St. Louis and Missouri politics, history, gardening. Statehood for St. Louis! Or 103rd Illinois county!
Current School Board Members have been added to New Ward Profiles.
New 3rd Ward: Emily Hubbard
New 7th Ward: Alisha Sonnier (already listed as 7th Ward Alder candidate) and Toni Cousins
New 9th Ward: Matt Davis and Brittany Hogan
New 13th Ward: Donna Jones and Natalie Vowell Vroman
St. Louis City residents have until January 9th to recycle holiday trees at three locations.
Neighboring counties tree recycling and other holiday recycling info.
Gardening by Month- January. Tips & Tasks, Pests & Problems from Missouri Botanical Garden
Start planning your 2023 Garden with Seed St. Louis Seed Starting/Planting Calendar
4 pm Tuesday Craft Project for K-3 Kids at Machacek Library, Lindenwood: Paper Plate Bird Feeder
Noon Wednesday Missouri Conservation Dept Virtual Event: Winter Bloomers- Witch Hazel. Register
4 pm Wednesday Grow Native Missouri Zoom Master Class: Landscaping with Native Wetland Plants. Free to Missouri Prairie Foundation members and Grow Native! professional members. $15 for non-members. Register
6:30 am Saturday Missouri Conservation Dept event at Columbia Bottom Conservation Area: Sunrise Hike to Watch for Eagles at the Confluence. 12 Tickets remaining. Register
9 am Saturday Missouri Conservation Dept event at Columbia Bottom Conservation Area: Dresser Island Hike. Register
6 pm Jan 12th Seed St. Louis Webinar Seed Starting. Register
6 pm Jan 13th Missouri Conservation Dept Virtual Event: Winter Wetland Birds. Register
10:30 am Jan 14th Missouri Conservation Dept Virtual Event: Biodiversity in Your Backyard. Register
Jan 15th Deadline for Ordering Online from Seed St. Louis Annual Seed Packet Sale: $0.25-$1.00 each for veggie, fruit, herb, flower seed packets- for Pick Up Jan 21st
Jan 15th Application Deadline. Hey, teachers and parents of school gardeners, community gardens, public park gardeners: Grow Native Missouri Native Plant Prairie Garden Grants
Noon Jan 18th Missouri Conservation Dept Virtual Event: Wonderful Woodpeckers. Register
4 pm Jan 18th Grow Native! Online Master Class: Gardening on the Shady Side. Free to Missouri Prairie Foundation ie members and Grow Native! professional members. $15 for non-members. Register
Noon Jan 19th Deep Roots Kansas City’s Virtual Event: Native Plants at Noon. Register
7 pm Jan 22nd Missouri Conservation Dept event at Powder Valley Conservation Nature Center: An Evening with Raptors. Register
4 pm Jan 23rd Missouri Conservation Dept Virtual Event: Homemade Suet Bird Feeders. Register
6 pm Jan 26th Seed St. Louis Webinar: Tree Saps & Syrups. Register
Feb 11th Eagle Days at Audubon Center at Riverlands, West Alton (Not Chain of Rocks Bridge). Register
Register for 8 am to 3 pm Feb 11th Seed St. Louis Community Agriculture Conference, In Person and Virtual. $15 but scholarships available. Keynote Presentation: Soul Farmer, Tyrean “Heru” Lewis. Sessions: Growing Mushrooms at Home, Help Pollinators & Increase Your Harvest, Wild Edibles of Missouri, Growing Microgreens 101, Schoolyard Animal Husbandry, Free Plants in the Kitchen Garden, Lacto Ferment Your Garden Produce for Better Gut Health, What is Therapeutic Horticulture?, Land Trust Garden Update
Join us Sundays on Twitter for #GardenSunday with host @stl7thward to interact with other outdoor and indoor gardeners and nature enthusiasts, ask questions, give answers, share photos.
The Deadline in St. Louis City to file for Board President or Alder is 5 pm Friday, January 6th.
Here are the qualifications and requirements.
A candidate for Board of Alder President must be at least 30 years of age, a U.S. citizen for at least 5 years, St. Louis City resident for at least 5 years, an assessed City taxpayer for at least 2 years, and must not have been convicted of malfeasance in office, bribery or other corrupt practice or crime.
