Louis Post-Dispatch reports that nearly 100 people lined up awaiting the 9 a.m. Monday reopening of Lumiere Place casino in downtown St. Many were older adults, most wore masks. Both Lumiere Place in downtown St. Louis and Ameristar Casino in St. Charles already have reopened. RELATED: Ameristar Casino to reopen June 1 with safety changes However, customers can expect some changes at Hollywood and River City the next time they visit.

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Tera Butler has worked at the Lumiere Place casino in downtown St. Louis since it first opened 13 years ago. She’s first in seniority among workers in the VIP room — and beloved by the casino’s regulars.

But even though the casino reopened June 1 after several months of COVID-19-related shutdown, the VIP room has remained closed. And, last week, the casino’s owners moved to lay off 97 workers, including Butler. They included a dozen or so workers who rank low in seniority but also many more longtime workers assigned to parts of the casino that have yet to reopen: the VIP room, the buffet, the wok and the valet.

Last Friday, the ownership group reversed course. Kim Bartholomew, the secretary/treasurer of Unite Here Local 74, said Caesars Entertainment returned to the negotiating table Friday after previously saying it would begin sending severance agreements.

From there, things moved swiftly. Bartholomew said on St. Louis on the Air that both parties signed off on an agreement Monday morning. She said she could not discuss details but confirmed that it allows the 97 workers to stay on a recall list rather than be laid off.

The workers still haven’t been given a date to come back to Lumiere Place, she said. But if the VIP room and other shuttered parts of the hotel/casino complex reopen before April 2021, the workers keep their accrued pay rate and placement on the seniority list.

Caesars Entertainment’s apparent reversal followed publicity about the layoffs that included social media pleas from workers like Butler, news coverage and even a petition urging the company to revisit the layoffs.

Bartholomew said she believes such efforts paid off, citing “a lot of the things we did to make this a little bit more public, to make them understand that it’s not just the workers there, but St. Louis as a whole, the community as a whole.” She added, “We have to start looking out for each other here.”

Bartholomew said the Lumiere Place employees have worked together so long, “they feel like a family.”

Caesars Entertainment did not respond to a message seeking comment.

On Friday, Bartholomew had said that she found the company’s decision to terminate the recall list inexplicable.

“What I don’t understand is, you’re not spending any more money,” Bartholomew said. “The only thing I can deduce is that you don’t want these people there for some reason.” She had speculated that Caesars wanted to replace the experienced workers with cheaper ones when places like the VIP room eventually reopen — or shed senior employees before the union contract comes up next year. “You’re getting rid of the diehard people.”

Overall, due to the ongoing pandemic, 70% of the workers represented by Unite Here Local 74 are still not back to work, Bartholomew said.

“It’s hit the hospitality industry, and anyone who represents the hospitality industry, pretty hard,” she said.

“St. Louis on the Air” brings you the stories of St. Louis and the people who live, work and create in our region. The show is hosted by Sarah Fenske and produced by Alex Heuer, Emily Woodbury, Evie Hemphill and Lara Hamdan. The audio engineer is Aaron Doerr.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Missouri’s governor on Monday cut another $209 million from this year’s budget, including deep cuts in education, following a steep drop in revenues because of the coronavirus.

Republican Gov. Mike Parson’s cuts included $123 million in core funding from public K-12 schools, $34 million from four-year public colleges and $6.8 million from community colleges.

In effect, that means most K-12 schools will get roughly 40% less money from the state this month. Four-year colleges won’t get any of their monthly state funding this month.

In total, Parson so far has cut close to $428 million in state funding because of the pandemic.

State revenue collections are down about 6% compared to last year, and lawmakers had planned on revenue gains when they were making this year’s budget.

“This is truly unlike anything we have ever experienced,” he said.

The hit the coronavirus took on the state economy is clear. In April alone, revenues dropped 54% compared to April 2019. Unemployment in the state reached 9.7% in April.

Missouri Education Commissioner Margie Vandeven on Monday said reductions to K-12 school funding could mean cuts to technology and wifi hotspots used to help students learn from home during the pandemic, food delivery for students in need, or staff salaries.

There is some hope for schools, Vandeven said. The state is getting $187 million in federal funding for K-12 schools that could offset much of the state funding cuts, and local education leaders will have wide flexibility in how they spend that.

Other cuts include $6 million from home and community based services, which provide services such as in-home care for people with disabilities and outpatient mental health care.

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For some infected people, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, the coronavirus can cause severe illness and death. For most people, it causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough, that clear up in two to three weeks.

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Missouri reported 64 deaths in a two-day period Friday and Saturday, but just one on Sunday. The number of confirmed cases on Sunday rose by 185 to 13,147.

The new cases include 70 soldiers and trainees at Fort Leonard Wood, fort officials said Sunday. The affected individuals were all assigned to the 1st Battalion, 48th Infantry Regiment, and have been quarantined. Buildings and facilities within the unit have been sanitized.

Most of those who tested positive do not have coronavirus symptoms and none have been hospitalized.

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About 500 soldiers or trainees were tested when they arrived at the base and all tests originally came back negative. Four days later, a trainee reported having symptoms and all 500 were re-tested on Saturday and Sunday, resulting in the 70 positive results.

Casinos are beginning to reopen in Missouri after a more than two-month shutdown caused by the coronavirus, and it was clear Monday that many people were eager to gamble.

Nearly 100 people lined up awaiting the 9 a.m. reopening of Lumiere Place casino in downtown St. Louis, including many older adults, most wearing masks, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported. According to state health department data, 579 of the 772 people in Missouri who have died from COVID-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus, were age 70 or older.

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St. Louis County Executive Sam Page on Monday said bars can open June 8. Other businesses that have been closed, including casinos, fitness centers, movie theaters, bowling alleys and others, can reopen June 15 with restrictions.