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, …
Please vote in the poll, located in the right sidebar
In the news last month was a report that a Missouri legislator wants to change the voting age. I’m being vague on purpose, so as not to influence today’s poll: What should the voting age be in Missouri?
The poll is in the right sidebar, mobile users can switch to the desktop view at the bottom of the mobile layout (not visible within apps like Facebook). Check back on Wednesday Tuesday for the results, specifics on the current & proposed voting age, and a bit of local political history.
I can understand that the ‘Good News Friday’ topic for today might be a matter of viewpoint, but it’s my blog and I think it is good news. Four years ago clean air/smoking bans in St. Louis City & County became effective. This has allowed me to visit places that I’d previously considered off-limits, such as:
Smoke-free interior of O’Connell’s Pub in July 2013
Smoke-free interior of Hodak’s, May 2014
Milo’s Bocce Garden on The Hill initially claimed exemption, but went smoke-free just over a month later. Milo’s is owned by 10th Ward Alderman Joe Vollmer
The St. Louis exemption for small bars will expire in just one year, on Saturday January 2, 2016 establishments that had been granted exemptions to continue allowing smoking will no longer be exempt. Will they be ready or will they be surprised at how quickly five years has passed by? No doubt some will squander the next 12 months but hopefully others are completing patios and such.
Casinos in the city & county, unfortunately, remain exempt. Other Missouri counties in the region aren’t yet smoke-free. The entire state of Illinois is smoke-free, including casinos.
January 1, 2015FeaturedComments Off on 2014’s Problems Continue Into 2015
Hello 2015!
Often we think of the new year as a time for a fresh start, which it is. But our region — and country — have a lot of work to do. In 2014 we uncovered a long-term problem of some police racially profiling members of the community, which creates a large distrust the police. Economic segregation is an increasing problem.
Today enjoy some Hoppin’ John, Collard Greens, & Corn Bread; but tomorrow let’s all start addressing the root of our problems. Superficially reacting to symptoms gets us nowhere.
December 31, 2014Featured, STL RegionComments Off on Twenty-Fourteen In 63 Pictures
The end of another year…so for the last post of 2014 I’ve selected 63 images from the 800+ I uploaded throughout the year. Enjoy, please be patient as they load.
JANUARY
Fields Foods opened at 1500 Lafayette Ave without pedestrian access, this was soon corrected after my post
14th St @ Washington Ave.: Stones pavers & concrete removed so a new bus shelter can be built.
At MLK & Taylor I noticed this new storefront because it stood out from how it looked for years
Pipes burst in the upper floors of the YMCA/Centenary Tower building
Work was still wrapping up on the Tucker project
The Treasurer’s office began testing different parking meters
FEBRUARY
The Stan Musial Veterans Memorial Bridge opened, thus was seconds after Illinois Gov Quinn & Missouri Gov Nixon cut the ribbon
The St. Louis flag turned 50 as the city turned 250
The wrap on the new low-floor downtown trolley buses looks like the original
MARCH
IDOT officials held an open house at the Jackie Joyner Kersee Center in East St. Louis to get input into speeding up Amtrak from Alton to St. Louis
Some members of the First Presbyterian in Edwardsville IL opposed the sale of the property to the school district, the church would be leveled for parking. The congregation has worshipped on the same site since the early 19th century
New bike lane & pedestrian zone on Chippewa, looking west toward Morgan Ford
The Castle Ballroom in midtown was damaged in a storm, later razed.
The property to the north had a gate that blocked the public sidewalk, it was later removed
It was announced a park was planned for the north side of the Eads Bridge, to the right of the trucks parked in the alley,
To prep for a new Civic Center bus transfer facility, all the trees were cut down
Fields Foods pedestrian access problem corrected
Metro showed of the first of 15 articulated buses they would receive in 2014, mostly for use on the #70 Grand route
City police had out of town journalists park on the sidewalk during a basketball tournament because…homeland security
6th ward residents checked out the Participatory Budgeting project expo
APRIL
On April Fool’s Day I got many people with the announcement of a Trader Joe’s in a new mixed-use building at Grand & Olive
Inside the “Live” area of Ballpark Village the day before the home opener
I proposed returning 9th & 10th north of Washington or Cole into two-way streets
Schnucks closed their North Grand location
After two years of not having a car, my then-fiancé and I bought a used car together.
