St. Louis American: June 4, 2015

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Vol. 86 No. 9 COMPLIMENTARY

Taser use questioned

Kristine Hendrix held up two candles of hope after marching from Canfield Green to the Ferguson Police Department on MLK Day. A 35-yearold mother of three boys and elected school board member in University City, Hendrix claims St. Louis police were brutal in arresting her during a protest in downtown St. Louis on Friday, May 29.

U. City school board member says police were brutal in arrest

By Rebecca Rivas and Mariah Stewart Of The St. Louis American Kristine Hendrix, a 35-year-old mother of three boys and an elected school board member in the University City School District, said she was already on the ground with one arm handcuffed behind her back when the St. Louis police officer tased her body at least three times on Friday, May 29 – all within less than one minute.

One of the two arresting officers, who was white, kept telling her to put her hand behind her back, she said. However, she couldn’t move because the other officer – who was black – kept shooting debilitating electrical currents into her body, leaving her with no muscle control, she said.

n “They know what tasing does to a person’s body. To continue to do it and say that I’m resisting arrest, it’s horrible.”

– Kristine Hendrix

“He was looking me in my eyes, and it was willful,” she said. “They know what tasing does to a person’s body. To continue to do it and say that I’m resisting arrest, it’s horrible.”

See TASER, A6

Photo by Lawrence Bryant

Strode leaves Harvard Law for Arch City Defenders ‘Ferguson changed our focus,’ says former tennis pro from St. Louis

By Rebecca Rivas Of The St. Louis American

In St. Louis city, black drivers were 2.16 times as likely to be stopped as white drivers, and in St. Louis County it was 1.56 times as likely.

Statewide, black drivers were also 1.73 times

As a student at Harvard Law School, native St. Louisan and former tennis pro Blake Strode would often spend his weekends in Boston knocking on the doors of recently foreclosed homeowners.

Sometimes the families wouldn’t even know their houses were in foreclosure, said Strode, who graduated with honors in May. “We’d ensure them that they have a lot of legal rights,” he said, speaking of his work Blake Strode of Project No One Leaves, a student practice organization, “and try to help them weather the storm of foreclosure.”

Before Ferguson exploded in the fall, Strode said he might have pursued a career in Washington, D.C., where he had worked the past two summers – including an internship with the Department of Justice in the civil rights division’s voting section. However, the police brutality cases in Ferguson, Cleveland and Baltimore became a “defining theme” for many of his

See STOPS, A7

See STRODE, A7

Photo by Wiley Price

Bishop Johnson goes home

The life of Bishop James A. Johnson, longtime pastor of Bethesda Temple Church of the Apostolic Faith, was celebrated on Friday, May 29 at Greater Grace Church of God. The former presiding bishop of the Pentecostal Assemblies of the World, Inc., he passed away Thursday, May 21 at age 90.

Racial disparity in vehicle stops worsens Coalition calls for meeting with attorney general about police bias

By Rebecca Rivas Of The St. Louis American African-American drivers in Missouri were 75 percent – or 1.75 times – more likely than whites to be stopped for traffic violations, according to the 2014 Missouri Vehicle Stops

BUSINESS

Report that Attorney General Chris Koster’s office released on June 1.

This is a slight increase from last year, according to the annual report that summarized data from 97.7 percent of the 622 law enforcement agencies in Missouri for 2014.

LIVING IT

POLITICAL EYE

Building capital for MBEs

Farewell to a blues favorite

Mysterious case of the Wellston Police

Regional leaders start loan fund for minority and women contractors.

Blues singer Mel Waiters, beloved in St. Louis, succumbs to cancer at 58.

Why did Wellston really dissolve its police department?

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ST. LOUIS AMERICAN • JUNE 4 - 10, 2015

A2

THE STUFF THAT HAS PEOPLE TALKING Lil Wayne lashes out at refs during LooseCannon game in STL

court in a threatening manner and reportedly spat at him.

“Things got out of hand,” S.L.I.M. said.

Police were called, but no arrests were made and the rest of the game took place without incident – as did an after party where Lil Wayne performed later that night at Harry’s.

“It’s a shame that we had such a positive event and people chose to focus on the few seconds of negativity,” S.L.I.M. said. “We promoted peace all weekend. We gave away tickets to children, Wayne posed with fans and we had a good game and he and five other rappers ripped the stage at the after party. But that one little incident is all people want to talk about.”

Other celebrity participants of the game and after party included Kirko Bangz, Mack Maine, Yo Gotti, Stevie J and Michael Vick.

On Sunday St. Louis’ own super promoter LooseCannon S.L.I.M. held his 4th Annual Celebrity Basketball Game at Chaifetz Arena. The game’s mission is to have fun and promote peace in the community – with a portion of the proceeds from the game benefitting Better Family Life’s Put Down the Pistol peace initiative.

Apparently celebrity coach Lil Wayne didn’t get the memo.

Wade Robson’s molestation Lil Though unassuming and laidback suit against Michael Jackson Wayne when the game began, the rap star became increasingly irritated as he Estate dismissed watched the referee’s calls as his Young Money squad play against team Two years ago 32-year-old former LooseCannon on the court.

Michael Jackson protégé and choreographer According S.L.I.M., the initial banter Wade Robson filed a lawsuit against the Estate between Wayne and the ref were premeditated of Michael Jackson claiming he was sexually to bring action and suspense to the game – abused by the King of Pop back when he was much like a WWE match. The exchange was 7-years-old. Last week Robson case was tossed supposed to culminate with Lil Wayne suiting out of court. up and playing for team Young Money.

A judge noted the statute of limitations had Instead, Wayne chased the ref down the run out and dismissed the filing.

1

Is Tidal tearing Bey-Z marriage apart?

Robson previously testified under oath that Michael never touched him and waited until four years after his death to file his claims.

Tyler Perry ‘stalker’ sues mogul for defamation

An insider told OK Magazine.com exclusively that although Beyoncé and Jay Z are putting on an excellent front while promoting his new music streaming platform, they “are fighting like cats and dogs behind the scenes” “Since Tidal flopped, Jay Z has been unbearable towards Beyoncé, snapping at her non-stop,” the insider told the Magazine.

According to the source, Jay has been insisting Beyoncé help with the business and push her own affairs to the side to be by his side. But Bey took a stand about “his controlling tendencies,” the source said, and “really let him have it.”

“She was fine with it at first, but last week they had a terrible fight after he crammed her calendar with business meetings,” the insider revealed. “It was all too much for Bey,” the insider dished. “Being subservient is one thing…but now she’s telling him there’s a fine line between that and treating her like a dog.”

Last year movie mogul Tyler Perry was involved in a bizarre stalking situation after a former employee broke into the Tyler Perry Studios from the roof, locked himself in a room and refused to come out until he was granted a meeting with Tyler Perry.

This year the alleged stalker is suing Perry for defamation.

Perry has been named in a lawsuit filed

by Joshua Sole claiming he was libeled after Perry called him “mentally disturbed” in a post on social media.

Perry is part of a larger lawsuit filed by Sole where the disgruntled former employee accuses his Tyler Perry Studios male supervisor of physical and sexual harassment claiming he was demoted and later suspended after complaining to studio execs.

Sole is seeking unspecified damages for retaliation, negligent and reckless failure to provide a safe work environment, intentional infliction of emotional distress, battery, invasion of privacy, libel Tyler and bad faith.

Perry

Sources: OK Magazine, TMZ.om, Twitter.com

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ST. LOUIS AMERICAN • JUNE 4 - 10, 2015

‘There is a need for trauma support’ Ashley Burkett, the counselor at Cool Valley Elementary School in the FergusonFlorissant School District, talked recently with students during one of her sessions.

Photo by Wiley Price

Ferguson-Florissant district expands mental health services to every school via Great Circle

By Sandra Jordan Of The St. Louis American To address ongoing mental health needs, the Ferguson-Florissant School District will partner with Great Circle to provide full-time therapists in all of its schools beginning fall 2015.

Great Circle is a children’s behavioral health organization that came about from a 2009 merger between Edgewood Children’s Center and Boys & Girls Town of Missouri.

Last fall, Great Circle therapists worked with district students in response to the Ferguson unrest, which delayed the opening of the academic year. The therapists assisted students at Mark Twain Student Support Center, the district’s alternative education program.

Aimee Cacciatore, director of student services, said a grant was written through St. Louis Children’s Service Fund to have therapists at the alternative program to help support students in crisis, whatever the cause.

“There may events that led them to be at our alternative center,” she said.

“There is potential some environmental

issues or some mental health issues that was unknown at the time.”

With therapists working in every school, students can receive individual and group counseling.

“In some schools, we may see the need for more individual therapy, and other schools may see more group therapy,” said Angela Bratcher, statewide director of student support Services at Great Circle.

“Others may need a combination of

n “This is really just a way to give a family and a child intervention to be successful in school.”

– Aimee Cacciatore, director of student services

these things. So we are really going to individualize the needs of the students and families of that school.”

Additionally, students may receive case management and referrals to other services, if needed.

“There is a need for trauma support, and many of our families have difficulty with transportation or accessing supports, insurance, all kinds of barriers that families experience,” Cacciatore said.

“We have a lot of families that move

in and out, that may have received support somewhere else, but then they move to a new area and they don’t really know how to access it. This is really just a way to give a family and a child intervention to be successful in school.”

Research indicates that the mental health of young people does impacts academic success.

“Traumatic childhood experiences negatively impact a child’s chances of success later in life,” Bratcher said. “Our partnership with Ferguson-Florissant School District aims to address the impact of trauma and equip students with the tools for positive, fulfilled lives.”

Embedding a therapist in the daily routine of a school enables therapists to become familiar with the students, get to know them better and become attuned to their needs.

“A lot of these will be quick interventions and some quick supports for a student or for a family,” Cacciatore said.

Therapists will work mostly in partnership with school counselors.

“Through that process, there will be an identification of students who are in need of services,” Cacciatore said. “The counselor and the therapist are really going to work hand-in-hand.”

Last month, according to the district, Baltimore City Public Schools took a cue from Ferguson-Florissant’s partnership with community health organizations to provide mental health support services for students.

A3

Freedom history lesson, part two I enjoyed reading and was It is important that the enlightened by the history NAACP recognize that there of racism in Missouri that has been a rejection of the Adolphus Pruitt laid out in detail old and traditional means of in the article “Past freedom “networking” and working movements in Missouri.” with the establishment However, I was disturbed by the powers to try to bring about manner in which he seemed to a resolution of this crisis. denigrate and even demean the The traditional solutions of, demonstrations that have ensued for example, calling on the since the killing of Michael Justice Department, or blacks Brown Jr. registering to vote, are seen as Actually, I was a bit shocked, important, though insufficient because I think Pruitt has to address a problem of done an outstanding job in injustice and oppression elevating the activist role that has persisted, of the local NAACP, notwithstanding these particularly on economic means long being issues, since assuming employed. the presidency of the It is critical that organization a few years the historical lessons, ago. resources and activist His statement that weaponry of the “activists dusted off NAACP be involved their gear, ministers in this new movement, Guest Columnist darned their collars while so it disturbs me that career protesters shined Pruitt thinks that Eric the spontaneity and their boots,” reflects, I Vickers impromptu nature of think, a lack of historical this movement has perspective. The “activists” I have seen involved choked off “effective and in the Ferguson movement measurable outcomes.” have been involved in the Finally, I found a bit black struggle for decades, and of historical irony in his their rising to the fore at this concluding the article with time only demonstrates their the account of the black man consistency and commitment. murdered and burned by a To refer to them as “career lynch mob in Sikeston in 1942, protesters” is not only insulting, suggesting that the investigation it shows a lack of understanding and indictment by the Justice of the need for the black Department then provides the community to have permanent precedence for the solution to warriors. civil rights issues we are facing today. Had this course of action What I found more been sufficient to address civil disturbing, though, was the rights issues, the movement assertion that “organizing sparked by Rosa Parks in 1955 meetings sprung up like would not have been necessary. weeds, choking off meaningful networking and strategic And also, speaking frankly, planning needed to usher had the NAACP been effective effective and measurable then in addressing the cry of outcomes.” That way of black people for justice, the thinking seems to position establishment of the Southern the NAACP – a valued and Christian Leadership Council essential black organization – as headed by Martin Luther King being behind the times, because Jr. - and the Student Non-violent it reflects a lack of appreciation Coordinating Committee would of the new dynamic that began not have been necessary. with the Ferguson uprising and Eric E. Vickers is a civil that has swept the nation. rights activist and attorney.

Editorial / Commentary A4

ST. LOUIS AMERICAN • JUNE 4 - 10, 2015

Stop killing – and start funding – us Newspapers of record in our nation, and around the world, are starting to publish in-depth stories they have been working on for months about police-involved shootings in the United States. Both The Washington Post and The Guardian recently moved major enterprise stories based on months of intensive work that organize scattered information about police shootings that even the director of the FBI has complained that he can’t find in one place.

We commend the diligence of their reporters and editors – including Wesley Lowery of The Washington Post, a familiar face in Ferguson – and believe their work has the potential to be foundational in effecting lasting, positive change in the unconstitutionally disparate impact of law enforcement based on race.

Thanks to The Guardian, we can now state for a fact what protestors have anecdotally claimed to be true for months: that you are much more likely to be killed by a police officer while unarmed if you are black than if you are white.

The data collected by The Guardian show that black people are, in fact, twice as likely to be killed by a police officer while unarmed than white people. This is an outrageously unethical practice by government agencies that is patently unconstitutional. The protestors who have staked their lives and careers in calling attention to this unconstitutional, unethical practice and calling for its end – “today,” as the late Eric Garner said – are right to do so. We continue to stand with them and their cause.

But there is so much more work that must be done to address the unmet needs and unrealized potential of our community. We submit that the ultimate racial disparity that mostly determines and perpetuates the other racial disparities is related to economics. Until African Americans are able to earn and control a proportionate share of wealth in this region and country, justice will remain unequal for us.

According to a recent disparity study – so many disparity studies, so little time – the City of St. Louis failed to employ a fair amount of minority- and women-owned businesses when awarding city contracts for construction jobs from 2007 to 2012. The study specifically found a disparity in how the city awards construction contracts to black-owned businesses, both as prime contractors and subcontractors. These contractors do not have adequate access to capital, the study noted – and the city should work more intentionally towards breaking down these barriers.

That is why we welcome the announcement of a new $10-million Contractor Loan Fund, which is designed to give minority and women contractors better access to capital they need to grow their businesses. The loan fund will offer construction-related loans of up to $1 million with “relaxed qualifying criteria.” The goal is to increase the number, size and stability

Photo by Lawrence Bryant

“Claim Power,” a Ferguson protestor urged the community during an action at Riverview Circle on October 29.

of minority and women-owned construction companies in the region. This is a vital goal, and the fund is a modest but important step toward achieving this goal. We commend the civic and community leaders who organized the effort.

Granted, greater minority participation in construction may have limited direct value in addressing our overall structural needs, but it is a highly visible and easily understood issue where we have natural allies (i.e. women). Moreover, this issue does resonate with much of our community, and it can stir some timid elected officials to be more active in addressing more substantive community concerns.

Relaxing loan criteria to give minority contractors better access to the capital needed to compete for major construction projects – let’s face it – is a far less stirring rallying cry than “Stop killing us!” And while we certainly continue to stand with those protestors, newly authenticated by published data, who say, “Stop killing us,” we also believe strongly that we need bold, creative solutions to make more productive use of African Americans and blackowned business in the regional and American economies. For that reason, we believe “better access to capital,” though less compelling, is also an important rallying cry for our community.

As I See It - A Forum for Community Issues

Restoring community trust in police

By Malik Ahmed For The St. Louis American Crime will continue to plague our neighborhoods and cities until trust can be restored and maintained between law enforcement and the citizens they protect and serve. But how do we get there?

Several measures should be incorporated into police training that are designed to improve the interaction between the city/county police departments and the AfricanAmerican communities.

To ensure candidates are suitable for employment in law enforcement, preemployment psychological and cultural competency screening mechanisms should be in place. Such mechanisms are particularly important in municipalities with a majority of African-American, Latino or other minority populations.

Psychological testing and profile assessment should be mandatory for police officers.

This should be done at least every two years to uproot racial bias and unproductive behaviors that don’t comport to police department written standards of behavior, interaction and professionalism.

Police officers’ mental health must be continuously evaluated. Their mental clarity, self-reflection of personal bias, and regular reminders of servant leadership is critical to public safety and community confidence in them.

Diverse community groups and individuals who have had constructive commentary of police/community relations should be included in ongoing police training among the

academy recruits, in the field, and with officers and commanders/supervisors.

Diversity of ideas is as important as racial diversity.

Law enforcers must understand the neighborhood demographics, socioeconomic trends and cultural competency on how to de-escalate potential tensions. Understanding is critical to minimizing and resolving potential problems.

Law enforcers must fully understand the constitutional rights and other legal restrictions – especially Amendments I, IV and XIV – that cannot be violated and that Guest Columnist must at all times be assured to Malik citizens. Officers Ahmed who are repeat offenders of using unconstitutional means to suppress the legitimate rights of citizens, including but not limited to using excessive force, should be fired.

During the Ferguson protest, the main tensions arose as a result of the denial and recognition of legitimate constitutional freedoms. This country was founded because of agitation, demonstration and public outrage expressed through protest.

To ensure justice is served, civilian review boards, made up of community members selected by constituencies who historically have been critical about police abuse and bias, should be established.

A key to transparency in any investigative process is the

ability of an independent body to examine information relevant to any circumstance. This is another way the police can be monitored by citizens. The community has rightful distrust of investigations and inquiries done in the dark.

Police departments should be required to equip their officers with body cameras, and all patrol cars should have dash cameras. When incidents arise, the video recordings then would be available as evidence for review by department personnel and a communitybased civilian review board.

Severe penalties should be applied for dismantling or turning off cameras.

Police abuse is in the news more frequently because technology allows people to document and record these incidents. The black community is no stranger to what is captured on video.

These occurrences have been happening for decades.

Without video documentation, Officer Michael Slager likely would not have faced charges in the shooting of Walter Scott in South Carolina.

In Staten Island, N.Y., without video, we could have been told that Eric Gardner was engaging in a criminal act at the time of his shooting.

In Baltimore, Freddie Gray was accused of severing his own spine. Video documentation has proven to be essential in detailing the truth.

If a video had been available of the shooting of Michael Brown Jr., perhaps former Officer Darren Wilson would be on trial today.

Malik Ahmed is the CEO of Better Family Life, Inc.

As I See It - A Forum for Community Issues

Fair housing for Section 8 renters

By Molly Metzger and Andrew Brown For The St. Louis American American metropolitan areas continue to show high levels of residential segregation by race, ethnicity, and social class, and the St. Louis metro area is no exception. The Section 8 housing voucher program is one possible vehicle for challenging this pattern of segregation, by providing lowincome individuals and families with financial support to broaden their housing options.

With more than two million households receiving assistance, the Section 8 voucher program is the largest housing subsidy for lowincome Americans. Unlike other housing subsidies, Section 8 vouchers are typically tied to the renter, not to a specific housing unit. Renters receiving a voucher can shop for housing in the private rental market rather than being assigned to a specific apartment. Those who use a voucher typically pay 30 percent of their income toward their rent and the voucher makes up the difference.

Our recent research has shown that Section 8 renters are more likely to live in low-income communities – and to be excluded from relatively white communities – compared to unsubsidized low-income households. In the St. Louis region, this means that vouchers are used disproportionately in North City and North County. Many Section 8 renters are happy and proud to live in these areas of the St. Louis region, but many would prefer to live elsewhere.

The Section 8 program must be improved to achieve its goals of reducing segregation and

increasing real housing choice for low-income families.

Earlier this year, St. Louis city passed two important laws to improve the Section 8 program. One law repealed special inspections for landlords renting through the Section 8 program.

Without these added inspections, it is now easier for landlords to participate in the Guest Columnist program, which will hopefully increase the Molly number of Metzger landlords accepting Section 8 vouchers and thereby increase the housing choices of voucher recipients.

The second law clarified our local fair Guest Columnist housing law to provide explicit Andrew protections Brown for Section 8 renters. It is now unlawful for a landlord in St. Louis to have a “No Section 8” policy. This law only applies in the city (for now), but it applies regardless of whether the renter received their voucher from the St. Louis Housing Authority or the Housing Authority of St. Louis County.

Provided that the cost of rent falls under the Fair Market Rent level that the program will cover, landlords in the City of St. Louis must now proceed with prospective Section 8 renters in the same way they proceed with any other prospective renter. Likewise,

Letters to the Editor RIP, Beau Biden The nation was shocked and collectively mourned the untimely death of Beau Biden.

No person should be plucked from this earth too early; under no circumstances should this heartbreak be felt by a parent, wife or child.

However, life has taught me that we are not in control and that all things good or bad work together for our good. Time heals all wounds.

Shortly after I read the article regarding Beau Biden, I tweeted “RIP, Beau Biden.”

Among the retweets and favors one stood out: “It’s terrible. I’m not Democrat but he is a human being.”

I don’t believe this responder had any malice or ill intent behind his response. But what does it say about this current America that one’s condolences, grief, compassion or empathy appears to hang in the balance based on one’s party affiliation?

RIP, Beau Biden may God’s angels be with your family and may God bless America.

Leslie Broadnax Via email

Support Clean Power Plan According to the American Lung Association, the air in St. Louis, St. Louis County and St. Charles County has failed to meet healthy air standards.

Why? Power plants are responsible for 40 percent of the carbon pollution in the United States -- our single largest source.

Carbon pollution fuels climate change, which triggers more asthma attacks and respiratory disease, worsens air quality, and contributes to more frequent, destructive, costly and deadly extreme weather events.

What can we do?

By cutting pollution from power plants, the Clean Power Plan will prevent up to 150,000

once a voucher recipient moves in, the landlord must treat that tenant the same as any other tenant.

St. Louis’s new fair housing law provides Section 8 renters with legal recourse in the event that discrimination occurs, including Section 8 renters who are put out of their home because their landlord wishes to terminate his or her participation with the program.

Now that St. Louis City has led the way with these important fair housing protections, the next step is to pass them in St. Louis County and the state of Missouri. Full protection against housing discrimination should extend to all Missourians.

If you believe you have been discriminated against in housing based on your voucher or any other protected category (race, color, national origin, familial status, disability, sex, religion, source of income, sexual orientation, or gender identity), the Metropolitan St. Louis Equal Housing and Opportunity Council (EHOC) can help. EHOC seeks to ensure equal access to housing and places of public accommodation for all people through education, counseling, investigation, and enforcement.

To reach EHOC, you can call 1-800-555-3951 or 314534-5800, file a complaint at EHOCSTL.org, or mail in forms to EHOC, 1027 S. Vandeventer Ave. (6th floor), St. Louis, MO 63110.

Molly Metzger is an assistant professor at the George Warren Brown School of Social Work at Washington University and a board member at EHOC. Andrew Brown is a recent graduate of the Brown School.

All letters are edited for length and style.

asthma attacks and 6,600 premature deaths annually by 2030.

While we already set limits for mercury, arsenic and lead, polluters are taking advantage of a loophole allowing them to dump unlimited carbon pollution into our air, fueling climate change and putting our health at risk.

The Clean Power Plan means less carbon pollution and more jobs, as states around the country use the flexibility it allows to craft plans that fit their needs and build on the progress they’ve already made.

Please contact your U.S. legislators and ask them to pass the Clean Power Plan.

Perfect leadership Although I don’t have Mike Jones’ gift for analogizing issues to sports, when I read his article in which he spelled out his reasons for declining the presidency of the State Board of Education, it reminded me of how Red Auerbach would sit in the stands and watch – and watch over – the Boston Celtics’ coach and basketball team, while they won game after game after game, with his presence alone being their leadership. Excellent article, perfect leadership.

Eric E. Vickers, Via email

Larry Ruff, St. Charles

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ST. LOUIS AMERICAN • JUNE 4 – 10, 2015

A5

Predators target active-duty military

By Charlene Crowell For The St. Louis American

Afrocentric selfie

Photo by Wiley Price

Lexus Holloway took a selfie after trying on a hat with friend Izzah B Peaceful at the African Arts Festival held recently in Forest Park.

Free program for young children

U.S. Service Academies nominations

The Ferguson-Florissant School District offers Parents as Teachers, a free parent education and family support program, to all families throughout pregnancy until their child enters kindergarten, usually age 5. Parents are supported by Parent as Teachers-certified parent educators trained to translate scientific information on early brain development into specific when, what, how, and why advice for parents.

Understanding what to expect during each stage of development helps parents capture teachable moments in everyday life to enhance their child’s language development, intellectual growth, social development and motor skills so children can learn, grow and develop to realize their full potential.

For more information call 314-5069066.

The office of U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill now is accepting applications from individuals interested in attending U.S. service academies.

Candidates for a congressional nomination must be a resident of Missouri and a U.S. citizen; at least 17 years old and not past his or her 23rd birthday

by July 1 of the year of admission; unmarried with no children or dependents; and able to meet high leadership, academic, physical and medical standards. For the Merchant Marine Academy, the upper age limit is 25. The Coast Guard Academy does not require a congressional nomination.

McCaskill uses a Service Academy Recommendation Committee made up of community leaders from around Missouri.

The committee reviews each application and recommends candidates for nomination. To be considered, applicants must complete an online questionnaire and submit all other application items to McCaskill’s St. Louis district office, 5850 Delmar Blvd., Ste. A, St. Louis, MO 63112, on or before October 5.

For information, call 314-367-1364.

