September 10th, 2026 edition

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St. Louis American The

SEPTEMBER 10 – 16, 2026

Serving, empowering and advocating for equity in St. Louis since 1928

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Vol. 98 No. 22 COMPLIMENTARY

Dueling rulings leave map in limbo By Sylvester Brown Jr. St. Louis American Missouri voters were left Wednesday without a clear answer about which congressional district map will be used in November after two courts issued conflicting orders over a new Republican-backed map enacted last year and aimed at giving the GOP another U.S. House seat. Within minutes Tuesday, U.S. Supreme

Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh rejected Missouri’s attempt to use the new map, only for a federal judge in St. Louis to temporarily require the state to use it. At the center of the dispute is the Kansas Citybased district represented by Democrat Emanuel Cleaver, one of Missouri’s two Black members of Congress. The new boundaries were drawn to make Cleaver’s district more

favorable to Republicans, who already hold six of the state’s eight congres-

St. Louis-area district represented by Wesley Bell, Missouri’s other Black member of Congress. The legal whiplash comes less than two months before the Nov. 3 election and after Missouri voters already nominated congressional candidates in August using the new districts. The rapidly evolving legal battle remained unsettled as The American went to press Wednesday.

sional seats. The new map made only minor changes to the

Art Hill becomes a field of remembrance

Kavanaugh acted first Tuesday, denying an emergency request from Missouri officials to put on hold a unanimous Missouri Supreme Court ruling that said the new map could not take effect unless voters approve it in November. Kavanaugh gave no reason for his decision and did not refer the request to the full U.S. Supreme

See Map, A11

McClure makes learning lifelong mission

U.S. Navy veteran Gladys Smith, who served 27 years, carries an American flag while helping with the Flags of Valor display in Forest Park.

By Sylvester Brown Jr. St. Louis American

Richard “Rich” McClure has spent a lifetime learning to appreciate the value of learning — not just for young people, but for himself as well. From his childhood in Springfield, Missouri, through 20 years in public service and a long corporate career to his later work with nonprofit and educational organizations, McClure, 73, has put what he has learned to use. On Saturday, Oct. 17, McClure will receive the Champion in Education award during the St. Louis American Foundation’s 39th annual

See McClure, A10 Richard McClure will receive the Champion in Education award at the 39th Salute to Excellence in Education.

Photo by Lawrence Bryant / St. Louis American

More than 7,500 flags honor those lost on 9/11 By Kenya Vaughn St. Louis American It felt as if the heat beat the sun outside as Flags of Valor STL volunteers began planting the first of more than 7,500 American flags across Art Hill to commemorate the 25th anniversary of 9/11. By 9:30 a.m., they were nearly done.

In less than three hours Saturday, Sept. 5, Art Hill was transformed into one of the nation’s largest 9/11 memorials — a tradition held every five years since the 10th anniversary of the attacks as part of America’s Heartland Remembers’ Flags of Valor. Each flag was handled with care. Volunteers wore white gloves as three-person teams positioned the flags

and identification tags. When a flag was installed, a team member said the name of the fallen before moving to the next. The field of flags and six large photo memorials honor all 2,977 people killed on Sept. 11, 2001. Thousands of additional flags recognize U.S. service members who died in the War on Terror.

See Art Hill, A11

Courtesy photo

Pancreatic cancer breakthrough brings hope By Sylvester Brown Jr St. Louis American. A groundbreaking once-daily pill nearly doubled median survival compared with chemotherapy in a major trial involving patients with previously treated metastatic pancreatic cancer — and St. Louis’ Siteman Cancer

Center helped test the new treatment. But the medical breakthrough comes with a staggering price. Rasonque, the brand name for daraxonrasib, has a wholesale list price of $39,800 for a 30-day supply — almost $478,000 for a year of treatment. The drug’s developer,

Revolution Medicines, set the price. Insurance coverage and financial assistance programs can substantially reduce what patients pay out of pocket. The cost and access questions take on added significance for Black

LIVING IT

Americans, who have the nation’s highest pancreatic cancer incidence and death rates. Pancreatic cancer is one of the deadliest forms of cancer, in part because it often is not discovered

until it has spread. Only about 14% of patients overall are alive five years after diagnosis. For patients whose cancer has spread to distant parts of the body, the five-year survival rate is just over 3%. The American Cancer Society estimates that more than 67,000 people in the United States will be

diagnosed with pancreatic cancer this year and more than 52,000 will die from the disease. The FDA approved Rasonque on Aug. 26 for certain adults with metastatic pancreatic adenocarcinoma, the most common form of pancreatic cancer.

See Cancer, A10

SPORTS

Family, healing and hiphop culture shape Paint St. Louis festival

Venable guides White Sox to swift turnaround

Paint Louis was launched in 1997. In the decades since, the space that centered the visual art element of hiphop has grown into one of the world’s largest open-air art festivals.

Without much fanfare, Venable was named manager during the winter of 2024 and followed up last year’s 102-loss season with a first-place run that has now lasted for more than two months.

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Editorial / Commentary

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ST. LOUIS AMERICAN • SEPTEMBER 10 – 16, 2026

Editorial

Reading crisis demands more action navigated more comfortably. To be clear, Balanced Literacy alone cannot explain these trends. Increased New York City’s troubling decline in screen time, constant digital distractions, reading scores, despite one of the most shortened attention spans, and the domambitious literacy reform efforts in the inance of algorithm-driven content all nation, is a wake-up call for the entire influence students’ reading habits and nation. learning experiences. Across the country, reading achieveYet recognizing these factors cannot ment continues to decline. Nearly 40% become an excuse for inaction. of fourth graders read below the Instead, it should compel us to basic level and roughly a third of think more broadly about literacy. eighth graders read below basic, The challenge before us is not the highest share ever recorded. simply helping children sound out Taken together, these numbers words. It is helping them develop reveal a national literacy crisis the capacity to wrestle with comthat threatens economic opportuplex ideas, sustain attention, evalnity, educational equity, and our uate evidence, and build knowlnation’s future competitiveness. edge through reading. Those Reading is not merely another Columnist skills help them become informed subject in school. Reading is the Marc Morial citizens and lifelong learners. foundation upon which all learnAnd that requires a compreing rests. A child who struggles hensive, systemic strategy. to read struggles to learn history, science, We need high-quality literacy instrucmathematics, and civics. A young person tion beginning in early childhood settings who cannot effectively read and analyze and extending throughout elementary complex information faces barriers to school. We need to strengthen early intercollege completion, workforce success, vention so that struggling readers receive and informed participation in our democsupport before learning gaps become racy. entrenched. We must carefully That is why the growing litexamine the quality and effeceracy crisis is fundamentally an tiveness of programs serving opportunity crisis. Behind every Reading is our youngest learners, includpercentage point is a child ing Head Start and other early not merewhose future opportunities childhood initiatives. hang in the balance. Persistent ly another At the same time, we need a achievement gaps mean that subject national commitment to literaBlack and Latino students conin school. cy recovery for older students. tinue to bear a disproportionate Districts and states should be Reading is share of the consequences when developing evidence-based reading instruction falls short. the foundastrategies that help adolescents If we are serious about ecotion upon strengthen comprehension, nomic mobility and educational which all vocabulary, knowledge-buildjustice, literacy must be at the ing, and engagement with comlearning center of the conversation. plex texts. Students who fell For more than two decades, rests. behind during the pandemic and many schools embraced those who continue to struggle Balanced Literacy approaches deserve intensive support, not that sought to cultivate a love lowered expectations. of reading by putting books in students’ We should also have serious converhands and encouraging independent readsations about the role of technology in ing. The approach was well-intentioned, children’s lives. Restricting unnecessary but too often foundational skills instrucscreen exposure, particularly in the early tion, particularly phonics and decoding, grades, should be part of a broader effort suffered. to rebuild reading habits and attention The evidence is increasingly clear spans that support learning. that explicit, systematic instruction helps More concerning than the decline in more children become successful readreading scores is the absence of a clear, ers. States and school districts that are large-scale strategy to address the growembracing these principles deserve credit ing crisis. Every year that a struggling for moving in the right direction. But millions of students are already in middle reader falls further behind increases the likelihood that they will face lifelong school, high school, and even college educational and economic disadvantages. struggling to read complicated texts, anaWe know more about how children lyze difficult arguments, and complete learn to read than ever before. We know entire books. that literacy is the gateway to opportuniWhat is our plan for them? ty. What remains to be seen is whether Too many students arrive in high we have the collective will to act with the school lacking the reading stamina necurgency this moment demands. essary to engage deeply with literature, Our children cannot afford for us to history, or complex informational texts. wait. College professors increasingly describe Marc Morial is president and CEO of students who struggle with lengthy the National Urban League. assignments that previous generations By Marc Morial

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Commentary

The U.S. needs another ‘readjustment’ her table. Her grandfather was Edward David Bland, born enslaved in Virginia in 1848. I understood the depth of it first at a He was 16 when he walked out of slavery friend’s 21st birthday party in college. in the last days of the war, and he learned Somebody raised a glass to celebrate to make shoes. him. Then another raised his and, before Then he went into politics at the worst it reached his shoulder, tipped it. moment imaginable. Reconstruction He poured libations for the was over, the troops sent home, ones who did not make it. Shot, the men who once ran the or sent away, before the rest of Confederacy taking it back with us got to college. In a room of rifles. nothing but young Black and He did the arithmetic anyway. Latino men, we all joined in. Poor white farmers wanted the Then a friend lifted his glass same free schools his people wantand toasted the plain fact that ed. Together they were the majorione more of us had lived to 21. ty. Apart they canceled each other That cut me like a knife. In Columnist out. the richest country on earth, we So, he pushed for a deal were congratulating a Black man Ben Jealous with the unlikeliest partner in for breathing past his birthday. Virginia, a railroad magnate and former That grief runs deep in our commuConfederate general named William nity. But it floats on deeper American Mahone. water. They called themselves Readjusters, Last week, I promised you numbers and they swept into power. In a few short on the crisis facing our nation’s men. years they abolished the whipHere are a few. ping post, repealed the poll tax, About 7 million American and funded schools for every men between 25 and 54 are nei- In 2023, child. Virginia had 415 Black ther working nor looking for a Black men teachers in 1879. Soon it had job. More than 1 in 10. 1,588. were murIn 2023, Black men were Then, in Danville, on Nov. murdered, usually by other dered, usu3, 1883, after a circular full of Black men, at roughly eight ally by other lies about Black rule swept the times the rate of white men. Black men, town, white gunmen killed at Meanwhile, white men killed least five people, four of them at roughly themselves at nearly twice the Black. Three days later white rate of Black men. eight times supremacists took back the legAmerica locks up more of its the rate of islature. The oldest trick, right people than almost any nation white men. on time. on earth. Here is what nobody The men in trouble today are says. Count white Americans in trouble together. The white alone and they are still locked man in the hollowed-out mill up at several times the rate of town and the Black man on the South Canada, Germany, or Japan. Side want the same thing. A better future This is a national problem, far bigger for their children. than any one community. The old Readjuster arithmetic still Whenever working people have reaworks. Divided we cancel out our chilson to stand together, somebody pits dren’s dreams. Together our families are them against each other. Dr. King called the majority that can make them real. segregation a strategy to keep the masses Ben Jealous is a professor of practice divided and labor cheap. at the U. of Pennsylvania and former After that party, I went to my grandpresident and CEO of the NAACP. mother’s house and laid the burden on By Benjamin Jealous

Commentary

Political ‘business as usual’ is growing unusual

ticularly its elites who opposed Mamdani tooth and nail. Pick your cliché. It was a “shot across the bow.” Zohran Mamdani, a member of the It was a “come to Jesus moment,” Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), which is interesting given that Mamdani was elected mayor of New York City last is Muslim. In short, it was an affirmafall. His acceptance speech was broad in tion that Democrats must reckon with scope. Mamdani name-checked Eugene Democratic Socialists. Debs, the five-time presidential candidate It is not at all clear that for the Socialist Party of America. Mamdani’s victory or Abdul He channeled Bill Clinton and El-Sayed’s Democratic Senate Barack Obama by imploring his nomination in Michigan heralds audience to hang on to hope. a sustainable shift to the left. Perhaps most surprisingly, Several democratic socialist canMamdani delivered a few lines didates, including Cori Bush in St. that were reminiscent of the father Louis, lost primary elections. of his primary opponent, Andrew Many Democratic voters are Cuomo: “For as long as we can Columnist willing to give democratic socialremember, the working people ists a second look. (Notably, of New York have been told by Larry Smith though El-Sayed is not a member the wealthy and the well-connectof the DSA, he very much shares ed that power does not belong in its DNA.) The point is that the “s-word” their hands. Fingers bruised from lifting is no longer an automatic kiss of death. boxes on the warehouse floor, palms Bernie Sanders was an anomaly; Zohran calloused from delivery bike handlebars, knuckles scarred with kitchen burns: these Mamdani might be a bellwether. Less than a year ago, I authored a are not hands that have been allowed to column titled “Donald Trump hold power.” the… Socialist?.” Among other The late, legendary governor things, I wrote: of New York, Mario Cuomo, How unusual is all this In short, it was renowned for the vivid imagery and proletarian prose of was an affir- for a Republican? Senator Bernie Sanders, who is an his speeches. Mamdani alluded mation that avowed Democratic Socialist, to the elder Cuomo as “a great Democrats applauds Trump’s investment New Yorker.” One wonders must reckdecisions. Sen. Rand Paul is whether this was an attempt to apoplectic over these offenses on with soothe his rift with Democrats. to Republican orthodoxy. Still, Perhaps the best-known Democratic at this point, Trump remains part of the speech came when Socialists. extremely popular among the he defiantly declared: “I am party faithful. Ronald Reagan young … I am Muslim. I am a has officially left the building. democratic socialist. And most In the end, struggling damning of all, I refuse to apologize for Americans are increasingly less conany of this.” Clips of that portion of the speech were cerned about politicians’ party affiliation and much more interested in what they replayed millions of times across social will deliver for them. Enter Trump, who media. Yet, what Mamdani said immediRepublicans would have castigated as a ately after that was the most telling: “RINO” just a few years ago. Also enter “And yet, if tonight teaches us anyMamdani, who resonates with millions thing, it is that convention has held us when he says: “As has so often occurred, back. We have bowed at the altar of the billionaire class has sought to concaution, and we have paid a mighty vince those making $30 an hour that their price. Too many working people cannot enemies are those earning $20 an hour.” recognize themselves in our party, and I can’t decide whether Democrats or too many among us have turned to the right for answers to why they’ve been left Republicans should fear the DSA more. What I do know is that “business as behind.” usual” is rapidly going out of business. Though the mayor lambasted Donald Larry Smith is a columnist for the Trump eight times in his speech, this Indianapolis Recorder, where this comlament was not directed toward him or mentary was originally published other Republicans. Rather, it was pointedly aimed at the Democratic Party, parBy Larry Smith

“I think race can be a factor in terms of Black communities. Brown communities are often overlooked in tragic situations.” - Gary, Indiana, Mayor Eddie Melton on prolonged power outages following a devastating storm with hurricane-force winds

News

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SEPTEMBER 10 – 16, 2026

Dellwood Mayor Reggie Jones leaves legacy of service, mentorship

man of faith and devoted family man. His family described him as a “devoted husA week after hundreds gathered to say goodbye to band, father, brother, friend, deacon, mentor and Dellwood Mayor Reggie a steady presence in the L. Jones, the stories told community he served for at his funeral still speak to decades.” the reach of his life. “We will miss his There were stories about Jones’ three decades voice. We will miss his of work with young people stories. We will miss his humor,” the famiand a mayor and ly said. community leadThat humor er who always surfaced during seemed to show the service as up when somespeaker after one needed him. speaker recalled There was laughJones’ fondness ter, too, including for brightly colrepeated referencored sports coats. es to his collecThe Rev. Dr. tion of colorful Brandon A. Blake sports coats. Reggie L. returned to the Longtime Jones subject near the activist Anthony end of the service, Shahid found a noting that Jones even biblical passage fitting for wore the eye-catching Jones as family, friends jackets to church. and community leaders But speakers repeatedgathered at New Sunny ly returned to a common Mount Missionary Baptist theme: Jones showed up Church: for people. “To whom much is “Reggie Jones really given ...” was the kind of leader we Jones, Shahid said, can all learn something lived up to those words from,” said James Clark, through his work with Urban League vice presithe Herbert Hoover Club dent of public safety. and Dellwood youth proJones spent three grams and by volunteering decades with the Boys his time with Shahid’s & Girls Clubs of Greater Tauheed Youth Group. St. Louis, beginning at “This brother did trethe Herbert Hoover Club mendous work, but he made it plain that he loved in 1995 and eventually becoming its director. He Black people,” Shahid later entered public service said. in Dellwood and became Jones, who died Aug. mayor in 2013. 21 at age 53, was rememOne speaker recalled bered as a mentor, youth seeing Jones more than 20 advocate, public servant, By Sylvester Brown Jr St. Louis American

Photos by Lawrence Bryant / St. Louis American

A hearse, carrying the body of Reggie Jones, arrives at New Sunny Mount Missionary Baptist Church for the funeral. years later still pouring his energy into children, building their confidence and enthusiastically encouraging them to show what they could do. The crowds outside told much the same story as the tributes inside. A stream of police cars, government vehicles and first responders moved through St. Louis County streets as mourners gathered along the route. The procession stopped at Dellwood City Hall before

continuing to New Sunny Mount on West Florissant Avenue. With the temperature around 95 degrees late that morning, golf carts carried mourners from parking areas to the church. Even before Shahid reached the funeral, he saw signs of the size of the farewell. Traffic was spilling onto the Interstate 70 exit at Lucas and Hunt Road as mourners made their way to the service. “It showed much

respect for a beloved mentor, a man of God and a member of New Sunny Mount Baptist,” former St. Louis County Executive Charlie Dooley said. “It was well done,” Dooley added. “People spoke respectfully of his leadership in the community. It was a life celebration because he touched a lot of individuals.” James T. Ingram, a St. Louis American columnist and longtime friend of Jones, said the ceremony

“captured the life and spirit of Reggie.” “I mean, the range of speakers — everyone from U.S. Rep. Wesley Bell to his children, to his oldest brother who is a bishop. ... I mean, everyone that he touched seemed to be represented in the room.” Bell presented Jones’ family with a flag flown over the Capitol. “Anything that not only Dellwood, Ferguson, the St. Louis region needed, Reggie was always there,” Bell said. Some of the most personal words came from Jones’ family. His son Koby Jones read words he said he found on his father’s computer. “May every father strive to build a legacy that strengthens his family, blesses his community and honors God for generations to come,” Koby Jones read. “Thank you and may God bless all fathers and families, written by Reginald Lee Jones.” Jones’ brother, Bishop Roger Jones, said the last “E” in “Reggie” stood for “everlasting love.” “It stood for the everlasting love he had for you and you and for you up there,” he said, pointing to different people at the ceremony. Sylvester Brown Jr. is the Deaconess Foundation Community Advocacy Fellow.

