals: getting

a job, finding housing and securing health care benefits.

Hill hopes to own his own home and start his own company one day. He is also working toward becoming a mentor for other people who

come through the program.

“There are some things you can’t get back, and a wasted life is one of them,” Hill said.

“And this [program] is an opportunity for you not to waste your life.”

For more information, call (314) 396-6001, email inquiries@ concordanceacademy. com or visit https:// concordanceacademy.org/. Andrea Y. Henderson is part of the public-radio collaborative Sharing America covering the intersection of race, identity and culture. This initiative, funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, includes reporters in Hartford, St. Louis, Kansas City and Portland, Oregon. Follow Andrea on Twitter at @drebjournalist. Reprinted with permission from news.stlpublicradio.org.

Small business owners should beware of fake invoices

By Laura Solis Federal Trade Commission

Opening a business requires planning, elbow grease, and probably some paperwork to register your new company with your state or local government. And that’s where some notso-honest outfits may try to confuse you into thinking they’re from the government and that you need to pay money to complete your registration.

Their mailings look like an official bill for documents to complete your registration – and may even include what looks like a government seal. To convince you it’s legit, the mailer may include your business identification number. To get you to pay, the mailer claims that you need to hurry up and pay or you could be in legal hot water.

But here’s the thing: the people behind the mailers are not from the government and you probably don’t need the paperwork they’re talking about, at least not to complete your registration. At best, you’ll get overcharged. At worst, they could be scammers who steal your money or account information.

What can you do to steer clear of these schemes? Spread the word. The best defense is to be sure everyone at your workplace knows about this scam and how it works. Scammers often target several people in an organization to create confusion. Are you part of a business networking group or service organization? Help your fellow businesspeople and fill them in on these schemes. Check all invoices

Their mailings look like an official bill for documents to complete your registration – and may even include what looks like a government seal. To convince you it’s legit, the mailer may include your business identification number. To get you to pay, the mailer claims that you need to hurry and pay or you could end up in hot water.

n Be sure that you have clear procedures to approve expenditures, and that major spending can’t be triggered by an unexpected call, email, or invoice.

closely. Be sure that you have clear procedures to approve expenditures, and that major spending can’t be triggered by an unexpected call, email, or invoice. If you get one of these mailers, you may need to check in with the people on your staff who are responsible for filing legal documents with the state. Pay attention to how you pay. If someone tells you to pay with a wire transfer, reloadable card, gift card, or bitcoin, you can bet it’s a scam. If you spot practices like this, we want to hear about it. Tell us at ftc.gov/complaint. Laura Solis is an attorney with the Federal Trade Commission.

n “Have a good time, enjoy life. Life is too short to get bogged down and be discouraged.”

– Kobe Bryant

Sports

CBC’s Caleb Love is All-American

Standout basketball player Caleb Love has assembled a tremendous list of accomplishments during his stellar four-year varsity at CBC.

The 6’3” Love can now add one more accomplishment to that list; a McDonald’s All-American. Love was selected as one of the 24 players who will participate in the prestigious McDonald’s All-American Game. The 2020 McDonald’s All-American Game will be held on April 1 at the Toyota Center in Houston. Tip-off is at 6 p.m.

The official rosters were revealed last Thursday, but Love was notified of his achievement at practice by his coach Justin Tatum in front of his teammates, who celebrated wildly after the announcement was made.

“It’s just a blessing,” Love said. “I just want to thank God, all of my trainers and my coaches who helped me along the way. I just want to thank all of my teammates for putting me in a position to make this a real thing.”

Love is a five-star prospect who is currently ranked among the top 20 players in the nation in the Class of 2020. He enjoyed a big summer while playing for Brad Beal Elite in the

one of 24 high school players who will take part in prestigous game A once proud ‘Kobe hater’ mourns the NBA legend

Nike Elite Youth Basketball League. He also excelled at several USA Basketball camps over the course of the past two years. After leading the Cadets to a berth in the Class 5 state championship game as a junior, Love is enjoying an even better senior season. He is currently averaging 27 points a game while playing against a national schedule. He has been on an offensive rampage in the past two weeks in leading the Cadets to four consecutive road victories over Chaminade, East St. Louis, Cardinal Ritter and Hazelwood Central. He posted back-to-back 40-point nights against East St. Louis and Cardinal Ritter.

Love joins a long list of players from the St. Louis metro area who have been named McDonald’s All-Americans. He joins players such as Steve Stipanovich (DeSmet ’79), Barry Sumpter (Lovejoy ’83), Ryan Robertson (St. Charles West ’95), Loren Woods (Cardinal Ritter ’96), Larry Hughes (CBC ’97), David Lee (Chaminade ’01), Bradley Beal (Chaminade ’11), and Jayson Tatum (Chaminade ’16). Earl Austin Jr.

CBC forward forward Caleb Love (2) crashes the boards over Ritter’s Brandon Ellington (34) and Nyjahl Vaughn (2) during 4th-quarter action Tuesday, Jan. 21. Love had 40 points on the night and helped CBC defeat Cardinal Ritter 83-82.

RIP Kobe

Kobe Bryant was one of the greatest players to ever set foot on a basketball court. That much is indisputable. Basketball fans, historians and journalists can, and will, forever debate how high he belongs on the NBA hierarchy. Hardcore fans claim he is the GOAT. Others passionately insist he belongs in the Top 5, Top 10 or Top 20. Ultimately, the hypothetical ranking he is given is largely inconsequential. In terms of talent and achievements, Bryant undoubtedly sits among the all-time greats. Among his accomplishments, Bryant accumulated 33,643 career points, five NBA championships, 18 All-Star selections, 12 All-Defensive team selections, two scoring titles, two NBA Finals MVP awards and one regular-season MVP award. Throughout his career, Bryant provided us with countless jaw-dropping, mesmerizing, highlight reel plays. Despite his undisputed excellence, I was a proud Kobe hater for the bulk of his career.

I’m not exactly sure what propelled me into the Kobe haters club. It could have been the monumental hype he received coming straight out of high school. It could have been how he patterned his game so closely to Michael Jordan. Maybe it was because my close friend Ryan was a day one conductor on the Bryant’s bandwagon. When Shaquille O’Neal, one of my favorite players of alltime, teamed up with Bryant for the Lakers, I found myself in the awkward position of rooting for the Lakers to win, but hoping Bryant would shoot 4-for-30 just so I could heckle Ryan and the army of Kobe “stans.”

Yet like many other Kobe haters have professed, my disdain for Bryant was never personal. It was built out of respect for his outstanding talent. It was developed out of seeing him repeatedly destroy some of my favorite players, such as Allen Iverson and Dirk Nowitzki I did not have a problem with Kobe Bryant, the man. I

Ishmael H. Sistrunk

Watching Kobe Bryant coach and mentor his daughter Gianna after his retirement was heart-warming. The father and daughter tragically died together en route to one of her basketball games.

Photo by Wiley Price

SportS EyE

With Alvin A. Reid

A pair of black NHL All-Stars shine in St. Louis with world’s best hockey players

The NHL All-Star Game weekend brought many of the world’s greatest hockey players to St. Louis for skills competitions and a very entertaining game – and two black players showcased their outstanding talent. Ottawa Senators forward Anthony Duclair netted three goals for a coveted All-Star Game hat trick in the night’s first semifinal game between the Atlantic and Metropolitan Divisions. After winning 9-5, the Atlantic would lose to the Pacific Division in the evening’s championship game, but Duclair added a pair of assists in the 5-4 loss.

I didn’t really know a bunch of these guys until today. So, we’re all learning together ... I do see an improvement in the diversity in the game so it’s really nice to see,” he said.

Duclair also competed in the NHL Fastest Skater contest, finishing sixth among eight skaters.

Duclair, who kept an online diary during the weekend, wrote “I was thinking, ‘Just go as fast as you can, try not to fall, try not to embarrass yourself. Just have fun with it.’

“I just wanted to show what I can do,” a smiling Duclair told the Sporting News following the evening’s festivities.

“When you’re playing with the best players in the world, you’re going to make some plays, obviously, so it’s really nice to see for sure.”

Duclair, a native of PointeClaire, Quebec, said his father took him skating when he was about 5 years old – and he enjoyed it so much he refused to leave the ice.

Aware that he still turns heads as a player of color in the NHL, Duclair said his favorite player during his youth and minor league career was future Hall of Famer Jarome Iginla.

Iginla is among the players of color featured in the NHL Black Hockey History mobile museum, which was in St. Louis last weekend. Duclair called his Saturday tour “awesome.”

“It helps grow the game for sure and even for myself,

“It was kind of tough because we didn’t really have a warmup. Just go right in there. I honestly had zero practice.

“As for being here in St. Louis, I’m just soaking it all in every day. I don’t think I’ve wiped my smile off my face since I landed here. It’s obviously a world-class event. We’re getting treated like I’ve never been treated before, honestly.”

Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Seth Jones, another black player, was on the Metro team that Duclair helped eliminate. Jones scored a goal and added three assists for a fourpoint evening.

Jones also competed in the NHL Hardest Shot competition, finishing last among sixth players. He was the lone skater whose shot did not reach at least 100 mph (98.8) but his first shot did not register electronically. This put him at a disadvantage, because there was no rest between shots and he was forced to shoot three times.

While several stars, including Washington forward Alex Ovechkin skipped the game, Jones, who missed an All-Star

Ottawa Senators forward Anthony Duclair netted three goals for a coveted AllStar Game hat trick in the night’s first semifinal game between the Atlantic and Metropolitan Divisions.

appearance because of injury, said playing with the best players in the world is an honor.

“If I’m healthy, I would like to come here and play, said Jones, who was in his third consecutive All-Star Game.

“I think I owe that to the fans. I’m still at that young stage in my career where I get excited to see all the guys from around the league.”

Jones, an American player born in Arlington, Texas, is one of the NHL’s best 3-on-3 players, which occurs in overtime regular season games and the All-Star Game.

“It’s just so much open ice,” Jones said of playing 3-on-3.

“It helps the creativity, and that’s what fans want to see. They want to see that creativity with the puck, that speed and skill, the whole combination.”

The combination of Duclair and Jones in the NHL All Star Game will certainly help draw black and minority youths to the game of hockey.

“Willie” is worth it

The NHL and St. Louis Blues hosted a screening of the documentary “Willie,” last Friday at the Ferguson

Community Empowerment Center. Cardinals broadcaster Mike Claiborne served as MC and attendees included NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman, St. Louis Blues owner Tom Stillman and Congressman Lacy Clay.

The film, which moved me to tears near its triumphant conclusion, documents the year in Willie O’Ree’s life leading up to his selection into the Professional Hockey Hall of Fame in 2018.

O’Ree, the NHL’s first black player, shares stories of being a black youth and adult playing hockey, the racism his faced and the friends and teammates who supported him throughout his journey.

After he broke the color line on January 18, 1958 with the Boston Bruins, O’Ree says in the movie “every game I heard racial remarks.”

“Players and fans said things like ‘you should be picking cotton; this is a white man’s game.”

O’Ree, 83, said he wanted to be a professional hockey and then reach the NHL since he was 14 and “I was not going to leave because of racism.”

One of the worst incidents was in a game in 1961 when an opposing player hit him in the face with the butt end of his stick, ripping a tear in his face.

“I went to the locker room and got stitched up. I was determined to go back and sit on the bench with my teammates. But the fans were so irate, they could be a danger to me,” he recalled.

While I’m sharing stories

of the racial hardships he faced as a pioneer player in the NHL, the movie is more about O’Ree’s love for the game of hockey and his effort to help create more hockey players of color and women players.

O’Ree was struck in the eye by a puck two seasons before his debut with the Bruins. It was witnessed by hundreds of fans and he was hospitalized. What he never told a soul, with the exception of a sister, was that he lost the sight in his right eye.

Other highlights of the film include his thoughts on his trip to Waycross, Georgia, to try out for the Boston Braves organization, how the NHL learned of his whereabouts with help of the FBI when Bettman wanted to offer him a job with the league in 1994 and the nerve-wrecking hours awaiting a call from the Hall of Fame to learn if he had been inducted.

Born one of 13 children in Fredericton, New Brunswick, O’Ree is still working for the NHL and was unable to visit St. Louis as he deals with the flu.

I had the honor of meeting O’Ree at a St. Louis Blues Diversity night, and it remains a highlight of my journalism career. The documentary of his life is a worthy, witty, powerful testament to one man’s resolve to fulfill his dream and share the game he loves so dearly with thousands of youths around the nation.

You’re kidding me, right?

Morris Berger, a gradu-

ate of Drury University in Springfield, Missouri, and former Missouri football graduate assistant coach who then worked at Texas State and Oklahoma State, was placed on indefinite suspension days after being hired as Grand Valley State offensive coordinator this week. He told a reporter with the student newspaper that Adolph Hitler is one of three historic figures he would like to have dinner with.

“This is probably not going to get a good review, but I’m going to say Adolf Hitler,” Berger said.

“It was obviously very sad and he had bad motives, but the way he was able to lead was second-to-none. How he rallied a group and a following, I want to know how he did that. Bad intentions of course, but you can’t deny he wasn’t a great leader.”

Following Hitler, Berger listed John K. Kennedy and Christopher Columbus as preferred dinner guests.

The Reid Roundup

Registration is open for the 31st Ted Savage RBI Golf Classic May 7 at Norwood Hills. Hosted by St. Louis Cardinals manager Mike Shildt, the tournament honors “Savage’s contributions to the organization as a community ambassador until his retirement in 2012.” It supports local MLB Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities (RBI) initiative and Baseball for Life. A foursome costs $5,000. For registration or sponsorship information, visit cardinals.com/ golf, email rbigolf@cardinals. com or call (314) 345-9958 … The Ferguson Community Empowerment Center, where “Willie” was screened, is on the site of a QuikTrip that was burned during the civil unrest after unarmed Michael Brown was killed by a police officer in 2014. It is a few hundred yards from the infamous Ferguson Market … The band Green Day dropped several F-bombs during their Saturday performances at Enterprise Center, some of which made it on to the national telecast during NHL All Star Game festivities. Where is the outcry and hysteria that would accompany this incident if it were black recording artists? ... Former Major League Baseball AllStar outfielder Adam Jones will play in Japan this season. Thousands of fans greeted him at the airport and he had to be escorted through a concourse by several security members.