A candidate for Alder must be at least 25 years of age, a U.S. citizen for at least 5 years, St. Louis City resident for at least 3 years, a resident of the ward from which elected for at least one year, an assessed City taxpayer for at least 2 years, and must not have been convicted of malfeasance in office, bribery or other corrupt practice or crime.
✔️ All candidates for City office will need petition signatures for Certificate of Nomination.
✔️ All candidates must obtain a receipt from City Treasurer for payment of a filing fee equal to 1% of the salary of the office sought.
✔️ All candidates must obtain a Statement of Tax Clearance– confirmation the candidate is not delinquent in the payment of city taxes and water and refuse bills- from City Collector of Revenue.
Candidates must take their Certificate of Nomination, receipt for payment of filing fee, and Statement of Tax Clearance to the Board of Election to file by the deadline.
✔️ Candidates must also file campaign finance reports with Missouri Ethics Commission.
Also see Board of Election Candidate Filing Information.
Check out the fourteen New Ward Profiles- current officeholders, candidates, a much more, here.
All fourteen new wards in St. Louis City are now profiled here.
Each Ward Profile includes
Most will provide
There are also current Ward Committees with their campaign finance information for at least October 2022 to present and info on their treasurer.
New Ward Committees will eventually for formed and added to each ward.
You’ll find a link on the ward map graphic to the City’s letter size ward map download. If you want a big wall size ward map, contact the Election Board.
Future updates will include adding School Board Members and Libertarian Party Committeepeople, filling in some information here and there, rechecking the Secretary of State’s database for business connections, and more campaign finance information as it becomes available.
Holiday/Christmas Cactus tips from P. Allen Smith
Want to attract birds to your yard but not invasive Starlings? Here are some ideas.
Thru Friday Sachs Butterfly House special event, Chesterfield: Winter Jewels: An Enchanted Celebration. Tickets
Cabin Fever Cure in St. Louis. Climatron at Missouri Botanical Garden is a tropical getaway during winter (or any time). MoBot admission is free to St. Louis City and St. Louis County residents 7 am to Noon Wednesdays and Saturdays.
Jan 15th Deadline for Ordering Online from Seed St. Louis Annual Seed Packet Sale: $0.25-$1.00 each for veggie, fruit, herb, flower seed packets- for Pick Up Jan 21st
Jan 15th Application Deadline. Hey, teachers and parents of school gardeners, community gardens, public park gardeners: Grow Native Missouri Native Plant Prairie Garden Grants
Register for 8 am to 3 pm Feb 11th Seed St. Louis Community Agriculture Conference, In Person and Virtual. $15 but scholarships available. Keynote Presentation: Soul Farmer, Tyrean “Heru” Lewis. Sessions: Growing Mushrooms at Home, Help Pollinators & Increase Your Harvest, Wild Edibles of Missouri, Growing Microgreens 101, Schoolyard Animal Husbandry, Free Plants in the Kitchen Garden, Lacto Ferment Your Garden Produce for Better Gut Health, What is Therapeutic Horticulture?, Land Trust Garden Update
Start planning your 2023 Garden with Seed St. Louis Seed Starting/Planting Calendar
9 am Tuesday Missouri Conservation Dept Virtual Event: Winter Backyard Bird Watching. Register
4 pm Saturday Missouri Conservation Dept special event at Columbia Bottom Conservation Area: New Year’s Eve Walk to the Confluence. 11 Tickets remaining. Register
4 pm Jan 3rd Craft Project for K-3 Kids at Machacek Library, Lindenwood: Paper Plate Bird Feeder
Noon Jan 4th Missouri Conservation Dept Virtual Event: Winter Bloomers- Witch Hazel. Register
4 pm Jan 4th Grow Native Missouri Zoom Master Class: Landscaping with Native Wetland Plants. Free to Missouri Prairie Foundation members and Grow Native! professional members. $15 for non-members. Register
6:30 am Jan 7th Missouri Conservation Dept event at Columbia Bottom Conservation Area: Sunrise Hike to Watch for Eagles at the Confluence. 12 Tickets remaining. Register
9 am Jan 7th Missouri Conservation Dept event at Columbia Bottom Conservation Area: Dresser Island Hike. Register
6 pm Jan 12th Seed St. Louis Webinar Seed Starting. Register
6 pm Jan 13th Missouri Conservation Dept Virtual Event: Winter Wetland Birds. Register
10:30 am Jan 14th Missouri Conservation Dept Virtual Event: Biodiversity in Your Backyard. Register
Noon Jan 18th Missouri Conservation Dept Virtual Event: Wonderful Woodpeckers. Register
4 pm Jan 18th Grow Native! Online Master Class: Gardening on the Shady Side. Free to Missouri Prairie Foundation ie members and Grow Native! professional members. $15 for non-members. Register
Noon Jan 19th Deep Roots Kansas City’s Virtual Event: Native Plants at Noon. Register
7 pm Jan 22nd Missouri Conservation Dept event at Powder Valley Conservation Nature Center: An Evening with Raptors. Register
4 pm Jan 23rd Missouri Conservation Dept Virtual Event: Homemade Suet Bird Feeders. Register
6 pm Jan 26th Seed St. Louis Webinar: Tree Saps & Syrups. Register
Join us Sundays on Twitter for #GardenSunday with host @stl7thward to interact with other outdoor and indoor gardeners and nature enthusiasts, ask questions, give answers, share photos.