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ST. LOUIS AMERICAN • SEPTEMBER 10 – 16, 2026

News Briefs

Smithsonian’s first Black secretary to retire

Lonnie G. Bunch III, the Smithsonian Institution’s first Black secretary and founding director of the National Museum of African American History and Culture, will retire at year’s end after seven years leading the institution. Bunch, 73, announced his retirement Tuesday as President Donald Trump’s administration presses the Smithsonian to change how its museums portray U.S. history, including

Lonnie G. Bunch III

slavery, race and immigration. Bunch said the dispute did not influence his decision. The White House has accused the Smithsonian of presenting a “radical view” of American history and threatened some federal funding. Bunch has pushed back, saying Americans need to understand the “totality” and complexity of the nation’s past. Bunch has spent nearly 38 years at the Smithsonian.

St. Louis mail carrier accused of dumping mail A St. Louis postal worker is accused of dumping more than 30,000 pieces of mail in vacant lots over at least two years. A federal grand jury indicted Armond Paige, 54, on one count of delay or destruction of mail

by a postal employee. Paige, who worked at the Maryville Gardens Post Office, pleaded not guilty Tuesday. If convicted, he faces up to five years in prison.

Kenneth Robinson assumes Dellwood mayor’s duties Kenneth Robinson is serving as interim mayor of Dellwood following the death of Mayor Reggie Jones on Aug. 21. Robinson, president of the Dellwood Board of Aldermen, assumed the mayor’s duties Aug. 24. Under the city’s charter and ordinances, the board president automatically becomes interim

Kenneth Robinson

mayor when the office is vacant, allowing city operations and services to continue without interruption. Robinson has represented Ward II on the Board of Aldermen since April 2016. The Board of Aldermen is scheduled to meet Sept. 28 to select a permanent replacement for Jones.

SLATE to hold trades job fair Sept. 16 The St. Louis Agency on Training and Employment will hold an Apprenticeships & Trades Job Fair from 9 a.m. to noon Sept. 16 at the SLATE Missouri Job Center, 1520 Market St. Job seekers can meet with employers and

learn about skilled-trade jobs, training and apprenticeship programs. Participants are encouraged to create or update a profile at jobs.mo.gov before attending. More information is available at 314-5898000 or stlworks.com.

SIUE reports 22.7% increase in Black enrollment African American enrollment at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville increased more than 22.7% from last fall as the university also welcomed its largest incoming class on record. The incoming class grew 27.7%, from 1,825 students in fall 2025 to about 2,330 this fall.

Latinx enrollment increased more than 17.6%. Undergraduate enrollment also rose 10.8% in the School of Business and 8.7% in the School of Education, Health and Human Behavior.

Commentary

Putting people, politics into perspective me and said, “Young lady, that was the best speech I ever heard, but it must be awfully diffiAs a little girl, I remember cult to have all that education my mother taking her chiland still be colored.” I thanked dren’s hands, going into places, him because he was telling the and being told, “You can come truth, however, he said it. in, but they can’t.” During the same period, a My Mom held onto our person who knew me said anothhands and took us out of the er man told him he never thought place. I was born in Louisiana, he’d have to choose between but as a young person, I can a “n-----” woman remember a lot of and a Republican situations I now know (I’m a Democrat), as racism. In many but he believed he ways, Louisiana hasn’t was gonna vote for the changed. Louisiana “n-----” woman (That’s has always been a me!) I appreciated place where color the fact that he would matters. vote for me despite my Many in our family color! I never learned are of various colors how the first gentleman — but we have always was going to vote. had the One-Drop rule I don’t think E. Faye in Louisiana. Louisiana has changed Williams The one-drop rule a lot. I know for the was a legal principle first time there is a Black man of racial classification that was prominent in the past. It asserted who is running for the United States Senate on the Democratic that any person with even one ticket. Just as I ran first for the drop of Black blood was Black. United States Congress, he is the Of course, we were called first to run for the United States Negro or colored in historical Senate. Not that Louisiana has terms. Because my mother had changed a lot, but it sounds like no Black blood, but my Dad is he has a pretty good chance to Black, so my mother’s children win. His name is Jamie Davis, so were called colored. please keep him in your prayers. I was initially named the Things have changed in some winner, but the race was called back and I was told I had lost by places and Black people have a real chance of winning important a tiny margin. I became known as Louisiana’s “Congresswoman seats — if only we come out in great numbers. in Exile.” Cleo Fields won the Please look out for the seats seat later with some changes in which Black people are runin the district he was able to ning, but be sure to check out do while he was in the state’s what they stand for. legislature. He didn’t last long before they took the seat from Dr. E. Faye Williams, Esq. him recently. is president/CEO Emerita of I share my background the National Congress of Black to illuminate how I was still referred to during the campaign. Women and international president of The Dick Gregory After speaking to a mixed Society, Inc. audience, a man walked up to By E. Faye Williams

Business SEPTEMBER 10 – 16, 2026

The business of educating Blacks

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PEOPLE On The Move New Leaders of Distinction named Miranda Walker Jones, Gwen Mizell and Sandra M. Moore have been named to the YWCA Metro St. Louis’ 2026 Leaders of Distinction class. Jones is president and CEO of The Little Bit Foundation. Mizell is Ameren senior vice president and chief sustainability Miranda officer and presiWalker Jones dent of the Ameren Foundation. Moore is managing director at Advantage Capital. Also named Leaders of Distinction are Linda B. Haley, president and CEO of Let’s Build Hope; Tracy E. Hart, Gwen Mizell CEO and executive chair of Tarlton Corporation; Laura S. Kaiser, president and CEO of SSM Health; Michelle Li, founder of the Very Asian Foundation and NewsChannel 5 anchor; Traci O’Bryan, CEO of Arcturis; and Mary Sandra M. Russell, Missouri Moore Supreme Court judge. The nine women will be honored Dec. 3 at the YWCA’s annual Leader Lunch.

Photo by Lawrence Bryant / St. Louis American

Bolanle Ambonisye is the creator of U&I-RISE, an education business offering parenting programs, books and training for schools and educators, with a particular focus on Black families.

Bolanle Ambonisye turned her parenting philosophy into a business By Sylvester Brown Jr. St. Louis American Bolanle Ambonisye knew she had stumbled onto something when parents began using her name to get their children to behave. “Lil’ Johnny was acting up last night. I told him I’m going to tell Mama Bolanle and he straightened right up,” she recalled parents telling her when she was a teacher at the Frederick Douglass Institute. Ambonisye didn’t take it as a compliment. “It’s backwards,” she said.

That dream was dashed at Clinton Elementary, now closed, and Roosevelt High School, where she said disrespectful and unruly classmates led her to believe she’d “wind up behind bars” if she taught in city public schools as an adult.

“I’m supposed to tell that child if you don’t straighten up, I’m going to tell your mom or your dad.” The experience helped shape an idea Ambonisye would eventually turn into

U&I-RISE, an education business offering parenting programs, books and training for schools and educators, with a particular focus on Black families. Nearly three decades

after she began developing her approach, Ambonisye has taken the business from parent workshops to public school contracts and educator training. Now she’s working to expand its reach online. Ambonisye didn’t come to her theories by chance. After traveling extensively with her military mom, Ambonisye, then Kelly Andrea Moore, left Germany with her mother and settled in St. Louis in 1979. She was in eighth grade with ambitions of becoming a teacher. See Ambonisye, A6

Brought to you by

JPMorgan Chase & Co.

St. Louis entrepreneurs can access free business training

By Na’Porsha Williams St. Louis American

St. Louis entrepreneurs can receive free business training and compete for up to $50,000 in funding through a new program offered by Urban Strategies Inc. The Community Development Financial Institution Bootcamp & Challenge, funded by Wells Fargo, will provide training and resources for aspiring small-business owners. “This isn’t a debt, this isn’t any loans. So, yeah, this is a wonderful opportunity,” said Julian Wyatt, director of Urban Strategies. Wyatt said the initiative is part of USI’s broader eco-

nomic mobility strategy in the cities it serves. “This initiative feeds up into our broader economic mobility strategy in each of these cities, just to ensure that we’re building community wealth and creating jobs,” he said. The bootcamp will consist of five 60- to 90-minute virtual sessions held over about two and a half months. Participants will receive expert-led training, one-on-one coaching, peer collaboration and business-planning support. Topics will include business tools, customer discovery, business strategy, financial management, funding and

See Entrepreneurs, A6

Collins elected Safe Connections board chair Lauren C. Collins has been elected chair of the Safe Connections board of directors. Collins is a litigation attorney and adjunct professor at Saint Louis University School of Law. She Lauren C. also serves on the Collins Missouri Bar Board of Governors and previously served on the Safe Connections board’s executive committee.

Singleton serves as legal cousel for GardaWorld Isaac Singleton Jr. serves as legal counsel for GardaWorld Security, leading the company’s corporate legal department for the St. Louis region. Singleton advises the company on Isaac corporate matters, Singletin Jr. including regulatory compliance and risk management, and provides legal support for regional business operations.

Brian Barlay joins Missouri SBDC Brian Barlay has joined the Missouri Small Business Development Center in the St. Louis Region as a technology and innovation counselor. Barlay works with entrepreneurs and technology-foBrian Barlay cused small businesses on commercialization, intellectual property and market readiness.

Courtesy photo

St. Louis entrepreneurs can receive free business training and compete for up to $50,000 in funding through a new program offered by Urban Strategies Inc.

Please submit your People on the Move item (including photo) to areid@stlamerican.com.

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ST. LOUIS AMERICAN • SEPTEMBER 10 – 16, 2026

Ambonisye

“I got immersed in ‘Black stuff,’” she said with a laugh. Continued from A5 Ambonisye enrolled Folami there while taking an evening course for parThat dream was dashed ents on African-centered at Clinton Elementary, now closed, and Roosevelt education. She said the school’s founders were so High School, where she impressed with her homesaid disrespectful and schooled daughter that unruly classmates led her they asked Ambonisye to to believe she’d “wind up bring what she behind bars” had done with if she taught Folami into in city public the classroom. schools as an After a stint at She became adult. a full-time After a stint Florissant Valley Community teacher certiat Florissant fied through Valley College, the Council of Community Ambonisye College, became pregnant Independent Black Ambonisye with her first Institutions. became pregchild, Folami, As the nant with her years passed, first child, and vowed her experiencFolami, and child would es like the vowed her never attend a “Mama child would public school. Bolanle” comnever attend a ments led her public school. to conclude She was that “as parlater introents, we had duced to given away our power.” the Frederick Douglass “We were undermining Institute, a tuition-based our power without even independent school cenrealizing it,” she said. tered on African-centered Ambonisye came to education.

believe parents needed to “teach their children to obey them,” helping children develop the self-discipline needed to pay attention, cooperate and do well in school. “At home it’s called ‘obedience,’ everywhere else it’s called ‘following instructions.’” In 2007, she turned those ideas into her first educational program and parenting guide, “Tapping Our Parental Power (TOPP) In A Nutshell.” Rather than focusing primarily on children’s misbehavior, TOPP asks parents to examine their own actions. In a testimonial posted on U&I-RISE’s website, Brandi J., the mother of a teenage son, said TOPP taught her “patience” and how to deal with her son’s emotions while learning to “get myself together first.” “I am and will be a better parent,” she said. In 2011, Ambonisye founded U&I-RISE with the admittedly ambitious purpose of helping solve “Black community and

family problems.” Public schools became customers. She marketed parent-engagement workshops first in the Ferguson-Florissant School District and later in St. Louis Public Schools. Securing contracts was one thing. Getting parents to participate was another. Ambonisye said many Black parents reacted to a stigma associated with seeking parenting education. Looking for solutions, she took a job as a family support specialist at Bertha Knox Gilkey Pamoja Preparatory Academy, an Africancentered SLPS school. With the superintendent’s approval, the school required parents to participate in her orientation workshop before their children could enroll. Some responded begrudgingly, she said, but attendance improved. The requirement remains in place today. Over the years, U&IRISE expanded into school-home engagement and educator training. One program is

enting courses, videos, FLARES, a classsocial media groups and room-management system other resources online, Ambonisye developed including programs with Rashida Chatman, an aimed specifically at SLPS curriculum specialBlack families. ist. Chatman said it was That leaves designed to help educators Ambonisye working create “cohesive, manageto carve out an online able and safe classroom niche for U&I-RISE’s spaces for students who African-centered, Black look like us.” parent-focused material. DeAndria Wallace, She continassistant ues using principal feedback at Pamoja, from parent praised In a testimonial groups and Ambonisye posted on U&Iworkshop and RISE’s website, participants FLARES. Brandi J., the to hone and “She is promote very orgamother of a teenher coursnized and in age son, said es, books tune with the TOPP taught her and workneeds of the shops. community,” “patience” and The Wallace said. how to deal with “Her proher son’s emotions delivery methods gram is easy may have to follow and while learning to “get myself togeth- changed, implement, but the and it gets er first.” mission results when she set for done with U&I-RISE fidelity.” remains The the same: helping solve marketplace has changed “Black community and considerably since family problems.” Ambonisye started. Parents can now find par-

Entrepreneurs

complete the bootcamp will receive a small-business certificate from USI. Graduates with perfect attendance also will receive additional points toward their pitch challenge score. St. Louis is one of four cities selected for the initiative, along with Baltimore, Sacramento and Norfolk. Larry Johnson, owner of Deezl Distributing LLC

and Pull Up Supply Store, said support from USI has helped his business grow. Johnson became a USI client in 2024 and secured a $20,000 loan. He used the funding to increase his staff from two employees to four, purchase larger amounts of inventory and establish a storefront. “People who run businesses know it takes money to make money,” Johnson said. “… Since I’ve started, I’ve always kind of had more business than I can handle. So it’s a good thing to be able to

bring in more people or get the inventory that they need so I won’t be missing sales.” Johnson described USI’s intake and approval process as straightforward and encouraged other local entrepreneurs seeking support to explore the organization’s resources. “Everybody doesn’t have the same options. Just knowing that a company like this is here to give options to people to make what they do more realistic — I recommend it to anybody,” Johnson said.

Continued from A5 pitch development. Participants can compete in the pitch challenge regardless of whether they participate in the bootcamp. The winner can receive up to $50,000 to support the business, based on the pitch presented during the challenge.

To participate, applicants must be at least 18 years old, live in St. Louis and own a registered for-profit business or be willing to work with USI staff to complete the registration process before the pitch competition. Participants who need assistance obtaining a business license will be responsible for any permit or other required fees. Those who successfully

Founded in St. Louis in 1978, USI has since expanded its work to 19 states and says it has served more than 100,000 individuals and 30,000 families. “We are more than just a lender. We’re going to be a partner in the community and connect the dots,” Wyatt said. For additional information or to apply, visit USI’s Bootcamp & Pitch Challenge webpage: https://usi-cdfi.org/bootcamp-pitch-challenge/.

HealthMatters your

‘Taking Care of You’ SEPTEMBER 10 – 16, 2026

A7

Trap Run fuels neighborhood power

For Your Health

Can your breakfast help lower cancer risk? By Dr. Graham A. Colditz

St. Louis’ first hip-hop-themed 5K walk/run and festival — one of the region’s most meaningful health events — once again takes over selected streets of North St. Louis on Saturday.

Photo by Lawrence Bryant / St. Louis American

9th Annual 5K and festival blend health, hip-hop and community support By Kenya Vaughn St. Louis American The movement that happens at the Northside Trap Run is about more than exercise. It’s about showing up for each other, holding on to community and pushing forward even when resources don’t. That spirit returns Saturday when St. Louis’ first hip-hop-themed 5K walk/run and festival — one of the region’s most meaningful health events — once again takes over selected streets of North St. Louis. Hosted by Young Friends of the Ville, a board committee of Northside

“Movement is nourishment. We need it to live, to be healthy.” - Kameel Stanley

Community Housing, Inc., the Trap Run was created to empower North St. Louis neighborhoods and unify grassroots, civic, educational, commercial and residential efforts to bridge the city’s north-south divide. At its core, it’s about health — physical, mental

and communal — and the belief that movement can change how people see themselves and their community. “We’re bringing people together to move their bodies,” said event co-director and co-founder Kameel Stanley. “Movement is nourishment. We need it to live, to be healthy. And on a larger level, we need it to build healthy neighborhoods.” With a dozen DJs, yoga instruction, cheer stations, vendors, food, raffles and a festival stretching along Dr. Martin Luther King Drive, the event is intentionally low barrier. Walkers,

Don’t sleep on the cancer-prevention benefits of a healthy breakfast. Whether it’s oatmeal, whole-wheat toast, berries in Greek yogurt or other healthy combinations, starting the morning with simple, whole foods is a great way to help lower the risk of cancer while also energizing your day and boosting your overall health. Try to steer away from refined and processed foods like pastries, white bread, sugary cereals, sausage and bacon. These are popular Dr. Graham choices, but they can A. Colditz increase the risk of some serious diseases, including cancer. Other options that focus on low-fat dairy, whole grains, fruit and other healthy plant foods can be just as tasty and are also rich in nutrients and other compounds that are quite good for us. Here are some ways to get the most out of your mornings:

Coffee has more than 1,000 compounds that could help improve health.

