Coronavirus resurgence curtails elective surgeries
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‘Safer at Home’ order reduces business capacity City of St. Louis limits social gatherings
By Sandra Jordan Of The St. Louis American The city of St. Louis has set a 10-person limit on group gatherings to reduce the risk of potential super-spreader events amid the coronavirus pandemic. But the city is continuing to allow indoor dining. Meanwhile, in St. Louis County, public health restrictions go further, reducing indoor capacity for businesses to 25% and eliminating indoor dining at restaurants to outdoor, takeout and delivery only. Mayor Lyda Krewson has extended the city’s Temporary Outdoor Seating Permit Program
n “About 50% of the new COVID-19 cases are occurring among people in their 20s and 30s, with the increased spread of the virus in St. Louis city occurring primarily in gatherings among friends, families and neighbors.” – Fredrick Echols, acting public health commissioner
through the end of next year, Dec. 31, 2021, which will allow city-approved restaurants and other businesses to expand outdoor seating and dining in the winter. “I’m very aware of the many challenges the pandemic has cre-
ated for our local restaurants and other small businesses and their workforce. I see this as an opportunity for us to continue to help them as much as possible so they can serve more customers and hopefully keep people on the pay-
roll, while still being able to safely practice robust social distancing,” Krewson said. In his Health Commissioner’s Order #15, that went into effect on Saturday, Nov. 14, Fredrick Echols, St. Louis’ acting public health commissioner, said about 50% of the new COVID-19 cases are occurring among people in their 20s and 30s, with “the increased spread of the virus in St. Louis city occurring primarily in gatherings among friends, families and neighbors via informal gatherings occurring in and around homes, and in neighborhoods.” See ORDER, A6
Billie’s Pastries offers gathering place in perilous times By Sylvester Brown Jr. Of The St. Louis American The square, beige-colored, brick building seems to be the only operating business on the block. n “This is Next door, a yelone of the low-brick, abanfew places doned building in the world advertises longgone services: where you “Beauty Shop;” can dis“UNLIMITED agree but Talk, Text not be dis& Data: $24.99,” and a agreeable. All of us are hand-painted sign above a friends, we broken garage have difdoor that reads: ferences of “Car Wash.” The building opinion, but at 7301 State we don’t Street in East St. allow that Louis is among to affect our the many boarded up businesspersonal es and homes relationalong the State ships.” Street strip. Billie’s Pastries, — Tommy however, is Dancy one of the survivors. Above the door, a dark brown banner reads: “Billie’s est. in 1980.” Below it, a sunflower, See PASTRIES, A6
Photo by Wiley Price
Billie’s Coffee Shop in East St. Louis, Ill. is where chess enthusiasts Richard C. Bolden, Brian Clay, Harvey Jackson and Montez Bailey come together for friendly competition and bragging rights. In the background is shop owner Gina Jackson. The shop is located in the 7300 block of State Street.
Mayor Krewson won’t run for re-election By Dana Rieck Of the St. Louis American St. Louis Mayor Lyda Krewson announced Wednesday she will not run for re-election next year. “I am now pushing 70, so after a lot of thinking and a lot of dis-
cussion with my family I have decided to retire in April,” she said in a news conference streamed on Facebook. Krewson has served as an elected official for 23 years in St. Louis, four of those as the city’s mayor. “Serving as mayor these past
HEALTH
Several area schools return to virtual learning
Mehlville and Wentzville are closing their high schools until after Christmas; Wentzville’s middle schools are closed until Dec. 7.
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four years has far and away been the biggest honor of my life,” she said. “It’s the people who have made it so great, the people of St. Louis and the thousands of great people who work for our city.” The primary for the mayoral election will be held March 2,
2021, and the general will be held April 6, 2021. Those expected to run in the race include: Tishaura Jones, St. Louis treasurer; Cara Spencer, 20th ward alderman, has served on the Board of Aldermen since 2015; and Aldermanic President Lewis Reed.
BUSINESS
Vol. 92 No. 34 COMPLIMENTARY
St. Louis area Black state lawmakers for 2021 Many of the Democrat winners ran unopposed
By Sandra Jordan Of The St. Louis American Missouri’s Nov. 3 General Election resulted in a number of black lawmakers being elected or re-elected, with a majority running unopposed, as well as notable newcomers to the Jefferson City statehouse in 2021. Unofficial results from Missouri’s House of Representatives races, Black unopposed winners from the St. Louis area, all Democrats, include Marlene Terry 66th, Neil Smith 67th, Rep. Jay Mosley 68th, Raychel Proudie 73rd, Mike Person, 74th, Rep. Alan Gray, 75th, Marlon Anderson, 76th, KimberlyAnn Collins, 77th, LaKeySha Bosley,79th, Wiley Price, IV, 84th, Kevin Windham Jr., 85th, and Joe Adams (D) 86th. While most of the African American Wiley Price, IV lawmakers faced no opposition in the general election, Gray said that may be coming to an end. “With this Clean Missouri, that might change everything. The way (leaders of the Clean Missouri initiative) are talking about drawing the legislative lines, it’s going to force, instead of representing your neighborhood, you will almost always have an opponent,” Gray said. “I think this is probably one of the n Sen.-elect last races we will Angela Walton all be unopposed Mosley and her for the general elections. We will have husband, Rep. Jay Mosley, are to see.” In addition to believed to be making marginal stepping into changes to restricMissouri history tions on lobbyist as the first hus- gifts and campaign donation limits, band and wife the initiative, to be elected also known as to serve in the Amendment 3, Missouri House effectively ends a redistricting system and Senate at that voters backed the same time. in 2018. Widely known as Clean Missouri, that plan would have empowered a demographer to draw House and Senate districts that emphasized partisan fairness and competitiveness. Because voters approved Amendment 3, either bipartisan commissions or appellate judges will draw state legislative maps. In two races in which the incumbent faced opponents in the general election, Rasheen Aldridge Jr. (D) 78th defeated Republican Timothy Gartin, who received 1,871 votes to Aldridge’s 11,023 votes. Rep. Shamed Dogan (R) 98th defeated See LAWMAKERS, A7
SPORTS
Coro Fellows program, UMSL look to boost racial equity
Williams is Big Ten Freshman of the Week
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The program is designed to increase racial equity at local public service organizations through community-based leadership training.
Former Trinity Catholic standout quarterback Isaiah Williams was named the Big Ten Conference Freshman of the Week.