1. Documents and photos suggest foul play in death of Private Johnson
By American Staff
Who killed PFC. LaVena L. Johnson?
The Army claims the 5’1” African-American soldier from North County died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound with a rifle on July 19, 2005.
Her father, John H. Johnson, Ph.D. of Florissant, said color photos and documents obtained under the Freedom of Information Act from the military suggest otherwise.
“Our worst fears were substantiated when we started going through information from the Army,” Johnson said.
Since his daughter’s death, Johnson has been searching for answers that align with the evidence in the case. Johnson hopes a congressional body can push for answers beyond the official report. [FULL STORY]
2. Lack wisdom? Ask God
By James A. Washington
Whenever I find myself at a loss for understanding, or I’m lost period, I inevitably pray for wisdom. It was just something I started doing when I began this walk and something I continue to do. In my own way, I believed if I asked the Lord for wisdom to understand why I was going through this or that, then maybe I’d learn my lessons quicker. At the very least, I should come to know something that might bring me to a conclusion about a particular situation or circumstance. [FULL STORY]
3. ‘Everything fine,’ St. Louis says as it slides into ruin
By Charles Jaco
It was early 1995. I had just moved to St. Louis from Miami to work at KMOX, and the Downtown Rotary Club had invited me to give a speech. It was a mistake they would not repeat.
I had been living in a corporate apartment in the Mansion House, watching ice-coated iron workers battle the February wind while finishing the roof of the Dome, anticipating a deal that would steal the Rams from Los Angeles and then allow them to move back two decades later thanks to a one-sided contract that read like it was drawn up by a graduate of Trump University law school.
4. Universal and Sony drop R. Kelly, brother makes shocking allegations
Universal Music Publishing Group has quietly dropped R. Kelly from its songwriter roster, months before his label, Sony Music’s RCA Records, ended its recording contract with him Jan. 18. “UMPG no longer represents R. Kelly,” a company spokesperson confirmed to Billboard. The move happened last spring, according to sources. [FULL STORY]
5. Update: Mercy must honor its agreement with Jamaa Birth Village
The undersigned black women make the following claims and demands of Mercy Health.
As black women and Missourians who organize to dismantle reproductive oppression, we write to express our outrage and demand accountability for the disrespect and unethical treatment of Missouri’s first black Certified Professional Midwife by Mercy Birthing Center Midwifery Care.
Brittany “Tru” Kellman, founder and executive director of Jamaa Birth Village in Ferguson, has been providing care and building a community to improve pregnancy outcomes in the St. Louis area since 2015. Tru centers black women and women of color in her practice, thus providing a path to healthy birth from within our community. She provides training and support, critical care and advice, and the cultural understanding that comes from her being a black woman and mother. [FULL STORY]
6. No Limit Reunion Tour was anything but “bout it, bout it!”
In what could’ve been one of the best hip-hop concerts of 2019 and beyond, No Limit Soldiers – led by Master P, Mia X, Mystikal, Silkk the Shocker and Fiend – delivered a lackluster showcase at best before a sold-out crowd at Chaifetz Arena Saturday night. As veteran artists in the music industry for twenty or more years, the southern rappers were a repeated disappointment to the crowd thanks to a lineup of performances void of organization or preparation. Fans voiced their disgust by booing and bailing out early.
For the first time ever, pioneering New Orleans hip-hop label No Limit Records brought a collective of its artists to the region to hear the music they grew up listening to in the late 1990s. Nostalgia was in the air and camouflage flooded the arena as people took to their seats excited to rap and reminisce over all of their favorite hood classics. [FULL STORY]
7. If I don’t make this move, St. Louis is going to kill me
By Bruce Franks Jr.
In what could’ve been one of the best hip-hop concerts of 2019 and beyond, No Limit Soldiers – led by Master P, Mia X, Mystikal, Silkk the Shocker and Fiend – delivered a lackluster showcase at best before a sold-out crowd at Chaifetz Arena Saturday night. As veteran artists in the music industry for twenty or more years, the southern rappers were a repeated disappointment to the crowd thanks to a lineup of performances void of organization or preparation. Fans voiced their disgust by booing and bailing out early.
For the first time ever, pioneering New Orleans hip-hop label No Limit Records brought a collective of its artists to the region to hear the music they grew up listening to in the late 1990s. Nostalgia was in the air and camouflage flooded the arena as people took to their seats excited to rap and reminisce over all of their favorite hood classics. [FULL STORY]
8. Beloved St. Louis stage veteran Linda Kennedy passes at 68
By Kenya Vaughn
Linda Alton Randall Kennedy, a staple of the St. Louis theater scene for more than four decades, passed away this morning (Friday, August 16) after a battle with cancer.
Her son Terell Randall Sr. confirmed her passing via Facebook. She was 68.
“With a heavy heart, I am sorry to have to say that my mother Linda Kennedy now has her wings,” Randall said. [FULL STORY]
9. KTVI broadcast journalist apologizes for inserting racial slur during Dr. Martin Luther King tribute mention
KTVI-Fox 2 morning newscaster Kevin Steincross has issued an apology during his announcement about an event happening Thursday at Saint Louis University to honor the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. featuring Dr. King’s son Martin Luther King III. [FULL STORY]
10. WashU to offer free education to lower-income students from MO and southern IL
By Chris King
Beginning in fall 2020, lower-income full-time students from Missouri and Southern Illinois accepted for admission at Washington University in St. Louis will receive a free undergraduate education. The offer also will be extended to undergraduate students already enrolled at the university who would qualify.
Chancellor Andrew D. Martin announced this as “the WashU Pledge” during his inauguration on the Danforth Campus on Thursday, October 3. [FULL STORY]