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The
NOVEMBER 20 – 26, 2025
Serving, empowering and advocating for equity in St. Louis since 1928
stlamerican.com
Vol. 97 No. 32 COMPLIMENTARY
Decades of mistrust
Lack of trust keeping families from seeking radiation funds Advocates push for clearer information as $50,000 payments go unclaimed.
By Sylvester Brown Jr. St. Louis American Hundreds of thousands of St. Louis County residents may now qualify for tax-free federal payments worth up to $50,000, but many are not applying, some saying they don’t trust the program or the people promoting it. That mistrust, advocates say, is keep-
ing families from receiving money that could help pay medical bills or bring relief after decades of illness linked to radioactive waste contamination. “I get a lot of emails from people
who say, ‘My brother doesn’t think this is real, he thinks it’s a scam,’” Karen Nickel, co-founder of Just Moms STL, told KSDK-TV. “There are a lot of people who don’t want to send their documents
because they don’t trust the federal government.” The assistance comes through the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act, a federal program created to help people harmed by the nation’s early nuclear weapons work. Congress extended and expanded the program last year, adding 21
See RADIATION, A12
Dropping the ball
As winter approaches, questions mount over city’s tornado response By Sylvester Brown, Jr. St. Louis American With winter less than a month away, city officials are under growing pressure to find safe housing for families displaced by the spring tornado that tore through North St. Louis. Hundreds of residents — most from majority-Black neighborhoods — are still relying on shelters, hotel rooms or relatives as they wait for longterm options. Mayor Cara Spencer’s administration has spent months scrambling to secure enough space. The city has evaluated
See TORNADO, A12 Photos by Lawrence Bryant / St. Louis American
University City High School math teacher Malinda Baker assists ninth-grader Jaden Hudson in her classroom. She left the profession briefly but returned because of her love for working with students.
Rising demands, shrinking support
New teachers tested by strain of the profession
O
By Leah Gullet For The St. Louis American
n a recent Tuesday morning in a kindergarten classroom at Momentum Academy, teacher Caroline Simmons knelt beside a student who had gotten out of his seat for the fourth time in five minutes — and they were only an hour into the school day. “He’s not misbehaving,” she said softly. “His brain just wants to do a million things at once.” For Simmons, a first-year teacher, moments like this capture both the joy and the strain of the profession. They also highlight what many Missouri educators say has become one of the biggest challenges in today’s classrooms: students arriving with different needs, less experience in structured learning environments and higher levels of support required to keep them engaged. See TEACHERS, A13 HEALTH
National Adoption Month
Photo courtesy of Willie Moore Jr.
Entertainer and speaker Willie Moore Jr., who was adopted and later found his birth family, poses with his birth mother, Katrina Walton, left, and his ‘forever mom,’ Flora Moore.
Finding family, finding clarity By Ashley Winters St. Louis American
Photos by Lawrence Bryant / St. Louis American
University City High School math teacher Malinda Baker says she continues to teach after two decades ‘because of the heart I have for students.’
When most people think about adoption, the focus often falls on new beginnings — adoptive families welcoming a child into their home and children finding stability and love. But behind every adoption is another story, one shaped by courage, uncertainty, identity and loss. This November, as the nation observes National Adoption Month, Lutheran Family and Children’s Services of Missouri is highlighting the experiences of birth parents, who are often absent from public discussion about adoption.
See ADOPTION, A13 BUSINESS
How pollution creates a health crisis in communities of color
A new report details how our reliance on fossil fuels is severely damaging public health already — particularly demographics overburdened by such pollutions, including Black and Brown Americans.
Page A7
Scammers don’t take holidays
Nearly one in three consumers reported falling victim to an online scam during the 2024 holiday season.
Page A5