St. Louis American Prep Year in Review
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St. Louis American See page B3
The
Serving, empowering and advocating for equity in St. Louis since 1928
CAC Audited JUNE 12 – 18, 2025
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Outlandish ordinance City deducts 25% from resident’s insurance claim following tornado
By Sylvester Brown, Jr. St. Louis American Cheryl Walker’s rental property in the Ville neighborhood was damaged by last month’s tornado. She was relieved to know her tenant wasn’t injured but became livid when she found out that 25% of her insurance payout would be subtracted and given to the city. “Give me my money,” Walker told News Channel 4 First Alert’s Morgan Harris last week. “It’s not yours, it’s not yours!” Walker, who has owned the property since 2006, said she’d always paid her premiums on time and had never made a claim. Learning that part of it would be turned over to the city shocked her. If the building had been condemned by the building commissioner, she’d not only lose a tenant she’d have to foot the bill to demolish the structure. Thankfully, Walker said her building was only damaged, which meant she could go ahead and apply for her insurance funds to fix the
See INSURANCE, A7
Vol. 97 No. 10 COMPLIMENTARY
St. Louis to finally receive FEMA funds
Disaster Assistance Center opens By Sylvester Brown, Jr. St. Louis American
Photo by Wiley Price / St. Louis American
Cheryl Walker in front of one of her properties in the 4400 Block of Cottage Ave. in the city’s Greater Ville neighborhood Monday, June 9, 2025.
As the St. Louis region continues its efforts to recover and rebuild following the May 16, 2025, tornado, the city has partnered with the Missouri State Emergency Management n Insurance consumer spe- Agency and St. Louis University to cialists from open the Disaster the Missouri Assistance Center Department inside of the Chaifetz Arena. of Commerce The center is and Insurance serving as a cenwill assist tral location for residents with tornado-affected understanding residents to contheir insurance nect with agencies offering guidance, policies. resources, and assistance related to recovery and longterm support. The first week of the center’s operation concludes on Thursday (June 12) with 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. hours of operation. It will be open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. June 16-18, and 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. June 23-26. Chaifetz Arena is located at 1
See FEMA, A6
Mission control
Photo courtesy of the Urban League
Helping hands
Hundreds of volunteers have joined the Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis effort to distribute needed food, toiletries and other supplies to storm victims since the May 16, 2025 tornado. The Urban League’s third major distribution event is on Saturday June 14. See page 3A for more coverage.
12 noon to 8 p.m. on Washington Avenue between 12th and 13th Streets. Admission is free and open to the public. The full day of programming includes live performances, guests DJs, vendors, slide tutorials, a kids zone with a 3 on 3 basketball tournament and other activities. The fan favorite
See JUNETEENTH, A7
See MISSION, A6
Juneteenth events happening throughout STL region When House of Soul owner Nichol Stevenson hosted her inaugural Juneteenth party in 2019, it was so good she knew he had to do it again. She also knew that it would grow beyond the patio and surrounding area of the live music and event space she operates at 12th and Washington. For
2024, its fifth anniversary, she literally shut the block down with people coming out to celebrate the joy of Black liberation. Stevenson was presented with a proclamation by then-Mayor Tishaura O. Jones for her efforts. “Last year was epic with over 3000plus guests,” Stevenson said. “This year we are aiming for bigger and better!” The 6th Annual Juneteenth Festival Block Party will take place from
BUSINESS
Tiny homes bring huge relief for some tornado victims
As parts of the St. Louis region, especially the city’s northside, are taking the first steps on a road to recovery, Erion Johnson, a contractor, truly embodies the spirit of community support.
Page B1
By Ashley Winters St. Louis American The entrepreneurial spirit is being nurtured in our community with K through eighth-grade students participating in the Mission: St. Louis “Beyond School” 16-week entrepreneurship program. In partnership with VentureLab, Mission St. Louis invited students from 40 schools to pitch business ideas to a panel of judges on May 8, 2025. The ideas addressed community challenges. Their product pitches included house cleaning products, pest control, jewelry, and a mental wellness app. Following the pitches, judges gave expert advice for student-entrepreneurs to expand their ideas. During the first eight weeks, students focused on developing an entrepreneurial mindset, building curiosity, persistence, and grit, according to Erin Malone, Mission St. Louis vice president. “These mindsets will be valuable in any path they choose,” said Malone. Peter Gioia, Beyond School manager,
Celebrating Black joy
By Zaria Mac and Kenya Vaughn The St. Louis American
‘Beyond school’ creating entrepreneurs
HEALTH
Just in time for Juneteenth
At 10 a.m. Saturday, June 14, more than 500 community members will come together at the Christian Hospital Family Health Festival at 11133 Dunn Road, St. Louis, Missouri 63136.
Page A12