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

Alvin A. Reid

St. Louis ‘All-American’ High School Football Team

By Earl Austin Jr.

Of the St. Louis American

It was another great sea-

son of high school football in the St. Louis metropolitan area. It is now time to present the 2019-20 St. Louis “All-American” High School Football Team.

LARGE SCHOOLS

Offense

QB: Tyler Macon (Jr.) East St.

Louis

RB: DeMonta Witherspoon (Sr.) East St. Louis

RB: Devin Willis (Sr.)

Mascoutah

RB: Taj Butts (Jr.) DeSmet

RB: Gideon Niboh (Sr.)

Francis Howell

WR: Jordan Johnson (Sr.)

DeSmet

WR: Dominic Lovett (Jr.) East

St. Louis

WR: Jay Maclin (Sr.)

Kirkwood

OL: Javontez Spraggins (Sr.) East St. Louis

OL: Treveon Williams (Sr.)

Hazelwood West

OL: Kevin Tyler (Sr.) Ritenour

OL: Drake Heismeyer (Sr.)

Francis Howell

OL: Brady Wisecarver (Jr.)

DeSmet

ATH: Cairo Payne (Sr.) Fort Zumwalt South

AP: Loren Fortune (Sr.) Chaminade

Clutch

Continued from B3 made the game of basketball better. You cannot relay the history of the game, even an annotated version, without including Bryant.

There was the 81 points he dropped against the Toronto Raptors in 2006. He lit up the Dallas Mavericks for 62 points in just three quarters the same season.

The clip of Bryant throwing an alley-oop to O’Neal in the waning seconds of a Game 7 Western Conference Finals victory over the Portland Trail Blazers in 2000 will forever be replayed during the NBA playoffs.

Yet, Bryant’s personality is just as responsible for his near-mythical status as his skills. He possessed an indomitable spirit and refused to accept anything less than 100 percent effort by others. It is part of the reason a rift existed between he and O’Neal.

Bryant felt that despite O’Neal’s dominance, he didn’t put in maximum effort or commitment and he wasn’t afraid to voice that opinion. He once stated that the Lakers would have won 12 rings if O’Neal worked hard throughout the offseason instead of continually reporting to training camp overweight and out of shape. Opponent or teammate; friend or foe – Bryant was not

KR: Mason Player (Sr.) Ladue

Defense

DL: Kevon Billingsley (Sr.) East St. Louis

DL: Noah Arinze (Sr.) Webster Groves

DL: Mekhi Wingo (Jr.)

DeSmet

DL: Kendrick Scarbrough (Sr.) East St. Louis

LB: Lanell Carr (Sr.) DeSmet

LB: Will Lee (Jr.) Kirkwood

LB: Ulysses Ross (Sr.) Fort Zumwalt West

LB: Darius Walker (Sr.) East

St. Louis

DB: Jakalin Johnson (Jr.)

DeSmet

DB: Antonio Johnson (Sr.) East St. Louis

DB: Isaiah Hartrup (Sr.) Fort Zumwalt North

DB: Jamison Terry (Sr.)

Chaminade

Offensive Player of the Year: Tyler Macon (East St. Louis)

Defensive Player of the Year: Mekhi Wingo (DeSmet)

Coach of the Year: Darren Sunkett (E. St. Louis), Robert Steeples (DeSmet)

SMALL SCHOOLS Offense

QB: Cam’Ron McCoy (Sr.) St. Mary’s

only unafraid, but felt obligated to go at the throat of anyone who wasn’t putting in the same effort. That was the Mamba mentality. It fueled the haters. It is also what made him such a dominating force over his 20-season NBA career.

Post-retirement Kobe

I’m thankful that I renounced my Kobe-hating ways a few seasons before he retired. I enjoyed the latter years of his career. Though the Achilles injury he suffered in 2013 robbed Bryant of some of his other-worldly athleticism, after his return, he still showed spurts of greatness. After he retired, it was refreshing to see Bryant let down his guard and mentor young players. During his playing career, he was fiercely against working out with opposing players. Once his career was over, he linked up with players like Kyrie Irving, Kawhi Leonard Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jayson Tatum to share his immense knowledge and insight of the game.

He also poured his energy into outside endeavors just as fiercely as he did on the basketball court. His ESPN show Detail showed Bryant’s eye for the most intricate and minute details of the game. Watching him coach his daughter Gianna Bryant, who was tragically killed in the same accident,

The junior guard reached the 1,000-point plateau in her career last week in a victory over McCluer North. The 5’2” Simmons scored a game-high 24 points to lead the Hawks to a 65-21 victory. She

Mykel Mathews

The senior standout recently scored her 1,000th career point in a victory over Alton. In reaching the career milestone, Mathews scored 22 points and grabbed 13 rebounds in the

RB: Arlen Harris, Jr. (Soph.)

Lutheran St. Charles

RB: Derrick Baker (Soph.)

Affton

RB: Ali Wells (Soph.)

Lutheran North

WR: Kevin Coleman (Soph.) St. Mary’s

as part of the Mamba Sports Academy was heart-warming.

Bryant’s post-career transition to a more open and lovable sports personality was not merely a rebrand. It was more of a re-wiring of the brain. Once he was no longer in direct competition with the other players in the league, he opened up his vast knowledge because he wanted to make the game better.

Eerie interview

The night before Bryant’s death, LeBron James passed him for third-place on the NBA’s all-time scoring list. Following the game, James gave an extended on-air interview where he praised Bryant’s impact on him and the game of basketball.

As I watched the interview, I wondered why James and ESPN were devoting so much time to the Bryant tribute. It almost seemed like a eulogy. If nothing else, the extended interview seemed better fit for Bryant’s Hall of Fame ceremony than on a random Saturday night.

The next day, after the news of Bryant’s death spread across the internet, I was immediately grateful that James took the time to heap the meaningful praise on Bryant and his legacy. Bryant had a chance to receive his flowers while he was alive.

Now, after his death, Bryant is receiving many more flowers

West – Girls Basketball

WR: Luther Burden III (Soph.)

Cardinal Ritter

WR: Kalin Black (Jr.)

Christian-O’Fallon

OL: Jalen St. John (Sr.) Trinity

OL: Ryan Merriweather (Sr.)

Lutheran North

OL: William Franks (Sr.)

as people all around the world mourn the loss of a legend. For days, this once-proud Kobe hater sat stunned at the tragedy. It was as if I’d loss a great friend.

There was a deep sense of pain, sorrow and grief. For a few days, I did not want to go on social media to see

McCluer

OL: Alex Mugisha (Sr.)

Roosevelt

OL: Quixote McBroom (Jr.) St. Mary’s

ATH: Deablo McGee (Sr.)

Roosevelt

AP: James Frenchie (Sr.)

Myles Kee (Jr.)

Martez Poynter (Sr.)

Travion Ford (Jr.)

North DL: Patrick Harris (Sr.)

Antonio Doyle (Sr.)

Darion Smith (Sr.)

Itayvion Brown (Sr.)

Jordan Nobles (Sr.)

DB: T.J. Rush (Sr.)

Rico Singleton (Jr.)

Aubrey Parker (Sr.)

Darrius Jackson (Sr.)

Nate Smith (Jr.)

Offensive Player of the Year:

McCoy (St. Mary’s)

Defensive Player of the Year: Antonio Doyle (Lutheran North)

Coach of the Year: Carl Reed (Lutheran North)

the tributes. I did not want to read all the articles written by journalists, former teammates and fans. Only it wasn’t out of hate, even faux hate. It was out of respect and admiration for a player whose impact on the game and on the culture can never be taken away. Rest in peace to Kobe and Gianna Bryant, as well as the seven others who passed away with them. There will never be another Kobe Bryant. Long live the Mamba mentality! Follow Ishmael and In the Clutch online at stlamerican. com and on Twitter @ishcreates.

East St. Louis High quarterback Tyler Macon (5) is the St. Louis American Large Schools High School Football Player of the Year.

Photo by Wiley Price

By state Rep. Steve Butz For The St. Louis American

We have a short-sided view of funding important functions provided by our state. It has been my lifelong experience that no one likes to pay taxes and more often than not feel that they are over-paying and that others pay too little. I have tried to listen to as many points of view as possible and propose a common sense compromise that most can live with. It is disingenuous to hide behind an overly simplistic mantra of “no new taxes” or “never raise taxes.” As all of us know, costs go up. Critical repairs and improvements must be made to our homes and businesses. We can delay for a time, but eventually we have to address the problem.

Officers

continued from page B1

The county has not had a permanent director of justice services since early 2018. This is the first graduating class of correctional officers under Banasco’s supervision.

The selection of only women for this class, Banasco said, was simply because they were the most qualified candidates.

“Often we start with vetting 80 applicants, and by the time we get through the background checks it weeds them down,” Banasco said. “So we ended up with nine women in our academy – it’s not often that happens.”

Nationally, only 41 percent of the corrections workforce is female. According to reporting by The Marshall Project, these women are often at high risk of sexual harassment and assault –

Indexing taxes would provide state badly needed revenue

When we endlessly delay these issues at the state level and defer critical upgrades, repairs, investment, modernizations, etc., we as legislators are not saving our constituent’s money. Rather we are just kicking the can down the road and further increasing costs. Delaying inevitable expenditures and worse yet having no long-term solutions is not in the public’s best interest.

The layers of taxation are numerous and at times confusing, complicated and even disguised. Education by our elected officials, transparency and simplification when possible would also help citizens understand their actual tax burden. I want to mention three taxes in particular: state

n “It’s a very safe environment as long as we have policy and procedures and provide them with the skills to do their job.”

– Raul S. Banasco, director of St. Louis County Justice Services

both by their colleagues and by those they are guarding. But, Banasco said, “Corrections has come full-circle in the last hundred years. It’s a very safe environment as long as we have policy and procedures and provide them with the skills to do their job.”

Now, these women will each be working on different floors of the Justice Center – not in the open office-style rooms with floor-to-ceiling windows where they graduated

personal income tax, the state gasoline tax and the cigarette tax. As of tax year ending 2019, our marginal Missouri income tax rate is 5.9 percent of taxable income. Without going into too much detail, this is the best example I can show of a simplified flat tax, and by its very nature it is indexed. As an individual’s income increases, the dollar amount paid will go up exactly proportional at a rate of 5.9 percent. (Again, I am simplifying and only referring to the marginal rate, not the effective rate.) Bottom line: As you make more you will pay more, but you know that rate

will be fixed, at least for now, at 5.9 percent.

Steve Butz

In my opinion having a slightly higher marginal rate would benefit the state by providing additional general revenue to address budget shortfalls, but that is a separate discussion. The state gas tax and cigarette tax do not function in the same manner. Currently these taxes are $.17 per gallon of gas and coincidently $.17 per pack of cigarettes.

MODOT’s funding stream is not secure at this level; the last time the gas tax was increased was 1996. Common sense will tell us that even with very low levels of

that visitors to the building might see, but in the inner network of concrete hallways and cells where incarcerated people are held. They will join a staff of about 250 correctional officers currently employed by the county.

Some of the women hope that their gender will actually give them an advantage in relating to inmates. Kayla Cattage, one of the graduates, said that women may be more able to deal with the stress of working in a jail because “we come at things from a different perspective.”

“Yeah, we’re rational thinkers,” Michelle Royal chimed in.

Charpryece Parker agreed. “Even though we are dealing with criminals,” Parker said, “I really do feel that a lot of these guys have a respect for women, and that masculinity, from a man-to-man type of thing, it gets lost sometimes.”

inflation, $.17 in 1996 is not the same as $.17 in 2019. Add to this fact that our vastly improved fuel economy, hybrids, electric cars, etc., all reduce our consumption.

I am sure 99 percent of us consider that a very positive development, but it does imply that in the long run an alternative funding mechanism needs to be introduced.

I would propose adding toll roads as the fairest means of maintaining roads and bridges, but that is not part of this discussion.

In the short run, by simply indexing the gas tax to even a 1 percent annual inflation adjustment, our current gas tax would be $.22/gallon. We must maintain our transportation infrastructure, and all citizens benefit from

this type of investment and spending.

The cigarette tax in our state is just plain silly. We are way below the national average and less than half (or more) than the next lowest state. Again, I love fiscal responsibility but is there any reason our cigarette tax is $.17 per pack when Virginia, Georgia, Alabama, Arkansas and Kentucky’s are at least double our rate?

Addressing these kinds of simple minor adjustments will allow our state much-needed additional revenue to meet critical needs in healthcare, education and transportation funding.

Steve Butz (D-St. Louis) represents Missouri’s 81st District in the Missouri House of Representatives.

St. Louis County Justice Services Training Manager Meda Reason pinned her badge on newly sworn Corrections Officer Michelle Royal at the St. Louis County Justice Center on Thursday, January 16.

Photo by Wiley Price

Soul on film

Jeezy Vibes

By Sophie Hurwitz For the St. Louis

Russian-Ghanaian artist Liz Johnson Artur

opened her first solo show in the U.S., “Dusha,” at the Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis on January 18. The show is named after the word “soul” in Russian, one of Artur’s many languages, and centers on an international collection of intimate photos of black people.

Johnson Artur is best known outside of contemporary art circles for the videos and stills she shot for a Fenty campaign by Rihanna this past August, among other commercial contract photography work. She shot the campaign in the streets of Peckham, London, showcasing transatlantic black aesthetics between Rihanna’s clothes and the grey skies of England.

