February 4, 2016

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St. LouiS AmericAn The

CAC Audited FEBRUARY 4 – 10, 2016

Vol. 86 No. 44 COMPLIMENTARY

stlamerican.com

Obama appoints Blackmon Will serve on President’s Advisory Council on Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships

By Chris King Of The St. Louis American

Photo by Lawrence Bryant

Rev. Traci Blackmon prayed with Gov. Jay Nixon at her church, Christ the King United Church of Christ, on August 14, 2014, the day he irst declared a State of Emergency in Ferguson.

The Rev. Traci Blackmon had a direct personal conversation with President Barack Obama in the White House last February, nearly a year before he nominated her to serve on the President’s Advisory Council on Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships, which he did on Friday, January 29.

On February 26 of last year, Obama convened a group of national civil rights leaders. Though Blackmon now has a national position – as acting executive minister of Justice and Witness Ministries for The United Church of Christ, based in Cleveland – then she

was only pastor of a small, local church, Christ the King United Church of Christ in Florissant.

The only other civil rights leader without a national position invited to the meeting was Rev. Raphael Warnock, and he is pastor at the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s former church, Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta.

“It was a gathering of voices from all over the nation, mostly national denominational heads and leaders of national organizations,” Blackmon told The American. “I was trying to figure why I got in the room. Ferguson was why.”

Blackmon’s church sits four miles from

n “It’s a long way from Pennsylvania Avenue to West Florissant, but somebody has to be the link to what’s really happening.”

– Rev. Traci Blackmon

See BLACKMON, A6

Ranking Democrat tours North City NGA site Two protestors arrested for trespassing

By Rebecca Rivas Of The St. Louis American U.S. Rep. Wm. Lacy Clay took the top-ranking Democrat on a congressional intelligence committee on a tour of the proposed North St. Louis site for the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) West facility.

U.S. Rep. Adam Schiff (D-California), a ranking member of the House Permanent Select Intelligence Committee, said that if there is tie among the four potential sites for the new $1.6 billion NGA West facility, it should go to an area with a Promise Zone designation.

The North St. Louis site is the only one

See NGA, A6 Photo by Wiley Price

Felicia Pulliam, an attorney and former Ferguson Commissioner who serves as development director for FOCUS St. Louis, objected to the Ferguson city attorney’s handling of an appointment to the City Council at the council’s meeting on February 2.

Missouri primary is March 15 Last day to register to vote is February 17

By Rebecca Rivas Of The St. Louis American As the race for U.S. president heats up, all eyes turned to Iowa – the first state to have the chance to voice their support for presidential candidates.

Hillary Clinton just barely beat Bernie Sanders in the Iowa Democratic caucuses on February 1. Republican candidate Ted Cruz defeated Donald Trump and Mario Rubio.

Although we are only hearing about the top tier candidates, in Missouri there are 26 in total – nine Democrats, 12 Republicans and five Libertarians.

Missouri voters will have their chance

See PRIMARY, A7

Ferguson debates DOJ consent decree Two more public hearings before council votes on Feb. 9

By Mariah Stewart Ferguson Fellow Over 100 citizens filled the Ferguson City Council chamber on Tuesday, February 2 as dozens of residents stood outside anticipating a chance to tell city government their thoughts on the proposed Department of Justice consent decree.

“Every African American that talked about the consent decree tonight was in favor to sign it,” said Mildred Clines, 58, a member of the Ferguson Police Task Force. “The majority of all the white people were against it. The racial divide is still here. Many people here don’t

n “Money never becomes an issue until it involves justice for all people.”

– Charlee Johnson

experience the disparity that we experience.”

Last week, the city released a draft of its consent decree with the DOJ. Under this agreement, the city would undergo major changes to its municipal code and police force,

requiring massive amounts of new training and oversight. Among many other changes, Ferguson would be compelled to help form resident associations at high-density apartment complexes like Canfield Green Apartments, the first center of protests after Michael Brown Jr. was killed there. A monitor would oversee and report on its progress.

The monitor would be agreed to by Ferguson and the DOJ and paid for by Ferguson. Between the new police training and the monitor, the consent decree would cost the city $1.5 million a year, according to its city manager. Unless the court decided the terms of the agreement are met earlier, Ferguson would be monitored for five years.

Many of the older white residents at the meeting encouraged the council to vote against the decree because of the costs and “unrealistic requirements.”

See FERGUSON, A6

ST. LOUIS AMERICAN • FEBRUARY 4 - 10, 2016

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Kanye tweets and makes up with Wiz Khalifa The social media beef that captivated the internet last week has now been officially squashed.

A misunderstanding about a reference led to Kanye West engaging in one of the most epic Twitter rants of all times against fellow rapper Wiz Khalifa last week.

When Khalifa tweeted “Hit this KK and become yourself,” he was referring to marijuana.

West took it as a veiled jab at his wife Kim Kardashian.

He then unleashed more than 30 consecutive tweets that insulted Khalifa, his ex-wife Amber Rose (who is West’s former girlfriend) and their child before Khalifa chimed in to clear up the confusion.

But just before West commenced to social media silence, Rose disclosed a secret about an alleged bedroom fetish of West.

“I’m happy to know that KK means weed… please excuse the confusion…now back to #Waves.”

The barrage of tweets was initially sparked on Tuesday night after Khalifa criticized West for naming his upcoming album “Waves,” a name that Khalifa felt belonged to rapper Max B. Earlier this week Rose and West’s wife, Kim Kardashian, met to settle any differences (and pose for a pic that had the internet buzzing once again) and the men followed suit.

“Me and Wiz spoke yesterday. Great convo.

All positive,” West tweeted.

situation threw her for a loop.

“You think you’re in a relationship and you’re being loyal to that person and you think loyalty will always win, but people are people and sometimes fame gets to their head,” Mechelle said.

blasted back to Billboard.com. “We would have taken responsibility if it were our error. Instead of having their flack flail around trying to revise their own media spin, maybe they should just focus on serving Rihanna -- that’s what we’re focused on.”

TIDAL blames Universal for Rihanna album leak

Joseline shuts down Stevie J’s breakup attempt

Last week, after Rihanna’s album leak and Over the weekend reality stars Stevie J and subsequent free download fiasco, TIDAL music Joseline ended their relationship after Stevie blamed the error on Universal Music Group. accused Joseline of running around with rapper A rep from TIDAL said Last Rick Ross. Joseline threatened to out Wednesday, Rihanna’s entire eighth Stevie if he doesn’t keep her name out album, “Anti,” leaked online, and of his mouth. according to a representative from After Stevie J blasted Joseline Tidal, Universal Music Group is to online and posted a screen grab of his blame for the premature leak. After reconciliation with Benzino, Joseline the 13 songs first appeared on Jay Z’s posted a meme about pansexuality and streaming service, TIDAL took down tweeted Stevie to back off before she the album’s page. reveals his secret.

TIDAL’s Director of Marketing, The meme included the definition Grace Kim, commented on the of pansexuality (a term that refers to situation, saying that despite the leak an individual who is indifferent to Joseline “Anti” still moved 1.4 million units in gender in romantic relationships) and just 15 hours. the pansexual flag. Stevie promptly “Look, we know what happened apologized to Joseline. here, in the sense that unfortunately we “I was wrong for calling her out still rely on systems, and there was a system of her name,” Stevie tweeted. “Since I did it error. But I don’t think it hurt it at all,” she online I’m apologizing. That wasn’t cool.” said. “The error was not something TIDAL caused.”

Sources: Billboard.com, TMZ.com, UMG denied being at fault.

RadarOnline.com, Twitter.com, “This whole thing is absurd,” a rep for UMG

Mike Epps’ wife blindsided by divorce Mike Epps filed for divorce from his wife Mechelle last week after nearly ten years of marriage.

Celebrity news and gossip site TMZ.com originally said that the couple had been living separately since last summer. But when their cameras caught up with Mechelle, she said otherwise.

“It was shocking to me, ‘cause I didn’t know we were separated since the summertime,” Mechelle told TMZ. “We have been doing everything a married couple does up until January. So yeah…I think when I saw him walking down the streets of New York with a ‘mysterious’ girl, that did it.”

Mechelle said the whole Wiz Khalifa

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ST. LOUIS AMERICAN • FEBRUARY 4 - 10, 2016

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OpiniOn

NAACP calls to remove polling places from police stations Forty-two polling places in St. Louis County are co-located within a police station.

Better Together study links civic disengagement with municipal fragmentation

the rate of participation in local government is far lower than national averages. In the most recent municipal election, only 9.41 percent of the voting-age population cast a ballot – compared with the national average of 21 percent participation in local elections.

Fuhr pointed out that election data contained in Better Together’s report do not support the claim that polling stations in or near police departments deter voters. Indeed, four of the North County municipalities that Better Together cites as polling voters in or near a police station had higher voter turnouts in the 2014 municipal election than the national average of 21 percent: Vinita Park (37.5 percent), BelNor (22.9 percent), Country Club Hills (22.1 percent) and Black Jack (22 percent).

The Better Together report makes several recommendations for lowering the civic cost of fragmentation.

First, municipal elections should be moved from April to the November ballot, thereby producing greater turnout and taxpayer savings. The 18 polling places co-located with police stations – or 42 polling places, going by the county election director’s own count – should be moved. The 21st Circuit should call for a review of all outstanding municipal warrants. Finally, citizens must be truly empowered to have their governments reflect what they want. In order to meet this objective, there must be a clear pathway toward disincorporation.

To read the report in full, visit www.bettertogetherstl.com/ generaladministration.

By Rebecca Rivas Of The St. Louis American Eighteen polling places in St. Louis County are co-located within a police station – effectively discouraging any resident with an outstanding warrant from walking in, giving his or her name and address, and voting, according to Better Together’s recent study.

“It’s important to realize that when we’re talking about warrants, we’re very often talking about someone who was simply unable to pay a traffic fine or a citation for a code violation and missed a court date,” said Dave Leipholtz, director of Community-Based Studies for Better Together.

There are currently 450,000 warrants stemming from the region’s 52,000 municipal ordinances.

“Warrants are so prolific that 27 municipalities in St. Louis County have accrued more outstanding warrants than they have residents,” he said. “This disproportionately impacts municipalities with large populations of African-Americans and the poor.”

Following the report, the Missouri NAACP State Conference and the St. Louis County NAACP branch released a statement that they are “deeply concerned” about the impact of polling places in municipal police departments.

Justice centers, not revenue centers

“Having polling places inside of police departments is yet an additional obstacle in the way of African Americans seeking to exercise their constitutional right,” said Esther Haywood, St. Louis County NAACP president and former Missouri state representative.

Haywood said voters should not be afraid of being toted to jail for exercising their constitutional right.

For the upcoming April 5 municipal elections, 42 polling places, not 18, fit Better Together’s criteria for being co-located with a police department, though all but one location (the Ballwin Police Department) are in municipal buildings that include police along with other departments.

Fuhr told The American that state law requires that election authorities first use

n In the most recent municipal election, only 9.41 percent of the voting-age population cast a ballot – compared with the national average of 21 percent.

“A hurdle, such as the location of polling places in police departments, is far too similar to an unofficial Jim Crow Law,” she said.

The St. Louis County NAACP has written a letter to the St. Louis County Board of Election Commissioners requesting that all polling places in St. Louis County located at police departments be relocated immediately.

Garry Fuhr, the Republican election director for St. Louis County, told The American that Better Together undercounted.

taxpayer-funded buildings for polling places, and that in many municipalities the city or village hall is the best option. The same state law forbids police from violating the privacy of the polling place, unless invited in by a poll worker or responding to a service call.

The report is the fourth and final study from Better Together that shows a strong correlation between the region’s fragmented structure and the disengagement of citizens.

Better Together reports that

By Rev. B.T. Rice Guest columnist We completely and wholeheartedly support Senate Bill 5. We also are in support of Senate Bill 572, because municipalities were designed to be justice centers, not revenue centers. This bill is not just for traffic violations, but we believe all municipal ordinance violations should be included in the revenue formula.

Whenever a municipality’s very survival depends on the number of dollars that are extracted from citizens, and when municipal mayors are allowed to handpick their judges and prosecutors, there is a real possibility of a perversion of our criminal justice system. If the judge or prosecutor does not produce the desired results, the mayor can and will replace them.

The Good Book declares, “He that ruleth over man must be just, ruling Columnist in the fear of God.” Senate Bill 572 seeks to represent fairness and justice Rev. B.T. for all, not targeting some while Rice ignoring others. It is disheartening to hear new reports where a municipality makes flesh of one and bone of the other. Court costs in some courts are outlandish, and when court fees and surcharges are retained for the purpose of building up the coffers of the courts, it’s not just unfair, it is wrong.

Senate Bill 572 seems to level the playing field, by not allowing courts to charge more or less than what’s charged in any other Missouri municipality.

Senate Bill 572 is not to be misconstrued; commonsense city ordinances should be strictly maintained and enforced. Any municipality has the responsibility to ensure that the value of property within its jurisdiction is properly supported and upheld, and violations of common-sense ordinances should not be tolerated. But the ordinances should be enforced only after proper notice, and after reasonable time has been given to correct violations.

Our cities should be safe havens for all of their citizens. Children, senior citizens and the working-class should feel welcome and at home, and municipalities should be properly maintained, clean and well-kept.

But these goals should not be achieved through the imposition of unnecessary hardships on those the city is supposed to serve, protect and respect.

Rev. B.T. Rice is pastor at New Horizon Christian Church.

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Editorial / CommEntary ST. LOUIS AMERICAN • FEBRUARY 4 - 10, 2016

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Tox screens for police is good public policy As The St. Louis American was first to report, then-St. Louis Police Officer Jason Flanery had both cocaine and an illegal amount of alcohol in his system, according to lab reports, when he allegedly crashed his police cruiser on December 19 and then fled the scene of the accident. As we also were first to report – though, as usual, without credit from our peers in the local media who followed us – these distressing results spurred St. Louis Police Commissioner Sam Dotson to push for an immediate policy change mandating that police officers involved in “critical incidents” routinely submit to alcohol and/or drug testing. “Critical incidents,” include, but are not limited to, officer-involved shootings and department accidents with fatalities or serious injuries. Dotson officially announced this policy change on Friday, January 29.

Flanery, of course, shot and killed Vonderrit Myers Jr. on October 8, 2014 while working a private security shift. Flanery’s blood was not drawn and tested after his fatal shooting of Myers (which did not lead to charges, due to witness and forensic evidence that Myers was armed and fired three shots at Flanery). Given Flanery’s aggressive tactics during the night Myers lost his life, many of us now wonder if he was fueled by cocaine when he pursued a few youth who were doing nothing more incriminating than dribbling a basketball in the street before they saw the uniformed security officer. And, given that Circuit Attorney Jennifer Joyce concluded that Myers was not even one of the youths whom Flanery was pursuing, we now wonder whether alcohol impaired Flanery’s judgment and led him to tell the wrong young man to lie on the ground, with fatal consequences.

We will never know. But the next St. Louis police officer who shoots a civilian will be submitted to toxicology screenings, and we will know

Photo by Lawrence Bryant

St. Louis Police Commissioner Sam Dotson (right) with Missouri State Highway Patrol Captain Ron Johnson on the day of Michael Brown Jr.’s funeral. Dotson instituted a policy for St. Louis police, similar to a Highway Patrol policy, mandating drug and alcohol screenings for officers involved in shootings and accidents.

if drugs or alcohol impaired his or her judgment. This is an immediate and dramatic improvement in police policy with critical and important implications for public trust in the police and – relatedly – for public safety. We commend Dotson for his leadership.

Dotson told The American that he expects the St. Louis Police Officers Association to file a grievance or law suit against the policy. At press time, the union had not done so. The union did not respond to a call and email from The American. It would be a shame if a union acting allegedly in the best interests of police officers would oppose a policy change that does nothing but protect good police officers while exposing those who act recklessly and dangerously by shooting a civilian (or wrecking a department vehicle) when their judgment is impaired by alcohol and/ or drugs. If this union wants to begin to build public trust in its member officers, it will

applaud Dotson’s decision – or, at the very least, let it stand unopposed and remind its members of the importance of staying sober while wearing a firearm and a badge to protect the public.

We also call upon other area police leaders to follow Dotson’s lead and implement a similar policy for their departments. We checked with the other four largest police departments in the region – St. Louis County, Chesterfield, Florissant and Maryland Heights – and none has such a policy in place. It defies reason what could be bad for the public – or for police officers themselves – to routinely check to see if cops who shoot civilians are acting under the influence of an intoxicant. The victims of police shootings routinely have their corpses’ blood screened for alcohol and drugs; it is far more important to screen the blood of the police officers doing the shooting. As Dotson rightly said, “It’s good government, good policing.”

Environmental genocide in Flint Flint is poised to be one of the greatest examples of environmental genocide in the U.S. Those of us in St. Louis who know the history of our local lead problem find it gut-wrenching to see what’s happening in Flint, Michigan and knowing what’s in store for them.

The city’s water supply was intentionallypoisoned when a cost-cutting decision was made by officials to not use the water from Lake Huron – the third largest fresh water body in the world – but to use the toxic Flint River. The consequences are deadly, irreversible and costly.

Because lead is absorbed through the blood, it quickly concentrates in bones and organs, resulting in a myriad of medical challenges and premature deaths for adults. The costs of increased spending on health care, special education and law enforcement will be staggering.

Flint residents have been drinking and bathing in poison water since 2013. Early last year, they complained about the smell, the look and the taste of the water. Flint officials lied and said the water had been tested, assuring residents that it was fine.

Fine for who? Black and poor people? African Americans are about 60 per cent of the population; nearly 42 per cent of Flint residents are below the poverty line.

Current testing of lead levels, including on children, is showing up to 150 parts per billion or more for lead, 10 times the federal acceptable

Voter ID law would stifle the minority vote

By Michael P. McMillan Guest columnist

As I See It - A Forum for Community Issues

By Jamala Rogers Columnist

As I See It - A Forum for Community Issues

level of 15 parts per billion.

In 2011, the Local Government and School District Fiscal Accountability Act was signed into law, giving unprecedented powers to the state’s emergency managers (EMs), including breaking union contracts, taking over pension systems, setting school policies and even dissolving municipalities. Local elected officials stood by powerless as city and school board functions were snatched out of their hands and given to corporate bandits. Cities like Detroit, Flint, Benton Harbor and Pontiac experienced austere measures made in undemocratic, often secret decisionmaking processes.

Guest Columnist As we in Jamala the Lou know firsthand, lead Rogers poisoning is a very serious thing. In the 1960s, civil rights activist Ivory Perry worked to bring the issue to the public’s attention. The first ever legislation on lead was passed in 1970. For decades city officials used the situation to hustle federal dollars but never really launched an effective campaign to eradicate leadbased paint in houses located in black, poor neighborhoods.

The bulk of the money was put into testing, not prevention.

By the time, children were tested, it was too late for remedies. St. Louis kids still test for lead poisoning.

Lead poisoning in children affects the development of

the brain, leading to low IQs, learning disabilities, poor grades, test scores and behavior problems. In urban areas like St. Louis, Chicago, Baltimore and Detroit, one can trace high violence incidents among youth and high incarceration rates to lead poisoning.

Flint Mayor Karen Weaver called for a state of emergency and has come out strong with calls for transparency and swift responses. Because of the mess that he’s created, Governor Rick Snyder (R) now wants to give the black elected mayor a few powers to fix the water crisis.

Governor Snyder has allocated $28 million for bottled water, faucet filters (which don’t work with such high levels of lead), testing kits, additional school nurses, medical treatment and water experts. Keep your eyes on those experts. President Obama recently sent $80 million.

The combined monies from the state and the feds could’ve been a down payment towards fixing the water pipes in Flint, estimated at $1.5 billion.

The attitude is that since it’s unorganized black and poor people, let’s not spend money until we have to. L Flint and Michigan have rightfully been hit with lawsuits. Several officials have been forced to resign. This is woefully inadequate given the potential scale of human destruction.

We can help Flint by putting water rights in the context of human rights and under the banner of Black Lives Matter.

Throwing bottled water at the situation will not get to the root of the problem: racist policies and practices.

The recent passage of the Voter ID bill by the Missouri House speaks to the need for us to remain vigilant to guarantee that the voting rights of the past are not reduced in the future.

The recent bill was sponsored by state Senator Will Kraus, a Republican from Lee’s Summit. If it becomes law, it would no longer allow many Missouri citizens to use the methods of identification that have worked throughout Missouri’s history. Rather, the bill seeks to require voters to present a current Missouri Driver’s license, state identification, military ID or U.S. passport in order to vote in an election.

While on the surface this request may seem innocent, in reality more than 250,000 registered voters in Missouri do not have those forms of photo identification, according to Secretary of State Jason Kander’s office.

Many registered voters will be disenfranchised by the Voter ID requirements because of their status as senior citizens, college students, lowincome citizens or minorities.

The government-issued identification the Voter ID bill requires is often cumbersome for these populations due to, for instance, the unavailability of birth certificates for seniors, the fact that many college students often have out-of-state

licenses, and the prohibitive cost for those of limited means to purchase the additional identifications that would be required by the new law and the time necessary to obtain the additional identification.

If this bill is passed, voters who come to the polls without the specifically required identification would be given a provisional ballot and only three days to return to the Board of Election with one of the newly approved forms of identification. Try digging up the necessary paperwork, finding time off work and getting a driver’s license in three days.

With the hurdles erected by the Voter Guest Columnist ID bill in place, Michael P. it is easy to McMillan see why many registered voters will be disenfranchised due to the extra hassle and cost that will be incorporated into exercising one’s right to vote.

Nationwide, many Voter ID laws are being put into effect prior to the 2016 presidential election. By disenfranchising voters, with all evidence showing voter fraud does not exist, these laws do nothing but decrease the reliability of elections.

One only needs to look to the events in Alabama after

Letters to the editor Reed was not ‘mum’ President Lewis Reed was not “mum” when the law for a public vote on the stadium financing bill was ruled invalid.

He sent a letter to the Mayor’s Office telling them that they should appeal that decision – they didn’t. President Reed was not consulted or involved before, during, or after the arbitration. That was all the Mayor’s Office, CVC and RSA. So he was not part of the “flat out” refusal to consider Dome improvements.

Taxpayers are holding the bag created from a lease that was signed 20 years ago and touted as a “good deal” by the city’s financial team at that time. President Reed was not an elected official when that bad lease deal was signed – no matter what you may want people to believe, that lease has left taxpayers holding the bag, not Reed.

The Board of Aldermen had nothing to do with the $16 million that was spent. It was spent way before a board bill was even introduced. The RSA is a board with appointees of other folks, not President Reed.

Besides, who are we gonna ask

The largest weekly newspaper in Missouri 70,000 copies - CAC Audited 100% Independently owned & operated Continuously published, without interruption since 1928

Donald M. Suggs Publisher & Executive Editor Kevin Jones - Sr. Vice Pres. & COO Dina M. Suggs - Sr. Vice Pres.

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their Voter ID law was placed into effect to be wary of what might happen in Missouri.

Following the passage of the Voter ID law in Alabama in 2011 and its implementation in 2014, 31 driver’s license offices were closed throughout the state. The office closures included eight out of the 10 counties with the highest share of non-white registered voters.

So as you can see, once a Voter ID law is passed in Missouri, we may find ourselves on a slippery slope towards everincreasing disenfranchisement in our home state.

The Voter ID bill has passed the House and is currently in discussion and up for a vote in the Missouri Senate. If the bill passes the Senate, it will be placed on the ballot for a vote from the general population.

These efforts to prohibit registered voters from casting their ballots must be stopped.

Together, we must work to ensure that our communities will not be disenfranchised in upcoming elections.

The only way to do that is to let our state senators know we oppose these measures designed to disenfranchise voters, and to vote against any such ballot measures. And as time goes on, we must remain vigilant if we want to keep our rights.

Michael P. McMillan is president and CEO of the Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis.

All letters are edited for length and style.

to give that cash back? Now that is a laughable, unrealistic proposal.

The only thing embarrassing to our region about this situation is that we have supposed local leaders who are upset that someone requested financial relief for the repercussions of a bad lease deal that was signed by other people 20 years ago. Nothing wrong with requesting the NFL to make up for the debt we are left with because one of their teams took advantage of the city’s financial team 20 years ago.

serious health conditions. It will prevent access to immediate health care when it is most important (such as situation with possible broken bones).

The lawmaker proposing it clearly has a conflict of interest.

Missouri state Rep. Don Gosen of Ballwin has a conflict since he is an insurance agent and sits on committees regulating insurance. This is a bad bill for Missouri citizens and only benefits insurance companies.

Consumers should have the freedom to purchase insurance allowing unrestricted access to specialists.

Tom Shepherd, chief of staff, Office of Aldermanic President Lewis Reed

Robert Delaney, Richmond Heights

Ill-advised bill Political Eye columnist: Missouri House HB 1563 is a proposed law that I feel will harm Missouri health care consumers. The bill to require primary physician “gate-keeping” to specialists is very ill-advised. It will cost Missouri consumers money and lead to aggravation of painful,

Value of health Kudos to you on the amazing “Your Health Matters” feature of the paper. It’s so great that our news outlet recognizes the value of health. Keep on pushin’!

Robert Lawrence Salter St. Louis

Editorial Chris King - Managing Editor Kenya Vaughn - Website Editor Earl Austin Jr. - Sports Editor Sandra Jordan - Health Reporter Rebecca S. Rivas - Senior Reporter Wiley Price - Senior Photojournalist Lawrence Bryant - Photojournalist Denise Hooks -Anderson, M.D. Health Editor Jami Ballentine-Dolby Entertainment Danie Rae - Style Editor Dana G. Randolph Contributing Editor Fred Sweets - Contributing Editor

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Production Mike Terhaar - Art Director Melvin Moore - Graphic Designer Administration Robin Britt - Controller Cathy Sewell - NIE Manager Ishmael Sistrunk - Web/IT/ Promotions Coordinator Kate Daniel - Exec Assistant Loistine McGhee - Acct. Assistant Mary Easter - Receptionist

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ST. LOUIS AMERICAN • FEBRUARY 4 – 10, 2016

Black babies matter

Serving the whole child

A young family showed its support of the Black Lives Matter movement during MLK Day festivities in downtown St. Louis on January 18.

By Tiffany Anderson Guest columnist

Photo by Philip Deitch

Laclede Gas warns of scams Laclede Gas customers are reporting that people claiming to be Laclede Gas employees have tried to gain entry into homes to access a gas meter or obtain payment. Note that Laclede Gas will never request payment at your home. Do not provide your social security number, credit card, debit card or bank account information to anyone claiming to be a Laclede Gas representative at your home or through email. Laclede Gas employees wear photo I.D. badges and drive marked company vehicles.

