40 South News (http://40southnews.com/page/2/)
In my previous post about the Air Force Academy Chapel, mostly fabricated at two Maplewood companies, Mississippi Valley Structural Steel and Cupples Products Company, I expressed regret that while researching my first Maplewood history book I had not been able to interview anyone who worked at either of those places. That turned out to be a good thing to mention as it was seen by the son of a man who had worked at Cupples. His name is Robert Myers.
The International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) Union, Local 2665 has endorsed my mayoral opponent, Nikylan Knapper. IAFF has also published a document stating that it has a mission to create a Central Metro Fire and Rescue Fire Protection District (FPD). The geographic boundaries encompass 20 municipalities and 15 municipal fire departments, covering 188,010 residents and 57.54 square miles.
Depending on how long you have been following Maplewood History, you may recall the heaping chests of artifacts from the legacy of William Lyman Thomas? Or all of the terrific Kalb Electric stuff rescued from a tag sale by Marty Fischer. Or how about the many Slavik/Irwin family images lent by Matt Irwin-Perkins? It would be a crime not to mention the Fennell trove recently donated by Nancy Fennell Hawkins.
According to niche.com, Richmond Heights was voted 9th best place to live in America and the best place to live in Missouri, KSDK reports. Also, the Post-Dispatch reports on MRH sports starting back up.
A year ago, with the country undergoing major social change, I proposed that Maplewood create an Equity Commission. In my experience of 18 years as an elected official, I have seen the benefits that our boards and commissions have brought to our community. We have an abundance of intelligent and engaged citizens who can help coordinate issues of diversity, social justice, transparency and inclusion between Council, City staff and the other boards and commissions.
While researching these Maplewood stories I have found that it is extremely rare to find one that filled out a whole page in one of the larger of the St. Louis newspapers. This is one of those cases.
In 2020 Congress passed the CARES Act that allocated funds for the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), which are forgivable loans. But a substantial number of small businesses were not able to apply for the PPP before the program’s funds were depleted. Because of this, many Maplewood small businesses missed an opportunity for a lifeline in the form of federal funding during the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. If elected mayor, I will work to ensure that does not happen again.
Maplewood Mayor Barry Greenberg, at the request of 40 South, described what he and the city council have gone through as they have tried to hire a new city manager.
When the artist, Margaret Keller, and her husband, Rick Puller, bought their late Victorian home in Fraser Park 25 years ago, they knew they were getting a high quality home but little else. It was one of their neighbors, Dick Walker, who had lived across the street for many decades who gave them an interesting clue to the history of their new/old digs. He told them that it had been built by a shoe manufacturer named Johansen. He even had a 1997 catalog with information that the company had been founded in 1876.
Bill Jones, who passed early this year, and his wife Barb are certainly familiar to followers of this space. Nothing lasts forever. Not trees, not rocks and certainly not people. Bill lasted longer than most. He left us his memories of early parts of his long life here in Maplewood. I know that I am not alone in saying that I truly appreciate and enjoy them.
Maplewood Mayor Barry Greenberg is running for a second term in the April 6 elections, facing off against MRH School Board member, Nikylan Knapper. Greenberg has information about his candidacy on his campaign website, Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.
A vandal broke a window in the front of Mauhaus Cat Cafe on Wednesday. No cats were harmed in the breaking of the window, Mauhaus reported. Also, donations came in to more than cover the costs from the damage, they said on Facebook.
According to multiple reports, Honduran immigrant Alex Garcia walked out the door of United Church of Christ in Maplewood on Wednesday, no longer afraid to be immediately deported. A change in immigration policy under President Biden made it possible.