I just had the honor of delivering the commencement address at Tennessee State University. Like many historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs), TSU was born in the crucible of the age of segregation. It was born at a time when our forefathers and foremothers were escaping from the throes of the Ku Klux Klan. They […]
Posted inLocal news
Geography lessons: County officers say transfers are often informal discipline
SLCPA survey shows morale is low among department employees Morale is low. That’s one of the biggest takeaways from a St. Louis County Police Association (SLCPA) survey distributed to the organization’s members to determine what issues were on police employee’s minds. The findings were presented to Chief May Barton and the Board of Police Commissioners […]
Posted inInside sports
Inside Sports with Earl Austin Jr.
The lanes to the state championships opened for Missouri small school prep track and field athletes district meets last weekend. Most St. Louis area athletes were at Lutheran North to compete in the Class 2, District 3 meet. The top four finishers in each event qualified for Saturday’s (May 15) Sectional in Monroe City. It was […]
Posted inSylvester brown jr deaconess fellowship
Youth weigh in on vaccinations
For a 12-year-old, Milo Marston has some very grown-up thoughts about politics and the spread of the coronavirus in the United States: “It was so ridiculous that he (President Trump) politicized the virus in the name of delusional, macho posturing.” Milo had an equally layered answer when asked about grown-ups who refuse to wear masks […]
Posted inSports eye
Pujols’ career put on hold; Cardinals don’t plan to come calling
Albert Pujols was, and probably still is, quite arrogant when it comes to his baseball ability. His arrogance helped him go from late-round St. Louis Cardinals draft pick to future first ballot Hall of Famer. It fueled three National League Most Valuable Player awards, two World Series titles and nine All-Star Game appearances. When he […]
Posted inYour health matters
Parson abandons plan to expand Medicaid in Missouri
Funding for expansion failed to pass in both legislative bodies In what will now most certainly play out in court, Missouri Gov. Mike Parson formally withdrew the state from its plan to expand Medicaid coverage on Thursday, May 13. The move came six days after the General Assembly presented him with the 2022 budget that […]
Posted inLocal news
“Good Trouble” votercade rallies St. Louis against voter suppression
Action at Sumner one of 100 nationwide The late John Lewis would have been proud. About 75 people gathered to march and ride in a “votercade” in recognition of National John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Action Day at Sumner High School on May 7. It was part of a nationwide movement by 180 organizations to […]
Posted inHealth opinion
Male Wellness: Just what the doctor ordered
Though we celebrated Mother’s Day on May 9, my focus today is on those special men in our lives. For men who spent time teaching their children how to ride a bike or drive a car, who provided the midnight feedings so their spouses could sleep, who requested that their daughters change clothes when they […]
Posted inLocal news
Dale Glass resigns as Corrections Commissioner
Mayor reduces jail population, holds listening sessions with jail employees St. Louis Corrections Commissioner Dale Glass on Wednesday announced his resignation, effective June 1. While a release from St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones’ office noted that he was not asked to resign, Jones and U.S. Rep. Cori Bush, D-St. Louis, released statements that indicated he […]
Posted inEditorials
Ending jobless aid cruel and unjust
Gov. Mike Parson, playing the Republican Party’s national playbook, is cancelling federal unemployment benefits in mid-June. His decision will send thousands of Missourians back into poverty. (Parson’s action will end all of the COVID-19 programs, including the $300 additional weekly unemployment payment that was added to regular state unemployment programs.) The extra 13 weeks of […]