Nineteen year ago I started this blog as a distraction from my father’s heart attack and slow recovery. It was late 2004 and social media & video streaming apps didn’t exist yet — or at least not widely available to the general public. Blogs were the newest means of …
The new NGA West campus , Jefferson & Cass, has been under construction for a few years now. Next NGA West is a large-scale construction project that will build a new facility for the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency in St. Louis, Missouri.This $1.7B project is managed by the U.S. Army …
Book publisher Island Press always impresses me with thoughtful new books written by people working to solve current problems — the subjects are important ones for urbanists and policy makers to be familiar and actively discussing. These four books are presented in the order I received them. ‘Justice and …
This post is about two indirectly related topics: the new Siteman Cancer Center building under construction on the Washington University School of Medicine/BJC campus and an update on my stage 4 kidney cancer. Let’s deal with the latter first. You may have noticed I’ve not posted in three months, …
Some cities say the health concerns are not convincing enough to override the benefits of the first-generation bright LED lights that they installed in the past three to eight years. New York is one of them, although it has responded to resident complaints by replacing the high-intensity, white LED bulbs with a lower- intensity bulb that the AMA considers safe.
Scott Thomsen, a spokesman for Seattle City Lights, which is responsible for the city’s exterior illumination, dismissed the health concerns about bright-white LED lights, noting that they emit less of the problematic blue wavelengths than most computers and televisions. (Washington Post)
BOARD BILL NO. 143 INTRODUCED BY ALDERMAN ANTONIO FRENCH An ordinance mandating that the Director of Parks, Recreation and Forestry shall cause the construction of four lighted basketball courts in Forest Park by July 1, 2017.
BOARD BILL NO. 144 INTRODUCED BY ALDERMAN ANTONIO FRENCH An ordinance pertaining to public parking at City Hall, mandating that the first hour of parking on the City Hall lot be provided free of charge during normal business hours, by amending Section 17.62.150 of the Revised Code of the City of St. Louis and Section 17.62.150 of Section One of Ordinance 62101; and containing an emergency clause.
BOARD BILL NO. 145 INTRODUCED BY ALDERMAN FLOWERS An ordinance authorizing and directing the Director of the Department of Human Services, on behalf of the City of St. Louis, to accept a Grant Award from the Missouri Department of Corrections in the amount of $250,000.00 and to expend those funds for Re-entry Services for Former State Offenders, as set forth in the Memorandum of Understanding attached as Exhibit A; appropriating said funds and authorizing the Director of the Department of Human Services, upon approval of the Board of Estimate and Apportionment, to expend such funds as permitted by the Memorandum of Understanding – Grant Award; and containing an Emergency Clause.
BOARD BILL NO. 146 INTRODUCED BY ALDERWOMAN FLOWERS An ordinance recommended and approved by the Director of Human Services and the Board of Estimate and Apportionment, authorizing and directing the Mayor and the Comptroller of the City of St. Louis (the “City”), with the recommendation of the Director of the Department of Human Services, via the Homeless Services Division (HSD), on behalf of the City of St. Louis, to accept, enter into, and execute on behalf of the City, Grant Agreement Awards offered by the the United States of America (the “Grant Agreements”, acting through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) the Grant Agreements to provide for the reimbursement or payment to the City for the United States of America’s share of eligible costs incurred for City approved eligible programs furthering the work of the Continuum of Care under the Grant Agreements; and specifically authorizing and directing the acceptance of the 2015 Continuum of Care Homeless Assistance Planning Project Grant Application in the amount of $336,892.00, and future Continuum of Care Grant awards, and directing the Director of Human Services to expend those Planning Grant Funding funds to accomplish and further the work of the Continuum of Care (CoC) as indicated in the Continuum of Care Program regulation (Federal Register Vol. 77 No. 147 dated Tuesday, July 31, 2012) pertaining to CoC (24 CFR part 578.7(a)(9) and 24 CFR part 578.9 (a)(3)(ii) and (b) ) and the 2015 Grant Agreement Award (MO0205L7E011500), the application for which as attached as Exhibit A; appropriating said funds and authorizing the Director of the Department of Human Services, upon approval of the Board of Estimate and Apportionment, to expend such funds as permitted by the Continuum of Care Program regulation (Federal Register Vol. 77 No. 147 dated Tuesday, July 31, 2012) pertaining to CoC (24 CFR part 578.7(a)(9) and 24 CFR part 578.9 (a)(3)(ii) and (b) ) and the Grant Agreement Awards (MO0205L7E011500); and containing an Emergency Clause.
