Diversity, Equity and Inclusion special section
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St. Louis American will run in next week’s newspaper
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CAC Audited AUGUST 18 – 24, 2022
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School year opens with optimism, anxiety
Kem Smith, an English teacher in the FergusonFlorissant School District, has been preparing her room for the upcoming school year. She says she is looking forward to a year where COVID-19 is not a dominant issue.
By Sylvester Brown Jr. The St. Louis American
Kem Smith, an English teacher in the Ferguson/Florissant School District, has been busily preparing for the return of students on August 22nd. There’s been much to do. She has been in teacher training sessions, professional development meetings, setting up her classroom and preparing the year’s curriculum for students. She knows the year will include English lessons and electives where students will read and discuss creative works of suspense, fiction, and African American literature. On top of that. she must also help seniors focus on college and career courses.
See SCHOOL, A6
Photo by Wiley Price / St. Louis American
Vol. 94 No. 21 COMPLIMENTARY
Second in a series
Grand plan meets decades-old problem
Paul McKee’s planned ‘regeneration’ of north St. Louis has yet to yield much fruit, residents say By Karen Robinson-Jacobs For The St. Louis American This story was reported in partnership with Type Investigations, where Karen Robinson-Jacobs is an Alfred Knobler fellow. The Gateway City has a vacancy problem, one that has unfolded over decades. As St. Louis prepares to spend millions in COVID relief funds to attempt to address the thousands of crumbling buildings and overgrown lots, change may finally be at hand. The American and Type Investigations took a look at the roots of the problem and at some of the key players. As of July, St. Louis was home to 24,923 vacant parcels, according to an estimate from the St. Louis Vacancy Collaborative, a coalition of community members, private and nonprofit organizations, and city agencies working to reduce the negative impact of vacant property in the city. The highest concentration of vacancies is in the city’s northern stretches — occupied largely by low-income people of color. That citywide tally includes an estimated 10,579 vacant buildings and 14,344 vacant lots, according to the Collaborative, which draws its data from the
Mirror image
Gabriel Dyson, 4, admires her new look after getting her face painted during the For The Culture STL Festival Saturday, Aug. 13, in Loretta Hall Park.
SLPS forced to take alternate bus route plan By Alvin A. Reid The St. Louis American Retiring SLPS Superintendent Kelvin Adams was minutes before taping an appearance on the Nine PBS broadcast “Donnybrook Next Up” on August 11, 2022, but he was on a telephone call. It was obviously important. During the show, Adams explained that he was speaking with a Missouri Central representative concerning bus transportation for the upcoming school year. On Monday, Adams announced a rerouting of bus services, which entails suspending
SPORTS
Earl Austin Jr. lists his ‘All Title IX team’
Earl Austin Jr. assembled a St. Louis metro area girls’ basketball team from 1980, the year Earl first moved to the area, to the present.
routes to eight schools for the first few weeks of school because of a severe bus driver shortage. SLPS is removing eight schools, 3,450 students, from its routing schedule. These students will be provided alternative transportation. There are 16,500 students that rely on daily bus transportation. “Despite our best efforts and those of our transportation partner Missouri Central, the company has been unable to hire, train and certify enough drivers to handle all students eligible for transportation in our District,” Adams said during a Monday press conference.
Warrant Reset Day, Job Fair on August 26 St. Louis American staff
“Our transportation teams have been working around-the-clock to ensure coverage for as many students as possible, but we recognize time is running out.” Parental support is needed as SLPS begins its rerouting schedule. Six of the larger high schools and two elementary schools are losing bus transportation at the beginning of the year, and administrators are collaborating with parents to arrange for alternate transportation. “At least for the first few weeks of school, we are providing Metro Link bus passes or gas
Should you have a non-violent, low-level or misdemeanor outstanding warrant, the city of St. Louis is offering a chance to clear the case, and help individuals find employment. Municipal Courts Administrative Judge Newton McCoy has signed a disn “The city missal order for more than wants everyone 24,000 older, low-level cases at the municipal to succeed, court. The annual cancelregardless of lation helps the court focus their past.” on more serious crimes while cleansing records – Newton McCoy of St. Louisans, which can reduce employment, housing, and other opportunities. The cases must pre-date July 1, 2018, and, importantly, do not include offenses including DWI’s, DUI’s, leaving the scene of an accident, and dumping in unlicensed areas. Nicole Barton, St. Louis Criminal Justice
See BUS PLAN, A6
See WARRANT, A6
Can steer past driver shortage
Page B3
See GRAND PLAN, A7
Photo by Wiley Price / St. Louis American
HEALTH
LIVING IT
Minority Donor Awareness Month vital to Black community
Dog Gone It Hot Dogs open in The Grove
Page A14
Page C1
Local organizations and health professionals are encouraging the Black community to consider donating organs in August, which is Minority Donor Awareness Month.
Mother and son duo Sheryl and James Myers have opened Dog Gone It Gourmet Hot Dogs, an old-school hot dog stand, in The Grove neighborhood.