Private Schools special section
St. Louis American Begins on page B7
The
OCTOBER 9 – 15, 2025
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Bush vs. Bell
Race tests St. Louis’ loyalty to grassroots vs. establishment
See BUSH, A14
COMPLIMENTARY
Under attack
We send our kids to play ball, not to be sprayed by police
By Sylvester Brown Jr. and Ashley Winters St. Louis American “St. Louis is built different. So am I. And so are we.” That was former U.S. Rep. Cori Bush’s closing message in an Instagram video last week announcing her run to reclaim the congressional seat she lost last year. Bush spoke in front of a spray-painted mural of herself along the Mississippi River flood wall. With images of tornado-damaged neighborhoods in the video, she drew a parallel between St. Louis’ resilience and her own, vowing to rebuild “brick by brick.” Bush’s comeback bid raises questions: Can she overcome the money, attacks
Vol. 97 No. 27
By Earl Austin Jr. St. Louis American Photo by Wiley Price / St. Louis American
Cori Bush is headed for a rematch with U.S. Rep. Wesley Bell for the 1st Congressional District seat.
Salute to Excellence in Education
I have been covering high school sports for nearly 40 years, and I can say I have seen just about everything one can see. Or so I thought. However, I was not prepared for what I saw on a video that was sent to me earlier this week capturing what happened on the field after Washington High defeated Cardinal Ritter College Prep 28-14 last Friday night in Massillon, Ohio. The video shows the tail end of a post-game altercation between the two teams, then a group of Massillon police officers rushing onto the field and pepper-spraying the Cardinal Ritter playEarl ers. It was pretty stunning Austin Jr. to see that happen on a football field. From the looks of the video, only Cardinal Ritter players were being sprayed as the Washington players looked on while moving back. “At that point when they started spraying, everybody was separated,” said Ritter assistant coach Sean Morris. “They were spraying directly in our kids’ faces. By the time I got inside the locker room, I couldn’t breathe for another two or three hours.” Although no video has surfaced showing what happened before the altercation, I did review a few recent YouTube clips of Washington’s post-game run-ins with other opposing teams, all from Ohio. The first was against No. 1-ranked St. Edward
See RITTER, A14 Photos by Wiley Price / St. Louis American
A lifeline for survivors
Tambra Pendleton interacts with students at BELIEVE Academy, an innovative charter high school she founded. The school weaves financial literacy, self-sufficiency and representation into every lesson.
Learning and leadership Tambra Pendleton prepares students for life
New partnership aims to bridge gap between domestic violence recovery, healthcare
By Sylvester Brown Jr. St. Louis American
Tambra Pendleton has always believed education should do more than prepare students for college — it should teach them how to build a life. As founding principal of BELIEVE Academy on Garrison Avenue, she leads an innovative new charter high school where financial literacy, self-sufficiency and representation are woven into every lesson. See PENDLETON, A15
For BELIEVE Academy founding principal Tambra Pendleton, the roles of provider, nurturer, educator and motivator were instilled in her as a child growing up on Chicago’s West Side.
By Ashley Winters The St. Louis American As domestic violence incidents continue to climb in St. Louis, two local organizations are working together to provide care for survivors. The Women’s Safe House (TWSH) and Affinia Healthcare are launching The Health and DV Program, connecting survivors of domestic violence, sexual abuse and human trafficking with immediate healthcare and supportive services. Domestic violence assaults have steadily increased since 2015, with the highest concentration of cases in neighborhoods such as Dutchtown, Gravois Park, Carr Square, and College Hill — communi-
See VIOLENCE, A15
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HEALTH
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HEALTH
Annual Sista Strut and Pep Rally is big success
El Train took the stage as a sea of walkers celebrated strength, sisterhood and survival at the 16th Annual Sista Strut Walk and Pep Rally.
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