BOARD BILL NO. 147 INTRODUCED BY ALDERMAN STEPHEN CONWAY An ordinance authorizing and directing the Street Commissioner to take all necessary actions to honorarily designate the 4600 block of Cleveland Avenue as “Barbara Beck Boulevard.”
BOARD BILL NO. 148 INTRODUCED BY ALDERMAN STEPHEN CONWAY An ordinance authorizing and directing the Street Commissioner to take all necessary actions to honorarily designate the 4900 block of Botanical Avenue as “George and Sandy Grbac Lane.”
BOARD BILL #149 INTRODUCED BY ALDERWOMAN TAMMIKA HUBBARD An Ordinance recommended by the Board of Estimate and Apportionment authorizing and directing the issuance and delivery of not to exceed $2,800,000 plus issuance costs principal amount of Tax Increment Revenue Notes (Northside Regeneration–Greenleaf Project) Series 20__-A/B, of the City of St. Louis, Missouri; prescribing the form and details of such notes and the covenants and agreements made by the City to facilitate and protect the payment thereof; prescribing other matters relating thereto, and containing a severability clause.
BOARD BILL # 150 INTRODUCED BY ALDERWOMAN TAMMIKA HUBBARD AN ORDINANCE APPROVING THE PETITION TO ESTABLISH THE TUCKER & CASS IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT; ESTABLISHING THE TUCKER & CASS COMMUNITY IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT AS A POLITICAL SUBDIVISION OF THE STATE OF MISSOURI; CONFIRMING THE PRIOR DETERMINATION THAT THE TUCKER & CASS COMMUNITY IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT IS A BLIGHTED AREA; FINDING A PUBLIC PURPOSE FOR THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE TUCKER & CASS COMMUNITY IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT; APPROVING APPOINTMENT OF THE INITIAL BOARD OF DIRECTORS; APPROVING A DISTRICT PROJECT AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE CITY OF ST. LOUIS AND THE TUCKER & CASS COMMUNITY IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT; AUTHORIZING CERTAIN OTHER ACTIONS; AND CONTAINING A SEVERABILITY CLAUSE.
BOARD BILL # 151 INTRODUCED BY ALDERWOMAN MEGAN GREEN An Ordinance revising and amending the Public Nuisances Code of the City of St. Louis to protect victims of domestic violence or stalking by amending Sections One, Two, and Five of Ordinance 69730, approved April 18, 2014 and codified at Chapter 15.42 of the Revised Code of the City of St. Louis; and containing a severability clause and an emergency clause. [Note: This bill is co-sponsored by Tyus, Ingrassia, Boyd, Krewson]
The meeting begins at 10am, it can be watched online here.
A majority of people in the recent non-scientific Sunday Poll do not agree with municipalities changing their ordinances to keep out some establishments. Here were the results:
Q: Agree or disagree: Municipalities are right to change ordinances to keep out establishments where female breasts are covered only by body paint.
Strongly agree 7 [18.92%]
Agree 3 [8.11%]
Somewhat agree 2 [5.41%]
Neither agree or disagree 1 [2.7%]
Somewhat disagree 6 [16.22%]
Disagree 6 [16.22%]
Strongly disagree 11 [29.73%]
Unsure/No Answer 1 [2.7%]
Nearly two-thirds disagreed with the above statement.
