Mid Rivers Newsmagazine 8-2-23

Vol. 20 No. 15 • August 2, 2023 

midriversnewsmagazine.com 

Board and parents clash 

in Francis Howell 

PLUS: Mature Focus ■ Senior Tax Freeze ■ Back to School

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STAR PARKER 

Chris Christie’s 

grade B candidacy 

Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie 

is getting a lot of media – way out of 

proportion to the impact he has made as a 

candidate, measured by his low standing in 

the polls and the very modest amount of 

money he has raised. 

The explanation for this seems clear. The 

media loves his sharp and aggressive animosity 

to and criticism of former President 

Donald Trump. 

But the American people are looking for 

a leader. Could Chris Christie be that man? 

If Christie wants to be that man, he is 

going to have to do a better job showing 

how America gets back in the race and 

focus less on what’s wrong with other candidates. 

The Cato Institute publishes a biannual 

fiscal policy report on the nation’s governors. 

It rates each governor according 

to success in cutting taxes and spending. 

Governors are scored and ranked A, B, C, 

D or F. 

Christie was rated three times during his 

two terms as governor of New Jersey. Each 

time he came in with a solid B. 

But Americans are looking for, Americans 

need, an A leader. 

When asked on CBS’ “Face the Nation” 

about the new Black history curriculum in 

Florida, which teaches “how slaves developed 

some skills which, in some instances, 

could be applied for their personal benefit,” 

Christie replied as a politician and not as 

a leader. 

With little knowledge of the full thrust 

of this curriculum, Christie immediately 

attacked Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, 

including calling the Stop Woke Act as 

“micromanaging curricula in schools.” 

Regarding Black history in particular, 

the passage quoted above is taken 

totally out of context and in no way can 

be construed as justifying slavery. The 

point is to show that despite the evil and 

oppression, the spirit of those enslaved 

prevailed. 

Moreover, included in the curriculum 

is the directive to “analyze the contribution 

of founding principles of liberty, 

justice and equality in the quest to end 

slavery.” 

Of course, the real answer is competition, 

and DeSantis has been superlative in 

making school choice available throughout 

the State of Florida. 

But as long as many kids are still in 

public schools, responsible leadership 

means pushing back against woke content 

and making sure truth about American history 

and culture are taught. The Stop Woke 

Act signed by DeSantis accomplishes this 

important objective. 

Christie deserves credit for saying we 

need to reform our entitlements – Social 

Security, Medicare, Medicaid. 

In this regard, he distinguishes himself 

from Trump, who somehow does not think 

he needs to address this huge problem 

facing the nation. 

What does Christie say? “We need to 

make sure we preserve the systems, but we 

have to do it honestly.” 

But this itself is not honest, because we 

cannot preserve the systems as they are. 

Regarding Social Security, he wants to 

means test so that higher-earning Americans 

do not get benefits and he wants to 

raise the retirement age for younger Americans. 

However, if we remove Social Security 

benefits for high earners, Christie surely 

doesn’t mean they also stop paying payroll 

taxes. So, he proposes to transform Social 

Security into a welfare program, where 

higher earners pay in and only lower earners 

get benefits. 

Regarding raising the retirement age, 

can we tell someone 40 years old that has 

been paying taxes for 20 years, under the 

assumption of a certain benefit structure, 

that suddenly we are changing the rules? 

If Christie means only raising the retirement 

age for those who will be entering the 

workforce after the change is made, this 

won’t work because the current projection 

from Social Security trustees shows insufficient 

funds beginning in 2034, just 11 

years from now. 

Chris Christie is energetic and provocative. 

But he needs to move from grade B 

ideas to grade A ideas – or soon the Sunday 

morning talk shows will no longer have 

him around. 

• • • 

Star Parker is president of the Center 

for Urban Renewal and Education and 

host of the weekly television show “Cure 

America with Star Parker.” 

© 2023 Creators.com 

Read more on midriversnewsmagazine.com 

August 2, 2023 

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A Sad Story 



I 5 

Law Matters 

Some stories 

start off sad and 

have a happy 

ending. This is 

not one of those. 

I got a call 

from Joe. Joe is 

the father of a 

friend of mine. 

He had seen a report on the news 

about a woman who had died in a 

house fire. Although it took several 

weeks for a positive identification, Joe 

knew immediately that it was his 

estranged sister, Laurie. Although she 

had never been diagnosed, everyone 

felt pretty sure that Laurie had had 

some kind of mental health issues, but 

she refused help and pushed all of her 

family away. 

Although their parents had left 

money in trust for Laurie, in 

violation of the trust instrument (in 

our opinion) she had taken the money 

out and put it in a joint account with 

a friend. A lawsuit followed. 

But Laurie's house and some other 

assets were in Laurie's name alone 

without any designated beneficiaries. 

As I mentioned in my last column, 

when that happens, the State of 

Missouri has written a plan of distribution 

for you, the law of intestate 

succession. Everything has to go 

through probate, and that costs 

money and takes time. That is not a 

good result, but in this case, it gets 

even worse. 

Laurie did not have any children. 

She had siblings, but one of her brothers 

had predeceased her leaving 

descendants. So, under the law, 

Laurie's estate gets divided into 

enough shares to provide one share 

for each living sibling and one share 

for the deceased brother which is 

then divided into equal shares for 

each of his descendants. Since Laurie 

didn't do any planning, all of these 

shares will get distributed outright. 

And therein lies the problem. 

One of Joe's nieces, a daughter of 

the deceased brother, is a drug 

addict. If the money is distributed 

outright to her, Joe is certain that she 

will end up killing herself in pursuit 

of that high. I had another case like 

this before, and the son ended up 

dead from an overdose. 

Joe does not want to distribute the 

inheritance to his niece. The problem 

though is that the niece has a 

right to that money. He doesn't have 

a lot of options. 

This could have been avoided 

with some planning. The family has 

known about the niece's drug 

problem for a while, and Laurie 

could have done something. But 

hindsight is always 20/20. 

Give me a call if you want to talk. 

