St. Louis Beacon - Uneasy Street: Maplewood

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Uneasy Street: Maplewood

Maplewood hopes an investment in schools will add to the city's increasing appeal

By Elia Powers, Beacon staff
Posted 3:47 p.m. Fri. July 24 - Much like the city of Maplewood, the Maplewood Richmond Heights School District has turned itself around -- thanks in part to a hands-on superintendent and a determined board. While the district acknowledges there's still room for improvements, some say young people are now moving into the area because of a growing trust in the schools.

Intersections: Maplewood

By Sam Washburn, Special to the Beacon

Posted 10:51 a.m. Wed. July 22 - "Intersections," from illustrator Sam Washburn, is a new monthly series in the Beacon. Each month, Sam will present an image of a neighborhood or an activity that is special to St. Louis. In his drawings, Sam hopes to distill a community's personality and character -- and make us smile in recognition. This month's "Intersection" is Maplewood, an inner suburb that blends a working-class heritage with a hip sensibility.

Focus on art feeds Maplewood's recent growth

By Elia Powers, Beacon staff

Posted 2 p.m. Wed., July 15 - If you're looking for a neighborhood that's on the verge of a turnaround, find where the artists are setting up shop. Maplewood has proven that adage. The host of events such "Let Them Eat Art" and "Art Outside," Maplewood is also home to a growing number of art galleries and architectural firms.

Tune town: Maplewood's music scene marches to all kinds of beats

By Terry Perkins, Special to the Beacon

Posted 12:18 p.m. Fri., July 17 - From folk music to dueling pianos to children's theater, downtown Maplewood -- especially the blocks around the intersection of Manchester Road and Sutton Boulevard -- provides an array of entertainment options. In fact, Maplewood compares quite favorably with any of the better-known entertainment districts, such as the Loop or the Central West End. (Photo from freefoto.com )

Maplewood works to keep a happy ending to its rags-to-riches story

By Elia Powers, Beacon staff
Posted 11:58 p.m. Thurs. July 9 - The inner suburb of Maplewood has had its share of ups and downs. For a while, though, it's been on a roll. Its revitalized downtown is the home to hip restaurants and boutiques while the Maplewood Commons, with its Wal-Mart, is a sales-tax engine. But can the town weather the economic downturn, without losing its momentum?

Editors' Picks

Nation
- Roberts troubled by criticism of Supreme Court at State of the Union: He says the president's annual speech has become "a political pep rally." | Associated Press
- LifeLock agrees its claims about preventing identity theft were too good to be true: States led by illinois announced a $12 million settlement with the Arizona company about deceptive claims. | Chicago Sun-Times
- Former CBS producer pleads guilty to extortion in Letterman case: Robert Halderman, who had been charged with first-degree grand larceny, is expected to receive a six-month jail term. | Washington Post
- 100 parishes that left Episcopal Church in America to form independent Anglican group apply to join Catholic Church while keeping Anglican prayer books and most of their liturgy. They and their bishops would comply with the pope. | National Catholic Reporter
Region
- President Casino, Admiral to pull up the gangplank in July. Pinnacle Entertainment had vowed to fight to keep the license for the old riverboat but reversed direction today. | St. Louis Business Journal
- Charles Merritts Sr., former political power in East St. Louis, dies at age 92: The one time school board president pleaded guilty to conspiring to have a political opponent killed. | STLtoday
- Federal grand jury in Kansas City probes influence of political donation on adult entertainment bill: Former House Speaker Rod Jetton has been called to testify today. | Kansas City Star
- Rod Blagojevich will present Letterman's "Top 10" list Wednesday night: The impeached Illinois governor begins his stint with Donald Trump this weekend. | Chicago Tribune
World
- Pennsylvania woman known as "Jihad Jane" held as terrorism suspect: Colleen Renee LaRose, 46, has been quietly held in U.S. custody since October on suspicions that she provided material support to terrorists. | Washington Post
- Biden says Palestinians deserve "viable" state: He spoke in Ramallah a day after Israel announced plans to build 1,600 new homes in disputed east Jerusalem. | Associated Press
- China, India sign international climate change accord: They were last major economies to sign nonbinding statement reached at end of a contentious and chaotic 10-day conference in Copenhagen last year. | New York Times
- Israel approves 1,600 new homes in East Jerusalem: The move is expected to infuriate Palestinian leaders and overshadow a visit by Vice President Biden, seeking to restart Mideast peace talks. | AP/Sacramento Bee
Govt.
- Defense Secretary Gates cites communication failures before Fort Hood shootings: Officers may face discipline after not sharing key information regarding Maj. Nidal Hasan, military psychiatrist accused of killing 13 at Army base.| New York Times
- White House, congressional Democrats reach deal with unions over health care coverage: Agreement exempts union contracts from tax on high-end health-insurance plans until 2018, adds pressure to find new money to pay for health bill. | Wall Street Journal
- New Jersey Cub Scout endures TSA scrutiny: Agency won't comment on case of Michael "Mickey" Hicks being on government watch-list of suspicious persons. | Sky News Online
- U.S. Supreme Court blocks Internet broadcast of federal court challenge of California's gay-marriage ban: U.S. District Court considers whether 2008 voter initiative -- Proposition 8 -- violates U.S. Constitution by establishing law that discriminates based on sexual orientation.| Wall Street Journal
Econ.
- Wholesale inventories fall, sales increase in January: Businesses remain cautious about restocking their depleted shelves. | Associated Press
- Wall Street marks 10 years since top of tech stock bubble: After hitting record of 5048 on March 10, 2000, the Nasdaq index closed Tuesday at 2340. | Wall Street Journal
- Job openings rose in January for second straight month, indicating optimism by employers: Openings increased by 193,000 to 2.72 million, the Labor Department said. | Business Week
- U.S. households with $1 million net worth rose by 16 percent last year: The increase comes after a 27 percent drop in 2008. | Reuters
Edu.
- Of 52 persistently low-achieving schools in Missouri, 37 are in St. Louis area: New list from the state says the schools, including 21 in the city, are eligible to compete for federal grants. | STLtoday
- St. Louis College of Pharmacy gets $5.9 million gift, its biggest ever: The money is from a trust established by the late Laura Whelpley, widow of a longtime dean of the school. | KSDK
- Lawsuit over alternative education settled: Two St. Louis students had charged that disciplinary programs did not offer them an educationally sound opportunity. | STLtoday
- Two dead, one injured in shooting on Ohio State campus: One of the fatalities is the shooter, who turned the gun on himself. All three were university employees. | Columbus Dispatch