Enjoy your coffee. Coffee has more than 1,000 compounds that could help improve health. And studies have linked moderate coffee drinking with a lower risk of stroke, heart disease, diabetes, gallstones, Parkinson’s disease and some cancers. If you like your morning coffee, keep enjoying it. But try to keep it simple and drink it in moderation. Unsweetened black coffee, or coffee with just a little milk and sugar, is the healthiest choice. Specialty coffee drinks are often more like desserts, with lots of sugar and extra calories. Mix it up. Experiment with new breakfast options that break the usual mold but keep things healthy. Add

See Trap Run, A8

See Colditz, A8

Word In Black food survey

For Black Americans, healthy eating comes at a cost By Jennifer Porter Gore Word In Black Black Americans surveyed by Word In Black are intensely aware of the connection between food and health but face economic and structural barriers that limit what they can actually put on the table, according to a new report from the organization’s Insights & Research Division. The report, At The Table: Food & Health In Our Community, published Sept. 3, found major concerns about food safety and access to healthy food at affordable prices.

Among the starkest findings: Six in 10 respondents don’t trust that the food they buy in grocery stores is safe, and rising grocery prices are pushing some toward cheaper, less nutritious options.

Among the starkest findings: Six in 10 respondents don’t trust that the food they buy in grocery stores is safe, and rising

grocery prices are pushing some toward cheaper, less nutritious options. “What we found is a community that knows exactly what it needs to eat well and simply cannot get there on the current terms,” said Christa Mahlobo, Ph.D., Insights & Research director for Word In Black. “The barrier isn’t awareness,” Mahlobo said. “It’s price, proximity, and a food system that too often asks Black families to choose between what they can afford and what will keep them healthy.” See Food, A8

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More than half of survey respondents don’t trust that the food they buy is safe, and rising grocery prices are pushing families toward cheaper, less nutritious options.

HealthMatters your

‘Taking Care of You’

ST. LOUIS AMERICAN • SEPTEMBER 10 – 16, 2026

A8

Colditz Continued from A7 fresh spinach to your fruit smoothie. Try a breakfast chicken salad made with olive oil and apple slices, wrapped in a whole-grain tortilla. Or try a morning mixed green salad with vinaigrette along with your toast. Adding more healthy plant-based foods to your weekly meals is a great way to help lower the risk of many diseases. Grab and go — but healthy. Life is busy, and mornings can feel doubly so. But that doesn’t mean you need to skimp on or skip a healthy breakfast. Try quick, on-the-go options: a banana wrapped in a whole-wheat tortilla, whole-grain granola and berries added to a cup of Greek yogurt, or the ever-reliable peanut butter sandwich on whole-wheat bread. Go ahead with eggs — but not too many. Eggs can be filling and really enjoyable — plus they’re a good source of protein and other important nutrients. It’s generally best to eat no more than one egg a day and to pair it

Berries added to a cup of Greek yogurt will make a healthy breakfast for people who need to eat on the go.

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with healthy choices, like whole-wheat tortillas and avocado instead of foods like white-bread toast, bacon and cheese. Or try a healthier omelet with kale and turkey. Make it whole grain. Whole grains and fiber

lower the risk of cancer and other diseases and can be as much a part of breakfast as your morning coffee. And only a surprisingly small number of us actually get the recommended amounts of whole grains each day. So, breakfast is a great oppor-

tunity to boost that number. Oatmeal, whole-grain dry cereal or whole-wheat toast can top the classic whole-grain breakfast list. You can also look for foods labeled “100% whole grain,” “100% whole wheat,” “100% whole-grain oats” or some-

thing very similar. It’s said a lot, but a good breakfast really is an important way to start the day. And we don’t need to overthink it to get real health benefits. Many of the classic breakfast foods have healthy, easy options. At the same time, there’s a

Trap Run Continued from A7 runners, skaters, dancers, families, elders, kids and even dogs — thanks to sponsor Purina — all have a place. “If you can’t run, you can walk. If you want to skate, dance, stroll — it’s all welcome,” Stanley said. “If you love music, you’re qualified to come to Trap Run.” The 5K starts and ends at North Sarah and Dr. Martin Luther King Drive, with the festival stretching along MLK between Sarah and Whittier. The route itself is a statement. It winds through neighborhoods often stereotyped as “unwalkable,” places where vacancy and disinvestment are visible — but so is beauty, history and the people who refuse to give up on either. Runners pass through the Ville and Greater Ville, neighborhoods with deep cultural legacy and ongoing community-led revitalization. “You see both the beauty and the struggle with your own eyes,” Stanley said. “People live there. People love there. People are doing cool things. It has champions.” For Shavette Wayne, the Trap Run didn’t just introduce her to racing — it changed her relationship with her own health. Wayne first learned

Food Continued from A7 Price, food safety concerns The report draws from a survey of 1,249 Black Americans conducted between April 22 and June 8. Respondents were readers of Word In Black and 10 partner Black news organizations nationwide. The sample was relatively affluent and highly educated: Roughly onethird had postgraduate or professional degrees, and the largest income group reported annual household incomes of $100,000 or more. The findings therefore reflect the respondents surveyed and should not be considered representative of all Black Americans.

Photo by Ann Aurbach / Courtesy of Northside Trap Run

Participants bring energy and community spirit to the Northside Trap Run, St. Louis’ hip hop themed 5K and festival focused on health, movement and neighborhood pride. about the event in 2019. She wasn’t a runner and thought a 5K meant five miles. But she loved North St. Louis, and the idea of DJs, community and movement pulled her in. “I went out there that day — my first 5K — and from the start to the finish, the exercise and the camaraderie were inspiring,” Wayne said. “The diversity of the people, young and old, Black and white, teams, families — it was

motivating.” She finished that first race feeling accomplished. She hasn’t missed a Trap Run since. Wayne started as a slow walker. Now she walks and jogs in intervals and participates in other 5Ks throughout the year. “It’s always me versus me,” she said. “Trap Run put my mind more on fitness and my health. It made me more active.” But the neighborhood

matters just as much. “There are no other 5Ks that go through North St. Louis,” Wayne said. “Trap Run is the only one I’m aware of. And every time I run it, I feel like a proud North St. Louisian.” That pride is shared by Carlos Vinson, a third-generation brick mason and longtime runner who has completed “tons and tons” of 5Ks across the region. At 59, he says staying fit is part

of both his work and his life. Vinson, has coached youth basketball and volunteered in St. Louis Public Schools. “A coach can’t ask players to do anything he wouldn’t do,” he said. “Fitness is always key. The older you get, the more fit you want to be.” Vinson also sees the event as a reflection of North St. Louis pride — especially after the May tornado that damaged

Nearly three-quarters said prices for healthy foods such as fresh fruits and vegetables need to be lowered. Forty-two percent want more grocery stores or fresh food markets in their neighborhoods, while 38% want more nutrition education. More than 60% reported concerns about food safety. Those concerns extend beyond the Word In Black survey. A July Quinnipiac University poll found 55% of registered voters nationwide had little or no confidence in government oversight of food safety. The concerns also come amid high-profile outbreaks and recalls. A multistate Cyclospora outbreak associated with processed iceberg lettuce has sickened nearly 11,000 people, hospitalized more than 450 and resulted in two deaths.

Health vs. affordability

to the larger population. A 2025 Pew Research Center survey found 90% of U.S. adults said healthy food had become more expensive in recent years, and 69% said the higher prices made eating healthy more difficult. Among lower-income adults, 77% said higher prices made healthy eating more difficult, including 46% who said it was “a lot” more difficult. Price also shapes where people shop. Two in five Word In Black respondents said reasonably priced food was the most important factor in choosing a grocery store — ahead of taste, convenience and healthfulness.

knowledge of food came from how they were raised and what their family cooked at home, while 29% said their current knowledge was shaped by their own research and expanding their food horizons as adults. Nearly half said they try to balance traditional foods with healthier choices. A quarter still eat mostly the same foods they grew up with, while about 12% have moved away from their traditional diet for health reasons. Forty-six percent strongly agreed that food in the United States contributes to diet-related diseases such as type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease. Despite concerns about the food system, many respondents viewed their own eating habits positively. A little more than

While many respondents did not report being food insecure, rising grocery prices are forcing difficult trade-offs. Respondents described “trading down” — swapping higher-priced foods or brands for cheaper alternatives, buying store brands and looking for manager’s specials. Some use coupons and mobile apps for savings or rely on local food pantries. Others reported buying fewer fresh fruits, vegetables or meat, bypassing organic foods or skipping healthier options altogether. One respondent described her mindset while grocery shopping: “Put it back or find a cheaper unhealthy version.” The problem extends

Food is life — and culture The survey also found respondents strongly tied to their food heritage. About 32% said their

lot of room to be creative and explore new foods and new approaches if we’d like. Find out what works best for you and your family. And turn a good morning into a healthy one as well.

homes across the area. “I’m working on my fourth tornado house on the North Side,” Vinson said. “I’ve worked on houses on the same streets we run. It feels good to rebuild the community and then run through it. Trap Run is the icing on the cake.” Last year, participants came from 11 states. For some, it’s a first step in a health journey. For others, it’s now a lifestyle — a yearly ritual that reminds them to keep moving. Mental health is part of that mission too. “Having something in the neighborhood focused on health, joy, music and culture — that’s important,” Stanley said. “Healthy people, healthy families, healthy communities, healthy city, healthy region.” Wayne hopes newcomers feel what she felt in 2019. “This is just the beginning,” she said. “I want them to walk away knowing they can do anything they set their mind to — and that the biggest obstacle is themselves. And I want them to see that North St. Louis has love, support and good people.” The 9th Annual Northside Trap Run will take place at 9 a.m., with an 8:30 a.m. warmup. For more information, visit traprunstl.com.

half gave the healthfulness of their diets a B, and nine in 10 agreed that what they eat affects their mental and emotional well-being. Asked what would help them eat healthier, 73% pointed to lower prices for fresh fruits, vegetables and whole foods. Forty-two percent wanted more grocery stores or fresh food markets in their neighborhoods, and 38% wanted more public education about food and nutrition. The report calls on policymakers, community health organizations and food retailers to expand access to healthy foods, invest in culturally relevant nutrition programs and work with trusted community leaders on health education.

A9

ST. LOUIS AMERICAN • SEPTEMBER 10 – 16, 2026

Disney’s ‘Zombies’ star Carla Jeffery dies at 33 Disney star Carla Jeffery has died, according to a statement shared on her official Instagram by her talent management company. She was 33. The actress was known for her role in the “Zombies” franchise. “It is with profound sadness that we share the passing of our beloved Carla Jeffery, who passed away on September 1, 2026, at just 33 years old,” Carla Alexander of Alexanders Talent Management wrote in the statement. “Our hearts are with Carla’s family and loved ones during this devastating time,” Alexander continued. “We respectfully ask that their privacy be honored as they grieve this unimaginable loss. Rest beautifully, Carla. Your light will never be forgotten.” Details about Jeffery’s death have not been revealed. Carla Jeffery “Carla Jeffery’s extraordinary talent, warmth and spirit left an indelible mark on everyone who had the privilege of working with her,” Disney Entertainment Television said in a statement.

Lionel Richie released from St. Louis-area hospital

Lionel Richie has checked out of a St. Louisarea hospital. People.com reported that Richie, 77, was discharged from an undisclosed facility on Wednesday and flew home to Los Angeles immediately afterward. Richie admitted himself to the ICU following his headlining performance at The Muny’s 2026 season finale concert. According to TMZ.com, he underwent cardiac tests while hospitalized. He performed the show without incident — aside from taking a seat during the finale performance of “All Night Long.” Richie also mentioned his previous health scare during the concert and drank electrolytes throughout the night. People.com reported that a source close to Richie said he is “back home in Los Angeles and doing great.” Richie is currently touring as part of the “Sing a Song All Night Long” tour, which he coheadlines with Earth, Wind & Fire. Their next stop is scheduled for Sept. 26 in San Francisco. Lionel Richie

Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’ prison release date bumped up

Sean “Diddy” Combs’ prison release date has been moved up once again, weeks after he was released from solitary confinement. According to documents obtained by Page Six, Combs will now be released from prison on Feb. 5, 2028. In July, Page Six confirmed with the Federal Bureau of Prisons that Combs’ release date was moved up after the three-time Grammy winner got into an altercation with another inmate. Sean ‘Diddy’ Last July, Combs was convicted on two Combs counts of transportation for prostitution. He was found not guilty on two counts of sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion and on racketeering conspiracy.

D’Wayne Wiggins’ $700K estate feud gets messy The fight over late Tony! Toni! Toné! cofounder D’Wayne Wiggins’ estimated $700,000 estate has intensified, with a judge temporarily blocking any distribution of funds while relatives continue disputing his final wishes. According to court documents obtained by TMZ, the order prevents Wiggins’ estate and trust from releasing money to third parties — including donations, scholarships and grants tied to his foundation. The move comes six months after EURweb.com reported that Wiggins’ daughter, Ilahn Wiggins, challenged how the estate was being handled following his March 7, 2025 death from bladder cancer. D’Wayne Ilahn questioned whether relative Veleta Wiggins Savannah had legitimate authority over the estate and raised concerns about a new will and trust allegedly signed shortly before Wiggins died. Savannah is now pushing back. TMZ reports she claims Wiggins was evaluated by a doctor who found him alert, capable of managing his affairs and not in need of financial assistance. She says Wiggins executed the disputed documents the day after that exam. Wiggins’ children dispute that account, saying he was heavily medicated and unable to make binding decisions. Savannah maintains he intended to place her in control and disinherit his children.

Hot Sheet Sources:

ABC News, Eurweb.com, Page Six, People.com, TMZ.com

A10

ST. LOUIS AMERICAN • SEPTEMBER 10 – 16, 2026

Commentary

Swoosh, but no splash

Nike gives East St. Louis Flyers VIP merch, but city delays pool again By James T. Ingram From 1979 to 2026, the East St. Louis Sr. High School Flyers football team has been a gridiron juggernaut, winning 11 state championships and, in recent years, becoming nationally ranked for its consistent dominance. So, when the good folks at Nike recently rolled up during a Flyers practice with a caravan led by a Rolls-Royce bearing a Flyers logo and trailed by two customized, Nikebranded full-size coach buses bearing the mantras “Chase the Smoke” and “All Gas, No Brakes,” it set off a social media frenzy. And it was a fitting tribute that this team and

Cancer Continued from A1 The first-of-a-kind drug targets RAS proteins — long considered difficult to target with drugs — and offers new hope after decades of limited treatment options. Washington University’s Siteman Cancer Center helped evaluate the targeted therapy and offered it to qualified patients during clinical trials before it was made widely available. Dr. Kian-Huat Lim, director of gastrointestinal oncology at WashU Medicine and a nationally recognized specialist in pancreatic cancer care and research at Siteman, served as site principal investigator for the international Phase 3 RASolute 302 clinical trial evaluating daraxonrasib. “We are national leaders in investigator-initiated trials, and we have proven results as scientists and clinical trialists,” Lim said, touting Siteman’s expertise. “In addition, we see many patients from throughout the region who are diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. “In other words, we have the expertise as clinicians to care for these

McClure Continued from A1 Salute to Excellence in Education Scholarship & Awards Gala at the St. Louis Union Station Hotel. The through-line of McClure’s life speaks to the value of learning and utilizing new-found knowledge for the greater good. That philosophy has followed him from government through banking and his leadership of UniGroup to his current position as managing director of Spero Advisors, a strategy and governance advisory firm. During a 2015 education summit, McClure stunned the audience by shifting the conversation away from increasing college graduation rates to a more somber topic. Noting that millions of children were living in poverty, McClure said strengthening education beginning at the pre-school level was more than an “economic imperative.” It was a “moral imperative, the sleeping civil rights issue of our day.” Does he still hold those feelings? “Absolutely,” McClure promptly answered. “For there to be unequal opportunities and challeng-

its coach, Darren Sunkett, have more than earned for their tenacity, productivity and excellence, which have made the East St. Louis community proud and home games at Clyde C. Jordan Stadium a hot ticket. The stadium is better known as “The House of Pain.” As it turns out, the nationally ranked Flyers have earned the rarefied distinction of being one of 40 “Nike Elite Schools,” which explains the gifts, including travel suitcases, tracksuits, footwear and blinged-out necklaces reflecting their elite status. Now, juxtapose that rock-star treatment with the continued disrespect that the East St. Louis

patients and the ability to offer them the latest options.” In the late-stage trial offered at Siteman and other sites, 500 patients whose metastatic pancreatic cancer had progressed after initial treatment were randomly assigned to receive daraxonrasib or another round of chemotherapy. Patients receiving daraxonrasib had a median overall survival of 13.2 months, compared with 6.7 months for those receiving additional chemotherapy. The study also found that 30% of patients receiving daraxonrasib experienced substantial tumor shrinkage, compared with 11% receiving chemotherapy. “We are prolonging life in patients who previously had no other good option other than another rather toxic chemotherapy with limited efficacy or clinical trials,” Lim said. For Black patients, the new treatment comes against a backdrop of longstanding disparities. National Cancer Institute data show Black men are diagnosed with pancreatic cancer at a rate of 18 per 100,000 and die from the disease at a rate of 15 per 100,000, both higher than the rates for white men. Black women also have higher pancre-

es to access quality education for people because of the ZIP code they were born in or because of economic or social circumstances, making things available for some people and not others ... that to me is a moral issue.” Former St. Louis Public Schools Superintendent Kelvin R. Adams described McClure as “a trusted and confidential confidant, a thought partner, and a genuine friend for many years.” “He has an incredible ability to see possibilities and solutions when others may only see problems,” Adams said. “At the end of the day, perhaps the most important thing I can say about my friend Rich McClure is very simple: you can trust him.” McClure grew up in Springfield in an environment, he said, that taught him about “family and faith and the values it takes to serve others.” His father was a World War II veteran who owned a small appliance shop. His mother was a high school teacher who posted moral or principled quotes on her classroom blackboard and discussed them with students. “It was her way of transmitting values from one generation to the next as a teacher who loved her

Park District, through its According to ineptitude, has shown Millennium Construction’s these kids and other East Mark Kabureck, who St. Louis youth spoke with FOX by having yet 2 investigative another summer reporter Chris of 100-degree Hayes, the temperatures to funds have been come and go with released and no swimming crews are back pool to cool off at work, with the and not even a complex expected splash pad in to be completed over a decade. by December and James T. Only recently, potentially open Ingram workers finally for the 2027 swim returned to comseason — fingers plete work on the Lincoln crossed. Park pool complex after However, it’s a sad construction was halted testimony that Nike has and contractors walked shown more gratitude, off the job over a year ago recognition and love to due to the Park District’s the East St. Louis Flyers failure to complete an than a Park District that audit, which was two years has been remiss in its duty late at the time. to provide a much-needed

summer outlet for the youth of East St. Louis who more than deserve it. In both Chris Hayes’ and my experience, including repeated visits to the Park District office and, in my case, repeated phone calls to Mike Collins, the director of the East St. Louis Park District, I’ve yet to receive the decency and courtesy of a return phone call. The only politician promising that the youth “will be swimming soon” has been East St. Louis City Councilman Courtney Hoffman II, who has been wrong for the past two years. That’s also amusing, since the pool project is not under his purview. So go figure.