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years of experience in the areas of wills 

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6 I OPINION I 



@MIDRIVERS_NEWS 


EDITORIAL 

Talking UFOs 

Sure, let’s talk about UFOs. Why not? 

Nothing else is going on and David Grusch 

says there are aliens among us. 

Grusch, an Air Force officer and former 

intelligence official, told Congress that he 

“was informed in the course of my official 

duties of a multidecade UAP crash retrieval 

and reverse engineering program to which 

I was denied access.” 

UAP stands for “Unidentified Aerial 

Phenomena.” He’s saying that we have 

UFOs. He also says we have “dead pilots.” 

He also says he has “personal knowledge 

of people who’ve been harmed or injured 

in efforts to cover up or conceal” the program, 

but could only talk about it in a more 

private setting. People have been killed to 

protect our UFO secrets. 

Spicy stuff. 

Much spicier than the 81-year-old 

Senate GOP leader going completely blank 

for half a minute at a lectern, mid-sentence. 

Mitch McConnell’s health has been questionable 

since March when he suffered a 

concussion after a fall. His Senate brethren 

were astonishingly adept at moving in to 

help the stalwart Senator, and McConnell 

returned shortly to say he was fine. Nothing 

to see here. 

But man, those aliens. Whoo-hoo. Hearings 

were held last week. Nothing was actually 

said, but gavels were pounded. Pounding 

gavels leads to progress every time. 

ATTENTION 

READERS: 

Make sure you are signed up for your 

FREE subscription today! 

1. If you got this paper in your mailbox and your first and last 

It’s not like any gavels were pounded in 

court last week when a judge suspended a 

plea deal for the president’s son. 

“I have concerns about the constitutionality 

of this provision, so I have concerns 

about the constitutionality of this agreement,” 

said Judge Maryellen Noreika. 

For the record, yes, it is very rare for the 

constitutionality of a plea agreement to be 

called into question. It’s not as rare as a 

presidential contest between two octogenarians 

with criminal prosecutions hanging 

over their heads, but it is quite rare. 

Of course, it is far more rare than a UFO 

sighting, which is pretty ho-hum ordinary. 

“These sightings are not rare or isolated,” 

said U.S. Navy fighter pilot Ryan Graves. 

“Military aircrews and commercial pilots, 

trained observers whose lives depend on 

accurate identification, are frequently witnessing 

these phenomena.” 

Not rare. Not isolated. Frequent. All 

pretty bad descriptors for situations that 

involve our military personnel having no 

earthly idea what is happening or what 

they are seeing. 

That must be the worst thing happening 

in the sky these days. Certainly, it is worse 

than last week’s reports that Russian fighter 

jets had attacked U.S. drones over Syria. 

Russian fighter jets. U.S. Drones. Syria. 

None of those phrases used in any combination 

can lead to bad outcomes, right? 

name are on the front cover label, THANK YOU for subscribing. 

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Seriously we just need to keep our eyes on 

the alien problem. 

That problem, of course, is pretty much 

resolved though. A spokesperson for the 

Pentagon totally cleared things up by 

saying they do not have any “verifiable 

information to substantiate claims that 

any programs regarding the possession 

or reverse-engineering of extraterrestrial 

materials have existed in the past or exist 

currently.” There you go. That pretty much 

puts the whole UFO thing behind us now. 

Not so fast though. According to Rep. 

Tim Burchett from Tennessee, “The UFO 

is emerging as a major topic of global 

importance. I met a fellow who came in 

here all the way from Denmark to be here 

for this meeting. So this is huge.” 

Shoot. If people are traveling from Denmark 

then this thing is bigger than any of 

us thought. 

It is most assuredly bigger than the idea 

that one out of five young people in China 

are jobless. In the course of history, an 

entire generation of disillusioned youth 

caught in a near dictatorship has never led 

to problems. Leader Xi Jinping has pretty 

much solved the problem anyway. He has 

told the highly educated, highly agitated 

youth of his nation to simply start working 

the factory lines. Clap-clap. Problem solved. 

Certainly, no need for anyone to travel 

from Denmark to pay attention to that. 

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I 7 

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8 I NEWS I 





Officers Charles Pleasant and Bryan Shepard recently received 

O’Fallon’s high five award for performing life saving measures on a 

citizen having a medical emergency. 

NEWS 

BRIEFS 

O’FALLON 

Federal lawsuit appeal 

denied again 

Katie Gatewood’s latest appeal in federal 

court has been denied. The only remaining 

next step would be to ask the U.S. Supreme 

Court to review her case. 

In January 2022, O’Fallon City Council 

member Katie Gatewood was impeached 

by fellow council members and removed 

from her elected position on the council. 

Gatewood and her attorney, David Roland, 

filed a lawsuit in the United States District 

Court for the Eastern District of Missouri, 

against the city of O’Fallon and other city 

officials. The case was assigned to Judge 

Audrey Fleissig. 

The federal court lawsuit alleged that 

during impeachment proceedings, the 

defendants had violated Gatewood’s freedom 

of expression and her right to have a 

fair trial before an impartial tribunal. 

In June 2022, Fleissig dismissed Gatewood’s 

lawsuit. 

Roland and Gatewood then filed an 

appeal to the Eighth Circuit Court of 

Appeals, to be heard by a three-judge panel. 

On June 14, 2023, they received a decision 

from the panel that their appeal was 

denied on procedural grounds. 

The pair then filed an “en banc” appeal 

of the three-judge panel’s decision, where 

all 11 of the Eighth Circuit Court judges 

would hear the case. 

On July 24, Roland said, “The Eighth 

Circuit has denied our motion for rehearing. 

We are currently evaluating the possibility 

of asking the U.S. Supreme Court 

to review the case. We have roughly three 

months to make that decision.” 

SAINT CHARLES 

Riverpointe construction 

continues 

Anyone looking south from the I-70 

bridge across the Missouri River or looking 

east from Arena Parkway can see significant 

changes to the west bank of the 

Missouri River. Land has been cleared, 

trees have been removed, a new roadway 

is taking shape, and new buildings are 

under construction. That is Riverpointe. 

