DeAsia Paige

Screenshot of Ngozi Ezike via Blue Room Stream

Illinois Health Director Talks Building Trust In Black Areas Ahead Of COVID-19 Vaccine Event

DeAsia Paige

Dr. Ngozie Ezike says she’s looking forward to listening to people’s concerns about taking the vaccine. The event will be streamed on Facebook Live at 6:30 p.m.

Alex Fennoy is the executive vice president of community and economic development for St. Louis-based Midwest BankCentre. The East St. Louis native wants to make sure that low-income populations have access to banking needs.

Economy & Business

East St. Louis Native Wants Black Communities To Have More Access To Financial Services

DeAsia Paige

Alex Fennoy plans to bring a bank to East St. Louis.

**WE HAVE PERMISSION TO ONLY PUBLISH THIS IMAGE ONCE** Rep. Emanuel "Chris" Welch, D-Hillside, (right) speaks to Rep. LaShawn Ford, D-Chicago, Monday on the floor of the Bank of Springfield Center, the acting Illinois House chamber to ensure COVID-19 precautions. The Illinois Legislative Black Caucus is putting forward a massive bill to reform policing in the state. **WE HAVE PERMISSION TO ONLY PUBLISH THIS IMAGE ONCE**

Government, Politics & Issues

Illinois Police Oppose ‘Rushed’ Reform Bill, But Black Leaders Say It’s Time To Take Action

DeAsia Paige

“Hopefully we are doing our ancestors proud in the work that we are doing here,” state Rep. LaToya Greenwood said.

East St. Louis Police Chief Kendall Perry talks about the cooperative effort on Dec. 23 with the East St. Louis police department and the Public Safety Enforcement Group. The effort is part of a collaboration between the East St. Louis Police and the Illinois State Police.

Government, Politics & Issues

Illinois State Police Introduces New Unit Designed To Reduce Crime In East St. Louis

DeAsia Paige

Illinois State Police introduced a new effort to help alleviate violent crime in East St. Louis during a press conference Wednesday.

Left to right, Barbara Taylor, Diamond Williams, Tiffany Gholson, and Catrice Johnson outside of the Wraparound Wellness Center in East St. Louis on Dec. 10. The center expands East St. Louis School District 189’s trauma counseling services to include more direct engagement with student’s families and the greater community.

Education

New Center Will Help East St. Louis Families Heal From The Emotional Trauma Of Violence

DeAsia Paige

The school district is expanding its trauma counseling services to evenings and weekends by creating the Wraparound Wellness Center.

Centreville resident Walter Byrd stands in his side yard next to raw sewage and his attempt to keep the sewage from backing up into his home.

Health, Science & Environment

Illinois EPA announces Centreville flooding relief plan; residents want more answers

DeAsia Paige

A new Illinois Environmental Protection Agency grant could help fix some of the chronic flooding issues plaguing Centreville for years.

Cahokia Mayor Curtis McCall Jr. talked about the potential consolidation with Cahokia, Centreville, and Alorton.

Government, Politics & Issues

Voters In Cahokia, Centreville And Alorton Approve Merger Of Their Metro East Towns

DeAsia Paige

Voters in Cahokia, Alorton and Centreville on Tuesday approved a proposal to merge their towns to create a new city called “Cahokia Heights,” according to unofficial returns.

As the coronavirus continues to keep students out of school, parents like East St. Louis resident Melissa Lawson struggle to provide internet access for children's online classes. Lawson uses her phone, with a limited data package, as a hot spot.

East St. Louis Families Scramble For Internet Access To Engage In Remote Learning

DeAsia Paige

As schools continue to rely on remote learning, families who don't have access to reliable internet struggle to keep up.

Gloria Hicks, community outreach, assembles PPE kits to distribute at upcoming community outreach events.

Here’s how an East St. Louis nonprofit plans to use a $1 million grant to help people

DeAsia Paige

Community Life Line received a $1 million grant from the Illinois COVID-19 Response Fund - the largest award given to a St. Clair County organization by the fund to date.

Stanley Franklin, President of the East St. Louis NAACP, speaks during the “All Lives Matter!” meeting presented by Racial Harmony in 2014.

Town hall meetings tackle issues of inequality, social justice in East St. Louis

DeAsia Paige

The East St. Louis chapter of the NAACP launched the second phase of the chapter’s initiative to bring more attention to and provide solutions for injustices that residents in East St. Louis experience.