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Rasonque, the brand name for daraxonrasib, nearly doubled median survival compared with chemotherapy in a major trial involving patients with previously treated metastatic pancreatic cancer. atic cancer incidence and death rates than white women. The drug’s massive wholesale price does not mean patients will receive a $39,800 bill each month. How much they ultimately pay will depend on their insurance coverage and eligibility for financial assistance. Revolution Medicines has established its (ON) Path patient support pro-

gram to help patients prescribed Rasonque navigate insurance coverage and financial assistance. The program includes assistance for eligible commercially insured patients and a patient assistance program. Medicare beneficiaries also have some protection from the drug’s high price. Under recent federal drug pricing reforms, Medicare Part D patients have a

$2,100 annual limit on out-of-pocket spending for covered prescription drugs in 2026. After reaching that threshold, they pay no additional cost sharing for covered Part D drugs for the remainder of the year. Medicare beneficiaries also can spread their outof-pocket prescription costs over monthly payments rather than paying the entire amount at the pharmacy.

UniGroup. He walked students,” McClure said. away with a deeper underAfter earning degrees standing of the value of from Missouri State employees and the imporUniversity and Syracuse tance of understanding University’s Maxwell School, McClure went into “the story behind the story” of people he worked public service. with. He spent 20 McClure years holding said he also public polilearned invalucy positions, “Those hours able lessons including work of listening to while serving in the adminour communias co-chair of istrations of ty across our the Ferguson Missouri Gov. Commission, region, but parJohn Ashcroft and Illinois ticularly those in formed after Gov. Jim impacted areas, 18-year-old Michael Thompson. taught me lesBrown was McClure ticked off valu- sons that I never killed by Ferguson able lessons would have police Officer learned from learned in any Darren Wilson government, other way.” in 2014. including “Those the resourc- Richard “Rich” hours of es needed to McClure listening to educate chilour commudren in urban nity across school disour region, tricts. but particularly those in “Those dynamics are impacted areas, taught me important if you want lessons that I never would to address the racial and have learned in any other social dynamics of educaway,” McClure said. tion,” he said. “One that I needed to His desire to enter learn was whatever breaks the corporate world led God’s heart needs to break him to banking and later UniGroup, where he even- my heart, too. It’s about a deep understanding of tually became president. heart-breaking experiencMcClure and Sharon, es.” his wife of 48 years, His community work appeared on the CBS has included service with reality show “Undercover World Wide Technology, Boss” during his time at

United Way, St. Louis Children’s Hospital, the St. Louis Area Council of the Boy Scouts of America and Teach For America. “If there were more Rich McClures in the world, the world would be a better place,” said Steven H. Lipstein, former president and CEO of BJC HealthCare. “When Rich serves on a commission or a board of directors, he is all-in,” Lipstein said. “You literally get all of him.” A deeply religious man, McClure said he has tried to follow a biblical principle: “To whom much is given ... much is required.” “There’s a standard there that says if you’ve been blessed with positions, platforms, relationships, resources, networks, you are required to use them for human flourishing.” McClure contributed an essay on “identity and authenticity” to “The Inspired Leader: 101 Biblical Reflections for Becoming a Person of Influence.” “My foundation and my identity come from the following of Jesus, not any position I’ve ever had,” he said. “The authenticity part is the ability to realize these positions are temporal ... they are gifts.” After his years at

Perhaps the third year of promises will be the charm, just in time for Hoffman’s rumored run for mayor of East St. Louis. But we shall see. Yet, East St. Louis remains the “city of champions,” with the successes and combined state titles of its high school football, basketball and track teams. They bring joy to a community in need of hope. They, at least, deserve a swimming pool and a reason to return after college, military service or skilled trade education, bringing their talents, education, skills, youthful optimism and energy back to an East Boogie that poured into them, not ignored them.

Those protections, however, do not guarantee that every patient will have the same access to the drug. Coverage requirements, insurance and eligibility for assistance can affect how patients obtain and pay for treatment. Rasonque also is not for every pancreatic cancer patient. The FDA approved it for adults with metastatic pancreatic adenocarcinoma who have received at least one previous systemic treatment or who are not candidates for treatment with multiple systemic drugs. The drug also can cause serious side effects. The FDA lists common side effects including rash, diarrhea, inflammation of the mouth, nausea, fatigue, vomiting, abdominal pain, swelling, decreased appetite and bleeding. Still, for patients with advanced pancreatic cancer who previously had few good options after their initial treatment stopped working, the new drug offers something particularly valuable: more time. “We are prolonging life,” Lim said. Sylvester Brown Jr. is the Deaconess Foundation Community Advocacy Fellow.

UniGroup, McClure and Sharon decided “it was time for ‘life three’” and the “great experiences” of the nonprofit world. McClure said he was dedicated to following Sharon’s lead as she had done for him throughout their marriage. Their goals included transmitting their values to their children and the next generation and having “kingdom impact,” which meant living their lives the “way Jesus calls us to do,” McClure said. McClure still has an appetite for learning and helping others learn. He said he’s “fascinated” by a new AI startup designed to train and provide resources for “under-resourced entrepreneurs.” He’s still that disrupter who, more than a decade ago, reminded a crowd that quality, equal education for all children — no matter their background — is a “moral imperative.” “None of us get a pass on advocacy,” McClure told the American. “We all should be champions of education on behalf of our children.” Sylvester Brown Jr. is the Deaconess Foundation Community Advocacy Fellow.

A11

ST. LOUIS AMERICAN • SEPTEMBER 10 – 16, 2026

As I See It

The importance of voting

By Jamala Rogers The Voting Rights Act of 1965 is dying the death of a thousand cuts. In 2013, the U.S. Supreme Court stuck a dagger in the VRA’s guts with Shelby County v. Holder, striking down the formula that determined which jurisdictions had to get federal approval before making changes to their elections. Earlier this year, the high court took a machete to another critical section of the VRA with Louisiana v. Callais, making it more difficult to use the law to challenge voting districts that dilute Black voting power. The hardfought Voting Rights Act is bleeding out. Fierce, divisive debate abounds during one of the most important electoral cycles this country has seen. The prized

civil right of voting has become a special target for the Trump administration. Now that the law is on life support, Trump and his MAGA monsters have turned their arsenal to local, county and state jurisdictions. They are challenging existing processes and laws, being aided and abetted by GOP electioneers, state attorneys general and lower courts. In a country that calls itself the greatest democracy on earth, let’s start with voter turnout. It’s pathetic. In the last 30 years, voter turnout in national elections has generally hovered well below the levels seen in many other democracies. Turnout is higher in presidential elections but can plunge during midterm elections. Australia’s voter turnout rate is 90%. Let’s look at a couple

more voting statistics. In Brown voters. Black and 2024, about 62 million Brown people are disprovoting-age American citiportionately represented zens were not registered to among nonvoters. vote, according to Census One compelling reason Bureau estimates. identified by both The divergence in groupings is their numbers is wide deep sense of because there is alienation from no standard protothe government. col for how jurisThe irony is that dictions collect these are exactly the data. the marginalized Then there’s sectors that need this disturbing to be empowered fact: Millions to pressure govJamala of Americans ernment to be Rogers who are eligible more attentive to to vote simply their needs. But don’t vote. In the 2024 everyone has the duty to presidential election, 154 truly make it a “governmillion voting-age citizens ment of the people, by the cast ballots, according to people, for the people.” the Census Bureau. That I used the metaphor leaves a mighty force of of the Voting Rights Act nonvoters to be reckoned bleeding out. For African with. Americans fighting for the All the MAGA poliright to vote, the blood tricking will intentionally is real. The people who disadvantage Black and lost their lives are real.

Our receipts of lost lives, wealth, property and dignity are the reasons why we must continue to wage this war with courage and purpose. The MAGA tactic of creating confusion and fear has been quite effective. The confusion looks like making mail-in voting more difficult, raising questions about who is on the voting list, whether your polling site is open, where your polling site is on the new gerrymandered map, whether ballots will be counted and creating other unnecessary hurdles for voters. The fear tactics include sending ICE or other law enforcement to polling places, creating misinformation about foreign interference, raising the false narrative about voter fraud so that voters think the system is rigged, threatening

city and county officials and manufacturing other disruptive legal obstacles. Our people have been beaten down by the stress of living in a society where much of the judiciary and legislative branch has fallen under the MAGA spell. Democracy defenders face a vital mission: to mobilize and energize disillusioned voters, helping them rediscover their strength and play a key role in shaping their communities and future. Together, we must organize our communities into fighting machines, ready for whatever tricks are thrown at us. And we can expect plenty of tricks between now and the November elections. Jamala Rogers is an opinion writer and one of the founding members of the Organization for Black Struggle, based in St. Louis.

Art Hill Continued from A1 Flags for 412 first responders encircle the Grand Basin, each bearing a photograph and custom dog tag with the responder’s name, department and date of death. “He was so handsome,” East St. Louis native Sandra Boone said as she placed a flag for Army Pfc. Kyle Gilbert of Vermont. “Look at those eyes,” she added, reading the tag for Army Sgt. Leonard Simmons of North Carolina. “Hi Leonard.” Boone was among more than 1,200 volunteers who helped build the memorial. Veterans Kareem Collins and Josh Tischler volunteered on behalf of their employer, Emerson. Collins, an Army veteran, remembered exactly where he was on Sept. 11, 2001. He was stationed at Fort Hood in Texas. “We were out in the field practicing battle drills, and they stopped the drills to tell us what was going on,” Collins said. “They pulled us in and made us wait for three days. We were waiting to get the word to deploy.” He wasn’t part of the initial deployment but later served overseas. “I wanted to fight for my country and make sure we were safe,” Collins said. Tischler, co-chair of Emerson’s veterans resource group, was entering high school when the attacks happened. He later joined the Air Force. “A lot of people who joined at the same time did it for the same reason,” Tischler said. “It was a

Map Continued from A1 Court. Shortly afterward, Chief U.S. District Judge Stephen Clark ordered Missouri to use the new districts for now, despite the state Supreme Court ruling requiring use of the 2022 map. Clark was acting in a separate lawsuit brought by Republican U.S. Rep. Bob Onder, state Sen. Rick Brattin and two voters. They argued that switching districts after voters had already cast primary ballots under the new map would violate their federal rights. The result is two conflicting court orders. Missouri officials say they are following Clark’s order and using the new districts while his ruling is challenged in federal appeals

Flags of Valor STL volunteers began planting the first of more than 7,500 American flags across Art Hill to commemorate the 25th anniversary of 9/11.

Photo by Lawrence Bryant / St. Louis American

response to this. It was part of the nation coming together.” For Collins, seeing thousands of flags brings home the human toll. “Understanding that each flag is representative of a person — that’s probably the most important part,” he said. Boone was at work when the planes hit the towers. She helped prepare flags for the memorial five years ago but had never installed them. “I started reading the names and seeing the faces and became so thankful,” Boone said. “Thankful to them for giving their lives to

support our world, our country.” Retired Navy Petty Officer Gladys Smith, who served 27 years, came to honor those who made the sacrifice she was prepared to make. “I hope everyone can come out — and not forget that freedom is not free,” Smith said. “People lost lives. People have memories.” Smith said the Black community has a particular stake in remembering those who died in service. “We have fought harder than almost any group to be accepted for who we are and remembered for what we do,” Smith said.

“And for what our soldiers and sailors do every day. It is part of our culture and part of our lives.” For St. Louis-area resident Krista Salvatore, the memorial is intensely personal. Salvatore was working on the 61st floor of World Trade Center Tower 2 when the attacks began. She was 22 and on her second day at a new job with Morgan Stanley. She was evacuating and had reached the 24th floor when Tower 2 was struck. She escaped minutes before the building collapsed. Salvatore said evacuation drills conducted after

the 1993 World Trade Center bombing helped employees know where to go. “There was a point where we really didn’t think we were going to make it,” she said. “It was a lot to take in. It was hard to understand what just happened.” St. Louis Metropolitan Police Chief Robert Tracy also has a personal connection. He was a New York City Police Department commander at the time of the attacks and arrived at the World Trade Center after the towers fell. “I spent several weeks supporting the response

and recovery efforts,” Tracy said. “I witnessed unimaginable devastation — but also extraordinary courage, compassion and unity.” The memorial is free and open to the public through Sept. 13. A Sept. 11 sunset gathering will include a candlelight memorial and an overnight reading of the names beginning at 9:11 p.m. “May we remember those we lost, stand with families forever changed and remain grateful for every person who answered the call,” Tracy said.

court. The conflicting orders also left local election officials uncertain about which map they are legally required to use. “We have diametrically opposed issues because we’ve got the Supreme Court of Missouri saying that we have to use (the 2022 map); otherwise we’ll be in violation of their order,” Boone County Clerk Brianna Lennon told St. Louis Public Radio. “And then we have the federal court saying that we can’t use them; otherwise, we’ll be in violation of the federal court.” The conflict quickly returned to the Missouri Supreme Court. After Hoskins directed local election officials to use the 2025 map, the court gave him until noon Wednesday to answer a motion seeking to hold him in contempt for violating its order bar-

ring use of that map. The saying it “halts a fullcourt also ordered Hoskins on constitutional crisis” to appear in person at 10 by allowing voters to a.m. Thursday. cast ballots in the same Clark wrote that chang- districts used during the ing maps August pribetween the mary. primary and Opponents general elecof the new Opponents of tions could map argue the new map harm voters by that state offiargue that state cials created forcing some officials created the problem to choose among canby waiting the problem by didates they until primary waiting until had no role in day to reject a primary day to nominating. petition seek“Disenfran- reject a petition ing a public chising voters seeking a public vote on the across the state vote on the disdistricts. and denying People Not tricts. them their Politicians constitutional Missouri subright to have mitted more their primary than 300,000 votes counted significantly signatures in December harm the public interest,” seeking a statewide referClark wrote. endum. Hoskins rejected Secretary of State the petition Aug. 4, conDenny Hoskins quickly tending that congressional embraced Clark’s ruling, redistricting could not

be challenged through Missouri’s referendum process. The Missouri Supreme Court unanimously disagreed last week, ruling that the petition was valid and submitted on time. Because of the referendum, the court concluded, the 2025 map never legally took effect. It ordered the state to conduct the November election using the 2022 map — the boundaries used in the 2022 and 2024 general elections. “An individual federal judge cannot overrule the Missouri Supreme Court,” Chuck Hatfield, an attorney for People Not Politicians, said after Clark’s ruling. The group quickly appealed Clark’s order to the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.For now, Missouri election

officials are proceeding under Clark’s order and using the 2025 districts. But the continuing appeals mean the question of which map will govern the November election remains unsettled. Voters also will decide the fate of the new boundaries themselves when the referendum appears on the Nov. 3 ballot as Proposition A. The Republicancontrolled legislature approved the new districts during a special session last year after President Donald Trump urged Missouri and other Republican-led states to redraw congressional boundaries before the 2026 midterm elections. Sylvester Brown Jr. is the Deaconess Foundation Community Advocacy Fellow.

A12

ST. LOUIS AMERICAN • SEPTEMBER 10 – 16, 2026

“When life gives you coal, press it into a diamond.” - Kimora Lee

Living It B1 • SEPTEMBER 10 – 16, 2026

Paint Sti Louis Photo by Lawrence Bryant / St. Louis American

Isaiah Rashad connects with fans during the St. Louis leg of his “Lil Sunny’s Awful Road Trip” performance Sunday night at The Pageant. The show also featured rising alt-pop star Alemeda, (below).

Photos by Lawrence Bryant / St. Louis American

A ‘road trip’ with raw honesty

Isaiah Rashad blends visuals, vulnerability and strong new material By Kenya Vaughn St. Louis American

Photos by Lawrence Bryant / St. Louis American

A Batman and Joker mural brings comic book imagery to the St. Louis floodwall during Paint Louis 2026, where artists transformed the wall with bold colors, characters and graffiti inspired work.

Family, healing and hiphop culture shape the 2026 festival St. Louis floodwall becomes global graffiti canvas thanks to annual event By Kenya Vaughn St. Louis American

Photos by Lawrence Bryant / St. Louis American

C’babi Bayoc works on his colorful tribute to civil rights leader Fannie Lou Hamer during Paint Louis 2026 along the St. Louis floodwall. The mural pairs Hamer’s portrait with words reflecting her fight for freedom and equality.