In “Dusha,” however, what Johnson Artur highlights is not six-foot-tall hundred-pound models strutting in Rihanna’s designs, but the normalcy of black life around the globe. The photos on display here come from her collection “Black Balloon Archive,” which she has been continually adding to since 1991, after living with a Russian family in a predominantly-black neighborhood in Brooklyn. “Black Balloon Archive” is named for the Syl Johnson song “Black Balloon,” which includes lyrics about the joy of seeing a black balloon floating against a blindingly white sky.

“I have a very big record collection,” Johnson Artur told The American. “A lot of time when I go out and take pictures, it’s connected to music.” The name itself came after she had already been adding to the archive for 15 years.

“The way I go about taking photographs is to go out and look for people,” she said. “There’s nothing

See Soul, C4

Building bridges and empowerment through creativity

Dr. Nikki Spotts, dance educator at

VPA Elementary School receives her Art Educator of the Year Award from Al Mitchell, vice president of corporate engagement for Bayer, during the Arts and Education Council of St. Louis’ 29th Annual St. Louis Arts Awards on Monday, January 27 at the Chase Park Plaza.

Solomon Thurman Jr., Nikki Spotts among honorees at 29th St. Louis Arts Awards

By Kenya Vaughn

For the St. Louis American

“Solomon Thurman is a local treasure,” Nancy Kranzberg said in the video that captured the life and experiences of Solomon Thurman Jr., who received a Lifetime Achievement in the Arts award at the Arts & Education Council’s 29th Annual St. Louis Arts Awards Monday night in the Khorossan Ballroom of the Chase Park Plaza.

Kranzberg, a local treasure in her own right for her philanthropy – particularly in the arts, was eager to brag on Thurman for his most famous creative contribution.

DJ Charlie Chan Soprano rocks the Grammys

STL hip-hop pioneer performs with RunDMC and Aerosmith on the night Kobe died

By Jihad Hassan Muhammad

For the St. Louis American

Charlie Chan Soprano has been synonymous with the culture of hip-hop in St. Louis since the late 1980s.Chan became connected to the DNA of the area’s hip-hop scene DJing mixtapes and house parties. Now he is known the world over as a turn-tableist and DJ for Run-DMC.

On Sunday, January 26 at the 62nd annual Grammy Awards, DJ Charlie Chan Soprano got to show the skill that makes him one of the world’s best DJs. Along with Rukus, Chan was there on the ones and twos with Run-DMC as they joined Aerosmith for a performance of their 1986 collaboration “Walk This Way.”

“Run-DMC is our hip-hop version of The Beatles,” Chan told The American. “We got the call from Aerosmith to perform, and I was like,

See Chan, C4 n “I remember my principal saying to me, ‘When you leave here, hold on to your story. When you complete your story, you must return. When you return, that’s the beginning of someone else’s story.’”

Charlie Chan Soprano performed with Run-DMC and Aerosmith at the 62nd annual Grammy Awards on Sunday, January 26.

- Dr. Nikki Spotts

“Every time I walk by ‘Black Americans in Flight,’ the mural at the Lambert Airport, I brag to whoever I’m with,” Kranzberg continued. “[I say] ‘that’s my friend Solomon Thurman. Look at how great of an artist he is.’” Thurman, a visual artist, educator, local art historian, activist and co-owner of 10th Street Gallery (with his wife Pat SmithThurman) was one of a handful of individuals and institutions recognized for giving of their time, talent and resources to uplift the arts community in the region during the dinner program presented by the Centene Charitable Foundation.

“Tonight, we will honor people who have stepped up to make sure our next generation and generations to come inherit a St. Louis with outstanding arts and cultural opportunities,” said. Caren Vredenburgh, Arts and Education Board chair.

In addition to Thurman, honorees included Excellence in the Arts recipient Ambassadors of

Photo by Suzy Gorman

Shaw

Photo by Lawrence Bryant

Rap veteran Jeezy was once again overwhelmed by the love he received from his faithful St. Louis fans when he took the stage Saturday night at The Pageant. The nearly sold-out show also featured rising local rap star T-Dubb O, DJ Cuddy, Mitch 3600 and Twin Gee.

Veteran soul crooner Raphael Saddiq will bring his Jimmy Lee Tour to The Pageant in just over two weeks. The show is set to take place at

p.m. doors) on Wed., February 19 and feature Jamila Woods and DJ

Liz Johnson Artur Liz Johnson Artur brings ‘Dusha’ show to CAM

American

How to place a calendar listing

1. Email your listing to calendar@stlamerican. com OR

2. Visit the calendar section on stlamerican.com and place your listing

Calendar listings are free of charge, are edited for space and run on a space-available basis.

black history

Sat., Feb. 1, 7 p.m., St. Louis County Library presents An Evening with Joseph “Rev Run” and Justine Simmons. Library Headquarters, 1640 S. Lindbergh Blvd., 63131. For more information, visit www. brownpapertickets.com.

Thur., Feb. 6, 6:30 p.m.,

400 Plus Years of Fortitude: African-American Contributions Since 1619. Maplewood Public Library, 7550 Lohmeyer, 63143. For more information, visit www. maplewoodpubliclibrary.com.

Thur., Feb. 6, 6:30 p.m.,

400 Plus Years of Fortitude: African-American Contributions Since 1619. Maplewood Public Library, 7550 Lohmeyer, 63143. For more information, visit www. maplewoodpubliclibrary.com.

Sat., Feb. 8, 1 p.m., League of Women Voters of Metro St. Louis presents The Road to Vote. Learn about the history of Black voting rights in St. Louis. Buder Library, 4401 Hampton Ave., 63109. For more information, visit www.slpl.com.

Wed., Feb. 12, 10:30 a.m., Underground Railroad. Lecture on Missouri’s Laws on Slavery and the Underground Railroad. Missouri History Museum, 5700 Lindell Blvd., 63112. For more information, visit www.facebook.com.

Thur., Feb. 20, 6:30 p.m., St. Louis and the Integration of Baseball. Maplewood Public Library, 7550 Lohmeyer, 63143. For more information, visit www. maplewoodpubliclibrary.com.

Fri., Feb. 21, 7:30 p.m., St. Louis Symphony Orchestra presents Lift Every Voice: Black History Month Celebration. An evening of music that celebrates the music of African-American

and African cultures. 718 N. Grand Blvd., 63103. For more information, visit www.slso. org.

Sat., Feb. 22, 3 p.m., Do You Know Your Black History Trivia Event. Union Memorial United Methodist Church, 1141 Belt Ave., 63112. For more information, visit www. unionmemorialstl.org.

concerts

Through January 30, The Cabaret Project of St. Louis welcomes Tony-nominated Broadway veteran Norm Lewis. Jazz St. Louis, 3536 Washington Ave., 63103. For tickets or more information, visit at www.thecabaretproject. org or call 314-571-6000.

Fri., Jan. 31, 7:30 p.m., 560 Music Center presents Aaron Diehl. 560 Trinity Ave., 63130. For more information, visit www.560.wustl.edu.

Sat., Feb. 8, 7 p.m., The Sheldon Rhythm & Jazz Series presents Christian Sands’ High Wire Trio Remembering Erroll Garner. 3648 Washington Blvd., 63108. For more information, visit www.metrotix.com.

Sun., Feb. 9, 6:30 p.m., Fox Theatre presents Who Is Jill Scott? 20th Anniversary Tour. 527 N. Grand Blvd., 63103. For more information, visit www.metrotix.com.

Fri., Feb. 14, 7:30 p.m., Chaifetz Arena presents the St. Louis Music Festival feat. Teddy Riley with Blackstreet, Bobby Brown, Jagged Edge, SWV, El DeBarge, and special host Doug E. Fresh. 1 S. Compton Ave., 63103. For more information, visit www. ticketmaster.com.

Fri., Feb. 14, 8 p.m., Whitaker World Music Concerts presents Angelique Kidjo. Sheldon Concert Hall,

Kenya Vaughn recommends

3648 Washington Blvd., 63108. For more information, visit www.metrotix.com.

Sat., Feb. 15, 8 p.m., Lindenwood University presents The Isley Brothers. J. Scheidegger Center, 2300 W. Clay St., 63301. For more information, visit www. lindenwood.edu.

Wed., Feb. 19, 8 p.m., The Pageant presents Raphael Saadiq – Jimmy Lee Tour. 6161 Delmar Blvd., 63112. For more information, visit www. ticketmaster.com.

Sat., Feb. 22, 8 p.m., A Night to Remember with Melba Moore and Howard Hewett Sheldon Concert Hall, 3648 Washington Blvd., 63108. For more information, visit www. metrotix.com.

local gigs

Fri., Jan. 31, 7 p.m., Michael Jackson and Prince Vegas Style Tribute. Ambassador, 9800 Halls Ferry Rd., 63136. For more information, visit www.eventbrite.com.

Sun., Feb. 9, 5 p.m., Soul Stage Sundays. A platform for local artists, singers, musicians, and poets to

share their talents. Privilege Lounge, 129 Flower Valley Shopping Center, 63033. For more information, visit www. eventbrite.com.

special events

Thur., Jan. 30, 10 a.m., JobNewsUSA presents a St. Louis Job Fair Orlando Gardens Events and Conference Center, 2050 Dorsett Village, 63043. For more information, visit www. jobnewsusa.com.

Thur., Jan. 30, 4 p.m., St. Louis Public Library presents Adulting 101: Teen Opportunity & Job Fair Explore volunteering options and meet potential employers or mentors. 1301 Olive St., 63103. For more information, visit www.slpl.org.

Fri., Jan. 31, 7:30 p.m., St. Louis Science Center presents National Geographic Live! With Wildlife Photographer Steve Winter: On the Trail of Big Cats. Touhill Performing Arts Center, 1 University Blvd., 63121. For more information, visit www. touhill.org.

St. Louis County Library presents An Evening with Joseph “Rev Run” and Justine Simmons. See BLACK HISTORY MONTH ACTIVITIES for details.

Sat., Feb. 1, 9 p.m., Slumfest Awards 2020: The Four Element Party. Performances by Ricki G, KV the Writer, Katarra Parson, Jaee the Artist, and more. Atomic Cowboy, 4140 Manchester Ave., 63110. For more information, visit www.facebook.com.

Sat., Feb. 1, 11 a.m., Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., East St. Louis Alumnae Chapter invites you to their 107th Founders Day Observance. Keynote speaker Reverend Dr. Cassandra Gould. The Regency Conference Center, 400 Regency Park, O’Fallon, IL. 62269. For more information, visit www.dsteslac.org.

Sat., Feb. 1, 2:30 p.m., Better Family Life’s 7th Annual Jr. Unity Ball. The evening will include the 5th Annual America Scores Poetry Slamand more. 5415 Page Blvd., 63112. For more information, visit www. bflyouth.org.

Sat., Feb. 1, 7 p.m., Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc., St. Louis Alumni Chapter invites you to their Kappa Tailgate Party. Machinists Hall, 12365 St. Charles Rock Rd., 63044. For more information, visit www.eventbrite.com.

Sat., Feb. 8, 2 p.m., 2DEF Initiative is seeking help with Domestic Violence Women Shelter Love Packages. Items needed include soap, socks, razors, feminine hygiene products, and valentine cards. O’Fallon Park Rec Complex, 4343 W. Florissant Ave., 63115. For more information, visit www.facebook.com.

Feb. 11 – 12, Chase Park Plaza Job Fair. Bring resume, as hiring will happen on the spot. 212 Kingshighway Blvd., 63108. For more information, visit www.chaseparkplaza. com.

Wed., Feb. 12, 10 a.m., St. Louis Public Library presents Rhythms and Folklore of Africa. Kenya Ajanaku highlights cultural diversity through stories and music and illustrates African culture in an entertaining way. Julia Davis Library, 4415 Natural Bridge Ave., 63115. For more information, visit www.slpl. com.

Sat., Feb. 15, 9 a.m., Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., Saint Louis Alumni Chapter presents Teen Summit: Squad Goals. Middle age to high school students are invited to learn about making money, staying fit, being your

authentic self and more.

University City High School, 7401 Balson Ave., 63130. For more information, visit www.eventbrite.com.

Sat., Feb. 15, 11 a.m., Phyllis Wheatley YWCA Committee on Administration presents the 50th Annual Alberta E. Gantt Fashion Show: 5 Decades of Fashion Marriott Airport, 10700 Pear Tree Ln., 63134. For more information, www.ywcastl. org/event/fashion.

Sat., Feb. 15, 7 p.m., Mardi Gras Prom Fleurissant Style. Prizes, live music, raffles, king and queen, and the chance to relive or create prom memories. 1 James J. Eagan Dr., 63033. For more information, visit www. eventbrite.com.

Sat., Feb. 15, 7:30 p.m., Ashleyliane Dance Company presents Love Spell: An Evening of Dance, Hair, and Fashion .Zack, 3224 Locust St., 63103. For more information, visit www.metrotix.com.

Sat., Feb. 15, 8 p.m., The St. Louis Cultural Flamenco Society invites you to Valentine’s a la Flamenca: ¡Solo Flamenco! Experience Andalucía through the passion of flamenco. Sheldon Concert Hall, 3648 Washington Blvd., 63108. For more information, visit www. metrotix.com.

Sat., Feb. 15, 8 p.m., NPHC Unity Party. Omega Center, 3900 Goodfellow Blvd., 63120. For more information, visit www.eventbrite.com.

Fri., Feb. 21, 7 p.m., Best Dance and Talent Center

3rd Annual Trivia Night Fundraiser. Heman Park Community Center, 975 Pennsylvania Ave., 63130. For more information, visit www.eventbrite.com.

Tues., Feb. 25, 9 a.m., Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated Presents: 2020 AKA Day at the Capitol Missouri. The day will include the bus ride to Jefferson City State Capitol with a panel discussion and luncheon at Lincoln University. Bus leaves at 6 a.m. For more information, call (314) 5410378.