This is a tough issue for smaller municipalities in a region. No nothing and be perceived as not a good place for families. Take quick action, as many have this year, and be perceived as moral puritans. There are parallels to the 19th century temperance movement, witch led to prohibition:
The country’s first serious anti-alcohol movement grew out of a fervor for reform that swept the nation in the 1830s and 1840s. Many abolitionists fighting to rid the country of slavery came to see drink as an equally great evil to be eradicated – if America were ever to be fully cleansed of sin. The temperance movement, rooted in America’s Protestant churches, first urged moderation, then encouraged drinkers to help each other to resist temptation, and ultimately demanded that local, state, and national governments prohibit alcohol outright. (PBS) http://www.pbs.org/kenburns/prohibition/roots-of-prohibition/
On the other hand, the objectification of females by heterosexual males can have serious consequences, including rape and sex trafficking:
The National Human Trafficking Resource Center defines human trafficking as a form of modern-day slavery in which traffickers use force, fraud or coercion to control victims for the purpose of engaging in commercial sex acts or labor services against their will.
Since 2007, more than 1,500 calls have been made from Missouri to the National Human Trafficking hotline, the same site reported.
St. Louis and Kansas City are hotspots for human trafficking. Missouri is responding through legislation, law enforcement and grassroots organizations that work to combat and raise awareness about trafficking.
“The FBI has stated that St. Louis is one of the top 20 trafficking destinations in the country. Because of our highway system, highway 70 and 44, we have a lot of possibilities for that. So we do know it’s a problem,” said Republican Rep. Elijah Haahr, chair of the Human Trafficking Task Force. “People attribute it to being an East Coast, West Coast problem. It’s a Midwestern problem, both sex trafficking and labor trafficking. (KMOX)
I’m not sure where the line should be drawn. I have no problems seeing the female nipple, our notions around nudity, decency, and morality are weird. But, as a gay man, I’m not affected the way straight men are.
Still, laws forcing women to cover their nipples where men don’t have to seems unjust — simply because some straight men are unable to control themselves.
For months now I’ve been wanting to post about auto financing. Last month John Oliver did a segment on it (below) that got me motivated:
Is there another subprime loan crisis brewing?
John Oliver, host of HBO’s “Last Week Tonight,” found disturbing similarities between the easy loans dished out for used cars and the mortgage crisis that devastated the economy in 2008.
Now, car dealers are making high-risk, high-interest loans that “trap people with few options into paying vastly more than a car is worth,” Oliver said. “It’s just one of the many ways in which when you are poor, everything can be more expensive.”
The average interest rate on a “buy here, pay here” loan made by used-car dealers is 19 percent, but some buyers are paying up to 29 percent for loans that many default on within an average of just seven months. (Huffington Post)
Oliver pointed out bad subprime auto loans are being bundled and sold as investments — the same way bad subprime mortgages were dome a decade ago.
Note: a few words aren’t suitable for all work environments.
In most places, the working poor need a reliable car to get to work. Even in regions with high frequency public transit, commutes can take hours. We’ve designed our built environment to male car ownership mandatory. So you ask?
For those who live paycheck to paycheck, buying a car isn’t an easy task. When my husband and I bought our used Honda Civic in 2014 we got a loan at our credit union. We didn’t qualify for their best interest rate, but still got a reasonable 3.69%APR. They required the vehicle not be more older than 7 years and have under 100,000 miles. Being pre-approved allowed up to go car shopping with confidence.
Here’s the numbers for our auto loan:
$9,003.75 financed
$596.01 in interest
$9599.76 total after 42 months
Our last payment will be in November 2017. We got a good price on the car in 2014 so we’ve never been upside down on our loan.
For millions of people, their experience is very different. Their car breaks down, or they get a new job where they suddenly need a car. They turn to a nearby used car dealer where they can pay there.
The problem with this route is:
The sales price is well-above the value of the car.
The interest rate is 19%-25%.
The total paid, if paid in full, is double the value of the car at purchase. Double!
Wednesday 9/14/16 I went to the website of one such dealer, picking out a car with a high reliability rating, decent fuel mileage, and less than 100k.
This 2006 Toyota Camry met the qualifications listed above.
To someone needing a car to get to/from work at 4-cylinder Camry is a good choice, with only 88,749 miles it should have a lot of life left. The asking price is the first problem. Sure, prices are negotiable — but not much.
I also went to Kelly Blue Book to see what someone should expect to pay at a dealer for a 2006 Toyota Camry LE with 88,749 miles.
They list the fair market range as $5,471-$6,922 — five thousand below the asking price!