The men and women who wear our nation’s uniform are expected to defend our nation at home and abroad. Yet when it comes to financial services, service members are not always protected in return.

The 2006 Military Lending Act (MLA) was enacted with broad and bipartisan support as a remedy to predatory lending that diminished military readiness. The first major step to provide financial protection to our armed forces was to limit interest rates and fees to no more than 36 percent rate cap for consumer credit. This rate cap initially applied to just three types of products: tax refund loans, and both payday and auto title loans. The law also prescribed limits of indebtedness for payday loans less than 90 days and auto title loans with terms less than 180 days.

MLA’s specific lending prescriptions had the unexpected result of lenders changing loan terms beyond the MLA’s provisions, sometimes by as little as an extra day. While technically observing the letter of the law, these profiteers exploited a lending loophole to continue entrapping active duty service members in predatory lending products.

Last fall, the Department of Defense (DOD) proposed MLA broaden proposed amendments to existing regulations that would better ensure against evasive practices of predatory lending. These proposals are supported by the military community, Congressional leaders, state attorneys general as well as consumer and civil rights groups across the country.

Even so, this year some Members of Congress inserted into the 2016 National Defense Authorization Act a short clause that would have given predatory lenders the opportunity to prolong their exploitative practices and also delay in implementing new regulations by the Secretary of Defense. The surprise move also undermined DOD’s previous findings Charlene that predatory lending is a threat to our national security.

Crowell Fortunately, and largely through the leadership of a veteran, Illinois’ Congresswoman Tammy Duckworth, offered an amendment to the proposed authorization to preserve DOD’s regulatory plans. After 18 hours of debate, enough support was gathered to remove the harmful language.

A 32-30 vote by the House Armed Services Committee removed the harmful language as the measure proceeds to the House floor for a final vote. The Duckworth amendment will enable stronger regulation to move forward. The goal of ensuring effective regulation of predatory lending aimed at active duty military families and will include new safeguards affecting credit cards, high-cost installment loans and payday loans offered by banks that are termed “deposit advances.”

Working with the Office of Service Member Affairs, CFPB published a December report that found: * Some depository institutions extended millions of dollars in deposit advances to service members with APRs that typically exceeded 300 percent. As open-ended lines of credit, the loans were not bound by the MLA; * In Illinois, a 12-month auto title loan of $2,575 carried a finance charge of $5,720 plus a $95 lien fee. The loan was technically legal because its duration was beyond 181 days; * In Texas, a lender sold a $485 installment loan to a service member with a 584.72 APR for a period of less than six months. In addition to the borrower’s $1,428 repayment, the borrower was charged a separate credit access business fee and 9.75 percent interest on the loan.

“Service Members continue to be vulnerable to abusive lending that causes incredible financial difficulty for them and directly impacts military readiness,” said Congresswoman Duckworth. “Those who work every day to defend our nation deserve the strongest protections our government can provide.”

Charlene Crowell is a communications manager with the Center for Responsible Lending.

She can be reached at Charlene.crowell@responsiblelending.org.

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ST. LOUIS AMERICAN • JUNE 4 – 10, 2015

TASER Continued from A1 The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department declined to provide the names of the two arresting officers to the St. Louis American.

Hendrix had just finished participating in a Black Lives Matter demonstration on Washington Avenue, which started as a silent march by Busch Stadium at 8 p.m. At about 11:40 p.m., they started marching on the median, which is about four feet wide, on Washington near 13th Street. Police said that they were “putting themselves and motorists in danger” because they crossed the intersection at Tucker Boulevard while the light was red.

That error justified the use of force against the group moments later, police said.

The group had already moved to the sidewalk and were making arrangements to go back to their cars when the police “ambushed” them, Hendrix said.

Activist Dhoruba Shakur was the first to get arrested.

Mike Lhotak, a white 28-yearold who helped organize the action, was videotaping the arrest. On the video, an officer yelled to the other officers, “Grab anyone. They were all in the street.”

When Lhotak was being arrested himself, he handed his phone to Hendrix, who continued to videotape as she walked away on the sidewalk – in an attempt to disperse.

In a statement to The American, the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department said, “When some individuals refused to get out the street, they were arrested.

Two of those individuals resisted arrested and were tased.”

Video contradicts police However, the video shows that the two individuals who were tased – Hendrix and a 21-year-old activist, E.J. – were clearly on the sidewalk. The video shows an officer jumping onto the sidewalk with his Taser drawn and pointed at them. He didn’t state that they were under arrest. He didn’t ask them to stop or get down on the ground. He yelled, “Get back,” and then lunged at E.J. and started tasing him, the video shows.

In a natural reaction to avoid being shocked, E.J. moved to the side, Hendrix said, but they were never told they were under arrest.

Hendrix said she weighs less than 160 pounds, and there

Photo by Lawrence Bryant

Eight people have filed complaints against St. Louis Metropolitan police officers, claiming that police used excessive force when responding to a demonstration outside of St. Louis Circuit Attorney Jennifer Joyce’s house on Tuesday, May 19. Protestors say city police are responding to continuing protests with increased aggression. were three male police officers standing around watching her get tased.

“It wouldn’t have been that hard for one man to get me to the ground,” she said.

In total, eight people were arrested, including freelance photographer Bryan Sutter, for impeding the flow of traffic. The black activists arrested also received “resisting arrest” charges, but the white demonstrators did not, Lhotak said.

Rasheen Aldridge, an activist and member of the Ferguson Commission, said St. Louis city police are responding more aggressively to protestors than St. Louis County or Ferguson police ever did, especially in recent actions.

“In St. Louis city, I don’t know if they are just amping up or getting sick of what’s going on, but you can definitely tell they are getting more aggressive,” Aldridge said.

“They go from zero to 10, and you don’t even know what to expect.”

Hendrix, who has been protesting police misconduct since August, said Friday’s police aggression would not deter her.

“I do it for my children,” she said. “I do it for the

they are actively resisting or exhibiting active aggression.

The head, face, breast or genitalia should be avoided, according to the policy.

Hendrix said the Taser prongs landed on her right breast and hand.

Three or fewer activations of Taser policy violated the electrical current from the Taser is considered standard.

St. Louis Metropolitan Police did not respond to Police Department’s policy on The American’s the use of Tasers inquiry into states that officers n St. Louis how many times may use the Metropolitan Hendrix was tased. weapon when the All subjects officer reasonably Police who experience believes he/ Department more than the she will become policy states, “A standard are engaged in a to be taken to violent encounter. Taser is never the hospital The policy also to be used on a for evaluation, states, “A Taser passive subject, according to is never to be or as a painpolicy. Hendrix used on a passive inflicting device.” said she only subject, or as a received Advil and pain-inflicting a Band-Aid by a device to ensure jail medic. compliance.”

St. Louis Police Chief Sam Hendrix said she was in a Dotson declined an interview passive position – lying down with The American regarding on her stomach – when the the incident, but emailed this officer continued to tase her. statement: Although the video turns black “The department has at this point, viewers can still launched an internal affairs hear her persistent pleas for the investigation into the incident officer to stop shocking her. to ensure all department The policy also states that policies and procedures were a Taser should not be used on adhered to during the arrests handcuffed subjects unless children in my youth group and for all children. They deserve an advocate.”

Hendrix said she has not yet filed a complaint against the police, but is looking for an attorney.

as well as examine the events leading up to the arrests. This is an ongoing investigation.”

On Saturday, May 30, Lt. Dan Zarrick, who was on the scene, phoned activist Heather De Mian to share his version of the events. De Mian, who was live tweeting on Friday, recorded the conversation with Zarrick and posted it on social media.

“The female that was tased was resisting strongly,” Zarrick told De Mian and continued on to say Hendrix was a threat.

“That police officer took the same tasing she did, because he had a hand on her in between where the two prongs went.”

According to the policy, even if officers are touching the people they are tasing, they should not feel any shock unless they have their hands or body parts in between the two probes. Hendrix told The American that the officer did, in fact, have his hand on her right breast.

Excessive force complaints Last week, eight people filed complaints against St. Louis city police, claiming that police used excessive force when responding to a demonstration outside of St. Louis Circuit Attorney Jennifer Joyce’s house on Tuesday, May 19 around 9 p.m.

The group held an action outside of Joyce’s house to protest her decision not to file charges against the officer who fatally shot VonDerrit Myers Jr. A few minutes after the group arrived at Joyce’s doorstep, police arrived on the scene and used mace to disperse the demonstration.

“They jumped out of the car and immediately started macing people,” said Elizabeth Vega, who helped organize the action. “They didn’t give any warning.

We weren’t doing anything that required that kind of response.”

Six arrests were made – including rapper and activist Tef Poe. Vega was charged with third-degree assault for allegedly wiping pepper spray on Dotson’s shirt. However, Vega told The American that she was trying to tell them to stop spraying them when Dotson ran into her hand.

Dotson declined an interview with The American, but emailed a statement that he agrees with the charge.

Follow these reporters on Twitter @Mzzzmariah and @ rebeccarivas.

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

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ST. LOUIS AMERICAN • JUNE 4 – 10, 2015 Blake Strode recently celebrated his graduation from Harvard Law School with family. He is returning to St. Louis on a Skadden Fellowship to work on lowincome housing issues with Arch City Defenders.

STRODE Continued from A1 classmates, he said, and they spent their last year in law school holding “die-ins” and questioning the legal system.

“For a lot of students, it changed our focus, and it changed the kind of work that was being done by students,” he said. “It changed our conception of justice so that people saw the legal imperfections in lot of ways – which is huge and the first step in creating change.

That’s what’s happening in St. Louis.”

Strode has decided to return to St. Louis to work with the Arch City Defenders, the nonprofit that has pushed for systematic reform of municipal courts in Missouri.

Strode said there’s a lot of energy focused on building a more equitable region in his hometown, and he wants to be part of “harnessing” that energy towards helping marginalized residents. That’s one of the things that drew him to Arch City Defenders, he said. The nonprofit provides legal aid to such residents, including homeless, battered spouses, veterans and low-income residents.

“Arch City is a good example of an organization that is giving people a means to have a voice in our legal system,” Strode said, “and working to protect and

STOPS Continued from A1 more likely to be searched than whites. However, during those searches, police were less likely to find contraband for African Americans than whites. The contraband hit rate for whites was 26.9 percent, compared with 21.4 percent for African Americans.

In response to the latest data, a statewide coalition of organizations has called

n “People saw the legal imperfections in lot of ways – which is huge and the first step in creating change.”

preserve the laws that currently exist while fighting to expand those rights.”

Strode received a Skadden Fellowship, which will allow him to lead a two-year project on housing law issues at the firm. His project will focus on building stronger partnerships between community organizations and legal services regarding displacement work.

The idea is based on the models of several organizations he worked with in Boston, including City Life Vida Urbana, which helps people to stay in their homes.

He said he’s aware that

these are major problems that have developed over time.

“I’m under no misconception that I will fix things that need to be fixed in two years,” he said. “If in two years there can be greater access to legal services generally, and specifically on

housing issues, and people feel more plugged into a housing justice movement, that would be a huge success.”

Until the end of last summer, Strode said he didn’t imagine coming back to St. Louis. However, he was home when Michael Brown Jr. was

shot and killed on August 9 by a Ferguson police officer, and he witnessed the first three days of unrest.

It reminded him that national trends are often “addressed better in communities that you know and understand,” he said.

Strode grew up in Berkeley and then moved to Bridgeton when he was about 12. The former Pattonville High tennis star closed out a brilliant collegiate career at the University of Arkansas with a remarkable run through the NCAA Tournament. Then he played professional tennis for

for Koster to convene a summit on fair and impartial policing before the end of 2015. Koster’s office met with coalition members on Wednesday afternoon to hear to their request for a summit.

Rance Thomas of the North County Churches Uniting for Racial Harmony and Justice said they were “saddened” to see the increase in the disparity rate.

“Where officers are making decisions based on skin color or other bodily characteristics instead of behavior, they

need to stop,” said Thomas, a coalition member.

The coalition also encouraged community members to ask their police departments specific questions about the data. Don Love of Empower Missouri pointed to the data regarding arrests as an example.

“It turns out that a lot of the arrests are made for outstanding warrants,” he said.

In municipalities including Ferguson, residents can receive warrants for minor traffic violations, though reform to the

municipal courts is in process.

“The municipal courts are used to squeeze as much money out of low-income residents as they can,” Love said.

He said in those situations, if police officers make a stop and the person has an outstanding warrant, they have to make an arrest. However, there are some opportunities for police to make decisions, including when they give citations.

“There’s some middle ground on when they do a

citation and do an arrest,” he said. “You can’t tell from the data how many of those were borderline. In places where there is high disparity for traffic violation arrests, it’s something important for community members to ask their police departments.”

Love also said that welltrained officers can de-escalate an arrest situation, regardless of the race or ethnicity of the driver. The data shows, he said, that small, affluent police departments are doing well, including Clayton, Maplewood

– Blake Strode

three years and traveled the world. And though it’s been 10 years since he’s lived in St. Louis permanently, he said it’s always been home.

“It’s important to me, when I think about my friends and families and the issues that they see,” he said. “It’s important to put my energy towards addressing some of those.”

Last year, Strode came across the Arch City Defenders while reading a Washington Post article about their work in North St. Louis County. He reached out to the organization’s executive director Thomas Harvey and asked if they were hiring.

Harvey said he would be interested in sponsoring him in the Skadden Fellowship because there was a big need around housing issues, such as evictions and foreclosures.

“It just so happened that I had done a fair amount of that work in law school,” Strode said.

Strode wants to focus on community education and advocacy as much as the legal services component.

He believes it’s important to empower people to fight for themselves.

“There’s always a shortage of these legal services,” he said. “But the more people can take steps to advocate for themselves, that will have a bigger impact.”

Follow this reporter on Twitter @rebeccarivas.

and Joplin. Love believes it’s because the departments have the resources to send their officers to special training.

“All those chiefs seem to be doing their best,” he said. “But in places like St. Louis city, St. Louis County and Kansas City – even if the chiefs have the best intentions, the departments are so big. And the culture of the department is slow to change. Police officers learn from each other as much as anything.”

Follow this reporter on Twitter @rebeccarivas.

ST. LOUIS AMERICAN • JUNE 4 - 10, 2015

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33 graduate from ESL Charter High School New graduates of Southern Illinois University Edwardsville East St. Louis Charter High School (CHS) stride out of the Church of Our Lady of the Snows in Belleville at their recent graduation ceremony.

Wear blue ribbons for classmate Alexander Johnson who passed in 2013 American staff One of the biggest classes of the Southern Illinois University Edwardsville East St. Louis Charter High School (CHS) graduated recently at the Church of Our Lady of the Snows in Belleville.

Thirty-three seniors – all wearing blue ribbons representing their classmate Alexander Johnson, who graduated posthumously – celebrated their academic accomplishments to the delight of a crowd of more than 400.

“African Americans are a resilient group of people,” said Danice Brown, commencement speaker and associate professor in the SIUE Department of Psychology. “When I think of all the things we have gone through, we wouldn’t have been able to do it without our village.”

The crowd stood and

applauded as Johnson’s mother, Owida Johnson of Cahokia, accepted his diploma. Johnson was a CHS sophomore when he died in a house fire February 9, 2013.

“We are family, right? So it is fitting that we acknowledge Alex Johnson,” said Gina Washington, CHS director, who presented Owida with a diploma award. “Every Charter High School graduate and faculty member is wearing a blue ribbon because it was Alex’s favorite color.”

The crowd also came to their feet and roared when the valedictorian, Zaria Wicks, got out of her wheelchair and crossed the stage on a walker to receive her diploma. A drunk driver struck the car Wicks and family members were in on February 7. Wicks broke both legs and her right arm. Her legs are still weak, and her arm is in a brace.

“I will start classes online until I mend and can go to Clark Atlanta University”

Wicks said prior to the ceremony. “I plan to major in special education and minor in

Spanish. I want to teach young children with disabilities.”

“This class is full of energy, potential and grit,” said Vicki Groves-Scott, assistant dean in the School of Education, Health and Human Behavior.

Groves-Scott is the grant writer and director of the Grit after-school program at CHS. Grit has been defined as “perseverance and passion for long-term goals.” The program is designed to help hone and improve students’ grit skills and channel those skills towards academic achievement.

Of those graduating, Washington said, 90 percent have plans for higher education or the military. The

scholarship amount that the 2015 CHS graduating class has accumulated equals $832,000.

This year was the first time the CHS awarded a scholarship in the name of Willis Young, CHS assistant director. The fund was established to honor Young’s 16 years of service to the school. Receiving $500 each were salutatorian Stephanie Anderson and Rickey Burris. Anderson plans to attend McKendree College in Lebanon, and Burris is going to SIUE. Brown closed out the remarks by giving the graduates three items of advice she learned from the supporters in her life: From her mother and grandmother: “Don’t give anyone the right to define you.

When you do, you give them the power.”

From her mentors: “Be a critical thinker. Never just accept the answer someone offers. Always ask questions.”

From her father and grandfather: “Never allow the fear of failure to keep you from going for what you want.

Learn from your failures. That loss doesn’t have to define you.

Remain powerful!”

Community Briefs District offers free summer meals Seven sites in the Ferguson-Florissant School District will offer free breakfast and lunch to children and teens this summer.

• Administration Center, 1005 Waterford Drive, June 1 June 26, breakfast: 7:45-8 a.m. , lunch: 11-11:15 a.m.

• McCluer South-Berkeley High School, 201 Brotherton Lane, June 4 - June 25, breakfast: 8:30-8:45 a.m., lunch: 11-11:30 a.m.

• McCluer High School, 1896 S. New Florissant Rd., June 4 - July 1, breakfast: 7:10-7:30 a.m., lunch: 10:50-11:20 a.m.

• Ferguson Middle School, 701 January Ave., June 4 - July 1, breakfast: 7:10-7:30 a.m., lunch: 11:30 a.m.–12:15 p.m.

• Central Elementary School, 201 Wesley Ave., June 1 – July 31, breakfast: 9-9:15 a.m., lunch: 11-11:30 a.m.

• Commons Lane Elementary School, 2700 Derhake Rd., June 1 – June 26, lunch: 11:30 a.m. -12 p.m., snacks: 3:00-3:45 p.m.

• Wedgewood Elementary School, 14275 New Halls Ferry Rd., June 4 – July 1, breakfast: 7:45-8 a.m., lunch: 11-11:15 a.m.

The free summer meals are sponsored by the USDA’s Summer Food Service Program. Children 18 and younger may receive free meals. Meals are also available to persons with disabilities, over age 18, who participate in school programs for people who are mentally or physically disabled.

Bond Issue to go to city voters Residents of the City of St. Louis will be asked to vote on a $180 million General Obligation bond to fund critical capital needs throughout the city.

Specific projects include the replacement of fire trucks, upgrades to jail security systems, a new centralized and secure 911 dispatch center, as well as funding for neighborhood projects and recreation centers. The recommendations for using the bond money were established by the City’s Capital Committee and adjusted by the Board of Aldermen over the past year and a half.

The $180 million bond would be funded through a property tax increase. For example, a homeowner with a property tax bill based on $80,000 (home and vehicle) would pay about $28 more in annual property tax. Someone with a current property tax bill based on $140,000 would pay an additional $50 each year. A property tax bill based off $275,000 would have a $97 annual increase. The bond must be approved by 2/3 of voters on August 4 to pass.

ST. LOUIS AMERICAN • JUNE 4 - 10, 2015

By Melanie Adams

History Museum takes ‘A Walk in 1875 St. Louis’ Compton & Dry’s Pictorial St. Louis, original version, published 1876 Courtesy of Missouri Historical Society Library Collections

Enlarged Pictorial St. Louis map forms basis of new exhibition What did slang sound like in 1875? What did 1875 St. Louisans do for fun? What food did they eat? What were their houses like?

“A Walk in 1875 St. Louis” will answer all these questions and more when it takes visitors back in time to the St. Louis streets of 140 years ago.

The centerpiece of the exhibit is Compton & Dry’s Pictorial St. Louis, one of the most impressive maps in the city’s – and country’s – history. When completed, Pictorial St. Louis showed every street, home, factory, and even outhouse of 1875 St. Louis in a soaring birdseye view. The map was so large it had to be published as a book of 110 plates.

In “A Walk in 1875,” sections of Pictorial St. Louis will be blown up to a scale never before seen. Visitors will have the chance to stroll through nine different 1875 neighborhoods, hear firsthand accounts of 1875 life, and explore every inch of the Pictorial St. Louis map for themselves.

This great map was not all that St. Louis was talking about in 1875 – this was also the year the city hosted its first professional baseball game, made a scandalous national headline, and decided to split from St. Louis County. Visitors will see those important moments, discover how people worked and played, get a glimpse into their homes, and see real photographs and artifacts from everyday 1875 life. All these stories will be presented through vibrant and exciting graphics, created by illustrator Dan Zettwoch.

In “A Walk in 1875 St. Louis,” we’ll explore a time when St. Louis was making big changes and wrestling with bigger challenges. Make plans to come see these incredible maps and exciting graphics, and get a unique perspective on a single year of St. Louis history with A Walk in 1875 St. Louis. From its busy center to its rural outskirts, past spacious mansions and crowded tenements, the streets of 1875 St. Louis have surprises waiting at every turn.

Below is a brief interview with the exhibition’s curator, Andrew Wanko.

Why an exhibit about St. Louis in 1875?

Andrew Wanko: The origins of A Walk in 1875 St. Louis began with a simple question: What if we looked so closely at life in a single year of St. Louis history that people could imagine they were actually there? We chose 1875 because we have a stunning work of cartography to bring that year’s stories to life Compton & Dry’s Pictorial St. Louis: The Great

Metropolis of the Mississippi Valley. When drawn in 1875, Pictorial St. Louis was the most ambitious panoramic city map ever made.

But this map wasn’t all St. Louis was talking about in 1875, this was also a year of big headlines, and exciting events. 1875 was when St. Louis hosted its first professional baseball game, opened Sumner High School, made a scandalous national headline with the Whiskey Ring, and decided to split from St. Louis County.

What made the Compton and Dry maps unique?

Andrew Wanko: Pictorial St. Louis gave St. Louisans and the world the view of a lifetime, showing one of the nation’s largest cities at a scale grander and more accurate than any map had ever previously tried. Pictorial St. Louis brings to life every street, park, factory, home, and even outhouse from Gasconade Street on the south to Bellefontaine Cemetery on the north, and out west to Forest Park. That’s an area of nearly 40 square miles, at the time home to more than 300,000 lives. Now, 140 years later, this exhibit uses that same map like a time machine, putting nine neighborhoods under the microscope and examining the real landscapes where St. Louisans spent their lives.

What do you hope people will take away from their visit to the exhibition?

Andrew Wanko: I hope A Walk in 1875 St. Louis will get visitors more excited about exploring their own unique neighborhoods, and looking deeper into how these places are connected to the wider city around them. The landscape of St. Louis, especially its older inner neighborhoods, is full of incredible surprises waiting at every turn. I would love to see this exhibit become a spark for people to get out and see parts of our wonderful city they may have never experienced before.

“A Walk in 1875” Now Open • FREE

“Unlocking the Golden Gate: The Fight for Sumner High School” Free Museum’s lower level Check mohistory.org for days and times of performances In 1875, ten years after the abolition of slavery, St. Louis had a strong group of African American activists and community leaders who were doing the hard work of civil rights. This performance focuses on their efforts, including the fight for Sumner High School, the first African American High School west of the Mississippi.

BIRDS, THE TURTLES, THE MONKEYS & THE BEETLES. SEE THE

Then stay late to hear some great music.

Jungle Boogie Concert Series. Friday nights, 5–8 p.m.

Presented by Mid America Chevy Dealers

May 29 Disco Nites featuring Coco Soul · June 5 My Friend Mike · June 12 Ticket to the Beatles June 19 (No Concert) · June 26 Whiskey Morning · July 3 (No Concert) · July 10 GalaxyRed July 17 Griffin & the Gargoyles · July 24 Pennsylvania Slim · July 31 American Idle August 7 Push the Limit · August 14 Mood Swings · August 21 Miss Jubilee & The Humdingers August 28 Big Brother Thunder and the Master Blasters stlzoo.org

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FOP fosters ‘us vs. them’ mentality The “Blue Alert” Law recently signed by President Obama has the FOP’s fingerprints all over it. The Fraternal Order of Police is the world’s largest organization of law enforcement officers and is a powerful lobbying force for its members. It makes its group’s interests primary – over and above the interests of the communities it is supposed to serve.

A quick comparison of the FOP’s mission with that of the National Black Police Association is quite revealing.

NBPA pledges to “be the conscience of the Criminal Justice System” and “to enhance the quality of life of the African-American community.” Most people don’t know that the 1972 historic founding of the NBPA was right here in St. Louis. Its focus is the community, whereas the FOP’s is all about promoting and fostering “the enforcement of law and order.”

The Rafael Ramos and Wenjian Liu National Blue Alert Act of 2015 will issue national warnings when there are threats to police officers, with the authority to hunt down the suspects who make or carry out the threats. The act is named after NYPD officers who were ambushed last December by Ismaaiyl Brinsley.

You may be thinking, “Aren’t there existing laws that cover this kind of situation?”

Of course, but the FOP never misses an opportunity to use an incident against one of their own as justification to add another layer of legislative authority to their security blanket.

Another recent legislative push is to make crimes against the police a hate

crime. The goal seems to always expand its power while diminishing any efforts to hold its members accountable. It’s the reason why it is difficult to prosecute them under federal law – the bar is deliberately high.