If you encounter suspicious behavior by someone claiming to be a Laclede Gas technician at your home, call Laclede Gas Customer Service directly at 314-621-6960 or 800-877-4173. If you receive a call from someone claiming to be a Laclede Gas representative and feel uncomfortable, hang up and call Laclede Gas Customer Service directly at 314-621-6960 or 800877-4173. You can confirm your current account balance anytime through Laclede’s automated phone system by calling 314621-6960 or 800-877-4173.

Estate planning and the probate process Attorney Robyn Stranquist will present the February program for the Ferguson-Florissant American Association of University Women (AAUW) meeting. This presentation will provide practical information on estate planning and the probate process. Durable Powers of Attorney and Durable Powers of Attorney for Health Care will also be addressed.

The meeting will be held 10 a.m. Monday, February 15 at Immanuel UCC Church, 211 Church St. in Ferguson. This program is free and open to the public. For information, call 314-831-5359, 314-867-4755, 314-831-6884.

Sci-finders kits at County Library Young scientists eager to understand the world around them can satisfy their curiosity by checking out a Sci-finders kit from St. Louis County Library. Sci-finders kits contain everything parents and kids need to engage in hands-on science activities at home, including materials, books, DVDs, and instructions.

Sci-finders kits are available at six SLCL branches: Daniel Boone Branch, 300 Clarkson Rd., Ellisville; Florissant Valley Branch, 195 New Florissant Rd. S., Florissant; Grant’s View Branch, 9700 Musick Rd., St. Louis; Headquarters, 1640 South Lindbergh, St. Louis; Indian Trails, 8400 Delport, St. Louis; Lewis and Clark Branch, 9909 Lewis-Clark Blvd., St. Louis.

The kits can be checked out for a period of two weeks by an adult with a valid St. Louis County Library card. Visit www.slcl.org/kids/ science for more information or call 314-993-3300.

Leaving the Jennings School District was the hardest decision I have had to make in a long time. Expanding this work in my state and opening a door in Kansas that’s been closed to AfricanAmerican women for so long is difficult, but necessary.

The work we have done in Jennings is absolutely sustainable.

The results in Jennings are a result of many staff members, students and community members who came together to improve schools for children. All of those individuals are still there, and collectively they will be continuing the work.

While early on, one person may lead the initial work and show new ways to serve others, it is the entire team working together who is responsible for the outcomes. My role was to inspire staff and students to expect more and to lead staff to a path for ongoing school improvement. My role was to help build a foundation that would serve as a springboard for future growth.

The foundation is built and it’s ready for a new leader to continue to build onto it. The model we Tiffany implemented in serving the whole child can be Anderson sustained if the right people are in place with high expectations and support.

In making this decision to continue the equity work in Kansas and to serve as the first African-American female superintendent of Topeka Public Schools, I read over Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s quote where he shared that the measure of a man is not where you stand in moments of comfort, but it is where you stand in moments of challenge. I came to Jennings four years ago during a challenging time, and we stood for children in poverty. We are now accredited, and I trust others will stand firm in expecting the best from all who are given the privilege to serve our students.

The model is sustainable if the right leader who supports the staff, families and students is in place. If you have a leader who supports the vision of serving the whole child and holds themselves and others accountable for consistent, improved performance, the model will be sustainable. My team is well-trained, and we focused on process, not programs. Process is free and sustainable, whereas programs are not.

I have served for 22 years, and most of that time has been as superintendent. The charter I led to accreditation with distinction years ago is still accredited with distinction, my district in Virginia continued with all schools being accredited for many years after I departed. This model can be replicated and sustained in any district, anywhere, if you have the right, courageous people, the right outlook, and ultimately the will and skill to be the difference for children.

I trust the Jennings Board of Education will pick the right person to continue leading an incredible place that’s inspired people far beyond Jennings about what’s possible when we choose to remove barriers that prevent children from succeeding.

I feel so fortunate to have been given the privilege to serve in Jennings and to give back to my St. Louis community in the best way I know how, which is through education.

Tiffany Anderson, superintendent of the Jennings School District, will assume her new position as superintendent of Topeka Public Schools on July 1.

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BLACKMON Continued from A1 where then-Ferguson Police Officer Darren Wilson killed Michael Brown Jr. in August 2014. She was among the earliest and most devoted clergy supporters of the Ferguson protest movement. Her leadership on the ground captured the attention of Gov. Jay Nixon, who appointed her to the Ferguson Commission in November 2014. Clearly, it also captured the attention of the president of the United States.

Obama convened 18 civil rights leaders last February, including the chief executives of the NAACP and National Urban League, but only asked four to present to him. Blackmon was one of those he selected.

“He wanted to know what was on our hearts and minds,” Blackmon said.

She told the president that she and her community were concerned about “public education in our nation, the inequity based on economics and, in my opinion, based on race,” Blackmon said.

Clearly, the president

NGA Continued from A1 with that classification, which means it is an area that should get federal preference for redevelopment opportunities.

The other locations in the running are the old Chrysler plant in Fenton, the Met Life facility in South St. Louis County and an area adjacent to Scott Air Force Base in Illinois.

The NGA West facility is currently located near the Anheuser-Busch InBev Brewery and has been there since 1943.

The former federal housing

ST. LOUIS AMERICAN • FEBRUARY 4 – 10, 2016

was impressed, because the Advisory Council on FaithBased and Neighborhood Partnerships to which he now has appointed Blackmon is presently focused on poverty (its most recent report was on modern slavery, human trafficking). The council will report on poverty in America and make recommendations to the administration on how to improve the partnerships it forms to address poverty.

The amazingly ecumenical council is chaired by Susan K. Stern of the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee and Jewish Federations of North America. Other represented groups include the National Association of Evangelicals, PolicyLink, United Way Worldwide, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Episcopal Church, Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, Buddha’s Light International Association and Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

When Blackmon spoke to The American on Tuesday, February 2, the council was meeting in Washington, D.C., but she told them when her appointment was finalized (after months of vetting) that she already had a commitment on that date.

complex Pruitt-Igoe borders the potential North St. Louis site, and Clay told Schiff it was “a federal disaster.”

“Bringing NGA will help right that wrong,” Clay said.

Schiff said that the NGA director ultimately has the authority to select the site of the new NGA facility.

“It will be up to him to decide how much our influence will be a factor,” Schiff said of the congressional committee.

“We’ll have some influence.”

The 100-acre proposed site is just north of Pruitt-Igoe and west of St. Louis Place Park.

Much of the area is open land, but several homes still stand in the site.

As the tour came to a stop

“I was committed to speak for a grass-roots effort in Jefferson City,” Blackmon said. “I don’t want to become a person too busy for the people who created this opportunity for me, so I chose to go to Jefferson City and told them I’d be with them next time.”

She also wanted people at the grass roots to know why she accepted the presidential appointment.

“I am a called person of faith, a person who believes in justice, in fighting for justice in every way possible,” Blackmon said. “You can’t just fight from the White House or any infrastructure, but you also can’t leave those opportunities out. It’s not more important than the street, it’s not less important.

You have to do all of it.”

So Blackmon is willing to represent the street at the White House, address 1600 Pennsylvania Ave., now that she has that opportunity.

“It’s a long way from Pennsylvania Avenue to West Florissant, but somebody has to be the link to what’s really happening,” Blackmon said. “I hope to be part of that.”

at Jefferson and Cass avenues, the bus was met by a group of about 20 protestors – including some homeowners.

Homeowner Gustavo Rendon and protestor Larry Chapman said they have been arrested just hours before the tour for putting up a sign that said, “No eminent domain, no NGA.” The sign was in the empty lot across from Rendon’s house, which Northside Regeneration owns.

Chapman said that he overheard Paul McKee Jr. – principal of Northside Regeneration, which controls much of the land in the proposed North City site – tell police earlier that day that they should be arrested.

FERGUSON Continued from A1

is willing to pay higher taxes to fund the consent decree because it’s “worth it” for the city to get past this crisis.

Ralph “Ank” Ankenbrand, 76, is a 40-year Ferguson resident. While wearing an “I love Ferguson” T-shirt, he suggested that the city reject the decree and take its chances in court and “perhaps the real truth would come out.”

Ankenbrand’s comments were met with laughter from decree supporters.

“Money never becomes an issue until it involves justice for all people,” said Charlee Johnson, 65. “Just sign this doggone thing.”

Much of the city’s revenue that would be spent on the consent decree was raised through aggressive ticketing strategies revealed in the DOJ report that led to federal supervision of the municipality.

“They opened the books to this town and found out how much you were making off all these citizens and the means in which you were getting it,” Rosalind Hagedorn, 36-year Ferguson resident, said at the meeting.

One 52-year-old white female Ferguson resident, who wished not to be named, told The American that she

Many residents were troubled over the council’s vote for a new city council member to replace Brian Fletcher, who died on January 10. Last week, all three of the black council members voted on Laverne Mitchom to fill Fletcher’s seat, giving a 3:2 majority vote.

At Tuesday’s public meeting, Mitchom was not sworn in. Instead, Ferguson’s city attorney Stephanie Karr said the council needed a supermajority 4:1 vote.

Residents protested. People held up signs that read “3:2” and “Stop the Karr-uption.”

Mayor James Knowles defended Karr’s position. “I’m obliged to defer to the city attorney’s ruling on this issue,” Knowles told media.

Felicia Pulliam, an attorney and former Ferguson Commissioner who serves as development director for FOCUS St. Louis, interrupted Knowles to object.

“What’s up with the supermajority?” Pulliam told The American. “How does the

McKee disputed this account.

“At the city’s direction, I was told to have the signs removed from our site for they did not have authorization,” McKee told The American.

“We then sent folks to remove the signs, and the police needed to hear me say they were not authorized, which I did. Never did I tell anyone they should be arrested.”

In the event, Rendon and Chapman were charged with trespassing and released immediately.

Rendon said that PruittIgoe was another example of a federal project where eminent domain was used to push out homeowners. The site had

33 11-story buildings, and it stood only 30 years before it was demolished due to high crime and impoverished living conditions.

“Before Pruitt-Igoe, there was community there,” Rendon said. “And look at it now. It’s all torn down.”

Rendon said their community has been threatened with eminent domain several other times, including when former mayor Freeman Bosley Jr. wanted to build a golf course on the near North Side.

“They have been trying to get rid of us for a long time,” Rendon said. “Let us be part of the progress. Let us be part of the development. We want to stay.”

Karr blocks council majority

city attorney make a ruling?

She’s not the judge. She can offer an opinion. I’m so sick of this foolishness. They just make it up as they go along.”

The ACLU sent a letter to Karr on January 28 stating that she was “blocking” Mitchom from being sworn into office.

With five members remaining on the council, a vote of three constitutes a simple majority and should suffice to install Mitchom in office.

“The community will benefit from a decision to follow the law without the necessity of a court order to do so,” the ACLU threatened – with an obvious allusion to the DOJ consent decree designed to force Ferguson to follow federal law.

There are two more public comment hearings before the final vote next week: 10 a.m. Saturday, February 6 at Ferguson Community Center, 1050 Smith Ave.; and 7 p.m.

Tuesday, February 9 at City Hall. The bill will be read for a second time and voted on at the City Council meeting on February 9.

The story is published as part of a partnership between The St. Louis American and the Huffington Post.

He said the city is currently offering homeowners’ money for their properties, but eminent domain is like a weapon.

“They come to you and say, ‘Do you want to sell your house?’ and eminent domain is pointing at your head,” he said.

“If you say ‘no,’ they are going to throw the book at you.”

NGA leaders are expected to make their selection in March. If they chose to move the agency’s facility out of St. Louis city, the city would lose $2.3 million in earnings tax revenue from the loss of those 3,100 jobs.

Schiff said with the city’s economic impact by losing that revenue, “There is a powerful case here.”

A7

ST. LOUIS AMERICAN • FEBRUARY 4 – 10, 2016

PRIMARY Continued from A1 to show support for candidates on March 15, and the last day to register to vote for Missouri’s presidential primary is February 17.

Here are the names of all the 2016 candidates in the order they will appear on the ballot: • The Democrat candidates are Hillary Clinton, Henry Hewes, Rocky De La Fuente, Bernie Sanders, Keith Judd, Willie L. Wilson, Martin J. O’Malley, John Wolfe and Jon Adams.

• The Republicans are Chris Christie, Jeb Bush, Ben Carson, Donald J. Trump, Marco Rubio, Ted Cruz, Rick Santorum, Carly Fiorina, John R. Kasich, Rand Paul, Jim Lynch and Mike Huckabee.

• The Libertarian Party candidates are Austin Petersen, Steven Elliott (Steve) Kerbel, Rhett Rosenquest Smith, Cecil Ince and Marc Allan Feldman.

Leonard Steinman n “Honestly, of Jefferson I don’t think City has announced anyone plans to is excited run for about either president as an Clinton or independent Sanders.” candidate.

By the time – St. Louis November Tishaura O. 8 general Jones election comes around, there will likely be other independent candidates.

For more than a century, Missouri was known as the “bellwether state” because of its tendency to swing between Democratic and Republican presidential candidates, according to Fair Vote. But that hasn’t been the case since the late 1990s.

Although Democratic voters dominate in both St. Louis city and St. Louis County, Missouri’s Republican base statewide has been getting stronger and stronger. In the 2012 presidential election, 1,478,961 Missourians voted for Republican candidate Mitt Romney and 1,215,031 voted for Democratic incumbent Barack Obama, according to the Associated Press. Basically, 54 percent of the voters went Republican and 44 percent Democrat.

Many predicted that the 2016 presidential candidates wouldn’t give much attention to Missouri. From talking with local elected Democrats, that assessment seems accurate.

Several elected officials told The St. Louis American that they have been contacted

by Clinton’s and Sanders’ campaigns asking for support.

However, neither campaign seems to be really putting in much elbow grease.

St. Louis Treasurer Tishaura O. Jones said she has been contacted by Clinton’s campaign, but not by Sanders’.

However, she said she is somewhat “biased” because Marlon Marshall, Clinton’s director of states and political engagement, is a friend of hers and a fellow St. Louisan.

State Senator Maria Chappelle-Nadal said the only person from Clinton’s campaign that reached out to her was veteran Democratic operative Joyce Aboussie.

“She was collecting endorsements on Hillary’s behalf, but that’s it,” Chappelle-Nadal said. “I have been contacted by Bernie

Sanders’ campaign multiple times through social media, as well as at public events I’ve attended.”

St. Louis Comptroller Darlene Green is the vice chair of the Missouri Democratic Party, and she traveled to Iowa to drum up support for Clinton, she said.

State Senator Jamilah Nasheed said she supports Clinton, but that Clinton’s campaign didn’t work hard for her endorsement.

When asked about the level of excitement in the black community for either candidate, several black elected officials said it is “depressed” compared to 2008.

“Honestly, I don’t think anyone is excited about either Clinton or Sanders,” Jones said.

“I believe the black community is waiting to see who emerges from the primary races and will reserve their excitement until after the convention.”

Aside from the primary,

voters also have an upcoming general municipal election on April 5. Most critically, city voters will vote whether to retain the city’s earnings tax.

Last year, St. Louis received more than $160 million from the earnings tax – more thanthe combined value of the city’s property, sales and payroll expense taxes.

To find out how to register to vote, visit http:// www.sos.mo.gov/elections/ goVoteMissouri/register.

Voting in 2016 March 15 – Presidential preference primary; last day to register is February 17 April 5 – General municipal election; last day to register is March 9 August 2 – Primary election; last day to register is July 6 November 8 – General election; last day to register is October 12

ST. LOUIS AMERICAN • FEBRUARY 4 – 10, 2016

A8

Looking for the link

Your Family Doctor

Betrayal of trust

Photo by Sandra Jordan

Current and former North St. Louis County residents who lived along Cold Water Creek attended meetings on January 26 at the Jamestown Bluffs branch of the St. Louis County Public Library, to hear from U.S. Army Corp of Engineers who are looking for a link between radioactive contamination that was in the creek to illnesses in the population.

Residents participate in Public Health Assessment of Coldwater Creek

By Sandra Jordan Of The St. Louis American Federal investigators are looking for a scientific link between radioactive contamination of Coldwater Creek in North St. Louis County and reports of illness and cancers among residents who live nearby.

Subdivisions and residential developments sprang up for decades near and around the area, as families unknowingly purchased homes nearby and children played in or near the creek.

Processed uranium residue stored at the St. Louis Airport Storage Site and the old Hazelwood Interim Storage Site on Latty Ave. is on the National Priorities List.

The federal Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), an independent agency administered by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is the lead agency on the Public Health Assessment (PHA). The current PHA is a follow-up to a 1994 assessment of the St. Louis Airport Site, which evaluated creek waters. Since that time, ATSDR said the US Army Corps of Engineers continued evaluation of water, sediment and soil on properties near the creek.

ATSDR hosted its second public meeting on January 26 at the Jamestown Bluffs branch of the St. Louis County Public Library. It is part of an ongoing process of helping residents understand the PHA process, identify specific concerns and learn of ways the community may have come in contact with Coldwater Creek.

A representative for the ATSDR, told the American that the current assessment is based on more recent environmental data, as well as updated community concerns.

Federal, state and county representatives at the meeting heard heart-wrenching accounts of cancer deaths and illness of persons who grew up in the area or played

in Coldwater Creek. One mother’s son is one of them.

“You’re saying there is no link; there are too many people in one area coming up with cancer. These boys played in the creek. I can’t see how you all don’t see there’s a link.

There is a definite link. My son has brain cancer,” she said. “It doesn’t just affect the person that it happens to – it affects the people that have to deal with him. I had to give up my whole life for him, to take care of my son.

And I know several people who have children that have played in Coldwater Creek and their kids have cancer.”

Residents also talked about the prohibitive costs of cancer treatments and medications.

Teri Biondo described how her brother was changing oil in her vehicle one year and he

was gone the next.

“He had cancer of his lungs, in his pancreas, in his brain and spine and spinal surgery, brain surgery – and he died within a year,” Teri Biondo said.

About 200 residents attended the most recent meetings. While there were plenty of anecdotal reports of current and former residents developing and succumbing to cancers, the Corps must gather scientific data through its PHA process, said Lieutenant Commander Erin Evans, an environmental health specialist with the U.S. Public Health Service, ATSDR. The history of the radioactive contamination of Coldwater Creek dates back to World War II. Mallinckrodt processed uranium ore

See CREEK, A9

More than 1 in 20 U.S. children have dizziness, balance problems More than 1 in 20 (nearly 3.3 million) children between the ages of 3 and 17 have a dizziness or balance problem, according to an analysis of the first large-scale, nationally representative survey of these problems in U.S. children. Prevalence increases with age, with 7.5 percent of children ages 15-17 and 6.0 percent of children ages 12-14 having any dizziness or balance problem, compared with 3.6 percent of children ages 6-8 and 4.1 percent of children ages 3-5. The research was

led by investigators at the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD), part of the National Institutes of Health.

Researchers found that girls have a higher prevalence of dizziness and balance problems compared to boys, 5.7 percent and 5.0 percent, respectively. In addition, non-Hispanic white children have an increased prevalence of dizziness and balance problems (6.1 percent) compared with Hispanic (4.6 percent) and non-Hispanic black (4.3

percent) children. The findings were published online January 27 in The Journal of Pediatrics.

“These findings suggest that dizziness and balance problems are fairly common among children, and parents and providers should be aware of the impact these problems can have on our children,” said James F. Battey, Jr., M.D., Ph.D, director of the NIDCD and a pediatrician.

“Parents who notice dizziness and balance problems in their children should consult a health

See BALANCE, A9

Your Health Matters is provided in partnership with

Do no harm. These words are quite familiar to most physicians because often times it is recited during medical school graduations.

The phrase is to set the framework of the future practice of medicine and be the basic creed of our work. In every decision, in every procedure, in every recommendation, we are to ask ourselves, “Will this be more harmful than beneficial?” With that in mind, don’t you wish the governmental officials in Flint, Michigan had asked themselves that very question?

In a capitalistic society as ours, too often the bottom line is always about money and not about the very lives of the people for whom we are charged to serve. Yet, we dare to declare on our money, “In God we trust.”

Which God is that?

The God I know teaches to consider the least of these. The very people that needed protection the most in Flint, the poor, were treated the worst!

So the water in Flint isn’t fresh spring water. What’s the big deal? Beyond the fact that the citizens of Flint were told that the water from the river was just as safe as their previous source of water, but to then say that boiling the water would also be a safe alternative seems so sinister to me. Not to mention these very citizens were paying their hard-earned money to receive substandard water.

Makes you wonder would this same scenario have occurred in Rochester Hills, Michigan where the average income is $124,944 compared Denise Hooksto an average income Anderson, MD of $27,049 in Flint.

Lead toxicity can result in serious health conditions, particularly in children, affecting their mental and physical development. Lead levels accumulate over months and years. Extremely high levels of lead can be fatal.

Early on, lead poisoning may be hard to detect due to an absence of symptoms.

However, as the levels rise, children may exhibit behavior and learning difficulties.

Other symptoms include, sluggishness, weight loss, vomiting, constipation and hearing loss. Sadly, babies exposed before birth cannot only have learning difficulties but also slowed growth.

But this type of environmental fiasco is not limited to lead toxicity nor is it limited to Flint, Michigan. Remember the Erin Brockovich story? Similar in many ways but instead involved a large utility giant, Pacific Gas and Electric, lying to consumers in Hinkley, California about the Chromium 6 that was being dumped into their drinking water. Erin Brockovich was a file clerk in a law office who accidentally came across some files which prompted her to begin an investigation that eventually led to one of the largest medical settlement lawsuits in history.

Dishonesty to fellow citizens isn’t limited to rogue nations as we are led to believe if we watch enough television. Our country unfortunately, has a very tainted past of its own when it comes to how we treat our poor and disenfranchised. It sickens me to think I live in a place of such great resources yet so little ethical values. We must not sit idly by and watch our very own citizens be poisoned over the sake of earning or saving a dollar!

Your family doctor, Denise Hooks Anderson, M.D. Assistant Professor SLUCare Family Medicine yourhealthmatters@stlamerican.com

ST. LOUIS AMERICAN • FEBRUARY 4 – 10, 2016

A9

Grants available to help reduce infant mortality The Missouri Foundation for Health is seeking Letters of Interest for 2016 Collaborative Grants as part of its Infant Mortality Reduction Initiative.

The initiative is a community-driven collaborative effort to improve infant vitality in St. Louis and the Missouri Bootheel by reducing infant mortality.

The funding opportunity is open to organizations serving women, infants, and families in either St. Louis or the Bootheel (Stoddard, Scott, New Madrid, Pemiscot, Dunklin, or Mississippi County).

The MFH initiative uses collective impact, an approach which partners and community members work together toward a common goal. The collective impact effort in St. Louis is called FLOURISH STL and is coordinated by the Maternal, Child and Family Health Coalition.

Programs and services funded through the 2016 collaborative grants opportunity in St. Louis will accomplish shortterm outcomes aligned with at least one of the following strategic priority areas:

opportunity will accomplish short-term outcomes aligned with at least one of three strategic priority areas: • Safe sleep • Substance abuse among pregnant women • Pre and postnatal care Infant mortality, the death of an infant less than one year of age, is a complex issue affected by many factors including, but not limited to, lack of access to prenatal care, housing, transportation and lack of preconception care.

• Engage the public in infant mortality reduction efforts; • Increase community knowledge about the need for and availability of services and programs to support women, families and infants (aligned with FLOURISH STL messaging); • Support policies that ensure adequate access to care

before, during and after pregnancy; • Ensure effective and comprehensive service delivery that is easily accessible;

• Increase access to livable wages and supportive and affordable housing to support infant health; and • Work on systems-level changes that have the ability to

advance opportunities for families to support their health and the health of their infants.

The collective impact effort in the Bootheel is called Bootheel Babies and

Free well water testing kits still available for flood victims The Saint Louis County Department of Public Health is extending the deadline for free well water testing of private wells for St. Louis County residents who live in areas affected by recent flooding until February 22.

“It is very important that any residents affected by the flood who use well water make sure that it hasn’t been contaminated,” said Dr. Faisal Khan, director of the Saint Louis County Department of Public Health. “We hope to help with this by continuing to offer free well water testing to affected residents for another

three weeks.”

The testing kits for private wells are available for those residents who live in an area affected by the flood. They can be picked up at the following locations:

CREEK Continued from A8 in downtown St. Louis from 1942 to 1957 as a contractor for the Manhattan Project and the Atomic Energy Commission as part of the government’s nuclear weapons production. Residue from that process was taken to sites in North County by the airport, where they dried the radioactive waste material before it was shipped to Colorado for burial.

During the 1960s, partial remediation included demolishing existing buildings, burying the wastes on-site and covering the area with about three feet of clean fill. The ATSDR website states additional wastes were moved to the Weldon Springs Quarry or to the West Lake Landfill in St. Louis County.

FUSRAP, the Formerly Utilized Sites Remedial Action Program, was established in 1974 to address the

4562 Lemay Ferry Road Saint Louis, Missouri 63129 Monday - Friday; 7:30 a.m. 4:30 p.m.

• Saint Louis County Health Department - Main Office 6121 North Hanley Road Berkeley, Missouri 63134 Monday - Friday; 8:00 a.m. 5:00 p.m.

• Saint Louis County Health Department - West County Satellite Office Clarkson Wilson Centre 78 Clarkson Centre (off Clarkson Road) Chesterfield, Missouri 63017 Monday - Friday; 7:30 a.m. 4:30 p.m.

• Saint Louis County Health Department - South County Satellite Office Keller Plaza

The Health Department added it is important that the instructions included with each well water testing kit be

cleanup of sites contaminated due to former use for nuclear weapons production. Since 1977, cleanup has been the responsibility of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which states it has removed more than a million cubic yards of contamination from sites in downtown St. Louis and North St. Louis County.

Currently, contractors for FUSRAP have taken samples in a 3.4-mile stretch of Coldwater Creek and its 10-year flood plain. Last summer, St. Cin Park in Hazelwood was closed to undergo several months of work to remove soil contaminated by radioactivity from the creek. Recent testing resulted in the Corps finding radioactive soil at three homes and four businesses near Coldwater Creek.

This year, the Corps will sample the next four-mile stretch of Coldwater Creek, from St. Denis Bridge to Old Halls Ferry Road.

The big issue, Evans said, is that Coldwater Creek does not look the same as it did 50-60

years ago.

Evans said, “Quite a bit of development has occurred over time; the creek has been rerouted and there have been projects by the Metropolitan Sewer District that have created storm drains or been a development of community and of homes.”

She said investigators will take into account take those changes as well as input from residents and sampling results to make any recommendations on what needs to happen.

“If we find anything at any point and time that is elevated, that warrants shutting the place down, we aren’t going to wait to take some action.”

Evans said on average, a public health assessment takes 18-24 months.

“And this is huge. We are not looking at only one instance… we’re looking at what spans decades,” Evans reminded.

For people who are stricken with illness and deplete of financial resources, time is of the essence.

followed exactly. Suspect well water must be collected as directed, then returned to the County Public Health Department’s Main Office in Berkeley no later than 30 hours after collection. The department is only waiving the private drinking water testing fee through February 22, 2016.