Riverpointe will be a mixed-use development 

that, according to the city of 

St. Charles, will include parking, retail, 

restaurants, office space, entertainment 

and multifamily dwellings. The city has 

predicted that once the development is 

completed it will “provide roughly 4,000 

jobs, increase the annual visitors by a 

million people, and produce an annual 

revenue of an estimated $1.5 billion.” 

Getting started took a while, including 

the need to get past COVID-19 shutdowns 

and delays, and plan refinements 

needed to accommodate ecological conservation 

concerns. But now, the development 

is much more visible. 

A new access road is being built into 

the development area, connecting to 

the first business expected to open in 

Riverpointe this October: Chicken N 

Pickle. The Kansas City-based company 

currently has six locations in Missouri, 

Kansas and Texas and anticipates opening 

three more venues soon, including 

this new facility. 

Chicken N Pickle Saint Charles will 

be equipped with bars, pavilions, multiple 

dining areas on the main floor and 

a rooftop dining experience, along with 

outdoor tables for guests to enjoy. The 

venue will feature numerous indoor and 

outdoor pickleball courts, shuffleboard 

and Bocce ball courts, and a variety of 

lawn games. 

ST. CHARLES COUNTY 

Police Department adds to 

its technological toolkit 

The St. Charles County Police Department’s 

newest technological upgrades 

are a cooperative, multi-agency drone 

unit and the upcoming installation of 

license plate reader cameras on public 

roadways. 

“Technology won’t ever replace the hard 

work and dedication of our police officers, 

but these new tools help us operate more 

effectively, efficiently and safely, all of 

which benefits community safety,” said 

Police Chief Kurt Frisz. He described 

the county’s drone unit, a collaboration 

with St. Charles County Ambulance District, 

as a force multiplier that expands 

the capabilities of first responders during 

emergencies. 

“If we need to search for a missing 

person, locate a fleeing suspect, or survey 

damage in a natural disaster, a drone can 

observe a much larger area than a single 

person, and provides thermal sensors to 

operate at night. Those tools allow us to 

more rapidly deploy manpower where it’s 

needed most,” Frisz explained. 

Drones also assist on SWAT deployments, 

he adds, allowing officers to 

search building interiors for dangerous 

suspects without putting themselves in 

harm’s way. 

License plate reader (LPR) cameras are 

another emerging technology helping to 

combat crime. LPR cameras identify the 

license number and physical description 

of passing vehicles, which can help investigators 

locate vehicles associated with 

felonies, kidnappings and other crimes. 

The county is installing LPR cameras at 

43 locations along major roadways after 

similar cameras installed at county parks 

proved to be a useful tool. 

“When a vehicle is stolen or is associated 

with a crime, investigators can search 

the LPR system for where else that vehicle 

has been or set up automated alerts if 

an LPR camera spots that vehicle,” Frisz 

explained. “These systems have helped 

law enforcement agencies solve serious 

crimes in the region. Those include a 

home invasion and assault in O’Fallon, as 

well as a series of vehicle break-ins in the 

county parks involving five individuals 

from Florida.” 

Health department to 

offer prenatal vitamins 

The St. Charles County Department of 

Public Health’s Health Services Division 

now offers a free supply of prenatal vitamin 

supplements for pregnant and postpartum 

women who are clients of the Women, 

Infants and Children (WIC) program. These 

vitamin supplements, provided through 

a grant, support a healthy pregnancy and 

early childhood, said WIC Coordinator and 

Nutritionist Megan Hickey. 

“Prenatal vitamins play a crucial role in 

the healthy development of the unborn 

baby, preventing neural tube birth defects, 

improving birth weight, and ensuring 

proper development of the placenta,” 

Hickey explained. 

WIC clients who are pregnant or postpartum 

can receive a bottle containing a sixmonth 

supply of prenatal vitamin capsules 

when they visit for a nutritional counseling 

appointment at the Health Services Clinic, 

located at 1650 Boone’s Lick Road in St. 

Charles. Each capsule contains a combination 

of 15 essential vitamins and minerals 

that support the increased nutritional needs 

of pregnant women and the developmental 

needs of their babies, said Hickey. 

Approximately 750 bottles of prenatal 

vitamins were provided to the WIC program 

by Vitamin Angels, a nonprofit organization 

dedicated to improving nutritional 

health for underserved women and children 

who are at risk of malnutrition. 

“We’re grateful that this partnership 

helps us offer even more support for vulnerable 

families in our community who 

lack the resources for proper nutrition,” 

said Hickey. “We encourage any expecting 

mothers who qualify for WIC to take 

advantage of these free prenatal vitamins, 

as well as all the other health services and 

nutritional support that WIC offers.” 

The WIC program provides health 

screenings, nutrition counseling, health care 

referrals, and food support for low-income 

women and children up to 5 years old. 

Mothers who participate in WIC services 

tend to see fewer concerns from low birth 

weight or early childhood malnutrition. 

For more information about the WIC 

program in St. Charles County, call (636) 

949-7402 or visit sccmo.org/WIC.

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10 I NEWS I 

By ROBIN SEATON JEFFERSON 



The great-great-granddaughter of the 

settler whose property is involved in a 

major development dispute in St. Charles 

County claims the people already living 

around the site ruined it for her and her 

family. 

Residents of the subdivisions surrounding 

a proposed 452-home development 

along Hwy. DD and bordered by the August 

A. Busch Memorial Conservation Area 

have turned out en mass for St. Charles 

County Planning & Zoning (P&Z) and 

County Council meetings over the last few 

months. Those meetings had to be moved 

from the County Administration Building 

to the Family Arena to accommodate the 

crowds. In public comments, the residents 

voiced concerns about housing density, 

traffic, light pollution and the impact of the 

development on the environment. 

Joni Zwyers Johnson, whose family 

owns the approximately 150 acres on both 

sides of Hwy. DD and on which the development 

would sit, said their complaints are 

a clear-cut example of the ‘NIMBY,’ or the 

“Not In My Backyard,” phenomenon. 

“Tall Tree Farms has been in our 

family for nearly 200 years,” Johnson 

said. “My family came here from Germany 

and built the farm by the sweat 

of their brows – with blood, sweat and 

tears. We were there way before anyone 

even at the meeting has been.” 