The most disturbing threshold that the FOP has been able to use to defend the actions of its members is the notion of “threat.” It’s a very subjective concept, much like “suspicious.” Both can only be determined through the eyes of the individual officer. It makes district attorneys back down from charging cops, and it draws empathy from juries convened to make judgment in cases involving Jamala cops.

Many of the Rogers hundreds of cases of police terror that have been captured on video reveal absolutely no threat to officers. Victims were either running away, or were restrained or unarmed. These compelling and indefensible images are unmasking the delusion of threat that police can hide behind when video is not available.

So, it’s not surprising that there have been rumblings within law enforcement circles about the flagrant abuse by cops and the subsequent unconditional support by police associations of the officers involved in those abuses.

Jonathan M. Smith, formally with the Department of Justice and now with the University of DC School of Law, used to investigate police shootings for the DOJ. He says he interviewed many

officers who didn’t support the actions of some of their fellow cops and felt that the police associations were providing unnecessary cover for the abuse, making their jobs more difficult.

In short, the jobs of police officers are being made less safe by the unapologetic and aggressive defensive actions by police unions. When wrong is not acknowledged and condemned, it increases the anger and distrust of police. It sounds like it’s time for police members to have a serious talk with its union leadership. It’s time to make them accountable to their members.

Whether it’s the sodomy and torture of Abner Louima

by NYPD cops in 1997 or the 137 rounds fired into the bodies of Melissa Williams and Timothy Russell by Cleveland police after a chase, there seems be no time when the FOP addresses illegal behavior or actual violations of police policy by its own members.

The FOP and other predominantly white law enforcement groups must come to the realization that they play a major role in fueling an “us vs. them” mentality. The demoralization that is taking place in the police rank and file is not so much because of citizen efforts demanding accountability and fairness. It’s also because police leadership is bent on maintaining a white supremacist militarized force that is not beholding to anyone.

With the changing U.S. demographics, especially in urban areas, that racist philosophy can only mean more tensions within the police departments and more clashes between police and citizens.

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ST. LOUIS AMERICAN • JUNE 4 - 10, 2015

The Jaco Report

Remembering Leo Drey Conservationist, philanthropist passes at age 98

By Robert W. Duffy Of St. Louis Public Radio In 1929, Luther Ely Smith, whom the National Park Service calls “the father of the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial,” convened a group of civic worthies for lunch at the old Noonday Club downtown.

Later on, a fellow named Leo Drey joined the group.

Drey, who died at home in University City on May 26 at the age of 98, would become a stalwart member of the group, and one of its most dynamic leaders.

Out of that convocation came enormous positive activity for the public weal.

Florence Shinkle, a former writer for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and an ardent conservationist, was invited to come along at some point to join in the Wednesday discussions. She recalled that plans were laid at the table for saving Greer Spring, for saving open space all over the state.

“Leo was distinguished in a number of ways, but two stand out,” said Joseph Logan of the Wednesday luncheon group.

“One in particular was in regard to forest management.”

Drey’s approach was singletree selection harvesting, which avoids clear cutting and embraces a model that produces uneven or all-aged growth. The other main distinction, Logan said, was his character – his generosity, which is legendary, along with his honesty, his good manners and kindness.

Leo Drey John Karel is president of the board of directors of the L-A-D Foundation, a conservation-centered foundation created by Drey in 1962. He said Drey’s forest management system is his legacy. It is a system, he said, that not only sustains the forests, but is productive in terms of yielding timber.

Karel said Drey’s harvesting philosophy also helps to maintain the workforce of the forested area, maintains the integrity of the land and the quality and health of the watershed, and provides recreational opportunities.

Leo Albert Drey was born in St. Louis in 1917.

He graduated from John Burroughs School and from Antioch College (Yellow Springs, Ohio). He began a career in business, but soon was drafted and served as an officer in the U.S. Army during World War II. After his service, Drey returned to St. Louis and joined the old Wohl Shoe Co. in St. Louis as assistant to its treasurer.

Leonard Drey, the son of Drey, noted that his father in 1950 began to acquire and manage Ozark timberland. His purpose was to harvest timber conservatively – to regrow a forest while showing this could

be done economically.

“By 1951, he owned 10,000 acres of badly cut-over land, and further purchases then included 12,000 acres purchased from a tie company.

At one time he was the largest private landowner in the state,” Leonard Drey wrote in a tribute to his father.

“In 1953, Leo was advised by one of the men of the impending clear-cutting of a 90,000-acre tract owned by National Distillers, a whiskey distillery. This landholding earlier had been owned by the Pioneer Cooperage Co. and managed using a model that relied on single-tree selection.

When National Distillers had purchased this land, it publicized its continuing commitment to conservative forestry methods.”

When Drey learned that National had begun to liquidate its white oak, he traveled to New York, eventually negotiating to acquire the land. He retained all of National Distiller’s foresters. Today, Pioneer Forest comprises 143,000 acres of land in Shannon, Reynolds, Dent, Texas, Carter and Ripley counties.

And in 2004, Drey and his wife, Kay, gave Pioneer Forest to the L-A-D Foundation. That year, it was the largest act of philanthropy in the nation.

Drey is survived by his wife, Kay; two daughters, Laura, of Durham, N.C., and Eleanor, of San Francisco; a son, Leonard, of New York City; and his grandson and namesake, Leo, also of San Francisco.

There will be no memorial service. The family requests that, in lieu of flowers that individuals send donations to a charity of their choice.

Edited for length and reprinted with permission from news.stlpublicradio.org.

Black church organizes against civil rights Same-sex marriage advocates rely on 14th Amendment as did black activists

By Charles Jaco For The St. Louis American Missouri and St. Louis have a long tradition of being on the wrong side of history, from slavery, Dred Scott and a star on the Confederate flag to restrictive housing covenants, the reward offered by a South Side white supremacist for the murder of Martin Luther King Jr. in 1968, and Michael Brown Jr. As lawyers argued before the U.S. Supreme Court recently for the right of same-sex couples to marry, Missouri found itself once again firmly entrenched against equal rights, thanks to a 2004 Missouri Constitutional Amendment that voters passed by a whopping 71 per-cent defining marriage as between one man and one woman.

Among all demographic groups in America, blacks remain the most opposed to same-sex marriages. In fact, the nation’s most famous antigay marriage law, Proposition 8 in California, only passed because the overwhelming majority of California blacks who turned out to vote for Barack Obama in November 2008 also voted against samesex marriage. The National Election Pool estimates from that election concludes that 70 percent of blacks in California voted against gay marriage, a far higher percentage than any other ethnic group.

While support for same-sex marriage has been growing among blacks, it still lags far behind the rest of the population. A March 2013 nationwide poll by the Pew Research Center found that 40 percent of blacks favored gay marriage, as opposed to

Be sure to check out the St. Louis American’s various social media channels for behind-the-scenes footage, exclusive photos and other related coverage.

Facebook.com/Stlouisamerican Instagram: @stlouisamerican Twitter: @stlouisamerican

Pastor Roland Caldwell of the Burnette Inspiration Baptist Church and a group of Detroit-area clergy recently expressed their opposition to marriage equality.

49 percent of whites. Some analysts chalk that up to religion and the sociallyconservative nature (outside of civil rights) of black churches.

The Public Religion Research Institute, for example, recently found that 54 percent of black protestants oppose same-sex marriage.

But the Pew Research poll shows black distaste for gay marriage isn’t just religious.

Among blacks who don’t attend church, Pew found only 42 percent support samesex marriage, as opposed to 60 percent support among all Americans who are nonchurch goers. A 2003 study from Georgia State University hinted at why. It found that in black communities the visceral disdain for homosexuals is stronger than in almost any other segment of society, and the study posits that’s because of a “macho” culture Columnist of bravado and superficial Charles toughness in Jaco much of black America.

But whether it’s because of social attitudes or reading too much Leviticus, the fact remains that a larger percentage of black Americans have placed themselves firmly on the wrong side of history than any other demographic group in America, despite the fact that court arguments in favor of samesex marriage rest on the same bedrock that guaranteed blacks the right to vote – the 14th Amendment, the all-important equal protection section of the Constitution.

That’s the same Constitutional test that allowed interracial marriages to become legal throughout the United States, when in 1967, the U.S. Supreme Court decided the case of Loving v Virginia. In 1958, Mildred Jeter, a black woman, and Richard Loving,

a white man, were married in the District of Columbia, and then moved back to their native state of Virginia. At that time Virginia, along with Missouri and 14 other states, had miscegenation laws on the books that outlawed marriage between whites and anyone of another race.

The Lovings were found guilty in Virginia and sentenced to a year in jail, a sentence that was suspended when the judge ordered they could avoid jail by moving from Virginia and not returning for 25 years.

They instead went to court, and nine years later the Supreme Court tossed out laws against interracial marriage.

In a unanimous U.S. Supreme Court opinion, based heavily on the 14th Amendment, Chief Justice Earl Warren wrote, “To deny this fundamental freedom (to marry) on so unsupportable a basis … is directly subversive of the principle of equality at the heart of the 14th Amendment, and is surely to deprive all of the State’s citizens of liberty without the due process of law.”

Substitute “sexual orientation” for “race” or “gay” for “black” in any of the rulings and commentaries, and you have, right in front of you, the reason most experts expect that when the Supreme Court finally rules on same-sex marriage sometime this summer, they’ll legalize it throughout the country.

That will leave opponents of same-sex equality, including many in the black churches and black community, asking how they deal with a ruling they think violates God’s will. They can take some comfort from the fact that the same question was asked, almost 50 years ago, by people who were convinced it was God’s will that you can only marry someone of the same race.

Charles Jaco is a journalist, novelist and author who has worked for NBC News, CNN, Fox 2, KMOX and KTRS.

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ST. LOUIS AMERICAN • JUNE 4 - 10, 2015

Vinita Park Mayor James McGee and Wellston Mayor Nathaniel Griffin joined Vinita Park Police Chief Tim Swope in discussing the new North County Police Cooperative on June 2. Photo by Wiley Price

The mysterious case of the Wellston Police Department The City of Wellston has dissolved its police department to form a new municipal cooperative that will pool police services. That’s good news, right?

A tiny municipality has realized it’s ridiculous to operate its own armed police department patrolling not even one square mile – 0.93 miles, to be precise – inhabited by 2,313 people, right?

And, mindful of the Better Together report conducted by the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF), municipal officials are self-starting the clustering of municipal police departments that PERF called for in its report, right?

Wellston did dissolve its police department, and that can’t possibly be a bad thing, but it’s not likely the fruits of diligently studying the Better Together / PERF report and reflecting on best police practices. Nor is it the instigation of larger regional clusters of municipal police departments that PERF called for.

Wellston and Vinita Terrace now join Vinita Park in the North County Police Cooperative, to be policed by the Vinita Park Police Department. At 0.71 square miles, Vinita Park is even smaller than Wellston. Vinita Park Police Chief Tim Swope told media his department has 21 officers and will add eight to ten cops for the new co-op.

The Vinita Park boys have their work cut out for them on their new beat, as Wellston is the most violent municipality in the region, according to Better Together, with a violent crime rate of 35.9 per 1,000 residents – more than twice as violent as the next muni on the list, Velda City.

The North County Police Cooperative does not match any regional police cluster recommended by PERF, though PERF did recommend that Wellston cashier its

police department and merge with Beverly Hills, Hillsdale, Northwoods, Pagedale, Pine Lawn, Uplands Park, Velda City, Velda Village Hills and University City, to be policed

by U. City PD or St. Louis County PD. This would be a major scaling up and pooling of police resources in pursuit of a higher professional standard.

That is not what Wellston has done. Wellston has contracted with a police department that patrols an even smaller municipality (Vinita Park), then thrown in yet another municipality, Vinita Terrace, that sprawls over all of 40 acres (but, reportedly, no mule). The three municipalities are not all contiguous. So this is not the beginning of a more rational police clustering in St. Louis County.

However, this could be the taste of municipal disaster capitalism to come. By its own unique dysfunction, Wellston may have stumbled upon the future of bankrupt municipalities to come, in the wake of Senate Bill 5’s tightening of the Mack’s Creek Law that limits municipal predation on the public. If so, things are going to get uglier – a whole lot uglier – before they get better organized.

No-show for ACLU suit The first thing to be said about the Wellston Police Department is that we didn’t know much of anything about it. That itself is a systematic problem with a proliferation of police municipalities – there are so many police agencies to seek for public information, and so many to sue when they break Missouri law by failing to provide public information.

One such law suit provides a window into how deeply rooted dysfunction – and, possibly, criminality – may be in Wellston and its police department.

In February, the American Civil Liberties Union of Missouri filed a Sunshine Law suit against the City of Wellston because the city had failed to respond to the ACLU’s requests for public documents pertaining to allegations that city officials have interfered with Wellston police officers doing their jobs.

Amazing, the City of Wellston never responded to the suit. It never handed over the requested records or bothered to appear in court before Judge Joseph L. Walsh III. As a result, on April 15 Judge Walsh issued default judgment against the City of Wellston. The judge ordered Wellston to pay the ACLU’s attorney fees, plus a penalty of $5,000, with total bill due of $6,322.40, which Wellston has not paid.

Further, Judge Walsh ordered Wellston to provide the ACLU with “complete, unredacted copies” of all of the public records it had requested – a mix of police reports and related documents, disposition records for court summonses, meetings minutes and closed session minutes, and all city records related to the son of a Wellston Council member.

The Wellston Council member, Janet Dixon, and her son, Terrance Dixon, are ultimately at the bottom of all of this legal mess, as Fox 2 reported back in February.

But imagine what else may emerge when and if Wellston turns over those “complete, unredacted copies” of police reports and closed session minutes. Wellston still has not

provided those public records to the ACLU. There are two clear possibilities here. The public records that Wellston is withholding may be so outrageous and damning that the city is disbanding its police department in a “Hail Mary” attempt to make the problems go away along with the department. Paper shredders may be working overtime in Wellston. But then again, it is impossible to know what Wellston might want to shred when it won’t release its public records.

The other possibility here (and it could be a little of both) is that Wellston is completely broke. Too broke to pay an attorney to defend its interests in court. Too broke to pay the ACLU $6,322.40 – even when a judge orders the payout. Too broke, ultimately, to field a police department – even one where the cops purchase their own equipment, as Wellston cops have been doing.

So this could be what it looks like when a municipality goes out of business, surrendering its blood-soaked police department as one of the last acts of its loosening death grip. If SB5 is properly enforced – and municipalities are prevented from shifting their predatory behavior to code violations, once traffic predation is limited – we could be seeing a lot more of this sort of thing in St. Louis County.

Sunshine scofflaws The EYE wishes AG Koster,

who wants to be governor, crusaded a little over Sunshine Law violations.

Better Together had to file a formal complaint with the Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster against the City of Wellston for neglecting to respond to three requests for public records. City Clerk Janice Trigg provided the Missouri Attorney General’s office with an email dated December 17, in which she had forwarded Better Together’s request to Chief of Police G.T. Walker and Wesley Bell, acting as city attorney. More than 80 days have passed and no employee or representative of the City of Wellston had contacted Better Together to acknowledge receipt of the request. Wellston finally complied on April 13 – two days before the judge’s default judgment against the city in the ACLU suit.

Yes, that is Wesley Bell, the new Ferguson Council member, on that email scofflaw thread.

Bell is taking credit for helping broker the new North County police co-op.

Wellston was not alone in violating Missouri law by failing to honor the public police records requested

by Better Together and PERF. Beverly Hills and Lakeshire should take a municipal scofflaw perp walk for continuing to withhold public records about their police departments that were requested according to Missouri law. For municipalities that wield the law at gunpoint to ignore the law about reporting on their police departments to

the public is despicable and truly criminal.

One problem is that Koster wants to be governor. The mayors and council members in these municipalities that are scoffing at the Sunshine Law are elected officials. They were elected by the diehard voters who turn out in municipal elections, and Koster will want every single one of them to vote for him to become governor. Koster is too savvy of a political animal not to be calculating a backlash if he goes after these municipal scofflaws.

Wellston also makes Koster’s own scofflaw list as one of 11 police agencies in the state that did not report on their traffic stop data, as mandated by law. Interestingly, Wellston is the only police agency that both delayed for months in providing public records to Better Together for its police report, acting only when the attorney general applied pressure, and never sent data to Koster for his vehicle stops report.

The rest of these scofflaws can at least find the fax machine when the attorney general is pressing them – which makes it all the more important for Koster to press upon these municipalities to provide their public records, since his muscle seems to get results.

The EYE is not joking about the fax machine. Officials at Lakeshire – 2.28 square miles of South County – first told Better Together they had not received their initial request and asked them to fax it over.

“We did so immediately and heard nothing,” Marius Johnson-Malone of Better Together told the EYE. Better Together then pushed Koster to follow up, at which time, Johnson-Malone said, “Lakeshire conveniently found our request, claiming it had gotten lost under the fax machine.”

Other than Wellston, the St. Louis Park Rangers is the only police agency in the region that blew off Koster’s order for vehicle stops data. Outstate, Edgerton, Lilbourn, Morley, Deepwater, Naylor, Camden, Hurley, New Melle and the BNSF Railway Police are vehicle stop scofflaws.

A12

ST. LOUIS AMERICAN • JUNE 4 - 10, 2015

He would have been 19 The late Michael Brown Jr. remembered by family and friends on birthday

By Mariah Stewart Ferguson Fellow

Photo by Lawrence Bryant

The late Michael Brown Jr. was remembered and mourned by his father, Brother Anthony Shahid, and other family and friends at Greater St. Mark Family Church in Ferguson on May 20, which would have been his 19th birthday. The youth became the national symbol of a movement against police violence after he was killed on August 9 by then Ferguson Police Officer Darren Wilson.

Dozens of family and friends visited Greater St. Mark Family Church in Ferguson on May 20 to celebrate the birthday of Michael Brown Jr. Brown would have been 19-years-old, if not for his tragic death on August 9.

Brown, who was unarmed, was fatally shot by a Ferguson police officer. His death sparked protest around the world and a new Civil Rights Movement.

The teenager, who was once widely referred to as the “gentle giant” and “Mike Mike,” was honored by Michael Brown Sr., family, friends and activists inside the church that served as a constant

backdrop during last year’s unrest.

“Happy Birthday Mike Mike,” written in blue icing, decorated a massive cake, along with lit candles and a photo of Brown in his green and red Normandy High School graduation garments.

n “Not a day goes by that I don’t think about my son.”

– Michael Brown Sr.

Many in attendance wore shirts that memorialize Brown.

Printed across red and blue shirts read, “Happy Birthday Mike Brown, Chosen For

Change.” Hugs and smiles filled the atmosphere alongside picture poses with a hands up, don’t shoot gesture. Red balloons were released into the air to honor Brown.

In a press conference on the morning of the birthday celebration, Michael Brown Sr. told press he wants people to know that his son “was loved, he was a good person, and he loved his siblings.”

“Not a day goes by that I don’t think about my son,” Brown Sr. said at the press conference. “And not a day goes by where I don’t think about helping other young men to go forward in life.”

This story is published as part of a partnership between The American and The Huffington Post.

Business

B1

JUNE 4 – 10, 2015

People on the Move Thelma Steward received an honorary doctorate degree from Harris-Stowe State University at its 2015 Commencement ceremony. She is a major area philanthropist with Thelma the Steward Family Steward Foundation, in partnership with her husband David Steward, and active civic volunteer. *******************

Photo by Wiley Price

Chris Reichert, CEO of Stifel Bank & Trust, announced the $10-million Contractor Loan Fund to help minority and women contractors get access to capital on May 27 at the Cortex Innovation Community in Midtown St. Louis. To his left is Floyd Simms of Simms Building Group, Adolphus Pruitt of the NAACP and Scott Wilson of S.M. Wilson construction company.

Building capital for MBEs Regional leaders start loan fund for minority and women contractors

By Rebecca Rivas Of The St. Louis American

n “We have the talent. We have the knowledge and expertise. We just need resources.”

When Floyd Simms founded his contracting business in 2003, he took his life’s savings and “bet it all on Simms,” he said.

Like many minority contractors, he didn’t have the collateral or cash flow that banks require to get a traditional loan. His business has grown “slow and steady,” and now Simms Building Group is the general contractor on an $8 million streetscape contract within the $2.2 billion Cortex research park project in Midtown St. Louis.

On May 27 at the Cortex Innovation Community building, Simms was among some 50 business and city leaders who applauded the announcement of the $10-million

– Floyd Simms, Simms Building Group

Contractor Loan Fund, which is designed to give minority and women contractors access to capital so they can grow their businesses.

“Having the shot at another arm of capital, that makes us able to take the leap,” Simms said of minority contractors. “We have the talent. We have the knowledge and expertise.

We just need resources.”

The loan fund will offer construction-related loans of up to $1 million with “relaxed qualifying

criteria.” The goal is to increase the number, size and stability of minority and women-owned construction companies in the region, said fund chairman Chris Reichert, CEO of Stifel Bank & Trust.

“There’s over $10 billion in significant projects on the slate over the next 10 to 15 years,” Reichert said. “We expect for those projects to be performed by an increasing number of minority-owned construction contractors. It requires

that all of these contractors graduate to traditional banking relationships.”

According to a recent disparity study, the City of St. Louis failed to employ a fair amount of minorityand women-owned businesses when awarding city contracts for construction jobs from 2007 to 2012. The firm Mason Tillman Associates, who conducted the study, specifically found a disparity in how the city awards construction contracts to African-American businesses, both as prime contractors and subcontractors.

As the firm noted, part of the problem is that these contractors do not have access to capital – and the city should work towards breaking down these barriers.

American staff

More than 5,000 guests packed Congressman Wm. Lacy Clay’s 9th Annual Career Fair at HarrisStowe State University last year.

honored by President Obama for its groundbreaking work to connect nontraditional employees with jobs in the high-demand world of coding and information technology. LaunchCode

Kimberly Norwood, a law professor at Washington University, was voted by the Alumni Board of Governors to receive a Distinguished Faculty Award, Kimberly the first AfricanNorwood American female in university history to receive the honor. She was also appointed by the Missouri Supreme Court to serve on the Court’s Municipal Division Work Group. ******************* Art McCoy will be the guest preacher at the Annual Men’s Day service at Mt. Herald MB Church, 3627 Sullivan Ave., on June 14. Service begins at 10:30 a.m. He is former superintendent of the Ferguson-Florissant School District.

Art McCoy

*******************

More than 100 employers filling more than 1,000 positions, congressman says

ready.”

Clay said he is “especially excited to welcome LaunchCode” to the list of participating employers.

LaunchCode was recently

*******************

See MBEs, B6

Clay Career Fair set for June 8 U.S. Rep. Wm. Lacy Clay will present his 10th Annual Career Fair on Monday, June 8 from 9:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. at Harris-Stowe State University’s Emerson Physical Education & Performing Arts Center, 3026 Laclede Ave. It will feature over 100 of the St. Louis area’s top employers who are seeking to fill more than 1,000 job openings, n Clay said Clay said. the “more “My top than 1000 priority is job openings” connecting my constituents being filled with quality job include opportunities positions that they would “at all skill not have access to on their levels.” own,” Clay said. “We will once again feature over 100 companies from all sectors of the local economy who are currently hiring.”

Clay said the “more than 1000 job openings” being filled include positions “at all skill levels.”

“Last year, over 5,000 job seekers attended,” Clay said. “I would advise guests to arrive early, dress for success, and have your resumes

Christopher White is the new chief development officer for the St. Louis Housing Authority with oversight and leadership of the Business Development, Construction Christopher Development and White Resident Initiatives departments. He is responsible for developing new businesses, strategic partnerships and cultivating additional streams of revenue.

will present two special work sessions to introduce guests to their wide variety of free training and job See FAIR, B2

Yashika Harris joined SSM Medical Group-Specialty Care at DePaul Health Center.

She has a master’s degree in nursing and is boardcertified as an adult nurse practitioner.

Yashika A graduate of Harris Barnes-Jewish College of Nursing and Allied Health at Washington University, she has more than 10 years of professional experience and advanced training. ******************* Michael Sam was signed by the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League. He was the first openly gay player to be drafted by an NFL team. The St. Louis Rams selected the Michael pass rusher in the Sam seventh round in 2014 out of the University of Missouri.

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

B2

ST. LOUIS AMERICAN • JUNE 4 – 10, 2015

Personal Finance

Planning a wedding on a budget

By Jason Alderman Should a dream wedding mean delaying a down payment on a home? That’s a tradeoff many couples make these days.

The Knot, a wedding planning and publishing company, recently released its Real Weddings Study (http:// www.xogroupinc.com/pressreleases-home/2015-pressreleases/2015-03-12-the-knot2014-real-weddings-study. aspx) of average wedding costs for 2014, announcing a national average price tag of $31,213 (not including the honeymoon).

The average cost of a wedding is a good point of comparison against other major financial goals in a new marriage. Considering that the average price of a new home in America is now $200,000, that wedding estimate would cover the majority of a 20 percent down payment ($40,000).

Despite getting married to my wife at family home 15 years ago, I still remember the sticker shock for all the wedding costs – a whopping $10,000 for the entire event from tux, dress, flowers, food and honeymoon.

Here are a few suggestions to plan a wedding that won’t break the bank: Marry off-season. The most popular wedding months are now June and October, with longtime leader June losing a bit of ground. The most popular day to get married is Saturday and nighttime is the most competitive time slot for receptions. Consider a January wedding when the post-holiday

rush is over – cold weather wedding venues are generally empty and priced to move.

