Old friends and families who grew up in the St. Clair Village Community gathered for the 16th annual St. Clair Village reunion July 16-18.

The reunion started in 1995 because of the close- knit neighborhood. Lou Shealey, president of the St. Clair Village Committee, will keep the reunion going along with his committee members as long as there is breath in his body. He moved to St. Clair Village in 1954 and moved out in 1967. St. Clair Village was built in October 1953. It was once a thriving neighborhood with families who were very close. It wasn’t until recent years that crime took a toll on the neighborhood and reduced it to a high crime area. With the Pittsburgh Housing Authority demolishing the housing complex, it will be nothing but a memory for the former residents.

THE ST. CLAIR VILLAGE REUNION COMMITTEE

The St. Clair Village Committee will hold a reunion every year to keep those memories alive and to share with others what a vibrant neighborhood St. Clair Village was once. This year it was held at Schenley Park’s Veteran’s Pavillion as the community came out to celebrate the memories and good times.

Jones aka Chicken is 22 and his brother Cherry aka Young Meez is 20. These young men are making waves on the hip-hop scene in Pittsburgh and across the country. There music is a combination of conscious music with a mainstream appeal. Even though they have the production company together with Blair, they are solo artists.

CHICKEN AND YOUNG MEEZ

by Marc Beja

NEW YORK (AP)—The cast and crew of “The Lion King” is trying to save the life of one of its own.

Eleven-year-old actress Shannon Tavarez was forced to quit the Broadway show in April after she was diagnosed with leukemia. Her physician, Dr. Larry Wolfe, said Tavarez needs a bone marrow transplant, but has been unable to find the perfect match. A partial match has been found, but a better one is being sought.

NEEDS DONOR—Eleven-year-old Shannon Tavarez, who starred in the Broadway musical “The Lion King,” relaxes in her room in the Bellrose section of Queens, N.Y. Tavarez has leukemia.

More than 700 people showed up to a bone marrow donor registration on July 23 at the Minskoff Theater, where the show is performed, and hundreds more signed up online. Members of the cast and crew helped the potential donors swab the inside of their cheeks to see if their tissue type matched Tavarez’ or anyone else needing a transplant.

MARSEILLE, France (AP)—Hospital authorities say Grammy-winning singer Al Jarreau will stay hospitalized in the French city of Marseille for three or four more days.

The Marseille Hospital Authority said July 25 that Jarreau is getting better and in good spirits but will stay in La Timone hospital for monitoring.

ON THE MEND—Al Jarreau, seven-time Grammy Award winner, performs during a concert at Festival Jazz des Cinq Continents in Marseille, southern France, July 21.

Jarreau’s manager, Joe Gordon, says he will undergo tests in Marseille and “hopes to resume his tour at the end of the coming week.”

The 70-year-old Jarreau was hospitalized in the Alps July 23 after suffering breathing problems in the mountains that forced him to cancel several concerts. He was moved to Marseille by helicopter Saturday.