Johnson’s great-great-grandfather, 

Henry Schierbaum, and his two brothers 

immigrated from Germany in the 

19th century and settled the property 

that today is owned by Johnson, her 

two brothers and their mother. 

“These people come out there on a 

Sunday drive or whatever and think it’s 

so beautiful,” Johnson said. “Do they 

really believe that it’s going to stay 

that way if they build here? I want to ask 

them: ‘Imagine what it looked like before 

you built.’” 

Johnson said her grandfather, Dorris 

Schierbaum, was part of the reason the 

family named its LLC Tall Tree Farms. 

“He was tall, tall, tall, and strong as an ox,” 

she said. “And his hands were twice the 

size of my father’s. He was a gentle giant.” 

Dorris raised cattle and hogs and grew hay, 

corn and beans on the property until the 

early 2000s. 

In 1982, Johnson’s grandmother, Clara 

Schierbaum, was murdered in the trailer 

she and Dorris lived in on the farm. Johnson 

recalls her father, Jim Zwyers, coming 

home May 26, 1982, with Dorris and 

then-St. Charles County Sheriff Edward J. 



Owners of Tall Tree Farms want residents to know their story 

A historic photo of the Schierbaum Family on the Tall 

Tree Farm property (Source: Joni Zwyers Johnson) 

Uebinger and telling the family that 

Clara had been murdered. 

Willis Louis Baxter Jr., of Wentzville, 

had just gotten out of jail when 

he attempted to rob the Schierbaums. 

Clara surprised him and attempted to 

call the police. 

“Grandpa was out checking on the 

crops. Grandma saw [Baxter] standing 

in her living room. She ran to the 

back bedroom and dialed ‘0’ for the 

cops. This was before 911,” Johnson 

said. “He grabbed the phone wire 

and put a bedspread over her head 

and strangled her. Grandpa came 

back. The man grabbed some jewelry 

and ran out. Grandpa ran after him. 

Grandma was still alive at that point. 

The paramedics thought she had a heart 

attack but an autopsy later showed that her 

trachea had been slowly swelling from the 

strangulation. She died from strangulation 

resulting from a broken larynx.” 

Baxter was later sentenced to 20 years 

for the murder. 

See TALL TREE FARMS, page 31 

Governor signs seniors tax freeze bill but relief may not come 

By LAURA SAGGAR 

The Missouri state legislature’s attempt 

to bring property tax relief to senior citizens 

failed to receive approval from the 

St. Louis County Council at its meeting 

on July 18. The vote was a 4-3 split down 

party lines, but even council members who 

voted in favor of the property tax freeze 

had issues with the legislation. 

Had St. Louis County voted to join Senate 

Bill 190 it would have meant that anyone old 

enough to be eligible for Social Security benefits, 

currently age 62, would have their real 

estate taxes ‘frozen’ for as long as they live 

in their home. Although Gov. Mike Parson 

signed SB190 into law, each of the state’s 

114 counties must vote to join the program. 

Baring that action, constituents can petition 

to put the issue on a ballot for a vote. 

After two committee-of-the-whole meetings 

in July, the St. Louis County Council 

voted on the ordinance sponsored by council 

member Mark Harder (R-District 7) to 

join SB190. 

While the bill passed with a veto-proof 

majority in the state legislature, county 

leaders say its wording is too vague, leaving 

too much open to interpretation and 

potential lawsuits. 

“We have to choose between two things, 

both of which are difficult,” council member 

Ernie Trakas (R-District 6) said prior to 

his vote in favor of the bill. “We’re in this 

situation because it’s poorly written, bad legislation 

passed by the state legislature in Jefferson 

City. Because of the way SB190 was 

passed, it is restrictive in what we can do.” 

He pointed to concerns on both sides of 

the law. 

“There are issues concerning eligibility … 

helping seniors who desperately need it in 

many situations. (There are) concerns for 

lost revenue and the impact that will have. 

The thing about being impaled on the horns 

of a dilemma, you don’t get to pass. You 

have to choose.” 

He laid responsibility for SB190’s problems 

with elected officials in Jefferson City. 

The council debated about whether 

SB190 is taking money away taxing districts, 

such as school districts, fire protection 

districts and police, versus simply 

slowing the growth of county revenue. It 

was pointed out in the debate that seniors 

would still have to pay property taxes, they 

would just be exempt from increases. 

As Trakas eluded, other questions centered 

on who is actually eligible for the tax freeze. 

The St. Charles County Council has not 

brought a bill forward on SB190 precisely 

because of those questions. 

“Everything is on hold at the moment,” 

St. Charles County Council member Mike 

Elam (District 3) said. “We’ve been talking 

with the state, and other stakeholders in this, 

and there are an awful lot of questions about 

implementation. Depending on who you 

talk to, you get a different answer, which is 

problematic. When you have your own attorneys 

who can’t agree on the wording, I think 

everybody’s playing the wait and see game.” 

Elam said it’s not clear if the bill is retroactive 

or is only in effect moving forward. 

“If you’re 90 and living in the same house 

since you were 62, does (your tax rate) go 

back to what it was when you (turned) 62?” 

Elam asked. “Some (attorneys) would say 

yes, some would say no. 

“You need to go back and put out all of 

those clarifying things in the bill.” 

Elam also wondered whether counties 

are allowed to discount tax rates for other 

taxing districts, such as school districts. 

Teachers and railroad workers don’t qualify 

for social security, so their eligibility 

is also in question. 

He questioned how this law would apply 

to primary residences that are in the name 

of a trust, and who will monitor when the 

qualifying senior citizen doesn’t live in the 

home anymore, but the property remains in 

the same trust. 

“My analogy to this right now is that the 

state handed us a half-baked pie and we 

don’t have clear instructions on how to 

finish baking it,” Elam said. “We want to 

understand this bill before we put it forward 

and pass it, because right now there 

are too many questions.” 

According to Elam, the state legislature 

might work on a clarifying procedural bill 

when they are back in session next year to 

hopefully answer the counties’ questions. 

