Old Newsboys told to stop selling in Clayton

By Kasey Joyce

KSDK -- This is the 52nd year of Old Newsboys Day. Over the years, it has raised millions of dollars for area children's charities.

Volunteers get up early to sell papers on the street corner. But in Clayton, one group of volunteers was not on their corner very long. Instead of raising donations and selling papers, they were told to stop.

They had their aprons, their papers, their rain gear and the employees of Heartland Bank were ready to hit the streets of Clayton.

"Last year, we sold out of newspapers by 8 a.m.," said Heartland Bank COO Lisa Frederick. "This year, we asked for double the newspapers."

But this year, those newspapers did not sell.

"The police showed up and informed us we had to leave the corner because it was a violation of the city ordinance in Clayton to solicit people," Frederick said.

The Clayton Police Clayton said there is a law that's been on the book since 2005 that prohibits street soliciting. He says his officers have always enforced it.

But Heartland Bank employees say they've never had a problem before.

"We've been on this corner for two years so to get this news this morning is extremely disappointing and it saddens us," Frederick said.

The money normally collected during Old Newsboys Day helps pay for food, clothing and medical care for needy children in our area. Five thousand people on more than 700 street corners participate. This year, they're one corner short.

"We're just disappointed we couldn't sell papers out here today because of the city of Clayton's ordinance," said Heartland Bank president David Minton. "But so that the kids don't take a hit in any fashion, Heartland Bank will step up and donate the money we would have collected had we been able to sell those papers."

The Suburban Journals at the St. Louis Post Dispatch puts on Old Newsboys Day. NewsChannel 5 contacted them several times throughout the day for a comment, but they never responded.