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Awards, honors and career moves PA G E S 8 - 9
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“We decided this building just couldn’t be renovated and was becoming functionally obsolete. It’s still safe, but it just couldn’t be retrofitted for today’s standards and the way people live today.” —Nikki Goldstein, Executive Director of Crown Center
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‘Light’ wins 6 awards for Jewish journalism STAFF REPORT
A NEW CROWN RISES Major donations help fuel Crown Center construction BY BILL MOTCHAN SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH LIGHT
The 55-year-old Crown Center senior living facility in University City is well on its way to a major renovation, thanks in large part to several significant contributions. Those include a $1 million donation from Michael and Carol Staenberg, a $1 million grant from the JCA Charitable Foundation and, the most recent, a $1 million donation from the Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation. The key initial component in Phase 1 of the renovation is the creation of a five-story, 52-unit residential building that will be completed in January. It will replace the original 10-story Tallin Building. Residents of Tallin will move to the new building, so none of them will be displaced. The Tallin Building will then be razed and replaced with a second five-story residential building in Phase 2. Another part of the project will be a modern community center called Staenberg Commons on the first level of the first building. It will connect to the existing Weinberg Building on the south See CROWN CENTER on page 9
At top, an artist’s rendering of the revamped Crown Center campus. IMAGE: CROWN CENTER Above, a view of construction work at Crown Center on July 11. PHOTO: BILL MOTCHAN
The St. Louis Jewish Light had a victorious night at the 41st Annual Simon Rockower Awards for Excellence in Jewish Journalism. The Jewish media outlet, in the weekly and biweekly newspaper division, won six awards, which were presented by the American Jewish Press Association during the Rockower Award banquet held June 27th at the Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta. “In my 13-plus years as editor, the Jewish Light has always done well at these awards but has never won six of them in one year,” said Ellen Futterman, editor-in-chief of the Light. “I am thrilled that the Light continues to tell the stories that reflect and connect our vibrant Jewish community and resonate with others.” Futterman earned the first-place award in weekly and biweekly newspapers for E xcel lence in Writing About Health Care for her story about two best friends, one of whom became a pregnancy surrogate for the other. The judges commented that the story was a “warm, Ellen Futterman feel-good human-in- (above) and Eric terest story about Berger won Simon friendship without Rockower Awards limits. Well-written for Excellence in Jewish Journalism. and well-paced.” The big Light winner of the night was former Associate Editor Eric Berger, who captured four of the newspaper’s six Rockowers. Berger won first place for Excellence in Education Reporting for “St. Louis Jewish community split on school choice tax credit program.” The award was sponsored by ORT, a global education agency inspired by Jewish values. The judges commented: “Kudos to Eric Berger for a thoughtful, well-balanced examination of a controversial subject. His article presents multiple viewpoints without allowing inflammatory rhetoric to interfere with the narrative. The reader understands why parties support and See AWARDS on page 7