On October 28, 2020, Jamilah Nasheed and LaTanya Reeves organized a business, a Limited Liability Corporation, with the Missouri Secretary of State. At the time, Nasheed was a Missouri State Senator, and would be so for another two months, and Reeves worked in Mayor Lyda Krewson’s office.
Many state legislators own businesses and work at jobs other than their elected positions. In 2018, however, 62% of Missourians approved Constitutional Amendment 1 (Clean Missouri), which included an increase from six months to two years for the waiting period for legislators to become lobbyists.
Nasheed’s may have violated that constitutional provision by organizing Ignite Strategic Consulting, purpose: “Governmental and political consulting and all other purposes allowable by law.”
At the very least, Nasheed violated the intent of the law- to stop the revolving door of state legislators cashing in on their elected office cachet- and she did so in a deceitful manner.
Reeves was the agent of record until August 2, 2022, when Nasheed replaced her, per filing with Secretary of State. Nasheed’s name would not show up on a records check prior to the August change. Was the business interest disclosed to Governor Mike Parson before he appointed her to the Board of Probation and Parole?
In addition to her work on the Board, Nasheed is a well known advocate and activist for privatization of public schools. But, as of today, she is not a registered lobbyist nor has ever been, per a search at Missouri Ethics Commission.
The St. Louis City address of the business should also be a concern. It’s the same address as State Representative Rasheen Aldridge.
Disclosure: I endorsed Jamilah Nasheed for Board President in 2019. We have since parted ways.
Thru Dec 30th Sachs Butterfly House special event, Chesterfield: Winter Jewels: An Enchanted Celebration. Tickets
Annual Seed St. Louis Seed Packet Sale: Order Online– $0.25-$1.00 each for veggie, fruit, herb, flower seed packets- for Pick Up Jan 21st
Reminder: Climatron at Missouri Botanical Garden is a magical great getaway during winter (or any time) and MoBot admission is free to St. Louis City and St. Louis County residents 7 am to Noon Wednesdays and Saturdays.
