Mid Rivers Newsmagazine 1-9-19

10 I NEWS I
January 9, 2019
MID RIVERS NEWSMAGAZINE
@MIDRIVERSNEWS
MIDRIVERSNEWSMAGAZINE.COM
NEWS BRIEFS, from page 9
one-night stay in a camping cabin or two
nights of tent camping at St. Charles County’s
Klondike Park near Augusta will be
pulled. Klondike Park is a premier camping
destination nestled in the heart of Historic
Missouri Wine Country. Participants
must be present to win.
The event is free and leashed pets are
welcome. Registration is requested.
To register, or for more information
about Winter Trails Day, call the St. Charles
County Parks and Recreation Department
at (636) 949-7535 or visit http://bit.ly/WinterTrailsDay2019.
The St. Charles County Parks and Recreation
Department has more than 55 miles
of natural, paved and multi-use trails for
hiking, biking and equestrian use.
Busch Range celebrates
‘good first year’
The Missouri Department of Conservation’s
[MDC] August A. Busch Shooting
Range has hosted a total of 44,419 people
since opening on Oct. 28, 2017.
According to Busch Range Outdoor
Education Center Manager Bryant Hertel,
the most popular activity at the range
is rifle and pistol shooting. During the
range’s inaugural year, 30,927 shooters
used the rifle/pistol ranges. Hertel said use
on the range increased leading up to the
November portion of the 2018 Firearms
Deer Season. A large number of shotgun
shooters also made use of the new facility,
Hertel noted, with a total of 11,289 taking
to the trap and skeet fields. Among shotgun
shooters, trap was the most popular
use, followed closely by skeet.
Another 2,200 people attended the range
through its educational programs or other
special uses.
“All in all, it was a good first year,” Hertel
said, predicting “a very bright future” for
the facility.
The range is open from 10 a.m.-4:30
p.m. Wednesday through Sunday through
March 31. Spring/summer hours go into
effect April 1. Additional details are available
by typing “Busch range” into the
search box online at nature.mdc.mo.gov.
The shooting range is located at 3550
Route D in Defiance, approximately five
miles west of Hwy. 94.
that allows Airbnb to collect and remit
the Missouri state and local sales taxes
plus other local taxes on behalf of its
hosts. Also in 2018, Airbnb announced
new tax agreements with St. Louis and
St. Charles County to collect and remit
their respective lodging taxes on behalf
of local hosts.
In St. Louis County, it is reported that
18,000 guest stays resulted in revenue of
$1.9 million for hosts in that community.
According to Airbnb statistics, the city of
St. Louis recorded the most revenue statewide
with 144,000 guests generating $14.4
million in host income.
Natural Christmas tree
recycling continues
For residents that haven’t yet parted with
their natural Christmas tree, the Division
of Environmental Health and Protection is
continuing to collect them in St. Charles
County.
Trees, sans all decorations, lights and
any packaging, may be taken to any of the
following locations through Jan. 12:
• Recycle Works Central, 60 Triad South
in St. Charles
• Recycle Works West, 2110 East Pitman
Ave. in Wentzville
Both are open 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
• Quail Ridge Park [Group Picnic Area
parking lot], 560 Interstate Drive in Wentzville
Open 7 a.m. to sunset.
• Laurel Park [upper parking lot], use
McClay Valley Boulevard entrance, in St.
Peters
• St. Peters Earth Centre, 115 Ecology
Drive
Both are open 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
• Progress Park [parking lot], 968 Meyer
Road in Wentzville
• Heartland Park, 100 William Dierberg
Drive in Wentzville
Members of the St. Charles County Ambulance District “Fill the Ambulance.”
• Rotary Park, 2577 W. Meyer Road in
Wentzville
Open through Jan. 18 during posted park
hours.
In the holiday spirit
The week before Christmas, area seniors
joined forces with the St. Charles County
Ambulance District [SCCAD] Paramedics
to ensure that local food pantries supported
by Operation Food Search [OFS] were
fully stocked for those in need.
The “Fill the Ambulance with Food” initiative
has been going strong for nine years
in St. Charles County. In total, it has provided
over 25,000 pounds of food to families
in need since its inception. For many
of those contributing, the cause is close to
the heart.
“Many of our residents are from a generation
that experienced hunger firsthand
as children,” said Lake St. Charles Retirement
Community Executive Director
Samantha Davis. “This is a program that
they’ve taken on as their own and feel
very strongly about – it’s heartwarming to
watch our donation barrels fill throughout
the holiday season!”
“There’s no age limit when it comes to
helping others in a meaningful way. What
our St. Charles County seniors have done
over the years to help our most fragile
families in the area has been remarkable,”
said Operation Food Search Executive
Director Sunny Schaefer. “We are deeply
grateful for their continued commitment
to healing the hurt of hunger in their community.”
Retirement communities participating
in ‘Fill the Ambulance with Food’
include: Twin Oaks at Heritage Pointe,
Twin Oaks at Stone Ridge, Lakeridge
Senior Apartments, Park Place Senior
Living, Garden Villas of O’Fallon,
Breeze Park, Lake St. Charles, Fairwinds
River’s Edge, The Boulevard St. Charles
and Brookdale St. Peters.
Airbnb boasts nearly $1 million
in local revenue in 2018
Airbnb released its 2018 earnings on Jan.
2 with claims that 9,700 guests generated
$971,000 for hosts in St. Charles County.
According to the company, Missouri
is generating new revenue through a tax
agreement with the Missouri Department
of Revenue, announced in early 2018,
Residents of Park Place Senior Living in Winghaven with their Fill the Ambulance donations on Dec. 18.
[SCCAD photo]