Chattanooga native Isaiah Rashad showed why he’s become one of hip hop’s most vulnerable voices when his “Lil Sunny’s Awful Road Trip” tour stopped at The Pageant on Sunday night. Fans walked into a slideshow of spoofed movie posters and tongue-in-cheek ads for everything from veneers to cat adoption — all tied to Rashad’s latest album, It’s Been Awful. But once the show started, the mood shifted. The performance was serious, intentional and visually heavy. With staging more in line with a theater production than a rap concert, Rashad delivered what his fans came for – an honest connection wrapped in a tightly executed live show. There were no hype men, dancers or band. Just Rashad, the full stage, and visuals that pushed the story behind the music. Alt-pop singer Alemeda opened the night. Together, the two artists showed the range of Black music from different lanes. Alemeda’s sound sits somewhere between Alanis Morissette and SZA, with a touch of Gwen Stefani. Backed by a drummer and guitarist, she held the room from the moment she started “Losing Myself,” a song that nods to 1960s pop. Her look — a denim two-piece, knee-high socks, stilettos and long pink hair — contrasted with the softness in her voice for the selection. The contrast made her performance stand out even more, especially for audience members unfamiliar with her catalog. Her lyrics read like diary entries after a breakup. Songs See Rashad, B3

Soon after the floodwall went up in St. Louis following the Great Flood of 1993, it became a hangout spot for John Harrington and his friends. “The cops kicked us out of downtown, and we really had nowhere to hang out,” Harrington said. “So we went down there and started doing graffiti, listening to music, dancing — all that stuff.” In 1997, Harrington and his crew launched Paint Louis. In the decades since, the space that centered the visual art element of hiphop — which “A lot of people don’t know includes graffiti, deejaying, breakdancing and rapping that Paint — has grown into one of Louis is a the world’s largest opeBlack-owned nair art festivals. Artists use spray paint and liquid event.” acrylics on the 2.5-mile stretch of concrete just - John south of the Gateway Arch. Harrington The event has expanded to include live music performances — this year’s headliner was Flipmode’s Rah Digga — along with vendors and community programming like Paint Littles, where veteran artists teach children the basics of lettering and can control. Next year it will celebrate 30 years. “A lot of people don’t know that Paint Louis is a Black-owned event,” Harrington said. “A Blackowned event that gives agency to young Black artists from St. Louis. A lot of these artists See Paint St. Louis, B3

B2

ST. LOUIS AMERICAN • SEPTEMBER 10 – 16, 2026

St. Louis American Calendar

CONCERTS Sat., Sept. 12, 1:30 p.m., Tacos and Tequila Festival St. Louis starring Murphy Lee, Rick Ross, Paul Wall, Yung Joc, Fat Joe, Ginuwine, Xzibit, Bubba Sparxxx and DJ Ashton Martin, Car Shield Field. For more information, visit tacosandtequilafestival. com. Sun., Sept. 13, 7:30 p.m. (6:30 p.m. doors), Jensen McRae, Delmar Hall, 6133 Delmar. For more information, visit www.thepageant.com. Wed., Sept. 16, 8 p.m., Shaboozey Outlaws Never Die Tour, The Factory at The District. For more information, visit www.ticketmaster.com. Sat., Sept. 18, 8 p.m., Pitbull with special guest Lil Jon, Hollywood Casino Amphitheater. For more information, visit www.livenation.com. Sat., Sept. 18, 8 p.m., Dax, Delmar Hall, 6133 Delmar. For more information, visit www.thepageant.com. Wed., Sept. 23, 8 p.m., Teddy Swims: The Ugly Tour. Enterprise Center. For more information, visit www.ticketmaster.com. Sat., Sept. 26, 8 p.m., Begging for Sax starring Chris Mitchell, The Pageant, 6161 Delmar. For more information, visit thepageant.com. Sat., Oct. 3, 7:30 p.m., Bryson Tiller presents The NeoSoul Trap

Tour, Hollywood Casino Amphitheater. For more information, visit www. livenation.com.

THEATRE

Comedy legend Martin Lawrence’s ‘Y’all Still Know What It Is’ Tour is coming to Stifel Theatre. See COMEDY for details.

SPECIAL EVENTS Thurs., Sept. 10, 4 p.m., WashU Center for the Humanities presents Angela Davis on Academic Freedom, Graham Chapel. For more information visit humanities.washu.edu

Through Sept. 27, The Black Rep opens their 50th Anniversary Season with The Color Purple, Washington University’s Edison Theatre. For more information, visit www. theblackrep.org.

Through Sept. 13, UniverSoul Circus, Galleria Mall. For more information, visit www. ticketmaster.com. Sept. 11 – Sept. 13, Enjoy IL 300 weekend, featuring performances by the Ying Yang Twins and Busta Rhymes, World Wide Technology Raceway, Madison IL. For more information, visit www.ticketmaster.com. Fri., Sept. 25, 7 p.m., Disney On Ice, Chaifetz Arena. For tickets, visit www.ticketmaster.com Sat., October 17, St. Louis American Foundation’s 39th Annual Salute to Excellence in Education Scholarship and Awards Gala, Cardinal Ritter President Tamiko Armstead will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award, Jennings School District Superintendent Dr. Paula Knight will receive the Stellar Performer Award and Richard “Rich” McClure will receive the Champion in Education Award. St. Louis Union Station Hotel. For more information, call 314.533.8000 or visit

Sept. 17- Sept. 27, 7 p.m., The 11th Annual Tennessee Williams Festival presents Appropriate by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, Catherine B. Berges Theatre, COCA. For more information, visit www.twstl.org.

www.stlamerican.com. COMEDY Thurs., Sept. 10, 7:30 p.m., A Special Night with T.K. Kirkland, City Winery, 3730 Foundry Way, St. Louis, MO. For more information, visit www.citywinery.com. Sept. 18 – Sept. 23, Marcus D. Wiley, Helium Comedy Club, 1151 St Louis Galleria Street, St Louis MO 63117. For more information, visit https://st-louis.heliumcomedy.com/ Sept. 25 – Sept. 27, Tommy Davidson, Helium Comedy Club, 1151 St Louis Galleria Street, St Louis MO 63117. For more information, visit https://st-louis. heliumcomedy.com/ Sat., Sept. 26, 8 p.m. Martin Lawrence’s Y’all Still Know What It Is

Tour, Stifel Theatre, 1400 Market. For tickets or more information, visit www.stifeltheatre.com. Sun., Oct. 11. 7:30 p.m., Grief Sucks: A One-Man Show by KevOnStage, The Pageant, 6161 Delmar. For more information, visit www.thepageant.com. Thurs., Oct. 15, 7 p.m., The St. Louis County Library Foundation presents D.L. Hughley, The Pageant. 6161 Delmar. For more information, visit www. thepageant.com. ST. LOUIS MUSIC SPOTLIGHT Thurs., Sept. 10, 6 p.m., Twilight Thursdays presents Luther Vandross Anthology with Chris Jones and Jeremiah Allen, Missouri History Museum. For more information, visit www.mohistory.org.

Wed., Sept. 16, 7:30 p.m., Jada Leigh, Blue Strawberry, 364 N. Boyle. For more information, visit www.bluestrawberrystl. com Thurs., Sept. 17, 6 p.m., Twilight Thursdays presents Queens of Neo Soul featuring Drea Vocalz, Missouri History Museum. For more information, visit www.mohistory.org. Thurs., Sept. 24, 6 p.m., Twilight Thursdays presents Blues Bash featuring Skeet Rodgers and Andrea Taylor, Missouri History Museum. For more information, visit www. mohistory.org. Thurs., Oct. 1, 6 p.m., Twilight Thursdays presents The Music of The O’Jays, Missouri History Museum. For more information, visit www.mohistory.org.

Through September 27, The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis presents Little Women, The Loretto-Hilton, 130 Edgar Rd, Webster Groves, MO 63119. For more information, visit www.repstl.org. ART Sept. 10 – February 7, 2027, Ayana Evans: Nobody’s Gonna Love You the Way I Do, Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis, 3750 Washington Boulevard St. Louis, MO 63108. For more information, visit camstl.org. Sept. 10 – Dec. 12, Counterpublic 2026: Coyote Time, various locations. For more information, visit counterpublic.org. Through Nov. 8, A Hum Beneath the Surface by Lillian Stephen, through Nov. 8. The Kranzberg Gallery, 501 N. Grand Blvd. For information, visit kranzbergartsfoundation.org.

ST. LOUIS AMERICAN • SEPTEMBER 10 – 16, 2026

Rashad Continued from B1 like “I Hate Your Face” and “The World Keeps Spinning,” her duet with Fousheé, paired tender vocals with sharp emotion. By the time she closed with “Gonna Bleach My Eyebrows,” she had earned a room full of new fans. The connection was sealed earlier when she asked the crowd to hold up photos of their cats before dedicating “Broken Record” to her own. Rashad carried that momentum into his set. He opened with a clip from his Sunny Roshi TV series, which ties into It’s Been Awful. He stepped onstage as if he had walked straight out of the scene — bloody, bruised and limping — before settling in to perform “The New Sublime.” It showed how Rashad uses visuals to extend the world of his albums. The stage design and visuals gave the show a cinematic feel, but Rashad

kept it intimate. He moved across the entire stage, switching between sitting and standing, posing for photos and even stepping toward the mosh pit to connect more directly with fans. The choices made the performance feel personal, even when the visuals were larger than life. More than half of the 20-plus songs came from It’s Been Awful. Rashad’s rise has been slow and steady. He broke through during the 2012 Smoker’s Club Tour and later signed with Top Dawg Entertainment, joining a roster known for narrative-driven hip hop – most famously Kendrick Lamar. His debut EP Cilvia Demo earned critical acclaim and landed him in the XXL Freshman Class of 2014. Now, more than a decade later, he’s touring behind a critically acclaimed and commercially successful third album. His lyrics tackle topics that rarely make it to a rap stage: family dysfunction, childhood trauma, addiction, sobriety

and early exposure to pornography. His vulnerability sets him apart. While many of his peers focus on nightlife, bravado and excess, Rashad uses his music to process what he’s lived through. His fan base connects with honesty rather than the flash. Rashad’s authenticity was clear Sunday night through songs like “M.O.M.,” “Supaficial,” “Do I Look High,” “Ain’t Giving Up,” “Heavenly Father” and “Happy Hour.” He also touched on politics — framed through childhood hunger. During “Free Lunch,” marquee-style lighting flashed “Starving Is American.” Another display read “Feed The Kids” alongside an etching of President Donald Trump. Rashad didn’t speak directly on current events, but the imagery made his point without commentary. Sunday’s show made it clear that Rashad doesn’t aim to be the loudest voice in his industry — he desires to be the realest.

Photos by Lawrence Bryant / St. Louis American

Jordyn Elston stands in front of a vibrant graffiti mural along the St. Louis floodwall during Paint Louis 2026, where artists transformed the wall into a celebration of hip hop culture, creativity and community.

Paint St.Louis Continued from B1 you see up here now started coming down to Paint Louis as kids.” One of those artists created one of Harrington’s favorite displays at Paint Louis 2026. His name is Dormir — also known as William Burton III. His threeday painting session was- a family affair for the Burtons. As Dormir painted his section of the wall, his parents and siblings sat in lawn chairs beside their vehicle. They talked, laughed and cooled off with drinks from a cooler while watching him work. His father, William Burton Jr. is also a visual artist. He streamed updates on Facebook Live throughout the weekend. By Sunday afternoon, Dormir was nearly finished. Each time this reporter checked in, he was at the top of the wall, focused on the piece. “I can’t really find the words to express how proud I am,” Burton Jr. said. He looked at the skyblue and black mural — filled with comicstyle characters — and smiled again. He described his son’s work as “a combination of his thoughts.” “It’s hard to describe,” he said. “From a father’s perspective, you don’t think about his creative process because you see it every day. Then someone comes up and asks you about it.” Father and son have collaborated before — including the Tina Turner tribute mural in The Ville — but Dormir was solo at Paint Louis. “I’ve watched him grow, and I’m gonna support whatever move he’s trying to make,” Burton Jr. said. He said his son never asked for permission to be an artist. He simply started creating. “I’ve supported him and taught him as much as I could — showed him things I wish I had been taught at an early age,” Burton Jr. said. “I gave him all the insight I had,

and he grew from there. His growth is his own. And what I’m most happy about is that he never had to create under my shadow. He’s always had his own light and his own identity. That’s a blessing.” Paint Louis was also a family experience for Deonne Moore — her chosen creative family. Last year, they used her mural space to honor her son, Chance Moore, who died from leukemia at age 16, about a month before Paint Louis 2025. His twoyear battle had pulled her away from the world and from her art. Brooklyn Kingsboro, Moore’s “brother in paint,” and their crew brought her back with a tribute to Chance. “I just wanted to show her love,” Kingsboro said. “She paints with us constantly through Paint St. Louis. We paint together as a group effort — and we support each other on the wall. So it was only right.” Moore felt the impact. “Brooklyn was like, ‘I don’t know how else to talk with you about it,’” she said. “He said, ‘This is our way of talking with you about it and honoring his life.’” The whole crew worked on the tribute. “It got me back down here,” Moore said. “And it got me back into my art – and I haven’t stopped since.” After last year’s emotional tribute, Kingsboro kept it light for Paint Louis 2026. His mural highlighted his Black Nerd clothing line and his range as a visual artist. “I didn’t want them to have to look too deep this year,” Kingsboro said. “Just appreciate a hardworking brother out here with some paint. The colors are vibrant. Just enjoy that and chill.” Moore hadn’t planned to participate this year. Between teaching fulltime, attending UMSL for her Studio Art degree and raising her children, she was swamped. Her crew convinced her to come anyway. She used her space to finish a piece she had sold

before completing it at a livepainting event. “It is a woman blooming,” Moore said. “My thought process was to fill her head with flowers.” The woman’s afro has flowers growing from it. “I hope they feel the beauty in her cloud,” Moore said. In that way, the piece is a bit of a selfportrait — and a statement on behalf of women artists. “I want to show people that we are here,” Moore said. “We exist, and we can hang with the big dogs.” She sees Paint Louis as healing — for herself and for others. And she’s proud of how much the event has grown in the decade she’s been involved. “Now you get a chance to meet so many artists from around the country and connect with likeminded individuals. That is fun — and liberating.” Artists come from across the country and around the world, but Harrington makes no apologies for being partial to St. Louis area talent. He pointed to C’babi Bayoc’s tribute to Fannie Lou Hamer as another standout this year. “This is a homegrown event, but we have artists from Australia, Japan, Brazil, the UK and Africa coming to St. Louis to paint,” Harrington said. He said the free, familyfriendly event helps shift the narrative about St. Louis, thanks to the hundreds who attend each year. He also noted that the St. Louis floodwall is recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest graffiti wall. “Paint Louis is about twoandahalf miles long and 20 feet tall, but we might not be as famous as Art Basel — or the big milliondollar festivals in L.A., New York and Miami,” Harrington said. “But those artists and those people who attend all of those famous festivals also come to Paint Louis.” For more information, visit paintlouis.com.

St. Louis Black Catholic schools that built us our community valued education. When a door was closed, we found another entrance—even on In my last column, I asked a river. what we are putting in our chilThat determination lived in dren’s backpacks. Black Catholic communities, parThis time, I want to put someticularly. thing else in mine: remembrance. St. Elizabeth of Hungary, Recently, while driving through established as a parish for Black Penrose in North St. Louis, I saw Catholics in 1873, became far young children heading home more than a place for Mass. It from school, backpacks seemingly was a center of faith, education, too heavy for their little backs. community, and advocacy. Against the lingering bleakness Catholic education emerged left by the tornado, school closin parishes like St. Malachy, St. ings, and the many crises facing Nicholas, Bishop Healy. These our city—particularly our Black names are pieces of St. Louis communities—there was somememory. thing hopeful about seeing them. Not all of us were Catholic. Children learning. Children carMy own story includes St. Louis rying the promise of what comes Cathedral School and the old next. Mercy High School It was one of in University City those small St. until it closed after Louis moments my freshman year. that can open the My husband attended door to a much St. Francis Xavier bigger memory, as and later DeSmet another school year Jesuit, despite being has begun. Then, raised in the Baptist driving along church. Many family Shreve, I saw St. members attended Elizabeth and St. Nicholas, near pulled over. Carr Square Village, There it was— where my maternal the church where grandmother, Annetta I have so many “Dolly” Bradley, memories of lived and eventually Sunday Mass with my Lyah LeFlore-Ituen moved her Three paternal grandmother, Sisters Beauty Salon Minnie Jarmon into her home. LeFlore, and my Aunt Shirley My mother even worked at Bedford. St. Elizabeth, Mother of Central Catholic/St. Nicholas, John the Baptist, once a vibrant where she introduced students to anchor of Black Catholic life in creative writing and poetry. North St. Louis, is now part of For me, there were lifelong the consolidated St. Peter Claver friendships. Volleyball. Softball. parish. Parties. Black kids from other And just like that, I was thinkCatholic schools. We attended ing about all the Black Catholic different schools, but we came schools and institutions that once together. stood throughout our neighBy high school, those conborhoods—and the generations nections spilled into our social of Black children who walked lives—the parties for Black through their doors. In fact, my students at Rosati-Kain and own educational journey and the Christian Brothers College, when teachers that helped shaped me CBC was still on Clayton Road were in the parochial schools. and Nerinx Hall was the place to Many of us were not Catholic. be. I certainly wasn’t. But those The music. The schools were part of laughter. The slow our neighborhoods, dances. families, friendships St. Elizabeth of I remember my and, in ways we may Hungary, estabfirst slow dance to not have understood the S.O.S. Band’s lished as a parish then, our formation. Although I was for Black Catholics “Tell Me If You Still Care,” and sweating raised African in 1873, became out my fresh wash Methodist Episcopal, far more than a and set to Orbit’s Catholicism was version of “And the woven into my fami- place for Mass. It Beat Goes On.” ly history. My grand- was a center of Those memories mother, Minnie, was faith, education, may sound small. a devout Catholic. community, and They weren’t. They My father and his advocacy. were ours. sister attended Holy So, yes, I grieve Rosary as an altar what has been lost. boy. My aunt would But I also celego on to graduate brate what remains. Places like from Rosati-Kain in the 1950s. Cardinal Ritter College Prep, My dad chose another path, joinfounded in 1979 to serve primaring childhood friends at Sumner ily African American students, High School before finding his continues that tradition. way into the jazz clubs around St. So many Black families Louis and eventually Europe. entrusted their children’s eduThat family connection made cation to Catholic institutions, me curious about Black Catholic regardless of denomination. history in St. Louis. Black Those schools helped us discovCatholics have been part of this ers a love of learning and gave us city almost from its beginning, exposure, and wonderful experiand education has always been ences. part of that story. So, while this all sinks in, I In 1845, the Sisters of St. recommend checking out the Joseph of Carondelet opened St. powerful new documentary “A Joseph’s School for the Colored to Black History Tour of St. Louis” educate Black children. While it by filmmaker Tony West, feawas illegal to teach Black people turing Father Gerry Kleba as the to read and write in Missouri, St. narrator. It is a great exploration Louisans found ways around the of the history of the Catholic barriers. church in the St. Louis African John Berry Meachum, a Black American community, and for Baptist minister, took education those who worship in and attendonto the Mississippi River, estabed those historic schools, rememlishing his Freedom School on a bering them through the film is barge. A school on a barge! one way we make sure the beat That detail stays with me goes on. because it tells us how seriously By Lyah LeFlore-Ituen

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ST. LOUIS AMERICAN • SEPTEMBER 10 – 16, 2026

Photos by Lawrence Bryant / St. Louis American Your friendly five-weeks until Education Salute check-in. Y’all already know what time it is. Book your hair appointment. Get your makeup and mani/pedi slots locked in. Do a dry run with your dress while you still have time for a second option. Test those shoes to calculate how long you can go before your heel time expires. I really wish Chick-fil-A had waited to launch that waffle sandwich until November. Because at this point, one bite will mean the difference between me being the belle of the Salute ball and looking like a bedazzled busted can of biscuits. Jesus, be the calorie-reducer, metabolism booster and exercise motivator that only you can! I’m trusting and believing for these next 38 days. The St. Louis American Foundation’s 39th Annual Salute to Excellence in Education Scholarship and Awards Gala is going down Saturday, October 17 at St. Louis Union Station Hotel. Visit www.stlamerican.com or call 314.533.8000 for more information.