“My guess would be that if the state 

legislature doesn’t take it up, then you’re 

going to have courts weigh in,” Elam said. 

“The questions have to be sorted out one 

way or another.” 

However, St. Louis County Council 

member Rita Heard Days (D-District 1) 

said she would not bank on the state legislature 

picking up SB190 next year. 

“This is an election year. They sent this 

bill down here to kick the can off of them 

to send it to us,” Days said. 

Prior to her time on the council, Days 

served in the Missouri House and Senate 

for 15 years. 

“As far as they’re concerned they’ve 

done everything that they need to do and 

they have put the responsibility on counties,” 

Days said. “There are more questions 

than answers. And until we get definitive 

answers, I can’t do that.” 

St. Louis County Council member 

See SENIOR TAX, page 15



Francis Howell Board votes sunset racism resolution 



I NEWS I 11 

By ROBIN SEATON JEFFERSON 

The Francis Howell School District 

Board of Education voted 5-2 on Thursday, 

July 20 to approve a new policy that would 

“sunset” all resolutions adopted by prior 

boards, or allow them to expire. While the 

move affects resolutions going back over 

a century, the vote was seen by some as 

an attempt to rescind a specific resolution 

implemented by the board in 2020 during 

the Black Lives Matter riots that resulted 

from the police killing of George Floyd. 

The former board titled that document, 

“Resolution in Response to Racism and 

Discrimination.” It was displayed in classrooms 

and throughout school buildings. It 

committed the district and board to “speak 

firmly against any racism, discrimination 

and senseless violence against people 

regardless of race, ethnicity, nationality, 

immigration status, religion, sexual orientation, 

gender identity, or ability.” 

With that resolution, the former board 

members promised to “promote racial 

healing, especially for our Black and 

brown students and families.” 

“We will no longer be silent. We are 

committed to creating an equitable and 

anti-racist system that honors and elevates 

all, but one that also specifically acknowledges 

the challenges faced by our Black 

and brown students and families,” the 

resolution states. 

Thursday’s action will prompt the 

removal of the pledge from all district 

buildings. 

The resolution was adopted on Aug. 20, 

2020, by then-board members Mary Lange, 

Mike Hoehn, Janet Stiglich, Chad Lange, 

Patrick Lane, Michelle Walker and Doug 

Ziegemeier. Only two of those individuals 

still serve on the board, including Janet Stiglich 

and Chad Lange, and were the only 

ones to vote no on the new policy. 

Board Vice President Randy Cook, said 

the new policy basically “rescinds any resolution 

not legally binding or celebratory 

in nature.” These would include all resolutions 

implemented by the board going back 

125 years, he said. 

“It is my opinion that all of them are political 

in nature and only serve to divide the 

school further,” Cook said. “I just prefer 

the school district to stay out of national 

politics.” 

But not everyone agreed. In fact, district 

parents and others packed the board 

room at the district’s headquarters at 801 

Corporate Centre Drive in O’Fallon, many 

Concerned parents turned out in force on July 20 for the Francis Howell Board of 

Education meeting. 

(Robin Seaton Jefferson photo) 

holding up signs reading, “Forward, not 

backward.” Shouts of “shame on you” followed 

the board’s vote. 

Cook, who sponsored the new policy, 

along with board members Adam Bertrand, 

Jane Puszkar, Ron Harmon and Mark 

Ponder voted in favor of the board’s action. 

Opponents argued that a “yes” vote 

would send the wrong message that “Black 

and brown families are not safe.” Advocates 

of sunsetting the resolution argued 

that it is redundant, ineffective and divisive. 

They said the district already has policies 

in place that address issues of racism 

and discrimination. 

A conservative political action commit- 

See FRANCIS HOWELL, page 14 

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By JESSICA MARIE BAUMGARTNER 

Dardenne Prairie Mayor John Gotway 

received mixed reviews of his choice of 

appointees for the Town Square Vision 

Steering Committee. 

At the July 19 Board of Aldermen work 

session, Gotway read from a brief bio of 

appointees that was handed out to board 

members and resident attendees. He noted 

that the board had previously stated its 

desire to have broad representation on the 

committee “with residents and stakeholders 

representing a diverse set of perspectives 

who are open-minded and not seeking 

people with predisposed opinions.” 

“After reviewing these applications along 

with input from the city administrator, I 

feel that I have chosen not only a group 

of citizens with a diverse background and 

set of experiences but also open-minded to 

having a thoughtful, thorough and transparent 

process that will hopefully lead to a 

community consensus on the vision for the 

Town Square area,” Gotway said. “I have 

not received one communication from the 

board about representatives they wish to put 

on, except from Mark (Johnson, Ward 3).” 

Alderman Mike Costlow (Ward 2) interjected, 

“That’s absolutely 100% false.” 

Costlow said he had sent an email with 

a list of recommendations. Gotway argued 

that Costlow never stated that the applicants 

forwarded to him were recommendations. 

Costlow pointed out that for months they 

have agreed upon the need to work together 

and discuss the nominations outside of an 

open session in order to avoid arguing and 

smearing anyone publicly. 

“The first time that I see the nominations 

is when it shows up in this packet,” Costlow 

said. 

City Administrator James Knowles III 

pointed out that having private discussions 

about the appointees would be “walking the 

line with violating the open record law by 

having that conversation outside of a public 

meeting.” 

Alderman Laura Gittemeier mentioned 

that she had made her picks known. After 

which, Alderman Dave Wandling (Ward 1) 

asked Gotway if he had contacted any aldermen 

to see what their picks were. 

“You put it on me?” Gotway asked before 

noting that he had not. 

Johnson said the board was advised at the 

previous aldermanic meeting to reach out to 

the mayor to nominate committee appointees. 

Undeterred, concerns over how to 

discuss the nominees ensued with Costlow 

saying, “It’s not wise to come out and throw 

out nominations.” 

“I don’t think that this list is sufficiently 



Dardenne Prairie postpones Town 

Square Vision Committee decision 

unbiased,” Costlow said. He suggested 

that each ward should be represented and 

expressed concerns that no one from within 

commercial development is involved. 