Information about the well water testing kits as well as information about disinfecting contaminated wells and other water sources is available at www.stlouoisco.com.

“Eighteen to 24 months?

We’ve got people with illnesses that aren’t going to make it,” a woman said. “The sooner we get to where those of us who have health issues are being talked to about them, then the better it seems that people are actually doing something, vs. just telling us this is going to take a while.”

The State and County are also working with ATSDR and the Corps on this issue.

Evans said she would look into bringing in a nuclear health physicist an epidemiologist to answer more specific questions in future meetings.

The next meeting on Coldwater Creek will be held February 17 at the James Eagan Center in Florissant from 6p.m. to 8 p.m.

Historical summary about the sites affected by Coldwater Creek can be found on the ATSDR website at this shortened link: http:// tinyurl.com/zg2le59.

A community-based website has been created at www. coldwatercreekfacts.com.

Your Health Matters is provided in partnership with

Families and is coordinated by a partnership of two organizations, Missouri Bootheel Regional Consortium and Bootheel Network for Health Improvement. In the Bootheel, the 2016 collaborative grants

BALANCE Continued from A8 care provider to rule out a serious underlying condition.”

Previous estimates of dizziness and balance problems in children have ranged from 5 to 18 percent and have been based on limited, foreign, population-based studies. To better understand the prevalence of these problems among U.S. children, a team led by researchers from the epidemiology and statistics program at the NIDCD analyzed data from the Child Balance Supplement to the 2012 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS), which conducted annually by the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The researchers analyzed data on nearly 11,000 children, ages 3 to 17, based on parents’ responses to the survey. Parents were asked if in the past year, their children had been bothered by symptoms of dizziness or balance problems such as vertigo, poor balance/ unsteadiness when standing up, clumsiness/poor coordination, frequent falls, fainting or light-headedness, or other dizziness and balance symptoms.

The researchers also found that only one-third, or 32.8 percent, of parents with a child with a dizziness or balance problem reported having received a diagnosis of an underlying condition.

The percentage of children diagnosed rose to 59.6 percent among children whose parents reported they had moderate to serious difficulties with dizziness and balance problems. Reported causes included neurological problems; ear infections; head or neck injuries or concussions; developmental motor coordination disorder;

Because the factors affecting infant mortality are complex, MFH believes that community organizations working together are better able to address this issue.

The foundation has $2 million available for collaborative grants among both locations, and applicants may apply for up to two years of funding. The grants not intended to support ongoing operation costs for existing programs and services.

Funding can support a justified expansion of an existing service or program.

The request for Letters of Interest opened January 26 and closes on July 25.

For more information in the St. Louis area, contact Program Officer Kathleen Holmes at 314-345-5572 or kholmes@mffh.org.

In the Bootheel, contact Program Officer Melissa Logsdon at 314-345-5506 or mlogsdon@mffh.org.

genetic causes; metabolic problems such as hypoglycemia; prescription medication or drugs; severe headaches or migraines; malformation of the ear; and vision problems.

Children with any reported difficulty hearing were two times more likely to have dizziness or balance problems compared with children who had normal hearing. Other risk factors associated with dizziness and balance problems included impairments that limit a child’s ability to crawl, walk, run or play; frequent headaches or migraines; certain developmental delays; a history of seizures in the past 12 months; stuttering/stammering; and anemia during the last 12 months.

The analysis also revealed gender-specific risk factors.

For example, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, attention deficit disorder, and stuttering were linked to dizziness and balance problems in boys, while anemia, hearing difficulties, and respiratory allergies were associated with the condition in girls.

Girls with dizziness and balance problems also reported having more headaches and migraines compared to boys with dizziness and balance problems.

“Our findings are consistent with the limited prevalence data in other countries, and provide much-needed baseline estimates of dizziness and balance problems in U.S. children,” said Howard J. Hoffman, M.A., co-author of the study and director of epidemiology and statistics at the NIDCD. “Dizziness and balance problems in children continue to be an understudied area, and we hope that this analysis leads to a better understanding of the scope and risk factors associated with these issues.”

For more health information on balance disorders, visit http://tinyurl.com/ j5pltms.

A10 • FEBRUARY 4 - 10, 2016 • The St. LouiS AmericAn

Farr given Black Heritage award

Black history and financial justice Dr. King’s economic fight is still alive

By Charlene Crowell Guest columnist Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s life work focused on creating equality of opportunity for all Americans. In this struggle, economic injustice remained his commitment as his last days in Memphis challenged unfair wages and working conditions of sanitation workers. Many tributes this year will no doubt note how his life was snuffed out by a sniper’s bullet in Memphis.

Today much like in 1968, black Americans still lag far behind their white counterparts in income and wealth – with few or no emergency savings and equally low retirement accounts. This reality is not a coincidence but the result

of deliberate public policies that favored whites over others, combined with predatory loans that destroyed decades of hard-earned savings.

Our challenge is to honor his memory by taking an active role in securing financial justice. Despite the enactment of civil rights laws spanning open housing, voting rights, equal credit and more, the Joint Economic Committee of Congress recently found that the median net worth of white households is 13 times greater than black households. By the numbers, we are talking about the difference between having $142,000 and $11,000.

See JUSTICE, A12

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s final campaign was in support of striking sanitation workers in Memphis, Tennessee.

SLU honors Diane Nash

Misty Farr

Civil rights warrior Diane Nash was celebrated on January 12 during the fifth annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Tribute at Saint Louis University. She received the 2016 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Civil Rights Award on behalf of SLU and The Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis.

St. Louis College of Pharmacy honors alumna The St. Louis College of Pharmacy Alumni Association has selected Misty Collier Farr, PharmD, as the 2016 Black Heritage Distinguished Alumni Award recipient.

She is a 2010 n Winners of graduate of the college the college’s and the Distinguished pharmacy Alumni Award manager at the have Florissant Walmart contributed located at to society 3390 N. Hwy 67. throughout She and their lives. her family reside in the Florissant area.

The Black Heritage Distinguished Alumni Award is a celebration by the Alumni Association in recognition of leaders in the AfricanAmerican community for their scholarly works and commitment to improve cultural competencies and eliminate health disparities in See FARR, A11

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs staffers David L. Cozart, Elizabeth Bennett and McKinley Hubbard with Audrey Mack, executive director of the Missouri Veterans History Project, and Elson Williams Jr., Community Affairs liaison at Major Brands

Presenting sPonsors

Photo by Danielle Lacy

Civil rights leader said people led Civil Rights Movement of ‘60s, not MLK

By Mariah Stewart Of The Huffington Post Civil rights warrior Diane Nash’s long history of disrupting racial discrimination was celebrated on January 12 during the fifth annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Tribute at Saint Louis University.

Nash began her work in the movement in 1959, when she moved to Nashville, Tennessee to attend Fisk University, a historic hot spot during the Civil Rights Movement. Nash helped coordinate and participated in the first lunch counter sit-in to promote desegregation.

She went on to organize Freedom

Rides, a demonstration where blacks would ride buses into the raceconscious south in order to protest against unconstitutional segregated buses. Throughout her activism, Nash was arrested several times. Perhaps her most notable arrest is when she spent 30 days in jail while pregnant with her first child.

Nash, 77, a Chicago native who once worked alongside Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., served as keynote speaker at the event and was awarded the 2016 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Civil Rights Award on behalf of SLU and The Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis.

“I used to have vigorous, but constructive, disagreements with Dr. King about strategy, but one thing about him that I always knew is he had the best interests of the people at heart and that was very important to me,” Nash said.

She went on to clarify King’s exact role in the movement.

“We need to realize that there is no one to solve the problems, but you and me,” Nash said. “History books and the media frequently portrayed the movement of the ‘60s as Martin Luther King’s movement. It was not. This doesn’t take away anything from Martin. I think he was a great man and his contributions were See NASH, A12

Project seeks to interview veterans The Missouri Veterans History Project is looking to record, preserve and make accessible the personal accounts of Missouri War Veterans so future generations may hear directly from the veterans and better understand the realities of war. The interviews are conducted by trained staff, and a copy of the video will be given to the veteran. Copies also will be sent to the Missouri Historical Society and the Library of Congress to be archived and made available to scholars, veterans and the public.

Elson Williams, Community Affairs liaison at Major Brands, recently set up a meeting for Audrey Mack, executive director of the Missouri Veterans History Project, with 10 Vietnam combat veterans at the Vet Center, 2906 Olive St., Louis, to make a presentation on why they should be involved in the project. Several veterans signed up at the Vet Center.

Interested veterans should call 573522-4220, email info@myhp.net or visit http://www.myhv.net/.

FEBRUARY 4 - 10, 2016 • ST. LOUIS AMERICAN

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History of Black History Month

By Marc H. Morial Guest columnist Those who have no record of what their forebears have accomplished lose the inspiration which comes from the teaching of biography and history. – Carter G. Woodson Carter G. Woodson was born in Virginia, 10 years after the fall of the Confederacy.

Working as a sharecropper and a miner, he rarely had time to attend school until the age of 20. He would devote the rest of his life to study, becoming known as “The Father of African-American History.”

Through his studies, Woodson found that AfricanAmerican contributions to history “were overlooked, ignored, and even suppressed by the writers of history textbooks and the teachers who use them.” He concluded that racial prejudice “is merely the logical result of tradition, the inevitable outcome of thorough instruction to the effect that the Negro has never contributed anything to the progress of mankind.”

Black History Month, which Woodson founded as Negro History Week in 1926, was his effort to combat that tradition. Chosen to coincide with the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglas, considered heroes by most Black Americans, the second week in February was set aside to celebrate Black history.

The first year, education officials of only three states

FARR Continued from A10 the community. Winners of the college’s Distinguished Alumni Award have contributed to society throughout their lives. They are recognized for their contributions to their

Carter G. Woodson founded Negro History Week in 1926 during the second week in February to coincide with the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglas. and two cities recognized the event, but by 1929 it was being promoted in nearly every state in the nation. In 1970, black students at Kent State University celebrated the first unofficial Black History Month and in 1976, President Gerald Ford officially recognized the event.

“The last quarter-century has finally witnessed significant strides in the full integration of black people into every area of national life,” Ford said. “In celebrating Black History Month, we can take satisfaction from this recent progress in the realization

communities, the college and the profession of pharmacy.

Farr is a member of St. Nicholas’ Roman Catholic Church, the American Pharmacist Association, Minority Women Pharmacist Association, the Knights of Peter Claver Ladies’ Auxiliary, the Knights of Columbus Ladies’ Auxiliary, and the League of Black Women.

of the ideals envisioned by our Founding Fathers. But, even more than this, we can seize the opportunity to honor the too-often neglected accomplishments of black Americans in every area of endeavor throughout our history.”

In the intervening 40 years, we’ve seen remarkable progress in racial justice, and also heartbreaking setbacks.

There are some in our own community who feel Black History Month is unnecessary - as there were in Woodson’s own day. And their essential point is valid: Black history is American History, and its teaching should not be relegated to one month per year. But that isn’t the point of Black History Month.

The American Dream remains perilously out of reach for many people of color. The National Urban League Equality Index, a comprehensive comparison of Black America’s status in the areas of economics, health, education, social justice and civic engagement, stands at 72.2 percent.

Racial disparity won’t disappear if we simply ignore it. Justice will not be achieved unless we actively seek it out.

Black History Month not only serves as a reminder of what our forbearers have achieved, but as an inspiration for the journey that remains before us.

Marc H. Morial is president and CEO of the National Urban League.

She will receive the Award at the annual St. Louis College of Pharmacy Black History Month Celebration, “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner,” on Saturday, February 20, from 5-8 p.m. at the Moto Museum, 3441 Olive Blvd. in St. Louis.

The cost is $15. She will be honored again, in November, at the college’s annual gala.

February 2016 Join us this February as we salute a rising icon of African American culture!

African American actors, artists and performers have been commanding the spotlight for decades, but the newest generation of trendsetters is in a class all its own.

Join us “In Conversation” with actress JURNEE SMOLLETT-BELL for an entertaining look at the next wave of African American cultural luminaries and taste makers! Then enjoy a special reception following the discussion where you’ll get a chance to meet Jurnee and snap a photo with her!

Check out our exclusive interview and content, and find an event near you at

macys.com/celebrate

Event subject to change or cancellation.

Jurnee Smollett-Bell Best known for her award-winning performance in The Great Debaters, and for her role on the critically acclaimed series, Friday Night Lights.

Jurnee has appeared in numerous films and television shows, and her newest project, Underground, debuts on WGN America this spring!

FEBRUARY 4 - 10, 2016 • ST. LOUIS AMERICAN

A12

JUSTICE Continued from A10 While America’s well-todo continue to partake of the nation’s financial bounty, the middle class continues to shrink, more Americans are sliding into poverty and much of Black America lives financially fragile lives.

A late 2015 a report from the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis found that while college education continues to boost lifetime earnings, how much people benefit from those degrees has a stark racial divide. Black college graduates’ median incomes fell 12 percent below those of their white and Asian-American counterparts.

Similarly, the average median incomes for Latino college graduates fell 10 percent less as well.

Why is that?

The Federal Reserve itself noted, “The underlying factors

causing racial and ethnic wealth disparities undoubtedly are complex and deeply rooted.”

But certainly one of the factors is that black students are targeted and more heavily recruited by for-profit colleges than their white counterparts.

While black and Latino students make up 21 percent of all postsecondary enrollments, they represent 41 percent of students at for-profit institutions. These high cost institutions largely offer substandard education and leave graduates with massive debt and worthless degrees. Fewer job prospects lead to higher rates of default on unsustainable loans – all of which undermines their ability to secure financial stability or economic security.

The predatory practices of for-profit colleges illustrates just how much of Black America’s missing wealth is tied to high-cost credit.

The cumulative high cost of predatory lending products is

that our families lose the ability to save for a home, a beneficial college education, or even their own retirement.

We are witnessing a related set of abuses in auto-loan financing. The vast majority of auto loans in this country are arranged by the auto dealer. The dealers have the discretion to add to the interest

with similar credit profiles, according to research by the Center for Responsible Lending (CRL).

The best known tragedy is the billions of dollars of wealth lost by black and Latino homeowners who were steered to subprime mortgages. Even today, homeownership remains the surest opportunity

n Black college graduates’ median incomes

fell 12 percent below those of their white and Asian-American counterparts.

rate of car buyers and keep some or all of this mark up as compensation. Many have used this discretion to charge higher rates to Black and Latino borrowers. Despite trying to negotiate better interest rates, many times black and Latino consumers wind up charged more than white consumers

to build financial stability for middle class families assuming the mortgage is fairly underwritten. However, during the lead up to the 2008 financial crisis, mortgage brokers received kickbacks to steer mostly minority borrowers into higher-priced loans and loans with risky and deceptive terms. Eight years after the crisis, the cost of these predatory practices is still felt in black neighborhoods across the country.

Education, transportation and housing are the three largest financial transactions

NASH Continued from A10 tremendous, but the fact is the people did everything necessary to conduct that movement.”

A founder of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, Nash highlighted the importance of nonviolent activism by explaining her selfcreated phrase “agapic energy” – a term Nash defines as exerting energy by using love (“agape”) for humankind.

“Agapic energy is not just the absence of violence. It is the use of a power,” Nash said.

“Agapic energy is not passive.

It is active. Users of agapic energy are not pacifists. We are activists. Energy produced by

for most families. The total impact predatory credit if measured strictly in dollars is in the trillions. And the lost opportunity cannot adequately be measured.

The NAACP’s Hilary Shelton recently spoke to America’s dual credit system.

“Allowing the spread of high cost credit entrenches a two-tier financial system: one group of consumers who can access a mainstream financial system and another group of consumers who are further marginalized and turn to predatory lenders selling risky products,” Shelton said.

If as a people we sincerely want to build wealth for our families, we must work to ensure an end to abusive loan practices. One immediate path to consider is to join the #stopthedebttrap coalition that is working to push the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to regulate away the debt trap created by payday loans. While deceptively marketed as a short-term solution for a cash emergency, these triple digit interest rate loans leave borrowers indebted for more than half a year and studies have shown they can lead to increased rates of bank account closures and even

bankruptcy. All communities and particularly Black America deserve safer loan products that help and not harm.

Our unique black American experience continues to show that doing the so-called “right thing” is often not enough to gain financial security or build wealth.

Whether plowing plantation fields, sharecropping, cleaning homes or raising other people’s children, we well know hard work. Millions of grandparents worked long hours in industrial plants, or stood on bus lines in all kinds of weather just to put food on the table and have a roof for families to live under.

All the while, these generations were urging their children to “get a good education.”

My hope is that there will be a renewed commitment to an active, aggressive and principled fight for the causes that Dr. King fought for throughout his life. There could be no better testament than to wage a vigorous fight against the economic injustice caused by predatory lending.

Charlene Crowell is a communications manager with the Center for Responsible Lending. She can be reached at Charlene.crowell@ responsiblelending.org.

love, if properly applied, helps teach or heal the opponent or at least convince the opponent from continuing to perpetuate oppression.”

Nash explained that the nonviolent activism heavily associated with King can be used as a blueprint to help solve injustices that people face today.

“In order to take advantage of that legacy it’s necessary to understand the movement of the ‘60s,” said Nash. “We were always dissatisfied with the word ‘nonviolence’ because it did not communicate the meaning that we wanted to convey. We needed a term that accomplished much more than the absence of violence. The only person you can change is yourself. When you change

yourself, the world has to fit up against the new you.”

In addition to Nash, other honorees were Tiffany Anderson, Education Award; Celerstine Johnson, Donald Brennan Humanitarian Award; Rev. Starsky Wilson, Community Leadership Award; and Centene Corporation, Corporate Leadership Award.

As a surprise gesture of thanks, Jonathan C. Smith, special assistant to the SLU president for Diversity and Community Engagement, presented Rita McMillan with a 2016 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Special Award of acknowledgment of and gratitude for her creation and ongoing support of the program.

ST. LOUIS AMERICAN • FEBRUARY 4 - 10, 2016

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WEEK 22

ONE SMALL CHANGE is an ongoing series that challenges us to take very small steps toward being more environmentally-friendly. If we all participate then participate, thenONE ONESMALL SMALLCHANGE CHANGEcan canmake makeaabig bigdifference! difference!

GIVE IT AWAY Let’s pretend your family bought a brand new lamp. The old lamp still works but isn’t nearly as awesome as the new one. So what are you going to do with it? Too many times we throw away products that still work when we could just as easily give them away.

Make one small change today and commit to gifting your old items to charities, websites like Craigslist, and thrift stores.

A group in Arizona started a website to exchange their old stuff called Freecycle.org.

They’ve been around for about 12 years and have expanded a lot. Because this group made one small change a little over a decade ago, they now prevent over 500 tons of garbage per day from entering a landfill!

THIS CHANGE SAVES TONS OF GARBAGE PER DAY! !

ST. LOUIS AMERICAN • FEBRUARY 4 - 10, 2016

A14

NEWSPAPER IN

EDUCATION

PRESENT:

Healthy Kids

Planting the Seeds for Success!

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

companies are quite clever when thinking of creative ways to make you believe that something is healthy.

INGREDIENTS: Whole Grain Wheat, Sugar,

Nutrition Challenge:

Savvy Shopping!

Stretching

St r a n g er Da n g er

When shopping, it takes a pretty good “Food Detective” to know what is really good for you; don’t just read the front of food product packaging.

Food

GRANOLA Cereal

Corn Bran, Wheat Bran, Inulin, Gylcerin, Whole Grain Rolled Oats, Crispy Rice-Oat Bits (Rice & Oat Flour, Sugar, Malt Extract, Salt, BHT), Corn Syrup, Brown Sugar, Barley Malt Extract, Salt, Toasted Oats (Whole Grain Rolled Oats, Sugar, Glucose-Fructose, Soybean Oil, Honey, Molasses), Golden Syrup, Wheat Bits (Whole Wheat Flour, Corn Starch, Corn Flour, Sugar, Salt, TrisodiumPhosphate, Baking Soda, Annatto and

Just because a product says, “Healthy, Organic, Natural” or even “Good For You!” doesn’t mean

that it is a healthy choice. As we’ve discussed in previous weeks, always read the labels to see if the food product really is a smart food for you to eat.

As a class, discuss some of the ways to read a label. What are some of the things to look for in an ingredient list? How can you know if a food really is healthy?

Hint: Refer to previous Healthy Kids pages for ideas.

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

Caramel Color), Malt Syrup, Honey, Calcium

Stretching is an important part of any healthy exercise plan.

Slowly extend your fingers, hands, and arms until you feel the muscles stretching. Do the same for your toes, feet and legs. Then slowly bend over to stretch the muscles in your back. Do each stretch for 10-30 seconds, and don’t stretch to the point of pain.

If an adult (or much older child) offers you a ride, or asks you to help him/ her locate a lost puppy (or kitten, or a lost child), do not get close to the

Stretching helps your muscles warm up and increases your flexibility, range of motion and blood flow to the muscles.

Stretching can prepare your body for exercise and prevent injuries to your muscles.

Learning Standards: HPE 2, HPE 5, NH 1

stranger or his/her car. This is one of the most common ways that children are kidnapped every single day.

And if an adult offers you a ride or asks for your help, immediately run to a trusted adult and tell him or her what just happened!

Learning Standards: HPE 5, NH 5

Oven Roasted Chickpeas Ingredients: 15 oz. Can chickpeas, 2 Tbsp. Olive oil, ½ Tsp. Garlic powder, ½ Tsp. Cumin, ½ Tsp. Sea salt, (Or replace all seasonings with 1 tsp. taco seasoning.)

Directions: Preheat oven to 375. Line baking sheet with parchment paper. Mix all ingredients together in a bowl to evenly coat the chickpeas. Spread onto parchment paper and bake for 35-40 minutes, until crisp and golden.

Healthcare Careers

Quita Stephens, Disease Case Manager, RN Where do you work? I work at Optum Health/ United Healthcare.

Where did you go to school? I graduated from Hazelwood East High School and received an ASN from Golfarb School of Nursing (BJC School of Nursing) in St. Louis, a BS in Healthcare Management from Harris Stowe State University, St. Louis and an MSW from St. Louis University.

What does a disease case manager do? Each day I call the elderly that have been diagnosed with different chronic health conditions to check on them. I educate them on their health conditions, and encourage them to follow the plan the doctor has for them.

Why did you choose this career? I wanted to be a nurse ever since I was a little girl. I chose nursing in the end because healthcare provides so many options and areas you can specialize in.

Another reason why I chose nursing is because I wanted to make a difference and have an impact on someone’s life.

What is your favorite part of the job you have?

My favorite part of the job I currently have is that I know that each day an elderly person is awaiting my call somewhere, and will appreciate and benefit from the work I do, and the information I give them. It is fulfilling to me and heartwarming to know that I helped someone move a step closer to living a quality life.

Learning Standards: HPE6, NH3

ST. LOUIS AMERICAN • FEBRUARY 4 - 10, 2016

A15

The St. Louis American’s award winning NIE program provides newspapers and resources to more than 7,000 teachers and students each week throughout the school year, at no charge.

CLASSROOM SPOTLIGHT

SCIENCE STARS African-American Aerospace Engineer Chris Miller

Fairview Elementary School 6th grade teacher, Latasha Harvey-Smith, uses a

Meet Chris Miller, a St. Louis native who grew up watching the skies. Miller’s love of flight came naturally. His father was an airline operations manager at Lambert airport. Miller always was fascinated by airplanes and wanted to know how they worked. When he was allowed to go to work with his father, it was definitely a thrill!

math exercise from the newspaper with students Ariel Ruffin, Kayla Thomas, Xavier Galloway, and Darrion Welden as a STEM lesson.

Fairview Elementary is in the Jennings School District. Photo by Wiley Price/St. Louis American

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

SCIENCE CORNER

Types of Engineers

Did you know there are many types of engineers? Check out the list below.

ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERS specialize in natural resources, pollution, air quality, etc.

MECHANICAL ENGINEERS focus on mechanical systems and machines. They must also understand heat transfer and fluid mechanics.

AEROSPACE ENGINEERS work with various aircraft, spacecraft, and satellites.

BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERS design products for patient and medical care.

and radiation hazards.

CHEMICAL ENGINEERS work with the chemical process in food, fuel, medicine, make-up, and much more.

Although there are many types of engineers, all engineers are critical thinkers and they must be good problem solvers.

CIVIL ENGINEERS design and maintain the safety of bridges, buildings, roads, and other large structures.

To learn more about types of engineers, visit:

NUCLEAR ENGINEERS work to solve problems related to nuclear weapons

COMPUTER ENGINEERS work with computer hardware and software.

ELECTRICAL ENGINEERS work with various forms of electricity, for example robotics and medical imaging.

SCIENCE EXPERIMENT

http://www.sciencekids.co.nz/sciencefacts/engineering/ typesofengineeringjobs.html.

Learning Standards: I can read nonfiction text for main idea and supporting detail. I can make text to world and text to text connections.

Make a Coin Sorter! like by weight, size, sliding ability, or shape. Remember, you will make your coin sorter using just cardboard boxes, paper, tape, cardboard tubes and string.

Background Information: In this experiment, you are going to put your problem solving skills to action! You will design a device to sort coins.

w Once you decide on a design, begin building. Do you have to change your design as you build? Why? What challenges do you face as you build that you didn’t think about when you were sketching your design?

Materials Needed:

• Jar of Coins • Paper • Shoeboxes or Other Cardboard Boxes • Construction Paper • Cardboad Tubes • String • Masking Tape • Scissors • Sharpened Pencils

e Test your design. What changes did you make? Did your design changes solve the problem? Analyze your results and compare your design with your classmates.

Process:

q Sketch your design ideas on paper before you begin building. Think about the problem you are trying to solve. Consider the different ways you could sort coins

Learning Standards: I can follow directions to complete an experiment. I can analyze results.

In fourth grade, Miller had an inspirational teacher—Ms. Whittaker—whose husband worked for Boeing. She saw a talent and drive in Miller and encouraged him to take advanced mathematics. With family and teachers supporting him, Miller was encouraged to pursue his goals. After graduating from Hazelwood Central, Miller went to Tuskegee University in Alabama to earn a Bachelor of Science degree in Aerospace ScienceEngineering. Next, Miller earned a Master of Business Administration from Webster University in St. Louis.

He became active in an organization called INROADS, whose mission is to develop and place talented underserved youth in business and industry, and prepare them for corporate and community leadership. Miller interned at Boeing and his talent and hard work were noticed. In fact, his performance reviews earned him the prestigious award of INROAD’s Intern of the Year. Miller has worked at Boeing for 10 years as an F-15 International Suite Technical Integrator. Miller leads mission systems developments on the F-15 aircraft, coordinating with international operators around the world.

He feels pride and satisfaction in seeing his work efforts as the F-15 travels around the world. However, it’s not an easy task. Miller’s job involves very intricate problem solving.

He has to make sure all the parts come together just right.

