Events and demonstrations mark MLK Day in St. Louis, Chicago

CHICAGO (AP) - Observers from St. Louis to Chicago are marking Martin Luther King Jr. Day with commemorations and demonstrations.

A celebration in downtown St. Louis drew hundreds of participants Monday who braved temperatures hovering near the single digits on a 2.5-mile march.

Speakers and marchers linked King's legacy to contemporary efforts at job creation and police reform. One local politician invoked NFL owner Stan Kroenke's outline of the city's economic woes in his successful application to relocate the St. Louis Rams to Los Angeles.

In Chicago, the Rev. Jesse Jackson held a breakfast drawing several elected officials.

Mayor Rahm Emanuel announced a Chicago church that hosted sermons by King - Stone Temple Baptist Church - would be considered for designation as an official landmark. Emanuel's office says a commission will take up a preliminary recommendation Feb. 4.