Wil Robinson with R&B veteran Christopher Williams, hiphop icon DMC and Larry Blue at the adidas party Saturday night at Angad Arts Hotel.

Photo by Jami Ballentine

Spray-painted flowers for Paint Louis. Y’all, I had never been to Paint Louis at my big grown age until last weekend and I am downright ashamed of myself. John Harrington and ‘nem are giving St. Louis something to be proud of with their graffiti festival that has had folks checking for us from around the globe for nearly three decades. To steal from my boy LB, Paint St. Louis should have been called Melt St. Louis for 2026. And while I felt like a Hershey’s kiss that was left on the dashboard by the time I was done, I’m telling you I left there in awe. I had so many faves, but I think Cbabi’s homage Fannie Lou Hamer has it. Vince Ballentine’s tribute to Lebron was up there too. Ain’t no party like a Something Blue party. Larry Blue and the crew had me at the DMC and DJ Charlie Chan performance when Something Blue announced their adidas party. But when I arrived at the Angad Arts Hotel Saturday night, I got my whole entire life from mingling with the movers and shakers before DMC got started. Come to the front Mocha Latte, Jami Ballentine, Becky Blue and DT. I’m ‘bout sick of y’all not aging. If I didn’t know better, I would swear some doctor visits were involved. And in case anyone was wondering, yes, that was my black and yellow Lambo parked outside. Who am I kidding? Y’all already know this bosom would be honking that horn like Rasputia in “Norbit.” But back to the party. DMC and Chan tore it up as the girls grooved in the Ivy Park Collection that they pulled from the back of their closets. DMC took it all the way back when he mentioned Fresh Fest back in ‘84. I’m trying to remember if that was the show where Kurtis Blow got roasted like a Schnucks rotisserie chicken by the audience for wearing dirty tennis shoes on stage. Either way, I will never forget the most St. Louis diss ever spit happened during Blow’s portion of the show – which may or may not have been Fresh Fest. Ole boy said, “I’m fresher than him, and I work at McDonnellDouglas.” Okay for real, back to the adidas party. I saw some of my faves up in the place to be. And DMC reminded me why I will partake in an old-school hip hop set every chance I get. A night of emo rap and rock. I went to Isaiah Rashad’s “Lil Sunny’s Awful Road Trip” show at the Pageant Sunday night knowing I was in for a treat from him. What I didn’t expect is to be so delightfully intrigued by his opening act Alemeda. Girl, what did that little boy put you through? The way she was singing about how despicable he was

Brandy and Cash repping U. City at the adidas party Saturday night at Angad Arts Hotel.

Fans Storm and Jeremiah showed plenty of love to rising alt-pop star Alemeda (center) after her set at Isaiah Rashad’s Lil Sunny’s Awful Road Trip Tour Sunday night at The Pageant.

had me shook – and out was out in these streets during the Alanis Morrisette era. “You Oughta Know” sounds like a gospel song compared to her tracks. She hates his face. She hates his guts. She hates him so bad that she’s gonna bleach her eyebrows. Help! What’s even wilder was that I was doing my best heavy metal neck for most of her show. She made me want to get a boyfriend just so I could break up with him, listen to those songs again and relate to the music. Alemeda is an emo girl. Isaiah Rashad is a hip hop emo boy – and I was checking for every minute of the whole thing. He should teach a class for the other rappers that just stand around and rap to tracks with vocals on them. Visions in white, eggshell and pale oak. Morgan Casey and company gave us another one for the books with her Labor Day eve all-white party at Live By Loews. I was thrilled with the vibe and the turnout. And not to make it all about me (again), but I left there patting myself on the back because for the first time EVER I was able to tell twins Mark and Marlon Whitfield apart! They were stunned. The folks were out there giving looks on top of looks. Sarita Moody and Anthony “Redd” Williams had me so gagged that I forgave them for being on the far cream end of the white spectrum.

Enjoy Illinois 300 and Confluence Music Festival return Busta Rhymes leads lineup that includes the Ying Yang Twins and Lamar Harris

By St. Louis American Staff The Enjoy Illinois 300 returns to World Wide Technology Raceway Sept. 11–13, bringing NASCAR’s top drivers back to Madison for the fifth year. But the weekend has grown into more than a race. The Confluence Music Festival has become a cultural staple alongside the event, drawing thousands with a lineup that blends national acts and regional talent. “On the fifth anniversary of Confluence Music Festival, we’re proud to continue the tradition of bringing exceptional live entertainment to this oneof-a-kind event,” said Kwofe Coleman, executive producer for the festival. “[The festival is] Creating a vibrant destination weekend with something for the whole family.” Coleman also is president and CEO of The Muny, which supports production of the festival. This year’s headliners include hip-hop icon Busta Rhymes, whose decadeslong career has influenced rap, fashion and stage performance. His Saturday set follows the Ying Yang Twins, whose Southernrooted sound helped define early2000s club culture. St. Louis multi-instrumentalist Lamar Harris performs twice on Sunday — once before Dasha’s set and again ahead of Old Dominion’s postrace

St. Louis music scene staple Lamar Harris returns to the Confluence Music Festival this weekend after a standout performance in 2025. The festival runs Sept. 11–13 at World Wide Technology Raceway.

Photo courtesy of Confluence Musical Festival

concert. Harris’ blend of jazz, soul and electronic production has made him a fixture in the region’s music scene. The roster also includes DJ Rashida, Monte Cristo, Malena Smith, Macalester Dose & The Rebels and the Saint Boogie Brass Band.

The festival is part of a broader effort to expand what race weekend means for St. Louis. Coleman said the festival’s growth shows how entertainment can reshape the fan experience. “From the ‘Runway to Raceway’ kickoff on

Friday to the finale concert, Confluence Music Festival is committed to connecting people through music, racing and culture,” Coleman said. “And we couldn’t do any of it without the support of Dave Steward, World Wide Technology, the Steward

Family Foundation and our generous sponsors who continue to invest in this mission.” The Enjoy Illinois Stage — located at Turn 4 — is open to all fans without an upgrade. Saturday’s hip-hop block begins at 4:30 p.m. with the Ying

Yang Twins, followed by a special guest and Busta Rhymes’ headlining set. Sunday’s programming includes DJ Rashida + Monte Cristo and additional performances throughout the day. The SIUE Main Stage hosts Sunday’s infield lineup. Fans with an Enterprise Infield Fan Zone upgrade can see Chris Janson’s prerace set, but the postrace concert — featuring Old Dominion with Lamar Harris and Dasha — is open to everyone. Harris’ presence on the main stage is just one example of the festival’s commitment to elevating St. Louis artists alongside national acts. The U.S. Coast Guard Stage rounds out the weekend with performances from Malena Smith, Macalester Dose & The Rebels and the Saint Boogie Brass Band. For race fans, the Enjoy Illinois 300 remains the centerpiece. But for many St. Louisans, Confluence has become an essential part of the weekend. “It’s going to be quite a party,” Coleman said. The 5th Annual Enjoy Illinois 300 and 3rd Annual Confluence Music Festival will take place Sept. 11–13, 2026, at World Wide Technology Raceway in Madison, Illinois. For full schedule, tickets and additional information, visit wwtraceway.com or call 6182158888.

“I don’t know if I have ever felt more confident with the group of guys around me.” — Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott on his confidence in the team heading into the 2026 season

Sports

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SEPTEMBER 10 – 16, 2026

Inside Sports With Earl Austin Jr.

East St. Louis Flyers proving themselves against top competition on on the scene is junior East St. Louis football kicker Austin Wilkinson, coach Darren Sunkett has made it his mission to play who booted three field goals of 38, 35 and 45 the toughest competition yards. that he can find in the non-conference. Standout performers This season is no from last weekend exception as the Flyers have opened the season Justin Bishop against Illinois state power (MICDS): The senior runChicago Mount Carmel, ning back rushed for 198 American Heritage yards on 18 carries from Florida and a school-reand Gainesville, cord seven touchGeorgia. East St. downs in the Rams’ Louis has been 62-38 victory over impressive in Richmond. winning two of those three games Kyren Evans against its national (Lutheran schedule. Earl North): The senior The Flyers Austin Jr. wide receiver had defeated Mount six receptions for Carmel 42-23 on Aug. 23 in one of the most 158 yards and four touchdowns in the Crusaders’ highly anticipated opening 49-35 loss to Blair Oaks. games in recent years. Last weekend, the Cam Sharp (De Flyers picked up a tough Smet): The junior run24-21 victory over ning back rushed for 181 Gainesville in their home yards on 26 carries and opener at Jordan Stadium four touchdowns in the in East St. Louis. What’s Spartans’ 49-48 victory made the Flyers’ start over Cardinal Ritter. more impressive is that they have been without Travis Allen star running back Myson (University City): The Johnson-Cook, who has junior running back rushed been out with an injury for 171 yards and four suffered in the opening touchdowns in the Lions’ game against Mount 47-12 victory over Lawton Carmel. (Oklahoma). Stepping up as the offensive star for the Haylen HydeFlyers has been senior Carothers (Gateway receiver Ronnie Gomiller. STEM): The senior The Cincinnati recruit quarterback rushed for added two more touch97 yards and two touchdowns against Gainesville downs and passed for 148 on receptions of 81 and yards and a touchdown 35 yards from quarterin the Jaguars’ 38-14 vicback Reece Shanklin. He tory over Miller Career also added a 70-yard punt Academy. return to set up another score. Chase Cooper (De A new offensive weap-

Ronnie Gomiller breaks into the open field for East St. Louis during the Flyers’ 24-21 victory over Gainesville at Clyde C. Jordan Stadium. The Cincinnati recruit scored on receptions of 81 and 35 yards and added a 70 yard punt return that helped set up another score.

Photo by Lawrence Bryant / St. Louis American

Smet): The junior quarterback completed 25 of 37 passes for 324 yards and two touchdowns in the Spartans’ 49-48 victory over Cardinal Ritter. J’Mareon Barnes (Chaminade): The senior quarterback completed 16 of 19 passes for 204 yards and two touchdowns in the Red Devils’ 50-14 victory over Poplar Bluff. Jeremiah Burns (Parkway North): The junior quarterback rushed for 101 yards and passed for 228 yards and two touchdowns in the Vikings’ 42-6 victory over

Parkway Central. McClellan and Mathis shine in collegiate openers Former area football standouts Jeremiah McClellan and Jamond Mathis had excellent performances in helping their teams to victory during the opening week of the collegiate season. McClellan, a former standout at CBC, caught six passes for a career-high 150 yards and a touchdown in Oregon’s 34-27 victory over Boise State. Mathis, a former Duchesne High standout,

was a defensive force for Texas Tech in its season-opening victory over Abilene Christian. The 6-foot-1, 250-pound linebacker had six tackles and 2.5 sacks in the Red Raiders’ 33-10 victory. Mathis played last year at Kent State after spending his first two collegiate seasons at Southern Illinois. What’s on tap this weekend Riverview Gardens at Ladue, Thursday, 7 p.m. CBC at De Smet, Friday, 6 p.m. Kansas City St. Pius at Francis Howell, Friday, 7

p.m. Cardinal Ritter at Knoxville Catholic (Tennessee), Friday, 6 p.m. Cahokia at St. Mary’s, Friday, 6 p.m. University City at Northwest Cedar Hill, Friday, 7 p.m. Pattonville at Lafayette, Friday, 7 p.m. SLUH at Chaminade, Friday, 6 p.m. Lift for Life at Brentwood Academy, Saturday, 1 p.m. Lutheran North at Lincoln Way Central, Saturday, 1 p.m.

Sports Eye With Alvin A. Reid

Venable guides Sox to swift turnaround

When the St. Louis has now lasted for more Cardinals selected than two months. Saturday, Sept. 12 for Before opening a threethe team’s Hall of Fame game homestand against induction ceremony of the Pittsburgh Pirates on Albert Pujols and Yadier Tuesday, the White Sox Molina, it was no coinheld a 2½-game lead cidence that the Chicago over the hard-charging White Sox would be in Cleveland Guardians. town. Their 75-68 record would These White Sox had also qualify for a wild-card lost more than 100 berth. games in each of Can the young the previous three White Sox hold up seasons, including under the pressure the most losses of the pennant race? (121) in MLB his“There’s no shytory in 2024. ing away from the What better way position we are in,” to almost ensure Venable recently Alvin A. a victory before told MLB.com. Reid a large Busch “I understand Stadium crowd the questions and there to honor a pair of these are the things that Cardinal heroes? we are going to be talking But the White Sox about. I’m so proud of our arrive in St. Louis on group and happy to be in Friday, Sept. 11 in first the position that we are place in the American talking about. League Central Division. “We also have to figure The swift return to out how for it not to be playoff contention has a distraction. There is an been guided by Will objective and it is to win Venable, one of just two tonight, and that’s all there Black managers in MLB. is. It’s going to be up to Dave Roberts of the L.A. me and the leadership in Dodgers is the other. our group, in our player Without much fanfare, group, to find a way to be Venable was named manfocused.” ager during the winter of Venable is not a strang2024 and followed up last er to pennant races and year’s 102-loss season postseason success. with a first-place run that He was a bench coach

Photo courtesy of mlb.com

Will Venable, who is favored to be named American League Manager of the Year, has the Chicago White Sox in first place in the AL Central Division. for the Boston Red Sox during the 2021-22 seasons, before becoming Texas Rangers manager Bruce Bochy’s associate manager. Bochy used the word “invaluable” to describe

Venable during the team’s 2023 World Series title campaign, which included a drama-filled regular season. After starring in baseball and basketball at Princeton, Venable played

nine years in the majors. He batted .249 with 81 homers and 135 stolen bases, mostly for the San Diego Padres. He was hired by the Chicago Cubs in 2017 as a special assistant to team president Theo Epstein, then served as first base coach and third base coach. The road to Chicago then went through Boston and Texas, and now Venable is a leading candidate for AL Manager of the Year. “Will has been fantastic. He’s been a great partner to me. He’s been a great teammate to the coaching staff and the players,” Chris Getz, White Sox general manager, said last Saturday. “[We] definitely want him to be part of what we continue to build right now.” Hopefully, that means an extension of his threeyear deal is coming soon. The Cardinals are clinging to hope they can shockingly secure a National League wild-card slot so the weekend series with the White Sox should be thrilling. The White Sox then head to Cleveland for a showdown that could determine the favorite to

win the AL Central. My guess is Venable has his guys ready for the biggest week of the season for fans of the South Siders — which include me. The Reid Roundup The Arizona Cardinals visit the L.A. Chargers on Sunday, Sept. 13, and there is still just a 50/50 chance that Jeremiyah Love returns for the season opener after suffering a high ankle sprain…Luther Burden, Chicago Bears wide receiver, returned to practice last week after suffering a groin injury during a training camp practice. No word on whether he is 100%... Jameson Williams, a Detroit Lions wide receiver who last year had career highs with 1,117 receiving yards and seven receiving touchdowns, is being touted among the NFL players most likely to blast off during the 2026 season… L.A. Rams running back Kyren Williams and the team left Tuesday night on a 16-hour flight to Australia for Thursday’s game against the San Francisco 49ers. I doubt Williams and the Rams play well.

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ST. LOUIS AMERICAN • •JANUARY -24, 27, 2021 ST. LOUIS AMERICAN • MARCH MARCH 4121-- -10, 2021 ST. LOUIS AMERICAN 2021 ST. LOUIS AMERICAN • APRIL 18 7, 2021 ST. LOUIS AMERICAN • MAY 19 - 25, 2022 ST. LOUIS AMERICAN -24, 27, 2021 ST. LOUIS AMERICAN • •SEPTEMBER 10 – 16, 2026 ST. LOUIS AMERICAN • MARCH MARCH 4121-- -10, 2021 ST. LOUIS AMERICAN •JANUARY 2021 ST. LOUIS AMERICAN • APRIL 18 7, 2021 ST. LOUIS AMERICAN • SEPTEMBER - 17, 2025 ST. LOUIS AMERICAN • MAY 19 - 25,112022

NEWSPAPER IN NEWSPAPER NEWSPAPERIN IN NEWSPAPER IN EDUCATION NEWSPAPER IN NEWSPAPER EDUCATION NEWSPAPERIN IN EDUCATION EDUCATION NEWSPAPER IN Planting the Seeds for Success!

Healthy Kids Healthy Kids Healthy Kids PRESENT: PRESENT: PRESENT: PRESENT: PRESENT: PRESENT: PRESENT: PRESENT:

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Healthcare Careers Healthcare Careers Melissa Douglass, EMT - B Yonniece Rose, Deborah Edwards, Latoya Woods, Melissa Douglass, Dr. Michelle EMT - B Yonniece Rose,Grimes Deborah Edwards, DNP, APRN, FNP-C Latoya Woods, DNP, APRN, FNP-C

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Healthy Kids

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Planting Planting the Seeds for Success! Planting the Seeds for Success! Planting the Seeds for Success! Planting the Seeds for Success!

The weekly Healthy Kids page The weekly Healthy Kids page The The weekly Healthy Kids page The weekly Healthy Kids page provides provides health tips on provides health tips on nutrition, provides health tips on nutrition, provides health tips onnutrition, nutrition, exercise and more. exercise and more. exercise and more. exercise exercise and more.