Weekday weddings have the potential added bonus of guests drinking less on a work night and weekend brunch weddings can be served buffetstyle with more reasonably priced menu choices.

Find alternative venues.

Farms, barns, warehouses, art galleries and of course, family property can be cheaper venues for a wedding, but make sure such spaces are properly insured for alcohol, food or other party-related risks.

Also, in many communities, party venues must be properly licensed and/or zoned to avoid fines or legal action.

DIY if possible. Couples with a flair for party planning, decorating and cooking might

be able to slash costs planning and executing their own event with minimal dependence on hired or volunteer help.

From flowers to photography, wedding cake to wedding planners, check for affordable options. If a venue allows couples to supply their own flowers and decorations, it is wise to comparison shop. Consider professional photographers or skilled amateurs who meet your tastes and budget.

Use a gift registry to pay for the wedding. Couples can set up online gift registries that allow guests to directly fund honeymoon trips or specific expenses associated with the wedding.

Plan a destination wedding. Resorts around the world and well-known

domestic wedding/travel destinations like Las Vegas or Hawaii offer wedding packages that blend a ceremony and vacation getaway. Planning a winter wedding? Research options for a warmer climate or snowy destination at a ski resort.

Finally, be flexible. Some venues have cancellations and if a couple is willing to put themselves on a waiting list and move quickly if they get the call, savings might be possible.

Before the planning a wedding, it’s wise to start with planning finances. A meeting with a qualified financial advisor might help put wedding costs in perspective with other major financial priorities.

Bottom line: Dream weddings don’t have to put a couple’s financial life on hold. Consider real financial priorities first and build a smart wedding budget from there.

Jason Alderman directs Visa’s financial education programs. To Follow Jason Alderman on Twitter: www. twitter.com/PracticalMoney.

Slay proposes $15-an-hour minimum wage New standard would be phased in by 2020

By Jo Mannies Of St. Louis Public Radio

With a possible state ban looming, St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay is calling for the city to phase in a minimum wage mandate of $15 an hour over the next four years.

A bill is expected to be formally introduced Friday to the Board of Aldermen.

Slay has signaled for some time that he supported such an increase, especially after his administration increased the minimum wage several years ago for all full-time city workers to $12.21 an hour.

The mayor’s current pitch is somewhat in line with the push by labor groups and others for a national minimum wage of $15 an hour. The federal minimum wage is now $7.25 an hour. n Cohn’s Slay plans to hold a news conference bill would Thursday to lay out the specifics of his immediately proposal. But those close to him say increase the that the proposed St. Louis mandate minimum wage would apply only to businesses with more than 15 employees, and with for workers in annual gross income of more than the city of St. $500,000.

Louis to $10.

The bill’s sponsor is Alderman Shane Cohn, D-25th Ward.

On January Time also may be of the essence.

1, 2017, the The Missouri General Assembly has minimum wage passed a bill, HB722, that would bar would increase cities and municipalities from requiring a minimum wage that differs from the to $11.25. state’s minimum wage of $7.65 an hour, or the federal minimum wage.

Gov. Jay Nixon has yet to take action on the bill. But if he signs it into law, the bill’s ban would take effect August 28. However, the bill has a clause “grandfathering” in all local minimum wage hikes approved before August 28.

A number of major cities around the country, including New York, Chicago and Washington D.C., have passed or are considering similar minimum-wage hikes.

The city of Kansas City also has been considering a similar proposal, but officials have stepped back in the wake of business opposition.

Cohn’s bill would immediately increase the minimum wage for workers in the city of St. Louis to $10. On January 1, 2017, the minimum wage would increase to $11.25 an hour. On January 1, 2018, the minimum wage would go up to $12.50.

On January 1, 2019, it would increase to $13.75 an hour, with the final hike to $15 an hour set for January 1, 2020.

Business leaders in St. Louis have yet to comment. But activist groups such as Jobs With Justice are already hailing Slay’s plan.

The city’s “Fight for $15’’ chapter issued a statement with comments from local McDonald’s worker Bettie Douglas.

“By standing up and speaking out,” Douglas said, “we are on the verge of making St. Louis the first city in America’s heartland to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour.”

Reprinted with permission from news.stlpublicradio.org.

Business Brief

U.S. Census Bureau hiring interviewers The Census Bureau’s Chicago Regional Office is currently seeking field representatives in St. Louis County to interview respondents. Pay ranges

from $13.68 - $14.99 per hour, depending on location. To view job vacancy announcements, qualifications, and instructions on how to apply, visit the Census

Bureau’s Chicago Regional Office website at http://www. census.gov/regions/chicago/ www/jobs/. Call for test scheduling at 1-800-865-6384, Extension 15.

MBEs

stop shop for interested job seekers to learn about, and apply for thousands of federal jobs, worldwide. OPM and the Veterans Administration will also offer special assistance to veterans who are transitioning back to civilian life.

Other top St. Louis employers who will also be on hand are: the Boeing Company; Express Scripts; BJC Healthcare Systems;

World Wide Technology; iHeartRadio; CBS Radio; Charter Communications; Emmis Communications; Centene Corporation; Wells Fargo Advisors; Lodging Hospitality Management; CVS Pharmacy; Best Buy; Office Depot; Lumiere Place; Harrah’s; Ameristar; and the U.S. Postal Service.

For more information, please call (314) 367-1970.

Continued from B1 placement opportunities.

Prospective employers include federal, state and local government agencies.

For those interested in public service, the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) will provide a one-

“The same way you slow me down …

You can’t.”

– LeBron James on how to slow Stephen Curry

Sports

INSIDE

Baseball: only getting older and whiter ~ See ‘Claib’s Call’ page B4 ~ B3

JUNE 4 – 10, 2015

Track & Field Notebook With Earl Austin Jr.

Hazelwood Central’s Devyn Torbert (785) and McCluer North’s DeJha Williams (929) and Kiana Harvey (923) race in the rain during the Girls Class 5 4x100 meter relay at the Mo. Class 5 Girls State Track & Field Championships Saturday in Jefferson City, Mo.

Burroughs wins state title

Metro East reigns Cahokia wins fifth straight in 2A, Edwardsville first ever in 3A

By Earl Austin Jr. Of The St. Louis American

Leonard won the 400-meter dash and Clemons won the 300-meter intermediate hurdles in the next event.

Alvin Thompson of Cardinal Ritter won the Class 3 state title in the boys’ long jump and finished second in the triple jump.

Constance Jackson of North Tech won the 100-meter high hurdles in Class 3 girls and also ran a leg on the winning 4x100-meter relay.

It was a glorious weekend for the Metro East at last weekend’s Illinois Boys State Track and field Championships in Charleston.

Cahokia High cemented its dynasty by winning its fifth consecutive Class 2A state championships in dominating fashion.

Edwardsville High made history by winning its first Class 3A state championship in boys track.

Cahokia ran away and hid from the rest of the competition as it scored 119 points, which was 82 points more than the its nearest n The competitor. The Comanches Comanches won six won six events, events, including all including all four relays, and scored in a total of 12 events. four relays, and Junior Allscored in a total American Ja’Mari of 12 events.

Ward swept both the long jump and triple jump state titles. Ward won the long jump with a state record leap of 25 feet 0 ¼ inches.

He won the triple jump with an effort of 50 feet 6 inches.

The Comanches 4x100-meter relay team of Keveion Akins, Chrisawn Crosby, Marquis Murray and Ward circled the track in a winning time of 41.12 seconds. The same quartet won the 4x200 in a time of 1 minute 25.83 seconds.

The team of Chris Stanley, Chris McGee, Tyran Lyons and Murray won the 4x400 in 3:17.57 while the crew of Stanley, McGee, Lyons and Chris Raymond won the 4x800 in 7:53.53.

Keveion Akins also finished second in the 100- and 200-meter dashes. Daniall Akins was second in the shot put while Korrion Session was second in the 110-meter high hurdles and fourth in the 300-meter intermediate hurdles.

Anthony McRoberts was third in the high jump and fifth in the triple jump. Lyons was fifth in the 400 while Stanley was eighth in the 400.

Edwardsville won the Class 3A state title with 55 points, which were 18 more than its nearest competitor. The Tigers had one

See TRACK, B5

See EAST, B5

Photo by Wiley Price

John Moten takes three state titles to lead boys to second place

By Earl Austin Jr. Of The St. Louis American Here are some of the highlights from last weekend’s Missouri State Track and Field Championships in Jefferson City.

John Burroughs won its first girls state championship in track by winning the Class 3 state title.

Sophomore Lailah Elliott won the long jump and triple jump and placed in the high jump and 100-meter high hurdles to pace the Bombers. Senior Jordan

McClendon won the shot winning the Class 5 1,600 put and finished second and 800-meter runs. Long in the discus. also anchored the Wildcats’ Senior John Moten 4x800 to a state title. of John Burroughs won Maya Cody of Lutheran three state titles to lead South won the Class 4 girls the Bombers to a second400-meter dash and finished place finish in the Class second in the 100 and 200.

3 boys’ team standings.

Cecilya Johnson of Earl Moten won the 100-meter Austin Jr. Lutheran South won the dash and anchored JBS Class 4 girls discus state to victories in the 4x100title. and 4x200-meter relays.

Tommy Leonard and Derick Hannah Long of Eureka Clemons of Eureka won back finished her stellar career by to back Class 5 state titles as

In The Clutch With Ishmael Sistrunk

NBA Finals preview By any measure, Stephen veteran at nearly everything Curry is in the midst of a Curry has accomplished this Cinderella season. The 27-year- season. This postseason marks old shooting god racked up his James sixth trip at the NBA first NBA MVP, led the league Finals and is a staggering fifth in All-Star votes, consecutive time at the helped his team tally rodeo. James alone has the most victories in more championship franchise history and is experience than the now headed the NBA entire Warriors team.

Finals for the first time Even with Kevin Love in his career. “Chef” out for the season and Curry has consistently Kyrie Irving hobbled, knocked down unbeJames has put the Cavs lievable shots, dropped on his back, channeled Ishmael H. his inner Aloe Blacc remarkable dimes and Sistrunk left defenders Nae and proven that he’s Nae-ing the night the man. Though Curry away while trying to guard the has racked up the lion’s share sharpshooter. Though Curry of regular season awards, it’s and his companions have, common knowledge that James at times, made running the is still the best player in the Western Conference gauntlet game. The question is whethlook easy they’ll now face their er he’s great enough to beat biggest challenge and his name the best and deepest team the is LeBron James.

NBA. “King” James is a seasoned One criticism of the

The best player in the game, LeBron James, will battle Stephen Curry, the best player this season in a battle of NBA supremacy.

n One criticism of the Cavaliers this season has been that they have feasted on the Leastern Conference.

There’s just no way to put it, the East is terrible.

the only two teams capable of making it to the NBA Finals.

Even as the Atlanta Hawks emerged as a surprise #1 seed with a remarkable run, I could never imagine them beating either team in a seven game series. The Wizards were solid, but not a true title contender.

The rest of the teams were hot garbage. Nonetheless, this Cavaliers this season has been that they have feasted on the

Leastern Conference. There’s just no way to put it, the East is

terrible. I said all season long that the Cavs and Bulls were

See CLUTCH, B5

B4

ST. LOUIS AMERICAN • JUNE 4 – 10, 2015

Claib’s Call With Mike Claiborne

Baseball: only getting older and whiter Rob Manfred is the new commissioner of Major League Baseball, and he understands what is at stake with respect to the future of baseball. “We have to reach out to the youth of America and get them more involved in the game,” Manfred said.

Most would agree that baseball, while enjoying incredible revenue streams and solid local TV ratings, has a problem on the national level. National TV ratings Mike continue to sag, Claiborne and baseball’s fan base is aging compared to some other sports. The typical baseball fan is now averaging 53 years of age, and it has the second-highest white participation short of ice hockey. The NBA fan base’s average age is now 33 and has significant diversity that does not only include African Americans.

If baseball wants to trend younger, it may not be a bad idea to have its players, both black (if you can find any) and white, get more involved with the game off the field – aside from players’ foundations, which have become very popular and, in some cases, quite helpful to worthy causes. Baseball needs to evolve soon, or it will become America’s past pastime.

LeBron vs. Warriors The NBA Finals begin tonight and, yes, LeBron James is back, only with a new team and cast of players. Cleveland will face the Golden State Warriors, led by this year’s MVP Stephen Curry, who is one of the league’s most exciting players.

Unlike James, Curry has a tremendous supporting cast. They can guard, and they have a deep bench that may be harder to play against than any team in the league. The

Cardinals fans passed Ferguson protestors at Busch Stadium in downtown St. Louis last October.

be more trade-friendly. Or he can also sit at home and miss out on making the remaining $40 million he is due. He is opposed to both, so guess where it looks like he will be playing? You guessed it, Minnesota.

No guarantee

Photo by Lawrence Bryant

Warriors even feature a St. Louisan in Chaminade’s David Lee. Lee may be the key to the series, as he will pose a challenge to the opposition at both ends of the floor.

Then there is LeBron. He makes any team markedly better and, with the post-season experience he brings to this party, they will not go away quietly.

With no Lakers, Spurs, Celtics or Heat in the Finals this year, this event will be good for the game. It features the best player in the game facing one of the best teams the game has seen in a while.

Pay no attention to the locals who will poo-poo the Finals with the same old, lame statement that “no one really cares about the NBA in St. Louis.” Yes, people watch the NBA Finals in St. Louis more

than the Stanley Cup Finals - in city that has a hockey team.

FIFA dumb I was amused last week when it was announced that the U.S. government was going after FIFA (the world’s governing body for soccer). It is comical, coming after all these years of graft, extortion, bribery and other heinous acts that were accepted by the soccer world, including this country.

Suddenly, the United States has decided to go after one of the most notoriously corrupt organizations in the world.

The government said that FIFA can be tied to at least $150 million in bribes sent their way over the last 24 years to get certain soccer events for certain countries that were willing to pay.

I have never been a fan of international soccer, because it has been a fraud on and off the field. The diving and faking of injuries on the field makes it nearly unwatchable, and yet this foolishness is accepted, much like the bribes and racism.

Mad in Minnesota By now you have heard all about Adrian Peterson and his off-field plight. Peterson was hauled in to court about the alleged abuse of his child, whom he reportedly beat with a switch. The league suspended him for the season, and now this.

Peterson and his agent have been trying to get out of Minnesota, where they claim that he was thrown under the bus by the Vikings during the

ordeal. Peterson has been very busy on Twitter lately, as he was mad at the world about a number of things. Not happy with the Vikings. His contract was not right. He threatened to boycott the team’s offseason training activities. He said that NFL players should have their contracts guaranteed.

Peterson and his brethren should look in the mirror to find out why there is a problem. Until Peterson realized that he has few options on where he will play football next season, he was clueless about how the NFL worked.

He was clueless to the fact that his contract is too heavy, because of salary cap issues, for any other team to take on If he really wants out of Minnesota, he has two options. He can take a pay cut so his cap number would

The idea that players’ contracts should be guaranteed is something Peterson never thought about until now.

You would think players with the shortest shelf life professionally, along with the greatest health risk during and after careers, would have some sort of financial security, with their contracts guaranteed like their counterparts in baseball, basketball and hockey. Yet Peterson and his colleagues have just accepted business as usual.

The players union has accepted it. Former union head in Gene Upshaw and current Executive Director Demaurice Smith have done thousands of players a disservice, as they never dug in and fought for it. The players and owners have had labor issues that have seen walk outs and lock outs, and yet the players never moved on this issue. Peterson and his peers have no one to blame but themselves.

Hitchcock should clean house It was announced that Blues head coach Ken Hitchcock was returning for one more season. My only regret is it is just one year.

With Hitchcock returning, it should mean the end of the road for a few players who have not lived up to the expectations of the organization. Let’s hope that there is a housecleaning for the Blues, as there are players who have been around long enough to see at least three coaches get fired because of their play on the ice.

Inside Sports With Earl Austin Jr.

From unrest to victory Ferguson-Florissant wins four team trophies, 13 championships, 42 medals The young athletes from were for these young people the Ferguson-Florissant at the beginning of the year, School District showed up you could not have asked for a and showed out at last better ending for these weekend’s Missouri talented youngsters.

State Track and Field They put on a show in Championships in Jefferson City. When Jefferson City. the dust was cleared, For the kids who the kids from Fergusonattend McCluer North, Florissant departed McCluer and McCluer the state capitol with a South-Berkeley, the multitude of All-State beginning of the 2014medals and plenty of Earl 15 school year was state-championship Austin Jr. thrown into upheaval hardware for the with all of the turmoil school’s trophy cases. happening in Ferguson. Kids In total, Fergusonhad to wait an entire week to Florissant accounted for four begin classes, while athletes team trophies (including two had to be uprooted from their state championships), eight home venues for practices and individual state-championships, games. five relay championships and As tumultuous as things 42 All-State medals.

Back to back champs

n As tumultuous as things were for these young people at the beginning of the year, you could not have asked for a better ending for these talented youngsters.

McCluer North’s girls won the Class 5 state championships.

The Stars won the Class 4 state title last season, thus making them back-to-back state champions.

McCluer South-Berkeley brought home two team trophies. The boys won the Class 3 state championship while the girls finished second in the team standings. McCluer High’s boys finished third in

the Class 4 team standings.

Historic hurdler

McCluer North’s Jasmine Barge ended her stellar career by repeating as a state champion in the 100-meter high hurdles and 300meter low hurdles.

She will go down as one of the top hurdlers in the history of the Show-Me State.

fourth state title as a member of the 4x400-meter relay team along with Ne-Shay Curtis, Taylor Fox and Miesha Robinson.

Dashing young men McCluer South-Berkeley’s Tuvone Clark won the Class 3 boys 110-meter high hurdles.

Teammate Michael Miller won the 400-meter dash. Together, they also led the Bulldogs to a championship in the 4x400 along with Lawrence Woods and Eugene Irby.

Longest jumper

Dominant sprinter McCluer South-Berkeley’s Kamira Franklin dominated the Class 3 girls’ sprints as she won the 100, 200 and 400meter dashes. She added a

McCluer North’s Harry Ballard won the Class 5 state championship in the long jump with a leap of 22 feet 1 ½ inches.

Sprint relay sweeps McCluer’s boys swept all three sprint relays at the Class 4 meet. The 4x100 team consisted of Maleek Rhone, Kevin Spraggins, Henry Jones and Requan Stallings.

The 4x200 team was Jones, Spraggins, Stallings and Asa McFadden while the 4x400 crew consisted of McFadden, Chris Murray, Kyren Martin and Josh Haskin.

Overall, it was a brilliant display of speed and championship-level excellence that these kids put on over the weekend. As a product of the Ferguson-Florissant district (McCluer North, Class of ’82) it was very special and even more important to see these young people shine in the spotlight on this grand stage.

B5

ST. LOUIS AMERICAN • JUNE 4 – 10, 2015

St. Louis American

CLUTCH

Prep Athletes of the Week

Continued from B3 Cavaliers team has handled business in the playoffs.

The Cavs squad has posted an amazing 12-2 run to advance to the Finals, including two sweeps. Their matchup versus the Atlanta Hawks should give them confidence going into the Finals. While the Hawks lack a true superstar, they play a similar style of uptempo, team-first basketball as the Golden State Warriors. However with Thabo Sefalosha out and DeMarre Carroll hobbled, the Hawks lacked wing players athletic enough to slow down James and he almost single-handedly eliminated them from the playoffs. The Cavs should be comfortable with the fast tempo of the game and chasing a speedy point guard around the court.

Conversely the Warriors are 12-3 with one sweep. Their matchup versus James Harden and the Houston Rockets should help them prepare for the Cavaliers. Against the Rockets, the Warriors faced a team with a ball-dominant, nearly unstoppable superstar and several sidekicks who love to chuck it from behind the arc.

Expect the Warriors to guard James with one defender most of the team. James can’t be stopped but the Warriors should fare better than the Hawks as they have a roster full of capable, athletic wing defenders including Draymond Green, Klay Thompson, Harrison Barnes and Andre Iguodala.

More importantly, guarding James with a single player will allow the remaining guys to fly to the three-point line at New York Knicks castoffs J.R. Smith and Iman Shumpert,

EAST Continued from B3 individual state champion in senior Fontez Davis, who won the long jump with an effort of 23 feet inches.

Sophomore A.J. Epenesa was second in the discus with

TRACK Continued from B3 Michael Slater of Parkway Central won the Class 4 state title in the shot put.

Destiny Nash of Hazelwood Central won the Class 5 girls’ 400-meter dash state title.

Ben Boyer of Francis Howell won the Class 5 boys high jump state title.

Carolyn Ross of Webster Groves won the Class 4 girls triple jump state title.

Area relay state champions include: Kirkwood (Class 5 girls 4x200), Cardinal Ritter (Class 3, girls 4x200), Webster Groves (Class 4, boys 4x800), Lafayette (Class 5, boys 4x800).

Michael Miller McCluer South-Berkeley – Boys Track The senior sprinter enjoyed a big weekend in helping lead the Bulldogs to the Class 3 state championship in Jefferson City.

Miller brought home four All-State medals, including an individual state title in the 400-meter dash, his specialty race.

Miller finished first in a time of 49.4 seconds. He also anchored the Bulldogs to victory in the 4x400-meter relay.

Miller also scored points by placing fourth in the 200meter run and running a leg on the 4x200-meter relay team that finished in second place.

Tuvone Clark Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson lead a Golden State Warriors team that is as potent on defense as it is on offense. who have been making teams pay dearly for double-teaming James.

The biggest threat to the Warriors (besides James) seems to be health. Both Curry and Thompson had scary moments and were banged up with head injuries in the Western Conference Semifinals. Both are cleared to play and will be in the lineup Thursday night, but with head injuries, you never know. Andrew Bogut is always one play away from being injured, though he has played well since returning from an extended absence in December. You can bet that Matthew Dellavedova will “accidentally” bump into all three guys at some point during

the series to ensure they’re in good health.

As far as picking a winner, it’s tough. The Warriors have looked like the best team in basketball by far for nearly the entire season. They are the 14th team to win more than 65 games during the regular season and reach the NBA Finals.

The previous 13 all won the championship. They are facing James, who is 2-3 in the NBA Finals with an injury-depleted team. To some that would make him sound vulnerable. To the wise, that makes him sound dangerous. James is desperate to bring Cleveland its first NBA title. Expect him to put the Cavaliers on his back and carry them the entire series.

The Warriors have not paid their dues. Oh wait, neither have the Cavaliers, outside of James. Both teams have rookie coaches so throw the experience factor out the window. The Warriors are too good. They have the depth, the offense, the defense, the versatility and the magic to hoist the Larry O’Brien trophy. This is Stephen Curry’s year. Not even LeBron James can stop him.

James may be the best player in the game, but the San Antonio Spurs proved last season, he can be beaten by a better team.

Prediction: Golden State Warriors in six games.

Follow Ishmael and In the Clutch on Twitter @ IshmaelSistrunk

a throw of 191 feet 2 inches.

Travis Anderson was second in the 110-meter high hurdles while Wes Schoenthal was second in the 800-meter run.

Senior Isaiah Michl was third in the 300-meter intermediate hurdles. The Tigers were also fourth in the 4x100, seventh in the 4x200 and seventh in the

4x400.

East St. Louis also brought home a state championship in the 4x400-meter relay as the team of Deonte Anderson, Roosevelt Davis, Kevin Johnson and Keonte Pearson posted a winning time of 3:15.24. Davis also finished third in the open 400.

Ricky Nelson of Belleville West won the discus with a throw of 192 feet 3 inches, which was a personal best by 16 feet.

McCluer South-Berkeley – Boys Track The senior hurdler enjoyed a stellar performance in the Bulldogs run to the Class 3 state championship in Jefferson City.

Clark earned two state championships and two more runner-up medals in a full day of activity. Clark won the 110-meter high hurdles and finished second in the 300-meter intermediate hurdles.

Clark also ran a leg on the Bulldogs’ state-champion 4x400-meter relay team and the 4x200-meter relay team that finished in second place.

Lailah Elliott John Burroughs – Girls Track The sophomore standout led the Bombers to the Class 3 state championship last weekend in Jefferson City.

Elliott enjoyed a big meet in the field events as she won two individual state champions and earned four All-State medals. She won the long jump with a leap of 17 feet 9 ¼ inches and the triple jump by bounding 37 feet 4 ¾ inches.

Elliott also finished fifth in the high jump and seventh in the 100-meter high hurdles while setting a personal best in the process.

www.stlamerican.com

B6

MBEs Continued from B1 Adolphus Pruitt, president of the St. Louis City NAACP, said the idea for the fund was originally part of the Community Benefits Agreement that the contracting community drew up with the Metropolitan Sewer District (MSD) a few years ago.

Because MSD is obligated to complete $4.7 billion in sewer improvements over the next 20 years, the agreement ensures that minorities and women will be included in that work.

Later, Reichert approached Pruitt and told him that Dennis Lower, Cortex president and CEO, was also trying to implement a similar fund. They all joined forces, and now 30 entities have partnered to make the fund a reality, including Washington University, Saint Louis University and the City of St. Louis.

“This is a big deal,” Pruitt said. “Cash flow is like oxygen for a business. Without it, it would die.”

Pruitt said the St. Louis Development Corporation (SLDC) sent out letters to push the fund along. Reichert said 90 percent of the $10.7 million came from the private sector, and less than 10 percent from public organizations. The partnering banks – Stifel, Eagle Bank and Trust, Enterprise Bank & Trust, Midland States Bank and Scottrade Bank – raised about 70 percent of the fund.

