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Franks wins first battle over election results Election board ordered to hand over absentee ballots in state rep race
2015 Newspaper of the Year!
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St. LouiS AmericAn The
CAC Audited AUGUST 25 – 31, 2016
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Vol. 88 No. 20 COMPLIMENTARY
NGA hazy on minority inclusion When The American asked NGA National Director Robert Cardillo about the agency’s supplier diversity program during an exclusive interview in St. Louis City Hall on August 17, the director was not familiar with the term.
Agencies vague about commitments in building $1.75B facility in North City By Rebecca Rivas Of The St. Louis American Promise Zone. That’s a high-poverty community where the federal government partners with local leaders to increase job creation, economic investment and a whole host of other things. The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency’s new $1.75 billion facility will be built in a Promise Zone, which includes parts of North City and North St. Louis County. Through the facility’s construction, the federal agency has a significant opportunity to provide jobs to
the surrounding blighted area. However, in an interview with The St. Louis American, NGA National Director Robert Cardillo said that he believes he has no authority to establish goals for how many minority, women or local workers will be employed on the project. He said the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will be building the facility, and those goals are in their hands. When asked if he would be able to make recommendations, Cardillo said, “I don’t even know.” Cardillo’s office passed the question off to the
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Photo by Wiley Price
FebruAry 23, 1947 – AuguSt 20, 2016
George Curry passes at 69 Former NNPA editor, columnist, founder of minority journalism workshops Photo by Wiley Price
Back to school Linesha Cooper, Jamil Lewis and Lauryn Coope were greeted by members of the St. Louis Fire Department on the first day of school at Froebel Literacy Academy Elementary School in South St. Louis on August 17. According to the district, 19,827 students attended school on the first day.
Charlene Jones is 2016 Lifetime Achiever Campaign expert has helped raise more than $500M for SLPS By Rebecca Rivas Of The St. Louis American Charlene Jones remembers walking to Vashon High School from her family’s apartment in the Pruitt-Igoe housing complex, located at Jefferson and Cass avenues. Jones, now the assistant dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Harris-Stowe State University and a political science professor, came from a family of nine
children. “Pruitt-Igoe was a godsend to have the bedroom space for all of the children,” said the 1965 Vashon graduate, “but on the other hand it was so very impoverished.” Looking back, the housing structure was not conducive to living, with so many people living in Photo by Wiley Price
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Charlene Jones
By Hazel Trice Edney Of TriceEdneyWire Renowned journalist George E. Curry died suddenly of heart failure on Saturday, August 20. He was 69. “He helped pave the way for other journalists of color to do their jobs without the questions and doubts,” said the Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr., who traveled with Curry extensively, including to the funeral of South African President Nelson Mandela. “He was a proud and tireless advocate of the Black Press, serving two tours as editor-inchief of the National Newspaper Publishers Association’s news George E. service.” Curry Curry’s fiancée Ann Ragland said the funeral will be held 11 a.m. Saturday, August 27 at the Weeping Mary Baptist Church, 2701 20th St., Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Rev. Al Sharpton will give the eulogy. A public viewing will be held at the church noon to 7 p.m. Friday, August 26, and again Saturday from 8:30-11 a.m. Having grown up in Tuscaloosa during the height of racial segregation, Curry often said he See CURRY, A6