Knowles admitted it would be a good 

addition but was unsure if anyone from 

that background applied to serve. He then 

asked if there should be another work session 

devoted to the subject to give the board 

members more time to offer their suggestions. 

Costlow replied that the mayor should 

discuss steering committee nominees with 

each board member in order to ensure that 

everyone is properly heard. However, he 

was told that doing so would violate city 

law. 

Wandling then declared, “I’ll be upfront. 

A third of this list of nine people voted for 

Prairie Encore (a mixed-use project planned 

for the intersection of Bryan and Feise 

roads, which Wandling opposed). You think 

that I’m going to vote for them?” 

In reply, Gottway questioned Wandling’s 

opposition to including supporters of the 

Prairie Encore development on the vision 

committee. 

“So you think that the people who are 

against Prairie Encore represent the whole 

city?” Gotway asked. 

Waddling said he did, and many in the 

audience clapped and shouted their support 

of his declaration. 

Gottaway said the people who voted for 

him approved of the controversial development. 

Alderman Keith Widaman (Ward 3) also 

voiced concerns regarding the mayor’s list. 

“There was no background or understanding 

other than an email on Friday and the 

rest of the packet,” Widaman said. “It said 

take it or leave it, it’s all or nothing, and 

nobody except apparently you and one other 

alderman had an understanding of who was 

going to be on that list.” 

Costlow ended the argument by moving 

to close the workshop with the matter unresolved. 

During the board meeting that followed, 

multiple residents expressed their 

concerns over the vision committee appointee 

selection. 

“It’s laughable,” Cheryl Bratton said. 

“The city failed to make residents aware of 

any pre-existing criteria for selection, nor 

has there been any measure of transparency 

as to how applicants were actually selected.” 

Other community members expressed 

concerns over the lack of diversity in the 

vision committee appointee list and the fact 

that most of the individuals selected have 

already sat on the board or the Planning and 

See TOWN SQUARE, next page





I NEWS I 13 

Dardenne Prairie aldermen establish new meeting procedures 

By JESSICA MARIE BAUMGARTNER 

The Dardenne Prairie Board of Aldermen 

passed a bill at its July 19 meeting that 

amends chapter 110 of the municipal city 

code and creates new procedural rules for 

its meetings. 

Much has been discussed and debated 

at recent meetings regarding free speech 

rights and the board’s ability to ensure that 

meetings are conducted in a professional 

and transparent manner without added conflict. 

The new ordinance (No. 2263) states 

that the board will follow “Robert’s Rules 

of Order Newly Revised (12 Ed., PublicAffairs 

2020) or any subsequent edition 

thereof.” Roberts Rules of Order is a customary 

meeting structure. 

Regarding motions to reconsider, the 

ordinance states that “any member who 

voted with the prevailing side may move 

for a reconsideration of the matter at the 

same or the next succeeding regular meeting 

of the Board of Aldermen” so long as 

it is an open, public meeting. Exceptions 

would include cases where authorization of 

a contract has been fully executed, a bill is 

already passed, a subject has already been 

passed and partially carried out, an action 

cannot be undone, or a vote intervenes in 

the rights of a third party. 

The ordinance further notes that bills 

may be introduced in the board meeting 

agenda at the request of the mayor or any 

board member so long as the requests are 

submitted through city administrator forms 

and offer a clear description, supporting 

documents, budgetary information, and the 

names of those requesting the action. 

In regard to public comments, residents 

will need to fill out a public comment card 

that must be provided to the city clerk prior 

to the public comments portion of the meeting. 

Each speaker will be allowed 3 minutes 

to speak and must address the board as a 

whole without singling out specific members. 

Public hearings offer similar standards 

with 15 minutes allotted for petitioners to 

present their requests. If questions are asked 

of the petitioner, the mayor or board members 

may, in their sole discretion, extend the 

time for the applicant or the petitioner to 

make their presentation. 

The most debated section of the policy 

TOWN SQUARE, from previous 

Zoning Commission. 

During the meeting, Costlow moved 

to postpone the resolution related to the 

mayoral appointment of Town Square 

Vision Steering Committee members. This 

was seconded and the postponement was 

approved. 

offers standards of decorum for public meetings. 

Section E. lays out standards regarding 

unacceptable behavior due to the nature of 

certain comments and the tension it builds 

between the public and the board. It also 

allows for “any member of the public who 

becomes an annoyance or becomes belligerent” 

to be warned to refrain from continuing 

the behavior. If the offending member of 

the public does not abide by the rules after 

a warning, they may be asked to leave the 

meeting by the attending police officer. If 

an officer is not present, the meeting can be 

suspended in order for board members to 

seek out assistance. 

Residents have expressed concerns 

regarding what is considered an “annoyance” 

and for how long the person conducting 

themselves in such a manner would 

be removed. Due to the tension displayed 

between residents and board members, this 

section was amended from previous suggestions 

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Alderman Keith Widaman (Ward 3) 

closed the meeting by thanking residents for 

attending and also noting that speaking out 

of turn and shouting comments is disruptive, 

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FRANCIS HOWELL, from page 11 

tee endorsed conservative board members 

elected to the new board, though they did 

not speak at the meeting. 

Per its website, the “Francis Howell 

Families PAC recruits, supports, and educates 

candidates for the school board who 

support academic excellence, transparent 

accountability and fiscal responsibility 

while encouraging in students a strong 

work ethic, good character and respect for 

our Nation’s founding principles. We reject 

attempts to divide people by race, gender, 

or other immutable characteristics or to 

teach that those characteristics determine 

their destiny. Instead, we work to create a 

district that provides high-quality, knowledge-based 

education for all students so 

they can be fully prepared to participate in 

civil society.” 

During the patron comment section of 

the meeting, district resident and parent 

Jennifer Clark reminded board members 

that they had “campaigned on focusing 

more on the basics of education, such as 

reading, writing, math and science.” 

“This resolution does not in any way take 

away from focusing on the basics of education,” 

she said. “It is simply a commitment 

to ensuring that racism does not get 

in the way of any student’s education.” 

Clark cited statistics that showed disparities 

between Black, Asian and white 

students with regard to having access to 

higher-level courses and being “collegeready.” 