Hey, teachers and parents of school gardeners, community gardens, public park gardeners: Jan 15th Application Deadline for Grow Native Missouri Native Plant Prairie Garden Grants
Start planning your 2023 Garden with Seed St. Louis Seed Starting/Planting Calendar
Looking for something to do outdoors over the holidays? Visit Brightside St. Louis Demonstration Garden
6:30 pm Tuesday Missouri Conservation Dept Virtual Event: Missouri’s Prairie Communities. Register
11 am Wednesday Missouri Conservation Dept Virtual Event: Feeding the Birds. Register
4 pm Wednesday Grow Native Missouri Webinar: Restoring Home: The Journey Back to Native. Register
9 am Dec 27th Missouri Conservation Dept Virtual Event: Winter Backyard Bird Watching. Register
4 pm Dec 31st Missouri Conservation Dept special event at Columbia Bottom Conservation Area: New Year’s Eve Walk to the Confluence. 11 Tickets remaining. Register
4 pm Jan 3rd Craft Project for K-3 Kids at Machacek Library, Lindenwood: Paper Plate Bird Feeder
Noon Jan 4th Missouri Conservation Dept Virtual Event: Winter Bloomers- Witch Hazel. Register
4 pm Jan 4th Grow Native Missouri Zoom Master Class: Landscaping with Native Wetland Plants. Free to Missouri Prairie Foundation members and Grow Native! professional members. $15 for non-members. Register
6:30 am Jan 7th Missouri Conservation Dept event at Columbia Bottom Conservation Area: Sunrise Hike to Watch for Eagles at the Confluence. 12 Tickets remaining. Register
9 am Jan 7th Missouri Conservation Dept event at Columbia Bottom Conservation Area: Dresser Island Hike. Register
6 pm Jan 12th Seed St. Louis Webinar Seed Starting. Register
6 pm Jan 13th Missouri Conservation Dept Virtual Event: Winter Wetland Birds. Register
10:30 am Jan 14th Missouri Conservation Dept Virtual Event: Biodiversity in Your Backyard. Register
Noon Jan 18th Missouri Conservation Dept Virtual Event: Wonderful Woodpeckers. Register
Noon Jan 19th Deep Roots Kansas City’s Virtual Event: Native Plants at Noon. Register
4 pm Jan 23rd Missouri Conservation Dept Virtual Event: Homemade Suet Bird Feeders. Register
6 pm Jan 26th Seed St. Louis Webinar: Tree Saps & Syrups. Register
7 pm Jan 22nd Missouri Conservation Dept event at Powder Valley Conservation Nature Center: An Evening with Raptors. Register
Register for 8 am to 3 pm Feb 11th Seed St. Louis Community Agriculture Conference, In Person and Virtual. $15 but scholarships available. Keynote Presentation: Soul Farmer, Tyrean “Heru” Lewis. Sessions: Growing Mushrooms at Home, Help Pollinators & Increase Your Harvest, Wild Edibles of Missouri, Growing Microgreens 101, Schoolyard Animal Husbandry, Free Plants in the Kitchen Garden, Lacto Ferment Your Garden Produce for Better Gut Health, What is Therapeutic Horticulture?, Land Trust Garden Update
Join us Sundays on Twitter for #GardenSunday with host @stl7thward to interact with other outdoor and indoor gardeners and nature enthusiasts, ask questions, give answers, share photos.
Something about the address 2851 Indiana in St. Louis City seemed familiar when I saw the real estate ad. I joked about the bright yellow and blue interior paint on Twitter, but there was something else about the address.
Then I remembered. I did some research on the Tietjens Family years ago. This was one of their homes.
Henry B. Tietjens was born in 1876 in St. Louis City to German immigrants. He served in the Spanish-American War in 1st Regiment Missouri Volunteer Infantry. He worked in various occupations including wholesale meats.
He first married Martha Garringer, a German immigrant sixteen years younger than him. To them was born Albert around 1917.
Martha had surgery for breast cancer in 1930 and gave birth to Martha Lou a year later. The breast cancer came back and she died in 1935.
Henry then married Leota Silverling, twelve years younger than him. She lived with Henry, her two stepchildren, and their maternal grandfather at the Indiana home.
Later, Henry and Leota moved to 4052 Shenandoah. He died at age 79 in 1956 from prostate cancer and is buried at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery. She died in 1960 at age 71 from diabetes, also buried at Jefferson Barracks.
Annual Seed St. Louis Seed Packet Sale: Order Online– $0.25-$1.00 each for veggie, fruit, herb, flower seed packets- for Pick Up Dec 17th or Jan 21
Reminder: Climatron at Missouri Botanical Garden is a magical great getaway during winter (or any time) and MoBot admission is free to St. Louis City and St. Louis County residents 7 am to Noon Wednesdays and Saturdays.
Hey, teachers and parents of school gardeners, community gardens, public park gardeners: Jan 15th Application Deadline for Grow Native Missouri Native Plant Prairie Garden Grants
Know what are Silva Cells?
