Jaafar Jackson shines _ even when ‘Michael’ doesn’t
St. Louis American See page B1
The
Serving, empowering and advocating for equity in St. Louis since 1928
APRIL 23 – 29, 2026
Vol. 98 No. 2 COMPLIMENTARY
stlamerican.com
Voters to decide whether to expand sales tax By Sylvester Brown Jr. St. Louis American Missouri voters will decide whether to give state lawmakers broad new authority to expand sales taxes and eventually eliminate the state’s income tax, a proposal supporters say would boost economic growth but critics warn could shift costs
onto working families and seniors. During the State of the State address in January, Gov. Mike Kehoe proposed phasing out the state’s income tax and expanding sales taxes. On Tuesday, the Republican-led House voted 95-59 to approve the proposed constitutional amendment. Because the House adopted changes made by the Senate last week,
the resolution now goes to Missouri voters. If approved, the amendment would remove a constitutional restriction that limits the state’s ability to expand sales taxes to services and transactions not taxed as of Jan. 1, 2015, giving lawmakers the ability to broaden what is taxed. Future legislatures would determine
which goods and services to tax, with income tax reductions expected to occur over time as revenue grows. Supporters say eliminating the income tax would increase economic competitiveness, attract businesses and residents, increase workers’ take-home pay, mod-
See Sales Tax, A10
‘This isn’t supposed to be normal’ For many teens, youth violence is too common By Ashley Winters St. Louis American Jada Hampton still remembers the moment she heard about the recent fatal shooting at a high school track meet in North County St. Louis. The Jennings High School senior said the news didn’t just shock her — it felt familiar. “This is getting repetitive,” Hampton said. “When stuff like this happens in our community it’s becoming normalized.
See Violence, A10
Photos by Lawrence Bryant / St. Louis American
St. Louis Metropolitan Police arrest Alexis Martin during Mayor Cara Spencer’s State of the City address on Friday, Apr. 17, at City Hall.
‘Fund North City’
Protest at mayor’s address exposes deep frustration over slow tornado recovery
Photo by Lawrence Bryant / St. Louis American
First Missionary Baptist Church of Kinloch Senior Pastor Luther Butler preaches to the parishioners recently.
As city faded, historic church endured
By Sylvester Brown Jr. St. Louis American early a year after a tornado tore through North St. Louis, frustration over the pace of recovery spilled into City Hall last week, where protesters interrupted Mayor Cara Spencer’s State of the City address and demanded more resources for residents still rebuilding. The disruption, which delayed the speech by about 20 minutes and led to multiple arrests, underscored broader concerns about housing, displacement and whether the city’s recovery efforts have reached some of its hardest-hit neighborhoods. Chants of “Fund North City!” echoed through the marble-lined rotunda just seconds after Spencer began speaking Friday night. Protesters held signs with photos of homes they said remain damaged months after the May 16, 2025, storm. “There are people living on the streets right now,” one protester shouted during the interruption. “Where the [expletive] are you leading us?”
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See Protest, A10
By Na’Porsha Williams For The St. Louis American A protester is arrested during Mayor Cara Spencer’s State of the City address.
First Missionary Baptist Church of Kinloch stood as one of the last remaining structures when much of the surrounding community was bought out in the 1990s through airport-related programs tied to Lambert International Airport. The expansion never came as envisioned, leaving much of the cleared land in Kinloch vacant for decades. But the church — rooted for generations in Missouri’s first Black incorporated city — was forced to move. Now, as the congregation prepares to celebrate its 125th anniversary, its story
See Church, A10 SPORTS
BUSINESS
St. Louis data center plan clears key hurdles
Jeremiyah looking to see some Love from NFL
A controversial $3 billion data center project planned near the Armory cleared a key hurdle Tuesday, weeks after Mayor Cara Spencer asked for more time to review the proposal.
On Thursday night, former CBC High football star Jeremiyah Love will hear his name called as one of the top picks in the National Football League draft.
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