A bad economy hits home in different ways. In this Beacon series of community profiles, St. Louis area residents share their experiences on Uneasy Street and the fight for economic security in their home towns.

Granite City | O'Fallon, Mo. | Maplewood

Baby Lift

Video by Kristen Hare

Vietnamese babies that were part of "Operation Baby Lift" now have lives and families in St. Louis but they still have questions about their pasts. Read the story and see a larger version of the video here.

Topics

Health Check | Race, Frankly | Facing the Mortgage Crisis | Uneasy Street: Granite City, O'Fallon MO, Maplewood

Voices

Effort to enact a "percent for art" dies an undeserved death
In the News
Posted 12:35 p.m. Wed., 03.10.10 - The success of City Garden is one reason for the resurgence of the idea of setting aside a "percent for art" on public projects and private ones covered by TIFs or tax abatement. Lana Stein laments that, once again, developers (this time joined by the mayor's office) won the votes to kill the plan.
Comments (1)
Health-care reform: Start over
In the News
Posted 2:45 p.m. Tues., 03.09.10 - With President Barack Obama coming to the region to push for support for his health-care plan, the Beacon asked U.S. Reps. Todd Akin, R-Town & Country, and Russ Carnahan, D-St. Louis, to write about the topic. Click through to read Akin's article.
more...
Health-care reform: Pass it now
In the News
Posted 2:45 p.m. Tues., 03.09.10 - With President Barack Obama coming to the region to push for support for his health-care plan, the Beacon asked U.S. Reps. Todd Akin, R-Town & Country and Russ Carnahan, D-St. Louis to write about the topic. Click through to read Carnahan's article.
Comments (5)

Beacon Roundtable

Roundtable for Mar. 4 - President Obama in St. Louis, Missouri health care funding, and Google Fiber

Posted 12:40 p.m. Thu., 03.04.10 - In this week's Beacon Roundtable, Dick Weiss, Robert Joiner and Elia Powers sit down to talk about President Obama's trip to St. Louis…
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The Lens

Finding Alice

Posted 10:35 a.m. Mon., 03.08.10 - Tim Burton's treatment of "Alice in Wonderland" is just the most recent in a long line - a line dating from 1903.
more...

Lawscoop

A gun case that all sides can love

Posted 10:47 a.m. Mon., Feb. 15 - On March 2, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments in an Illinois gun case that could end up pleasing liberals and conservatives…
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