Healthcare Careers

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ST. LOUIS AMERICAN • SEPTEMBER 10 – 16, 2026

This award-winning NIEaward curriculum available inprovides print The St. Louis American’s winningisNIE program and digital throughout the school year, free of charge. newspapers and resources to more than 8,000 teachers and Questions? Like to throughout sign up for the theschool digitalyear, version receive students each week at noorcharge. experiment supplies? Contact NIE@STLAmerican.com Questions or comments? Contact Cathy Sewell csewell@stlamerican.com or 618-910-9551

FAMILY SPOTLIGHT FAMILY

SCIENCE SCIENCESTARS STARS Dr. Jessica Ware: The Bug Scientist African-American Entomologist Dr. Rizana MahroofDr. Jessica Ware

Boeing scientist scientist Boeing Jordan Monette Monette Jordan teaches students teaches students at The St. Louis at The St. Louis American’s Summer American’s Summer Science Academy Academy Science

studies some of thean Meet Dr. Rizana Mahroof, smallest and most entomologist and professor for the Departmentcreatures of Biological important Sciences at South CarolinaShe on Earth—insects! State University. She earned is an entomologist, her Bachelor of Science which means she is a degree in Agriculture from scientist who studies the University of Peradeniya, dragonflies, Sribugs Lanka.like Next, she earned cockroaches, and mosher Master of Philosophy Dr. Jessica Ware inquitoes. Entomology fromresearch the Her University of Edinburgh, helps people understand how insects live and UK. she earned her safely PhD in Entomology from Kansas howFinally, to control pests without hurting the State University. She has also received a diploma in computer environment. science from IDM Computer Studies Limited, Sri Lanka.

howto tocreate createaa paper paper airplane airplane how that will stay airborne for the the that will stay airborne for longest length of time. longest length of time.

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

SCIENCE CORNER CORNER SCIENCE Do you love insects? You’re not Do you love insects? You’re not alone. Entomology is the scientific alone. Entomology is the scientific study of insects, and the people who study them study of insects, and the people who study them are called entomologists. The Entomological Society of are called(ESA) entomologists. The Entomological Society America is a professional organization that wasof America (ESA) is a professional organization that created to help entomologists share research and was created to help entomologistsAssociation share research and resources. The International of Black resources. The International Association of Black Entomologists (IABE) is an association created Entomologists (IABE) is anof association created to help promote the study entomology among to help promote the study of entomology among minorities. They often have individual meetings minorities. They often have individual meetings during ESA conferences. during ESA conferences. The IABE has four goals: 1. To foster communication among The IABE has four goals: 1. To foster communicationforamong black entomologists, 2. Organize meetings/events black black entomologists, Organize forinblack entomologists during2.ESA annualmeetings/events meetings, 3. Assist entomologists during ESA annual meetings, 3.ofAssist the recruitment, retention, and advancement blacksinin the recruitment, retention, and advancement of blacks in entomology graduate programs and careers, and 4. Promote entomology graduate programs and careers, and 4. careers Promotein the science of entomology and entomology-related the of entomology and entomology-related careers in thescience black community. the black community.

There are There are two types of two types of membership: student and non-student. Members membership: student and non-student. Members of IABE include professors, researchers, teachers, of IABE include professors, teachers, students, and scientists fromresearchers, numerous agencies. students, and scientists from numerous IABE is open to all people who supportagencies. their IABE is open toThe all people support goals. purposewho of IABE is totheir goals. The purpose of IABEtoisseek to a encourage minority students encourage minority students to seek a degree in entomology and to offer support degree in entomology and to offer support in finding a career. in finding a career. To learn more about entomology and how to To learnbugs, morevisit: abouthttps://www.amentsoc. entomology and how to identify identify bugs, visit: https://www.amentsoc. org/insects/what-bug-is-this/. org/insects/what-bug-is-this/. Learning Standards: I can read Learningtext Standards: I can nonfiction for main idea andread nonfiction text for main supporting details. I can idea makeand text-to-text supporting details. I can make text-to-text connections. connections.

SCIENCE INVESTIGATION SCIENCE INVESTIGATION

In this experiment, you will see how In this experiment, see how temperature affectsyou bugwill activity in temperature affects bug activity in your community. This is the perfect your community. This is spring the perfect experiment for fall and with experiment for fall and spring with wide variations in temperature. wide variations in temperature. Materials Needed:

w Take a notebook and pencil outside w observe Take a notebook pencilWhat outside and for 15-20and minutes. is

Garden Area (this can even Materials • OutdoorNeeded: landscaping of plants theeven Outdoor Garden Area around (this can •include building) include landscaping of plants around the

• • Pencil • Outdoor Thermometer Notebook •Process: • Pencil • Outdoor Thermometer Process: q Find an outdoor garden area to observe. Does your school have flowers or plants around the an q Find an outdoor garden area tobuilding? observe. That Doeswill yourbeschool Notebook building)

idealflowers area. or plants around the building? That will be an have ideal area.

MATH CONNECTION MATH CONNECTION

z Ants can lift up to five times their anto ant weighed 1.5 mg, zbody Antsweight. can liftIfup five times their

how much weight it lift? ______ body weight. If an could ant weighed 1.5 mg, how much weight could it lift? ______ A Monarch butterfly flies about 80 miles per day.butterfly So far it has A Monarch fliesflown about4580 miles.per day. So far it has flown 45 miles

x x

miles. The equation 80 –equation m = 45, m represents The number it has yet to 80 – m = of 45,miles m represents fly that day. number of miles it has yet to Find theday. solution to the fly that equation. Find the solution to the ______ equation. ______

DID YOU KNOW? DID YOU KNOW? Check out these entomology facts! Check out these entomology facts!

the

the

andoutside observe for 15-20 minutes. What the temperature? Is it cloudy oris the outside temperature? Is you it cloudy sunny? What types of bugs do see? or sunny? What types bugsAre do you Are they crawling or of flying? theysee? active or inactive? Are they crawling or flying? Are they or inactive? eactive Choose a second day to observe (with different weather). the e Choose a second dayAnswer to observe same questions as #2. (with different weather). Answer the same questions as #2. r Analyze and draw conclusions. How did temperature affect the activity? r bug Analyze and draw conclusions. How did temperature affect the bug activity? Learning Standards: I can follow directions to complete

The U.S. Agency for International

Development called As a child in Canada, Jessicafunded loveda project exploring Feed the Future Innovation Lab outside and collecting bugs. In college, shefor the Post-Harvest Loss. Many studied biology andReduction becameofone of the few Black communities face hunger when women scientists in her field. “I didn’t see many their crops are lost due to insects scientists who looked like me,” she and pests. Mahroof was part of the team says. “Now and I get to showtokids that that traveled to Ethiopia Guatemala complete they can do this too.” work for this project. Mahroof has published numerous articles Dr. has Ware’s research helps pest in scientific journals and contributed experts to textbooks. She hascontrol won many awards, learn safer ways including: University the She studies how toProfessor manageofbugs. Year from South Carolina State University insects adapt to cities and how their in 2012, Bestshows Professional Presentation presence changes in the environment. at the 59th Annual Meeting of the South She teaches that bugs aren’t just pests—they Carolina Entomological Society, and the are key partsState of ecosystems that keep our world South Carolina University MANRRS balanced. Faculty Achievement Award.

Learning Standards: I can read a biography about Dr. Ware tells students, an African American who has made contributions“Be in “Be curious! theAsk fields of science, technology, engineering, questions. and Youmathematics. can be

a scientist, too, if you love learning about the world around you.”

an experiment. I can analyze andfollow draw conclusions. can make Learning Standards: I can directions toIcomplete text-to-world connections. an experiment. I can analyze and draw conclusions. I can make

text-to-world connections.

Buggy Math! Buggy Math!

c A queen army ant can b A harlequin lay eggs ant in five lays c A135,326 queen army can beetle b A harlequin

days. manyeggs eggsincan lay How 135,326 five adays. queenHow lay many in oneeggs month? can ______ a queen lay in one month?

v On a ______ field trip, Melvin visited an insectarium zoo. Hevisited took an v On a fieldattrip,theMelvin pictures of 18 species of ants, and 15

eggs in trees. beetle lays She can up eggs inlay trees. toShe 20 can eggslay over up 2to or20 3 days. eggs After over the day, she has laid 8 eggs. 2 orfirst 3 days. After Ifthe shefirst laysday, 20 eggs in all, many she has laidhow 8 eggs. eggs will she lay in the second third If she lays 20 eggs in all, howand many day combined? eggs will she lay in the second and third

insectarium at the zoo. He took species of of 18 butterflies. thereand are 330 pictures species ofIfants, 15 species of ants and butterflies at species of butterflies. If there are 330 day combined? Learning Standards: I can theand insectarium, what species of ants butterflies at add, subtract, multiply, and percent of insects did Learning Standards: I can the insectarium, what divide to solve a problem. Melvin capture in his add, subtract, multiply, and percent of insects did pictures? divide to solve a problem. Melvin capture in his pictures?

Ants have around 250,000 brain cells. (For comparison, humans Ants10,000 have around 250,000 brain have million.) cells. (For comparison, humans Termite queens can lay up to have 10,000 million.) 30 million eggs a year! Termite queens can lay up to 30 million eggs a year!

The Newspaper In Education (NIE) initiative is

Mahroof’s focuses pest control to help preserve Dr. Wareresearch works at the on American Museum of food. Pesticides are chemicals used that kill pests that feed Natural History in New York City. Her team on crops, but they can be very dangerous to the environment studies howsupply. insects move, andinsurvive in and the water Theygrow, can cause disease people and different environments. She says, “Insects tell animals. Mahroof researches the insects that attack crops us stories about our of planet. show how and the safety methodsThey used can to eliminate those insects and preserve healthy the environment is.” the crops.

This special In Education is provided free Newspaper of charge for classrooms in theinitiative St. Louis region due to generous support the St. Louis made possible, and delivered to of classrooms Americanthe foundation andAmerican NIE Corporate Partners: through St. Louis Foundation and its NIE Corporate Partners:

Did you know the Missouri state insect is the honey bee? For a list of state insects, visit: Did you know the Missouri state insect is the honey bee? http://www.statesymbolsusa.org/categories/insect. For a list of state insects, visit: http://www.statesymbolsusa.org/categories/insect.

MAP CORNER MAP CORNER Enjoy these activities that helpthese you get Enjoy activities tothat knowhelp youryou St.get Louis American to know your St. newspaper. Louis American

newspaper.— Activities Plural Words: Find Activities — and

clip five plural words Plural Words: Findfrom and the newspaper. Write their root word clip five plural words from the next to each of the plural words. newspaper. Write their root word Newsworthy: a story in words. the next to eachFind of the plural newspaper and read it. Answer the Newsworthy: Find a story in the following questions: When did the newspaper and read it. Answer the story take place? Where did the following questions: When did the story take place? What happened? Who was involved? Why is it story take place? Where did the newsworthy? story take place? What happened? Who was involved? Why is it Learning Standards: newsworthy? I can use the newspaper to locate information. I can identify Learning Standards: root words. I can find the key details of a news story and I can use the newspaper to locate information. I can identify explain why it is newsworthy. root words. I can find the key details of a news story and explain why it is newsworthy.

ST. LOUIS AMERICAN • SEPTEMBER 10 – 16, 2026 • B8

What voters will see on the November 3 ballot

St. Louis city and St. Louis County voters will see different ballots in the Nov. 3 general election. Ballots also vary by congressional and state legislative district and, in St. Louis County, by municipality, school district and other taxing districts.

St. Louis city charter questions

Special aldermanic elections — Yes or No: Would use the city’s nonpartisan, top-two runoff system in special elections for aldermen, the same system used in regular city elections.

Your ballot may be different: Voters will see only the district and local races that apply to the address where they are registered. St. Louis County’s Sept. 1 ballot-content report is for informational purposes and is not a final sample ballot. The St. Louis city Election Board had not posted its November sample ballot as of Sept. 7.

Charter modernization — Yes or No: Would update language and references throughout the city charter, including references to city departments, publication methods, state statutes, pay scales and terminology. The city’s final November sample ballot had not been posted as of Sept. 7, so proposition designations are not included.

Party key: R — Republican; D — Democratic; L — Libertarian; G — Green.

St. Louis city judicial retention

All Missouri voters State auditor — vote for one ● Scott Fitzpatrick (R) ● Quentin Wilson (D) ● Dustin Coffell (L) Amendment 3 — Yes or No: Would repeal the reproductive-health amendment approved by voters in 2024; allow abortions in cases of rape and incest before 12 weeks, emergencies and fetal anomalies; allow legislation regulating abortion; require parental consent for minors’ abortions; and prohibit gender-transition procedures for minors. 7 — Yes or No: Would establish a permanent public endowment fund to support state government, prohibit the General Assembly from appropriating or diverting the fund and eliminate state-imposed taxes once the fund generates sufficient revenue to replace them. Amendment 8 — Yes or No: Would preserve the right of voters to elect county sheriffs, limit removal of an elected

Voters decide separately whether each judge should remain in office.

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sheriff to a writ of quo warranto and recognize the office of sheriff as part of the administration of justice.

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Judicial retention for St. Louis-area voters

State legislative races

Voters decide separately whether each judge should remain in office. Missouri Supreme Court ● Paul C. Wilson — Yes or No Missouri Court of Appeals, Eastern District ● Virginia W. Lay — Yes or No ● Rebeca NavarroMcKelvey — Yes or No ● Angela Turner Quigless — Yes or No St. Louis city voters U.S. House, District 1 — vote for one ● Paul Berry III (R) ● Wesley Bell (D) ● Tom Schmitz (L)

Donna R. Jones Wendy Goss Emily Hubbard Aneetra Williams Jones Zach Davis

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The Missouri secretary of state certified the candidates for the Nov. 3 general election Aug. 25.

Citywide offices Collector of revenue ● Gregory F.X. Daly (D) License collector ● Mavis “Tessa” Thompson (D) Recorder of deeds — vote for one ● Shane Cohn (D) ● Jerome H. Bauer (G) St. Louis Public Schools Board of Education — vote for two Two seats are to be filled.

Voters will see only the races for the districts in which they live. State Senate District 4 ● Gina Mitten (D) House District 76 ● Marlon Anderson (D) House District 77 ● Kimberly-Ann Collins (D) ● Michael Corey (L) House District 78 ● Marty Joe Murray (D) House District 79 ● Mike Hebron (R) ● Rachel D’Souza (D) House District 80 ● Jennie Drag (R) ● Elizabeth “Lilly” Fuchs (D) House District 81 ● James “Jimmy” Lappe (D) House District 82 ● Nick Kimble (D) House District 84 ● Robert Vroman (R) ● Del Taylor (D) City primary results confirm the city’s state legislative districts and nominees.

22nd Judicial Circuit ● Clinton Robert Wright — Yes or No ● Elizabeth Byrne Hogan — Yes or No ● Katherine M. Fowler — Yes or No ● Annette Llewellyn — Yes or No ● Joseph P. Whyte — Yes or No ● Timothy J. Boyer — Yes or No ● Scott A. Millikan — Yes or No ● Calea StovallReid — Yes or No ● Madeline Orling Connolly — Yes or No ● Heather J. Hays — Yes or No ● David A. Roither — Yes or No ● Michael F. Stelzer — Yes or No 22nd Judicial Circuit, associate circuit ● Michael R. Dauphin — Yes or No St. Louis County voters U.S. House Voters will see only the congressional district in which they live. District 1 — vote for one ● Paul Berry III (R) ● Wesley Bell (D) ● Tom Schmitz (L) District 2 — vote for one ● Ann Wagner (R) ● Fred Wellman (D) ● Brandon Coulter

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Vote Continued from B8 Daugherty (L) District 3 — vote for one ● Bob Onder (R) ● Bethany E Mann (D) ● Jim Higgins (L) Countywide offices County executive — vote for one ● Dennis Hancock (R) ● Jake Zimmerman (D) ● J D McFarland (G) Prosecuting attorney — vote for one ● Melissa Price Smith (D) ● Theo Brown Sr. (L) County assessor — vote for one ● David Messner (R) ● Doug Clemens (D) ● Austin Brown (G) County Council Voters will see only the council race for the district in which they live. District 1 ● Rita H. Days (D) District 3 ● Andrew Koenig (R) ● Mark Osmack (D) District 5 ● Lisa Clancy (D) District 7 ● Mark Harder (R) ● John Kiehne (D) St. Louis County propositions Proposition A — Yes or No: Would amend the County Charter to remove the term of office for the county auditor. Proposition S — Yes or No: Would levy 5 cents per $100 of assessed valuation to provide services to people age 60 and older. State Senate Voters will see only the race for the district in which they live. District 4 ● Gina Mitten (D) District 14 ● Vernon Norman (R) ● Raychel Proudie (D) District 24 ● LaVanna Wrobley (R) ● Tracy McCreery (D) District 26 ● Ben Brown (R) ● Vicky Wors (D) State House Voters will see only the race for the district in which they live. ● District 66: Laura Mitchell-Riley (R); Marlene Terry (D) ● District 67: Tonya Rush (D) ● District 68: Kem Smith (D) ● District 70: Stephanie Boykin (D) ● District 71: Nicole Greer (D) ● District 72: Jeffrey Jacks (R); Patrick James Wroblewski (D) ● District 73: Kennedy Moore (D); Joy Denise Dabney (L) ● District 74: Jack Howard (R); Marla Smith (D) ● District 75: Brandon Wilke (R); Chanel Mosley (D) ● District 83: Ray