To do so, he needs to understand how one change in the aircraft will affect the rest of the system. For example, if someone wants an aircraft to travel at 500 mph, he must determine how to reach that goal. This goal will impact the engine, fuel, and much more.

While speaking as an alumni at an INROADS banquet, Miller was complimented from a gentleman in the audience who noted that it was rare to see an African-American aerospace engineer. This conversation inspired Miller to write about his experiences. As Miller worked to find the ideal format and audience, he chose to write a children’s book called, “Daddy, How Do Planes Fly?” He believed that a children’s book would be a good way to pique an interest in flight.

This book could be used in classrooms to reach a variety of students. Miller offers the following advice to young students, “Don’t shy away from things that challenge you.

Taking the easier road may get you there faster, but you lose many valuable lessons. Work to develop math and science skills which will open you up to many different careers.

Develop your critical thinking skills.”

To learn more about INROADS, visit:

MATH CONNECTION

Converting Weights!

The following word problems will challenge you to think critically. Read the problem carefully, find a solution, and check your answer.

z

Julian bought 9 packages of cat food and 5 packages of dog food. Each package of cat food contained 5 cans, and each package of dog food contained 4 cans. How many more cans of cat food than dog food did Julian buy? ________

x

Kiana needs 76 paper plates for a birthday party. She

MAP CORNER

already has 35 blue plates and 10 red plates. How many more plates should Kiana buy? ________

c

Brandon wants to ride the bumper cars 4 times and the Ferris wheel 3 times. It costs 3 tickets to ride the bumper cars and 2 tickets to ride the Ferris wheel. How many tickets does Brandon need? ________

http://www.inroads.org/.

To order Miller’s book, visit: http://www. pubgraphicsdirect.com/books/daddy-how-do-planes-fly/

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

DID YOU KNOW?

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

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

Activity One — Abbreviations: What is an abbreviation? Locate 5-10 abbreviations in the newspaper and write out the full word they represent.

Activity Two — Range, Mean, and Median: Use the newspaper to find 10 different

numbers. Arrange these numbers from least to greatest. What is the range of numbers? What is the mean (the average) of the numbers? What is the median (the number that is in the middle)?

Learning Standards: I can use the newspaper to locate information.

I can add, subtract, multiply, and divide to solve a problem. I can make text to self connections.

It would take a plane flying 400.2 miles per hour 20 years to fly the 93,205,678.8 miles from the Earth to the Sun. Airships and blimps are lighter than air and use buoyancy for flight. They are typically filled with gas that is less dense than the surrounding atmosphere, such as helium.

Helium is used in balloons to keep them in the air.

The longest paper airplane flight was 27.6 seconds.

The flight data recorders in airplanes are called “black boxes,” although they are really bright orange.

ST. LOUIS AMERICAN • FEBRUARY 4 - 10, 2016

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Anthony Cage spells “corruption” in Ferguson with a pun on the name of Stephanie Karr, the city’s contract attorney and principal at Curtis, Heinz, Garrett, and O’Keefe.

Cage protested at the Ferguson City Council meeting on February 2.

‘Karr-uption’ comes under fire in Ferguson Of the parties in Ferguson municipal government most directly criticized in the Department of Justice Report, only city attorney Stephanie Karr remains in office. She remains on contract as a principal at Curtis, Heinz, Garrett, and O’Keefe, the Clayton firm with contracts at all levels of municipal government throughout St. Louis County.

The DOJ revealed a revenue scheme, where the police chief boasted to the city manager that his officers were bringing in good money by issuing tickets. Most notoriously, the DOJ reported Ferguson police officers competing to see who could write the most citations from a single traffic stop. Those citations were prosecuted by the city attorney in proceedings presided over by the municipal judge, whose oath compels him or her to be a neutral arbiter of justice, not a collection agent for the municipality. Court records are kept by the court clerk.

Of those players in Ferguson, Court Clerk Mary Twitty was fired because she sent one of the racist emails that the DOJ uncovered circulating on the Ferguson server. (Sgt. William Mudd, the police official who responded to Darren Wilson as his supervisor on the crime scene after Wilson killed Michael Brown Jr. – and who testified in support of Wilson before the grand jury – also was fired for sending a racist email.)

Ferguson City Manager John Shaw, Chief of Police Tom Jackson and Judge Ronald Brockmeyer all resigned in the wake of the DOJ report. All had their fingerprints on Ferguson’s “taxation by citation” revenue scheme. Only the city attorney who prosecuted most of those cases, Stephanie Karr of Curtis, Heinz, Garrett, and O’Keefe, remains. Even as Ferguson finalizes a consent decree with the DOJ, and considers appointing a new council member who will vote on that agreement, Karr remains at the table, ruling on points of law.

This seems wrong to Ground Level Support, an activist group that includes some of the most local and committed Ferguson protestors. On October 29, they sent a stinging disciplinary complaint to the Missouri Supreme Court, requesting a criminal investigation into Karr’s work in Ferguson and demanding that she be barred from work in municipal courts while the investigation is pending.

The American has thus far failed in getting Karr to respond to any allegations against her, though she tends to reply to decline, rather than ignore the paper’s requests.

She certainly responded to criminal accusations against her lodged with the state’s highest court, which holds the power of suspending her license to practice law. On January 11, she sent the high court a 10-page letter with enclosures,

Photo by Wiley Price

attempting to rebut Ground Level Support – and the DOJ – in detail. She portrayed herself and her colleagues in Ferguson as victims of persecution by the protestors and DOJ. “This complaint is yet another attempt to impugn my reputation merely by ascribing a purported universal bias infecting everyone affiliated with the City of Ferguson and

everyone affiliated with police, courts or the criminal justice system in general,” she wrote.

The most amazing thing about this victim routine is it excludes the Department of Justice from “the criminal justice system in general,” because she views the DOJ as lined up with the protestors throwing rocks at her reputation. She writes that “the Ferguson Municipal Court operated within applicable law and was simply not the institution portrayed by the various groups of protestors and the DOJ.” Ground Level Support would not be dismissed so easily. On January 26, they responded to Karr’s response by directing the court back to the DOJ report that Karr tried to dismiss in her victim’s plea.

They remind the court that the Ferguson city clerk complained to the judge and police chief that the prosecutor’s fines were too low: “We need to keep up our revenue,” the clerk wrote. Between 2011 and 2015, the DOJ reported, the prosecutor – Karr – raised fine recommendations to get that revenue up to snuff.

They also reminded the court about Karr’s low regard for “constitutional stuff,”

you know, that part of “the criminal justice system in general” that guarantees the rights of the accused. From the DOJ: “The Court Clerk asked what the Prosecuting Attorney does when an attorney appears in a red light camera case, and Ms. Karr responded: ‘I usually dismiss them if the attorney merely requests a recommendation. If the attorney goes off on all of the constitutional stuff, then I tell the attorney to come and argue in front of the judge – after that, his client can pay the ticket.’”

Ironically, one client who did not have to come before the judge – in this case, the judge in Hazelwood – was Brockmeyer, the judge in Ferguson. When they were working together in Ferguson, the DOJ reported, Karr fixed a red light camera ticket for Brockmeyer in Hazelwood, where Karr also was (and is) city attorney. “I would appreciate it if you would please see to it that this ticket is dismissed,” Brockmeyer wrote to Karr in October 2013.

She responded the next day, “I worked on red light matters today and dismissed the ticket that you sent over.”

Defending herself to the

Missouri Supreme Court, after Ground Level Support reminded the court of this fixed ticket, Karr said she dismissed the judge’s ticket because of a case that was pending in the court of appeals.

“However, that excuse was not brought up in the DOJ’s interview of Ms. Karr,” Ground Level Support reminded the court. “The DOJ reviewed over 35,000 pages of records, as well as thousands of emails and other electronic materials, and nowhere did they note that Ms. Karr was dismissing red light camera tickets pending the outcome of the court of appeals case. They did note ‘after Mr. Brockmeyer demanded the ticket be dismissed, the next day, Ms. Karr dismissed it.’”

Karr does more municipal court work than just in Ferguson and Hazelwood.

In the online resume that Ground Level Support quotes to the court, she claims to represent City of Bel-Nor (city prosecutor, 2001 – present); City of Brentwood (special counsel, 2007 - present); and Municipal Parks Grant Commission (general counsel, 2005 - present), with former gigs with the City of New Melle and City of Pasadena Hills.

And that just begins to suggest the reach of her firm, Curtis, Heinz, Garrett, and O’Keefe. Its attorneys also represent the municipalities of Bellefontaine Neighbors (where citations and stops were being utilized to evaluate and promote police) and Edmundson (where the mayor included a letter with police officer paychecks reminding them that the tickets they wrote funded their pay).

In fact, Curtis, Heinz, Garrett and O’Keefe is one of the few things that unites our otherwise fragmented region, serving as an almost invisible skeleton for the status quo. On any given night in St. Louis County, its attorneys can be found in city council meetings for one of the 27 municipalities they serve as city attorneys, guiding part-time elected officials, whose terms will come and go under their watch, on critical decisions for their communities and the region. Meanwhile, in courtrooms, often just down the road, other members of the firm keep a key funding source for the status quo humming along. All told, the firm’s attorneys serve as prosecutor or judge in another dozen municipalities.

Ferguson may or may not sign a consent decree with the DOJ. The city may or may not decide to have its day in court against the feds instead.

Karr may or may not remain contracted by Ferguson to advise on its legal matters.

She may or may not remain a member of the Missouri Bar to adviser her firm’s other clients as well. What is clear from the reach of Curtis, Heinz, Garrett and O’Keefe, fixing Ferguson’s problems would only be the beginning of court reform in St. Louis County.

Business

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FEBRUARY 4 – 10, 2016

Microsoft sparks youth at Harris-Stowe Teen entrepreneur Jaylen Bledsoe helps kick off national program in St. Louis

By Rebecca Rivas Of The St. Louis American Jaylen Bledsoe, a 17-year-old owner of a multi-million dollar global IT services enterprise, looked out into more than 100 faces of high-school students who live in North St. Louis County just like him.

“My parents had me when they were 16,” said Bledsoe, who is a senior at Hazelwood West High School and owns the North Countybased global companies The Flare Digital Agency and Jaylen D. Bledsoe Productions.

According to society’s expectations of a black teen with young parents, he said, “I shouldn’t be here right now talking to you. I shouldn’t own my own business.”

Bledsoe was the keynote speaker at Microsoft’s “YouthSpark Live” program – which launched at Harris-Stowe State University on January 29. About 100 students from Riverview Garden and Jennings high schools participated in the day-long workshop to learn how to create and develop an innovative project. Each team of about seven students n “YouthSpark was presented with a community problem Live goes – including lagging beyond the regional economic traditional STEM growth, community/ platform and police relations, underperforming meets urban public schools and youngsters on homelessness – and their terms, on asked to create a their turf, in their business idea or invention to help tackle language.” the issue.

Immediately, the – Trice Johnson students realized that the workshop would be hands on, even during the keynote presentation. Bledsoe told the students how they needed to use a “GPS app” to accomplish their goals and dreams. They should set their dreams as their destinations and then create their paths.

And if they make a wrong turn, they need to “re-route” just like the phone app does.

“I’ve never heard a GPS tell someone to go home, there’s no way they are going to make it there,” Bledsoe said.

Bledsoe created his business with only $100 when he was 12. Early on, he remembers going into a bank to open an account and being turned away. That bank now is begging for his business, he said.

“You’re going to be told ‘no,’” he said.

“Make them wish that they hadn’t turned you away.”

Afterward his presentation, Microsoft’s Trice Johnson asked six students about what they gleaned from Bledsoe’s advice.

Bernnie Allen, a Riverview Garden senior, said Bledsoe’s advice about rerouting struck home to her.

“I have son,” she said. “I had to reroute.”

Then she broke off in tears, which invited calls of encouragement from the crowd.

Jennings junior Rajae Johnson said that he is constantly being told that he “can’t do it.”

And he often waits for people to give him an opportunity, he said.

“He made me realize that I need to do what I need to do to get where I need to be,” Johnson said.

Jennings sophomore Taj Robinson said he already owns an embroidery and sewing

Dr. Marsha Fisher has been named medical operations director at Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Missouri.

She will be clinical lead for the medical management team, providing priority Marsha and complex Fisher medical case reviews and contributing as a consultant in other areas of the company. She has served as a medical and specialty reviewer and a consultant for the company’s Healthy Moms/High-Risk Maternity Program.

The Rev. B.T. Rice was elected to the Board of Directors of The Concordance Academy of Leadership. In partnership with the Concordance Institute for Advancing Social B.T. Rice Justice, the academy is a public, private and academic initiative focused on lowering incarceration rates in the country. He is pastor of New Horizon 7th Day Christian Church.

Photo by Wiley Price

Jaylen Bledsoe, a 17-year-old entrepreneur, was the keynote speaker at Microsoft’s “YouthSpark Live” program, which launched at Harris-Stowe State University on January 29. About 100 students from Riverview Garden and Jennings high schools participated in the day-long workshop to learn how to create and develop an innovative project. company with his grandmother, and they make creations for people. They are currently turning a profit.

Bledsoe’s advice of “Don’t let your setback cause you to step back. Prepare for your comeback” was inspiring and helpful as a

business owner, Robinson said.

At the end of the day, the students presented their ideas to a team of Microsoft and HarrisStowe volunteers/mentors. The idea was to See MICROSOFT, B2

Also files to open branch at Lindenwood University Locally-owned Midwest BankCentre has filed applications with the Missouri Division of Finance and the Federal Reserve Bank to open new branches this year in North St. Louis and the City of St. Charles.

Pending required approvals, the North City branch will open in mid-summer on the campus of Friendly Temple Mission Baptist Church in the 5500 block of Dr. Martin Luther King Drive in the Wells-Goodfellow neighborhood.

“We are pleased to partner with Midwest

Rev. Traci D. Blackmon was appointed by President Obama to the President’s Advisory Council on Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships. She is Rev. Traci D. the acting executive minister of Justice Blackmon and Witness Ministries for The United Church of Christ and pastor at Christ the King United Church of Christ in Florissant. She served on The Ferguson Commission.

Travis Capers is the new president of St. Mary’s Hospital. He will be responsible for the establishment, maintenance and enhancement of quality health care services at the 492bed hospital. Most Travis recently he served Capers as chief executive officer for Ochsner Medical Center, part of Ochsner Health System, a not for-profit health care system in New Orleans.

Midwest BankCentre applies to open branch at Friendly Temple

By Chris King Of The St. Louis American

People On The Move

BankCentre to provide financial services to residents and businesses in the Martin Luther King Corridor, a community that has struggled to regain its prominence and realize its potential,” said Senior Pastor Michael Jones.

“This groundbreaking collaboration underscores Friendly Temple’s community focus by empowering Corridor families with financial resources and education, and equipping local retail partners with tools to help them succeed.”

Since 1996, the 12,000-member Friendly Temple has invested more than $100 million in some of St. Louis’ most underserved communities.

The North St. Louis location will mark the bank’s fifth branch within the City of St. Louis.

The St. Charles branch, its second in St. Charles County, will open later in 2016 at 1820 First Capitol Dr. within Lindenwood University’s new University Commons mixeduse development across the street from its main campus.

“Our partnerships with Friendly Temple Missionary Baptist Church and Lindenwood University are modeled after the mutual success and community gains achieved in partnership See MIDWEST, B6

Navy Hospital Corpsman 2nd Class Lydia Rudigier was selected as Navy Operational Support Center (NOSC) Atlanta’s 2015 Bluejacket of the Year. She is assigned to the NOSC Atlanta Lydia medical department, Rudigier which is responsible for the medical and dental readiness of more than 1,200 active and reserve sailors. A native of Spanish Lake, Missouri, she graduated from Francis Howell Central High School in 2010.

Randy Hayman joined Beveridge & Diamond, P.C. as a principal in the firm’s Washington office. Most recently he served as the general counsel of DC Water, the municipal Randy water agency for Hayman Washington, D.C. Previously he served as general counsel of the Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District and in the Missouri Attorney General’s Office. He attended John Burroughs School.

On the move? Congratulations! Send your good professional news and a color headshot to cking@stlamerican. com

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ST. LOUIS AMERICAN • FEBRUARY 4 – 10, 2016

Personal Finance

Making phased retirement work for you

By Nathaniel Sillin Phased retirement – a catchall term that describes a variety of part-time and reduced-hour work arrangements before leaving an employer for good – is gaining steam. But before you sign on, it’s important to understand how “phasing out” may affect your long-term finances.

Washington is leading the way. The federal government authorized the move for its own employees several years ago and began accepting applications in late 2014 from workers aged 55 and up with a desire to switch to half-time employment in exchange for receiving half their salary and annuity.

For employees with a longterm view, phased retirement can offer significant benefits, but it requires due diligence and planning. Among the advantages, phased retirement means that there doesn’t need to be a hard stop on a successful career. In fact, a 2014 study (http://newsroom. bankofamerica.com/pressreleases/global-wealth-andinvestment-management/ merrill-lynch-study-finds72-percent-people-o) by Merrill Lynch in partnership with Age Wave said that 72 percent of pre-retirees over the age of 50 report that their ideal retirement will include working “often in new, more flexible and fulfilling ways.”

MICROSOFT continued from page B1 teach the students elements of social impact, business startup, entrepreneurial skills, leadership, teamwork and high-touch collaboration using

The study also noted that 47 percent of current retirees were already working or planning to work during their retirement years.

If your company is talking about phased retirement or may do so in the future, here are some key questions to consider:

colleagues willing to share what they’re doing. Also, start your own retirement planning in earnest with qualified retirement and tax experts.

How will phased retirement affect your overall benefits? If you’re working at a lower salary level at the end of your career, ask how that might affect your future retirement benefits.

Make a list of all the benefits and perks you now receive as a current full-time employee and investigate how every single one could be affected by phased retirement. And if you leave the company permanently before qualifying for Medicare, know how you’ll pay for health insurance. This is a particularly important issue to discuss with a qualified financial or tax advisor.

What exactly do you want to phase into? For some workers, retirement really will mean a classic vision of travel and leisure leading into old age. But for others, the picture may be different. Some retirees will want to work and some retirees will have to work. Such decisions will summon a host of personal finance and tax issues based on your personal situation – read heavily and consult qualified experts before you make a decision.

What options will my employer offer over time?

While the federal government is in the lead with phased retirement, most private employers are moving at a slower pace. This gives you time to plan. For example, in a 2013 benefits study, the Society for Human Resource Management noted that only 6 percent of employers had a formal phased retirement program that provided a reduced schedule and/or responsibilities prior to full retirement. Watch how your

startup ideation and game design concepts.

“YouthSpark Live goes beyond the traditional STEM platform and meets urban youngsters on their terms, on their turf, in their language,” said Johnson, who is an architect of Americas Office of the CTO in Microsoft’s

employer’s plan evolves and ask questions.

Phased or not, do you have a retirement plan in place? The decision to make a full or transitional exit from one’s employer should come after years of saving and investing both at home and at work. Years before

deciding how you want to leave your career, talk to qualified retirement experts about your personal financial circumstances and what you want to do in the next phase of your life. If it’s a new career, volunteer work or full retirement, develop a plan first.

n “You’re going to be told ‘no.’ Make them wish that they hadn’t turned you away.”

– Jaylen Bledsoe

Strategy, Support and Innovation division.

“We were intentional about

launching this program in St. Louis and at Harris-Stowe to blend urban youth culture with

Have you talked to your senior colleagues? There’s nothing like direct advice from individuals closer to retirement to help you with your own set of pros and cons. Even if there’s no phased retirement program at your organization right now, it’s still worth talking about retirement preparation with senior

passionate innovation, hacking experiences, entrepreneurism and gaming platforms.”

Microsoft connected with the university through Harris-Stowe student Terry Hardieway, who attended a convention and discussed collaborating with Microsoft representatives.

January is “National Mentoring Month” and HarrisStowe students, faculty and staff participate in numerous mentoring events with various groups throughout the academic year.

Microsoft and its community service partners, Sciberus, Inc., HipScience, LLC, Premier Knowledge Solutions, and Notes for Life Arts and Technology Program, also helped the students learn to build their own games, perform market research using social media

Bottom line: Phased retirement can offer the opportunity to adjust to fulltime retirement or set up a new career once you finally leave your current employer.

However, before you leap, fully investigate how such a transition will affect your overall finances and future retirement benefits.

Nathaniel Sillin directs Visa’s financial education programs. To follow Practical Money Skills on Twitter: www. twitter.com/PracticalMoney.

platforms, as well as help them generate ideas to solve community problems. Atlantabased Hip Science introduced its Low Energy Bluetoothbased Environmental Sensor and Weather Station platform to expose the students to programming concepts using IoT (Internet of Things) devices.

“When Microsoft approached Harris-Stowe to host this life-changing, relationship-building experience for St. Louis students, we jumped at the chance,” said Emmanuel Lalande, dean of Student Success for HarrisStowe. “This program will expose young people to their unlimited opportunities and give them the creative platform, direction and instruction to express their aspirations.”

“There are certain types of gambling that you can’t do as a player.”

Sports

– Dallas Cowboys owner on former running back Joseph Randle after it was revealed that he bet on sports

INSIDE Race plays role in why I want Panthers to win Super Bowl ~ See ‘Sports Eye’ page B4 ~ B3

FEBRUARY 4 – 10, 2016

prep BasketBall noteBook

InsIde sports

With Earl Austin Jr.

With Earl Austin Jr.

Shootout in O’Fallon

Back in black

Plus, Career Academy wins Ameritime Tourney Another tremendous day of basketball will take place on Saturday in the Metro East with the return of the Bank of O’Fallon Shootout.

Last year’s inaugural event was a smashing success and another great event is planned with seven games featuring top teams from Illinois and Missouri.

The action gets underway at 10:30 a.m. with host O’Fallon taking on Peoria Richwoods.

O’Fallon is led by 6’3” senior forward Chance Armstrong while Richwoods is led by 6’5” forward Kaelen Johnson.

In Game 2, Nashville (Ill) will meet St. Joe Ogden at noon.

Nashville is a perennial smallschool power in Southern Illinois.

They are led by Earl 6’7” senior Royce Austin Jr. Newman, who is headed to Ole Miss on a football scholarship.

Ogden is led by high-scoring 6’2” junior Brandon Trimble, who averages 24 points a game.

Game 3 will feature Centralia (Ill) vs. Darien Hinsdale South from the Chicago area at 1:30 p.m. Centralia is a top Class 3A team from Southern Illinois. The Orphans are led by 5’7” senior guard D’Aaron Owens and 6’1” senior guard Tyriq Billberry.

Hinsdale South is led by 6’10” senior Barret Benson, who has signed with Northwestern.

In Game 4, Columbia will take on Dekalb in a battle of Illinois schools at 4:15 p.m. Columbia is having an excellent season, led by 5’11” guard Johnathan Holmes and 6’7” senior Korbin Farmer.

Dekalb is led by 6’4” senior Mike Pollack, who has signed with Northern Michigan.

The action really picks up in Game 5 when St. Louis area power CBC meets Westchester St. Joseph’s, the defending Class 3A state champion in Illinois.

Tip off is at 5:45 p.m. CBC is led by its Division I trio of Jordan Barnes (Indiana State), Christian Willis (Arkansas State) See PREP, B5

Cam Newton is sixth black quarterback to start Super Bowl When Carolina Panthers star Cam Newton takes the field on Sunday for Super Bowl 50, he will join an exclusive club of black quarterbacks that have led their teams into the National Football League’s biggest game.

Newton will become the sixth black quarterback to start in the Super Bowl.

Outside of Doug Williams, who was the first back in 1987 with the Washington Redskins, Newton may be the most n Cam compelling of the Newton is group. He is by far the biggest, by far the most flamboyant, biggest, outspoken and most polarizing of all the flamboyant, black quarterbacks who have played in outspoken the Super Bowl. and has been polarizing of theNewton NFL’s most all the black dominant player quarterbacks this season, and he has enjoyed every who have of it while played in the minute bringing along his Super Bowl. teammates and the city of Charlotte for the ride. Many folks love him, others hate him, but that doesn’t bother him in the least. Cam Newton is going to be Cam Newton and make no apologies for it.

As Newton prepares for his biggest moment as a professional football player on Sunday, here is a look back at what his predecessors did in the Super Bowl.

Photo by Wiley Price

Chaminade’s Jayson Tatum (22) goes up for two of his 19 points over St. Louis University Jr. Bill’s David Jackson (10). Chaminade went on to defeat SLUH 74-62.

Doug Williams (Washington Redskins): Not only did the former Grambling star make history as the first black quarterback to start in the Super Bowl, Williams took home the Most Valuable Player honors after leading the Redskins to a 42-10 rout of the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XXII. Williams completed 18 of 29 passes for 340 yards and four touchdowns in what was an amazing performance.

See INSIDE, B5

In the ClutCh With Ishmael H. Sistrunk

From the corner to the camera In just his second fight as a commentator for Premier Boxing Champions on Bounce TV, Kevin Cunningham spit astute boxing knowledge and insight as super welterweight prospect Erik Lubin outboxed Jose Macias over ten rounds Sunday night.

Kevin Cunningham joins PBC on Bounce TV In just his second fight as St. Louis and its rich boxing a commentator for Premier history on the map. Now he Boxing Champions on Bounce is able to share more than two TV, Kevin Cunningham decades of knowledge and spit astute boxing knowledge insight in the sweet science. and insight as super “It’s something I welterweight prospect thought would be a Erik Lubin outboxed great opportunity,” Jose Macias over ten Cunningham told The rounds Sunday night.

American. “I realized Flanked by veteran it’s something I really sports announcer enjoy doing.”

Fran Charles and It’s easy to assume former WBA super that he should be a welterweight champion solid commentator Austin Trout, Ishmael H. considering his vast Cunningham appeared experience in the sport.

Sistrunk comfortable in front of However, the sports the camera and behind world is littered with the mic. athletes, coaches and trainers For Cunningham, a man who fall flat on their faces never afraid to share exactly while trying to transition what is on his mind, the into media. Luckily for transition to television was Cunningham, he was paired a natural one. He helped with Charles, a St. Louis native steer Cory Spinks and Devon who started his broadcasting Alexander to several major career at KSDK. world championships has “Fran is an awesome guy to played a huge role in keeping work with,” Cunningham said.

Fran Charles, Austin Trout and Kevin Cunningham make up the three-man commentating crew for Bounce TV’s boxing series Premier Boxing Champions - The Next Round.

“He’s been doing this at a high level for years. He’s able to give me pointers and help me

grow into this new career.”

Don’t make the mistake of thinking Cunningham’s

new career will take the place of his ‘old’ ones. The trainer, manager and owner

of Knockouts Bar and Grill enjoys wearing many hats and doesn’t plan to stop his other duties anytime soon. He is still training fighters and is currently in talks with a number of top-10 ranked fighters in hopes of expanding his list of clients.