“There is a severe lack of Black teachers, 

with only 18% of public-school teachers 

being teachers of color, and only 2% being 

Black male teachers,” Clark said. “When 

we avoid conversations about race and 

racism, we silence unheard voices and tell 

students that their experiences don’t matter. 

It’s essential to acknowledge racial injustice 

and America’s history with racism.” 

Kimberly Thompson, a resident and 

graduate of the district, said the 2020 

resolution “means hope to me.” She said 

she was one of only a handful of Black 

students when she attended the district in 

the 80s. 

“Clearly, I survived, but there were times 

when I did not thrive … I experienced 

needless and senseless wounds … simply 

because of the color of my skin,” she said. 

“Precious little fourth grade Kimberly 

at Fairmount Elementary back in 1979, 

her momma was at that school probably 

weekly demanding … basic respect for her 

daughter.” 

She said the resolution “set standards 

and expectations for students and staff 

regardless of their personal opinions.” 

But Cook said the truth is it did not. 

“Resolutions do not have any teeth,” he 

said. “They are not legally binding.” 

Board member and treasurer Puszkar 

(Robin Seaton Jefferson photo) 

asked her fellow board members to “provide 

me with any detail or proof that this 

resolution has really done anything …. In 

all of the communications and emails that 

I got, not one of them said that this resolution 

prevented their child from harm, not 

one.” 

Puszkar said she remembered a case 

of religious discrimination against a student, 

and that the board was unable to do 

anything until the district’s policies – not 

resolutions – were utilized, and that the 

district already has policies on racism and 

discrimination. 

“We have a policy against racism and 

discrimination. My thought on [the resolution] 

is what has it really done? How effective 

has it really been? Show me proof. 

I’ve not gotten any. All I’ve gotten is a lot 

of hateful email and vitriol,” Puszkar said. 

To which someone from the audience 

hollered, “It gives us hope.” 

Retired Francis Howell teacher Annette 

Sieve said posting a non-binding resolution 

throughout the district’s schools sends 

the wrong message to young people. 

“It’s further dividing our students. We 

want them to be able to work together, to 

get along. We already have policies covering 

racism and religion in this school district,” 

Sieve said. 

She referred to the 2006 “60 Minutes” 

interview, when Oscar-winning actor 

Morgan Freeman, was asked by Journalist 

Mike Wallace how he thought America 

could get rid of racism. Freeman answered, 

“Stop talking about it.” 

“That resolution was posted in each 

school, and kids are seeing it every day,” 

Sieve said. “I think it makes kids look 

for racism. It’s all part of it. It continues 

to divide us as Americans. People have to 

stop that. We are all Americans. They’re 

not looking for truth. They’re looking to 

divide us, and I simply won’t have it. I 

think Morgan Freeman was right. If you 

want racism to go away, stop talking about 

it.”



Vote to help local service dog reach 

finals in national hero dog competition 



I NEWS I 15 

By SHELBI SIGMUND 

At first glance, Moxie may seem like any 

other four-legged friend–loyal, energetic, 

and undeniably adorable 

– but a lot is riding on her 

furry little shoulders. 

Moxie, a 5-year-old 

Goldendoodle, is a finalist 

for the 2023 Hero Dog 

Award in the Service and 

Guide Dog Category. This 

competition, hosted by 

the American Humane 

Society, honors pets from 

various backgrounds that 

have demonstrated heroic 

acts. Under categories 

such as law enforcement, 

therapy, shelter, service 

and military, canines 

across the country compete against each 

other to secure this highly prestigious title. 

To help Moxie claim her place in the 

national spotlight, you can vote once each 

day through Aug. 24 on herodogawards.org. 

Here’s why Moxie deserves this award. 

Moxie has been assisting her owner, 

Katie Harris, for four years with everyday 

tasks that include retrieving and carrying 

belongings, opening and closing doors, 

getting bottled water from the refrigerator, 

and providing support and companionship. 

Harris has Ehlers Danlos Syndrome, a rare 

congenital disease of the connective tissue 

that causes overly-flexible joints, easilybruised 

skin and fragile organs. 

“I named her Moxie because it means to 

SENIOR TAX, from page 10 

Katie Harris and Moxie 

Shlonda Webb (D-District 4) agreed. 

“Being a person who works in analytical 

thinking, I don’t know how much thought 

went into this,” Webb said. “I learned that 

we had no authority to make any changes 

in the implementation or application of this 

legislation, all we can do is vote in or out. I 

don’t want to be in this mess. I don’t want 

our seniors to get some undue consequences 

because due diligence wasn’t served.” 

However, Dennis Ganahl, Ph.D., 

founder of the grass roots organization 

Missouri Tax Relief Now, is in support of 

the bill. He said with property assessments 

skyrocketing this year, seniors need assistance 

now more than ever. 

“It was discouraging to see this come down 

as a partisan vote,” Ganahl said of the vote 

in St. Louis County. “I would’ve felt better if 

one of the Democrats would’ve voted for it. 

overcome obstacles with spirit and courage, 

and that’s what she does for me every 

day,” Harris told West Newsmagazine in 

a 2022 interview. “She has saved my life 

multiple times.” 

Because of her unwavering 

bravery, Moxie 

is the inspiration for 

Moxie’s Mission, the 

nonprofit Harris started 

to spread knowledge 

of service, therapy and 

emotional support dogs 

– and to provide financial 

assistance for veterans 

and others who require a 

service dog. 

“It’s about more than 

winning,” Harris said. 

“The goal is to build 

Moxie’s Mission so we 

can help other people by getting a national 

platform, gaining credibility, getting 

more sponsors and having more speaking 

engagements. A vote for Moxie will 

change lives if we win.” 

Harris, a Parkway Central High graduate 

and Parkway School District Hall of Fame 

alumnus, is available for speaking engagements 

with Moxie. The duo is popular 

with groups of all types and sizes, including 

school groups. And for the younger 

set, Harris has released her first children’s 

book, “Moxie Makes a Difference. The 

book is available and more information 

about Moxie and Harris, including how to 

book them for a speaking engagement, is 

available on adventureswithmoxie.com. 