Saturdays, 8 a.m., The Ferguson Farmers Market Plaza at 501, 501 S. Florissant Rd., 63135. For more information, visit www. facebook.com.

comedy

Feb. 8 – 9, Valentine’s Expression of Love. Feb. 8: Comedy Show feat. Comedian Lady Re. Feb. 9: Musical Showcase feat. Joshua Williams. Art, comedy, poetry, and giveaways. .Zack, 3224 Locust St., 63103. For more information, visit www. metrotix.com.

Fri., Feb. 21, 8 p.m., Hilarryous Productions & SWCX present But Baby I Love You part 6 feat. Larry

Kenya Vaughn recommends

Greene, Libbie Higgins, Rick Royal, Charlie Winfrey, and Nick Nichols. Sun Theatre, 3625 Grandel Sq., 63108. For more information, visit www. metrotix.com.

literary

Mon., Feb. 3, 7:30 p.m., St. Louis Poetry Center presents Observable Readings with TJ Jarrett and Gillian Parrish. Dressel’s Public House, 419 N. Euclid Ave., 63108. For more information, visit www.stlouispoetrycenter. org/observable/.

Sat., Feb. 8., 8 p.m., Saint Louis University Music Program and the Nu-Art Series presents Jazz and Tongues: The Art of Music and Poetry, starring JD Parrin, K. Curtis Lyle, George Sams, Darrell Mixon and more, Saint Louis University Theatre in Xavier Hall, 3733 West Pine Mall.

Tues., Feb. 11, 7 p.m., St. Louis County Library hosts author Gabriel Bump, author of Everywhere You Don’t Belong. Library Headquarters. 1640 S. Lindbergh Blvd., 63131. For more information, visit www.slcl.org.

Thur., Feb. 13, 7 p.m., Left Bank Books hosts author Candacy Taylor, author of Overground Railroad: The Green Book and the Roots of Black Travel in America. 300 N. Euclid Ave., 63108. For more information, visit www. left-bank.com.

Fri., Feb. 7, 7 p.m., St. Louis Art Museum presents Black is the Color. A highlight of key moments in the history of

African American visual art. 1 Fine Arts Dr., 63110. For more information, visit www. metrotix.com.

Fri., Feb. 14, 7 p.m., City Museum After Dark: Tunnel of Love. Art show and sale, tarot readings, airbrush artists, photo booth, and more. 750 N 16th St., 63103. For more information, visit www. citymuseum.org/events.

Sat., Feb. 15, 3 p.m., Black Votes Count: Then & Now, Juried Art Show. A multimedia juried visual art exhibition that is open to artists 18+ living in the St. Louis region. Schlafly Library, 225 N. Euclid Ave., 63108. For more information, visitwww.slpl.com.

theatre

Jan. 30 – Feb. 2, Fox Theatre presents Jersey Boys. Go behind the music and inside the story of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons. 527 N. Grand Blvd., 63103.

Jan. 31 – Feb. 1, Black Anthology presents Masquerade. A production focused on current issues and unhealthy dynamics that are being faced by the Black community. Edison Theatre, Washington University, 6465 Forsyth Blvd., 63105. For more information, visit www. blackanthology.wustl.edu.

Feb. 7 – 8, Washington University presents Lunar New Year Festival 2020: Emerge. An annual studentrun production to showcase the diversity of individual Asian cultures through acts such as Lion Dance, Korean Fan, and Tinikling. Edison Theatre, 6465 Forsyth Blvd., 63105. For more information, visit www.lnyf.wustl.edu.

Feb. 21 – 23, Fox Theatre presents RENT. Follow an unforgettable year in the lives of seven artists struggling to follow their dreams without selling out. 527 N. Grand Blvd., 63103. For more information, visit www. metrotix.com.

lectures and workshops

Wed., Feb. 5, 6:30 p.m., And You Didn’t Want Me to Vote: America’s Contested Site of Power. Professor Angela da Silva will discuss the history of the vote and the maintaining of power through the lens of conflicts. Maplewood Public Library, 7550 Lohmeyer, 63143. For more information, visit www. maplewoodpubliclibrary.com.

Mon., Feb. 17, 7 p.m., Michael Smerconish presents Clowns to the Left of Me, Jokers to the Right: American Life in Columns. Playhouse at Westport Plaza, 635 West Port Plaza, 63146. For more information, visit www.metrotix.com.

health

Sat., Feb. 1, 9 a.m., The Links, Inc., St. Louis Chapter presents Breast Health Equity Symposium. Learn how to advocate for breast health in your community. Barnes Jewish Hospital Parkview Tower, 4921 Parkview, 63121. For more information, visit www. eventbrite.com.

Sat., Feb. 1, 6:30 p.m., SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital presents Heart & Soul 2020 Live and silent auctions, a theme inspired dinner, and performance by The Dirty Muggs. Proceeds benefit the Dallas Heart Center. Chase Park Plaza, 212 N. Kingshighway Blvd., 63108. For more information, visit www.glennon.org.

Thur., Feb. 6, 7:30 a.m., Force Leadership Series Panel presents Healthcare and Its Professions: Women Leading the Way. Panelists include Tracie McGhee, Candace Jennings, Christin Candio, and Dr. Michelle Jenkins-Unterberg. Nine

Whitaker World Music Concerts presents Angelique Kidjo. For more information, see CONCERTS.

Network, 3655 Olive St., 63108. For more information, visit www.maryville.edu.

Fri., Feb. 7, 6 p.m., Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., Metropolitan St. Louis Chapters invite you to Pink Goes Red Slide & Zumba Dance Event. In support of stroke and heart disease awareness. Normandy Senior High, 6701 St. Charles Rock Rd., 63133. For more information, visit www. facebook.com.

spiritual

Thur., Jan. 30, 7 p.m., Ward Chapel A.M.E. invites you to their Winter Revival: Pressing Forward to Paradise. 11410 Old Halls Ferry Rd., 63033. For more information, visit www. wardchapelamestl.org.

Feb. 14 – 15, The Transformed Marriages Ministry hosts 2020 Marriage Event: Love & Respect 4140 Page Blvd., 63113. For more information, visit www. TransformationChristian church.org.

Chan said. “This really hurts! Thank God we are all alive! Tell your people you love them. I love y’all.”

‘We doing the Grammy’s.’ I don’t take it for granted. It is definitely a blessing.”

It was great night for hiphop at the Grammys. Public Enemy, one of Chan’s favorite groups, was given a Lifetime Achievement Award. The unity of older and new generations came into fruition with the performance of Lil Nas X, and his namesake Nas. The recently slain Nipsey Hussle received a tribute and a Grammy Award for his performance with DJ Khaled and John Legend. Who knew tragedy was yet again at hand. The excitement of Grammy night for Chan and the whole world was shattered when it was announced that NBA legend Kobe Bryant and his 13- year-old daughter Gianna were among those killed in a helicopter crash that morning. The Grammys were being held at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, a place where Bryant played as a Laker. Chan and Rukus paid tribute with both albums spinning on the turntables, one purple and one gold, Lakers’ colors, and Chan held up Bryant’s jersey with his number 24 as they performed with Aerosmith.

“We all lose Kobe Bryant,”

Jam Master Jay, Run-DMC’s original DJ, saw much in Chan, which prepared him for this moment. Tragedy haunts the story.

“I won a DJ battle the night Tupac Shakur was killed –September 13, 1996 – and the prize was to open up for RunDMC,” Chan said. “So I go and reclaim my prize, and Jam Master Jay was watching me the whole time. He approached me after the show and said he wanted me to DJ a party that he and Funk Master Flex were giving in Miami. He also allowed me to tour with RunDMC, and later he introduced me to the So So Def, where I became Da Brat’s deejay.”

The culture suffered another great loss when Jason William Mizell, known to the world as Jam Master Jay, was murdered in October of 2002. Chan received the call from DMC to become his DJ and later to be a DJ for the group, when DMC and Run reunited in 2010.

“Run-DMC got back together at Jay-Z’s first Made in America Festival, and since then we have been back together,” said Chan. The DJ is the foundation of hip-hop. It was a DJ, Kool Herc, who created hip-hop by mixing beat breaks of songs.

The DJ continues to move the music forward.

“If you down with the culture, you’re going to look for stuff people don’t know about and try to introduce it to them while taking them on a musical journey,” Chan said. “To hear the same stuff over and over again, it gets boring. A lot of DJs today are not breaking new music and artists to the world. This is something that we have been known for and must continue.”

Chan said the DJ must introduce the world to the next Run-DMC or the next Tupac.

“Like the Da Baby – where were we as DJs at as he was trying to make it years ago, giving him a chance?” Chan said. “But now, since he is on all these platforms, we play him. We have to help open doors for the next person.”

When not DJing for RunDMC, Chan can be found playing everything from More Bounce and Parliament to the City Girls and Cardi B. “I was born to do this,” Chan said. “I am blessed. It’s like putting your pants on or breathing, it comes to me naturally.”

Jihad Hassan Muhammad is a contributing editor for Texas Metro News and Garland Journal, a staff writer for The Final Call, hip-hop historian and co-founder of Dynasty HipHop Mentoring Program.

connecting [the archive] other than my appreciation of meeting people. There was no agenda other than to go out and see what’s out there.”

The portraits in this show are of everyday people from Russia, London, New York, and other places across the globe. Johnson Artur establishes personal connections with her subjects before she photographs them, lending an almost casual quality you can see in photos such as “Untitled (PDA) 2018,” which shows a heavily made-up woman in a fur coat staring into the camera, as if the viewer is mid-conversation with her.

Often, she approaches her subjects as strangers on the street and asks to photograph them. “To this day I’m still amazed that people say yes, because a lot of times it is strangers I approach. And I get a picture,” she said. “One of the things that I tell people is that I’m going to keep their picture safe.”

“Dusha,” curated by Drew Sawyer of the Brooklyn Museum, juxtaposes finished images by Artur with her sketchbooks – pages full of both notes and photo clips, giving the viewer insight into Artur’s thoughts.

It also includes two video installations and a sound installation. “Real…Times” weaves together various narratives from London’s many different communities. The video jumps between different storylines – a poet’s arrest, a woman speaking at a protest, a man in a museum, radio hosts dancing on break – which collectively give us a sense of the nebulous whole of Johnson

Building

Continued from C1

Harmony, Arts Educator of the Year Dr. Nikki Spotts, Champion for the Arts recipient Employee Community Fund of Boeing St. Louis, Excellence in the Arts recipient Pulitzer Arts Foundation and Arts Collaborator Adam Maness. Stages St. Louis founders Jack Lane and Michael Hamilton also received a Lifetime Achievement in the Arts Awards.

“We invest in people and programs that shape a more vibrant community by inspiring us to think more creatively, build bridges among cultures, energize our communities and our economy and quite simply enrich our lives,” said Cynthia Prost Arts and Education Council President and CEO.

Thurman saw a bridge that needed to be built when he first laid eyes upon the mural dedicated to pioneers in the field of aviation at Lambert International Airport back in 1985.

“On that 147-foot mural there were no African Americans on there,” Thurman said. “I grew up around Tuskegee Airmen, so I knew that was not right.” He worked with an artist named Spencer Taylor on a proposal to get “Black Americans in Flight” on the wall at Lambert. “He was a masterful painter and to work with him for those five years

Artur’s London communities.

“AfroRussia” documents the stories of other Russians of African and Caribbean descent, from a trip Johnson Artur took to Russia specifically to find others with her heritage. First, a reggae artist talks about his pride in being a revolutionary’s son. Then a young woman tells how her African-American father was invited by Stalin to help with agriculture after he graduated from the University of Virginia. Another woman talks about her college studies in public relations, and yet another shows off her house full of cats. They all speak of their parents, of the ways they feel connected to Russia, and yet to other places, too.

The two video pieces make explicit a certain diasporic tension between multiple homes within one self. “I’m trying to accumulate something that in its presence shows the broad spectrum,” she said. “Because each person that I

was almost like going through a master’s program at [an art] school,” Thurman said.

Having a painting on the walls of Lambert was a full-circle experience for Thurman. His father enrolled him in art classes at the People’s Art Center in 1958 after he was caught as a youngster drawing on the kitchen walls of the family home.

“When we were kids, he would set out sketch paper all the time,” said son Lance Omar Thurman said, crediting his father’s creativity for his own path as a noted photographer.

Rev. Ralph Irving, senior pastor of Greater Leonard Missionary Baptist Church, knew Thurman way back then, boasting that their friendship stretches 60 years. “We were neighbors and footwear maintenance engineers – everybody else called us shoeshine boys,” Irving said.

Years later, Irving commissioned Thurman to create a painting of their boyhood experience walking home after a long Saturday of shining shoes. “He got it absolutely right – even down to this one tidbit where the dog would run out every time we would come close to his house. He would bark and snarl and charge at us.”

Spotts was a fourth grader at Shaw Elementary, where she now works as a dance educator, when she discovered dance. Soon after, it was impressed upon her to use her gifts to pour into the next generation of artists. “I remember my

meet is different.”

Johnson Artur said she hopes that St. Louisans will see themselves reflected in her photos, even though they are from places where most of us have never been.

“I photograph something that is part of people’s lives,” she said. “I catch people’s memories –memories of their aunts, their uncles, gatherings, whatever it is. And it’s great to come to St. Louis because I’ve never been there but I’m sure that people will recognize things. And that’s in a certain way something that I strongly believe – that what I see in one part of the world I can find in another part of the world. If they can see something that’s on the other side of the world but looks very familiar, wonderful.”

“Dusha” will be at the Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis, 3750 Washington Blvd., through April 19. Admission is free. https://camstl.org/.

principal saying to me, ‘When you leave here, hold on to your story. When you complete your story, you must return. When you return, that’s the beginning of someone else’s story.’” Her dance teachers were so invested in her talent and potential that they poured into her – including Charley Johnson and Pelagie Wren. After a successful career as a dancer and choreographer, Spotts returned to Shaw in 1999 and never left. From then to now she helps her students find their own stories. “What I would like to see is every school having the arts,” Spotts said. “Every school having dance and drama and music and art included. These kids need that voice.”