Sunday night’s telecast was Cunningham’s second appearance on Bounce TV. He is appreciative that the start of his commentating career See CLUTCH, B5

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ST. LOUIS AMERICAN • FEBRUARY 4 – 10, 2016

SportS EyE With Alvin Reid

Race plays role in why I want Panthers to win Super Bowl In January 1988 I wrote a column in the Lansing State Journal in which I accused myself of racism.

Doug Williams was about to lead the Washington Redskins into the Super Bowl against the favored Denver Broncos. The quarterback duel featured Williams vs. John Elway.

Being a Dallas Cowboys fan, I can’t stand the Redskins and it is one of few NFC teams I have rooted against in the Super Bowl. But this time it was different. This time a black quarterback had a chance to win the Super Bowl.

I wanted Washington to trounce Denver. It happened.

On Sunday, Cam Newton and the Carolina Panthers will take on Peyton Alvin Manning and the Reid Broncos. It’s a 1988 redux, as far as I’m concerned. I want the black quarterback to win. I wanted Russell Wilson to win the past two Super Bowls.

I’m not going to apologize for my stance. If you’re older than 50, you remember the ridiculous debate on black quarterbacks. It was a serious question of the intelligence, leadership and fortitude of not just black quarterbacks, but black men in general. Today’s debate pales in comparison.

There are plenty of people out there who want Manning to win, and most will say that race has nothing to do with it.

If they are being truthful, that’s cool.

I want Newton to win, and I’m not his biggest fan. But on the Super Bowl stage, I want him to shine.

For all those that respond, “What if a white man said that about a white player?” I’d say, ‘At least they’re being honest.”

not who we were,” said Martz, who must have momentarily forgotten the Rams’ receivers “bob and weave” end zone celebrations.

“Look at their production.”

OK, coach, let’s do that.

Bruce’s career ended with 1,024 receptions (eighth all time) for 15,208 yards (fourth) and 91 touchdowns (11th).

Holt had 920 receptions for 13,382 yards and 74 touchdowns. He had six consecutive seasons with at least 90 catches and 1,300 receiving yards, a NFL record.

Owens’ 15,934 yards is second in NFL history and his 153 touchdowns ranks him third. He caught 1,078 passes, and he held the record for catches in a game when he had 20 receptions in a 2000 game against the Chicago Bears.

Harrison had 1,102 receptions for 14,580 yards and 128 touchdowns. He was also selected to the All-Decade Team of the 2000s.

I think voters decided Bruce and Holt come in behind Owens and Harrison based simply on comparison of numbers. But Martz does deserve praise for sticking up for his guys.

Shepherd takes me to task Tom Shepherd, Board of Aldermen President Lewis Reed’s chief of staff, rushed to his defense after reading last week’s Sports Eye. His response is published this week as a letter, and I invite you to read it.

Shepherd says Reed was not “mum” when the public vote was ruled invalid by Judge Thomas Frawley because Reed sent Mayor Francis Slay a letter recommending that the decision should be appealed. I have requested a copy of that letter, because I have not been able to find any media reference to it in The St. Louis American or through any other media outlet.

I wrote about Frawley’s decision on August 4 in the SportsEye and received no response from Reed, Shepherd or anyone else in city government.

Shepherd goes on to say that Reed was not consulted about the city’s decision to turn down the arbitration settlement and that it “was all the mayor’s office, CVC and Regional Sports Authority.” He contends the Board of Aldermen had nothing to do with the $16.2

Las Vegas Raiders?

Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton celebrates during the Panthers victory over the Arizona Cardinals two weeks ago. million spent by the task force and that Reed was not in office (obviously) when the original lease was penned that attracted he Rams to St. Louis.

I’m sorry. I can’t give Reed a pass on anything that has transpired during the past year.

He was free to speak up about every move the city, CVC and RSA made in regard to stadium funding and the maneuvers of the task force. He is BOA president, for gosh sakes.

While the buck doesn’t stop at his desk, it certainly crosses over it.

Comptroller Darlene Green made it clear early on that she opposed the stadium financing deal and would not vote for it, regardless of how the city got into its desperate situation.

Shepherd added there is “nothing wrong with requesting the NFL make up for the debt we are left with.”

Former Comptroller Virvus Jones said that action would create another financial problem.

Jones said, “A private entity (the NFL) paying more than 10 percent of debt service will make the bonds taxable, which would trigger a rebate to the IRS from the City of St. Louis, St. Louis County and State of Missouri.”

In his personal opinion, Jones said, “That is why it is all political theater to provide cover for Reed’s complicity in blocking a public vote when the ordinance was introduced by (Alderwoman Christine) Ingrassia.”

Martz’ math favors Bruce, Holt We’ll learn who enters the Pro Football Hall of Fame this weekend, but we know Isaac Bruce and Torry Holt will not be voted in. Both former St. Louis Rams receivers did not make the final ballot.

Marvin Harrison and Terrell Owens are on the final ballot, much to the chagrin of former Rams head coach Mike Martz.

Martz told the PostDispatch that Owens’ being a finalist in his first year of eligibility is “just plain outand-out ridiculous.”

“Had they promoted themselves, which was contrary to everything we were about, they’d probably get in without an issue. That’s just

Oakland Raiders owner Mark Davis was in Las Vegas last week to discuss a proposed plan to build a NFL stadium there to lure his franchise.

The gambling capital of America and the NFL – it’s a match made in heaven.

The NFL issued a memo stating the same stuff it did as the Rams prepared to move to L.A., but it did not say Las Vegas was off limits.

“There is no prohibition under league rules on a team moving to any particular city.

Any proposal for relocation would be evaluated based on the same standards as apply to any proposed move,” the memo states.

According to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Davis met with Sheldon Anderson, the billionaire Las Vegas Sands chairman, and Steve Wynn, chairman of Wynn Resorts, who reportedly would want in on the deal. The 65,500-seat stadium would be built on a 42-acre site owned by the University of Nevada – Las Vegas.

Alvin A. Reid is a panelist on the Nine Network program, Donnybrook and appears on ABC’s The Allman Report and several sports radio shows. His Twitter handle is #aareid1

B5

ST. LOUIS AMERICAN • FEBRUARY 4 – 10, 2016

Doug Williams, the first black quarterback to start in the Super Bowl, took home the Most Valuable Player honors after leading the Redskins to a 42-10 rout of the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XXII.

INSIDE Continued from B3 Steve McNair (Tennessee Titans): Another product of a HBCU, the former Alcorn State star led the Tennessee Titans into Super Bowl XXXIV against the St. Louis Rams in Atlanta. McNair completed 22 of 36 passes for 214 yards and rushed for 64 yards in the Titans’ 23-16 loss to the Rams.

Donovan McNabb (Philadelphia Eagles): McNabb completed 30 of 51 passes for 375 yards with three touchdowns and three interceptions in the Eagles’ 24-21 loss to the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XXXIX. McNabb’s 357 yards were the fourth most in Super Bowl history.

Colin Kaepernick (San Francisco 49ers): Kaepernick completed 16 of 28 passes for 302 yards and a touchdown and rushed for 62 yards and another touchdown in the 49ers loss to the Baltimore Ravens in Super Bowl XLVII Kaepernick nearly rallied San Francisco from a 28-6 third-quarter deficit to a nearvictory.

Russell Wilson (Seattle Seahawks): Wilson earned the distinction of being the first black quarterback to start in two consecutive Super Bowls. In Super Bowl XLVIII, Wilson completed 18 of 25 passes for 206 yards and two touchdowns while rushing for 26 yards in the Seahawks’ 43-8 rout of the Denver Broncos. In Super Bowl XLVIX, he completed 12 of 21 yards and two touchdowns while rushing for 39 yards in the Seahawks’ 28-24 loss to New England. However, it was Wilson’s ill-fated interception on the goal line in the closing seconds that will be most remembered in Super Bowl folklore.

CLUTCH Continued from B3 happened on the black-owned digital multicast network, which is now accessible in more homes than BET. His first telecast was an October heavyweight matchup between 35-year-old Malik Scott and 44-year-old former world title contender Tony Thompson. However, Sundays matchup between 20-year-old Lubin and 24-year-old Macias may have been more reflective of Cunningham’s foray into commentating.

Despite his vast experience as a trainer and manager, Cunningham could still be considered as a prospect in broadcasting. Like Lubin though, the ‘kid’ passed his test with flying colors. With an expected 8-10 PBC shows on Bounce TV in 2016 and the possibility of being used on other networks as well, the future is bright, and busy, for

PREP Continued from B3 and Duane Clark (UMKC). St. Joe’s has one of the top players in the state of Illinois in 6’10” senior Nick Rakocevic.

In Game 6, Hazelwood Central will take on Chicago Public School League powerhouse Morgan Park at 7:15 p.m. The Hawks are led by the senior trio of Xavier Sneed (Kansas State), Dominique Dobbs and Steve Holloway (Columbia College).

Morgan Park features on the nation’s top guards in senior Charlie Moore, who has signed with Memphis. Morgan Park is loaded with talent up and down

Cunningham.

“It’s always good to be involved with the sport of boxing,” Cunningham said. “I always want to do more. That’s my first love.”

Canelo to defend 160-pound title versus 147-pound Khan at 155 pounds WBC Middleweight Champion Saul “Canelo” Alvarez has created his own new 155-pound weight division and it doesn’t appear he’ll be moving up or down anytime soon. Alvarez’s last four bouts have been at this oddball catchweight, including his last bout against Miguel Cotto, in which he won the WBC’s 160pound strap.

As a champion, Alvarez should not be able to force challengers to make a catchweight. If the title is on the line, the weight limit should be 160-pounds. Period. Nontitle catchweight fights are OK when they help enable desired

its roster.

In the finale, Belleville Althoff will meet Chicago Kenwood at 8:45 p.m. Althoff features standout junior Jordan Goodwin and seniors Tarkus Ferguson (UIC) and Brendon Gooch (Southern Illinois).

Kenwood is led by 6’6” senior Nick Robinson and 6’7” junior Manny Patterson.

The Phoenix rises Miller Career Academy entered last week’s Ameritime Tournament at Parkway West as the No. 6 seed. By the end of the week, the Phoenix emerged as the tournament champions with three impressive victories.

After defeating DeSmet

matchups between fighters in different weight classes.

However, absolutely nobody outside of Khan was clamoring for this bout between a dieting middleweight and a chinachinned welterweight.

I’m not hating on Khan.

I’m glad he finally got the payday he was looking for after being left at the altar by Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao. He’s showing real guts by accepting the fight against a much bigger fighter.

However, most boxing fans want to see Alvarez face off against a man his own size.

A man known as “Triple G,” Gennady Golovkin. Hopefully the WBC will do the right thing and force Alvarez to face Golovkin at the actual middleweight limit after he knocks out Khan, but they probably won’t.

Krusher vs Superman not likely In another episode of fights that should’ve happened by

and Parkway South in its first two games, Career Academy defeated Hazelwood Central 68-58 to win the championship.

The Phoenix are now 14-4 and riding a seven-game winning streak.

Junior forward Javonte Perkins scored 18 points to lead Career Academy in the finals.

Senior Kyler Jones scored 17 points while senior Jamontez Bonner added 10 points. Senior forward Marlon Gilyard also had a big tournament as he led the Phoenix in scoring in their victories over DeSmet and Parkway South.

Miller Career Academy enters a big week of competition with games against Public High League foes Soldan and Northwest.

St. Louis American Prep Athlete of the Week

Courtney Ramey Webster Groves – Boys Basketball The sophomore standout averaged 19.5 points, 10 rebounds and five assists in leading the Statesmen to two impressive victories last week.

Ramey had 21 points and 10 rebounds in a 79-48 victory over University City.

He followed up with 18 points and 10 rebounds in a 62-50 victory over SLUH. For the season, Ramey is averaging 16.6 points, 8.2 rebounds and 4.4 assists a game in leading Webster Groves to a 17-1 record. He was also the Most Valuable Player of the Smith-Cotton Tournament in Sedalia after leading the Statesmen to the championship. Ramey is ranked as one of the top sophomore guards in the nation with offers from several Division I colleges already on the table.

Renetha Dickson Lutheran North – Girls Basketball The talented senior guard averaged 29 points a game last week in leading the Crusaders to a third-place finish in the Queen of Hearts Tournament.

The 5’9” Dickson had 28 points, four rebounds, four assists, five steals and five blocks in a first-round victory over Cape Notre Dame. In the semifinals, she had 31 points and seven rebounds in a 72-71 loss to St. Louis Notre Dame. Dickson closed the tournament with 27 points, five rebounds and four steals in a 54-22 victory over John Burroughs in the third-place game.

For the season, Dickson is averaging 24.9 points, 5.1 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 4.5 steals a game in leading Lutheran North to an 11-7 record.

Dickson signed with Tulsa University in the fall on a basketball scholarship.

now, the prospects of seeing a superfight between light heavyweight champions Sergey “Krusher” Kovalev and Adonis “Superman” Stevenson dimming by the minute. Stevenson crashed Kovalev’s party after the Russian demolition man stopped Jean Pascal for the second time, calling for a fight. Kovalev’s camp responded that they sent an offer, which included a 50-50 purse split, to Stevenson and it sat for six weeks before being rejected.

This isn’t the first time we’ve seen Stevenson pivot out of the way of a showdown with Kovalev for “business reasons.” Now it appears that Kovalev has moved on and is targeting former super middleweight champion Andre Ward.

In just his second light heavyweight fight, Ward is set to take on the undefeated Sullivan Barrera on March 26. Should Ward emerge victorious, the 38-year-old

Superman might find himself on the outside looking in of landing a superfight.

Follow Ishmael and In the Clutch on Twitter @ IshmaelSistrunk

B6

ST. LOUIS AMERICAN • FEBRUARY 4 – 10, 2016

City, county open new workforce centers

By Chris King Of The St. Louis American A $5 million grant to the Missouri Division of Workforce Development by the U.S. Department of Labor has resulted in new neighborhood Workforce Centers in St. Louis city and county.

The new Neighborhood Workforce Centers in the city are Cherokee & Ohio, located at 2715 Cherokee St. and Prince Hall, located at 4411 N. Newstead Ave. The Neighborhood Workforce Centers in the county are Paddock Forest, located at 6877 Parker Rd., and the MET Center, located at 6347 Plymouth Ave. All four centers are open Monday through Friday, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., with the exception of Wednesdays,

MIDWEST continued from page B1 with Beyond Housing at our branch in the Pagedale community,” said Midwest BankCentre President and CEO Jim Watson.

The bank opened its Pagedale location at 6810 Page Ave. in November 2012 as part of a settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) to “resolve allegations that the bank was engaging in a pattern or practice of discrimination on the basis of race or color,” according to the DOJ. It was the first bank established in the City of Pagedale, a majority African-American community, Watson said.

In 2009, the St. Louis Equal Housing and Community Reinvestment Alliance (SLEHCRA) accused Midwest BankCentre of “redlining,” or

n New Neighborhood Workforce Center locations: 2715 Cherokee St., 4411 N. Newstead Ave., 6877 Parker Rd. and 6347 Plymouth Ave.

when they open at 9 a.m.

A fifth center is scheduled to open in Ferguson in March.

The centers were established by a coalition of the city’s St. Louis Agency on Training and Employment (SLATE), the St. Louis County Division of Workforce Development, and the Family and Workforce Centers of America, as part of the St. Louis Career Pathways Bridge initiative.

St. Louis Mayor Francis G. Slay said the workforce

n “We are pleased to partner with Midwest BankCentre to provide financial services to residents and businesses in the Martin Luther King Corridor.”

– Senior Pastor Michael Jones

withholding home loans from neighborhoods often considered poor, economic risks. The alliance took the allegation to the DOJ, which ordered the bank in 2011 to invest $1.45 million in a majority AfricanAmerican area.

The settlement specified that the bank had to invest $900,000 in a special financing program to increase the amount

center’s align with the city’s PIER Plan to reduce crime.

“Jobs and job training are a central crime prevention component,” Slay said.

The centers are located in communities marked by high poverty and unemployment.

They will seek to find jobs for 3,000 people, ages 16-29, over the next two years.

“This is a comprehensive program that in addition to providing job training will also coach young people on writing resumes and preparing for interviews,” St. Louis County Executive Stenger said.

“And once they find jobs, we will track their progress in order to gauge the program’s effectiveness.”

Participants will also have the chance to earn their High School Equivalency certification.

of credit it extends to the black community. The DOJ also required that it spend $300,000 for consumer education and credit repair programs and $250,000 for outreach to potential customers.

“Both branches will round out our community presence and continue building on our success in serving St. Louis’ unbanked and underbanked citizens, expressing our theme of ‘rising together,’” Watson said of the new locations. “We’ll also be able to serve the needs of more millennials with a wide array of technologically-based services.”

Midwest BankCentre plans to expand its 270-member staff by about a dozen additional employees to serve customers at the two new branches.

For more information, visit www.midwestbankcentre.com.

Financial Focus

By Veronica Coleman

Are you prepared for financial disasters?

“Be prepared” is the Scout motto, and it’s also pretty good advice for anyone seeking to guard against various disasters – including financial ones.

Here are some events that can have serious financial consequences, along with suggestions on preparing yourself: • Loss of employment – If you were to lose your job, your family might have to struggle financially to make it until you’re employed again. To protect against this potential threat, try to build an emergency fund containing three to six months’ worth of living expenses. That’s a lot of money, of course, so it will be challenging to build such a fund – but try to contribute something each month to a liquid, low-risk account.

Without such an emergency fund, you might be forced to cash out your 401(k) or other retirement plan to pay for your living expenses during your period of unemployment.

• Loss of health – If you were ill or injured, you might be out of work for weeks or months. Your employer may offer you some type of disability insurance as an employee benefit, but it might not be sufficient. So you may

a home, you already have homeowners insurance, but it doesn’t hurt to periodically check your policy to make sure it’s kept up with any improvements or additions you’ve made to your house or other property. If you’re under-covered, and had to pay out-of-pocket Try to build for some major • Loss of life – Death an emerdamage, you may be an uncomfortable topic to discuss. might be forced gency fund However, if you were to to dip into your containing pass away, it would be long-term investthree to six ments. And while emotionally devastating months’ you’re making to your loved ones – but worth of sure your properit could also be financialty is covered, you ly catastrophic. Would living might also want your family still be able expenses. to consider addto pay the mortgage? ing “umbrella” Could your surviving coverage, which spouse afford to send can provide extra protection your kids to college? Without life to you in case someone is insurance, your death could leave injured at your home, or your family without the ability to even at an event at which cover financial obligations. The exact you may be in charge, such amount you require depends on a as a Scout meeting. variety of factors, such as your family’s expenses, size of family, savings With luck, you can avoid needs over time, and so on. Generally all the threats to your financial security and that of your speaking, you can choose between family. But you can’t count two broad categories of insurance: on always being lucky – so term and permanent. Term insurance, you need to take “financial as the name suggests, is designed for disaster preparedness” meaa specific number of years and only sures soon. provides a death benefit. Permanent insurance is typically more expensive, because, in addition to the death This article was written benefit, it offers a savings compoby Edward Jones for use by nent. A financial professional can your local Edward Jones help guide you through your options Financial Advisor. to determine which one is appropriate For further information for your needs. contact Veronica Coleman at (618-931-2397) or • Loss of property – If you own 1-800-EDJONES

also want to purchase an individual plan to cover as much of your aftertax income as possible. You’ll have the flexibility to create a policy that is tailored to your needs, budget and overall financial goals. However, policies vary widely in cost and benefits, so you’ll want to shop around for the coverage that best meets your needs.

Check out the latest Edition of

PARTYLINE Page C8 C1 • ST. LOUIS AMERICAN • FEBRUARY 4 - 10, 2016

Local designer releases first video game

Killer curves Fashion show dedicated to full figures this weekend

By Kenya Vaughn Of The St. Louis American

Photo by Chris King

Tj Hughes

‘Feesh’ by Tj Hughes available on Steam

“About seven or eight months ago I decided I wanted to do a fashion show, so I started going to fashion shows back in the summertime,” said Alisha Phipps. “I would pay the money, sit there and there would be nothing for me.”

Much like what she had suffered through in retail establishments when she attempted to buy clothes, her body type was consistently absent from the catwalk.

Frustration fueled her passion with an event catered specifically to fullfigured fashionistas.

Phipps’ inaugural Dangerous Curves Fashion Show is happening this Friday, February 5 at Ambrusters

n “I wanted to help curvy women find the goto boutiques and retailers here in St. Louis.”

Alisha Phipps and her curvy models are ready to rip the runway at the inaugural Dangerous Curves Fashion Show 7:30 p.m. Friday, February 5 at Ambrusters Great Hall, 6633 Clayton Rd.

- Alisha Phipps

Great Hall (6633 Clayton Rd. in Richmond Heights).

“I wanted to help curvy women find the go-to boutiques and retailers here in St. Louis,” Phipps said.

“There are designers here, but they don’t have a platform. So I wanted to give them a platform. We all want the same things – for the curvy community there aren’t a lot of

options, so when we find something we support it.”

In addition to the fashion show hosted by spoken word artist Lightning, there will be vendors and opportunities to network with the designers and boutique owners.

“I hope they leave feeling empowered – and I hope they leave with some clothes,” Phipps said. “I hope that they see the items on the

runway and say, ‘Yeah, I can rock that.’”

She is especially thrilled to have nationally renowned plus-sized fashion designer and retailer Qristyl Frazier on board as the headlining designer.

“I love her clothes and her fashion, and it just went from there,” Phipps See CURVES, C4

Arts, Beats and Twista

By Chris King Of The St. Louis American Tj Hughes’ first video game, which was released on February 1, may be a creation of fantasy featuring imaginary creatures, but it sure sounds like reality. In his game, you have to prey upon smaller life forms, while avoiding being eaten by larger life forms, and the reward for survival is you get to evolve.

The game is called “Feesh,” which is the name of his imaginary creations that you impersonate when you play the game. A “feesh,” in Hughes’ imaginary aquatic world, is a tiny microorganism n A “feesh,” resembling a fish. in Hughes’ “Your goal imaginary is simple,” Hughes said: aquatic world, “eat smaller is a tiny feesh to get and microorganism bigger, avoid bigger resembling feesh. If you survive in the a ish. game long enough, you’ll evolve into a different type of feesh. But watch out for sharks!”

“Feesh” – priced with maximum affordability at $1 – is being released on the interactive gamer platform Steam. Hughes submitted the game to the platform for peer review, and after three months it had received enough votes from the community to be approved for release.

“Feesh” features music by one of his friends from Crossroads College See FEESH, C5

• Only Online • ‘The Birth Of A Nation’ takes top prizes at Sundance

Chicago rap staple Twista rocked the mic as headliner for Art, Beats and Lyrics Friday night at NEO on Locust.

The annual multi-city event presented

by Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Honey and Gentleman Jack showcases emerging visual artists along with veterans in art and music under one roof.

Photo by John Scott

Seeds of the Diaspora on screen Africa World Documentary Film Festival returns for Feb. 5-7 with free screenings

By American staff

Nate Parker’s Nat Turner drama “The Birth of A Nation” won both of the festival’s top prizes, the U.S. Dramatic Grand Jury Prize and the U.S. Dramatic Audience Award. Last week the film was purchased

by Fox Searchlight for $17.5 million, the biggest sale in the festival’s history.

www.stlamerican.com

For nearly a decade the Africa World Documentary Film Festival has used cinema as an outlet for the varying narratives and perspectives found within the voices of the Diaspora. This weekend (February 5-7), the festival returns to the Missouri History Museum for its ninth year.

“Through the art of documentary filmmaking, the Africa World Documentary Film Festival is committed to the promotion of knowledge, life and culture of the people of Africa worldwide,” said Niyi Coker, E. Desmond Lee Endowed Professor of African/ African-American Theatre and Cinema, Directing for Stage and Screenwriting and Playwriting at

University of Missouri-St. Louis and director of the festival.

What began as a modest local showing of films that shed light on the African experience from a global perspective has evolved into an institution that lives the message of the festival in its own right.

During its St. Louis run, the festival will feature 14 films from nine countries, including South Africa, Ethiopia, Kenya, South Sudan, China and the United States.

All screenings are free and open to the public.

After the opening weekend in St. Louis, the festival will travel to different venues in the U.S. and around the world, including See FILMS, C4

Bobby J. Brown’s film “Tear The Roof Off: The Untold Story of Parliament Funkadelic” will screen 6:30 p.m. Saturday, February 6 at The Missouri History Museum as part of the 9th Annual Africa World Documentary Film Festival. Al screenings are free.

Calendar C2

ST. LOUIS AMERICAN • FEBRUARY 4 – 10, 2016 Olive St., 63103. For more information, call (314) 2412288 or visit www.slpl.org.

How to place a calendar listing 1. Email your listing to calendar@stlamerican. com OR 2. Visit the calendar section on stlamerican.com and place your listing

special events

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

black history activities Through Feb. 28, African American Inventions Exhibit, St. Louis County Library – Thornhill Branch, 12863 Willowyck Drive. For more information, visit www.slcl. org/black-history-celebration.

Thurs., Feb. 4, 3 p.m., Creative Kids: African American Quilt Board, St. Louis Public Library – Julia Davis Branch, 4415 Natural Bridge. For more information, call (314) 771-5450.

Thurs., Feb. 4, 7 p.m., St. Louis Public Library presents Black History Month Featured Discussion with New York Times Bestselling Author Andrea Davis Pinkney, St. Louis Public Library-Schlafly Branch, 225 N. Euclid Ave. For more information, call (314) 771-5450.

Sat., Feb. 6, 10 a.m., St. Louis Public Library presents Dred Scott and the Sacred Sanctuaries. Join Lynne Jackson, great-great granddaughter of Dred Scott, as we celebrate Black History Month. Ms Jackson will discuss Dred Scott’s life and times and his significance in local, regional and national African American history.

Particular attention will be paid to the Old Courthouse in St. Louis where the infamous Dred Scott decision was handed down. Buder Branch, 4401 Hampton Ave., 63109.

For more information, call (314) 352-2900 or visit www. slpl.org.

Fri., Feb. 12, 7:30 p.m., St. Louis Symphony presents Lift Every Voice: Black History Month Celebration with Larnelle Harris. Join us as we commemorate the legacy of African-American art, music, culture and community.

718 N. Grand Blvd., 63103.

For more information, call

(314) 533-2500 or visit www. stlsymphony.org.

Tues., Feb. 16, 7 p.m., Missouri History Museum presents Spies of Mississippi Film Screening. During the Freedom Summer of 1964, the state of Mississippi entered the spy business.

This documentary, created by Trilogy Films, explores how the commission infiltrated the civil rights coalition, obtaining sensitive documents and information using its most potent—and most secret— weapon: a cadre of black operatives who gained the trust of civil rights crusaders to gain intelligence for the segregationist state. Missouri History Museum, 5700 Lindell Blvd., 63112. For more information, visit www. mohistory.org.

concerts Sat., Feb. 6, 6 p.m., Distinguished Gents 10th Anniversary Concert with special guest Shirley Murdock featuring Leslie Johnson, Jeff Radford, Jermaine Smith, Willie Kilpatrick, Shadrach Robinson, Jan Strickland and Daniel Peaston, Tickets available at Transformation Bookstore, 1108 N. Sarah.