At the press conference on May 27, Scott Wilson, of S.M. Wilson construction company, spoke as one of the leaders of the fund. Wilson noted that “way back,” state Senator Jamilah Nasheed led a protest against his company for not employing minorities on his job sites.

“Twenty years ago, I might have felt differently about minority inclusion on construction projects,” he said of Nasheed’s protest. “I was just trying to run a business.”

Wilson told the audience that minority inclusion is now one

ST. LOUIS AMERICAN • JUNE 4 – 10, 2015

Applying for the Contractor Loan Fund To learn more about the application process, fund leaders will hold two informational sessions at St. Louis Development Corporation, 1520 Market St., 2nd floor.

One will be 8 a.m. on Tuesday, June 2 and the other will be at 5 p.m. on Wednesday, June 10. Visit www. clfstl.com for more information.

in December 2014, S.M. Wilson employed 18 percent minorities, 7.5 percent apprentices, 2.8 percent women and 7.7 percent local residents.

The workforce numbers on S.M. Wilson’s IKEA project are also similarly low – while Simms employed 34 percent minority, 14 percent apprentice, 6.6 percent women and 23.5 percent local resident workers on his streetscape project.

And on the Cortex BioGenerator completed in 2013, Tarlton Corporation (a woman-owned business) also exceeded the city ordinance by employing 33 percent minority workers.

Enforcing compliance

of the most important topics discussed in the construction industry.

By the numbers S.M. Wilson is the general contractor on several projects within the Cortex research park. However, his inclusion efforts on those projects fall short of the city’s requirements.

Because Cortex research park receives tax incentives from the city, general contractors leading these projects are required to comply with the city ordinance on workforce inclusion – which states 25 percent of labor hours are to be performed by minorities; 5 percent of labor hours are to be performed by women; 20 percent of labor hours are to be performed by city residents; and 15 percent of all hours are to be performed by apprentices enrolled in an approved training program.

So far, two of S.M. Wilson’s projects within Cortex have failed to meet this “boots on the ground” requirement, according to a February 2015 report produced by the city agency SLATE. Within Cortex, the company also falls well below the workforce inclusion met by his fellow general contractors, Tarlton and Simms. On the Shriners Hospital completed

Enforcing compliance is another issue that the disparity study raised. According to Otis Williams of SLDC, the city is working on creating punitive measures for companies that do not meet the city’s inclusion requirements.

At the end of the press conference, state Rep. Courtney Curtis – a black Democrat representing part of North St. Louis County – asked how the fund’s success will be measured.

Curtis has been fighting legislative actions that make it harder for minorities to get in the construction game – namely legislation that passed in St. Louis County and was recently proposed in the city that require bidders on government contracts of $25,000 or more to maintain or participate in a Department of Labor-approved apprentice program. Union contractors are often the only ones that meet that requirement, making city contracts “anti-competitive for minority contractors,” he said.

And those apprentice programs also have low minority participation, he said.

“It’s not just the money,” Curtis said. “It’s making sure that other legislative items don’t keep them out. That’s why I specifically asked the question, ‘What would this fund do to help us meet and exceed the goals in the region?’”

Financial Focus

By Veronica Coleman – AAMS

Should you make investments based on a strong dollar?

Like many people, you may enjoy investing.

After all, it can be invigorating to put away money for your future, follow the performance of your investments and track the progress you’re making toward your long-term goals, such as a comfortable retirement. However, you might be less excited about doing estate planning, dreading the perceived time, effort and cost. Yet, you can make the entire process more manageable by breaking it up into specific tasks.

What are these tasks?

Everyone’s needs are different, but here are a few suggestions that may be applicable to your situation: • Purchase life insurance. If something were to happen to you, would your family be able to stay in the house? Would your children be able to go to college?

You should have sufficient life insurance to take care of these and other essential needs. You might hear about various “formulas” for how much insurance you should purchase, but you may be better off by working with a financial professional — someone who can evaluate your assets, goals and family situation, and then recommend an appropriate level of

coverage.

• Make final arrange• Draw up your will. For most ments. Whenever you pass people, a will is probably the most away, it will be a stressful essential estate-planning document. time for your loved ones. To Regardless of the size of your estate, ease their burden, consider you need a will to ensure that your establishing a “payable-onassets and personal death” account at belongings will be your bank, and distributed according then funding this n Depending to your wishes. If you account to pay for on your sitdie intestate (without a your funeral and uation, you will), your belongings related expenses. will be distributed may need to to your “heirs” as • Share your go beyond defined by state laws plans. The most a will when — and these distribucomprehensive drawing up tions may not be at all estate plan in the your estate what you had in mind. world may not be of much value if plans.

• Consider a livnobody knows of ing trust. Depending its existence. Share on your situation, you your plans with may need to go beyond a will when your loved ones and heirs. drawing up your estate plans. For It’s important that everyone example, you might want to create knows their roles in carrya living trust, which can allow your ing out your wishes. assets to go directly to your heirs,

avoiding the public, time-consuming When dealing with and expensive process of probate. any estate-planning issues, A living trust offers other benefits, you’ll want to consult with too, so you may want to consult with your legal and tax proa legal professional to learn more fessionals. And by taking about this estate-planning tool. a step-by-step approach, you can keep the process • Check beneficiary designamoving forward — without tions. The beneficiary designations feeling that you’re being on your insurance policies and retireoverwhelmed.\ ment accounts, such as your IRA and 401(k), are powerful and can even This article was written supersede the instructions left in your by Edward Jones for use by will. So it’s in your best interests to your local Edward Jones make sure you’ve got the right peoFinancial Advisor. ple listed as your beneficiaries. Over For further information time, you may need to update these contact Veronica Coleman designations to reflect changes in at (618) 931-2397 or your family situation.

1-800-EDJONES.

Check out this week’s

PARTYLINE See Page C10

C1 • ST. LOUIS AMERICAN • JUNE 4 - 10, 2015

Charlie grooves on the Lou

Charlie Wilson greeted the audience as he quickly got down to the business of entertaining St. Louis when his “Forever Charlie” Tour stopped at the Scottrade Center on Sunday night.

Wilson tour brings ‘grown folks music’ center stage at Scottrade

Photo by Lawrence Bryant

By Kenya Vaughn Of The St. Louis American “This is grown folks music,” singer Kem proclaimed during his segment within the “Forever Charlie” tour starring Charlie Wilson.

The grown folks groove that typically comes hand in hand with a Wilson show – which has become an annual thing in recent years – was in full effect Sunday evening at the Scottrade Center.

The concert, which also featured singers Joe and Kem, showcased the diversity that can be found within the R&B genre.

Headliner Charlie Wilson brought the house

down, but respectable sets from Joe and Kem made for yet another memorable experience from “Uncle Charlie.”

There were no tracks to be had. Live bands from all three acts Show opener Joe proudly displayed the rich tenor vocals that caught R&B audience’s attention more than 20 years ago through hits like “More and More” and “I Wanna Know” from his catalogue of 1990s slow jam classics.

Kem’s unique blend of jazz, soul and R&B boded well with the audience from the moment he hit the stage and jumped right into “Love See CHARLIE, C4

American Lit remixed

A slam dunk for S.L.I.M.

St. Louis native John Keene is the author of the short story collection “Counternarratives,” which reimagines popular stories in American literature from the African-American perspective.

LooseCannon S.L.I.M brought some big names to town for his 4th Annual Celebrity Basketball Game Sunday evening at Chaifetz Arena that featured the likes of Stevie J, Kirko Bangz, Juelz Santana and Michael Vick. Rap superstar Lil Wayne was also on hand to coach team Young Money against S.L.I.M. and LooseCannon. LooseCannon proved victorious over Young Money with S.L.I.M. himself scoring the game-winning shot. The fun spilled over into the after party at Harry’s, where southern rap star Yo Gotti and S.L.I.M. celebrated their birthdays and the night was capped off with a performance by Wayne. Photos by Lawrence Bryant

St. Louis-born author’s new book challenges traditional narratives

By Willis Ryder Arnold Of St. Louis Public Radio John Keene’s short story collection “Counternarratives” reimagines popular stories in American literature from the AfricanAmerican perspective. His characters travel throughout the Americas, fight in the Civil War and experience Depression-era New York.

Keene was born in St. Louis in 1965 and attended St. Louis Priory School. Keene drew on this experience to inform two of the stories in “Counternarratives.” One story is set in a monastery, the other in a convent. Both examine the experience of being African-American and Catholic.

According to Keene, growing up in a city influenced by Northern and Southern cultures, as well as cultures from both coasts, influenced his perspective as a writer and a person.

“The city itself has so many different See LIT, C4

•Only Online • Reginald Hudlin inks deal as NAACP Image Awards executive producer The NAACP and TV One jointly announced Wednesday that Metro East native and entertainment industry veteran Reginald Hudlin and Phil Gurin have signed a threeyear deal to continue as executive producers for the NAACP Image Awards.

www.stlamerican.com

June 25, 1956 – May 28, 2015

Farewell to a blues favorite Singer Mel Waiters succumbs to cancer at 58

By Kenya Vaughn Of The St. Louis American Mel Waiters wasn’t a music industry household name – but for cities rooted in the blues, like St. Louis, hearts were heavy on Thursday, May 28, 2015, when he passed away after a short battle with cancer.

At 58, Waiters was just a baby within the unofficial fraternity of beloved bluesmen who make their living on the road while attempting to work their way towards crossover commercial success. He was among the likes of Big George Brock, Bobby Rush, Willie Clayton and several other seasoned performers who are relatively unknown outside of the blues community.

The San Antonio, Texas native got his start in his hometown’s radio scene as a DJ

and worked for several years in the market before stepping over into the performance side.

And much like on-air and guest appearances in his radio days, Waiters would turn the party out every time his feet touched the ground on stage – to the constant delight of the small, but especially faithful, blues fan base.

His recording career began in the mid1990s. After modest debut and sophomore releases with the Serious Sounds label, Waiters joined famed blues and soul label Malaco Records. The Jackson, Mississippi based label housed such artists as Johnnie Taylor, Bobby Bland, Z. Z. Hill, Denise LaSalle, Little Milton, Marvin Sease and See WAITERS, C4

Photo by Lawrence Bryant

Mel Waiters brought the house down during the St. Louis Blues Festival on Friday, March 6 at Chaifetz Arena in his last local appearance. He passed Thursday, May 28 at age 58.

Calendar

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ST. LOUIS AMERICAN • JUNE 4 – 10, 2015 K & LG Enterprises presents Floetry: The Reunion Tour. See CONCERTS for details.

How to place a calendar listing 1. Email your listing to calendar@stlamerican. com OR 2. Visit the calendar section on stlamerican.com and place your listing Calendar listings are free of charge, are edited for space and run on a space-available basis.

concerts June 10 – 13, 7:30 & 9:30 p.m., Jazz at the Bistro presents Terence Blanchard.

Blanchard has established himself as one of the most influential jazz musicians of his generation, helping to shape the contours of modern jazz today. 3536 Washington Ave., 63103. For More information, visit www.jazzstl.org.

Fri., June 19, 7 p.m., K & LG Enterprises presents Floetry: The Reunion Tour. The Pageant, 6161 Delmar Blvd., 63112. For more information, call (314) 726-6161 or visit www.thepageant.com.

Sat., June 20, 7 p.m., The Pageant presents Tyler, the Creator. 6161 Delmar Blvd., 63112. For more information, call (314) 726-6161 or visit www.thepageant.com.

local gigs Sun., June 14, 4 p.m., The African American Alumni Chapter of the University of Missouri St. Louis presents An Afternoon of Jazz with Kim Massie. Proceeds will benefit the Marguerite Ross Barnett Scholarship at UMSL. Norman Probstein Clubhouse – Forest Park, 6141 Lagoon Dr., MO 63112.

For more information, call (314) 516-6453 or visit www. umslalumni.org/KimMassie.

June 5 – 6, Jazz at the Bistro presents JazzU & The Jazz St. Louis All-Stars. JazzU places talented middle and high school musicians in small jazz combos, which meet weekly for nine months. This competitive program selected 53 emerging musicians for the 2014-15 season. The Jazz St. Louis All-Stars comprises the top students in the JazzU program. 3536 Washington Ave., 63103. For More information, visit www.jazzstl. org.

Mon., June 8, 6:30 p.m., University City Municipal Commission on Arts & Letters presents The Starlight Concert Series: Coleman Hughes Project feat. Adrianne Felton. This concert is free and open to the public. Heman Park, 1028 Midland Blvd., 63130. For more information, call (314) 863-6333.

Fri., June 19, 7 p.m., A Tribute to St. Louis Saxophonists feat. The Jazz Edge Big Band with Eric Person, Bosman Twins, Willie Akins, Paul DeMarinis. Recognized as a dynamic, driving and versatile ensemble, TJE delivers original charts combined with exciting contemporary R&B, soul and blues. Oliver Nelson, Jimmy Forrest and David Sanborn are among the revered horn legends that will be remembered. To cap the evening off, three dynamic individuals will each receive an award for their leadership in the arts: Hugh “Peanuts” Whalum, Ron Carter, Ron Himes. Touhill Performing Arts Center, UMSL, One University Blvd., 63121. For more information, visit www. touhill.org.

Sat., June 20, The Grove Neighborhood presents RFT Music Showcase. The best and brightest local bands, as voted by the Readers of the Riverfront Times, are featured at venues throughout The Grove Neighborhood. 4140 Manchester Ave., 63110. For more information, visit www. riverfronttimes.com.

special events Through June 28, Circus Flora: “ One Summer on 2nd Street. Circus Flora, St. Louis’s own intimate onering theatre circus where audience members are as close as two-feet and never more

Jun. 20, Sabayet Inc. Juneteeth celebration, Sabayet Center, 4000 Maffitt Ave. For more information, e-mail: manetkhufu@aol.com June 26 – 28, Pride St. Louis, Inc. presents PrideFest 2015. PrideFest is an annual celebration of gay, lesbian, and transgender culture.

The festival includes a parade, twenty hours of live entertainment ranging from pop, disco, jazz, rock, country and rap. There will be Pride Parade, beginning at 11 a.m. on June 28, coming down Market Street – starting at 8th Street and ending at 18th Street.

Soldiers Memorial Park, 1315 Chestnut St., 63103. For more information, call (314) 7728888 or visit www.pridestl.org.

comedy than 40 feet from the ring.

Enter the Big Top and travel to the Roaring Twenties, to a typical block on a typical day, and meet a very atypical set of families. 3511 Samuel Shepard Dr., 63103. For show time information, visit www. circusflora.org.

June 5 – 7, Fair U City 2015. This is a community carnival staged by volunteers who want to raise funds for a University City Community Foundation. The University City Jazz Festival will be held as part of the fair on Saturday, June 6th. Heman Park, 7210 Olive Blvd., 63130. For more information, call (314) 5058696 or visit www.fairucity. com.

Sat., June 6, 12 p.m., The Bertha Black-Rhoda Section of the National Council of Negro Women presents their 5th Annual Legacy Trunk Recipient Luncheon. Hilton Airport St. Louis, 10330 Natural Bridge Rd., 63134. For more information or to donate, call (314) 398-0765.

Sat., June 6, 9 p.m., Good Movement presents An All White Affair: Hip-Hop and R&B Concert. Come enjoy some of the best hip-hop and R&B artists in the city, including Bo Dean, Lottiee Denise, Cutty Mac, G-SCO, Rocky Maverich, J Lakes and DLOC Profit. Hosted By Louis Conphliction. Utopia Studios, 3957 Park Ave., 63110. For more information, call (314)

974-7167.

Mon., June 8, 9:30 a.m., Congressman William Lacy Clay invites you to the 10th Annual 1st District Congressional Career Fair.

There is free admission to this event and no pre-registration is required. Emerson Performing Arts Center, Harris Stowe State University, 3026 Laclede Ave., 63103. For more information, call (314) 367-1970 or visit www.lacyclay.house.gov.

June 12 – 13, Forest Park hosts 9th Annual St. Louis Brewers Guild Festival. The festival will bring together 35 St. Louis area breweries, over 100 different beer styles, and six homebrew clubs. There will also be live music and food trucks. Beer sampling only available to those 21+ years of age with a valid photo ID. Forest Park Central Field, 63110. For more information, visit www.slbg.com/heritagefestival.

Sun., June 14, 7 p.m., I’m A Survivor Cancer Foundation presents their 4th Annual All White Cancer Gala. St. Louis Union Station Hotel, 1820 Market St., 63103. For more information, visit www. survivororg.com.

Through June 15, Ferguson Action presents The Black Voices Project. They are looking to create a digital archive of photos and quotes from interviews with Black and African American

community members, leaders, professionals, students and activists, on the issues of policing and protesting. Lab 1500, 1500 Washington Ave., 63103. For more information or to sign up for an interview, call (551) 587-2404 or visit www.engage.fergusonaction. com.

Fri., June 19, 7 p.m., St. Louis Zoo hosts ZooFARI 2015 The Golden Anniversary. Join us for our biennial creative black-tie fundraiser. Partygoers can graze from more than 60 restaurants, caterers and bars; enjoy specialty drinks, bid on spectacular items at the silent auction and dance under the stars. Headlining musical act is Kenny Loggins. Ages 21 and up only. Reservation required.

1 Government Dr., 63110. For more information, visit www. stlzoo.org.

Fri., June 19, 8 p.m., Scottrade Center presents Bellator MMA: Unfinished Business Kimbo Slice vs.

Shamrock. 1401 Clark ave., 63103. For more information, visit www.scottradecenter.com.

Sat., June 20, 9 a.m., The Butterfly House hosts 14th Annual Green Homes Festival. Explore the links between sustainability, energy efficiency, conservation at home and a healthy environment. 15193 Olive Blvd., 63017. For more information, visit www. missouribotanicalgarden.org.

Fri., June 5, 8 p.m., Foolish Friday hosted by Tew Jennings. A night of laughter and straight foolishness that you don’t want to miss will be brought to you by some of the funniest comics, Comedian Prince Jigg and headliner Comedian StlSlym. City Bistro, 2718 Gravois Ave., 63118. For more information, call (314) 329-5839.

literary Thur., June 4, 7 p.m., St. Louis Public Library hosts author Jabari Asim, author of Only the Strong.

Against a 1970s backdrop of rapid social and political change, the book explores the challenges and rewards of love in a quintessential American community where heartbreak and violence are seldom far away. Asim renders a compelling portrait of urban life during the years after the passage of the last major civilrights bill. Central Branch, 1301 Olive St., 63103. For more information, call (314) 241-2288 or visit www.slpl. org.

Thur., June 11, 7 p.m., St. Louis County Library Foundation hosts author Mary Pilon, author of The Monopolists: Obsession, Fury, and Scandal Behind the World’s Favorite Boardgame.

The way Parker Brothers tells it, Monopoly, the world’s most famous board game, was invented by an out-of-work salesman in the depths of the Great Depression, who lived happily—and richly—ever after. However, this book

ST. LOUIS AMERICAN • JUNE 4 – 10, 2015 reveals the unknown story of how Monopoly came into existence, the reinvention of its history by Parker Brothers, the lost female originator of the game, and one man’s lifelong obsession to tell the true story about the game’s questionable origins. Library Headquarters, 1640 S. Lindbergh, 63131. For more information, call (314) 994-3300 or visit www.slcl. org.

dance June 13 – 14, Missouri Ballet Theatre presents The Little Mermaid. Edison Theatre, Washington University, 6445 Forsyth Blvd., 63130. For more information, call (314) 397-7897 or visit www.edison. wustl.edu.

Sat., June 13, 10:30 a.m., Fundisha Turns 20!

Dance Workshops and Performance. CEO and artistic director of Fundisha Enterprises, Mama Lisa celebrates 20 years of the company’s arts-education service to St. Louis showcasing the music, songs, and dances of Africa and the Caribbean.

BUSEJI: The Sacred Mask Tree, at the Museum. 5700 Lindell Blvd., 63112. For more information, call (314) 7464599 or visit www.mohistory. org.

theatre June 4 – 20, Thur. – Sun., 8 p.m., Stray Dog Theatre presents Dog Sees God: Confessions of a Teenage Blockhead. A New York Fringe Festival hit which satirizes the Peanuts comic strip by aging its cast of characters into their teenage years. Tower Grove Abbey, 2336 Tennessee Ave., 63104.

For more information, call (314) 865-1995 or visit www. straydogtheatre.org.

June 6 – Aug. 1, Missouri History Museum presents Unlocking the Golden Door: The Fight for Sumner High

Jazz at the Bistro presents Terence Blanchard.

For more information, see CONCERTS.

Featured Event Sat., June 13, 10:30 a.m., Fundisha Turns 20! Dance Workshops and Performance. CEO and artistic director of Fundisha Enterprises, Mama Lisa celebrates 20 years of the company’s arts-education service to St. Louis showcasing the music, songs, and dances. The Sacred Mask Tree, at the Museum. 5700 Lindell Blvd., 63112. For more information, call (314) 746-4599 or visit www. mohistory.org.

(See Dance)

School. In 1875, 10 years after the abolition of slavery, St. Louis had a strong group of African American activists and community leaders who were doing the hard work of civil rights. This performance focuses on their efforts, including the fight for Sumner High School, the first African American high school west of the Mississippi. Dates Vary.

5700 Lindell Blvd., 63112. For more information, visit www. mohistory.org.

Through June 14, Shakespeare Festival St. Louis presents Antony and Cleopatra. Enjoy a lovely night of Shakespeare under the stars in beautiful Forest Park. Antony and Cleopatra tells the epic, intriguing, and enchanting tale of Roman general caught under the spell of history’s most stunning and powerful queen. Thursday performances are signed for the hearing impaired. Shakespeare Glen, Forest Park, 6604 Fine Arts Dr., 63110. For more information, visit www.sfstl. com.

June 15 – 21, 8:15 p.m. The Muny presents My Fair Lady.

1 Theatre Dr., 63112. For more information, call (314) 3611900 or visit www.muny.org.

Through Wed., June 17, 1 p.m., Opera Theatre of St. Louis presents The Barber of Seville. One of the world’s most popular operas. Rossini’s sparkling score sets the gold standard for opera that is fresh, elegant, funny, and brimming with vocal fireworks. OTSL celebrates its 40th anniversary season in 2015. 130 Edgar Rd., 63119. For more information, visit www.opera-stl.org.

Day, join the STL Symphony and actor Cary Hoffman for a 100th birthday celebration in honor of Frank Sinatra.

Hoffman brings his celebrated PBS Special, a very true, hilarious and poignant oneman musical play about his love and idolization for his hero Frank, to Powell Hall. 718 N. Grand Blvd., 63103. For more information, visit www. stlsymphony.org.

Through June 21, Gitana Productions presents “Black and Blue,” an original play by Lee Patton Chiles exploring the complex relationship between the African American community and the police, opens May 22 for a fourweek run. Performances will be at the Missouri History Museum May 22 – 24; at the Kranzberg Arts Center May 29 – May 31; at Greater St. Mark Family Church June 7; and at St. Louis Community College at Florissant Valley June 19 – 21. Tickets are free but reservations are required for all performances except the Missouri History Museum.

Register online at www.gitanainc.org or call (314) 721-6556 or email info@gitana-inc.org.

lectures/ workshops

Sun., June 21, 2 p.m., Powell Symphony Hall presents My Sinatra. For Father’s

Tues., June 9, 12 p.m., Missouri History Museum presents Josephine Baker: More than a Banana Skirt and Living St. Louis: Katherine Dunham. Learn about two African American women— one who left the St. Louis area and one who came to call it home—who made their mark on the world through dance.

HEC-TV’s Josephine Baker: More than a Banana Skirt tells about the life, loves, and civil rights causes that impacted the multifaceted entertainer. KETC’s Living St. Louis: Katherine Dunham traces the activist and dancer’s life, artistic career, and

C3 influence on the people in East St. Louis. 5700 Lindell Blvd., 63112. For more information, visit www.mohistory.org.

Thur., June 11, 6:30 p.m., The Junior Board of the International Institute presents Trafficked: Modern Day Slavery in America.

Human trafficking is not a problem of the past or limited to countries other than the U.S. Such trafficking exists widely today and it exists here at home impacting lives and communities in ways many are not be aware. Amanda Mohl of the St. Louis Rescue & Restore Coalition will present this interactive presentation on human trafficking and what modern slavery looks like at home. 3401 Arsenal St., 63118.

For more information, call (314) 773-9090 or visit www. iistl.org.

Tues., Jun. 16, 6:30 p.m., Woman’s Place will offer our free HOW TO HELP WORKSHOP for friends and family members of someone suffering domestic violence.

The workshop highlights how to best support victims, encourage safe choices and identify “red flags” of potentially lethal escalation.

Located at 8300 Morganford Rd. 63123. Alternate times can be arranged. Pre-registration is required. Call 314-645-4848 to reserve your place.

arts Through June 12, The Vaughn Cultural Center presents the exhibition “Black Americans in Flight: A Salute to Military Service.” The exhibit includes signed lithographs of the five panel mural installed at Lambert-St. Louis International Airport in 1990.

Also included in the exhibition are two large-scale paintings

by SolomonThurman: “Lonely Eagle,” oil on canvas; and “Refueling in Flight,” acrylic on canvas. Vaughn Cultural Center, 3701 Grandel Square, St. Louis, MO 63108 in the Urban League Building. Open

hours are from 10am until 5pm.

June 12 – 14, The Vintage Peddler Weekend Market.