Renee Franklin, director of audience development at the Saint Louis Art Museum, spoke of the time she saw Solomon Thurman help a particularly vulnerable group find their own voice.

He facilitated an art class for women housed in a domestic violence shelter.

“Solomon went in there and there and it was phenomenal,” Franklin said. “He not only empowered the women to work through their pain, he helped them to bridge where they were with where they wanted to go.

“When I think of Solomon, I think of someone who is a talented artist, but he also a gifted educator, a community activist. But most of all, he is a kind person.”

Chan

Continued from C1

Run DMC performing with Steven Tyler and Aerosmith at the 2020 Grammy Awards.

“Untitled,” Liz Johnson Artur, Chromogenic photograph, 20x24 inches 1996-2012.

Celebrations

Reunions

Beaumont Class of 1970 has scheduled its 50-year reunion celebration for the weekend of 10/16/20-10/18/20. The banquet will be held at The Embassy Suites (downtown), 610 N. 7th St. We are currently working on finalizing plans to make this our best reunion yet! Please forward

your current contact info to: beaumontclassof1970@gmail. com, so that we can keep you informed.

Central High School Class of 1970 is in the process of planning its 50-year reunion in 2020. We are trying to locate former classmates. If you would like to receive additional information as we plan this momentous occasion, please provide your contact information to either Lillian McKinney at mamajoyce314@ icloud.com or (314) 335-9760, Eric Armstrong at elarmstr@ yahoo.com or (918) 650-

Happy 25th Birthday to Lataundra on January 28! She’s an up and coming beautician with a loving personality and big heart—a big sister, little sister, aunt cousin and friend to many. We love you and Happy Birthday to you!

Do you have a celebration you’re proud of? If so we would

Happy 50th Birthday to George Brown on January 27! Time to celebrate another milestone in your journey. Wishing you joy and happiness today and always. With lots of love, be happy! Love ya, Your sister, Cynthia Brown

Happy 18th Birthday to my beautiful granddaughter, Niya Amber Michele Danfort. Niya is a freshman attending Rend Lake College on a full basketball scholarship and pursuing a nursing degree. She was known as “Rain Drop” while attending Pattonville for her excellent basketball skills. She is smart and beautiful— inside and out and a God-fearing young woman and very much loved by her family and friends. I love you! Your Nanna

3385, Sabra Morris-Pernod at Saboots@centurytel.net or (314) 703-0812.

L’Ouverture School Class of June 1962 will host an event celebrating our historic L’Ouverture Elementary School. For organization and planning, please meet with us at 3245 Geyer Ave, 63104, Saturday, February 1, 2020, 2 pm. For information, contact: Valerie at (314) 664-6270, email: valeriemiller06179@ att.net; or Evelyn at (314) 7738702.

Soldan Class of 1975 Reunion

Committee is currently seeking all classmates to celebrate our 45-year reunion in September 2020. Additional details to follow. Please submit your current contact information to Committee members Ms. AnnieSue Preston (314) 6065618, Mr. Arvell Roberts, (314) 319-4937, or send info to SOLDANCLASS1975@ GMAIL.COM.

Vashon High School Class of 1974 is planning its next reunion. We are in the process of rounding up all classmates. To provide or update your contact information, please

email ljbady@gmail.com or contact: Joe Verrie Johnson 314-640-5842, Jordan Perry 314-724-4563, or LaVerne James-Bady 314-382-0890.

Vashon High School Class of 1975 is planning for its 45-year reunion. We are in process of getting all classmates to provide or update your contact information. Please email Millicent, centbyme1@aol.com or Elvis, elvishopson@att.net. You can also send information by mail: Vashon High Class of 1975, P.O. box 8735, St. Louis Mo. 63101. Keep this date open: August 7-9, 2020.

Happy Birthday to my mother, Regina Mars, who turned 64 on January 23. I love you to the moon and back! Enjoy your 64th birthday and may it be filled with lots of love, joy and laughter! One Love! Ben Ben 2020

Clergy stand in support of Circuit Attorney Kimberly Gardner

‘She seeks to be fair and equitable with the most vulnerable’

By Rev. Cassandra Gould

For The St. Louis American

The following statement was signed by more than 60 clergy

leaders.

We, the undersigned clergy, stand in unequivocal support of St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kimberly Gardner and call upon St. Louis Mayor Lyda Krewson and other elected officials to stand with her and demand the St. Louis Police Officers Association to stop the attacks against her.

One of the definitions of justice is “the use of authority and power to uphold what is right, just or lawful.” As the first African American to lead the Circuit Attorney’s Office in St Louis or any prosecutor’s office in the State of Missouri, Gardner has stood as a stalwart for this ideal. She upholds the belief that it is a fundamental right for all human beings to be treated fairly and with all deliberate speed, even and especially those who have historically treated unfairly and experience systemic oppression.

n We stand with St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kimberly Gardner and denounce all public and private acts of aggression and attacks.

In a city fraught with poverty and lack of opportunities, she intentionally focused on low-level, non-violent offenders whose main offenses are rooted in poverty. In so doing, she sought to make sure the bail system was fair and not focused on extracting from those who have little to give. She seeks to be fair and equitable with members of the most vulnerable wards in the City of St. Louis, taking a posture of preventative measures so that young men and women will not end up in her office simply for being poor and segregated.

In examining her work and her compassion, we believe her decisions are biblically rooted and illustrated by “true judgments, kindness, and mercy” (Zechariah 7:9 ESV).

As a black woman who shattered the racial glass ceiling, Gardner has been plagued by accusation, racism, sexism, and a complete lack of support from the Mayor’s Office. She has been consistently met with the ire and systemic racism that has been the cornerstone of criminal justice in the City of St. Louis. It is a system that has been skewed in unfair treatment and scales of justice that are unbalanced and racially biased.

The St. Louis Police Officers Association continues to target her and is unrelenting in its attacks against her personhood. It is not just shameful but also unconscionable. It is a sad reality when a duly elected official has to sue the police department and the city for their blatant acts of racism against the citizens they were sworn to serve and protect. We stand with her and denounce all public and private acts of aggression and attacks.

Rev. Cassandra Gould marching with other clergy

Gardner exemplifies what St. Louis should and could be as she demonstrates her belief in restorative justice as evidenced in her forensic examination of prior cases, the Workhouse, and the cash bail system. It is apparent that the powerful status quo sees her as a threat to the system of peonage that funded certain parts of the city at the expense of neighborhoods north of Delmar. Every attack is an attempt to maintain the St. Louis of Dred Scott, the St. Louis of enslavement, the St. Louis of mass incarceration of black bodies and to widen and sustain the Delmar Divide.

We, the undersigned clergy, stand with Circuit Attorney Kimberly Gardner. Gleaning from our diverse readings of sacred texts, we believe in fairness and an opportunity for restoration to those most vulnerable among us. The definition of justice as “the comprehensive well-being of all” compels us to speak out against a system that targets this African-American woman. To sign-on in support of Circuit Attorney Kimberly Gardner, visit http://bit.ly/StandForKim.

Nobody said it would be easy

I’ve discovered more about people I thought I knew after being saved than I ever thought possible before I was saved. My analogy is that I saw the world and my friends as old black-and-white movies. Now they come across in Technicolor and Surround Sound. It seems that being kindred spirits in Christ, we got it like that now.

Bible study, tithing, regular church attendance, prayer, praise and an honest attempt at wholesome living can bring out an unusual reaction in some folk. I know because I used to be one of those people who avoided anyone and anything that invited God into my life. I wasn’t malicious or anything. It just wasn’t part of my public program.

James Washington

So I understood the reaction I was getting from those in this group. Some thought it was a phase, others an addiction, and still others felt I was on some kind of moral guilt trip that I’d just get over one day real soon. Many couldn’t see the serious nature of my transformation because they too saw me only in terms of black and white.

Others just refused to accept God as the reason that my behavior changed. There just had to be another reason. I must have a hidden agenda. Salvation and eternity were vague concepts to them. What does eternity have to do with right here, right now?

What is so easy to acknowledge in church and in Bible study is at times impossible, difficult at best, to communicate elsewhere to people who knew you when and did all those things with you that you don’t do anymore. It can be tough.

If it were not for those Christians who can and do relate to this, those who know where they are today compared to where they were yesterday, I might still see the world as only black-and-white, filled with a bunch of gray people. Believe me, Technicolor is better.

That’s why it is so easy for me to relate to Paul. You want to talk about a transformation! It’s a wonder Paul lived to tell anyone about Jesus. His life before the road to Damascus enlightenment is a testament to what I’m talking about. Why should anyone believe anything that came from Paul’s murderous mouth?

I suppose the answer in hindsight is a pretty good one. The words that came out of Paul’s mouth were indeed put there by Jesus, the same Christ who knocked me down and picked me up as He also did Paul. I’ve changed because I had no choice in this matter. And if you’re saved, you don’t either.

But don’t worry about it. This is a new me and a new you with a new life and new responsibilities. It is our willing obligation to at least give the Lord our best shot.

VOLUNTEER MANAGER

The Gateway Arch Park Foundation is seeking to fill the following open full-time position.

Volunteer Manager: Position requires a minimum of a bachelor’s degree and 3-5 years of professional experience

View full job description and application process at www.archpark.org.

NOTICE TO CONTRACTORS

Sealed bids for 2020 CRS Pavement Rehabilitation, Area A, St. Louis County Project No.CR-1803,

FULL-TIME PERMIT TECHNICIAN

DIRECTOR, FAMILY SUPPORT INITIATIVES

Area Resources for Community and Human Services (ARCHS), an innovative funding agency, is seeking a detailed, results-oriented, Director, Family Support Initiatives.

on January 27, 2020 from the St. Louis County Web Site (www.stlouisco.com), or by contacting Cross Rhodes Print & Technologies, 2731 South Jefferson Avenue, St. Louis, MO 63118

SPECIALIZED FEDERAL AVIATION LEGAL COUNSEL

The City of St. Louis, Missouri (“City”), the owner and operator of St. Louis Lambert International Airport® (“Airport”), is seeking Statements of Qualifications for specialized federal aviation legal counsel from law firms to support Airport Staff and the work of the City Counselor’s Office on behalf of the Airport. SOQs are due Tuesday, March 10, 2020 at 3pm CST. The Request for Qualifications is available at the City’s website, www.stlouis-mo.gov/government/ procurement/index.cfm#rfm

DO YOU HAVE A BACKGROUND IN BUSINESS, MARKETING, OR STUDENT SERVICES?

HANDYMAN WANTED for Apt Complex $10hr Ask for Tim 314-319-8597

THE BRENTWOOD SCHOOL DISTRICT SEEKS TO HIRE THE FOLLOWING POSITIONS FT Night Custodian 2:30pm-11pm FT Overnight Custodian 10pm-6:30am

The City of Clayton is now accepting applications for a full-time Permit Technician in the Planning & Development Department. To apply, visit www.claytonmo.gov/jobs. EOE RESIDENTIAL MONITOR

Missouri S&T Global Learning is seeking the right candidate for its Student Service Coordinator II position (Job #00025196). This position serves as the main point of contact for our St. Louis extended site, located in Des Peres, Mo., providing day-to-day student support and recruitment services for distance education and professional and continuing education. For more information and to apply, visit https://hr.mst.edu/careers/ staff-employment/. An Equal Opportunity Employer

SPECIAL SCHOOL DISTRICT OF ST. LOUIS COUNTY ACCEPTING SEALED BIDS

Notice to contractors, Special School District is accepting bids for North Technical High School Office/Bus Canopy Renovation. For details, please visit the website at www.ssdmo.org/rfps.html

SEALED BIDS

Bids for Replace Roof Including Sky Light, Administration Bldg. & Housing Unit 5, Missouri EasternCorrectional Center, Pacific, Missouri, Project No. C1916-01 will be received by FMDC, State of MO, UNTIL 1:30 PM, 2/27/2020 v i a MissouriBUYS . Bidders must be registered to bid. For specific project information and ordering plans, go to: http://oa.mo.gov/ facilities

This position manages all grant and related contract activities to achieve grant objectives. Duties include developing, implementing and administering grant funds for a Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) initiative, procuring sub-recipient agencies to deliver services and ensuring programmatic and fiscal oversight. This position requires a strong foundation in managing federal grants and knowledge of human service programs. Experience with VOCA is beneficial. Knowledge of contract compliance, documentation/results reporting, and assessment/evaluation is necessary, as are strong meeting facilitation, community relations, and project management skills. Candidates should possess a Bachelor’s in Business, Education, Sociology, Social Work, or related fields (Masters a plus), excellent writing and presentation skills, and strong competence in database management and Microsoft® Office. Email letter of application, resume and salary history by February 28, 2020 to careers@stlarchs.org or Fax to HR, 314-289-5670. NO phone calls please.

ARE YOU A CHURCH LOOKING FOR AN PROFESSIONAL ORGAN PLAYER, PIANO PLAYER, TEACHER, DIRECTOR, OR MINISTER

If so, please call 314-652-1107

BIDS & NOTICES

Public Notice of Single Source Procurement

Notice is hereby given that the Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District is proposing to procure: Pump Rental Service. The District is proposing a 2-month single source procurement to Rain for Rent. Any inquiries should be sent to acooper@stlmsd.com.

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

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

The St. Louis County Port Authority requests proposals from qualified accountants for general accounting services. Interested individuals or firms may contact Andrew Ruben (aruben@sandbergphoenix.com) for a copy of the full RFP. Proposals are due by February 19, 2020

REQUESTS FOR QUALIFICATIONS

Great Rivers Greenway is seeking qualifications for Bond Counsel. Go to www. greatriversgreenway.org/ jobs-bids/ and submit by February 14, 2020

Must have a stable work history. Experience working in a school setting is preferred. Visit the following website for to apply: www.brentwoodmoschools.org Click on the Human Resources tab at the top of the page, review the Q and A section and proceed to the link at the bottom of the page, Employment Opportunities. Positions are open until filled, however interviews will begin once sufficient applications have been received. Only online applications are accepted. If you have applied previously you will need to reapply.