Sat., Feb. 6, 8 p.m., Jazz St. Louis welcomes Gregory Porter, The Touhill Performing Arts Center, UMSL. For more information visit www.touhill.org.

Sun., Feb. 7, 2 p.m., Friends of Scott Joplin presents Pianist Jeff Barnhart in Concert. Legendary pianist Jeff Barnhart brings his own interpretations of great Stride, Blues and Ragtime tunes back to the city where it all began.

Scott Joplin House State Historic Site, 2658 Delmar, 63103. For more information, call (314) 629-4510 or visit www.friendsofscottjoplin.org.

Sat., Feb. 13, 7 p.m., St.

Distinguished Gents 10th Anniversary Concert with special guest Shirley Murdock. For more information, see CONCERTS.

Featured Event Tues., Feb. 16, 7 p.m., Missouri History Museum presents Spies of Mississippi Film Screening. During the Freedom Summer of 1964, the state of Mississippi entered the spy business. Missouri History Museum, 5700 Lindell Blvd., 63112. For more information, visit www.mohistory. org.

(See Black History Activities)

Louis Music Festival starring Fantasia, Joe and Maze Featuring Frankie Beverly.

For more information, visit www.thechaifetzarena.com Feb. 17 – 20, Jazz at the Bistro presents Marcus Roberts Trio. The Marcus Roberts Trio is known for its virtuosic style and entirely new approach to jazz trio performance. 3536 Washington Ave., 63103. For more information, visit www.jazzstl. org.

Fri., Feb. 19, 8 p.m., Sheldon Concert Hall presents Ruthie Foster with special guest Bottom Up Blues Gang. Ruthie Foster was born in the small rural town of Gause, TX. Raised in a family of gospel singers, Ruthie irst learned to sing during worship services at her community church. With a chapel-bred bravado trained on the works of powerful women such as Mavis Staples and Aretha Franklin, her sound grew into an inspired blend of blues, folk and gospel. 3648 Washington Ave., 63108.

For more information, call (314) 533-9900 or visit www. thesheldon.org.

Sun., Feb. 21, 7 p.m., Chaifetz Arena presents State of Emergency III starring Lil Wayne. 1 South

Compton Ave., 63103. For more information, visit www. thechaifetzarena.com.

Feb. 28, 8 p.m., Gary Clark Jr. - The Story of Sonny Boy Slim Tour, The Pageant, 6161 Delmar. For more information, visit www.thepageant.com, www.ticketmaster.com or call (314) 726-6161.

local gigs Sat., Feb. 6, 3 p.m., Education 4 All presents Mid-Day Mini Jazz Concert & Fundraiser feat. Ron Wilkinson. 20 S. Sarah St., 63108. For more information, call (314) 397-8757.

Fri, Feb. 12, 7 p.m., Trio Tres Bien with Danita Mumphard, St. Louis County Library – Florissant Valley Branch, 195 N. Florissant Rd. Thur., Feb. 18, 6:30 p.m., Not So Quiet! Concert Series presents David Dee & The Hot Tracks. Considered by many to be the reigning blues king of St. Louis, Dee has earned the title as bandleader, song writer, guitarist, entertainer, and singer through 40 plus years of road work, recording and performing.

Central Library, 1301

Sat., Feb. 6, 4 p.m., Christ Church Cathedral will hold a vigil and stand in solidarity with Gynnya McMillen, the 16 year old who was killed in a juvenile detention facility in Elizabethtown Kentucky as a result of several officers used what they called a “martial arts” style restraint on her.

They will pray and cry out for [2]#justiceforGynnya and demand that the state keep their [3]#handsoffBlackgirls.

Kiener Plaza.

Sat., Feb. 6, Chaifetz Arena hosts Disney Live! Mickie and Minnie’s Doorway to Magic. Join Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse and the comical duo of Donald and Goofy as 25 of your favorite Disney characters surprise and captivate at every turn of the knob! See the Fairy Godmother transform Cinderella’s rags into a beautiful ball gown in a split second; the Toy Story gang defy the dimensions of Andy’s toy box with the help of the green army men; and the spectacular stage debut of Rapunzel and Flynn Rider as they rise into the sky amidst the loating lanterns.

With special appearances by Snow White, Tinker Bell and Aladdin’s Genie, you never know what to expect or who might join in the fun. 1 South Compton Ave., 63103. For more information, visit www. thechaifetzarena.com.

Sat., Feb. 6, 7 p.m., William G. Harris Funeral Directors present Mardi Gras Bash feat. Dirty Muggs. The Ambassador, 9800 Halls Ferry Rd., 63136. For more information, call (314) 302-3630 or visit www. mcgeegents.eventbrite.com.

Feb. 6 – Mar. 27, Missouri Botanical Gardens hosts 2016 Orchid Show: Where the Wild things Grow.

Approximately 500 orchids are on display at any one time.

This year’s Orchid Show offers visitors the chance to learn more about the habitats of orchids and how they adapt to changing environments. The Missouri Botanical Garden’s work including research, discovery, conservation and restoration of orchids will be presented with interpretation encompassed in the beautiful display. 4344 Shaw Blvd., 63110.For more information, visit www.mobot.org.

Sun., Feb. 14, 6 p.m., Clark Wilson Entertainment

& LeSyndicate present A Sensual Night of Romance” featuring a performance by Flirt & No ID, Voce,212 South Tucker, STL MO 63102.

For advance tickets, visit Serenity MYO,362 North Boyle Ave, STL MO 63108 • 314.371.4290Studio 6 Salon,3318 N. US Hwy 67, STL MO 63033 • 314.831.3036 Via Phone:Miguel at 314.732.9955 or 800.824.0084 Tickets can be purchased Online at RegalTix.com!

Fri., Feb. 19, 5:30 p.m., The Magic House hosts Free Family Night. Some of the best things in life are free.

These special nights enable a family (no more than two adults and four of their own children) to enjoy more than 100 hands-on exhibits in the museum at no charge.

Reservations are not required.

516 S. Kirkwood Rd., 63122.

For more information, visit www.magichouse.org.

Sat., Feb. 20, 11 a.m., Sheldon Concert Hall & Art Galleries in Grand Center presents The Onyx Bridal Affair.

Designed to place the spotlight on the multicultural bride and groom, this is not your typical bridal show. Enjoy free hors d’oeuvres, complimentary beverages, a celebrity panel, Bridal Shopping Boutique, The Groom’s Man Cave experience, and for VIP attendees, The Fashion & Music Bridal Showcase featuring artists, Kenny DeShields and jazz saxophonist, Harvey Lockhart.

A portion of the proceeds will beneit The Sheldon’s North County Big Band. 3648 Washington Blvd., 63108. For more information, visit www. thesheldon.org or call (314) 534-1111.

Sat., Feb. 20, 8 p.m., The Fox Theatre hosts AC2: An Intimate Evening With Andy Cohen & Anderson Cooper Deep Talk and Shallow Tales. Join Cohen and Cooper for an unscripted, uncensored and unforgettable night of conversation. The late night talk show host and the journalist, longtime friends, interview each other and take questions from the audience.

It’s a live, interactive look behind the scenes of pop culture and world events. 527 N. Grand Blvd., 63103. For more information, call (314) 534-1111 or (314) 534-1678.

Mon., Feb., 22 6:30 p.m., Loretto Hilton Center for the Performing Arts hosts #BlackLivesMatter.

Join Webster University and the Multicultural Center and International Student Affairs ofice as we welcome the Founders and International Ambassador of

ST. LOUIS AMERICAN • FEBRUARY 4 – 10, 2016 #BlackLivesMatter. With a vision of justice for all, they will engage us in discussions about race relations in America and how their activism from the fringes became the national movement it is today.130 Edgar Rd., 63118. For more information, visit blogs. webster.edu/mcisa.

Sat., Feb. 27 7 p.m., The Mandarin House hosts 1st annual Mardi Gras Hangover party. BYOB event & VIP tables available.

8008 Olive, 63130. For more information, call 314-229-5267 or 314-496-7959.

comedy Sat., Feb. 13, 7:30 p.m. & 9:30 p.m., The Lumiere Casino welcomes George Wallace, Lumiere Live. For more information, visit www. ticketmaster.com.

Fri., Feb. 26 8 p.m., The Chaifetz Arena presents Katt Williams: The Conspiracy Tour. 1 South Compton Ave., 63103. For more information, visit www.thechaifetzarena. com.

literary Thur., Feb. 4, 7 p.m., Maplewood Public Library hosts authors John and Sylvia Wright, authors of Extraordinary Black Missourians. The book chronicles the story of individuals who have set records, made discoveries, received international acclaim and awards, and led the Civil Rights Movement by breaking down racial barriers. 7550 Lohmeyer Ave., 63143. For more information, call (314) 781-2174 or visit www. maplewood.lib.mo.us.

Thur., Feb. 4, 6:30 p.m., St. Louis Public Library hosts author Andrea Davis Pinkney, author of Boycott Blues: How Rosa Parks Inspired a Nation and The Red Pencil. Boycott Blues presents a poignant, blues infused tribute to the men and women of the Montgomery bus boycott, who refused to give up until they got justice.

Schlafly Branch, 225 N. Euclid Ave., 63108. For more information, call (314) 3674120 or visit www.slpl.org.

Tues., Feb. 9, 7 p.m., St. Louis County Library hosts author Chinelo Okparanta, author of Under the Udala Trees. Inspired by her mother’s stories of war and Nigeria’s folktale traditions, “Under the Udala Trees” is Chinelo Okparanta’s debut novel about the dangers of living and loving openly.

Library Headquarters, 1640 S. Lindbergh Blvd., 63131. For more information, call (314) 994-3300 or visit www.slcl. org.

Fri., Feb. 19, 7 p.m., St. Louis County Library Foundation hosts authors Frankie Muse Freeman and

St. Louis County Library Foundation hosts authors Frankie Muse Freeman (far left) and Koran Bolden. See LITERARY for details.

Koran Bolden. Growing up in the Jim Crow-era South, Frankie Freeman learned lessons about discrimination.

She also learned how to fight injustice and make a difference. Ms. Freeman is a legendary St. Louis civil rights activist, attorney and author of A Song of Faith and Hope: The Life of Frankie Muse Freeman. Koran Bolden is a youth motivational speaker and author of Rock, Paper, Scissors. Together, Freeman and Bolden will discuss the Civil Rights movement and discrimination issues, past and present. Library Headquarters, 1640 S. Lindbergh Blvd., 63131. For more information, call (314) 994-3300 or visit www.slcl.org.

theatre Feb. 10 – Mar. 6, The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis presents Disgraced. 130 Edgar Rd., 63119. For more information, call (314) 9684925 or visit www.repstl.org.

Feb. 12 – 28, Metro Theatre Company presents And in This Corner…Cassius Clay. Based on the early life of Muhammad Ali in Jim Crow Louisville, the play tells the story of a young man who believes his potential is unlimited despite the segregation and racism he is surrounded by. Missouri History Museum, 5700 Lindell Blvd., 63112. For more information, call (314) 9327414 or visit www.metroplays. org.

Feb. 12 – 13, Black Anthology presents Woke.

Black Anthology was founded in 1989 to provide a means of commemorating the history and progress of African Americans. Since its creation, the program was totally student run, from the script to set and costume design.

Edison Theatre, Washington University, 6445 Forsyth Blvd., 63130. For more information, call (314) 9356543 or visit www.edison. wustl.edu.

Feb. 20 – 21, COCA presents Three Little Birds. Based on the known and loved reggae music of Bob Marley, join the fun of this musical, which has been adapted from the children’s book “Three Little Birds” by Cedella Marley. An empowering tale about triumph over anxiety, the musical’s young protagonist, Ziggy, must ind a way to leave the house despite a fear of hurricanes, mongooses and other things in his native Jamaica. 524 Trinity Ave., 63130. For more information, call (314) 7256555 or visit www.cocastl.org.

Saturdays, Through Feb. 27, 11:30 a.m., Teens Make History presents Looking for Dunham. It’s a slow news day for the paper’s entertainment reporters when rumors that the great Katherine Dunham is in town start to circulate.

Will they ind Miss Dunham

C3 Leah Tutu -- will be at Christ Church Cathedral on Sunday, February 21 to preach at the 10 am worship service and lead a noontime community forum on “Truth & Reconciliation: South Africa and STL. The forum, which will last from noon - 1:30 pm in the Cathedral Nave, is part of Christ Church Cathedral’s “Spotlight Sunday” series of speakers. Both the forum and the worship service are free and open to the public. Christ Church Cathedral, 1210 Locust Street, St. Louis, MO. For more information, visit www.christchurchcathedral. us, or call (314) 231-3454.

tax assistance before the TV journalists get the scoop? Missouri History Museum, 5700 Lindell Blvd., 63112. For more information, visit www.mohistory.org.

arts Through Mar. 13, COCA presents Carl Richards: Money. Visualized. Carl Richards, author and creator of the weekly “Sketch Guy” column in the New York Times, makes complex financial concepts easy to understand through his elegantly simple sketches. This interactive installation invites visitors to create sketches, notes, and diagrams charting their own goals and realities.

There will be an opening on Jan. 15 at 6 p.m. 524 Trinity Ave., 63130. For more information, call (314) 7256555 or visit www.cocastl.org.

Through March 19, Pulitzer Arts Foundation hosts Kota: Digital Excavations in African Art. The exhibition examines a new digital database created by Belgian computer engineer and independent researcher Frederic Cloth to study and reveal the hidden histories of Kota reliquaries. Featuring nearly ifty of these guardian igures, visitors will go through a visual process to detect groupings and similarities between the sculptures that will enhance understanding of their origins, creation, and function—information that has largely been considered lost.

3716 Washington Blvd., 63108.

For more information, visit www.pulitzerarts.org.

lectures/ workshops Sat., Feb. 6, 9 a.m., The Scholarship Foundation of St. Louis presents FAFSA Completion Clinic. We are continuing our series of free financial aid workshops for students and their families to understand how to navigate applying for financial aid. The clinic will offer individualized, one-on-one, 30-minute appointments to help with

FAFSA completion. 8215 Clayton Rd., 63117. For more information, call (314) 7257990 or visit www.sfstl.org.

February 21, Application deadline for The St. Louis Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., 2nd Innovative Think Tank Entrepreneurship Competition. The “Think Tank” aims to empower the young people of this community to take the initiative in social innovation and become pioneers in building a harmonious and sustainable society. There will be a Grand Prize and 2nd and 3rd prizes for competition winners. Interested persons should contact Minnette Scruggs at (314) 9525160 or Teresa HargrowSimmons at (314) 790-1234 for information on how to participate.

health Sat., Feb. 6, 6 p.m., Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital presents Heart & Soul. Join us for a night out to celebrate Heart Month benefiting the children and families served by the Dorothy and Larry Dallas Heart Center.

This heart-filled evening will feature an unforgettable dueling piano performance, an auction, culinary delights by Executive Chef Nick Miller, and more. Bissinger’s, 1600 N. Broadway, 63102. For more information, call (314) 6786639 or visit www.glennon. org/heartandsoul.

Sat, February 13, 10 a.m., Health, Healing and Hip Hop Showcase! For more information, visit getfitcrewstl. org or call 314-384-2362.

Sat., Feb. 13, 10 a.m., Girl Scout Gold Award Project Free Health Fair, blood pressure screenings, glucose screenings, health risk assessments, feet screenings, HIV screenings, dental screenings. CHIPS Health and Wellness Center located at 2431 N. Grand Boulevard. For questions, please contact Erin Weyerich, CHIPS Director of Operations, at 314-652-9231 ext 20.

spiritual Sun., Feb. 21, 10 a.m.

Human rights activist Nontombi Naomi Tutu -- the third child of Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Nomalizo

Through Mar. 31, 9 a.m., AARP Tax Assistance.

Eligible Seniors may call the AARP tax help line and schedule an appointment for free tax preparation assistance. St. Louis Public Library, Buder Branch, 4401 Hampton Ave., 63109.

For more information or to register, call (314) 525-1660.

Through Apr. 11, University of Missouri St. Louis hosts Volunteer Income Tax Assistance. St. Louis Public Library, Schlafly Branch, 225 N. Euclid Ave., 63108. For more information, call (314) 367-4120 or visit www.slpl.org.

Through Apr. 11, 12 p.m., AARP Tax Help. St. Louis Public Library, Kingshighway Branch, 2260 S. Vandeventer Ave., 63110. For more information, call (314) 5251660.

Through Apr. 15, 10 a.m., AARP Tax Aide. We will provide free tax preparation assistance throughout this tax season by appointment only.

St. Louis Public Library, Julia Davis Branch, 4415 Natural Bridge Ave., 63115. For more information or to register, call (314) 525-1660.

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Plus-size designer Qristyl Frazier will headline the Dangerous Curves Fashion Show 7:30 p.m. Friday, February 5 at Ambrusters Great Hall, 6633 Clayton Rd.

CURVES Continued from C1 said. “I thought, ‘God, if I could get her to sign on– to believe in me’ – it was just amazing.”

Frazier considers the opportunity to use the brand she has nurtured over the past decade to elevate the fashion scene of her hometown – especially the full-figured niche.

“St. Louis has really been growing with their own fashion industry,” Frazier said. “Plus size is on the rise right here, and I’m just trying to bring awareness to the industry.”

Phipps is also using her show to help curvy ladies believe in themselves. Instead of professional models, Phipps is using everyday women to rip the runway for Dangerous Curves.

“I pulled these women from behind the scenes in board rooms, from behind squad cars,” Phipps said. “These women have never done anything like this before, and I love to build people up. I want to empower and to elevate them, and I just can’t wait to see their transformation.”

Her excitement is boiling over for Friday. The response has been overwhelming.

“The whole point of the show is to let people know that there are designers and boutiques here that can give you that custom look – and it doesn’t have to be expensive,” Phipps said. “And I hope they leave the show and say, ‘Curvy women rock.’”

Dangerous Curves Fashion Show will take place 7:30

‘Celebrate the Gospel’ at the Garden

The First Baptist Church of Chesterfield choir

n “There are designers here, but they don’t have a platform. So I wanted to give them a platform.”

– Alisha Phipps

p.m. Friday, February 5 (doors at 7 p.m.) at Ambrusters Great Hall, 6633 Clayton Rd. For more information,

visit www.facebook.com/ dangerouscurvesSTL or email dangerouscurvesfashion@ gmail.com.

Follow us on Social Media!

Facebook.com/Stlouisamerican Instagram & Twitter: @stlouisamerican

The Missouri Botanical Garden will observe Black History Month with its Celebrate the Gospel concert for its 27th on Sunday, February 14 at 3 p.m.

The First Baptist Church of Chesterfield choir will perform traditional and modern renditions of inspirational gospel music. Bring the entire family to enjoy this lively

performance by the esteemed and talented choral group.

The concert will be held inside the Garden’s Shoenberg Theater. Seating is limited and available first-come, firstserved.

Celebrate the Gospel is included with Missouri Botanical Garden admission of $8 for adults and free for children ages 12 and under.

St. Louis city and county residents enjoy discounted admission of $4. Missouri Botanical Garden members are free.

The Missouri Botanical Garden is located at 4344 Shaw Blvd. in south St. Louis.

For general information, visit www.mobot.org or call 314577-5100.

FILM

Funkadelic.”

The iconic band is known for providing one of the most flamboyant, over-the-top live concert experiences in music.

Brown’s film exposes the behind-the-scenes drama over the 40-plus-year history of the band – which at times made the stage show pale in comparison.

Brown, along with Jerome “Big Foot” Brailey and Billy “Bass” Nelson, both members of Parliament Funkadelic and 1997 Rock and Roll Hall inductees, will be on hand for a post-show Q&A following the film’s screening (6:30 p.m.

Saturday, February 6).

This year more than 150 films were submitted to the festival for consideration, and 36 documentaries from 27 countries were selected to be shown at the various cities involved in the festival.

The subjects of these works include art, business,

crime and violence, culture, education, gender, history, human trafficking, immigration, identity, music and dance, traditional religion, personal biographies, politics, poverty, race, society, sport, as well as women’s issues.

“We celebrate and congratulate the extraordinary group of talented filmmakers who have employed their craft and skills in the exploration the experiences of people of African origin all around the world,” Coker said.

The 9th annual Africa World Documentary Film Festival is free and open to the public. It will run from Friday, February 5 to Sunday, February 7 at the Missouri History Museum, 5700 Lindell Blvd. For a complete list of the films and show times, visit www.africaworldfilmfestival.com or www.facebook.com/ AfricaWorldDocumentaryFilmFestival.

Continued from C1 Philadelphia, Ghana, Barbados, Trinidad & Tobago, Jamaica, South Africa and the United Kingdom.

“We shall be presenting 35 films submitted by filmmakers from Australia, Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Cape Verde, Central Africa Republic, China, Cuba, Democratic Republic of Congo, Denmark, Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, Italy, Jordan, Liberia, Netherlands, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, South Africa, South Sudan, Spain, Sudan, Switzerland, Trinidad & Tobago, United Kingdom, Uganda and USA,” Coker said.

Among the highlights of this year’s festival will be Bobby J. Brown’s “Tear The Roof Off: The Untold Story of Parliament

ST. LOUIS AMERICAN • FEBRUARY 4 - 10, 2016

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County Library drops fines for kids 19 percent of juvenile cardholders were blocked due to overdue fines

By Dale Singer Of St. Louis Public Radio

Tj Hughes made his first draft of “Feesh” while a high school student at the fresh age of 16, as part of the Ludum Dare, a 48-hour “game jam.”

FEESH Continued from C1 Preparatory School, Matt Austin, who is known in the music scene as RDTR Productions. “He produces many genres of music, including electronic, trap, chill wave, hip-hop and R&B, and he’s always blending the aforementioned genres,” Hughes said.

Hughes, 19, is a very recent graduate of the school. A self-taught programmer and game designer, he already is working full-time in the field at Rampant Interactive, based in Maplewood, where his first major project was the digital installation included in “Kota: Digital Excavations in African Art” at Pulitzer Arts Foundation.

He made his first draft of “Feesh” while a high school

student at the fresh age of 16. He made it as part of the Ludum Dare, a 48-hour “game jam” where contestants from all over the world have two days to design a game starting with the same prompt.

“It is not so much a competition, so much as everyone participating just with the goal of making something cool,” Hughes said.

The prompt for Ludum Dare 24 (hosted August 24-27, 2012), when Hughes made his first draft of “Feesh,” was “evolution.”

“It was a long 48 hours, but by the end of it I had something totally made,” Hughes said.

“I had never finished a game before, so it was so exciting for me. I decided to polish the game up and sell it.”

“Feesh,” released on Hughes’ Terrifying Jellyfish imprint, is available at http:// store.steampowered.com/ app/415240.

Free financial aid clinic on Feb. 6 The Scholarship Foundation of St. Louis will host a free FAFSA Completion Clinic on Saturday, February 6, from 9 a.m. to noon to assist students in completing the 2016-2017 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Anyone seeking help with a first-time or renewal FAFSA application is encouraged to register for a free appointment prior to arrival.

Attendees should bring the following information for both student and parent(s): 2015 tax returns, W2 forms, FSA IDs (https://fsaid.ed.gov), Social

Security numbers, birth dates, student’s driver’s license (if possible) and an understanding of cash, savings and checking account balances.

Families who have not filed their 2015 taxes should not feel discouraged; bringing 2014 tax returns is acceptable. Families who will not file taxes can still complete the FAFSA. Free appointments are held every half-hour. Walk-ins are welcome, but priority is given to scheduled appointments. To register, email info@sfstl.org or call 314-725-7990.

Uh-oh. You just found a long-overdue library copy of “Hop on Pop” wedged deep under your child’s bed, and you don’t relish the thought of paying as much in fines as it would have cost to buy the book in the first place.

If the book was checked out from the St. Louis County Library, you can relax. As of New Year’s Day, the library has decided that children’s books, CDs and DVDs are exempt from overdue fines.

Library Director Kristen Sorth says the new policy – which has its limits – is designed to remove what often becomes an unwelcome deterrent to having children use the library.

“We are always looking for ways to remove barriers to access to library materials and services, particularly for children,” Sorth said. “When

Photo: St. Louis County Library

As of New Year’s Day, children’s books, CDs and DVDs are exempt from overdue fines at St. Louis County Library. Patrons will still be charged for children’s items that are not returned after 45 days and are considered lost.

we were brainstorming about how we could do this, we looked at some statistics and found that 19 percent of our juvenile cardholders are blocked from using the library due to overdue fines. That’s a lot.”

Sorth said the library isn’t going to just sit back and ignore materials that are kept out past their due date.

“Overdue notices would still

be issued for juvenile materials to alert the borrowers that they still need to return the items,” she said “So it’s not as if someone can never bring back a book. There are still efforts in place to make sure that those books come back.”

Sorth said the new policy is expected to cost the library system $88,000 a year; annual revenue from fines is $700,000.

The new policy began on

January 1 and does not cover fines that accrued before that time. It applies to materials classified as being for children, up to the age of 12.

Last year, more than 4.4 million juvenile items were checked out of the library system, about one-third of the total for all items.

Patrons will still be charged for children’s items that are not returned after 45 days and are considered lost, and blocks will be placed on cards when the total for such items reaches $15.

Sorth said the problem with fines on overdue materials can be particularly acute with children’s books, because of their size and the number of them that are checked out at one time.

At the St. Louis Public Library, spokesman John Koniak said children up to the age of 6 can get what is called “My 1st Library Card” which carries no overdue fines.

He said the system held its first fine amnesty last month to mark the library’s 150th anniversary.

Follow Dale Singer on Twitter: @dalesinger Reprinted with permission from news.stlpublicradio.org.

ST. LOUIS AMERICAN • FEBRUARY 4 - 10, 2016

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Suggs Scholar flourishing at SEMO American staff Denia Peacock of O’Fallon, Missouri came to Southeast Missouri State University as a freshman this fall intent on pursuing a degree in journalism and public relations and quickly became an involved student on campus.

Peacock is active with Student Government, Student Activities Council and the National Association of Black Journalists. Additionally, she is a member of the President’s Task Force on Diversity Education and will take part in the Emerging Leaders program in the spring.

Emerging Leaders is a spring semester, university-sponsored student leadership program for first- and second-year students to develop the university’s future leaders by refining their current leadership abilities and instilling in them a commitment to the campus and community.

“I am becoming really wellrounded with all the activities.

There is so much to do around SEMO,” Peacock said.

At Fort Zumwalt West High School, Peacock served as the senior class president,

Denia Peacock serves on university President’s Task Force on Diversity Education

vice president of her school’s concert choir, finance editor of the yearbook and a junior class officer. She was also a member of National Honor Society, Future Business Leaders of America, PPI Jag Connection Mentor Program, Foreign Language Club and Student Council, as well as a charter member of the Generation

NeXt Mentor Program and the Girls Dreaming Big Program.