A treasure house of all things from shabby chic, retro, rustic, primitive, inspired, desired, reclaimed, restored, revived, handmade, upcycled and refurbished from vintage enthusiasts and curators. Queeny Park, 550 Weidman Rd., 63011. For more information, visit www. vintageped.com.

spiritual Sun., June 7, 3:30 p.m., Priority Publications and New Jerusalem SDA Church present A Christian Literary Event with author Pat Simmons. 6901 State St., East St. Louis, IL. 52203. For more information, call (314) 3062972.

Sat., Jun. 13, 7 p.m., San Francisco Temple’s 30th Annual Dr. Marie McDaniels Christian Prom, Renaissance St. Louis Grand Hotel, 800 Washington Ave., St. Louis, MO. Attire: Black Tie. Reservations: $25; Special guest: 2015 Grammy and Stellar Awards Nominees The Walls Group. Please call Angelita Jackson 314-520-3245 or email sanfranmedia@att.net Fri., June 19, 7 p.m., It’s My Time to be Blessed Benefit Concert. Our featured gospel Hip-Hop artists are Kingdom Muzic: Bryann and Monica Trejo, Antwoine Hill and Jarrod Tennell. Special guest Gospel artist Sean Johnson and local hip hop Christian artists: MadMusic Inc, Will Roc and Kee Roc and Ladybugz 200, will also be present. Halls Ferry Christian Church, 12100 Old Halls Ferry Rd., 63033. For more information, call (314) 546-3683.

Fri., June 19, 7 p.m., F.A.S.T. Movement presents Flame in concert, Tribe of Judah Church, 10229 Lewis and Clark. For more information, call (314) 291-8898.

ST. LOUIS AMERICAN • JUNE 4 - 10, 2015

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WILSON Continued from C1 Calls” – the song that served as his introduction to soul music back in 2005.

Other selections from Kem’s portion of the show included “Why Would You Stay,” “Can’t Stop Loving You” and “Find Your Way” – which, as usual, included an audience participation element.

But as per usual, Charlie Wilson owned the night.

Though not as fast-paced as usual, he had the audience on its feet for most of the 100 minutes he powered through on stage.

He let them know they were in for an R&B rollercoaster from the moment he marched out with his signature “funk train” entrance that starts every one of his shows.

Wilson took fans from the club, to the bedroom, to the church and back to each again by evening’s end.

He has more material to work with than most entertainers, thanks to a stream of hits that stretches through five decades. His current tour is to support his latest project, which bears the name of the tour.

Wilson gave the crowd a heavy helping of the Gap Band’s funk – even blending in “Uptown Funk,” Mark

Ronson’s 2014 hit with Bruno Mars, for which Wilson and fellow Gap Band members were recently credited, given its likeness to “Oops Upside Your Head.”

He also provided fans with a sample of his “Forever Charlie” CD through songs like “Touched By An Angel” and “Goodnight Kisses” – where he displayed his unwavering vocal chops by weaving in a verse of Sam Cooke’s “You Send Me.” He showcased his faith through a testimony that mapped his remarkable comeback from the crack house to concert halls and arenas thanks to the R. Kellypenned hit “Charlie Last Name Wilson” – the title track for the album that catapulted him back to the top of R&B in 2005.

“Charlie Last Name Wilson,” “There Goes My Baby” and “Beautiful” were among the highlights of the show that lived up to its early promises – even if it was one that Charlie Wilson fans are presented with on a yearly basis.

The effort he puts forth is always repaid in kind with energy, rousing applause and an audience eager to catch his groove and never let go.

“St. Louis is the baddest audience in the world,” Wilson said as he prepared to wind down his performance. “I’ll always come back, because y’all give more energy than any other city in the world.”

St. Louis embraced him like he was a born and bred member of the St. Louis blues community. He sold out Continued from C1 the Ambassador on several occasions and was a favorite Metro East native Shirley performer for the now-defunct Brown and help propel FoxyFest that was presented Waiters into the national blues

by Foxy 95.5 FM before the spotlight. He recorded seven station transitioned to Old studio albums for Malaco.

School 95.5.

Although he was often Waiters was also a mainstay categorized as part of the on the annual St. Louis Blues Southern Soul genre, Waiters Festival that came to Chaifetz was a fixture on the traveling Arena the past blues circuit, making five years – which stops in St. Louis at n Waiters, now has credit for least once a year. with his hosting Waiters Waiters, with bleached final visit to St. his bleached hair, matching beard and hair, matching Louis in March of this year. outlandishly bold In a fitted gold suits, would steal the beard and outpaisley blazer with show every time. If landishly bold gold slacks, it was he didn’t close the suits, would business as usual show, promoters Waiters had the wished he had. steal the show as audience on its feet As soon as the every time. from start to finish opening music of his set in a show dropped for Waiters’ that included Rush, most famous Brown, Sir Charles signature hit “Hole in Jones and several others. the Wall,” the audience would In a show where he could erupt. And by the time he sang have easily been lost in the the chorus – “let’s go down shuffle among the notable acts, to the hole in the wall” – the Waiters gave the audience a audience would have gathered most unforgettable moment in pockets that looked like makeshift juke joints, with each and continued his streak of performing every show like it group trying to outdo the other was his last. Considering that as Waiters welcomed them to not long after the performance join the party.

“The Smaller The Club (The Waiters’ website posted that all shows would be canceled while Bigger The Party)” and “Got he was in recovery, perhaps he My Whiskey” could compel had a hint that it would be. anybody to relish in the most humble of party settings.

WAITERS

Mel Waiters

LIT Continued from C1 elements that suggest all the different aspects of the United States. It sort of gave me the sense that the black experience in St. Louis parallels many different parts of the country,” said Keene.

Keene currently teaches at Rutgers UniversityNewark. Previously, he has published a novel, book of poetry, and a translation of a novel by Hilda Hilst.

He recently spoke to Willis Ryder Arnold of St. Louis Public Radio.

St. Louis Public Radio: How do you enter the mindset of fictional characters like Jim from “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” who already exist on the page?

John Keene: Trying to imagine that world began the process for me of allowing me to enter Jim’s perspective.

Photo by Lawrence Bryant

And I felt that once I was in, it was the character that guided me forward. But I think that often happens for writers – if you find a character that is compelling enough, the character will lead you where the character needs to lead you. And it was actually quite enjoyable to follow Jim from that period not too long after “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” would have ended into the period of the Civil War and even further.

he crosses the river to a second kind of freedom and then heads to Chicago, he was going to places that I hadn’t expected.

St. Louis Public Radio: The stories in the book are positioned as an alternative to traditional narrative.

Previously you’ve said it challenges official master narratives. Can you explain that concept a little bit?

John Keene: Well, there are all sorts of guiding narratives

n “The black experience in St. Louis parallels many different parts of the country.”

– John Keene

St. Louis Public Radio: What was one of the places that Jim led you that was the most surprising for you?

John Keene: When Jim comes back to Missouri as a free person, he comes back to St. Louis. From the moment

that we have internalized. One of the most powerful master narratives out there is that Abraham Lincoln freed the slaves. You see this on TV all the time. You see this in movies – that it was Lincoln that freed the slaves, the Emancipation Proclamation freed the slaves – when in reality, the process of ending slavery was much more complex. The enslaved people themselves fought for their freedom.

So, in a sense, having two narratives in this book in which – in the case of one person, Jim a formerly enslaved person,

and in the case of Theodore, or Red, the free person from Philadelphia – participating in the Civil War in different ways writes against that master narrative that most people still hold to be the kind of definitive story of how slavery ended in the United States.

St. Louis Public Radio: Why do you think that challenging specifically these master narratives is important right now?

John Keene: As the situation in Ferguson or Baltimore or Staten Island, the kinds of crises that we are seeing in so many places and cases suggest, we cannot really go forward until we come to terms with the past. And part of coming to terms with the past requires that we understand the past. And it’s not only historical facts and the amazing work that historians and sociologists and political scientists do, but also art can illuminate the past in ways that very few other things can. I feel like that with this book and other texts, they help to enlighten us about the past in ways that can be very, very productive for understanding where we’ll be going in the future.

Reprinted with permission from news.stlpublicradio.org.

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ST. LOUIS AMERICAN • JUNE 4 – 10, 2015

Celebrations Grant winner

Nuptials

Youth of the Year

Mr. Antonio and Mrs. Sherry Epting Bryant were married on April 25, 2015 at Florissant Church of Christ.

Congratulations to the newlyweds!

Birthday Dyami Pool-Ivery of St. Louis was recently awarded a grant from The Travelers Protective Association. The organization’s Scholarship Trust for the Hearing Impaired provides financial aid to those suffering from deafness or hearing impairment. The grants ranged from $100 to $750 per child based on necessity.

Reunions All reunion announcements can be viewed online!

Beaumont High School Class of 1965 will celebrate their 50th Class Reunion on September 26, 2015 at the Royale Orleans, 2801 Telegraph. Dinner dance with open bar is $65/person. For additional information contact Geraldine Carter-Reid at 314868-8284 or bluejackets65@ gmail.com.

Beaumont High Class of 1970 is looking for team members to plan its’ 45th year reunion.

Interested? Please email Beatrice Palmer (Vanzant-Smith) at bvanzantsmith@yahoo.com or bsmithrealtor@att.net.

Beaumont High School class of 1975 is in the planning process for its 40th year reunion! Reunion dates: August 14-16, 2015, contact: Gale (314) 838-8493 or Cynthia (314) 869-4049.

Michelle “Mi-Mi” Roberts celebrated her 45th birthday on May 29. To a strong woman, a loving and hardworking mother— Happy Birthday to the youngest looking 45-year old, who shines brighter every year. We love you, Mom! Rashid, Kendall, Avery & Aaron

Beaumont High Class of 1984 can stay updated via our Facebook page “Beaumont Class of 1984”. We meet the last Friday of every month.

Contact Rochelle Williams at rochellewilliams001@yahoo. com.

Central High Redwings “All Class” Reunion Weekend will be held August 7-9, 2015.

For more information please contact Ada Livers 314-2292961 or Laura Joiner 314-3237833.

New box #- P.O. Box 8033, St. Louis, MO, 63156-8033.

Questions? asims4@charter. net.

Kinloch High School Alumni Association will host a Kinloch Reunion Dinner dance on July 24, 2015. For more information, please contact Arlene Owens Davis at 314792-0659, Lester Wilson at 314-863-2180, Reuben Melton at 314-239-5202, Mc McKinnies at 314-5240126 or Darryl Henderson at hendodh@sbcglobal.net.

East St. Louis Sr. High School Class of 1980 will celebrate its 35th Class Reunion July 24-26, 2015 at the Hilton Garden Inn Regency/O’Fallon, IL. For more information please contact Bonita Adams-Blair at 314-369-3742 or by email at bonitablair04@yahoo.com.

Lincoln High School (East St. Louis, IL) January and June 1955 classes are planning the 60th year reunion, September 4-6, 2015. For additional information, you may contact John W. Morgan at 618558-6880 or Maxine Parks Kimbrough at 314-741-3967.

Homer G. Phillips 2015 Reunion, June12-14, 2015 at the Hilton St. Louis Airport, 10330 Natural Bridge 63134.

Room Rate is $95.00 + tax, 1-800-314-2117 to reserve the rooms, reference HGP Nurses Alumni. Registration cost will be $150.00 which includes you banquet ticket. No tickets at the door. IMPORTANT! Our P.O. Box has changed

Soldan Class of 1970 Reunion Committee presents 45 Year Reunion Weekend, August 7– 9. Total cost for the weekend is $90 per person. Check or money order should be sent to: Soldan Alumni Class of 1970, P. O. Box 812, St. Louis Missouri 63032. Final payment must be received by July 24, 2015. When mailing your payment please include your

Congratulations to Maya Jones, who was named the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater St. Louis 2015 Youth of the Year, the highest honor a Boys & Girls Club member can receive. Maya is a sophomore at Soldan International High School and achieved a 3.5 GPA during her first semester of the school year.

T-Shirt sizes.

Soldan High School Class of 75, 40th Reunion, September 11-13, 2015, Contact: Terese Cole- Marshall, (314) 640 9611 or AnnieSue Preston (314) 606 5618, Email: Soldanclass75@gmail.com or view our Facebook page: Soldan class 75.

Soldan Class of 1976 is planning the 40th Class Reunion. Call or text current contact info to Linda Brown at 314-805-5585 or Yvonne Lillard at 314-601-2865.

Email: soldanclassof1976@ yahoo.com and Facebook: Soldan High School Class of 1976.

University City Class of

1981 is preparing for their 35th reunion to be held August 5-7, 2016. Please send contact information to Denise Weatherford-Bell at msdenise38@yahoo.com.

Sumner Class of ‘76, 40th Class Reunion Announcement, Meeting Dates and Location: Thursdays, June 25, July 23 and August 20, 2015, 6 - 8:30 p.m., as needed at the St. Louis County Library Natural Bridge Branch (Small Meeting Room), 7606 Natural Bridge Rd., STL, 63121. For questions or to leave current contact info, please contact B. Louis at 314.385.9843 or email: sumnerclassof76@yahoo. com.

FREE OF CHARGE 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

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

Religion

ST. LOUIS AMERICAN • JUNE 4 - 10, 2015

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What is the church’s role in the fight for justice?

Pastor says individuals should ‘take a Godhonoring, peaceful stand’

By Douglass Petty For The St. Louis American With so many challenges facing this region and society in general, the church tends to come up in the conversation before the dialogue ends. There are various opinions as to the role the church should be playing in solving and confronting the ills that tend to plague us.

Those conclusions that have merit come from a root of understanding the purpose of the church.

At the same time, there are others who “assign/ define” the role of the church but are not affiliated with the church, and as a result are not aware of the foundation upon which it is built.

I would like to clarify the role in a non-technical fashion so that readers may, at least in the future when these conversations reconvene, be able to appropriately hold the church accountable for what it really is.

Guest Columnist My background allows me to speak to this question. I have Douglass been ordained in ministry for 30 Petty years, pastoring for 22. I grew up in Birmingham, Alabama, and my godfather (Fred Shuttlesworth) was one of the chief architects of the Civil Rights Movement. My education is in the social science and counseling field, with Washington University in St. Louis being one of the schools attended.

The church consists of individuals around the world who have accepted the gift of salvation as a result of the atoning death of Jesus Christ, who is a part of the Trinity with God the Father and the Holy Spirit.

The mission of the church is to evangelize and make disciples, which is consistent with the teaching of all 66 inerrant books of the Bible.

The church has regular meetings, with the goal being to encourage one another by telling how the works of God have been manifest since

Photo by Lawrence Bryant

Saint Louis University students were joined by community activists to protest injustice on December 1.

they were last together. Teaching is ongoing in order that we live more as Jesus did while here, most importantly, by being a servant.

Individuals who make up the church are each uniquely gifted to respond as a servant to mankind in areas consistent with their strengths. For example, some individuals are gifted to work with/lead youth, elderly, financial management, counseling, etc. The needs of those who are a part of the church are to be addressed first.

In the church gatherings, worship occurs, which includes prayers, scripture reading, singing and instruction. The individuals are reminded of the mandate to serve in the community in those areas of giftedness only, so that their stewardship is effective. Everyone is not gifted to do the same thing. You would not go to a cardiologist for a broken leg even if they were the best in the world just because they are a doctor; instead, you would be better served by a specialist in that area of expertise.

The church is not assigned to be in politics; however, the individuals are to become politically aware and honor the process. It does not endorse candidates; however, individuals are admonished to exercise their civic responsibility.

The church is not assigned to walk picket

lines, boycott or disrupt businesses; however, individuals are to take a God-honoring, peaceful stand against unjust practices.

The pastors are gifted and called to teach and to lead the individuals who choose to affiliate with the local gathering of which they are the overseer. Individuals who are gifted to articulate societal concerns in a God-honoring way to the appropriate entities are the ones who should be visible in those situations. The pastor is a nurturer, peacemaker, and strong, fearless advocate for justice and defense of what the Bible teaches.

The bottom line is that we should not look to a building with an address and name of a church to take the responsibility from the individuals who attend such settings. The corporate response of the church is to challenge the individual members. The individuals’ charge is to be visible advocates in representing righteousness.

Except divine intervention occurs, those who labor, protest, and show hostility and hate, do it all in vain.

Douglass Petty is pastor of Fresh Start Bible Church and a life coach and member of several community organizations. You can find out more about him by going to www. kingdomanswers.org.

The Message

Pray through it If you’re like me then the truth is at times you’re not very enthusiastic about your faith. That fire that initially burned in me when I finally met Christ leaves me more cold than hot, and I cannot and do not remain constant or consistent in my journey towards eternal salvation.

Have you ever been there? Even my prayer life is more often weak than strong. I’ve finally figured out at times like these that if I only do one thing, I have to continue to pray. However casual or cavalier I might think it is, if I do nothing else, I’ve learned that I’ve got to pray my way through it.

If you’ve ever been lost on a nameless highway and know that you’re lost, you probably understand what I’m talking about. No exit, no gas stations, no people or other cars around, no one to ask for directions. You just keep driving, and you just keep looking. It’s just you and the needle on the fuel gauge.

Given yours and my circumstances, prayer is probably very appropriate when one is spiritually lost, especially when you are forced to acknowledge that you are lost. My word to you is to just keep praying.

James 5:15-16: “And prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven. Therefore confess your Columnist sins to each other and pray for each other so that you might be healed.

James Washington The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.”

I am a sinner seeking God’s forgiveness. I am also on record as praying for you, my fellow man that you too, will understand God’s faithfulness.

Mark 11:24-25: “Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it and it will be yours. And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.”

I’m not making this up. This is what the text says.

Once, I was lost. I’m sure I’ll get lost again, and when it happens prayer will continue to lead me home. It is an irrefutable spiritual fact.

Try it. Speak to God from your heart. Let Him know that you know He knows you are lost.

He will then step up and act out on your behalf proclaiming for all to see that you are never really lost. He has known where you were from the beginning of time.

THE

ST. LOUIS AMERICAN

Career Center ST. LOUIS AMERICAN

ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT St. Louis Development Corporation (SLDC) has an administrative assistant position open. To apply online and see a full job description go to: http://www.stlouis-mo.gov/sldc/ and click on “Careers at SLDC.”

•

JUNE 4

“JANITORIAL” Possible Full, Part-Time positions, background check.Steady work history for 3-5 years, forklift or equipment operating experience preferred. MUST apply in person at 314 N. Jefferson at Olive. Monday - Friday 9A to 5P. Two forms of I.D.

SLDC is an equal opportunity employer and values diversity.

LPN needed for vitals and assessments for Home Health Care Agency.

Please fax resume to

www.stlamerican.com

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY PARALEGAL Thompson Coburn LLP has a position available in our St. Louis office for a full time paralegal in the Intellectual Property practice area with three- five years of experience in IP. Patent and foreign filing experience required.

Knowledge of Biotech patents preferred though not required.

For more details and to complete our online application, visit

www.thompsoncoburncareers.com Equal Opportunity Employer M/F/D/V

SPANISH TEACHER De Smet Jesuit High School seeks highly qualified candidates for the full-time position of Spanish teacher for the 2015-2016 school year.

Candidates should be qualified to teach all levels of Spanish, with preference given to those who hold a master’s degree in Spanish or education, along with experience in secondary school teaching in a faith context. More information is available at www.desmet.org/employment.html.

Send a resume, cover letter and list of at least three references to Anna Oliver, Assistant to the Principal, at aoliver@desmet.org. Application materials will be accepted through June 15th.

ST. LOUIS AMERICAN

314-395-7932.

HARRIS-STOWE STATE UNIVERSITY POSITION VACANCY NOTICE

ACADEMIC RESOURCE CENTER TEST COORDINATOR CONVENTION SERVICES MANAGER The St. Louis Convention & Visitors Commission seeks a Convention Services Manager. This position acts as a liaison between the client and area suppliers to ensure the client has a successful meeting/convention in St. Louis. The ideal candidate will have extensive knowledge of the St. Louis metro area, including, attractions, hotels, restaurants, facilities, government offices, community and civic organizations. Currently working in sales or events within the hospitality industry is a plus. Must be able to work a flexible schedule, and effectively conduct meetings and make presentations to various groups. Good computer skills are required. Must possess a valid driver’s license and good driving record; excellent customer service & multi-tasking skills, plus a strong attention to detail. A Bachelor’s degree and/or 5 to 7 yrs. related experience / training. Travel is also required with this position. Applicants please email resume with cover letter to jobs@explorestlouis.com.

NO PHONE CALLS. EOE.

ACCOUNTING FACULTY POSITION

Harris-Stowe State University seeks a Test Center Coordinator in the Academic Resource Center. The principal duties, responsibilities, characteristics and qualifications of the ARC Test Coordinator are as follows:

www.stlamerican.com

Candidate must have a master’s degree in accounting or closely related field, current CPA license and/or professional certifications (CISA, CIA, CFE, CFF, CITP), and college or university level teaching experience.

Priority will be given to candidates with a doctorate in accounting, or closely related field; to candidates with a strong commitment to teaching excellence, both face-to-face and online; and to candidates with relevant, professional experience in accounting and auditing.

To Apply: Visit https://jobs.maryville.edu for more information and to apply.

Maryville University is an affirmative action employer with a strong commitment to fostering a culturally diverse atmosphere for faculty, staff and students.

Maryville encourages applications from women and minorities.

1. Oversight and administration of the HiSet Test (formerly known as the GED) process.

2. Placement of test material orders.

3. Establishment of the test center Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with ETS. 4. Verification of eligibility of the test takers, prior to testing.

5. Attendance and participation in mandated training sessions, as required by the state of Missouri.

6. Creation and implementation of a plan for test material receipt, storing and security.

7. Training of all HiSET testing center staff members.

8. Inventory and placement of test materials upon receipt from Educational Testing Service.

9. Selection, training and supervision of test Proctors.

10. Preparation of a written inventory of testing materials, upon receipt, as well as at the end of the testing session.

11. Conduction of testing sessions in accordance with Educational Testing Service policies and procedures, under standard conditions or, when appropriate, with accommodations for candidates with disabilities, as set forth in the Program Manual and in any supplemental memoranda from ETS. 12. Conduction of investigations into test compromises and testing irregularities, in accordance with ETS policies and procedures.

13. Attendance to Annual HiSet Examiners Conference.

14. Management and oversight of a high-quality testing program which ensures the integrity of the HiSet tests and their administration.

1. Oversight and administration of other tests, including the Accuplacer (the University’s placement test) and the ACT Residual test, as required, in accordance with their respective policies and procedures.

2. General technology proficiency.

3. Strong administrative skills and work ethic, demonstrating high performance.

4. Ability to multitask.

5. Positive tone and rapport with faculty, administration and students.

6. Professionalism.

7. Personal qualities of integrity, credibility, and confidentiality.

8. Effective verbal and written communication skills.

9. Dedication to Harris-Stowe State University, its mission, goals and objectives.

A bachelor’s degree from a nationally accredited college or university is required. Candidates that have at least three (3) years of experience in teaching, training, counseling or testing, are preferred. Candidates must pass the HiSet CBT eLearning Assessment in order to become eligible to receive access to the computer-based HiSet test delivery applications.

Interested candidates must submit a letter of application, resume, official transcripts and at least two letters of reference to: Office of Human Resources hr@hssu.edu or Fax: 314/340-3395

An Application for Employment form may be downloaded at www.hssu.edu Please No Phone Calls

AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY/AFFIRMATIVE ACTION EMPLOYER

BIDS AND PUBLIC NOTICES INVITATION TO BID – BID DATE: June 25, 2015 Anode Replacement on Selected Steel Transmission Mains 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 _June 30, 2015, 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.

The Great Rivers Greenway District (GRG) is issuing a Request for Proposals and soliciting sealed bids for DRINKING FOUNTAINS for CityArchRiver 2015 Jefferson National Expansion Memorial Project (JEFF) located in St. Louis, Missouri.

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

Sealed bids will be received at the offices of The Great Rivers Greenway District, 6174A Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, MO 63112 until 2:00 p.m. prevailing Central time, June 25, 2015, and immediately thereafter, they will be publicly opened and read aloud in GRG’s Conference Room.

Participation Goals are 25% MBE and 5% WBE. GRG reserves the right to waive informalities in bids, and to reject any and all bids submitted.

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).

One hard copy of the Requests for Proposals and other information relating to the project MUST be obtained on or after June 4, 2015. The Request for Proposals is available at GRG’s office, 6174A Delmar Blvd, St. Louis, MO 63112, (314-436-7009), or at GRG’s website, www.greatriversgreenway.org.

www.stlamerican.com

LETTING #8580

BIDS & PUBLIC NOTICES LETTING #8582 FOOD COMMISSARY ROOF REPLACEMENT At Lambert-St. Louis International Airport Sealed proposals will be received by the Board of Public Service in Room 208 City Hall, 1200 Market Street, St. Louis, Mo. Until 1:45 PM, CT, on June 30,2015 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.

Bidders shall comply with all applicable City, State and Federal laws (including MBE/WBE policies). A Mandatory pre-bid meeting will be held on Wednesday, JUNE 10, 2015 at 1:30 PM in the Training Room at the Airport Office Building, 11495 Navaid Rd., Bridgeton, MO 63044.

A. In regard to the HiSet Test:

B. Miscellaneous responsibilities, skills and characteristics:

Assistant/Associate Professor of Accounting: Maryville University is accepting applications for a full-time faculty position with specialization in accounting information systems and auditing & assurance services. Tenure track or renewable term based on qualifications, In addition to the specific instructional needs of AIS and auditing, the desired candidate will have the ability and willingness to teach forensic accounting or other advanced accounting courses based on departmental needs, interact with local accounting and business professionals, and grow and develop curriculum for the existing accounting programs.