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Reed (D); Andrew Bolin (L) ● District 85: Jerron J Sutton (R); Yolonda Fountain Henderson (D) ● District 86: Jeff Hales (D) ● District 87: Dan Hyatt (R); Connie Steinmetz (D) ● District 88: Holly Jones (R); Jennifer Trickey (D) ● District 89: George Hruza (R); Bryan Troop (D) ● District 90: Mark Boyko (D) ● District 91: Jo Doll (D) ● District 92: Kenneth Abram (R); Michael Burton (D) ● District 93: Bridget Walsh Moore (D) ● District 94: Maryellen Murphy (R); Cathy A Summers (D) ● District 95: Bob Mahacek (R); Meredith Sumenek (D) ● District 96: Brad Christ (R); Matt Vitale (D); Shane Ferguson (L) ● District 98: Timothy Bosch (R); Jaclyn Zimmermann (D) ● District 99: Tori Schafer (D) ● District 100: Philip Oehlerking (R); Mary Ann Perkins (D); Ken Newhouse (L) ● District 101: Ben Keathley (R); Paul Lentz (D); Jeff Coleman (L) ● District 110: Niles Stephens (R); Claire Heinrich (D) St. Louis County judicial retention Voters decide separately whether each judge should remain in office. 21st Judicial Circuit ● Richard M. Stewart — Yes or No ● John Borbonus — Yes or No ● Mary Elizabeth Ott — Yes or No ● Amanda B. McNelley — Yes or No ● Jeffery McPherson — Yes or No ● Lorne Baker — Yes or No ● Matt Hearne — Yes or No ● Ellen Wyatt Dunne — Yes or No

ing tax levy ceiling by 46 cents per $100 of assessed valuation. ● Ritenour Proposition I — Yes or No: $42 million bond issue for safety, technology, classrooms, buildings and other capital improvements, with no change to the current debt-service property tax rate. ● Ritenour Proposition N — Yes or No: Increase the operating tax levy ceiling by 15 cents in 2027 and another 15 cents in 2030, with corresponding expected reductions in the debt-service levy. ● Webster Groves School District Proposition W — Yes or No: Increase the operating levy by 65 cents per $100 of assessed valuation. Key dates for Missouri voters Envato photo

21st Judicial Circuit, associate circuit ● Julia Pusateri Lasater — Yes or No ● Nicolette Antonia Klapp — Yes or No ● Justin W. Ruth — Yes or No ● Jason K. Lewis — Yes or No ● Kelly Snyder — Yes or No ● Mondonna L. Ghasedi — Yes or No ● Chastidy DillonAmelung — Yes or No Municipal and school district questions Only voters who live in the applicable jurisdiction will see these questions. ● Chesterfield Proposition A — Yes or No: $34.5 million bond issue to reconstruct, renovate, improve, furnish and equip the city’s Aquatic Center. ● Chesterfield Proposition Q — Yes or No: Local use tax at the same rate as the city’s local sales tax, with revenue intended for the Aquatic Center or public safety. ● Creve Coeur Proposition G — Yes or No: Up to $14 mil-

lion in bonds to demolish the existing Government Center and build and equip a new one. ● Florissant Proposition A — Yes or No: Remove certain qualifications for the director of public works. ● Florissant Proposition B — Yes or No: Change charter requirements for legislative proceedings involving resolutions. ● Webster Groves Amendment 1 — Yes or No: Remove the residency requirement for the city manager. ● Meramec Valley R-III Proposition K — Yes or No: $45 million bond issue for school

facilities, a new middle school, safety and security improvements and school buses. ● Normandy Proposition N — Yes or No: Increase the operating tax levy ceiling by 55 cents per $100 of assessed valuation. The district says its overall levy is expected to remain unchanged because of an expected corresponding reduction in its debt-service levy. ● Normandy Proposition B — Yes or No: $40 million bond issue for school sites, buildings, facilities and vehicles. ● Parkway Proposition P — Yes or No: Increase the operat-

• Sept. 22: Applicationbased absentee voting begins. • Oct. 7: Deadline to register for the Nov. 3 election. • Oct. 20: No-excuse in-person absentee voting begins. • Oct. 21: Deadline for local election authorities to receive requests for absentee ballots to be mailed. • Nov. 2: Last day to vote absentee in person. • Nov. 3: Election Day. Polls are open statewide from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. Voters in line at 7 p.m. may cast a ballot. Where to vote: Absentee and no-excuse absentee voting locations and hours can vary by local election authority. Voters should check with their local election authority for locations and hours.

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Career Center

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Respiratory Therapist (RRT) | Pulmonary Function Lab The Department of Developmental Biology in the School of Medicine Looking for a Respiratory Therapist role that lets you leave nights, weekends, and holidays behind? Join Washington University School of Medicine’s Pulmonary Function Lab at the Center for Advanced Medicine and enjoy a more predictable outpatient schedule of 7:00 AM-3:30 PM or 7:30 AM-4:00 PM, with the possibility of 4 ten-hour shifts as our team continues to grow. You’ll work with adult patients in a specialized pulmonary setting, collaborating with a supportive team while developing expertise in pulmonary diagnostics. Pulmonary Function Testing (PFT) experience is a huge plus, but not required. We are happy to train experienced RTs who are eager to learn. Beyond competitive pay, you’ll enjoy the opportunity to earn up to $2,500 annually through a performance-based productivity incentive program, a 7% 403(b) match, 20 vacation days (increasing to 22 in year four), 12 sick days, and 10 paid holidays, including Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve. Team members may also have opportunities to earn additional overtime pay based on staffing and clinic needs.

Covenant House Missouri (CHMO) provides shelter, support, and hope to youth ages 16-24 who are experiencing homelessness, trafficking, or other crises. We are seeking a detail-oriented Staff Accountant to support the financial operations of our growing nonprofit organization.

Key Responsibilities: Manage general led-

ger, accounts payable, accounts receivable, and cash management activities. Prepare monthly financial statements and account reconciliations in accordance with GAAP. Support monthly close, budgeting, forecasting, and financial analysis. Manage grant billing, government contract invoicing, and grant reporting. Assist with annual audits and compliance activities. Support payroll processing and payroll tax compliance. Maintain fixed asset records and depreciation schedules. Ensure compliance with nonprofit accounting standards and internal controls

Qualifications: Bachelor’s in Accounting or

Finance req. (or equivalent accounting coursework and experience), 5+ years of accounting experience preferred. Nonprofit accounting and grant management experience preferred. Strong knowledge of GAAP and financial reporting Proficiency in Excel; QuickBooks and NetSuite experience preferred. Strong analytical, organizational, and communication skills

WashU offers exceptional benefits including tuition assistance, fertility coverage, HSA contributions, employee assistance programs, priority access to WashU physicians, travel assistance, and discounts on cell phone plans, rental cars, hotels, and more.

Covenant House Missouri is EOE committed to a diverse and inclusive workplace.

If you’re looking for work-life balance, outstanding benefits, and the opportunity to build specialized pulmonary skills with one of the nation’s leading academic medical centers, we’d love to meet you. Apply today and discover why so many healthcare professionals choose to build their careers at Washington University School of Medicine.

SEALED BIDS

For the full job description and to apply, visit jobs. washu.edu, JR92751. We seek people from diverse backgrounds to join us in a supportive environment that encourages boldness, inclusion, and creativity. EEO/AA/VET/Disability Employer

CITY OF ST. LOUIS BOARD OF PUBLIC SERVICE REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS for PROFESSIONAL SERVICES FOR ON-CALL ENGINEERING SERVICES FOR MISCELLANEOUS ENGINEERING PROJECTS FOR THE CITY OF ST. LOUIS WATER DIVISION. Statements of Qualifications due by 5:00 PM CT, October 6, 2026 through the Bid Express online portal at https://www.bidexpress.com/business es/20618/home?agency=true. RFQ may be obtained from BPS website https://www.stlouis-mo.gov/government/departments/ public-service/, under BPS R FQ and RFP Announcement, or email Board of Public Service at bryanth@stlouis-mo.gov.

PUBLIC NOTICE Notice is hereby given that The Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District Requests for Quotes, Bids, Proposals and Single Source Procurements are posted on-line for public download. Please navigate to: > www.msdprojectclear.org > Doing Business With Us > View Bid Opportunities The Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District is an Equal Opportunity Employer

PARKING AND REVENUE CONTROL SYSTEM REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS www.stltreasurer.org/ request-for-proposals/ stlouis-mo.gov/govern ment/procurement/

Please apply at https://www.covenanthousemo.org/apply

Bids for REBID, Parking Lot Repairs, Fulton Treatment Center, Project No. H2501-01 will be received by FMDC, State of MO, UNTIL 1:30 PM, October 8, 2026. Project information available at: http://oa.mo. gov/facilities

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GRANT STAFF ACCOUNTANT Washington University in St. Louis offers rewarding opportunities in various fields at all levels, with positions in engineering, nursing and health care, research, administration, technology, security and more.

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REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS RESIDENTIAL REDEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITY The Land Clearance for Redevelopment Authority of the County of St. Louis (“LCRA”) requests proposals to purchase and complete a redevelopment of the property located at 11816 Larimore Road, St. Louis, Missouri 63138. Further information, including the complete RFP and informational packet, is available at https://stlpartner ship.com/rfp-rfq/. Proposals must be received no later than 3 PM CT on Friday, September 25, 2026.

ASSISTANT CONTROLLER The St. Louis Mental Health Board is seeking a full-time Assistant Controller to support all aspects of accounting and financial management of the organization. For the full job positing, visit www.stlmhb.org/ about-us/careers/.

LIMS ADMINISTRATOR (PRODUCTION SUPPORT)

SEALED BIDS Bids for REBID 2 – Change in Scope, Renovate Cabins 1-3, Sam A Baker State Park, Patterson, Missouri Project No. X2319-01 will be received by FMDC, State of MO, UNTIL 1:30 PM, October 8, 2026. Project information available at: http://oa.mo. gov/facilities

LIMS Administrator SEALED (Production Support). BIDS Manage specialized LIM System. U.S. Master’s deg. Bids for or foreign equiv. in Computer Replace Fire Information Systems or related field req’d. 1 yr. of exp. in Alarm System, Infrastructure, pos’n(s) involving: a) buildFarmington ing business-specific workCorrectional flows & customized features Center, Project for LabWare WebLIMS or No. C2503-01 industry-specific equivalent; b) man’g’mt of specimen will be received lifecycle using mature SDLC by FMDC, process to meet biz needs & State of MO, ensure FDA compliance; & UNTIL 1:30 c) coordination of developers, PM, October testers, analysts & compli13, 2026. ance team req’d. Resumes to: Project Recruiting, C2N Diagnostics, information LLC, 4340 Duncan Avenue, available at: St. Louis, MO 63110 or http://oa.mo. via email to recruiting@ gov/facilities C2N.com. C2N is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

PUBLIC NOTICE Select Physical Therapy Holdings, Inc. with its primary Medicare location at 155 Siemers Drive, suite 8, Cape Girardeau, MO 63703 will close its operations and will no longer participate in the Medicare Program (Title XVIII of the Social Security Act) effective October 1, 2026. The agreement between Select Physical Therapy Holdings, Inc. and the Secretary of Health and Human Services will be terminated on the above date in accordance with the provisions of the Social Security Act. Patients may access their medical records by contacting the following: Attn: Central Business Office Select Medical 4714 Gettysburg Road Mechanicsburg, PA 17055 (717) 972-1100

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Bids & Public Notices ST. LOUIS AMERICAN

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B11

SEPTEMBER 10 - 16, 2026

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING A public hearing will be held at 10:00 am, September 22, 2025, via Teams (Access via https://tinyurl.com/STLSeniorFund with meeting ID: 298 314 642 835 0 and passcode: Qo2gN7LH), at which time citizens may be heard on the property tax rate proposed to be fixed for the current year for the City of St. Louis Senior Citizens’ Services Fund. The tax rate shall be fixed to produce revenues which the budget for the fund shows to be required from the property tax for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2026. For the City of St. Louis Senior Citizens’ Services Fund, a rate of $0.05 on each $100 assessed property value was authorized by a vote of the people on November 8, 2016. The maximum tax rate permitted by Article X, Section 22 of the Missouri Constitution and Section 137.073 R.S.Mo for the City of St. Louis Senior Citizens’ Services Fund is $0.0491. This amount is proposed to be adopted. These amounts, plus any additional amount which may be approved as provided by Sec. 137.073.3(2)(a) and (b) R.S.Mo., are proposed to be adopted, which will produce substantially the same revenues as required by the budget. ASSESSED VALUE (by categories) Current Tax Year 2026 Real Estate $4,523,788,174

Prior Tax Year 2025 Real Estate $4,418,477,250

Personal Property $1,260,201,833

Personal Property $1,298,207,088

TOTAL $5,783,990,017

TOTAL $5,716,684,388

New Construction and Improvements $82,815,615

New Construction and Improvements $90,854,100

The total adjusted current year assessed valuation is $5,701,174,392. For the City of St. Louis Senior Citizens’ Services Fund, the current year assessed values are projected to accrue property tax revenue of $2,799,277. These amounts do not include any possible revenues due to recoupment. City of St. Louis Senior Citizens’ Services Fund August 31, 2026

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Religion

B12

SEPTEMBER 10 – 16, 2026

Black churches help Gary weather a prolonged blackout By Rev. Dorothy S. Boulware Word In Black

front lines in Gary.”

When a powerful storm swept through Gary, Indiana, last month, downing trees and snapping power lines, the city was plunged into darkness. It took the better part of a month for some of the city’s lights to flicker back on. But the crisis isn’t over for some. Without electricity for 17 days, some residents had to throw away spoiled food. Others learned their homes needed hundreds, or in some cases thousands, of dollars in repairs before power could be restored. To Rev. Nicole Patrice Guns, senior pastor of First Baptist Church of Gary, the derecho illustrated the stark disparity between her working-class city of 60,000 and nearby communities. “You go further into the state, and power was restored,” Guns says. “But then you go to Gary, and it’s dark. It’s dark.” As residents waited for help, Black churches in Gary and congregations across the country stepped into the gap. They donated money, food and supplies, reviving the Black church’s historic role as both sanctuary and first responder. “Jesus preached, and he taught, and he healed people, and he fed people,” Guns says. “The Black church has been on the

Still, Guns notes that Gary’s full recovery cannot be addressed by simply flipping a switch. Decades of disinvestment, job loss and blight have hamstrung the city. “I see the resilience in the midst of hurt and devastation and poverty,” Guns says. “People love the city of Gary, and they’re not willing to just go down without a fight.” On Aug. 11, the derecho — a fast-moving, widespread line of severe thunderstorms that produces powerful straight-line winds — ripped across northern Indiana. The National Weather Service recorded a 99 mph wind gust. Guns described driving after the storm: streetlights burned in Chicago on the Illinois side of the interstate, but darkness swallowed the highway in Gary just over the Indiana state line. “It was pitch black,” she says. “This busy interstate with semi-trucks — I’ve never seen so many semi-trucks going through — and it’s dark.” Nearly 38,300 Gary customers lost electricity. More than half were still waiting for service 10 days after the storm. Nevertheless, the massive storm and lingering blackout in a Black Midwestern city received little national

‘It was pitch black’

Rev. Nicole Patrice Guns, senior pastor of First Baptist Church of Gary, preaches to her congregation which is recognized as the oldest Black church in Gary, Indiana.

Courtesy photo

attention. Gary’s historic legacy A former steel town, Gary drew Black Southerners for mill jobs during the Great Migration and became a center of Black culture and political power. It’s the hometown of Michael Jackson and hosted the 1972 National Black Political Convention. Gary Mayor Eddie Melton called it “unacceptable” that thousands of families remained

without electricity nearly two weeks after the derecho. Gov. Mike Braun, a Republican, ordered an investigation into Northern Indiana Public Service Co. to determine whether it had been adequately prepared. Trauma hidden in the dark Guns said the delay mattered. Elderly residents sat in dark homes, while families with critically ill loved ones struggled to preserve medicine and keep medical equipment

functioning. Before aid trucks and news cameras arrived, Guns says, restaurants fired up outdoor barbecue grills, cooked food before it spoiled and gave it away. Neighbors helped neighbors haul away fallen trees. Churches handed out food, water, toiletries and other necessities. “‘If I have it, then you have it,’” Guns said, describing the spirit of mutual aid after the storm. “Before the government came in to do anything, everyone just helped each

other.” Guns’ congregation, founded in 1908 and recognized as Gary’s oldest Black church, became one of the community’s relief centers. Help also arrived from beyond Gary. Outpouring of support The National Baptist Convention USA Inc. sent workers to assist with tree removal and arranged for a tractor-trailer filled with relief supplies to be delivered to First Baptist. Pastors across the country also reached out. World Vision partnered with First Baptist for a disaster relief giveaway that served more than 300 people. COGIC Charities, the benevolent arm of the Church of God in Christ, announced a $50,000 emergency relief contribution to its Indiana jurisdictions to assist families and congregations affected by the storms. “To me, that means just as much as the gifts,” Guns says of the support. “That’s who we are.” Guns also rejected narratives that reduce Gary to crime, poverty and dysfunction. “The people of Gary are kind people,” she says. “Everybody in Gary is not violent.” “Gary’s a great city,” she said. “And I believe that Gary’s going to live again.”

EVERY STUDENT. EVERY DAY. TOGETHER, LIKE NEVER BEFORE.

TAX RATE

NOTICE A hearing will be held on Tuesday, September 22, 2026 at 6 P.M., at the Saint Louis Board of Education Administration Office, 801 N. 11th Street, St. Louis, MO 63101 on the first floor in room 108, at which time citizens may be heard on the property tax proposed to be set by the Board of Education of the City of St. Louis. The tax rates are set to produce the revenue, which the budget for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2026, shows to be required from the property taxes. Each tax rate is determined by dividing the amount of the revenue needed by the assessed valuation. The result is multiplied by 100 (one hundred) so that the tax rate will be expressed in cents per $100 valuation.

ASSESSED VALUATION CATEGORY

ESTIMATED CURRENT TAX YEAR 2026

PRIOR TAX YEAR 2025

Real Estate*

$4,423,043,990

$4,320,383,860

Personal Property

$987,997,721

$963,241,071

Machinery & Tools

$255,699,095

$318,147,165

TOTALS

$5,666,740,806

$5,601,772,096

*Residential and Commercial Property

THE FOLLOWING TAXES ARE PROPOSED: AMOUNT OF CURRENT TAX REVENUE BUDGETED

PROPOSED TAX RATE PER $100

$244,140,194

$4.3083

Debt Services

$35,196,127

$0.6211

TOTALS

$279,336,321

$4.9294

FUND Teachers Incidental Capital Projects

Anticipated Revenue is based on 100% collection rate. Tax revenue increase due to reassessment if rates approved is $9,981 or 0.0041%, $3.5M of new revenue is from new construction and improvements. Dr. Myra Berry, Superintendent

Kelly Dobell, Chief Financial Officer