COMPLIMENTARY

stlamerican.comVol. 83 No. 34CAC Audited

NOVEMBER 24 – 30, 2011

OWN orders second helpingBy Kenya VaughnOf The St. Louis American

“I know one thing – I better be in this story,” saidCharles Crenchaw, aka Lil’ Charles, one of the stars ofOprah Winfrey Network reality show Welcome to SweetiePie’s.

“And make sure you get one of us by ourselves,” hecontinued, motioning his hand back and forth betweenhimself and his aunt, Sweetie Pie’s owner RobbieMontgomery.

What began as a photo op before the filming of whatwas to have been the season finale of the reality showturned into hilarious banter between the cast: who wouldstand where, would Tim wear his hat, should Ms.Montgomery hold the award she had received earlier inthe day.

“Come on now, y’all –just take the damn picture,”Montgomery fussed at her son Tim Norman and hernephew while Tim’s fiancée Janae shrugged her shoul-

See SWEETIE, A6

Sweetie Pie’s is smash hit on Oprah network

INSIDE

Barbeque baby steps

Rib Shack celebrates its1st anniversary Tuesday,Nov. 29 with a bash atStudio Blu.

~ Page C1 ~

BUSINESS

Power Up buys Crown Electrical

Michael B. Kennedy Jr.’scompany has become thelargest minority-owned,full-service electrical contractor in the St. Louisregion.

~ Page B1 ~

LIVING IT

� “The audienceis really respond-ing to this program, and theratings continue tobuild, which is agreat testament tothe show.”

– OWN PresidentErik Logan

Larry Hughes and the Larry Hughes Foundation donated 250 Thanksgiving turkeys last Thursday at the St.Louis Gateway Classic Sports Foundation, 2012 Dr. Martin Luther King Drive, as part of the foundation’sannual “Feed the Hungry”Thanksgiving Dinner. More than 100 volunteers also worked three shifts to feedall of those who arrived at the Gateway Classic for a warm turkey dinner with all the trimmings.

Feeding the hungryShow-Me the memories

This season marks the25th Show-Me Bowl sinceEarl Austin Jr. became asportswriter. Earl looksback and spotlights manyof the great moments overhis career.

~ Page B5 ~

SPORTS

Photo by Wiley Price

American staff

Civil rights pioneer and optometrist Dr. James AllenDeClue Sr. passed away in St. Louis Wednesday, November

16, 2011 of congestive heart failure. He was87.

DeClue’s professional career spanned 51years, and he spent nearly the same amountof time fighting for the rights of AfricanAmericans here and throughout the U.S.

James Allen DeClue was born onFebruary 29, 1924 in St. Louis to LouiseViola Burnam of Kentucky and James “Jim”Shields DeClue Jr. of Missouri. He had onebrother, Frank Burnam DeClue.

He attended the St. Louis Public Schoolsand graduated from Sumner High School in1941 along with is future wife, Shirley MarieJohnson. Johnson was the niece of Ethel

Hedgeman-Lyle, founder of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority. DeClue attended Stowe Teacher’s College for two years

before he was drafted into World War II in 1943. He served

DR. DECLUEPASSES AT 87Pioneering optometrist, STL NAACP president

By Roscoe CrenshawFor The St. Louis American

The People Against Poverty Campaign, co-spon-sored by Community Women Against Hardship

(CWAH) and The St. LouisAmerican, enables all concernedcompassionate citizens to share ina reciprocal feeling of joy. If youare moved by the following per-sonal scenarios of real needs, youcan provide the suggested assis-tance to these worthy clients. Justcontact CWAH, 3963 West BellePl., at 314-289-7523.

Ms. T. is a single mother of two children who losther job this past summer. As a result, she was evictedfrom her apartment and forced to move into a one-bedroom apartment with her grandmother. Due to herunemployment, the cost of school uniforms for her

Parkbondissuenearspassage

See DeCLUE, A7 See GIVING, A7

The cast of

OWN’s hitshowfrom

St. Louis,Welcome

ToSweetie

Pie’s: Lil’Charles,

TimNorman

and MissRobbie

Mont-gomery.

Photo by Rick Diamond, Getty Images

2011 PEOPLE AGAINSTPOVERTY CAMPAIGN

Giving bringsjoy to all

By Rebecca S. RivasOf The St. Louis American

St. Louis city residents maybe enjoying more beautifulparks within the next fewyears, as city legislators drawcloser to passing laws to fundthe largest capital improve-ments to parks since 1955.

On Friday, the Board ofAldermen unanimously voted

to perfectboard bills189 and190, whichauthorizetwo bondissues – a$30 millionbond forForest Parkcapital proj-ects and a$34 millionfor othercity parks.The billswould alsolock in cityrevenues forpark capitalprojects andmainte-

nance for the duration of thebonds.

As part of the board bills,the nonprofit Forest ParkForever Inc. pledges to raise$130 million in private funds,and endow $4 million a yearfor 30 years for annual mainte-nance of Forest Park. In total,the annual funds for ForestPark would increase from thecurrent $3.3 million to $7.3million.

The next step is gettingapproval from the city’s Boardof Estimate & Apportionment.

The bills have strong sup-port from both President of theBoard of Aldermen LewisReed and Mayor Francis G.Slay, who both sit on the E&Aboard, and their two voteswould be enough to pass thebills forward.

However, they do not havethe support of ComptrollerDarlene Green, the third E&Aboard member. She says thecity is facing numerous otherbond issues, including public

Advocatesreject Green’sobjections

See PARK, A6

� “All we’reasking is touse parksmoney –and $250million inprivateinvestment– to solvethe park’schallenges.”

– Gary Bess,parks director

ChristianMorton ofRiverviewin 1997

Dr. JamesAllenDeClue Sr.