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At Eckert’s Farm in Millstadt, Illinois, there’s an intricate 12-acre corn maze that, this year, honors health care workers. Hugh McPherson of Maize Quest talks about the precise high-tech operation of corn mazes.

The Bail Project is closing its St. Louis office after nearly four years. CEO Robin Steinberg explains why, and discusses how the bigger fight against cash bail continues, with former St. Louis-based “bail disruptor” Mike Milton.

When TGNCDC purchased 3600 Bamberger in 2015 it was known as “the drug house on the corner.” The property had 117 calls for police service over 3 years for drug sales, assaults, and four calls for “shots fired.” 3600 Bamberger was an obvious target for our first property in The Wedge, the area located south of Gravois, north of Chippewa, and west of South Grand, because of its high profile corner location and nuisance issues. This property and our tenants have been the anchor for our redevelopment efforts in The Wedge for the past six years.  

In October of 2015, after some renovations and tenant screening through HomeScreen, new tenants started moving into 3600 Bamberger including Jessica.*  Jessica stayed with us as we set up a police substation in her building and worked to abate nuisance behavior on the block. She saw calls for service drop 71% in the first year. Jessica stayed with us as we purchased and rehabbed 11 other buildings with 40 rental units in the Wedge. Jessica stayed with us as we formed a partnership between HomeScreen and Prosperity Connection and took advantage of their free financial coaching. Now, bittersweetly, Jessica is moving on. She has purchased a house for herself and her family, one of her long-term goals. 

At TGNCDC, our mission is to make sure our tenants are supported and feel like valuable members of our community. Jessica has been a prime example of how our mission comes to life through our tenants. We will miss her! Please read the statement below from Jessica about her time as our tenant. 

When I moved to St. Louis I found myself in the classic slum-lord situation. They wanted all the money with none of the maintenance. After the first year they raised my rent and I thought “okay, that sucks”, but rolled with it. Over that year they would just show up and do things to my place without notifying me and my presence was not needed. Coming home to stuff being moved around, messes made, to find someone has finally fixed a drippy faucet months after you sent the maintenance reports was unsettling. The following year they raised my rent again and so I decided it was time to move on from the unkept building I found myself in.  A friend approached me and introduced me to TGNCDC. When they showed me the place I was soon to reside in it was like all of my hopes and dreams were coming true. The place had the right price, the right location from work, and gave peace of mind, with a police substation below my building.  

To say they are an excellent company to rent from could only be an understatement from my perspective. If it was broken they promptly fixed it, and did it with excellent communication. Often telling me the day before so I could have the opportunity to make a mad dash to clean around the house so I wouldn’t be ashamed. They are what one would expect from a rental agency but are hard to find. 

The thing that makes them exceptional is how they are there for you on another level. When the Ferguson Riots came to my neighborhood they reached out to make sure I felt safe. When life had ups and downs they were there for me. They would connect with me. They didn't abuse or betray my trust. When Covid-19 left me out of work for several months they were ready with programs to apply for rent and necessities assistance. Including them walking me through how to apply for food stamps.  

When my parents started feeling unwell I started to pressure them to move next to me. My step-father is disabled and on parole and could not move to my state without an address to go to. I talked to them and they allowed me to put my address as his landing spot.  Over a year later I got a call telling me my step dad was going to be paroled to me in two weeks.  Two weeks was not enough time to find a place for myself and my step dad. So I went on the process of buying a house.  They were more than patient during this rough transition. Letting my step-father stay there while I made ready the house. They also referred me to electricians and contractors that I felt I would need, being a first time home buyer. It was in no small part due to TGNCDC that I was able to get the house. They never once raised my rent. The money I would have spent on the trajectory that my previous rental company was charging equates to a large part of my down payment. 

Leaving my apartment is by far the hardest part of my move. It feels like losing a part of myself.  Although the door on that part of my life is closing as I walk through to the next adventure, I foresee myself missing that apartment throughout time. A place that wasn’t just my apartment, it was my first home.

If you would like to support TGNCDC’s efforts to create more safe, stable housing in the Wedge, please donate!