But this Camry is too old to get financed through my credit union, right now the oldest year model on used car loans is 2009. So I went back to the website and filtered their 299 cars in inventory to narrow down to 2009 & newer models under 100K miles. I got 59 matches — so 20% of their inventory could be financed elsewhere. I then sorted the 59 by price, ranging from $9,995-$15,995.
The listing has lots off photos — all stock images of a white Aveo. This one is red.
But it’s new enough (2011) and low milage enough (97,257) that it could be financed at my credit union. But the credit union wouldn’t lend more than the value.
Not a surprise, their asking far more than the value.
So I wanted to compare this 2011 Chevy Aveo purchased/financed two different ways. First up, buy here pay here:
Financed: $9,995
Term: 48 months
Interest: 22% (middle range)
Payment:$314.90
Total:$15,115.36
Interest: $5,120.36 (33.88% of payments made)
Wow, those are big car payments for a 7 year-old car with nearly 100K miles. At this price it would be hard to afford routine maintenance and repairs for the length of the loan. Now let’s look at the same car if bought elsewhere for the suggested price and financed at a local credit union:
Financed: $7,105
Term: 48 months
Interest: 3.69% (lowest rate is 2.49%)
Payment:$159.44
Total:$7,653.14
Interest: $548.14 (7.16% of payments made)
The monthly payment is half with a reasonable interest rate, so hopefully the buyer could afford to keep up the car, not miss any payments, etc. I used an auto loan calculator to do the math for both.
Some of you likely think this is just the free market at work. It is, which is why unregulated free-market capitalism means a few profit while others are bankrupted. We shouldn’t force people to buy a car so they enter into an unjust racket.
By contrast, those with higher incomes have many more options. When we’re in Chicago dealers there routinely advertise new car leases with one up front payment.
A one pay lease, also known as a single pay or pre-paid car lease, is similar to a standard lease in that you are purchasing the use of the vehicle only for a set period of time. Like a standard lease, you agree to return the vehicle to the dealer in good condition and under a pre-determined number of miles at the end of this time. The difference is that instead of making monthly payments throughout this period, the entire amount is paid at the beginning of the lease. (Carintelligent)
That one payment of $12,000 will save you interest, but also cost you on interest it would’ve earned. It’s expensive to be poor.
In March an establishment featuring females with pasties on nipples & body paint on their upper bodies opened in the Delmar Loop, with the limits of University City.
When John Racanelli announced last winter that he was replacing his failed sports bar, the Market Pub House, with a spinoff of Soulard’s Social House, U. City officials argued that it was a dramatic change in use — and that Racanelli needed a new liquor license. They then began to hastily revise the city’s code to bar sexually suggestive businesses.
But Racanelli and his always-quotable attorney, Albert Watkins, knew a good First Amendment case when they saw one. They pointed out that other businesses in the Loop had hosted burlesque — how were their servers’ costumes any different? And at any rate, it was the same ownership, Watkins insisted, so no new liquor license was needed. Social House II could open whenever it wanted … and so, on March 4, it did.
In court, the city sought a restraining order in court to close the bar and, at City Council, stripped the bar of its liquor license. Ultimately both efforts were unsuccessful: Judges both denied the restraining order and forced the city to give back the liquor license, suggesting there was a likelihood Racanelli would ultimately prevail on the merits. (Riverfront Times)
The months-long drama had other municipalities scrambling to review their decency ordinances to prevent this from happening within their municipal borders. From last month:
St. Peters has joined the list of area municipalities tightening indecent exposure ordinances following a controversy in University City over a bar which featured female servers with body-painted torsos.
Aldermen on Thursday night passed an ordinance that includes under the definition of nudity the female breast with “less than a fully opaque covering.”
The measure goes on to say that “fully opaque” doesn’t include body paint, dyes, tattoos and liquid latex.
City officials say that’s aimed at keeping bars from employing body-painted servers similar to those used at the now-closed Social House II in University City. (Post-Dispatch)
The Social House II closed months ago, but the issue remains in the minds of many. Which brings us to today’s poll question:
The poll will be open until 8pm tonight, share your views in the comments below.
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