Please No Phone Calls. EOE.

SEASONAL FIELD STAFF

Great Rivers Greenway is seeking positions for Seasonal Field Staff. Go to www.greatriversgreenway.org/ jobs-bids/ and submit by March 13, 2020.

Public Notice of Single Source Procurement Notice is hereby given that the

be sent to acooper@stlmsd.com.

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

EMAIL MARKETING PLATFORM II RFP 2020

The Saint Louis Zoo seeks bids from qualified contractors to provide a new email marketing and marketing automation platform. Bid documents are available as of 1/29/2020 on the Saint Louis Zoo website: //stlzoo.org/vendor

MAIL PROCESSING SYSTEM RFP 2020

The Saint Louis Zoo seeks bids from qualified vendors to propose a mail processing system for efficient processing and postal accuracy. Bid documents are available as of 1/29/2020 on the Saint Louis Zoo website: stlzoo.org/vendor

BIDS

Curtiss-Manes-Schulte, Inc. is soliciting bids from MBE/WBE/ SDVE/DBE subcontractors and suppliers for work on the MU Library Depository, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO. Bids are due Tuesday, February 4, 2020 by 1:00 pm and can be faxed to (573) 392-4527 or emailed to shawn@cms-gc.com. For more information, call Shawn @ (573) 392-6553. Curtiss-Manes-Schulte, Inc. is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Residential Monitor needed for Supportive Housing Program. AAS degree desired. Please reply to Program Director Doris Magwood at (314) 679-5407.

UNTIL1:30PM, February27,2020 via MissouriBUYS. Biddersmustbe registeredtobid. For

, MISSOURI,Project No.T1906-01will bereceivedby FMDC,Stateof MO, UNTIL1:30PM, February27, 2020viaMissouri BUYS.Bidders mustbe

gov/facilities

Sealed proposals will be received by the Board of Public Service in Room 208 City Hall, 1200 Market Street, St. Louis, Mo. Until 1:45 PM, CT, on March 3rd, 2020, then publicly opened and read. Plans and Specifications may be examined on the Board of Public Service website http://www.stl-bps.org/ planroom.aspx (BPS On Line Plan Room) and may be purchased directly through the BPS website from INDOX Services at cost plus shipping. No refunds will be made.

A mandatory pre-bid walk thru for all contractors bidding on this project will be held at PARKS ADMINISTRATION BUILDING, 5600 CLAYTON AVENUE, ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI 63110, FEBRUARY 18, 2020 at 10:00 A.M. All bidders are encouraged to attend.

Bidders shall comply with all applicable City, State and Federal laws (including MBE/WBE policies). All bidders must regard Federal Executive Order 11246, “Notice of Requirement for Affirmative Action to Ensure Equal Employment Opportunity”, the “Equal Opportunity Clause” and the “Standard Federal Equal Employment Specifications” set forth within and referenced at www.stl-bps.org (Announcements).

LETTING NO. #8714

CONCRETE & BRICK REMOVAL/ REPLACEMENT AND COMPLETE SIDEWALK INSTALLATION SP-113

Sealed proposals will be received by the Board of Public Service in Room 208 City Hall, 1200 Market Street, St. Louis, Mo. Until 1:45 PM, CT, on February 25, 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 through the BPS website from INDOX Services at cost plus shipping. No refunds will be made.

A mandatory pre-bid conference for all contractors bidding on this project will be held on January 28, 2020 at 10:00 A.M. in Room 305, City Hall, 1200 Market Street, St. Louis MO 63103. NOTE: Contractors that attended the pre-bid conference for Project SP-111 or SP-112 are eligible to bid on Project SP-113 without attending the SP-113 pre-bid conference.

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

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

METROPOLITAN ST. LOUIS SEWER DISTRICT

Notice is hereby given that the Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District will receive sealed bids in the Purchasing Division, 2350 Market Street, St. Louis, Missouri 631032555 until 10:00am February 27, 2020 for: 2 (2020) 1-Ton Cargo Vans Specifications and bid forms may be obtained from www.stlmsd.com - click on “MSD At Work”, then “Bidding on Projects”. The bid document will be 10289 RFQ. If you do not have access to the internet, call (314) 768-6314 to request a copy of this bid.

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

SEALED BIDS

BidsforInterior

MSHPAircraft Hangar,Jefferson City,Missouri, ProjectNo.R200701willbereceived byFMDC,Stateof MO,UNTIL1:30 PM,2/13/2020via MissouriBUYS.

Biddersmustbe registeredtobid. Forspecificproject informationand orderingplans,go to:http://oa.mo. gov/facilities

SEALED BIDS

BidsforDomestic

, NWRegional YouthCenter, KansasCity, Missouri,Project No.H1905-01 willbereceived byFMDC,State ofMO,UNTIL 1:30PM, February13,2020 via MissouriBUYS.

Biddersmustbe registeredtobid. Forspecificproject informationand orderingplans,go to:http://oa.mo. gov/facilities

CITY OF ST. LOUIS BOARD OF PUBLIC SERVICE

REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS for PROFESSIONAL SERVICES FOR PROGRAM MANAGEMENT SERVICES, CERVANTES CONVENTION CENTER EXPANSION/MODERNIZATION. Statements of Qualifications due by 5:00 PM CT, FEBRUARY 5, 2020 at Board of Public Service, 1200 Market, Room 301 City Hall, St. Louis, MO 63103. RFQ may be obtained from BPS website www.stl-bps.org, under On Line Plan Room-Plan Room, or call Board of Public Service at 314-622-3535.

25% MBE and 5% WBE participation goals.

NOTICE OF REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

CITY OF

ST. LOUIS BOARD OF PUBLIC SERVICE

REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS for PROFESSIONAL SERVICES FOR ARCHITECTURAL AND ENGINEERING SERVICES, CERVANTES CONVENTION CENTER EXPANSION/ MODERNIZATION. Statements of Qualifications due by 5:00 PM CT, FEBRUARY 4, 2020 at Board of Public Service, 1200 Market, Room 301 City Hall, St. Louis, MO 63103. RFQ may be obtained from BPS website www.stl-bps.org, under On Line Plan Room-Plan Room, or call Board of Public Service at 314-622-3535.

25% MBE and 5% WBE participation goals.

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS (RFP) to be received by Forest Park Forever (FPF), located at 5595 Grand Dr. in Forest Park, St. Louis, MO. 63112 until Feb. 7, 2020 at 1:00 p.m. for the World’s Fair Pavilion Comfort Station Renovation Project. RFP docs are available in PDF format at www. forestparkforever.org/bids or for review of hardcopies at FPF during office hours.

Equal opportunity bidding event. Women and Minority in Business are encouraged to participate.

NOTICE TO CONTRACTORS

Notice is hereby given that The Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District (District) will receive sealed bids for ALABAMA #7105 COMBINED SEWER REPLACEMENT (IR) under Letting No. 13284-015.1, at this office, 2350 Market Street, St. Louis, Missouri 63103, until 02:00 PM on Tuesday, February 25, 2020, at a place designated. Bids will be received only from companies that are pre-qualified by the District’s Engineering Department for: DEEP SEWER CONSTRUCTION –St. Louis City drainlayer’s license required Plans and Specifications are available for free electronic download. Please go to MSD’s website and look for a link to “ELECTRONIC PLANROOM.” Plans and Specifications are also available for viewing or purchase at Cross Rhodes Reprographics located at 1712 Macklind Avenue, St. Louis MO 63110. All bidders must obtain a set of plans and specifications in order to submit a bid in the name of the entity submitting the bid. The Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District is an Equal Opportunity Employer. BIDS

LETTING NO. #8715

2020 Capital Main Replacement Program – Twenty (20) Inch Main in Lindenwood Pl.

Sealed proposals will be received by the Board of Public Service in Room 208 City Hall, 1200 Market Street, St. Louis, Mo. Until 1:45 PM, CT, on March 3, 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 through the BPS website from INDOX Services at cost plus shipping. No refunds will be made.

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

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

LETTING NO. #8704

VEHICLE WASH BAY AT AIRFIELD MAINTENANCE

At St. Louis Lambert International Airport

Sealed proposals will be received by the Board of Public Service in Room 208 City Hall, 1200 Market Street, St. Louis, Mo. Until 1:45 PM, CT, on TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 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 through the BPS website from INDOX Services at cost plus shipping. No refunds will be made.

Bidders shall comply with all applicable City, State and Federal laws (including MBE/WBE policies). Mandatory pre-bid meeting will be held on Tuesday, January 28, 2020, at 1:30 PM in the Ozark Conference Room at the Airport Office Building, 11495 Navaid Rd., Bridgeton, MO 63044.

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

Great Rivers Greenway is seeking Bids for Resetting Tree Pit Pavers at Gateway Arch National Park. Go to www.greatriversgreenway.org/ jobs-bids/ and submit by February 24, 2020.

ROAD WORK NOTICE TO CONTRACTORS

REQUESTS

FOR QUALIFICATIONS

Great Rivers Greenway is seeking Request for Qualifications for Property Appraisal Companies and Title and Closing Companies. Go to www.greatriversgreenway. org/jobs-bids/ and submit by February 24, 2020.

Bids will be received electronically by the Commission until 11:00 o'clock a.m. (prevailing local time) on 02/21/2020 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 J6Q3467 Various Routes St Louis City County. ITS improvements at various routes across the St. Louis District, the total length of improvement being 0 miles.

Job J6Q3472 Various Routes St Louis County. ITS improvments at various locations across the St. Louis District, the total length of improvement being 0 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 1-800735-2966.

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. 87-581, 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 –

AND TRANSPORTATION

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

The St. Louis City Family Court is seeking proposals from service

For Proposals under General Information and follow the FSCS Proposal Specifications.

ROOMS FOR RENT FALL SPECIALS! Fully Furn., All Util. includ., Cable Tv, on maj. busline, all areas, starting @ $95/wk 314-305-4714

NOTICE TO CONTRACTORS

Paric Corporation will be seeking bids for the University of Missouri – Women’s & Children’s Hospital located at 404 N Keene St, Columbia, MO 65201. The project includes the following scopes; Metal Fabrications, Fire & Smoke Assemblies, Roof Accessories, Applied Fireproofing, Firestopping, Hollow Metal Doors & Frames, Door Hardware, Gypsum Board Assemblies, Acoustical Ceilings, Fire Suppression, Mechanical – HVAC, and Electrical.

The current drawings are available from Paric through our SmartBid software, or from http://operations-webapps.missouri.edu/pdc/adsite/ad.html. Please submit proposals and/ or questions to mwalburg@paric.com.

This project has the following participation goals: 10% MBE business participation 10% WBE/DBE/Veteran Owned business participation 3% SDVE business participation

Keeping Kobe’s family in our prayers. Listen. I am sick. It’s been almost a week and it still has not set in that Kobe Bryant and his beautiful daughter Gigi are gone. I can’t even imagine how his wife, their surviving children, his teammates and fellow NBA brethren must feel right now. All I know is, I wasn’t even a Kobe fan – that’s not to say that I didn’t respect his legendary game – and I’m shook.

I feel he grew up with all of us. We watched him go to the prom with Brandy which means he was basically our second cousin. Yep, all of us. I thought I would have better words as far as expressing the sense of instant loss by now. But all I can do is offer prayers to the Bryant family and the families of the other seven people who were tragically lost in the accident. I asked nicely in the past week or so for the universe not to make this next decade a continuation of the tragedy-upontragedy that was 2019. Now I’m pleading, let’s make this the last of it please. Your friendly Young Leaders reminder. Despite my sadness, the Partyline show must go on. So, let me tell y’all that you have three weeks to get your corporate executive realness swag on official, because its almost time for the 10 year milestone of our always inspiring Salute to Young Leaders Networking and Awards Reception to empower and encourage. Get snatched power suit style and come see what’s possible as we present a crop of individuals from corporations to community organizations that are doing big things in our city. We will be gathering at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, February 20 in our usual meeting place of the swank Four Seasons. All the folks who have been before, which at this point is several thousand, will co-sign that it is impossible to attend without your life being changed and/or getting motivated to make a difference for the better. Again, it’s going down at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 20 at the Four Seasons. Get your tickets today, so you won’t accidently get turned away due to a sell-out, which it typically does. Visit www.stlamerican.com or call (314) 533-8000 for more information. An epic 90s birthday vibe. I stopped by the House of Soul Saturday for Jami Ballentine Dolby’s totally 90s birthday bash. I’m thrilled to admit it was everything she and everybody else hyped it up to be. Why was I singing the theme to “Living Single” in my head half the night? I promise you I was all “In a 90s kind of world, I’m glad I got my girls” the whole time. My only note for the night is that I had hoped the band had played some 90s music. Maybe they did after I dipped off to Jeezy for a spell. But they should have kicked their set of with “This Is How We Do It” or “Return of the Mack.” I can’t stand neither one of those songs, but the minute they came on, the party was instantly off the hook (obligatory 90s slang). Oh well, Boogie D made up for it with his mix of 90s hits. I got my whole entire life from Jami being a mood and a half with her mid-party wardrobe change that perfectly expressed the opposite ends of the 90s fashion spectrum. Let’s face it ladies, in the 90s you only had three look options – you dressed like a slut, a stud or a church front desk receptionist. I can’t tell y’all how many times in my junior year me and my mama got into it about her stinking up my favorite double breasted rayon skort sets with Benson and Hedges Menthol Lights because she called herself sneaking and wearing them to her little part time secretarial gig. But enough about my 90s teen family dysfunction, let’s get back to the party. I was telling folks how she subtly nailed it. Jami nailed the tomboy with her Timbs with the baggy jeans and pager. But then she had the nerve to disappear halfway through and come out with a neon yellow wig, matching glasses and full-length fur coat, rapping along to “Crush On You.” Lil Kim would have been pleased. Everybody went all out for the party. Where did y’all find all that Tommy Hillfiger? Jami’s Lil Kim homage was my favorite of the night, but Ebonee Shaw’s airbrushed dress and the trio of Vincent Flewellen, Tammie Holland and Cory Clines had the group thing on lock. They were a cross between City High and Salt-N-Pepa. I’m sorry that I walked right past you Tammie, but I honestly did not recognize you with that Regine Hunter wig on. By the time I focused in on your face, you were on the other side of the room.

