Friday community leaders will come together to christen a garden in a city park.

St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay along with Alderman Jeffery Boyd, State Rep. Talib El Amin and St. Louis Rams Linebacker Will Witherspoon will kick-off National Gardening Month with students from the Hip-Hop Health Initiative.

Together they will take part in a groundbreaking ceremony and ribbon cutting in Barrett Brothers Park at Goodfellow and St. Louis Avenue at 11 a.m. Friday.

Students from Ford, Gundlach and Mitchell elementary schools in North St. Louis will take part.

The event is in conjunction with HopeBuild, a St. Louis organization working with underserved youth, promoting healthy lifestyles and the Urban Farmers of Detroit.

Hopebuild is part of the Urban Farmers program.

This latest urban garden will be part of four other “Garden of Hope” projects in the city where residents use green spaces to grow produce. Two of the gardens are in North St. Louis and two are in South St. Louis.

HopeBuild also runs the “Garden of Eden,” three-community based produce markets run by volunteers.

Slay and others will be on hand to speak about the “importance of community school gardens and their Holistic benefits.”

The Hip-Hop Health Initiative is part of a Mark Twain Resource Center program and is funded by the after-school program ARCHS.

Alderwoman April Ford Griffin, 38, of St. Louis’ Fifth Ward likes things a little colorful or daringly draped in animal print, but being a civil servant for 11-and-a-half years means less flash and setting an example for the younger ladies.

“I’ve toned down my style,” she said, while admitting, “I like a lot of glitter, rhinestones and pearls.”

She gets her love for an eye-catching look from her mother and grandmother, who are fond of accessories, colors and tons of jewelry. They’re a family who likes to give you a look to remember.

“My mother has lots of jewelry. Rings on every finger. As many bracelets as you can on one wrist,” Griffin said, rings on her fingers dazzling. “I love jewelry … but I don’t come to the board room looking like Mr. T.”

Instead, Griffin dials the flash down a notch and goes for a more conservative, tailored look, pictured here in a gray suit and white blouse by Ann Taylor Petite, topped with her red, rhinestone-studded Prada frames and finished with a touch of flare from her black alligator cowboy boots. Made in Las Vegas, Griffin saw the boots as the way to make a statement with one singular fashion item of high quality.

“You can wear them with jeans. You can dress them up and dress them down,” she said.

Griffin said she was partial to the cowboy boot for its longevity as an American fashion staple. Sticking with staples is part of her style. Since she can’t afford an array of trendy items, she focuses on garments of high quality that are “timeless.” She gets some of her clothes from stores like Cache and Ann Taylor and is partial to Dillard’s as her department store of choice. But to get some of the best quality for a lower price, Griffin is big about consignment shops.

While she gives her mother and grandmother credit for her style, Griffin tips her hat to the women she grew up watching at church. Since Griffin was not “exposed to a lot of high fashion” in her youth, she admired the female church-goers for having the ability to be eye-catching yet “ladylike.”

Griffin aspires to dress in that same manor hoping to instill that same pride in young women.

“It’s important for me to set an example,” she said. “You can look sexy while dressed up at the same time.”

Photos by Antonio D. French

See more pictures from our photo shoot with April Ford-Griffin at our Flickr photo set.

The Fashion of Kacie Starr Triplett from PubDef.net on Vimeo.

Sixth Ward Alderwoman Kacie Starr Triplett, 27, is six feet of civil servant style.

She’s only been in office for one year, but her style of dress is classic, hearkening back to the days of Jackie Kennedy, Audrey Hepburn and her grandmother, a seamstress who still makes outfits for Triplett today.

Pictured here in a mint green coat dress from The Time Boutique at 922 Washington Avenue and peak-a-boo black heels by Nine West, Triplett dresses for success with her shoulders back and head held high.

Triplett comes from political lineage. Her grandfather, John Bass, deceased, was a state senator, city comptroller and alderman.

“It’s in the blood,” she said. “Doctors breed doctors. Lawyers breed lawyers … I guess politicians make politicians.”

The same goes for her sense of style. Her grandmother has made Triplett clothes since she was an infant.

“She made all my prom dresses and special event suits,” Triplett said. “It’s been a blessing because she was able to do all that for stuff for free.”

It was also helpful to Triplett’s height. Being so tall, she can’t buy pants off the rack. When she was younger she was nervous about her height and slouched a lot, but now she holds herself with confidence and pride.

“It took a while, but I’m not shrinking so I might as well embrace it,” she said.

Despite her love of clothes, Triplett’s not a big fan of shopping and her public servant paycheck isn’t generous enough to blow the bank of designer duds, but she makes it work by focusing on the best quality garment, investing in clothing that is stylish and will last.

Triplett shops the downtown boutiques as well as Macy’s and Nordstrom. And while she cares about her clothes, she cares about the city and her constituents more.

“I want to make a difference,” Triplett said. “I love this city with a passion. I tell people all the time I will fall on the sword for the city of St. Louis.”

Photos by Antonio D. French

See more pictures from our photo shoot with Kacie Starr Triplett at our Flickr photo set.

St. Louis demonstrated a united front yesterday in the State Capitol as the political friends and foes spoke in unison in a call for local control of the city’s largest department, its police force.

Mayor Francis Slay, Aldermanic President Lewis Reed, and 11 city aldermen from north and south St. Louis appeared before the House committee which heard testimony regarding House Bill 2117. Even some local activists who are working to remove Slay from office called a truce for the day and even praised Slay for his testimony in support of the legislation.

Here’s video from the press conference before the hearing. Check back later for more videos throughout the day.

St. Louis Leaders Call for Local Control of Police from pubdef on Vimeo.

The long fight of the City of St. Louis to regain control of its police department after a century of state rule will take center stage today at a hearing in the state capitol. And for the first time, St. Louis highest ranking officials will all testify in favor of the bill.

Mayor Francis Slay, Aldermanic President Lewis Reed, Comptroller Darlene Green, and as many as 11 of the city’s 28 aldermen are expected to drive to Jefferson City this morning to speak at the 2:00 hearing on House Bill 2117.

The bill, sponsored by State Representative T.D. El-Amin (D-St. Louis), will be heard before the House Special Committee on Urban Issues, which is chaired by another St. Louis representative, Rodney Hubbard*, who is also a bill co-sponsor.

The hearing will begin at 2:00 in House Hearing Room 5. A hearing was scheduled for last week, but was cancelled due to the snow storm.

PubDef.net will have cameras at the event. Check back later for video.

* Editor’s Note: Hubbard is a client of A D French & Associates