The east facade of the Lewis & Clark branch of the St. Louis County Library which was planned to be demolished after a new library was built.
On April 29th major equipment was ripping out the unloved center planters on 13th Street between St. Charles St & Washington Ave
MAY
I took at look at the dire economic disinvestment in the north county area at Chambers & Lewis & Clark
I convinced Culinaria to stop filling the entire sidewalk in front of their 9th Street grocery store with cafe tables
Plans for the new Civic Center MetroBus transfer facility were made available.
JUNE
David and I exchanging our vows on Sunday June 8th at the Malcolm Martin Memorial park in East St. Louis, officiated by our friend Chris Reimer.
Our reception was brunch at Bevo Mill, Lydia S. drove us in her Tesla.
The Melvin Price Locks & Dam celebrated 20 years
I took a look at the unincorporated area of North County known as Spanish Lake, the Belle Parke Plaza strip mall shown here
A week ago today the city’s Board of Adjustment ruled the New Life Evangelistic Center homeless shelter must 1) limit beds to the licensed 32 beds 2) seek a new license that would allow more emergency beds or 3) close. Larry Rice, however, wants to continue as he has been — stuffing far more people into a rundown facility after coercing them to do lots of free labor.
NLEC last week, just hours before the decision. The building was originally a YWCA.
Q: Thoughts on the city calling Larry Rice’s NLEC a “nuisance”? (pick up to two)
TIE:
Limiting the licensed occupancy to 32 beds is fair, considering the conditions. 28 [25.69%]
There are other/better alternatives to NLEC available. 28 [25.69%]
Rice’s TV televangelism empire depends on a large visible homeless population 18 [16.51%]
NLEC was there before the condos & apartments 15 [13.76%]
Where will the homeless sleep if NLEC is limited to 32 beds? 10 [9.17%]
NLEC should be able to sleep 300, or more, if they want 3 [2.75%]
Other: 3 [2.75%]
If NLEC had better job training and mental service, open all day Add as a poll answer
it’s high time for NLEC to cease and desist. It’s not a church but a flop house
It and he are nuisances.
NLEC is a religious facility, no government license should be required. 2 [1.83%]
The #2 answer is closest to the truth — Rice desperately needs to maintain the exterior appearance of lots of homeless. Without a visible homeless population he doesn’t have a hook to get donations.
In 2009, court documents estimated New Life has assets between $40 million and $50 million, including radio and television stations. In 2008, the center reported receiving more than $1.8 million in cash contributions. (stltoday.com)
I can assure you other non-profits do more for the homeless with a fraction of the total assets, social workers & researchers are now realizing there is a much more effective & humane way to help the homeless than how Rice has operated NLEC for nearly 40 years:
Permanent housing, not a hard cot in a room crowded with hundreds of men
Hot meals prepared by a trained chef in an inspected kitchen, not sandwiches out of a trunk on the street
Social workers & occupational therapists to find & resolve problems, not free labor & religion
Secure places to store belongings, not encouraged to carry bags to increase visibility
Daytime space & activities, not being out on the street for 12 hours.
Security inside & outside during operations, not ignoring everything that happens just outside.
In these examples the former is how other agencies in St. Louis are trying to end/reduce homelessness, the latter is how Rice maintains the visible problem that keeps millions in coming in. I don’t expect this to be over in May, Rice will fight to maintain his status quo. He misses the old days of vacant warehouses, lack of restaurants, jobs and any sort of measurable economic activity downtown.
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Built St. Louis
historic architecture of St. Louis, Missouri – mourning the losses, celebrating the survivors.
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a guide to geospatial data about the City of St. Louis