C7

- 10, 2015

EXPERIENCED CASE MANAGER for transitional housing program. Cover letter and resume to HR, St. Louis Transitional Hope House, Inc., 1611 Hodiamont Ave., St. Louis, MO 63112 or email to info@hopehousestl.com.

THE

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).

INVITATION FOR BIDS Sealed bids will be received by the Construction Manager, S. M. Wilson & Co. & the City of Brentwood at The Office of the City Clerk, (2348 South Brentwood Blvd. Brentwood, MO 63144), at 9:00 AM on Thursday June 11, 2015 for the Bid Package(s) described herein. Bids will be opened publicly and read aloud at 9:15 AM at Brentwood City Hall.

The date and time of receipt of bids as noted by the City of Brentwood shall be final, conclusive and binding on bidders for all purposes.

Bids MUST be delivered to the above address by 9:00 AM on June 11, 2015. All copies of the bid, and any other documents required to be submitted with the bid shall be enclosed in a sealed envelope. The envelope shall be addressed to Office of the City Clerk, 2348 South Brentwood Blvd., Brentwood, MO 63144 and shall be identified with the Project name, the Bidder's name and address and the designated Work Package # for which the bid is submitted. If the bid is sent by mail, the sealed envelope shall be enclosed in a separate mailing envelope with the notation "SEALED BID ENCLOSED" on the face thereof.

Brentwood Recreation Complex – Building Renovation Bid Package #4 Work Package #25 – Masonry Labor There will NOT be a Pre-bid Meeting held for this Bid Package Bidding documents will be available as of June 2, 2015 and can viewed and/or downloaded from the following link. https://secure.smartbidnet.com/External/PublicPlanRoom. aspx?ld-178703&i=1 Bidding documents may also be viewed and/or purchased at the following locations.

Smartbid.net For access to Smartbid.net contact Debra Sheahan at S.M. Wilson. debra.sheahan@smwilson.com

County Blue Reprographics 1449 Strassner Drive Brentwood, MO 314-961-3800

City of Brentwood, MO website www.brentwoodmo.org/bids.aspx Construction Managers Office S. M. Wilson & Co. 2185 Hampton Ave. St. Louis, MO 63139 314-645-9595

Hampton Printing Services 2185 Hampton Ave. P.O.Box 5210 St. Louis, MO 63139 314-633-9623

The City of Brentwood is a TAX EXEMPT entity. All bids are to be submitted without tax.

The City of Brentwood reserves the right to reject any and all Bids, to waive informalities therein to determine the lowest and best bid, and to approve the Bond (if applicable). The prevailing wage law is in effect on this project. No Bid may be withdrawn for a period of sixty (60) days subsequent to the specified time for receipt of Bids.

The Statutes of the State of Missouri require that not less than the prevailing rate per diem, legal holiday and overtime wages in the locality where the work is to be performed, be paid to all laborers, workmen and mechanics employed in the execution of the Contract. All other Statutes of the State of Missouri covering employment shall apply to any Contract awarded.

Bidders must be in compliance with the rules and regulations of the Fair Employment Practices Commission.

The Construction Management Agency for this project is S. M. Wilson & Co. The Senior Estimator is Mrs. Debra Sheahan, email debra.sheahan@smwilson.com, phone 314-645-9595, or fax 314-645-1700, Pre-Construction Director is Mr. Brian Nuehring, e-mail brian.nuehring@smwilson.com, phone 314-645-9595, or fax 314-645-1700, and the Project Manager is Mr. Bret Zlatnik, email bret.zlatnik@smwilson.com 314-645-9595, or fax 314-645-1700.

S. M. Wilson & Co. is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

C8

ST. LOUIS AMERICAN

REQUEST FOR BIDS

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

America’s Center is soliciting sealed bids for an electrical distribution upgrade,(3-200 amp 3 The YWCA of Metro St. Louis is seeking bids phase circuits, 208v). A pre-bid & for a wheel chair lift and playground equipment. walkthrough meeting is scheduled for June Go to ywcastlouis.org and click on News and 10,2015 at 1:00 pm. The Meeting Location: The Events to see RFP's.

Reception Desk of the Administration offices of the America’s Center, 701 Convention Plaza St. Louis, MO 63101. Contact Mark Gruhala at 314-342-5246 with project inquiries.

Attendance at the meeting is mandatory for bid BUSINESS MENTORING SERVICES consideration. The America’s Center reserves The St. Louis Local Development Company the right to reject any or all proposals. EOE (LDC) is seeking the services of a firm to provide individual and group mentoring services to small businesses located in the City of St. Louis. Proposals are due by 06/25/15.

Details at www.stlouis-mo.gov/sldc or contact Rick Palank at 314-615-7667.

Sealed bids for 2015 CRS Ultra-Thin Bonded

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

JUNE 4

- 10, 2015

MWBE PREBID MEETING NOTICE

MWBE PREBID MEETING NOTICE

The SITE Improvement Association is hosting a Prebid meeting for Qualified and Certified MWBE contractors to discuss working on

The SITE Improvement Association is hosting a Prebid meeting for Qualified and Certified MWBE contractors to discuss working on

RE-BID Infrastructure Repairs (Rehabilitation) Contract C Contract Letting No. 11867-015.1

Holly Drive Sewer Separation Contract Letting No. 11097-015.1

This meeting is being held on behalf of the following SITE contractor members:

SAK Construction 864 Hoff Road O’Fallon, MO 63366 636/385-1000

NOTICE TO CONTRACTORS

Wearing Surface Area A, St. Louis County Project No. CR-1651 will be received at the Office of the Director of Procurement for the County of St. Louis, County Government Center Administration Building, 41 South Central Avenue, 8th Floor, Clayton, Missouri 63105, until 2:00 p.m. on June 1, 2015.

METROPOLITAN ST. LOUIS SEWER DISTRICT

•

The meeting will take place at

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 9:00 a.m. on July 8th, 2015 to contract with a company Plans and specifications will be available on for: Landscape Maintenance Services for twelve SITE Improvement Association June 17, 2015 from the St. Louis County Web Green Infrastructure Sites.

2071 Exchange Drive, St. Charles, MO 63303 Site (www.stlouisco.com), or by contacting County Blue Reprographics, Inc., Specifications and bid forms may be obtained For questions regarding this prebid meeting, Contact the 1449 Strassner Drive, St. Louis, Missouri 63144, from www.stlmsd.com, click on the “MSD AT (314) 961-3800.

WORK” link, (bid opportunities). The bid SITE Improvement Association office at 314/966-2950. document will be identified as 5961 RFQ. If DIRECTOR OF PROCUREMENT AND you do not have access to the internet, call ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES 314.768.2735 to request a copy of this bid.

ST. LOUIS, COUNTY Tarlton Corporation, on behalf of Cortex, will be accepting sealed bids from Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District is an Equal Opportunity Employer. qualified contractors and specifically qualified MBE/WBE Subcontractors & Suppliers that are currently certified with the City of St. Louis’ DBE METROPOLITAN ST. LOUIS Program Office located at Lambert St. Louis Intl. Airport for the following NORTH SARAH PHASE II PUBLIC SEWER DISTRICT IMPROVEMENTS Project: Notice is hereby given that the Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District will receive sealed bids 4260 Forest Park Ave Development - Structural Steel & Concrete Bid SOLICITATION NO. RD 15-04 in the Purchasing Division, 2350 Market Street, Packages located at 4260 Forest Park Ave, St. Louis, MO 63110.

St. Louis, Missouri 63103-2555 until 11:00 The St. Louis Housing Authority (SLHA) is a.m., June 30, 2015 to contract with a company soliciting bids from qualified contractors for the A prebid meeting and walk through to be held on Tuesday, June 23, 2015 at for: Service, Ash Haul Removal at Lemay 10:00 a.m. Meet at the Cortex Building #1 lobby located at 4320 Forest construction of North Sarah Phase II Public Treatment Plant, Per Specifications.

Park Avenue, St. Louis MO 63110.

Improvements. The project consists of, but is Specifications and bid forms may be obtained not limited to, street and sidewalk from www.stlmsd.com (MSD at Work, • Bid Due Date and Time: July 1, 2015 at 10 a.m. improvements, utility upgrades, new and Bidding on Projects). The bid document will be existing park improvements and storm water • Deliver Bids to: identified as 5963 RFQ. If you do not have o Attn: Tarlton delivered to Cortex, Suite 201, at 4320 Forest Park improvements. access to the internet, call (314) 768-6313 to Avenue, St. Louis MO 63110 by hand in envelope clearly marked request a copy of the bid.

“Structural Steel & Concrete Bid Packages” Bidders will be charged the cost of Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District is an reproduction for each bid set purchased. o No fax or electronic delivery of bids will be accepted.

Equal Opportunity Employer.

• For questions, contact: Jill Hutchison at 314-633-3327 Bid documents will be available for distribution (email: JLHutchison@tarltoncorp.com) Tuesday, June 9, 2015. Plans will be available for purchase at the following location: Bid Documents explaining the requirements for bidding and performing the work will be made available at the following locations after 6/11/15: Cross Rhodes Repro 1712 Macklind Ave. Notice is hereby given that The Metropolitan • Tarlton’s Sharepoint site: St. Louis, MO 63110 St. Louis Sewer District (District) will receive Phone: (314) 678-0087 http://sharepoint.tarltoncorp.com/est/14000-205 sealed bids for Newcastle I/I Reduction under Fax: (314) 678-0176 User name: 14000-205@tarltoncorp.com Letting No. 11664-015.1, at this office, 2350 repro@x-rhodes.com Password: 14000-205 Market Street, St. Louis, Missouri 63103, until • The Minority Contractor’s Assistance Plan Room (MCI) located at 02:00 PM on Wednesday, June 24, 2015, at a A pre-bid conference is scheduled for Thursday, 1712 Macklind, St. Louis, MO 63110 place designated.

June 11, 2015, at 10:00 a.m. (local time) in the • Tarlton’s office trailer adjacent to 4240 Duncan, St. Louis, MO 63110 Bids will be received only from companies that 1st Floor Conference Room at 3520 Page Blvd. are pre-qualified by the District’s Engineering There will be a site visit immediately following All bidders are required to check Tarlton’s Sharepoint Site noted above for Department for: the conference. details and any Addenda issued during the bid period.

10:00 a.m.

June 11, 2015

REQUEST FOR BIDS

INVITATION FOR BIDS

NOTICE TO CONTRACTORS

SEWER CONSTRUCTION – St. Louis County drainlayer’s license required Plans and Specifications are available for free electronic download. Please go to MSD’s website and look for a link to “ELECTRONIC PLANROOM.” Plans and Specifications are also available for viewing or purchase at Cross Rhodes Reprographics located at 1710 Macklind Avenue, St. Louis MO 63110. All bidders must obtain a set of plans and specifications in order to submit a bid in the name of the entity submitting the bid.

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

SEALED BIDS for

New Fulton State Hospital, DOC-Cremer Heating and Hot Water Plant Fulton, Missouri, Project No. M1411-04 will be received by FMDC, State of MO, UNTIL 1:30 PM, 6/25/2015. For specific project information and ordering plans, go to

www.stlamerican.com

http://www.oa.mo.go v/fmdc/dc/list.htm

SLHA will receive sealed bids for this work until 2:00 p.m. (local time) Tuesday, July 7, 2015, at the St. Louis Housing Authority, 3520 Page Blvd., St. Louis, MO, 1st Floor Conference Room, at which time and place all qualified bids will be publicly opened and read aloud. All bidders must comply with prevailing wage requirements and with Section 3 and MBE/WBE requirements.

Cheryl A. Lovell Executive Director AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER

ATTENTION: MBE/WBE Contractors and non-minority contractors Insituform Technologies USA, LLC , 17988 Edison Ave. Chesterfield, MO 63005, is seeking subcontractor quotes for The Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District University City Public I/I Reduction East (WC-01), Letting No. 12062-015.1, Bidding June 25, 2015 at 2:00pm.

Potential subcontracting opportunities available for consideration on these projects include: Lab testing services, Closed-circuit television inspection & cleaning of existing sewer lines, Interstate hauling with a reefer truck, Protection and site restoration, Concrete & asphalt restoration, Manhole location, Manhole cover remove & replacement, Cementitious manhole rehabilitation, CIPP lateral connection repair and/or Point repairs. All in accordance with project specifications.

IMPORTANT: QUOTE LINE ITEMS ON A TURNKEY BASIS AND INCLUDE PERMITS, TRAFFIC CONTROL, SEWER BY-PASSING, ETC, IF REQUIRED. All MWBE and non- minority contractors should contact Greg Patton or Mark Reeves in writing (certified letter, return receipt requested) to discuss bid opportunities. In lieu of a certified letter, contact can be made by e-mail to gpatton@insituform.com and mwreeves@insituform.com.

Acknowledge in your quote your company will meet the workforce per trade minority requirements per the project specifications. A pre-bid conference for the bid will be held at Insituform Technologies USA, LLC’s Training Center , 580 Goddard Avenue, Chesterfield, MO 63005 on Tuesday, June 16, 2015 at 9:00 AM. Quotes must be completed and submitted to Kenny Pipitone at kpipitone@insituform.com by 11:00 AM, Tuesday, June 23, 2015, along with a copy of your current MWBE Certification. Please complete EPA form attached with your quote.

All quotations will be evaluated for overall compliance with the project specifications, scheduling availability and pricing. Subcontractors should review and meet the Work Force Utilization requirements of the project.

MWBE PREBID MEETING NOTICE The SITE Improvement Association is hosting a Prebid meeting for Qualified and Certified MWBE contractors to discuss working on

McNulty - Pallardy I/I Reduction Contract Letting No. 11662-015.1

CITY OF ST. LOUIS Public Hearing Notice and Draft Substantial Amendment, Citizen Participation Plan and 2016 CDBG/HOME Funding Priorities Available for Review and Comment The City of St. Louis is soliciting comments on three draft documents: (1) Draft Substantial Amendment to its 2015 – 2019 Consolidated Plan/2015 Annual Action Plan; (2) Draft Citizen Participation Plan; and (3) Draft 2016 CDBG/HOME Funding Priorities. The Substantial Amendment proposes the reprogramming of Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funding allocated and unspent in previous funding years. The Citizen Participation Plan describes the proposed steps that the City will take to encourage citizen input in HUD-funded programs.

The 2016 Funding Priorities document details the types of activities that the City proposes to fund in 2016 with CDBG and HOME Investment Partnership (HOME) funds.

Public Hearing Notice/Public Comment Period The Community Development Administration (CDA) will conduct a public hearing on Thursday, June 18, 2015 at 5:30 p.m. at 1520 Market Street – Suite 2000 (63103). The purpose of this hearing is to solicit public comments and answer questions pertaining to the Substantial Amendment, Citizen Participation Plan and 2016 CDBG/HOME Funding Priorities.

Documents Available for Review 1. The Substantial Amendment to the 2015-2019 Consolidated Plan and 2015 Annual Action Plan will be available in draft form for review by any interested citizen on June 5, 2015 at the Central Branch of the St. Louis Public Library located at 1301 Olive Street. The Amendment will also be available for review at CDA, located at 1520 Market Street, Suite 2000. Copies of the report may be downloaded from the City of St. Louis website at https://www.stlouis-mo.gov/government/ departments/community-development/documents/index.cfm.

Written comments will be accepted until 5:00pm on July 6, 2015.

2. The Citizen Participation Plan will be available in draft form for review by any interested citizen on June 5, 2015 at the Central Branch of the St. Louis Public Library located at 1301 Olive Street. The Plan will also be available for review at CDA, located at 1520 Market Street, Suite 2000. Copies of the report may be downloaded from the City of St. Louis website at https://www.stlouis-mo.gov/government/ departments/community-development/documents/index.cfm.

Written comments will be accepted until 5:00pm on July 6, 2015.

3. The 2016 CDBG/HOME Funding Priorities document will be available on June 5, 2015 in draft form for review by any interested citizen. The list of priorities will be available for review at CDA, located at 1520 Market Street, Suite 2000. Copies of the priorities may be downloaded from the City of St. Louis website at http://www.stlouis-mo.gov/cda. Written comments will be accepted until 5:00pm on June 18, 2015.

This meeting is being held on behalf of the following SITE contractor members:

Fred M. Luth & Sons 4516 McRee Avenue St. Louis, MO 63110 314/771-3892 The meeting will take place at

10:30 a.m.

June 10, 2015 SITE Improvement Association 2071 Exchange Drive, St. Charles, MO 63303 For questions regarding this prebid meeting, Contact the SITE Improvement Association office at 314/966-2950.

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING The Village of Hanley Hills will hold a public hearing to discuss the allocations of $20,000.00 in Community Development Block Grant funds which will become available after January 1, 2016. The public hearing will be held at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, June 18, 2015, at 7713 Utica Drive, St. Louis, MO 63133.

To further its commitment to fair and equitable treatment of all citizens, the Village of Hanley Hills has enacted and/or enforces the following: A Fair Housing Ordinance prohibiting unlawful discrimination against any person because of race, sex, color, religion, disability, familial status or national origin; A Policy of Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Disability in the admission or access to, or employment in, its federally assisted programs or activities; A Policy of Equal Opportunity to Participate in Municipal Programs and Services regardless of race, color, religion, sex, age, disability, familial status, national origin, or political affiliation; A requirement for bidding on CDBG activities that promotes employment opportunities created HUD funding and that these opportunities be afforded low-income community residents and businesses.

If you would like information regarding the above policies or if you believe you have been unlawfully discriminated against, contact the following municipal official or employee who has been designated to coordinate compliance with the equal employment opportunity requirements referenced above.

Shadress Burks, City Clerk 7713 Utica Drive, St.Louis, MO 63133 (314) 725-0909 If you are a person with a disability or have special needs in order to participate in this public hearing, please contact Shadress Burks no later than Thursday, June 11, 2015.

NOTICE OF INTENT TO REQUEST RELEASE OF FUNDS Date of First Publication: 6/3/2015 City of St. Louis, Missouri Office of the Mayor 1200 Market Street – Room 200 St. Louis, Missouri 63103 (314) 622-3723 These notices shall satisfy two separate but related procedural requirements for activities to be undertaken by the City of St. Louis.

REQUEST FOR RELEASE OF FUNDS On or after 6/11/2015 the City of St. Louis will submit a request to the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD) for the release of Community Development Block Grant funds under Title 1 of the Community Development Act of 1974, PL93-383, as amended, 42 U.S.C.-5301 et seq., to undertake the following project, comprising part of the City’s 2015 Action Plan: Project Title: Wellston Loop Building Stabilization Purpose: Complete roof replacement and repair/re-use of additional building elements to stabilize the structure for immediate prevention of threat to public safety and for eventual full rehabilitation Location: 6111 Dr. Martin Luther King , St. Louis, Missouri 63112 Estimated Cost: Total development cost of this project is up to approximately $600,000.00, with up to $600,000.00 coming from the City of St. Louis’ Year 2014 Action Plan CDBG funds.

PUBLIC COMMENTS Any individual, group, or agency may submit written comments on the ERR to Mark G. Jefferies, Environmental Review Officer, PDA, at the address listed above. All comments received by 6/10/2015 will be considered by the City of St. Louis prior to authorizing submission of a request for release of funds. Comments should specify which Notice they are addressing.

RELEASE OF FUNDS The City of St. Louis certifies to HUD that Francis Slay, in his capacity as Mayor of the City of St. Louis consents to accept the jurisdiction of the Federal Courts if an action is brought to enforce responsibilities in relation to the environmental review process and that these responsibilities have been satisfied. HUD’s approval of the certification satisfies its responsibilities under NEPA and related laws and authorities and allows the City of St. Louis to use HUD program funds.

OBJECTIONS TO RELEASE OF FUNDS

This meeting is being held on behalf of the following SITE contractor members:

Fred M. Luth & Sons 4516 McRee Avenue St. Louis, MO 63110 314/771-3892 The meeting will take place at

10:30 a.m.

June 11, 2015 SITE Improvement Association 2071 Exchange Drive, St. Charles, MO 63303 For questions regarding this prebid meeting, Contact the SITE Improvement Association office at 314/966-2950.

4. The 2016 CDBG/HOME Funding Timeline will be available on June 5, 2015 on the City of St. Louis website at http://www.stlouis-mo.gov/cda.

Written Comments The views of citizens, public agencies, and other interested parties are strongly encouraged. Written comments or suggestions may be addressed to Ms. Alana Green, Director of Administration, Community Development Administration, 1520 Market, Suite 2000, St. Louis, MO 63103, or via e-mail at GreenA@stlouis-mo.gov.

Other Information Persons with special needs or accommodations relating to handicapped accessibility or foreign language should contact Ms. Green via email at GreenA@stlouis-mo.gov or by phone at (314) 657-3844 or (314) 589-6000 (TDD). Interpreting services are available upon request for persons with hearing disabilities. Interested parties should contact the Office on the Disabled at (314) 622-3686/voice or (314) 622 3693/TTY. CDA is an equal opportunity agency (employer). Minority participation is encouraged.

HUD will accept objections to its release of fund and the City of St. Louis’ certification for a period of fifteen days following the anticipated submission date or its actual receipt of the request (whichever is later) only if they are on one of the following bases: (a) the certification was not executed by the Certifying Officer of the City of St. Louis; (b) the City of St. Louis has omitted a step or failed to make a decision or finding required by HUD regulations at 24 CFR part 58; (c) the grant recipient or other participants in the development process have committed funds, incurred costs or undertaken activities not authorized by 24 CFR Part 58 before approval of a release of funds by HUD; or (d) another Federal agency acting pursuant to 40 CFR Part 1504 has submitted a written finding that the project is unsatisfactory from the standpoint of environmental quality. Objections must be prepared and submitted in accordance with the required procedures (24 CFR Part 58, Sec. 58.76) and shall be addressed to HUD, at 1222 Spruce Street, St. Louis, Missouri 63103, attn.: Dee Ann Ducote, Director of Community Planning & Development. Potential objectors should contact HUD to verify the actual last day of the objection period.

Francis G. Slay, Mayor Certifying Officer

ST. LOUIS AMERICAN • JUNE 4 - 10, 2015

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Celebrity Swag Snap of the Week

Fat-Fat, one of STL’s premier party hosts, chilled with Blac Chyna in V.I.P. @ The Marquee Friday

Carolita and Taylor @ The Marquee for Element Saturdays The party didn’t stop until 3 a.m. when rap star Lil Wayne hit the stage for a fitting grand finale at Harry’s Sunday night as LooseCannon S.L.I.M. celebrated another successful Celebrity Basketball Game and gave birthday toasts to himself and southern rap star (and St. Louis favorite) Yo Gotti.

St. Louis Rams running back Isaiah Pead and Skeet in V.I.P. awaiting the arrival of famed video model Blac Chyna Friday @ The Marquee

Kim and Zetta let loose for their birthdays Saturday @ Soho for The Umbrella Group’s Unwind

Balling with S.L.I.M. I already know that the blogs and celebrity gossip sites took Weezy’s potentially violent rant against the ref and ran with it, but that was just a few seconds of what was actually quite the win for LooseCannon S.L.I.M. He gave away hundreds of tickets so that young people could enjoy themselves – and thousands did on Sunday, between the game and the after party at Harry’s. And a portion of the proceeds went to Better Family Life’s Put Down The Pistol campaign.

My hope is that people don’t act as if Lil Wayne’s outburst was a reflection on the folks who attended and/or organized the game. And even though based on his appearance it looks like his legal woes with Cash Money and some outside influences currently weigh heavily on his soul, his moment of “When Rabid Rappers Attack” was exactly that … a moment. The most reliable of sources told me that S.L.I.M. said the whole thing started out as an act that was supposed to lead up to Lil Wayne suiting up and joining the game, but the orchestrated interaction got out of hand. Wayne calmed down for the rest of the game, even as LooseCannon tore team Young Money all the way down on the court. Oh, and shout out to S.L.I.M. for tipping his team to the win.

Another epic offering from Uncle Charlie. I missed the last chunk of the game because I booked it over to Scottrade to see Charlie Wilson, Kem and Joe for the STL stop of the Forever Charlie Tour. I caught the tail end of Joe, but got to see every sip of Kem and Uncle Charlie. I got enough life from Kem, but he didn’t seem as into it as I’ve seen him before. As usual, Charlie Wilson put his ankle into that show. Even though the show seemed a bit lower in impact as usual, he doesn’t owe the audience a single cent after the way he puts it down on the stage. Every time I think about the fact that he has settled into his sixties, I tip my crochet braids to how he tears it up for nearly two hours – only taking a few moments here and there to catch his breath and rotate his electrifying suit game. At this point I feel like I’m being redundant if I give a play by play of his yearly visit to the Lou, just know that he laid that thang (yes, I said “thang”) all the way out and even on his worst day puts 98 percent of the live R&B performances to shame.

Audience antics overload. For the second week in a row the most unlikely of audiences let loose while listening to their favorite performers at the Scottrade. I thought the elderly mall rats could not be topped. But the “Aunties Gone Wild” had me howling with laughter and halfway laid out with their shenanigans as I attempted to enjoy the Charlie Wilson show Sunday night. Don’t get me wrong, the vast majority of the folks acted like they had some sense – but there were some Shirleys and Lorettas on the loose that security couldn’t even tame. I knew when a woman of a certain age flung her unmentionables up on that stage at Kem that I was dealing with a special breed. The only thing better than that was the look on Kem’s face – that quietly said “Girl, what am I supposed to do with these tattered things?” By the time Charlie Wilson took the stage, the cocktails had kicked in and it was GAME OVER. My favorite was the Shirley who decided she was gonna seduce her way to the front of the stage. She did a body roll up to the especially polite and young security man and brushed up against him and said, “Whatever I have to do to get to Charlie …” He said, “Ma’am, please go back to your seat.” If somebody called me “ma’am” I would have had every seat, but she was not to be denied her chance to look Uncle Charlie in the face. She kept trying to look this poor young man all in the face and grind in his direction as she made him earn his salary three times over, but he was anything but bothered.

