SSM opens pediatric specialty center in North County
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St. LouiS AmericAn The
91 years of serving the St. Louis community
CAC Audited MAY 9 – 15, 2019
Vol. 91 No. 7 COMPLIMENTARY
stlamerican.com
‘Grill to Glory’ in North City
Stenger pleads guilty
Churches get out in St. Louis’ toughest streets to feed – and listen
Sentencing is on fateful date of August 9
By Rebecca Rivas Of The St. Louis American In the dead of winter, Bishop Steven G. Thompson at Leonard Missionary Baptist Church told his team to set up a tent and a grill outside — they were going to start grilling hot dogs and serving chili on Saturday afternoons. That first Saturday, they had three people come by. Now, a year and a half later, the North St. Louis church — located in the middle of one of the highest-crime neighborhoods in the region — breaks bread with about 200 to 300 people every Saturday. And it’s way more than hot dogs now — there are cakes, cookies, snow cones, bread, as well as clothes and social services. The power of Thompson’s idea was in its simplicity — show the community you care and
See GRILL, A7
By Rebecca Rivas Of The St. Louis American
Photo courtesy of Better Family Life
On Saturday, May 4, more than 40 North St. Louis churches participated in the kick-off of Grill to Glory, where churches have committed to grill hot dogs outside for the community every Saturday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Steve Stenger, the former St. Louis County executive, pleaded guilty in front of U.S. District Court Judge Catherine D. Perry on Friday, May 3 on three counts of theft of honest services, bribery n Stenger took and mail fraud. steps to hide, For Stenger’s crimes, conceal and the maximum possible cover up his penalty is not more than illegal conduct 20 years in prison, a fine of not more than $250,000 and actions, both jail time and a including making or fine. false public However, his total statements. offense level in his guilty plea is 21 points and, according to federal sentencing guidelines, the suggested range for that offense level is 37-46 months. His sentencing hearing is set for August 9, which will mark five years to the day that Michael Brown was shot and killed by a then-Ferguson Police officer – igniting a national movement
See STENGER, A7
Photo by Wiley Price
St. Louis County Prosecutor Wesley Bell met with members of his leadership team on April 29. Photo by Wiley Price
Record breakers? People flocked to Forest Park on Saturday, May 4, 2019 as The Muny attempted to assemble enough participants to break a world record for the largest dance class.
City/county merger needs racial equity lens
Fair and Just Prosecution sponsoring learning trip for elected prosecutors
Better Together must be more transparent and inclusive By Will Ross For The St. Louis American As a member of Better Together’s CityCounty Governance Task Force, I concur with the general sentiment that our cause needs a serious restructuring. I remain a staunch advocate of St. Louis city-county unification and have been so since 1995. That is when I first learned of a report on effective city governance co-authored by Ambassador George Herbert (Bert) Walker and late U.S. Senator Tom Eagleton at the request of then-Mayor
Freeman Bosley Jr. Walker eventually became the founder of Better Together, funding it with an initial gift of $100,000. I respect Walker’s work, and the City-County Governance Task Force borrowed heavily on his vision as we incorporated Will Ross input from members of the St. Louis region and cities such as Nashville, Louisville, and Indianapolis that embraced regional
Bell travels abroad to study reforms By Chris King Of The St. Louis American
governance. That report, even with its flaws, provided a framework to address effective governance and the social ills that have plagued the St. Louis region. However deep divisions across the region have precluded the serious debate needed to move the task force report forward. Since its release in January, there have been many criticisms of the task force report – some factual and some intentionally divisive. For instance, a careful reading of the Missouri Constitution will indeed reveal the
Fair and Just Prosecution pursued St. Louis County Prosecutor Wesley Bell like an aggressive prosecutor before he would agree to join its international learning trip to Berlin, Germany and Lisbon, Portugal, which is currently underway. Bell is attending in a group of 20 prosecutors from across the United States, including two of special interest to him, Larry Krasner of Philadelphia and Rachael Rollins of Boston. In Berlin they will study Germany’s charging and plea bargaining approaches, rates and length of incarceration, youth justice practices and conditions
See ROSS, A6
See BELL, A6