Additionally, she was involved with the St. Louis Alumni Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority.

In September, Peacock received the seventh annual Donald M. Suggs Scholarship Award at the St. Louis American Foundation’s Salute to Excellence in Education gala. The award is presented annually to a student from the St. Louis metropolitan area who demonstrates the potential for academic achievement, leadership and commitment to their community.

This renewable scholarship provides full tuition, an additional $1,000 for other educational expenses and an iPad tablet. Total value of the scholarship is more than $30,000.

“When I first received the scholarship, I was surprised.

Then when I learned exactly how much and all of the great benefits it provides, I was ecstatic,” Peacock said. “It really will help me with the financial burden of college and keep me focused on my studies.”

Works by African American artists debut in current exhibition Over the last decade the Saint Louis Art Museum has acquired some 700 prints, drawings, and photographs – only a small number of which have been on view. The exhibition A Decade of Collecting Prints, Drawings, and Photographs includes important gifts and purchases that signiicantly enhance and diversify the collection.

Making their debut are four works by African American artists, including prints by Elizabeth Catlett and Eldzier Cortor and photographs by Birney Imes and Mickalene Thomas. We invite you to visit the exhibition on view in galleries 234 and 235 through July 17, 2016.

Elizabeth Catlett (1915 – 2012), a printer and sculptor is best known for her depictions of the African-American experience in the 20th century, which often had the female experience as their focus. Sharecropper is often referred to as one of her most celebrated works on paper. Catlett created the monumental portrait of an African American sharecropper while living in Mexico, where she moved in 1946 to work at the Taller de Gráica Popular (People’s Graphic Arts Workshop). Inluenced by the spirit of activism at the Workshop, Catlett produced many images of African American women, particularly women of the South, who she believed maintained their dignity in the face of harsh conditions. You will be drawn into Sharecropper depicting an image of the elderly woman wearing a large straw hat that spans the entire paper.

Eldzier Cortor (1916 – 2015), a printmaker and painter traversed various styles and he had a mastery and adeptness at printmaking that allowed him to push the medium to its utmost limits. Like Catlett, much of Cortor’s works portray African-American woman as the theme and addressed social issues. L’abbatoire No VI (slaughterhouse) is part of a series that documents the artist’s dismay over the violent politics of Haiti, where he once lived. Using an etching technique, the abstract shapes and deeply saturated inks invoke strong emotions of human suffering and the horrors of Haitian political oppression. Cortor passed away on November 26, 2015, at the age of 99.

A Decade of Collecting Prints, Drawings, and Photographs also includes photographs by Birney Imes and Mickalene Thomas. Imes (born 1951) is best known for his photographs of the American South, especially his home state of Mississippi. Emma Byrd’s Place, Marcella, Mississippi is a color photograph of an African-American man standing in partial proile at the entrance to a bar.

Thomas (born 1971) is perhaps best known for her embellished paintings, but her photographs are equally as stunning. Din, une trés belle négresse #1 (A Very Beautiful Black Woman), is a large-scale color portrait of an African American woman. Thomas carefully balances the strength of the woman’s gaze, her halo of dark hair and bold lips, with the proliferation of pattern on her dress and the wall textile.

From linocuts to etchings and photographs, A Decade of Collecting Prints, Drawings, and

“Sharecropper” by Elizabeth Catlett

Photographs is a must see at the Saint Louis Art Museum. Make plans to join us Tuesday through Sunday, where admission to the Museum is always free. Visit slam.org for full exhibition and program information.

Join us for these Upcoming Programs Saint Louis Art Museum Meet in Sculpture Hall •••••

Gallery Talk: The WPA and the Flourish of African American Art, 1936-1940 Thursday, February 4, 11:00 am & Friday, February 5, 6:00 pm Courtney Baxter, Romare Bearden Fellow •••••

Gallery Talk: Kota and Beyond: Honoring Ancestors in African Art Thursday, February 11, 11:00 am & Friday, February 12, 6:00 pm Nichole Bridges, curator in charge, Arts of Africa, Oceania, and the Americas

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ST. LOUIS AMERICAN • FEBRUARY 4 – 10, 2016

Celebrations Birthdays

FREE OF CHARGE

Roneshia Taylor

Happy Birthday to Roneshia Taylor on February 3!

May you be blessed and have many more! We love you! Turn up!

From, Your Family

Garisha “Shani” Jones

Happy Birthday to my one and only beautiful daughter, Garisha “Shani” Jones on January 29. She is a precious gem to me. God has let me share her love and life for 23 wonderful years.

Luv you more, Your Momma Happy 67th Birthday to the best granny/big granny in the world, Annie Nichols. We are very blessed to have you in our lives. Thanks for everything you have done for us. We appreciate you more than you know.

Enjoy your birthday!

Love, Your grandkids and great-grandkids Mrs. Vorece Smith-Brooks celebrates her 100th Birthday on February 11. Family and friends will celebrate her Centennial Birthday at the Embassy Suites Airport. She was born in Holly Springs, MS and has been a member of Parrish Stewart CME Church since 1948. She is the queen of five generations. We are her legacy. Thanking God for his grace!

Reunions All reunion announcements can be viewed online!

Beaumont High School Class of 1971 is planning its 45th year reunion for July 22-24, 2016.Please send your contact information (address and phone number) to Gladys Smith at beaumont1971alumni@aol. com.

Soldan Class of 1971 is planning its 45th year reunion for: June 17-19, 2016 at the Ameristar Casino Resort & Spa, One Ameristar Boulevard, St. Charles, Mo 63301.

Soldan Class of 1976 reunion will be held June 10-12, 2016.

For more information, email soldanclassof1976@yahoo. com or Facebook: Soldan High School Class of 1976.

Sumner Alumni Association hosts its 13th Annual RoundUp of Sumner Alumni Sunday, February 28, 2016, 1-4 pm at Sumner High School. Theme: “Climbing Jacob’s Ladder” with Special performances by Sumner Alumni and non-Sumner

Annie Nichols Vorece SmithBrooks

Do you have a celebration you’re proud of? If so we would like to share your good news with our readers.

Whether it’s a birth, graduation, wedding, engagement announcement, anniversary, retirement or birthday, send your photos and a brief announcement (50 words or less) to us and we may include it in our paper and website – AT NO COST – as space is available. Photos will not be returned.

Send your announcements to: kdaniel@stlamerican. com or mail to: St. Louis American Celebrations c/o Kate Daniel 2315 Pine St. St. Louis, MO 63103

Alumni. Reception with entertainment: 12:45-1:45 pm in the gym with displays, souvenir items, photographer and more. New, Renewal, and “Climbing Jacob’s Ladder” (Lifetime) for alumni memberships accepted in the foyer. Program: 2 pm in the auditorium.

Vendors are welcome ($50 in advance); contact B. Louis at 314.385.9843 for Vendor Form or Flyer at: sumneralumniassn@yahoo. com. John House, Chairperson 314.420-3442.

Sumner High School Class of 1966 is planning their 50th Class Reunion. Please contact Ella Scott at 314-436-1696, Els2188@sbcglobal.net with

your name, address and email or join the Sumner Class of 1966 Facebook Group page.

University City High School Class of 1976 is planning its Fabulous 40th year class reunion for June 24-25, 2016. We need your contact information. Please email your information to: weareuc76@ gmail.com or call the UCHS Class of 76 voicemail at 314301-9597.

University City Class of 1981 35th reunion will be August 5-7, 2016. Please send your contact information to Denise Weatherford -Bell at msdenise38@yahoo.com.

Vashon January and June Classes of 1966 will celebrate our 50 year reunion October 7-9, 2016 at the Hollywood Casino, 777 Casino Center Drive, Maryland Heights, MO 63043. Contact Marilyn Stuckey, Chairperson, 314-438-8338, email: masystucup@att.net or Janice Holland, Co-Chairperson, 314-727-1695, email: jholland1695@att.net for more information.

Vashon Class of 1986 will be celebrating its fabulous 30th Class Reunion in beautiful Las Vegas Nevada, July 21-23, 2016. For more information contact, Claudette at 314 3681502 or cctreze@att.net.

Reunion notices are free of charge and based on space availability.

We prefer that notices be emailed to us!

However, notices may also be sent by mail to: Kate Daniel, 2315 Pine St., St. Louis, MO 63103 Deadline is 10 a.m. on Friday. If you’d like your class to be featured in a reunion profile, email or mail photos to us.

Our email address is:

reunions@ stlamerican.com

ST. LOUIS AMERICAN • FEBRUARY 4 - 10, 2016

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Swag Snap of the week His classics were in heavy rotation when Dre welcomed recording artist and legendary beatmaker extraordinaire Timbaland to the STL for a special edition of Element Saturdays at The Marquee.

Mari and Loren D made their way to Art, Beats and Lyrics Friday night @ NEO

Three parts of Saturday Morning were in the building for some good music Monday night @ BB’s

Alison and Laura killed the scene in all black Friday @ Art, Beats and Lyrics @ NEO

Alexis and Gaby got a chance to vibe with Twista @ NEO Friday for Art, Beats and Lyrics

Young Leaders season has arrived. It’s about that time – well, not quite, but I thought I should give you a heads up on the hottest event for the regions’ rising movers and shakers. February 25 at the Four Seasons will once again host The St. Louis American Foundation’s Annual Young Leaders Networking Reception. We have yet another stellar list of young leaders that we introduced last week – and they run the gamut as far as their respective professional and community service contributions. I know we’re nearly a month on the front end, but every.single.one. of our Young Leader celebrations sell out and 2016 will be no different. I’m telling you this now, so you won’t be left in the lobby. I’m already channeling my inner Olivia Pope as I think possible outfit solutions. I really do hate the cold, but knowing that I can set a pinstriped power suit off with the perfect outerwear and gloves probably means that I will be at the Nordstrom Rack from now until two hours before the reception starts trying to serve the folks all the “Scandal” realness their hearts could desire. The reception goes down Thursday, Feb. 25 at 5:30 p.m. at The Four Seasons. For more information, call (314) 533-8000 or visit www.stlamerican.com.

ABL’s winning streak continues. Arts, Beats and Lyrics made its way back to the Lou Friday night and NEO was packed to the gills yet again. Dres Tha Beatnik and his recurring hat were back and they had all kinds of DJs over the course of the evening getting it in to everything from Montell Jordan to Michael Jackson. If I had to pick a personal favorite, it would be the Wu-Tang exhibit with Raekwon Ghostface and RZA immortalized on their own cartoon comic book cover. What? I’m still checking for most of the WU. I got my life from the artwork from the Erykah Badu portrait too. Y’all were really doing the most for the “’Book” and “The ‘Gram” in that ET exhibit weren’t y’all? And by y’all, I mean me. Who could resist reliving the childhood fantasy of riding home with him and Elliot? Speaking of childhoods, some of y’all’s parents would be too mad if they knew that y’all were vibing to Twista in your tween years. These early twentysomethings knew every word to his little songs when he ripped the stage for the only celebrity performance I would see this weekend (yes, this was Timbaland shade). The folks lost their minds when the track for “Overnight Celebrity” dropped. You had to be there to truly get what I’m talking about. Shout out to Jack Daniel’s for another win with Arts, Beats and Lyrics and keeping our city in the mix when you hit the road with it.

Timbaland totem pole. I was all set to read Timbaland for dear life after his Marquee appearance, but then I heard about how he played the audience of a Flint, Michigan benefit show and felt fortunate. According to promoters he refused to perform or DJ because they didn’t have Jay Z’s Ace of Spades – but drank the little club out of house and home anyway as he stood around looking bothered and useless. Don’t get me wrong, they could’ve had a mute hologram of Tim at The Marquee Friday night and few folks would’ve been none the wiser. But I will say that Cuddy and whoever the dude was that was pretending to be Timbaland on the tables was getting it in by spinning all of the classic tracks he’s produced over the years. He has a catalog of bangers under his belt from the past 15 years or so. And nobody seemed more pleased with the music than Timbaland. Every time the crowd got amped he would give this nod like “yep, that was me too.” I guess that kind of counts as a performance, right?

Of course not. Although I would’ve been equally satisfied with a Timbaland tribute spin session – and wouldn’t have felt like the folks at the Marquee wasted their coinage by having him off to the side as a quiet prop – I’m glad I rolled through. Some of my favorite people were in the house to show support. My girl DT (a.k.a. Scar LaDon) was slaying the game in a black sheer freakum dress.

Too bad she had changed her blonde fade to a bulky black twist out so nobody recognized her to give the credit she deserved. Mocha Latte, Keith from Koncepts, Christina Bailey from Radio One St. Louis, Mo Spoon and several of his Eye Candy Model alums. I also saw dancer/choreographer Redd and his crew that included a swagged out Mickey Mouse Club member – ask anybody if you don’t believe me. I wish there was a way that I didn’t have to perch until 1:35 a.m. to be underwhelmed by a lackluster celebrity appearance. I’m hoping for the best when Mystikal stops through this weekend, mainly because he’ll put on the show of his life with a Bounty Paper Towel as his stage if someone pays him to.

Chicago rap legend Twista and Kool Aid after Twista killed the stage @ NEO Friday for Art, Beats and Lyrics

Monica and Kiara came out to jam with Timberland Saturday @ The Marquee

Teona and Whitney caught good vibes Friday @ Magnolia Café for Floetic

Kyanna and Concetta snapped a picture by one of the pieces on display Friday night @ Arts, Beats and Lyrics @ NEO

LB on the Art walk. Those of us who got a taste of our own Lawrence Bryant’s party a couple of years back were more than thrilled that he’s going to have some of his newer work tomorrow night at the 1st Friday Art Walk at Urb Arts (2600 N. 14th Street). He already shut the game down with the lace Masquerade vixen on his invite, so I’m expecting his showing to be absolutely everything. Y’all have heard me say time and time again that the 1st Friday Gallery events are everything. You might as well take my word for it and stop through this month.

The collective Upset stole a moment for a photo op Friday night during their Floetic open mic event Friday @ The Magnolia Café Photos by Lawrence Bryant & John Scott

Carl Thomas is coming to town. One of my all-time favorite B-list crooners will be back in the STL for a special Valentine’s Day show thanks to Laugh All Night St. Louis. I really think that Carl Thomas never got his just due on the R&B scene. On the strength of his first album he should’ve at least gone on to a stable, steady stream of albums and a solid fan base. The strong proud faithful fans such as myself will be in the house next Sunday as he headlines a Red Carpet Affair at the Airport Renaissance (9801 Natural Bridge). The show starts at 6:30 p.m. and also features Rhoda G, Briana Elise and comedian Jovan Bibbs. Tickets available through Metrotix (www.metrotix.com or 314.534.1111)

Maria and Teresa came out for a taste of live music Monday night @ BB’s

www.stlamerican.com

THE

THE

ST. LOUIS AMERICAN

Career Center ST. LOUIS AMERICAN

PROGRAM MANAGER ArtWorks seeks a full time Program Manager.; responsible for apprenticeship program for youth 14-19 years old. MSW, MA education, Art Therapy preferred. Email priscilla.block@stlartworks.org for details.

Posted for 30 days. Equal Opportunity Employer.

C4 24 HOUR SECURITY

FULL-TIME RECEPTIONIST/CLERICAL

•

“JANITORIAL” Full, Part-Time positions, background check.Steady work history for 3-5 years preferred. MUST apply in person at 314 N. Jefferson at Olive. Monday - Friday 9A to 5P. Two forms of I.D.

CAREER OPPORTUNITIES

CHILD CARE

RN - evening and night shifts. LPN – All shifts C.N.A. and C.M.T- All shifts.

Maintenance/Floor Technician Experience preferred - Full Time CHRISTIAN CARE HOME 800 CHAMBERS RD. FERGUSON, MISSOURI 63135 314-522-8100

Maryam Child Care Development Center has immediate openings for early education teachers & van driver. Early Education Degree or CDA preferred. Class E driver license and good driving record. Must pass Criminal background check/Experience preferred Fax resume to (314) 240-5568 or email to Chadbmuhammad@att.net for consideration.

DIRECTOR

ACCOUNTS PAYABLE ACCOUNTANT The Missouri History Museum is seeking a part-time Accounts Payable Accountant for the Soldiers Memorial Project. Please visit www.mohistory.org for position details.

An Equal Opportunity Employer

Email your ads to vmedina@ stlamerican.com

SUPERVISOR Webster University is seeking a Supervisor who will have the responsibility of supervising the Technical & General Maintenance Trades personnel. Please visit our website at www.webster.edu for a complete job description. No phone calls please.

We are proud to be an equal opportunity affirmative action employer. Women and minorities are encouraged to apply.

LITIGATION PARALEGAL Thompson Coburn LLP has a position available in our Belleville office for a full-time paralegal with at least three years of experience in Litigation. Qualified candidates will possess an undergraduate degree and/or paralegal certificate. For more details and to complete our online application, visit

www.thompsoncoburncareers.com Equal Opportunity Employer M/F/D/V

RESOURCE PROTECTION OFFICER

JAILER/BOOKING OFFICER The City of Maplewood, Missouri is accepting applications for the position of JAILER/ BOOKING OFFICER. This position involves the processing of prisoners and involves a substantial understanding of computers.

The starting salary is $29,269.17 plus benefits.

Applications may be acquired at the Maplewood City Hall, 7601 Manchester Road, Maplewood, MO 63143, or online at www.cityofmaplewood.com The deadline for applications is Monday, February 29, 2016. All applications should be submitted to Lt. Mark Griffin, (314) 646-3618.

The City of Maplewood is an Equal Opportunity Employer. www.stlamerican.com

Thompson Coburn LLP has a position available in our St. Louis office for a full-time IP Docket Clerk with one year of experience in Litigation or Trademarks/Patents. Preferred candidates will possess an Associate degree. For more details and to complete our online application, visit www.thompsoncoburncareers.com Equal Opportunity Employer M/F/D/V

MATH TEACHER La Salle Middle School in North St. Louis will interview for the position of math teacher, for the 2016-17 school year. A coeducational charter school, La Salle serves fifth through eighth grade students. The ideal candidate is mission-centered, engaging, and possesses 3-5 years’ experience in urban education with demonstrable results in student learning.

Email resume and letter of interest to head of school Phillip Pusateri at ppusateri@lasallemiddleschool.org.

CITY OF WENTZVILLE Full-time Openings: Maintenance Worker I - Fleet, $13.09/hr Water Operator I, $14.39/hr Water Operator II, $17.42/hr Custodian, $9.82/hr Dispatch Officer, $17.42/hr Front Desk Attendant, $8.42/h4 Recreation Aide I, $9.10/hr Water Operator I, $14.39/hr 636-639-2190 or www.wentzvillemo.org E.O.E. LEGAL SERVICES OF EASTERN MISSOURI, INC.

MANAGING ATTORNEY COMMUNITY AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT (CED) PROGRAM Legal Services of Eastern Missouri, Inc. (LSEM), a non-profit law firm that provides free civil legal assistance to persons living with low income/low opportunity, seeks a Managing Attorney to direct its Community Economic Development Program (CED) in St. Louis, MO. For more information and instructions for applying, please visit our website at www.lsem.org.

SLCVC / America’s Center seeks a full time Dispatch Officer to monitor and operate the Building Automation Systems which include the CCTV, Fire and Lighting control system for monitoring building property and the HVAC BAS Systems. Must have computer knowledge in Microsoft Word and Excel, the ability to effectively communicate information to Public Safety Officers & building staff and initiate work orders and incident reports. Minimum of a High School diploma or GED, one to two years related experience. Must be able to pass a background check, drug screen and knowledgeable in Microsoft Office. This is a 24/7 operation. The potential candidate must be able to work all shifts which include days, nights, weekends and holidays. Email resume & cover letter to jobs@explorestlouis.com; NO PHONE CALLS! EOE.

RELIGION TEACHER Marian Middle School, an all-girls, private, Catholic school, is seeking a part-time religion teacher. Must be qualified to teach religion in the Archdiocese of St. Louis and, ideally, have at least two years teaching experience.

ENRICHMENT DIRECTOR

I really feel we have benefitted from the ads in your paper.

Marian Middle School, an all-girls, private, Catholic school, is seeking an Enrichment Director. Ideal candidate has experience in educational administration with a passion for mission. Charged with administration of the after-school program including planning, budgeting, hiring and evaluating staff.

Approximate hours 3:00-6:00 pm Monday through Friday, with additional hours associated with special programs and times of the year.

Send letter of interest and resume to Sister Barbara Roche, broche@mms-stl.org.

Visit us at www.stlamerican.com

- Carol B. (Regional Recruiter for Dierbergs Markets)

ARMED & UNARMED

CNAs & HOME HEALTH AIDES

familiar with Tax Wise

618-398-5422

HOME HEALTH AIDE & C.N.As

Agency has immediate positions for Home health Aides & C.N.A s. Home health Aide experience is required. Apply at 3470 Hampton Ave. Ste. 103 St. Louis, MO 63139.

Call 314-454-1219.

MR. T'S CARWASH & DETAILING is looking for experienced car washers and detailers.Contact: Mr. T's Carwash @ 9845 Halls Ferry Rd. phone - 314-868-7676 ask for Mr. T or Reggie for more information.

DRIVERS

CDL-A CO $6000 needed for home health Sign-On. Excellent Pay agency.

Package & Outstanding Please call Benefits! Dedicated 314-428-6643 customers, regional for an appointment. available 855-252-1634

WRITER Conversions Global Marketing is seeking an experienced writer for assignments that include copywriting, Public Relations and pitch campaigns. All resumes should be sent to office@conversions.us.

Attention Kevin Bryant.

SECURITY GUARDS BRING SECURITY LICENSE & PROPER ID FULL AND PART-TIME. APPLY IN PERSON 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Mon-Fri NO PHONE CALLS 6000 W. FLORISSANT AVENUE ST. LOUIS, MO 63136

HOUSEKEEPER (Night Shift) The Missouri History Museum seeks a night shift Housekeeper. 3-5 years work experience and drivers license required. Visit www.mohistory.org for full position details.

An Equal Opportunity Employer

PARAMEDIC FIREFIGHTER

ASSISTANT BRANCH MANAGER The St. Louis County Library is seeking applicants for a full time Assistant Branch Manager. This position will assist the Branch Manager with the operation and maintenance of the branch to provide quality Library services to all Library customers. A Master’s degree in Library Science is required. Must possess excellent communication and organizational skills. Salary: $50,773 plus paid health insurance and vacation.

Apply online at www.slcl.org.

Equal Opportunity Employer.

University City Fire Department is currently accepting applications and seeking to part-time paramedic firefighters. This position is located in University City. For further qualifications/application procedures visit our web site at www.ucitymo.org.

The City of University City is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

CITY OF KIRKWOOD

PARK RANGER - P/T Patrol parks, enforce park regulations & security of grounds & facilities. CPR Certified & St. Louis County Security license within 30 days of hire. Driver’s license required.

Prefer background in law enforcement, criminal justice or security. Unarmed position. $11.00/hr.

Part-time, primarily weekends and evenings.

No benefits. Call 314-984-6975 for application or complete online at www.kirkwoodmo.org NLT 2/23/16. EOE

Visit us on the web at www.stlamerican.com

Part-time & Temporary Openings:

DISPATCH OFFICER

Thank you so much for your service.

Legal Services of Eastern Missouri seeks a Director of Development and Marketing in our St. Louis, MO office. Interested candidates should visit our website at www.lsem.org to find out how to apply.

This posting closes March 1, 2016.

TAX PREPARER WANTED

today!

FINANCE CLERK POSITION The Village of Hanley Hills is accepting applications for the position of full-time Finance Clerk. We are looking for someone who can work various hours Monday – Friday, 9 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Tasks include, but are not limited to: greet visitors, handle phone calls, keep all documentation filed and organized.

The roles require strong customer relations skills, financial experience, and the ability to multi-task with different responsibilities with great attention to detail. Experience with Microsoft Office and QuickBooks software and basic office procedures are a must. Also, may assist other staff with overflow work.

Background check and drug test is required.

Qualified candidates should have a High School Diploma or completion of G.E.D. Any combination of graduation from an accredited college or university with a Bachelor’s degree in accounting, finance, business administration, or a related field, and/or three years professional experience in financial management for local government or related field.

A more detailed description and application can be obtained at www.villageofhanleyhills-mo.com.

Interested candidates can submit application and resume to the Hanley Hills City Hall at 7713 Utica Drive, St. Louis, MO 63133. EOE.

www.stlamerican.com

SUPERINTENDENT Hazelwood School District Florissant, Missouri Hazelwood School District is seeking an outstanding committed educational leader to serve as Superintendent for the second largest school district in the St. Louis Metropolitan Area.

Hazelwood serves nearly 18,000 students in 32 schools representing eight communities. This culturally diverse, collaborative learning school community is fully accredited by the state and is ranked as the seventh largest school district in Missouri. The district employs approximately 2,400 professionals and support staff providing on-going professional development workshops and training for the staff. Please go to www.hazelwoodschools.org for more information.

Visit www.stlamerican.com

(Full-time) The Missouri History Museum is seeking a full-time Resource Protection Officer.

Experience and valid drivers license required.

Must obtain Metropolitan Security Officer’s license. Flexible shifts, including weekends and holidays required.

Visit www.mohistory.org for full position details.

An Equal Opportunity Employer

of Development and Marketing

Part Time

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY DOCKET CLERK

D1

FEBRUARY 4 - 10, 2016

8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

6000 W. Florissant Avenue St. Louis, MO 63136 NO PHONE CALLS MUST COME IN TO APPLY

Equal Opportunity Affirmative Action Employer

ST. LOUIS AMERICAN

The Board expects to offer an initial multi-year contract with a regionally competitive negotiable salary and benefits package based on experience.

The position begins July 1, 2016.

Application procedures and job requirements can be found on the BWP & Associates website at www.bwpassociates.com. The application deadline is February 14, 2016.

BWP Search Team contact: Dr. Debra Hill 708.361.4997 Dr. Anne Noland 630.624.3336 Dr. Bert Kimble 573.301.4940

An equal opportunity employer

Email your ad text to vmedina@stlamerican.com MULTIPLE OPENINGS St. Louis Community College is a multi-campus district comprised of four campuses and six satellites serving 718 square miles of St. Louis city and county and portions of Jefferson and Franklin counties. The college employs over 3,000 full and part time faculty, administrators, staff, and student employees.