Another concert jackpot for Jeezy. There more than a few artists that are a sure thing among the rap and trap community. And Saturday night, Jeezy reminded folks that he’s pretty much at the top of the list – along with Yo Gotti, Boosie and Plies – among the small segment of artists who will draw a crowd worthy of bragging rights when they touch down in the STL, no matter the date or the venue. I’ve seen Jeezy pack a spot out on a Tuesday afternoon. So I was hardly shocked when he had folks lined up to see what he was serving at the Pageant. Because I hit a couple of other spots before I made my way over to the show, T Dubb O was the only opening act I managed to catch. I was so thrilled that the folks were rocking with his black power street rap. He had me at that Aspen meets Walnut Park winter gear. But the fact that he had the folks’ attention with his music – which beat-wise sounds like the run of the mill regular rap, but on the lyrical side he’s on a whole different wave length. And I’m not mad. I was also thrilled that Rockhouse Ent. and Black Luxury promotional tag team took a moment to celebrate the life and legacy of Tony J. as part of the festivities. As per usual, Jeezy did not hold back, giving us snippets from his whole 15 plus years in the game that almost stretched into a full length show. I was even more excited that he got so into the energy of the audience that he didn’t want to leave the stage. And what was even better than that, was that his headlining set started and ended at a decent hour. So, we weren’t waiting around, or praying that it would be over soon. He gave just enough for the fully reciprocated love affair between him and St. Louis to continue.

The Zetas Centennial Gala brought out the city’s movers and shakers including the fashionable Olusegun Coker, MD and Shawntelle Saturday @ The Airport Renaissance

Deandre and Rolanda wanted to start their week with positive vibes and opted for Poetic Justice @ the new High Low Sunday night

Charvaye and KingB warmed up the dance floor during Jeezy concert after party @ The Marquee Saturday

Nicole and Brendolyn were on deck to party with Jami as she celebrated her birthday with a 90s themed party Saturday @ House of Soul

Brooke and Rachel as the represented for the Zetas as their sorority’s 100 year milestone Saturday @ their Centennial Gala Saturday @ the airport Renaissance

Creatives T Spirt and Ms. Fluid had a chance to chat as they waited for Poetic Justice Sunday night @ High Low

Monica Campbell and AKA Kimberly Goodwin of Enterprise Bank celebrated with the Zetas @ their Centennial Gala Saturday @ The Airport Renaissance

Tricky and Maryum hung backstage as the city waited on Jeezy to pull up to The Pageant on Saturday

Marnell and Kiara as Corey Black started the countdown to showtime @ Poetic Justice Sunday @ The High Low

Friends Jacque Estelle and Jacqueline ran in to each other Sunday @ The High Low

Orlando of RockHouse Ent. and Twonocho_blackluxury teamed up to bring rap veteran Jeezy back to the city. The St. Louis favorite brought a near capacity crowd to The Pageant Saturday night for a concert that also featured T Dubb O, DJ Cuddy, Twin Gee and Mitch 3600.

Photos by V. Lang

By Orv Kimbrough, CEO Of Midwest BankCentre

I grew up poor in Missouri’s foster care system, living in a couple of foster care agencies in North City. In that time, if you needed money fast, you had three options: a payday loan, a title-loan or a pawn shop. In many areas, that’s still the case.

This month marks exactly one year since I joined Midwest BankCentre as CEO, having most recently been the CEO of the United Way of Greater St. Louis. My move was based on the desire to have an even bigger impact in St. Louis and stemmed from my understanding of systems and power. Systems are either designed to help, maintain status quo or hurt. Financial systems are incredibly powerful and resistant to change. And those who have been on the losing end are more likely to stay there unless we collectively change our behavior and expect more from local community based banks who are not insulated from the needs of local communities and businesses.

I don’t think it’s too much to expect

more from your financial institution. I don’t think it’s too much to expect financial institutions to ensure that all parts of our community have access to capital.

Unlikethebig-name,nationalbanks you see advertised on TV, local banks are part of your community. They won’t just take your deposited money, they’ll

Dream Big. Rise Together.

return it to the community in the form of loans, too. They can do this because they know their communities and their customers. When you walk into a local bank, you are walking into a place where the people behind the counter may be your friends and neighbors. They know what’s going on in your community, and they know the challenges you face.

As a result, local banks have a business model that allows them to be more flexible with their credit and lending policies, and more creative in the kind of products and services they provide.

Local banks also create products and services that save customers money, give them more access, and keep them out of the payday loan establishment. Last year my bank rolled out a PayDay Alternative Loan. It has no fees, and you can borrow up to $1,000, depending on your credit score.

At that heart of community banks are values just like yours: Enjoying financial security. Having access to emergency cash without paying ridiculous rates to payday lenders. Not living from check to check. Owning a home. Creating a business. Maybe even having money to travel someday.

The result can be powerful. For example, at Midwest BankCentre $95 of every $100 on deposit stays in the community, and each one of those dollars circulates numerous times throughout the local economy.

I invite you to put your money where your heart is and Bank Your Values by partnering with Midwest BankCentre on your checking, savings and loans.

To learn more you may call (314) 631-5500 or toll-free at (800) 894-1350 or visit www.midwestbankcentre.com.

BY PIER ALSUP

January is all but in the books … are your new year’s resolutions still intact? If “maximizing your personal finances” is a top priority this year, a personal budget is key. Creating and following a budget is the best way to maximize your “money life.” Budgets guide you and keep you in the loop, knowing where your money is coming and where it is going. Building a budget you love means having a budget you can follow.

To get started, consider following the 50-30-20 Rule:

These are the things you can’t do without … groceries, housing, utilities, health insurance, and transportation. These expenses should total no more than 50% of your income. While these amounts are typically consistent, it is important to review them regularly.

At first, you might be thinking “Hello beautiful shoes!” … but wants are not necessarily extravagances. The basic niceties of life are wants, such as cable television, your cell plan, your lawn service, and new shoes. Consider your wants as “flex costs.” If these flex costs are higher than 30%, ask yourself which of them can be

cut or reduced. Yes, this can be tough!

Saving money each month is key to maximizing your financial life. Savings help you cover unexpected expenses as well as achieve your long-term financial goals. Saving 20% of your income and/or devoting to debt reduction will bring balance and peace of mind to your financial life. So what happens if you take a hard look at where and when you spend your money and your 50% is really 60%? And, your 30% is 40%?And, your 20% is zero?

Begin with making small changes that will stick. If your housing costs are high, maybe consider getting a roommate. If you eat out more than you eat in or need

to be among the first with the latest and greatest tech gadgets, recognizing these habits is the first step. Once you have identified where your money is going, choose one or two changes to help you gain more control. Maybe pare back your cable plan or limit the number of times you eat out a week.

Don’t try to knock down all of your spending at once. Start small and see steady success. Finally, make room for fun stuff. A budget is not a set of handcuffs. A budget is the key to knowing and controlling where your money is coming and going. Much like a diet, if you cut out all the foods you love, it’s tough to follow, so be certain your budget includes some fun.

Removing home loan limit opens vet choices

By VA Home Guaranty Service

On Jan. 1, 2020, it became easier for you to use your VA home loan benefit to purchase, refinance, or construct a home with no down payment, regardless of the cost of the home. The VA home county loan limits were eliminated as part of the Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act of 2019 for Veterans and service members with full entitlement.

Historically, VA only guaranteed home loans up to the county conforming loan limits (CLL) as determined by the Federal Housing Finance Agency. These loan limits reflect the changes in average U.S. home prices at the county level. If you chose to purchase, refinance, or construct a home above the CLL, the lender would likely require a down payment from you before they would choose to close on the loan. In counties such as San Diego, Calif., or Arlington, Va., the limit is much higher to reflect the average cost of a home. This meant that when using your VA benefit, the lender–not VA–would require you to pay up to a 25% down payment on any amount above the county limit.

As of January 1, first-time homebuyers, or homebuyers who have sold their home and have full benefit entitlement available, will no longer have to

worry about loan limits or down payment requirements when purchasing, refinancing, or constructing a new home.

When purchasing another home using your VA loan

Conforming loan limits will impact those who want to purchase a second (or subsequent) home using a VA home loan. For those that currently have a VA home loan and plan to keep it and purchase a new home using a VA-backed loan that is more than $144,000, the rules are different.

• You must be able to afford all the loans at the time of closing.

• The next home you purchase must be your primary residence.

• VA may be able to back the next loan, but it will depend on your remaining entitlement and the conforming loan limit (CLL) for your county.

Your basic VA home loan entitlement starts at $36,000 and goes up to 25% of the loan amount. The amount remaining on your entitlement after purchasing your first home will impact how much of a down payment will be required for your next purchase.

If the county CLL is $500,000 and your last loan was for $500,000, then you have no entitlement remaining.

If your first loan was for $200,000 and the second is for $400,000, the CLL for your next home would need to be at least $600,000 if you want the no-down

payment option, otherwise you’ll have to pay a down payment on the amount above the CLL. Note that the county that will determine your loan limit is the county in which your next home is located.

In practice

We’ve come up with more examples of how this would work in practice, which can be seen here.

As each case is different, your first step should be to request your certificate of eligibility, which will show your remaining VA home loan entitlement. If you need assistance determining what this means for you, reach out to your lender or a VA loan specialist.

As with any home loan decision, you should speak with your lender(s) or a loan specialist at your VA Regional Loan Center to go over your options when purchasing your next home.

Only you can determine what is best for your personal and financial needs.

Whatever the case, speaking to a loan professional about your options and shopping around for the best situation for you is key.

Remember, the VA Home Loan Program staff is available to assist you. For more information on VA home loans go to: www.benefits.va.gov/homeloans.

Five ways to invest on a budget

By Melva Paden For The American

Investing is often seen as a “rich man’s game” because as the saying goes, “it takes money to make money.” Although this is true, the statement is missing one main component – time. In compounding savings, having the time to multiply your money is key. Herein lies the phrase, “time is money.” Therefore, the time to start investing is now. No amount is too little to start. Here are five ways to invest on a budget.

Derivatives A derivative draws its value from an underlying entity, like an asset, index, or interest rate. Options are a common derivative. Options allow you to control shares of the stock at a discounted rate without having to purchase stock directly. The benefit is, you can profit whether the stock rises or falls, depending on the type of option. The risk is, you only have a predetermined amount of days to control the stock, depending on the expiration date of the contract. This is risky, but you can make quick money.

world. One way to engage in this market is through currency trading. In currency trading, you are trading currency against one another as pairs (ex. USD/EUR).

Prices fluctuate based on the economic situation of the countries involved. Learning how to measure gains and what a “pip” is (percentage in points) may take time and much practice, but you can connect with a forex broker and begin trading for as little as $50. The benefits are quick gains providing money for larger investments or petty cash. The risk? All investment is risky, but you can put measures in place to limit your loss potential.

may include apartment complexes, data centers, hotels, and healthcare facilities. These types of companies pay a dividend to investors from gains. The benefits are steady dividends if you own shares. The risk, possible low growth.

Value Investing

small cap companies is they are startup companies. This couldn’t be further from the truth. Most small cap companies have strong track records and moreover, great financials. The benefit is they are smaller giving their prices a greater chance of growth. The risk... well, we are talking stocks so there is always a risk that the market will not grow as exponentially as we would like.

REIT (Real Estate Investment Trusts)

Forex Forex is the currency market and is the largest investment market in the

Want to receive income from owning property without the hassle of maintaining the physical property? A real estate investment trust account allows you to buy shares of publicly owned real estate companies for as little as $13 per share. A REIT is a company owning and typically operating real estate which generates income. Properties in this portfolio

Made famous by billionaire Warren Buffet, the idea is to choose stock that appears to be trading for less than their book value. Value investing is similar to knowing how to bargain shop. Just because the market speculates TVs are selling low does not mean they will not exceed expectations during holidays or during Super Bowl season. The idea is to invest while the stock is low and hold on to it until it is on the rise again. The benefit is buying low. The risk is playing the waiting game.

Small cap stock The simple art of buying shares of smaller companies. Small cap stocks are good investments because they are typically less expensive to obtain, with the potential to grow as the company grows. The myth about

FinOp Consulting Group wants to help provide ways to compound your money for both short and long -term investing. Compounding is a way to multiply money through investing in money market accounts. The idea of needing to have lots of money to invest is a myth and often a barrier to entry. It is the goal of FinOp to introduce information to African Americans to decrease this barrier through financial literacy and investment tips. Understanding investment options will hopefully encourage investing. Compounding takes time, the one component that is not replicable. Whether you have $20 or $20,000, the time to start investing is now and FinOp Consulting Group, LLC can teach you how.

Melva Paden is president of FinOp Consulting Group, LLC.

NO CAR PAYMENT FOR 90 DAYS!

Tired of being just another numer at one of the “big banks?” Make your next purchase or refinance simple with Commercial Bank! We have served the St. Louis area for over 30 years and look forward to serving you in the future. With 4 convenient locations, we will be happy to sit down and discuss your options. Give us a call today!

Linda O'Leary

# 449511

*Purchasing a $10,000 new car with a rate of 2.75% and a 3.34% APR for 36 months, including a $100 application fee, would result in a monthly payment of $293.93. Purchasing a $10,000 used car with a rate of 3.20% and a 3.79% APR for 36 months including a $100 application fee, would result in a monthly payment of $296.16. All financing is for 90% of auto value with 10% down payment. Loan amount

By Eric Mitchell

At some point, you may decide it’s time to make renovations to your home. Whether you choose to roll up your sleeves and make the repairs yourself, or you hire a contractor to provide the elbow grease, remodeling projects can be pricey and come with a hefty to-do list.