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Many rural utilities are trying to keep up with increased demand for water and electricity as more states approve recreational marijuana.

I’ve working on my bucket list in the last two years living with stage IV kidney cancer. Right after Memorial Day I was able to visit Milwaukee, my very first time in Wisconsin. I’m also working on items closer to home that I can safely do during a pandemic. To help ...

People have always been people—that’s one of my favorite facts about history. It’s also a very easy fact to forget. We talk about “great men” of history and the things they did and the decisions they made that still impact us today. We often don’t think about the rest of their lives—their families, their friends, or the smaller decisions they made. …

Continue reading "Making Missouri: Examining Missouri’s First Statesmen"

Today, Yahoo News published a long and deeply-sourced investigation that the CIA, led by Trump appointee Mike Pompeo, repeatedly and seriously considered kidnapping and even assassinating WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange. The agency engaged in so many shocking and extra-legal actions that the whole report needs to be read in full to be believed.

Yahoo News also reported that intelligence officials, in disturbing disregard for the First Amendment, pushed to have other journalists—including FPF board members Laura Poitras and Glenn Greenwald—re-categorized as “information brokers” for their award-winning reporting on the Snowden disclosures. Yahoo said that the purpose was to open up “the use of more investigative tools against them, potentially paving the way for their prosecution.”

The following statement can be attributed to Freedom of the Press Foundation (FPF) executive director Trevor Timm:

“The CIA is a disgrace. The fact that it contemplated and engaged in so many illegal acts against WikiLeaks, its associates, and even other award-winning journalists is an outright scandal that should be investigated by Congress and the Justice Department. The Biden Administration must drop its charges against Assange immediately. The case already threatens the rights of countless reporters. These new revelations, which involve a shocking disregard of the law, are truly beyond the pale.”

Previously, a coalition of groups focused on civil liberties, human rights and press freedom—including Freedom of the Press Foundation—urged the Biden administration to drop its charges against Assange. The letter to Biden’s Justice Department was signed by the ACLU, Committee to Protect Journalists, Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, and many more.

St. Louis Symphony Orchestra Conductor Laureate Leonard Slatkin lays out possible solutions to the lack of native-born music directors in American orchestras and the lack of a thoughtful career path for talented assistant conductors.

The Preservation Board agenda for their September 27th meeting has several developments for consideration. There’s an expansion of the Rung Foundation in Fox Park, a new funeral home on Dr. Martin Luther King Drive in The Ville, and a few infill projects. Infill is a boost to the solvency of a city because the land is rendered […]

The post Developments Going Before the Preservation Board at September Meeting appeared first on NextSTL.

If you would like to view the September SLHNA General Meeting Zoom recording you can do so at any time by clicking here.

Artist Bill Christman never considered his Cherokee Street statue, installed in 1985, among his best work. He explains why — and shares its design process and why he’s not upset about the sculpture’s removal.

A new concert series is now up and running in what may seem like an unlikely place: Laclede’s Landing. It hasn’t come without complications. Drew Jameson of Jamo Presents discusses what the concert series has to offer and how it’s part of a larger effort to revive downtown St. Louis.

The Latino community is leading Missouri in vaccination rates — thanks to a local volunteer group connecting local Spanish speakers with both resources to navigate the pandemic and health professionals.

Comedian Nikki Glaser recently started taking voice lessons. In this bonus podcast episode, she explains how she has a new job in mind.

Enjoy bison, buffalo, elk and venison in a convenient handheld package.

Whether you're going fishing for the first time or could use a primer before your next trip, this is what you need to know.

There are hundreds of accredited places throughout the state to take your deer, turkey and other animals, but these four will give you an idea of where to start.

The acclaimed chef describes how he’s working with local farmers to revive ancient heirloom seeds.

The elevated American cuisine includes lobster pot pie, truffle mac ‘n’ cheese and carrot cake fritters.

Musician Ryan Marquez is celebrating what he calls the city’s “artistic renaissance” with a series of collaborations on his new album, “Saint Unity.” Twenty local vocalists and other musicians contributed to what Marquez calls a snapshot of the creativity in St. Louis.