Start planning your 2023 Garden with Seed St. Louis Seed Starting/Planting Calendar
Thru Dec 30th Sachs Butterfly House special event, Chesterfield: Winter Jewels: An Enchanted Celebration. Tickets
1:30 pm Tuesday Leaf Walk at Bellefontaine Cemetery. Master Guide led walking tour. Register
10 am Wednesday Missouri Conservation Dept Virtual Program: Attracting and ID Winter Birds. Register
Noon Thursday Deep Roots Kansas City virtual event: Native Plants at Noon on the Road with Missouri Conservation Dept. Register
4 pm Friday Missouri Conservation Dept events at Tower Grove Park
Discovering Night Walk. Might see owls. 18 Tickets remaining. Register
Family Craft Night @ Stupp Center. 21 Tickets remaining. Register
9:30 am Saturday Missouri Conservation Dept event at Powder Valley Conservation Nature Area, Kirkwood: Breakfast with the Birds. Only 4 Tickets remaining. Register
6:30 pm Dec 20th Missouri Conservation Dept Virtual Event: Missouri’s Prairie Communities. Register
11 am Dec 21st Missouri Conservation Dept Virtual Event: Feeding the Birds. Register
4 pm Dec 21st Grow Native Missouri Webinar: Restoring Home: The Journey Back to Native. Register
9 am Dec 27th Missouri Conservation Dept Virtual Event: Winter Backyard Bird Watching. Register
4 pm Dec 31st Missouri Conservation Dept special event at Columbia Bottom Conservation Area: New Year’s Eve Walk to the Confluence. 12 Tickets remaining. Register
4 pm Jan 3rd Craft Project for K-3 Kids at Machacek Library, Lindenwood: Paper Plate Bird Feeder
6 pm Jan 12th Seed St. Louis Webinar Seed Starting. Register
6 pm Jan 26th Seed St. Louis Webinar: Tree Saps & Syrups. Register
Register for 8 am to 3 pm Feb 11th Seed St. Louis Community Agriculture Conference, In Person and Virtual. $15 but scholarships available. Keynote Presentation: Soul Farmer, Tyrean “Heru” Lewis. Sessions: Growing Mushrooms at Home, Help Pollinators & Increase Your Harvest, Wild Edibles of Missouri, Growing Microgreens 101, Schoolyard Animal Husbandry, Free Plants in the Kitchen Garden, Lacto Ferment Your Garden Produce for Better Gut Health, What is Therapeutic Horticulture?, Land Trust Garden Update
Join us Sundays on Twitter for #GardenSunday with host @stl7thward to interact with other outdoor and indoor gardeners and nature enthusiasts, ask questions, give answers, share photos.
I previously wrote about legislation to increase salaries of St. Louis City Alders to $72,000 without requiring them to devote all their time to their public office.
Now there’s an effort to amend the City Charter to make Alders full-time City employees. The problem is Alder Joe Vaccaros’ Board Bill 126 is one of two things- completely meaningless or a nightmare for courts to sort out. In either case, Alders should start over.
Vaccaro’s proposed Charter amendment doesn’t define what full-time employee means, reference current City Personnel Department language, or link to State or Federal law. He leaves it up to each person to decide for themselves what full-time means and, apparently, then litigate it to death.
Is Vaccaro proposing an honor system where each Alder says they worked x-number of hours?
Is Vaccaro suggesting that after voters passed this terribly flawed amendment that Alders would figure out some kind of report your hours to Board Clerk system.? The Board Clerk is a Board patronage employee, so there are all sort of conflicts of interest to this self-regulating full-time employee charade.
Do many or even most Alders put in forty hours a week or more? Absolutely.
Would it be a good thing to properly compensate elected officials who devote themselves to public service? Absolutely.
But this bill does not do that. Vaccaro’s proposal treats Alders who devote all their time to being an Alder and Alders who are bank vice presidents, attorneys, public relations consultants, business owners, landlords, etc. the same. See list, a work in progress, below.
There is a better way, a charter amendment that makes Alders and Board President devote all their time to the elected job, same as Charter requires the Mayor: “The mayor shall devote his entire time to the duties of his office.”
A huge bonus to requiring full devotion to the job is that it will remove conflicts of interests such as the ones posed by Jack Coatar being an Alder and working for Spencer Fane.
The proposed pay hike for Alders should be contingent on passage of a charter amendment requiring Alders to devote all their time to public service.
Make your voice heard to your Alder and the Committee hearing Vaccaro’s legislation.