Picking the materials, paint colors, appliances, or contractors may be high on the priority list, but another task that should be top of mind is deciding on the best way to pay for your improvements.

Financing doesn’t have to be scary, and in fact, there are several practical reasons to finance your home improvement project. One big reason is time. When you are improving your home,

you want the project to be completed as quickly as possible so you can enjoy the benefits now and not somewhere in the distant future. As always, saving up for a large project is a sound financial deci-sion, but it will likely take years to save enough for what you have in mind.

Once you’ve decided to finance your home improvement project, there are several questions to consider to ensure that you’re getting a product that fits your needs and budget. It can seem a lit-tle daunting, but you don’t have to do it alone; Great Southern Bank is here to help. Great Southern offers a program that can help your home improvement dreams become a reality, and the best partis,thereisnoreasontoreadbetween the lines. You can expect clear and upfront communication from start to finish.

TheOpenDoorHomeImprovement Loan from Great Southern was designed to assist people in our neighborhood who

may not qualify for traditional home loan products but dream of owning or improving their home. The Home Improvement Loan is available in varying amounts, up to $10,000, and can cover necessities such as a new roof, new windows, or a furnace or air conditioning repair. Some of the other benefits you could enjoy are aflexibleminimumcreditscoreandminimal closing costs. To be eligible for the Open Door Home Improvement Loan, you must be improving a single-family home you own and occupy, the improvements must be permanently attached to

your home, and you must provide two years of employment history. For more information about the program, visit www. greatsouthernbank.com/ opendoor.

Founded in 1923, strength and stability are at the core of Great Southern’s story. For more than 96 years, the goal has been to open doors for their neighbors with affordable ways to buy that first home, save for the future, or to get those finances back on track. When you’re ready, call or visit any of the 19 convenient locations to ask questions, learn more, and discover what’s possible. At Great Southern Bank, the door is always open.

The Open Door Home Loan Program is subject to credit approval and property location. The terms and conditions are subject to change without notice and may affect the offer. The product is currently available in and around select St. Louis metropolitan areas. Member FDIC and Equal Housing Lender.

At Edward Jones, your goals are our priority. That’s why your financial advisor will meet with you face to face to talk about what’s most important to you and your family. From there, you’ll work together to create an investment strategy to help you work toward your goals.

Join the 7 million investors already working with an Edward Jones financial advisor. Visit www.edwardjones.com to find a branch near you.

Financial Focus

By Veronica Coleman

Six tips for avoiding emotional spending

(StatePoint) Decisions about spending money are often driven by emotions, even if what your heart is telling you goes against logic. Emotional financial choices may provide you with short-term

Can You Improve Your Relationship with Money?

In your life, you will have all sorts of relationships –with your family, your friends, your co-workers, and even with civic groups and charitable organizations you support. But have you ever considered another key relationship – the one you have with money?

Of course, this type of relationship has several aspects, such as saving, spending and investing. And your fellow Americans clearly face some challenges in these areas. For example, in a recent survey by financial services firm Edward Jones, only 21% of respondents reported that they feel happy when thinking about saving money, while 92% said they see room for improvement in their financial health. Yet only one in four plan to improve their spending habits. Furthermore, just 26% said retirement was a top savings priority.

If you share some of these concerns, what should you do? Here are a few suggestions:

Identify your money-related emotions. Try to recognize the emotions you feel in connection with saving and investing. Do you get nervous about spending? Does putting away money for the future give you satisfaction or not? Do you worry that you don’t know how much you should be investing, or whether you’re investing in the right way? Clearly, these types of questions can cause some anxiety – and, even more importantly, they may lead you to make poor decisions. Emotions are obviously closely tied to money – but they really should not play a big role in your spending, saving and investing choices.

Develop a financial strategy.

By developing a sound financial strategy, you can reduce money-related stress and help yourself feel empowered as you look to the future. A comprehensive strategy can help you identify your goals – a down payment on a new home, college for your children, a comfortable retirement, and so on – and identify a path toward reaching them. Your financial strategy should incorporate a variety of factors, including your age, risk tolerance, income level, family situation and more. Here’s the key point: By creating a long-term strategy and sticking to it, you’ll be far less likely to overreact to events such as market downturns and less inclined to give in to impulses such as “spur of the moment” costly purchases. And without such a strategy, you will almost certainly have less chance of achieving your important goals.

Get an “accountability partner.”

Your relationship with money doesn’t have to be monogamous –you can get help from an “accountability partner.” Too many people keep their financial concerns and plans to themselves, not even sharing them with their partners or other family members. But by being open about your finances to your loved ones, you can not only avoid misplaced expectations but also enlist the help of someone who may be able to help keep you on track toward your short- and long-term goals. But you may also benefit from the help of a financial professional – someone with the perspective, experience and skills necessary to help you make the right moves.

Like all successful relationships, the one you have with money requires work. But you’ll find it’s worth the effort.

This article was written by Edward Jones for use by your local Edward Jones Financial Advisor.

1

Get an accurate picture of what it costs to maintain your lifestyle and fund your goals. Knowing your fixed and variable expenses and being able to quantify your goals in terms of dollars and timeframes will help you understand what you can afford to spend in the near term.

2

Ask yourself if you want something or need something before you buy it. If you do need it, or if it will make a huge difference in your life and you can pay for it right away without touching funds that are earmarked for other important goals, then go for it.

3

Pause and think twice before buying large items. When making major purchases (for example, over $500), take some time between deciding to buy and making the actual purchase. Prioritize your expenditures by categorizing them in terms of cost and effect. For example, you should pay your health insurance and car insurance before booking a short-term vacation.

happiness, but they are just as likely to result in long-term regret or debt. Here are six tips for making spending decisions, without allowing your emotions to take over.

4

Make a list before shopping Whether shopping for groceries, household items or gifts, creating a list – and sticking to it – will help you avoid impulse buys and save money.

5

Shop for major holidays throughout the year. Set a budget for annual gifts early in the year and take the time to comparison shop to find the best prices and take advantage of discounts when you find them. This not only helps to spread out giving expenses, it also ensures you do not pay a premium for last-minute purchases.

6

Experts say financially savvy people know their emotional triggers for spending, and are able to rein them in when necessary. Unfortunately, this is not easy for everyone. However, working with a certified financial planner (CFP) professional to manage your spending can help you stay focused on achieving your long-term financial goals. To find a CFP professional near you who can help you look at your life through a financial lens and avoid the cost of emotionally driven decisions, visit www.letsmakeaplan.org.

EVP, Retail Market Director

St. Louis Retail Banking

Often, money discussions are stressful because couples wait until there is an issue, such as overdue bills, debt or overspending. Instead, try starting a conversation when you’re both calm and relaxed. Before you dive into specifics, agree to talk honestly

Having regular discussions about money is an important step toward running a financially successful household. But for many couples, talking about finances is a stressful topic they’d rather avoid. These conversations are an important way to help you and your partner prioritize what’s important to you so you can plan for both long and short-term goals. Here are five tips to help you get started.

about your money habits and your approaches to saving and spending. Be open-minded and realize that while you may not agree on everything related to your finances, it’s important to listen to each other and respect each other’s point of view.

Once you’ve set the ground rules, begin by reviewing your income and expenses together so you both know where your money goes each month. Next, discuss how you’d like to man-

age day-to-day financial tasks as well as saving for long-term goals. Also discuss whether you want to maintain separate accounts, have a joint account or strike a balance between the two. For instance, many couples choose to have a joint account for shared household expenses (such as the mortgage and utilities), but keep separate accounts, as well.

Instead of talking about numbers, think in terms of short-term and longterm goals. For instance, do you both want to buy a house, but need to pay off student loan debt first? Perhaps one of you wants to start a business or increase retirement contributions. Whatever your goals — from paying down debt, to traveling more to living on one income — you can accomplish more together as a couple when you both commit to a goal.

It’s easier to make progress toward your goals when you work together as a team. When talking about money and goals, focus on using words like “we” and “us” instead of “I” and “me.” Talk to each other about what

your dream retirement looks like. Working as a team, what steps do you need to take to get there?

Whether you want to pay off debt, buy a house, start a family or take an early retirement, decide on a plan to get there together. Develop a money management system that you both agree on to help you stay focused on your day-to-day priorities as well as your big picture goals. For instance, if you’re expanding your family, you may want to focus on setting up college savings accounts for your kids while still contributing to your retirement accounts. As you work toward your goals and track your progress, remember to celebrate your successes.

Whether weekly, monthly or a few times a year, make money talks part of your routine to help ensure that you’re both on track. Whether you both agree on everything, or realize that you’ll need to make some compromises to get to where you want to be financially, keeping the lines of communication open is an important step toward financial harmony.

Talking about finances as a couple

isn’t always easy. By being patient and open-minded as you work together toward your goals, you’ll find yourself making progress toward a more prosperous financial future. For questions about financial planning, money management, spending and saving, visit your nearest branch, visit commercebank.com or call 314.746.3002.

Warned about a problem with your computer? BBB says

As far as you know, everything is fine with your computer. Then, out of the blue, you either get a call or a pop-up on your screen that things are bad – really bad.

The caller, who may claim to be from a well-known computer company, tells you that they have to fix a computer bug that you didn’t even notice. If you get a pop-up blocking your screen, it might be accompanied by a high-pitched noise. A phone number will flash on your screen. You’ve got to make a call, and make it fast.

In both scenarios, you’ve been targeted by a scammer. That scammer will create a sense of urgen-cy. If you don’t act quickly, you’re going to lose all of your data. Bank records, priceless family pho-tos and other data are just seconds away from being destroyed.

None of that is true. The scammer wants access to your computer. They say they will run a scan for viruses and when they claim to have found a problem, they will offer to fix the issue for a fee. If you allow the scammer to access your computer, they may install malware, which can scan files for personal information and open you up to becoming a victim of identity theft.

In 2019, consumers reported more than 1,500 tech support scams to Better Business Bureau Scam Tracker. There were more than 50 reports of tech support scams in the St. Louis region.

slow down and think before taking action

A St. Louis woman reported losing $800 in a tech support scam in 2019.

The woman said she was working on her computer when a message came across her screen claiming to be from Microsoft. The alert said her computer was being hacked and she needed to call a

By Monica Vaca

Each year, the Federal Trade Commission takes a hard look at the number of reports people make to our Consumer Sentinel Network. In fact, during 2019, we got more than 3.2 million reports to the FTC from you. We’ve read what you’ve said, and crunched the numbers. Here’s what you told us in 2019.

Imposter scams was the number one fraud reported to Sentinel in 2019. People reported losing more than $667 million to imposters, who often pretended to be calling from the government or a

number immediately.

The scammer was able to access the woman’s computer and showed her places where her com-puter was compromised. The scammer asked her to buy gift cards worth $800 from a nearby store. She complied and wound up read-

How to protect yourself if you’re targeted in a tech support scam

Never give up control of your computer to a third party unless it is the representative of a computer support team you contacted.

Legitimate tech support companies don’t call consumers out of the blue. Remember that scammers can spoof officiallooking phone numbers, so don’t just trust your Caller ID.

Ignore warning screens. Nearly half of all tech support scams begin with an alert on the victim’s computer screen. Instead of

calling a number on a pop-up screen, shut down your computer and restart it.

Be wary of sponsored links. When searching online for tech support, look out for sponsored ads at the top of the results list. Some of these links lead to businesses that scam consumers.

Don’t click on links in unfamiliar emails. Scammers also use email to reach victims. These emails point consumers to scam websites that launch pop-ups with fake warnings and phone numbers.

The top frauds of 2019

well-known business, a romantic interest, or a family member with an emergency. When people lost money, they most frequently reported paying scammers with a gift card.

Social Security imposters were the top government imposter scam reported. There were 166,190 reports about the Social Security scam, and the median individual loss was $1,500.

Phone calls were the number one way people reported being contacted by scammers. While most people said they hung up on those calls, those who lost

money reported a median loss of $1,000 in 2019.

You might wonder what, besides these numbers, comes out of reporting scams and other consumer issues to the FTC.

Well, because of your reports, the FTC and its law enforcement partners are able to investigate the people and companies that trick people into paying money. Your reports help build and bring those cases, which also helps us enforce laws that stop scams and other dishonest business practices that take people’s money.

In fact, during 2019, FTC law

ing the numbers off the back of the gift cards so that the scammer could access the money put on them.

“I should have followed my first mind, just hang up the phone, but I didn’t,” the woman wrote in a Scam Tracker post. “This is a very hard lesson to learn. Please be careful and never give money to anyone without verifying they’re from the actual company.”

In December 2017, BBB released an in-depth investigative study on tech support fraud.

“Unfortunately, this is a scam that shows no signs of slowing down,” said Michelle L. Corey, BBB St. Louis president and CEO. “If you lose money to these scammers or find yourself targeted by them, reporting the incident is important.

File reports with the FTC and BBB Scam Tracker. If you’ve shared bank account information, contact your bank immediately.

The BBB is a nonprofit, business-supported organization that sets and upholds high standards for fair and honest business behavior. BBB services to consumers are free of charge. BBB provides objective advice, BBB Business Profiles on more than 5.3 million companies, 11,000 charity reviews, dispute resolution services, alerts and educational information on topics affecting marketplace trust. For more information, visit bbb.org.

enforcement actions led to more than $232 million in refunds to people who lost money. More than 1.9 million people cashed checks mailed by the FTC. And, in the last four years, people have cashed more than one billion dollars in FTC refund checks. That’s real money back into people’s pockets.

So if you’ve spotted a scam, keep telling us about it at ftc.gov/complaint. If you need more information about these top frauds, visit ftc.gov/imposters, and ftc.gov/giftcards.

Monica Vaca is associate director, division of Consumer Response and Operations at the FTC

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