Sixty years ago this month, the fighting ended in a war that, today, many Americans know little about. Thousands of young Missourians who fought bravely on the Korean peninsula to halt unprovoked aggression and to defend freedom came home to farms, small towns and big cities across our diverse state. Yet, returning from halfway around the world, few were greeted with fanfare or hailed as heroes. It is unfortunate that it would take decades before the full significance of what they had accomplished was realized.

Grand Center, Inc. & Jazz St. Louis have partnered to present the American Music Showcase on Saturday, August 3, from 6pm to Midnight, in Grand Center. For $10, guests will receive wristband admission which will provide access to all six bands and five participating venues along with food and drink specials.

The Consumer Federation of America (CFA) issued a recent report blasting car insurance companies for using customer levels of education and occupation to set rates for automobile coverage. The CFA says using such parameters is unfair and discriminatory.

Despite a very disappointing quiet tug-of-war by a few supporters belonging to retired Urban League Metropolitan St. Louis President James H. Buford, the full board of directors recently made a courageous and critical decision.

The Board of Directors of the Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis, Inc. has appointed Michael P. McMillan, 41, as the next president and chief executive officer of the 95 – year old Urban League affiliate. McMillan, the License Collector for the City of St. Louis since 2007 and a longtime Urban League member and supporter, takes the helm August 5, succeeding James H. Buford who is retiring after 28 years of stellar service to the Urban League.

I have no doubt that Rev. Rodney Francis is well-intentioned. But the touchy-feely toy gun buyback program held this past weekend in north St. Louis, North County and East St. Louis is a wholly misguided attempt to reduce violence in our urban communities.

Black America and fair minded whites are losing their minds over the not guilty verdict handed down in the Trayvon Martin murder trial in Seminole County, Florida late Saturday night.

I’m sure you’ve heard the ads on the radio for the company that will teach you how to flip a house, that’s short for fix-up a dump and then sell it for a huge profit.

Once again, Governor Jay Nixon is wrongly withholding funds from the state budget that will hurt some of Missouri’s most vulnerable residents.

An entrepreneurship program for bee keeping, reflective rooftop painting and a new skate park are among the seven winning projects of the Sustainable Neighborhood Small Grant Competition to promote sustainability among City neighborhoods.