New 1st Ward
Current 12th Ward Alder Bill Stephens: former librarian
Candidate and Current 13th Ward Alder Anne Schweitzer: campaign consultant at Public Eye
Candidate for 1st Ward Alder Matt E. Kotraba:
Candidate for 1st Ward Alder Tony Kirchner: deputy sheriff
New 2nd Ward
Current 14th Ward Alder Carol Howard- former school principal
Current 16th Ward Alder Tom Oldenburg: vice president for Community Development |at US Bancorp Community Development Corp
Candidate for 2nd Ward Alder Phill Menendez: ceo of JTEKE LLC- manufacturer of the U-Stripe It & Design Tool; owner of La Casa Developer’s; account exec at Blue Line Technology facial recognition; retired Detective Sergeant from St. Louis Police Dept
New 3rd Ward
Current 11th Ward Alder Jimmy Lappe: current or former director of Data & Research at Missouri Jobs With Justice
Former 11th Ward Alder Sarah Martin: lobbyist
Current 25th Ward Alder Shane Cohn: owner of 4664 Tennessee LLC investment and redevelopment of real estate
New 4th Ward
Current 23rd Ward Alder Joe Vaccaro: former car wash owner
Current 24th Ward Alder Bret Narayan: attorney, private practice
New 5th Ward
Current 10th Ward Alder & Acting Board President Joseph Vollmer: owner of Milo’s Bocce Garden; co-owner TLJ Investments (funeral home); owner of TLSJ (commercial real estate); landlord
Candidate for 5th Ward Alder Helen Petty: owner of The Chop Shop, stylist
New 6th Ward
Current 8th Ward Alder Annie Rice: attorney at Khazaeli Wyrsch Stock until 2021
Current 15th Ward Alder Megan Ellyia Green: adjunct professor at Washington University
Candidate for 6th Ward Alder Daniela Velázquez:(vice president for Corporate Reputation at FleishmanHillard; owner of Mavend Media LLC; former Senior Public Relations Strategist at Elasticity; former communications director at Missouri ACLU
New 7th Ward
Current 6th Ward Alder Christine Ingrassia: paddle guide for Big Muddy Adventures
Candidate for 7th Ward Alder Alisha Sonnier: mental health advocate at Cigna
Candidate for 7th Ward Alder Jon-Pierre Mitchom: director of Equity and Inclusion at STL Priory School
New 8th Ward
Current 7th Ward Alder Jack Coatar: attorney at Spencer Fane’s Litigation, Governmental Affairs, and Real Estate Practice
Current 9th Ward Alder Dan Guenther: former Monarch Community Liaison at Office of Sustainability
Current 20th Ward Alder Cara Spencer: senior vice president for Community and Economic Development at St. Louis Bank
Candidate for 8th Ward Alder Shedrick “Nato Caliph” Kelley: owner of Cipher Music Group; co-owner Kelley Dispatch & Logistics
New 9th Ward
Current 17th Ward Alder Tina Pihl: landlord
Current 28th Ward Alder Michael Gras: attorney at Davis & Gras
Candidate for 9th Ward Alder Michael Browning: senior grant specialist at Washington University School of Medicine;
New 10th Ward
Current 26th Ward Alder Shameem Clark Hubbard: former salon owner
New 11th Ward
Current 19th Ward Alder Marlene Davis:
Current 21st Ward Alder Laura Keys: clinical data coordinator at Biomedical Systems; landlord
New 12th Ward
Current 1st Ward Alder Sharon Tyus: attorney; landlord
Current 4th Ward Alder Dwinderlin Evans: landlord; owner of Great Scott Enterprises
Current 18th Ward Alder Jesse Todd:
Candidate for 12th Waed Alder Darron M. Collins-Bey: work number on Board of Election filing list is Office of Veterans Affairs; owner of Elshaddai Consulting LLC; owner of Bey-El Industries Inc.
Candidate for 12th Ward Alder Tashara T Earl: owner of Shades of Color beauty supplies
New 13th Ward
Current 2nd Ward Alder Lisa Middlebrook: home healthcare
Current 22nd Ward Alder Norma Walker: owner of Belt Loop Trucking; landlord
Former 22nd Ward Alder Jeffrey Boyd: owner of The Best Place event space
Current 27th Ward Alder Pam Boyd: certified dietary manager at The Valley Stonebridge Community skilled nursing facility
New 14th Ward
Current 3rd Ward Alder Brandon Bosley: owner of New Black Wall Street 314 LLC
Current 5th Ward Alder James Page: executive director for Downtown St. Louis Neighborhood Association; retired from U.S. Post Office
The Great State of St. Louis 