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CAC Audited JULY 29 – AUG. 4, 2021
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Mo Supreme Court rules in favor of Medicaid expansion Decision hailed by proponents
By Dana Rieck The St. Louis American In an unusually fast turnaround, the Missouri Supreme Court issued a unanimous ruling on July 22 reversing a lower court’s decision that found the effort to expand Medicaid in the state was unconstitutional. The initial lawsuit was filed on behalf of three plaintiffs which sought an order for the Department of Social Services to allow all who are newly eligible to enroll and receive the same coverage as current program clients beginning July 1, even though the state legislature and Missouri Gov. Mike Parson failed to include money in the state’s budget to pay for the expansion costs.
Parson also withdrew the state from its plans to expand the program. Cole County Circuit Judge Jon Beetem in June struck down an effort to expand Medicaid in response to the lawsuit. He argued it was unconstitutional because the 2020 ballot initiative did not include a revenue source to pay for the expansion. Attorneys for the plaintiffs appealed the ruling. “Because [the expansion amendment] does not appropriate money and does not remove the General Assembly’s discretion in appropriating money to MO HealthNet, the circuit court erred in declaring [the expan-
n “This marks a significant step toward achieving health equity and ensuring that individuals and families have access to affordable, high-quality health insurance.” — Dr. Dwayne Proctor, president of the Missouri Foundation for Health
See MEDICAID, A4
COMPLIMENTARY
STL leaders face pushback on reinstated mask mandate AG files suit, county council votes to end mandate
By Dana Rieck The St. Louis American
Photo by Wiley Price / St. Louis American
A final tribute
Vol. 93 No. 18
Paris Sqiuires (9), granddaughter of former state Rep. Betty Thompson of University City, holds the American flag after funeral services were held at Sumner High School where Thompson once attended school in the Ville neighborhood Sat., July 24.
While Monday marked the first day of the reinstated mask mandate in the St. Louis region, one of the first areas in the nation to do so, local leaders faced considerable resistance from the St. Louis County Council and Eric Schmitt, attorney general of Missouri. The mask mandate came as Missouri’s case average reached a six-month high and was the second highest in the country. Schmitt filed suit Monday to strike down the restriction, arguing that it “is unreasonable, arbitrary and capricious, unconstitutional, and unlawful.” “Today, my office filed suit against St. Louis city and county for reimposing their mask mandate on the citizens n “I want to make it clear that a mask of St. Louis. This continued mandate remains government in place in St. Louis overreach is unacceptable County.” and unconstitutional, espe—St. Louis County cially in the Executive Dr. Sam face of a widely Page available vaccine. There is absolutely no scientific reason to continue to force children to wear a mask in school,” Schmitt wrote on his website. St. Louis County Executive Dr. Sam Page addressed the lawsuit Thursday morning, as well as the fact that the St. Louis County Council voted 5-2 this week to end the public health order and admonish Page for failing to consult them before issuing the mandate, arguing that it’s a requirement under a new state law. The new Missouri state law was signed by Gov. Mike Parson in mid-June. The law, according to St. Louis Public Radio, states that Missouri counties and towns will only be able to issue public health orders that restrict See MASKS, A7
Young named Missouri Regional Teacher of the Year Wants students to gain ‘confidence in who they are’
By Sophie Hurwitz The St. Louis American James Young, 44, grew up surrounded by music. His father was a drummer in a touring band, Nobody’s Perfect, and Young followed the band on international tours, including stops in the Philippines. Young’s grandmother sang in church, “And we always sang around the house,” he recalled. So, though it “wasn’t plan A to be a music educator,” becoming a musical theatre teacher was a great fit for Young. He has served the Ferguson-Florissant School District for 14 years and is receiving accolades for his teaching ability: first, as the district’s teacher of the year, and now as a Missouri Regional Teacher of the Year. The latter makes Young eligible to become Missouri Teacher of the Year, an award
which will be announced in August. “I think it was others that called it out of me,” he said, recalling a time as a teen when his great-grandmother looked at him and pronounced, “you’d be a great teacher.” But he did not immediately follow his great-grandmother’s calling. After spending his teen years growing up in Kinloch, Young enlisted in the Army. Afterwards, he says he drifted. He started playing guitar in his own local band, but was unsure what he wanted to do beyond that. “I went back to school for music,” he said. “But my grandmother said, ‘why don’t you consider music education…so you can have a plan B’?” That Plan B turned into Plan A, as Young discovSee TEACHER, A7
Photo by Wiley Price / St. Louis American
James Young (44), a sixth grade musical theatre teacher at JohnsonWabash Middle School, was recently named the Missouri Regional Teacher of the Year.