S at urday , Marc h 12t h, 2016 ***Testing for Entry Level Police Officers*** Registration from 9:00 AM-10:00AM * Written and Physical Testing Begins at 10:00AM C E N TE N N I A L C O MMO N S — 7 210 O L I V E , U N I V E R S I TY C I TY , MO 6 3 130

St. Louis Community College invites you to apply for the following positions by visiting the referenced links: Coordinator, School & Community Partnerships (Wildwood) http://jobs.stlcc.edu/postings/3859 Part-Time Certified Nurse Assistant Training Facilitator http://jobs.stlcc.edu/postings/3791 Adjunct Faculty – Deaf Communication Studies http://jobs.stlcc.edu/postings/3848 Adjunct Faculty – Dietetics http://jobs.stlcc.edu/postings/3730 Adjunct Faculty – Funeral Services http://jobs.stlcc.edu/postings/3723 Adjunct Faculty – Ceramics Instructor http://jobs.stlcc.edu/postings/3869 Adjunct Faculty – Respiratory Care http://jobs.stlcc.edu/postings/3813 Application Process: All candidates must complete an online application.

EO/AA/VET/Disability Employer

*NO ONE WILL BE ALLOWED TO TEST WITHOUT A GOV’T ISSUED PHOTO I.D. The University City Police Department, a progressive, diverse and community-oriented team of law enforcement professionals, is seeking to fill immediate openings. If you are a quality individual, looking for a fulfilling career with a prestigious law enforcement agency, this event is for you!

This special UCPD hiring event is designed to provide an opportunity for interested candidates to have one-on-one sessions with department staff to complete the first three phases of the hiring process for University City Police Officers: 1. The Application, complete at the event and/or bring a completed one with you; 2. The Written Exam; and 3. The Physical Fitness Test Req. for Entry into the Police Academy.

ENTRY LEVEL STARTING SALARY $48,773 Base + Benefits REQUIREMENTS:

BENEFITS:

U.S. Citizenship At least 21 years of age at time of application Current and valid driver’s license H.S. Diploma/Transcripts or G.E.D. Must meet a list of physical requirements, which includes a vision standard of not less than 20/70 in each eye without correction, correctable to 20/20 x No Felony or Serious Misdemeanor Convictions x POST Certified/Academy Training Preferred, but NOT REQUIRED.

x Educational Incentive - up to $3,302 per year for

x x x x x

each officer w/ Bachelor’s Degree (after Academy). x Residency Pay for officers choosing to relocate to

University City up to $1,400/ year (after Academy). x Pension plan & 401/457 Deferred Compensation. x Vacation Leave 120-192 hours per year, based on

length of service. x Personal Recreation Leave 72 hours per year. x Sick Leave up to 90 working days, accrued at 144

hours per year. x Tuition Reimbursement Up to $750/ year for

officers pursuing courses related to Law Enforcement. x Health, Dental, Vision & Life Insurance. City pays

To Complete Application in Advance, print from our website, or pick up one at Human Resources, 1st Floor, City Hall 6801 Delmar Blvd., University City, MO

majority of health insurance for employee. Also offer health benefits for spouses, domestic partners, and families. x All uniforms furnished by City. x Academy Sponsorship to Qualified Candidates.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, VISIT WWW.UCITYMO.ORG OR CALL KRISTI ADDIS AT 314-505-8652.

Email ad text to vmedina@stlamerican.com

THE

ST. LOUIS AMERICAN

Bids & Notices

D2

ST. LOUIS AMERICAN

CITY OF ST. LOUIS BOARD OF PUBLIC SERVICE REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS for ENVIRONMENTAL CONSULTING SERVICES, LAMBERT-ST. LOUIS INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT. Statements of Qualifications due by 5:00 P.M., CT, February 23, 2016 at Board of Public Service, 1200 Market, Room 301 City Hall, St. Louis, MO 63103. RFQ may be obtained from website www.stl-bps.org, under On Line Plan Room, or call Board of Public Service at 314-622-3535. 25% MBE and 5% WBE participation goals.

ST. LOUIS COMMUNITY COLLEGE St. Louis Community College will receive separate sealed bids for Contract No. F 16 604, Repair Five HVAC/Plumbing Lines in the Student Center, St. Louis Community College at Meramec, until 2:00 p.m. local time Thursday, February 11, 2016. Bids will be publicly opened and read aloud at the office of the Manager of Engineering and Design, 300 South Broadway (Room 423, Fourth Floor).

Specifications and bid forms may be obtained from the Manager's office, at the above address or by calling (314) 539-5015.

A Voluntary Pre-Bid Meeting will be held at 9:00 am, February 5, 2016 at the Service Building An Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action Employer

CITY OF ST. LOUIS BOARD OF PUBLIC SERVICE REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS for DESIGN OF REMOVAL AND REPLACEMENT OF SOUTHWEST AND COLUMBIA BRIDGES OVER UNION PACIFIC RR, ST. LOUIS, MO, FEDERAL PROJECT STP-9900(675). Statements of Qualifications due by 5:00 PM, CT, February 12, 2016 at Board of Public Service, 1200 Market, Room 301 City Hall, St. Louis, MO 63103. RFQ may be obtained from website www.stl-bps.org, under On Line Plan Room – Plan Room, or call Board of Public Service at 314-622-3535.

15% DBE participation goal for this project.

SAINT LOUIS ZOO- CHILDREN’S ZOO TUNNEL DEMOLITION & GRADING RFP The Saint Louis Zoo seeks qualified contractors to submit bids for a demolition and grading project in the Children’s Zoo. Bid documents are available for review as of February 3, 2016 with MOKAN, AGC St. Louis, St. Louis Minority Business Council, Dodge Construction Reports or by contacting Document Imaging Services at (314) 531-0167. Full RFP information, including mandatory pre-bid meeting, RFP deadline, and contact information may be found on the Zoo’s website: http://www.stlzoo.org/about/contact/ vendoropportunities/

www.stlamerican.com

IN RE: DCS PROPERTIES LLC. Default having been made on secured lien on note described in the security agreement executed by Kelvin Settle dated March 17, 2007 and recorded on June 19,2012 in book 06192012, page 0133, in the office of recorder of deeds of St.Louis City Missouri (security agreement), the undersigned secured party, at the request of the legal secured party of said note, who has elected to declare the entire indebtedness due and payable,will be on January 11,2016at 3407 Vista St.Louis Missouri 63104 said security agreement and situated in the city of St.Louis state of Missourui to wit: Lot 11 and parts of lot 12 and 13 of Louisiana Heights and in block No. 2740 of the city of St.Louis, Missouri beginning at a point in the West line of Virginia Avenue distant 210 feet South of north line of said Louisiana Heights; thence Westwardly at right angles with Virginia Avenue 93 feet 7 inches to the east line of an alley; Southwardly along the East line of said lot 11, 104 feet to the west line of Virginia Avenue, thence Northwardly along the West line of Virginia Avenue, 79 feet 1-3/4 inches to the point of beginning.

Commonly known as 4615 Virginia, St.Louis,MO 63111

E-BID

for St. Louis Community College Bid No. B0003504 for a contract for Athletic Equipment and Supplies will be received until 3:00 P.M. (local time) on February 17, 2016 at the Dept. of Purchasing, 300 So. Broadway, St. Louis, MO 63102, and immediately thereafter opened and read.

Bid documents can be accessed on our website at www.stlcc.edu/purchasing or call (314) 539-5226.

EOE/AA Employer.

REQUEST FOR BIDS C. Rallo Contacting is seeking bids from Certified MBE/WBE/SDVE contractors for the Foundation & Waterproofing Package at the Capitol building in Jefferson City, MO. Bids are due to C. Rallo by 10:00 AM on February 18, 2016. Interested Bidders should call (314)633-9703 for more information.

FAX all bids to (314)664-2901.

•

FEBRUARY 4 - 10, 2016

E-BID

for St. Louis Community College Bid No. B0003503 for a contract for the Printing of Student Newspapers will be received until 3:00 P.M. (local time) on February 18, 2016 at the Dept. of Purchasing, 300 So. Broadway, St. Louis, MO 63102, and immediately thereafter opened and read.

Bid documents can be accessed on our website at www.stlcc.edu/purchasing or call (314) 539-5226.

EOE/AA Employer.

E-BID

E-Bid for St. Louis Community College Bid No. B0003502 for a contract for Various Scientific Laboratory Supply and Small Equipment Items will be received until 3:00 P.M. (local time) on February 16, 2016 at the Dept. of Purchasing, 300 So. Broadway, St. Louis, MO 63102, and immediately thereafter opened and read. Bid documents can be accessed on our website at www.stlcc.edu/purchasing or call (314) 539-5226. EOE/AA Employer.

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS FOR TRAINING SERVICES

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS FOR TRAINING SERVICES East-West Gateway Council of Governments is seeking proposals for Urban Search and Rescue Systems training courses in the St. Louis region.

Funding provided by U.S. Dept. of Homeland Security. Proposals are due no later than 4:00 p.m. on Feb. 23, 2016. See RFP details at www.ewgateway.org or by calling 314-421-4220 x208.

METROPOLITAN ST. LOUIS SEWER DISTRICT Notice is hereby given that the Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District is accepting proposals in the Purchasing Division, 2350 Market Street, St. Louis, Missouri 63103-2555 until 10:00 a.m. on March 1st, 2016 to contract with a company for: Electrical & Integration Services.

Specifications and bid forms may be obtained from www.stlmsd.com, click on the “MSD AT WORK” link, (bid opportunities). The bid document will be identified as 6322 RFP. If you do not have access to the internet, call 314.768.2735 to request a copy of this bid.

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

METROPOLITAN ST. LOUIS SEWER DISTRICT Notice is hereby given that the Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District will receive sealed bids in the Purchasing Division, 2350 Market Street, St. Louis, Missouri 63103-2555 until 10:00am March 4, 2016 for Purchase of: GC Mass Spectrophotometer System Specifications and bid forms may be obtained from www.stlmsd.com - click on “MSD At Work”, then “Bidding on Projects”. The bid document will be identified as 6324 RFQ. If you do not have access to the internet, call (314) 768-6314 to request a copy of this bid.

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

METROPOLITAN ST. LOUIS SEWER DISTRICT Notice is hereby given that the Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District will receive sealed bids in the Purchasing Division, 2350 Market Street, St. Louis, Missouri 63103-2555 until 10:00am March 7, 2016 for Purchase of: Purge and Trap Unit for GC MS Specifications and bid forms may be obtained from www.stlmsd.com - click on “MSD At Work”, then “Bidding on Projects”. The bid document will be identified as 6326 RFQ. If you do not have access to the internet, call (314) 768-6314 to request a copy of this bid.

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

CITY OF ST. LOUIS LAMBERT - ST. LOUIS INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT® Solicitation for Bid (SFB) for Fuel Systems Maintenance Services Bids Wanted Bid documents may be obtained at Lambert St. Louis International Airport - Airport Properties Division, Monday through Friday between 8:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., or by calling (314) 426-8184. This SFB may also be obtained by visiting our website at www.flystl.com (Click on “Business Opportunities”).

Robert Salarano Airport Properties Division Manager

ST. LOUIS AMERICAN

East-West Gateway Council of Governments is seeking proposals for Night Vision Pilot training courses in the St. Louis region. Funding provided by U.S. Dept. of Homeland Security.

Proposals are due no later than 4:00 p.m. on Feb. 24, 2016. See RFP details at www.ewgateway.org or by calling 314-421-4220 x208.

ST. LOUIS COMMUNITY COLLEGE St. Louis Community College will receive separate sealed bids for Maintenance Agreement No. M-298-Corporate College, Armed Security, until 2:00 p.m. local time, February 25, 2016.

Bids will be publicly opened and read aloud at the office of the Manager of Engineering and Design, 300 South Broadway (Room 423, Fourth Floor). Specifications and bid forms may be obtained from the Manager's office, at the above address or by calling (314) 539-5191.

An Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action Employer

CITY OF ST. LOUIS BOARD OF PUBLIC SERVICE REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS for ENVIRONMENTAL CONSULTING SERVICES AT CITY-OWNED FACILITIES, ST. LOUIS, MO. Statements of Qualifications due by 5:00 PM CT, Thursday, February 11, 2016 at Board of Public Service, 1200 Market, Room 301 City Hall, St. Louis, MO 63103. RFQ may be obtained from website www.stl-bps.org, under On Line Plan Room, or call Board of Public Service at 314-622-3535. 25% MBE and 5% WBE participation goals for this contract.

METROPOLITAN ST. LOUIS SEWER DISTRICT Notice is hereby given that the Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District will receive sealed bids in the Purchasing Division, 2350 Market Street, St. Louis, Missouri 63103-2555 until 10:00am March 8, 2016 for Purchase of: 2-2016 REAR EASEMENT MACHINES AND TRAILERS Specifications and bid forms may be obtained from www.stlmsd.com - click on “MSD At Work”, then “Bidding on Projects”. The bid document will be identified as 6328 RFQ. If you do not have access to the internet, call (314) 768-6314 to request a copy of this bid.

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

IN RE: GEOFFREY & SAMANTHA ASHBY. Default having been made on secured lien on note described in the security agreement executed by Kelvin Settle date March 17, 2007, and recorded on June 19, 2012 in book 06192012, page 0132, in the office of recorder of deeds of St.Louis City Missouri (security agreement) the undersigned secured party of said note who has elected to declare the entire indebtness due and payable will on January 11, 2016 at 3407 Vista St.Louis, MO 63104. said security agreement and situated in city of St.Louis state of missouri; to-wit: C.B 3757 Washington 50 FT x 150 FT Vasquez ARPENT ADDN LOT W-34 Commonly known as 4243 Washington St.Louis, MO 63108

SPECIAL SCHOOL DISTRICT

HVAC MODERNIZATION PROJECTS Sealed bids are requested from qualified Design-Build contractors for facility HVAC modernization projects at Litzsinger School (10094 Litzsinger Rd) and Southview School (11660 Eddie & Park Rd). Bidders must attend mandatory pre-bid meetings at the time/date listed below for bids to be considered.

Litzsinger bid #SSD-125-15: Bid documents will be available February 8th. Mandatory pre-bid meeting is Tuesday, February 9th at 2:00 PM at the school. Bids are due February 26th at 2:00 PM. Southview bid #SSD-126-15: Bid documents will be available February 11th. Mandatory pre-bid meeting is Friday, February 12th at 2:00 PM at the school. Bids are due March 8th at 2:00 PM. Bid documents will be available after the dates listed above by contacting Facility Solutions Group (Bill Rice) at 636-537-0203.

Bids will be received by their Purchasing Agent (C/O Tony George) at the SSD Purchasing and Material Management Department, 12110 Clayton Rd, St. Louis, MO 63131.

Only Design-Build contractors meeting the requirements within the specifications will be considered as qualified bidders.

LETTING #8602 ST. LOUIS CITY PARKS TENNIS COURTS RENOVATIONS Sealed proposals will be received by the Board of Public Service in Room 208 City Hall, 1200 Market Street, St. Louis, Mo. Until 1:45 PM, CT, on FEBRUARY 23, 2016, then publicly opened and read. Plans and Specifications may be examined on the Board of Public Service website http://www.stl-bps.org/planroom.aspx (BPS On Line Plan Room) and may be purchased directly through the BPS website from INDOX Services at cost plus shipping. No refunds will be made.

A pre-bid conference for all contractors bidding on this project will be held on February 1, 2016 at 10:00 A.M. in Room 208 City Hall.

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

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

Need a quote?

E-mail your text to vmedina@stlamerican.com

“ATTENTION SBE’S MBE’S & WBE’S” Michels Corporation is preparing bids for The Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District, Maline Creek CSO BP 051 & 052 Local Storage Facility in St. Louis, MO, which bids on March 3, 2016.

We are seeking quotes from SBE’S MBE’s and WBE’s for any portion of the project listed that you are qualified to perform which may include but not limited to the following Trades: Concrete works: Cast in Place, Cellular Concrete, Concrete Finishing & Repair of Surface Defects, Precast & Prestressed Concrete, Structural Grout, Curb, Gutter, Pavement, Sidewalks. Masonry, Steel Suppliers, Plumping, HVAC, Electrical, Geotech, Landscaping, Fence & Gates, Painting & Striping, Trucking & Hauling, Traffic Control, Fire Alarm System & Extinguishers & Security, Tunnel Support, Fiberglass Pipe, Porta-Potty, Janitorial, Pipe/Water Works Service, Pumps, New Construction Building Contractor.

Contract Documents are available on the MSD Website in the Electronic Planroom at http://www.stlmsdplanroom.com/ or Michels Box Site https://michels.box.com/s/5idu3a0y2n3oathoghis3wb2ps80kjb0 Please fax your quote to: 262-814-0300 by 5:00pm March 1, 2016.

We may be contacted by telephone at 262-814-0100.

Michels Corporation is an Equal Opportunity Employer

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS For Independent Audit Services – RFP 16-P001 The Housing Authority of the City of East St. Louis (ESLHA) located at 700 N. 20th Street, East St. Louis, Illinois, 62205 will receive proposals for “Independent Audit Services”.

Packets will be available on Monday, February 1, 2016 after 2:00 p.m.at the above address or for more information, please visit ESLHA’s website at www.eslha.org. Click Business, Contracting, Bidding Opportunities or contact Cassandra Coulter, Contract Administrator at 618-646-7110.

TDDY 1-800-545-1833, ext. 471.

ESLHA reserves the right to cancel these RFP, reject any or all proposals, and waive minor informalities for proposers as deemed necessary by ESLHA and the public’s best interest.

ESLHA is a fair housing and equal opportunity employer.

Mildred A. Motley Executive Director

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS Proposals will be received by the St. Louis Economic Development Partnership (the “Partnership”), 7733 Forsyth Blvd; Suite 2300 Clayton, MO. 63105, until 5:00 P.M. (prevailing central time) on Friday, February 26, 2016.

The Partnership is initiating this Request for Proposals to solicit responses from qualified firms interested in providing consulting services related to a feasibility study on the operation of a port on the Missouri River in St. Louis County, Missouri (the “Services”).

DBE, MBE, WBE, Veteran-Owned Small Businesses, and ImmigrantOwned Small Businesses are encouraged to respond.

The Request for Proposals will be available after 10:00 a.m. on February 2, 2016 on the St. Louis Economic Development Partnership’s website: https://www.stlpartnership.com. It is the responsibility of the respondent to check for updates and additional information.

The Partnership reserves the right to reject any or all submittals and to waive informalities therein. Questions should be directed to Sheila M. Sweeney at: ssweeney@stlpartnership.com St. Louis Economic Development Partnership An Equal Opportunity Employer

REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS For A&E Services – RFQ 16-Q001 The Housing Authority of the City of East St. Louis (ESLHA) located at ESLHA Central Office 700 N. 20th Street, East St. Louis, Illinois, 62205 will receive proposals from qualified firms to provide “Architectural/Engineering Services”.

Solicitation Documents available on Monday, February 1, 2016 after 2:00 p.m., CST Pre-Proposal Conference: Tuesday, February 16, 2016, 3:00 p.m., CST Proposals Due By: Monday, February 29, 2016, 3:00 p.m., CST at the above address or for more information, please visit ESLHA’s website at www.eslha.org. Click Business, Contracting, Bidding Opportunities or contact Kathy Doss, Contracts Manager at 618-646-7211.

TDDY 1-800-545-1833, ext. 471.

All Offerors must comply with Section 3 and MBE/WBE requirements.

ESLHA reserves the right to cancel these RFQ, reject any or all proposals, and waive minor informalities for proposers as deemed necessary by ESLHA and the public’s best interest.

The Owner reserves the right to reject any and all bids. Bidders must provide a Bid Bond in the amount of 5% of the proposed contract sum.

ESLHA is a fair housing and equal opportunity employer.

The successful bidder will be required to provide 100% Performance and Payment Bonds, and to comply with the Missouri Department of Mildred A. Motley Labor Standards Prevailing Wage Rates.

Executive Director

www.stlamerican.com

BID REQUEST

THE

THE

THE

Real Estate & Rentals

ST. LOUIS AMERICAN

ST. LOUIS AMERICAN FREE HOME BUYING & INVESTMENT SEMINAR Down Payment Assistance Available for those who qualify

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2 Fam Flat 32XX Texas 2 BR 1st Fl & 2 BR + NORTH ST. LOUIS bonus Rm upstairs unit, 1 BR $450 + $450 Dep alarm , stove & fridge, hardwood floors w/d hk-up Negotiable Fridge & Stove $675/mo +Dep

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2BR Available TODAY for qualified applicant 62+ and/or disabled Sec. 8 housing avail, income restrictions apply. ADA. Pet friendly, gated, near Metro Link 5708 Kingsbury Place St. Louis, MO 63112

MARK TWAIN HOTEL Summer discounts avail.

314-421-2980 (Downtown)

Centrally Located & Connected to Metro Fully Equipped Kitchens - Walk-in Showers and Buses, Short Term Weekly RentalsBeautiful! A must see for those 62 yrs or older!!

No credit check www.mccormackhouseatwestminsterapts.com $110.50 and up per 314-925-9406 week (utilities and TTY 800-735-2966 Housekeeping svcs included) Other terms Equal Housing Opportunity and conditions may Professionally Managed by apply.

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APTS. & HOUSES FOR RENT Looking for a few great tenants Sec. 8 welcome with open arms.

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D3

FEBRUARY 4 - 10, 2016

50 GRAND APTS (NORTH CITY/CO) 2 HOUSES FOR RENT IN Chain of Rocks Dr. 63137 North County Lg620 1 & 2 BR $495-$595 + Dep,Cable included,

VERY NICE APTS.

Heat is Paid ! 24 Hour Desk Attendant.

The Civil Rights Enforcement Agency (CREA) investigates discrimination in Housing, Employment and Public Accommodations that took place in the City of St. Louis.

Don’t second guess yourself, call CREA at 314/622-3301 if you THINK you have been discriminated against.

•

ST. LOUIS AMERICAN

Male Environment Call 314-952-1614 No call after 7pm

APTS. FOR RENT Gano & Carter Area 63107 Remodeled 2 BR 1BA, 2nd floor, $475+ Deposit.

Proof of income Senior Environment & Senior Discount

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PUBLISHER’S NOTICE:

314-454-9305 Mon-Fri 8:30am-5:00pm Saturdays 10:00am -2:00pm

Rolling Hills Apts.

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Advertised herein is subject to the Federal Fair Housing Act, which makes it illegal to advertise any preference, imitation, or discrimination because of race,color, religion, sex, handicap, familial\status, or national origin, or intention to make any such preference, limitation, or discrimination “We will not knowingly accept any advertising for real estate which is in violation of the law. All persons are hereby informed that all dwellings advertised are available on an equal opportunity basis.”

Call Vida at 314-289-5406 to place your rental/real estate ad today!

SERVICE DIRECTORY 314-289-5406 MEDICARE & MEDICAID ACCEPTED Hearing Aids

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Religion D4

ST. LOUIS AMERICAN • FEBRUARY 4 - 10, 2016

Mennonite churches bridge racial gap

Face-off with God

Ferguson inspires segregated congregations to work together American staff The two Mennonite churches in St. Louis are at first glance very different from each other. And they’re both very different from what people may think when they hear “Mennonite,” a name which many mistakenly associate with rural farmers or furniture makers who wear plain clothes and may not drive cars or have electricity in their homes.

In urban St. Louis, Mennonites look like pretty much like the other people in their neighborhoods. And like many neighborhoods and institutions in St. Louis, these two churches are racially segregated.

Like many St. Louisans, in the months since violence and protests erupted in response to the shooting of a young black man by a white police officer in Ferguson, these two churches are beginning to wake up from their slumber of indifference and silent witness to systemic racism.

Founded in 1957 in the Pruitt-Igoe housing complex, Bethesda Mennonite Church is an enduring witness for Christ in North City, and since its founding has been a predominantly African-American congregation.

Now based in South City, St. Louis Mennonite Fellowship was founded in 1975 by Caucasian families and individuals who had moved to St. Louis from more traditional – often rural – Mennonite communities around the country.

While both churches have over the years become home to many people of other faith traditions, attracted to the churches’ focus on peace, justice and community, Bethesda’s attendees remain almost entirely black and the people of St. Louis Mennonite Fellowship are nearly all white.

These two congregations have formed a partnership called City on a Hill, a biblical reference calling Christians to be the “light

The Message

Pastor Jesse Dunnigans (left) is the minister at Bethesda Mennonite Church in North St. Louis, and Pastor Samuel Voth Schrag (right) is minister at St. Louis Mennonite Fellowship in south St. Louis.

n Founded in 1957 in the Pruitt-Igoe housing complex, Bethesda Mennonite Church is an enduring witness for Christ in North City.

of the world.” They feel a responsibility to build bridges between their two racially segregated congregations and work together to address the sin of racism within and among them.

The have become more intentional about gathering together, planning joint worship services, youth activities, singing events, meals, and a day of community service on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day. The high school students from both congregations made plans to attend the Mennonite Church

USA denominational conference in Kansas City, traveling and participating as one united youth group.

Last year, the churches participated in intensive conversations, allowing their members to better understand each other and directly address issues of race between them. Following the workshop, serious issues were set aside as those in attendance stayed around for a trivia night, trading the earlier tears for smiles and laughter while munching on snacks and deliberating over trivia answers.

Inspired by the strength and hope that has been stirred between these congregations as a result of these efforts, the Mennonites are inviting other pastors and community leaders to take an in-depth look at the history of racism in Christian churches, as well as the critical analysis and spiritual initiative necessary to be engaged in the work of racial justice at this historic moment.

Indulge my sports analogy, please.

In hockey when there’s a contested situation, the referee calls for a “face-off.” The winner of said faceoff puts his team momentarily in a position to control what happens next.

Some of us in critical moments of faith adopt the face-off position. We take an antagonistic approach to what’s in front of us. The Bible often refers to Israel as being “stiff-necked.”

Have you ever heard someone justify bad behavior because they claimed to be ready for whatever consequences would come their way? This is a formula for an inevitable confrontation that you are going to lose. Are you really ready to face-off with God? The struggle to give up control and submit to the will of God can be intense and extremely uncomfortable. Like anyone who has developed bad habits or has an addiction, it is more than a notion to stop and even more of an effort to create new behaviors and new good habits. It is hard to teach an old dog new tricks, especially when that old dog is having such a good time paving his or her own personal road to hell.

That’s where this face-off issue comes into play. Once you start Columnist seeking the Lord, He’s pretty easy James to find. Once found, however, be Washington prepared for the only way to face-off with Him. Stiff-necked or not, this is not an eyeball-to-eyeball event like hockey. That posture might work with Satan, but in this case a slightly more humble position is definitely required. I’m thinking eyes closed, face down, praying you don’t get a whipping like you used to when Mom or Dad was really mad.

“Ask and it will be given to you, seek and you will find, knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks the door will be opened.” Matthew 7: 7-8. It sounds simple doesn’t it?

But ask anyone who has found their way to God how it actually happened and most will tell you that they finally admitted in a face-off with themselves that they needed divine help. In that moment of clarity, sobriety, desperation, whatever, God knew the plea was real; the face-off an authentic effort to submit.

Authentic prayer gets God’s attention every time. It lets Him know that you know you cannot do it on your own, but He can. I keep telling you faith is a verb. By your faith, God acts on your behalf. “Then He touched their eyes and said, ‘According to your faith, it will be done to you.’” Matthew 9:29.