Kay Kay and Micheal made their way to The Rustic Goat Saturday night

The Caffey girls showed up in full effect for the LooseCannon celebrity basketball game after party @ Harry’s

Photos by Lawrence Bryant & John Scott

Balling: From the court to the stage edition. I played a game of double back when I scooted on over to Harry’s for S.L.I.M. and Yo Gotti’s Birthday Bash/Celebrity Basketball After Party. I must say that I was shocked that Lil Wayne and his twelve remaining dreadlocks actually gave a nice piece of show at Harry’s as he completely made up for his 314 Day absence. There were actually a handful of performances that went down before Wayne’s finale, just don’t ask me to name names, because I was too wore down to remember. I also was shocked that the club wasn’t absolutely at capacity. Don’t get me wrong, VIP was absurdly packed with bottles poppin’ left and right, but the ordinary people section had some room to spare. It didn’t matter, because the VIP folks kicked it enough for everybody.

Marquee’s celebrity double header. I made two trips to the Marquee this weekend to feast my eyes upon some famous folks. First up was Friday night, when grand shaker Blac Chyna made her way to town to play hostess with the mostess. I must say that upon my arrival I took note that almost all of the ladies in the building appeared to belong to the same trade union as Ms. Chyna, who is now more famous for being Kylie Jenner’s current nemesis than anything.

They also appear to share the same doctor with all of that front-to-back silicone game that was traipsing through. Help. I did see a couple of natural coke bottle shapes, most noticeably Tiffany Foxx. Blac Chyna came busting through at 1 a.m. She is as cute as she can be in the face – I’d say downright gorgeous, even though I can’t with her outlandishly proportioned cosmetically enhanced curves. It wasn’t that packed, considering Ms. Chyna’s social media stardom and how she’s always getting name-dropped by somebody’s second-tier rapper, but her local professional peers gave anyone gazing towards the dance floor a couple of shows that they will never forget.

While Blac Chyna’s visit to St. Louis was promoted and quietly underattended, I got life when I noticed comedian Tony Rock came through after his show at the Funny Bone. It was to the gills, as usual for Element Saturdays, and Tony popping in was a nice touch.

Comedian Tony Rock snapped a quick shot with the lovely ladies of The Marquee @ Element Saturdays

Damion “Super Ego Mitch” and his lovely wife Ashley kicked off their weekend @ The Marquee for Hate it or Love it: Gemini Season hosted by video model Blac Chyna Friday

Deerra, Tee White, and Dj Shay Money came out to show love to Lil Wayne, Yo Gotti and S.L.I.M. Sunday night @ Harry’s

Christina and Alyssa partied @ the Rustic Goat Saturday

WWW.STLAMERICAN.COM

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YOUR HEALTH MATTERS

June 4 – 10, 2015

Just for men If I had to compile a list of recommendations for the men I encounter on a daily basis either personally or professionally it would read as follows: Listen to your significant other Your partner has been nagging you for months to make an appointment to see your doctor. She has even gone as far as scheduling the visit, offered to drive you, prepared a note for the doctor, and cooked your favorite meal to entice you. Having your partner interested in keeping you healthy should be reassuring since that means she isn’t sitting around waiting to collect upon your insurance in the event of your untimely death.

Diversify your workout Gyms are filled with men but they are all doing mostly the same workout, weights! Men are consumed with bulking up their muscles and getting the “ripped” look. However, cardiovascular exercise is just as important as weight training. 150 minutes of aerobic exercise is recommended for both men and women per week. Walking, running, spinning or playing basketball are all excellent examples of ways to improve conditioning.

Get your vision checked your formative years. Foods Squinting while trying high in fat and salt increase to read the newspaper on your risk for heart disease your morning commute or and a host of other diseases having the church bulleas well. Although most peotin an arm’s length away ple continue to eat the same while singing the hymn is amount of calories as they not sexy! Normal aging, did when they were younger, excessive computer work or your bodies actually require voluminous amounts of readless. Therefore, push aside ing can cause visual acuity the processed and fast foods to diminish. Optometrists and embrace more fruits and generally recommend that vegetables. healthy adults age 18-60 get Denise Hooks their vision checked at least Make sexually mature Anderson, M.D. annually. The fourth decade decisions of life is when most adults Let’s admit it. When you began to experience difficulties reading were younger you probably made some small print up close, known as presbyimmature decisions in regard to your opia. Low budget reading glasses are sexual health. If your partner had a essential at this stage of life. pulse and was willing, you were happy to oblige and condoms in your opinion Transition to grown-up foods were simply a hindrance. Now if your Twenty-year old metabolisms are gamble paid off and you were able to quite different than those during the 40’s, avoid getting a sexually transmitted 50’s and beyond. Your mind is telling infection from that encounter, you conyou to eat that double cheeseburger tinued to gamble. Today, however, I pray with fries but your gastrointestinal tract that your robust sexual appetite has been will remind you later that decision was seasoned with caution and large cups definitely not the correct one. As you of wisdom. Sexual infections can be acquired at any age. Just because your age eating a balanced nutritional diet partner is sixty does not mean they are becomes even more important than in clear of diseases like herpes, trichomonas, chlamydia, gonorrhea, or HIV. Per the CDC, male latex condoms when used appropriately can reduce the risk of sexually transmitted infections.

Reduce stress Work, family, illnesses, and financial worries can all add to a man’s day-to-day stress level. Stress can then cause other physiological changes such as a spike in blood pressure, headaches, weight gain from overeating, and sleeping difficulties. Stress can also eventually lead to symptoms of depression such as sadness, lack of energy and motivation, and low libido.

Recognizing that your stress levels are rising is crucial so that interventions can be pursued like receiving therapy. Because some men tend to have this macho persona, admitting that a problem exists may be difficult initially. But poor mental health will slowly begin to deteriorate other aspects of a person’s wellbeing. Acknowledging that help is needed is not an act of weakness but one of great strength.

So I encourage everyone who reads this to share with the men in their lives, and let’s work to improve male health outcomes and change the current negative narrative being replayed daily in the media.

Yours in Service, Denise Hooks-Anderson, M.D. Assistant Professor SLUCare Family Medicine yourhealthmatters@stlamerican.com

Your Health Matters A bi-monthly special supplement of the St. Louis American

June 4, 2015 Your Health Matters provides up-to-date information, from an African-American perspective, about one of the most important subjects in evryone’s life – their personal health.

Donald M. Suggs, President and Publisher Kevin Jones, Senior Vice President, COO Dina M. Suggs, Senior Vice President Chris King, Editorial Director Denise Hooks Anderson, M.D., Medical Accuracy Editor Sandra Jordan, Health Reporter Debbie Chase, Director of Health Strategy & Outreach Onye Hollomon, Barb Sills, Pamela Simmons, Sales Michael Terhaar, Art/Production Manager Angelita Jackson, Cover Design Wiley Price, Photojournalist

St. Louis American The

YOUR HEALTH MATTERS

June 4 – 10, 2015

Page 3

Robert Hughes, the president and CEO of the Missouri Foundation for Health is a public health strategist committed to partnering with organizations to reduce conditions and behaviors leading to poor health in communities.

Photo by Wiley Price

Catalyst for change Robert Hughes, CEO, Missouri Foundation for Health

By Sandra Jordan Of The St. Louis American Robert Hughes, the president and CEO of the Missouri Foundation for Health is a public health strategist committed to partnering with organizations to reduce conditions and behaviors leading to poor health in communities – such as infant mortality, childhood obesity and smoking. At the same time, increasing oral health care getting more Missourians signed up for health insurance coverage and educating on public health and health policy issues are important target areas as well.

In 2012, Hughes moved from New Jersey to head the MFH, after serving as a visiting professor at the Center for

n In 2012, Hughes moved from New Jersey to head the MFH, after serving as a visiting professor at the Center for State Health Policy at Rutgers University.

State Health Policy at Rutgers University and leadership roles at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, including vice president and chief learning officer.

Since then, the foundation has become a more visible partner with grantee organizations in the communities they serve.

Hughes sat down with The American recently to talk about the Foundation’s new strategic plan.

The American: Tell us about the Missouri Foundation for Health and the direction you are going.

Robert Hughes: A good place to start is our mission, because that really drives everything we do and really is focused on the underserved – the people who don’t have access to health care; and really trying to make Missouri healthier, and the communities healthier and individu-

als and neighborhoods healthier. It’s an ambitious mission, and we are fortunate to have resources to wrestle with. That’s the work that we do in conjunction with folks all across the region.

The American: Tell me what you have done differently in the past few years.

Robert Hughes: I think we really built on what was there previously. So, one of the things we learned, for example, from work that had been done for almost a decade was working on reducing tobacco use. The lesson there was – when you stick with something over a

See HUGHES, page 5

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YOUR HEALTH MATTERS

June 4 – 10, 2015

Health Q&A

Sickle cell trait and exercise

By Sandra Jordan Of The St. Louis American Earlier this year, a female basketball player in Pennsylvania was found dead in her dorm room. It was first suspected that Shanice Clark died suddenly from inhaling chewing gum until the coroner announced she died in her sleep as a result of having the sickle cell trait.

How does the sickle cell trait, and not the disease, increase risk for sudden death?

Dr. Allison King, a pediatric hematologist and assistant professor at Washington University School of Medicine and St. Louis Children’s Hospital, said it is a very rare event.

“It got some publicity back in 2010, when the NCAA adopted this policy for Division 1 athletes to undergo sickle cell trait testing, but actually, it’s very, very rare,” King said. “In 2012, there was a paper published in a journal [The American Journal of Cardiology] that docAllison umented the relative risk is much higher for athletes with sickle cell King MD trait to have a sudden death, but the overall risk is still quite low for athletes.”

For persons with the sickle cell trait, King said the approach is to take universal precautions.

“How do you prevent it? You have everybody drinking reasonable amounts of water; not over-doing it in the heat and just taking care of themselves and not pushing themselves to the point of exertion,” King said. “When you exercise, do it within reason.”

Athletes should drink plenty of water when competing or working out.

June 4 – 10, 2015

HUGHES Continued from page 3 period of time, you have a greater change of it having an impact on it at a systems level.

And so, we felt it was important to choose a small number of things that we felt we could have an influence on over a five- to 10-year period and make a commitment to those things. Choosing those were a big part of our strategy planning; choosing things where we thought there was some evidence that activities we could support could make a difference; that they are important health problems for our region.

Childhood obesity is a great example of that. Across the country, there has been some progress, some analysis, some lessons learned, and we felt we could build on the work we had done here previously in ‘Healthy Communities,’ but also bring in evidence from across the country and some practices that have really informed our work now, ‘Healthy Schools, Healthy Communities.’”

The American: What are the things you are focusing on now?

Robert Hughes: “Preventing childhood obesity. Expanding insurance coverage – that one, we really saw that opportunity there with the passage of the Affordable Care Act and have really tried to take advantage of those opportunities that reinforce and accelerate the progress.

The American: How about Medicaid Expansion? Are you advocating for that?

Robert Hughes: Well, our goal is to get people health insurance coverage and the more, the better. That’s the legislature’s and the governor’s responsibility.

Our role there is really one more of education and support, so if we can help, for example, provide insight and analysis about how does Medicaid actually work; what have other states done; and what could we learn/adopt from the models of other states when they have gone about it; when other states have made those changes, what have the results been in terms of health outcomes; those are things we have a role in educating the state.

Through supporting the Cover Missouri coalition; working very much in partnership with several hundred partners now in that coalition – they are all working together and collaborating to really get as many people who are eligible signed up for insurance.

The third one is infant mortality and reducing infant mortality. There, we’ve really zeroed in on two regions where the problem is the worst; and that’s the St. Louis region and the Bootheel. So, in all of our programs, we really try to target the most underserved – sort of a common

YOUR HEALTH MATTERS thread in all of our work is health equity and if we can really help the folks that are at the bottom of the curve, that’s what we want to do so that’s where we target our resources.

Then last is oral health care and increasing access to basic oral health care. As a region and a state, we don’t do as well compared to other states. We think there is some real progress and we are fortunate to have a new dental school in Missouri at A T Still, and we really focused on serving the underserved and partnering with Federally Qualified Health Centers. We think there is a really opportunity there to strengthen the system that provides care to the underserved.”

Jordan: “Out of these four areas, what are your shining star programs?”

Hughes: “Each one has a different change strategy and I think they are all doing well, in different ways. And the goals that they have, some of them are more easily measured in the short-term and then some of them are going to take a longer time.

So, if we look at insurance coverage and getting more people to have health insurance coverage, that’s pretty clear, and as a region, we are doing well and we think we are contributing to that, but there are a lot of folks involved in that, but we are pleased with that work.

I think the work on childhood obesity has been incredibly well-received by the communities we are working in and by the schools. They’ve been very receptive; they’ve stepped up and they are seeing changes … programmatic design is to work with them to develop their own plans, with advice and counsel from folks who have done this elsewhere. The actual on-the-ground work may be different in each school and community, but it’s all toward the same goal.

Infant mortality – in many ways, it’s helping the communities be organized in a different way; working together; figuring out how the work that community organizations are already doing can reinforce each other’s work … all in the interest of helping the new moms and their babies. In both places, the program design is to work with a key organization; and in the Bootheel, two key organizations, to be the backbone of the work … and strengthen their capacity and their ability to play a leadership role. Here, it’s the Maternal Child Family Health Coalition; in the Bootheel, it’s the Bootheel Consortium as well as the organization of the six health departments.

Oral health, there are two really important health issues that just for historical reasons have been treated separate.

One is oral health and the other is behavioral health – substance abuse and mental health.

With the coming of AT Still, that was really helpful and we, as well as a lot of other folks, have contributed to the new clinic that will be opening here and the training for the students, I think that’s

going to make a big difference. And, where those students go – we hope that when, because of the training and orientation, they will be much more likely to both stay in Missouri and also take care of the underserved. Another part of it is working with existing FQHCs around our region to both give them the capacity

Page 5 to provide oral health care. We’ve also helped in bringing in experts in how to run and effective and efficient clinic and work with them, do an assessment and give them some advice in changes they can make so that they can be more efficient and see more patients and be more productive in their clinics.

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YOUR HEALTH MATTERS

June 4 – 10, 2015

Calendar Sat. June 6, 9 a.m. – 3 p.m., Camp MAGIC (Mending a Heart, Grief in Children) at Purina Farms in Gray Summit, Mo. This is a free grief retreat for children ages 6-12 by SSM Health at Home Hospice. Registration deadline is May 30. For more information, call 636695-2054 or email Kathleen_taggart@ ssmhc.com.

Sat., June 13, 6:30 a.m., 17th Annual Susan G. Komen St. Louis Race for the Cure in downtown St. Louis. To form a team, join a team, or register as an individual participant; or to choose to Sleep In for the Cure, visit www.komenstlouis. org/Race.

Fri. June 19, 7:30 a.m. – 9:30 a.m., Toxic Stress & Trauma in Our Region, the annual NAHSE Health Disparities Symposium In Partnership with the St. Louis Regional Health Commission.

BJC Learning Institute, Lower Level Auditorium, 8300 Eager Rd., St. Louis 63144. Cost is free; includes a light breakfast. RSVP to nahseSTL@gmail. com.

Fri. June 19-Sun. June 21, Camp Catch-Ya-Breath, YMCA of the Ozarks, 13528 State Hwy AA, Potosi, Mo. It is a free, weekend camp that helps children learn about their asthma and how to control it. Applications are due June 1.For an application, call 573-8828034, email breathe@missouri.edu or visit http://shp.missouri.edu/rt/asthma_ camp1/pdf/CamperApp.pdf.

Mon., July 20, Annual AAFA Golf Classic, Persimmon Wood Golf Course, Weldon Spring, Mo. For more information, visit aafastl.org.

Fridays & Saturdays, 11 am – Noon, Get Pumped! Free Slide/Zumba classes, O’Fallon Park Recreation Complex YMCA, 4343 W. Florissant Ave. 63115.

Sundays, 10 a.m. – Alcoholics Anonymous Group 109 meets in the 11th floor conference room at Christian Hospital, 11133 Dunn Road at I-270/ Hwy. 367. This is an open meeting for alcoholics, drug addicts and their family and friends.

June 4 – 10, 2015

YOUR HEALTH MATTERS

Page 7

Health Resources Asthma Free asthma and allergy clinic by Saint Louis University students at the HRC, every other Wednesday afternoon 1:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. by appointment with SLU physician Dr. Raymond Slavin.

The clinic offers allergy skin tests, pulmonary function tests and asthma and allergy education. It is located in the Victor Roberts Building, 1408 N. Kingshighway, between Martin Luther King Drive and Page Blvd. For more information, call 314-720-1522.

Behavioral Christian Hospital offers free and confidential psychiatric and chemical dependency evaluations at the Christian Hospital Center for Mental Health. For more information, call 314-839-3171.

Christian Hospital Key Program offers support and education to patients with chronic mental illness to prevent increased severity of symptoms and to reduce the need for inpatient re-hospitalization. Call confidentially to 314-8393171 or 1-800-447-4301.

Crime Victim Advocacy Center pro-

vides no cost support for persons affected by criminal acts. Email peggy@supportvictims.org, visit or call the 24-hour hotline 314-OK-BE-MAD (652-3673) or visit www.supportvictims.org.

Diabetes CHIPS Diabetes Support Group is open to anyone and meets on Wednesday evenings from 6 p.m. – 8 p.m. For more information, call 314-652-9231.

Bike helmet safety The St. Louis County Health Department provides free bicycle helmets to St. Louis County residents between ages 1 and 17 by appointment only. Proof of residency is required. For the location nearest you, visit www. tinyurl.freebikehelmets.

SSM St. Mary’s Health Center provides free, Diabetes Support Group sessions the second Tuesday of every month from 6 – 7 p.m. to address health management issues. It’s located at Meeting Room 1 on the second floor, 6420 Clayton Rd. in St. Louis. To register, call toll free 866-SSM-DOCS (866-776-3627).

Breast Cancer Gateway to Hope offers no-charge medical and reconstructive treatment for uninsured breast cancer patients in Missouri. Contact 314-569-1113.

Fresh Food Coop Community Helpings Coop sells fresh fruits, vegetables and other foods at wholesale prices in locations throughout the St. Louis area and Metro-East. For more information, visit www.communityhelpingscoop.com.

Dental Free Dental Hygiene Clinic - No charge dental exams, x-rays, cleanings and other dental services for children and adults provided by dental students at Missouri College. Patients needing more extensive dental work (fillings, crowns, etc.) will be referred to local dentists. For information, call 314-768-7899.

Health Partnerships The Center for Community Health and Partnerships: Building Bridges for Healthy Communities works to develop and support beneficial community-academic partnerships to address the health needs of the St. Louis. For more information, email publichealth@wustl.edu; phone 314-747-9212 or visit publichealth. wustl.edu.

Information Missouri 2-1-1 offers referral and information on a wide range of social service and helpful resources. Call 2-1-1.

Lupus A Lupus Support Group in North St. Louis County meets the third Thursday of the month from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. in Community Room #1 at Northwest Health Care, 1225 Graham Rd. in Hazelwood. RSVP to the Lupus Foundation of America at 314-644-2222 or email info@lfaheartland.org.

Medical CHIPS Health & Wellness Center offers no cost medical, dental, psychiatric, chiropractic health care for uninsured children and adults by appointment only. $25 annual fee requested. For more information, call 314-652-9231 or visit www. chipsstl.org.

Newstead, St. Louis, Mo. for those who are uninsured. For more information, call 314-533-0534.

Nutrition Food Outreach provides food, meals and nutritional education/ counseling to eligible persons living with HIV/AIDS or cancer in St. Louis. For more information, call 314-652-3663 or visit www. foodoutreach.org.

St. Louis Milk Depot - SSM Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital is a breast milk depot for the Indiana Mother’s Milk Bank. Milk Depot staff will store and ship your milk to IMMB. For more information, call (314) 242-5912.

Prostate Cancer The Cancer Center of The Empowerment Network at 6000 W. Florissant in St. Louis provides information on prostate and other types of cancer, and services and support. For more information, call 314-385-0998.

Prescription Cost Help Schnucks Pharmacies – now offers certain prescription prenatal vitamins for free and offers no-cost generic prescription antibiotics at select locations.

Wal-Mart Pharmacies – offer select prescriptions for $4 or less for a 30-day supply or $10 for a 90-day supply. View the list at www.walmart.com/pharmacy.

Respiratory Health Free lung function screening - Christian Hospital Breathing Center at Northwest HealthCare, 1225 Graham Rd. For more information, call 314-953-6040.

Free flu shots for patients being treated for an illness or injury at Downtown Urgent Care (314-436-9300), North City Urgent Care (314-932-1213), Creve Coeur Urgent Care (314-548-6550) and Eureka Urgent Care (636-549-2100).

Sexual Health St. Louis County Health Department offers free, confidential testing, counseling and treatment at the North Central Community Health Center, 4000 Jennings Station Road, St. Louis, MO 63121. For more information, call 314679-7800.

Boys & Girls Clubs Dental & Vision Clinic at Herbert Hoover Club, 2901 N. Grand, St. Louis. Open year-round for members at no additional fee by appointment only. Teeth cleaning, braces, x-rays, root canals, some extractions; vision mobile unit, comprehensive exam and glasses, if required. Make an appointment by calling 314-355-8122.

The SPOT offers private, reproductive, mental and behavioral health services at no charge to youth ages 13-24, Monday – Friday, 1 p.m. – 5 p.m. at 4169 Laclede Ave. For more information, call 314-535-0413 or visit http:// thespot.wustl.edu.

Salam Free Saturday Clinic, 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. at the Isom Community Center at Lane Tabernacle CME Church, 916 N.

STI testing and treatment at North City Urgent Care and Downtown Urgent Care. For more information, call 314436-9300.

Page 8

YOUR HEALTH MATTERS

June 4 – 10, 2015

Profile in Health Name: Korey Johnson Position/Where: Histology technician for Barnes-Jewish Hospital

Career Highlights: In my professional career, I enjoy helping new employees understand and get a firm grasp on our histology department. I started at Barnes-Jewish Hospital when I was 16 years-old in the dietary department. From the dietary department, I worked my way up through several additional departments before starting my current career as a histotechnician.

As a histotechnician, I prepare human body tissue for examination by doctors and other medical professionals.

I’ve been at Barnes since 1997 with the exception of two years I worked in labs in West St. Louis County.

When I’m not working, I’m passionately running my non-profit organization, The Korey Johnson Foundation.

One of my career highlights is getting my letters of non-profit incorporation in 2014. Other highlights include co-producing and working with nationally recognized storyteller Bobby Norfolk in the mini docu-series, “Autism Talks” and having it air on a local television channel.

Education: Indiana University Histotechnology in 20002001

Personal: Family, church, fraternity or sorority affiliations Kingland Financial and What About Us-an African-American male mentoring program.

St. Louis Connection: St. Louis native, graduate of North County Technical High School

Journey to success: It kind of landed on me. I was working in data entry in Surgical Pathology at Barnes Jewish Hospital and a position opened in histology, which is part of the department. I transferred in and was just intrigued by all of the different testing and stuff they had going on. I was enrolling in Ranken Tehnical at the time to do industrial maintenance when BarnesJewish Hospital decided to send me to Indiana University at no cost to me.

In 2010, I can remember overhearing a group of people criticize youths. They were complaining about how horrible our young people are. That year it seemed

like I heard similar statements from several different groups of people over and over again. I didn’t want to join their conversation; I wanted to change the conversation.

That’s when I decided to be a part of the solution. The first thing I thought to do was to invest in the education of young men and women, so I decided to collect school supplies.

Five years later, [through the foundation] I’ve helped more than 1,500 students get a fresh start to their school year with a new book bag and supplies. Giving away supplies was only an aspect of how I wanted to help. I also thought it was important to actually teach our youth about philanthropy. So, I incorporated a give/get component. I wanted recipients to understand that compassion is key in everything we do.

I organized a back-to-school skating party called Can Skate, where admission is five non-perishable food items. In exchange, students can skate for free and receive those essential school supplies.

So far, we have collected and distributed more than 10,000 non-perishable food items for area shelters and other non-profit organizations.

From there, I created another program that aims is to help young people think about and grasp important life lessons through the game of billiards. The Providing Opportunities Otherwise Lost or P.O.O.L is an eight-month program where youths ages six to 18 learn how to play billiards while applying life lessons on respect, determination, responsibility and more.

The best part about all of this is that 10 years ago I never imagined I would be here. But believing in myself, encouragement from others and a burning desire to help others made the difference. Plus, as a father of two, with one on the way, I wanted to be an example for my children.

For my son, who is living with autism and shares my name, I wanted The Korey Johnson Foundation to be a place where he could be himself in a safe and loving environment and a place of employment for him when he is of age.

My journey to success has everything to do with the fact that I understand that I must be the difference. I must do my part to change the conversation about the state of our boys and girls and not contribute to negativity. The best thing is that my faith and work align with the mission that God has instilled in me to do. Although, I’m a work in progress, I must keep going.