At the state level it was so bipartisan.” 

Ganahl’s group is working with other 

counties to see if they will approve the tax 

freeze, and talking with volunteers about 

collecting signatures needed to put the 

bill on the next ballot in St. Louis County. 

Without any special elections scheduled 

the earliest that would be is April. 

“Don’t think we’re going to quit, because 

we’re not going to quit,” Ganahl said. 

Harder said he also was disappointed in 

the bill failing to pass but will continue to 

look for solutions to help seniors. 

“Everyone that testified (at the public 

hearings) recognized that there’s a need 

(for tax relief for seniors),” Harder said. 

“No one denies this, but how that need is 

satisfied is up for discussion. We will need 

to work together with the legislature next 

session to come up with some changes or 

variations of (SB190) if this is going to 

pass statewide.” 

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16 I SCHOOLS I MID RIVERS NEWSMAGAZINE 

Francis Howell High student, K-9 partner represent in World Agility Championships 



By BETHANY COAD 

Last month, Kiwi, a 6-year-old Australian 

Kelpie, and her trainer, Reagan Wallace, 

traveled to Southam, England, to 

compete in the 2023 Junior Open World 

Agility Championships. 

According to Wallace, Kiwi is the friendliest 

dog she’s ever trained, highly motivated 

by food and bored easily if the course isn’t 

challenging enough. Wallace acquired Kiwi 

in July 2022 via social media. But she’s not 

Wallace’s first agility pup. 

Wallace also trains with Zeus, a dog she 

began working with in 2019. Connections 

through her rescue-dog-loving aunt led to 

Wallace fostering Zeus for a trial training 

period. He passed with flying colors. 

“I had a large amount of guidance when 

training Zeus,” Wallace said. “I started 

with basic obedience and tricks, and then 

moved onto agility.” 

In addition to agility, they competed in 

obedience, rally and fastcat trials. 

“He is the best ‘Novice A’ dog I could 

have asked for,” Wallace said. “He put up 

with my 13-year-old uneducated self, and 

always tries his best at everything he does.” 

But Zeus is not a good fit for international 

travel, so when Wallace started 

working toward the Junior Open, Kiwi 

came into play. The duo placed third at the 

Junior Agility Competition in Orlando last 

December. It was the biggest show Kiwi 

had been to at the time and Wallace said 

she was blown away by Kiwi’s performance. 

This year, Wallace and Kiwi have 

Reagan Wallace and Kiwi 

(Source: Reagan Wallace) 

continued to train and compete locally 

with good results, placements and new 

titles, and prepare for trials overseas. 

“The courses you run overseas are a 

lot different from American agility, and I 

found myself enjoying the complex technical 

aspects along with the fast lines 

European courses have to offer,” Wallace 

explained. “I don’t have the opportunity to 

run full European-style courses unless I’m 

traveling to other parts of the United States, 

but that’s mainly what I train even if it’s 

just five things in the 30-obstacle course in 

my backyard.” 

Verbal signals tell Kiwi things like which 

direction to turn and how to differentiate 

between obstacles, but she relies more 

heavily on body language so Wallace has 

to make sure to be in the right place at the 

right time. 

On July 5, the duo left for Worlds. Sightseeing 

the first week in England and France 

was graced by good weather, but the week 

of the competition (July 13-16) it poured. 

Kiwi did not appreciate this, or the fact 

that they were running outdoors, so some 

minor issues cropped up during the first 

few runs, Wallace said. However, Kiwi 

pulled it together when she realized the 

rain was just an extra challenge. 

“She took everything in stride and loved 

the competition environment,” said Wallace. 

“Once she realized she was there for 

agility she started to run like she does back 

home. It’s different in Europe because 

cheering during runs is encouraged and 

Kiwi isn’t used to it, so it took a while for 

her to adjust but she blew me away with 

her attentiveness and skill execution there.” 

The pair competed in four events: team 

jumping, team agility, individual jumping 

and individual agility. Jumping is 

what it sounds like – jumps, tunnels and 

weaves through poles. Agility adds contact 

obstacles. Teams consist of four dogs per 

height class per country; the lowest score 

is dropped from the team composite and 

both rounds are added together for final 

scores and podiums. For individual rounds, 

there are three age groups: U12 (born 

2012 or later) U15 (born 2009-2011) and 

U19 (born 2005-2008), the latter of which 

included Wallace and Kiwi. 

“The Junior Open had competitors from 

18 different countries and it was super 

great to meet everyone and communicate 

even though not everyone spoke English,” 

Wallace said. “I’ve learned so much from 

all of them, and they’ve all impacted my 

training techniques and helped to create 

the handling system I use now.” 

She said she hopes to qualify for the U.S. 

Open and tryout again for Team USA next 

year. She also wants to add another dog to 

the pack, since both Kiwi and Zeus are in 

their prime and puppies take a lot of time 

to train. 

“I don’t compete as much as I used to 

because I find training just as much fun 

and I love being able to travel to train with 

different people from across the world 

rather than compete every weekend,” Wallace 

said. 

She said competing has introduced her 

to some of her best friends and taught her 

how to communicate with others and stick 

up for herself. 

“My biggest advice is don’t be afraid to 

ask for help and don’t give up,” Wallace 

said. “Dog training is hard and dog sports 

are like a completely different world. Finding 

a good mentor is key and trying to learn 

from as many different people as possible 

is one of my biggest recommendations.” 

For her part Kiwi will continue to make 

Wallace work to keep her motivated and 

willing to compete. 

“It’s always a challenge,” Wallace said, “but 

it makes our successes even more special.” 

Kiwi seems agreeable, as long as there is 

food in the mix. 

Eagle Scout gives back to alma mater 

By BETHANY COAD 

Achieving the highest rank of Scouting 

requires dedication and an attitude of service 

toward others. Those are the qualities 

that propelled Calvin Gross to the rank of 

Eagle Scout. 

An incoming senior at Lutheran High St. 

Charles, Gross wanted to give back to his 

alma mater, Zion Lutheran junior high. His 

first challenge was to select a project that 

would benefit the Zion community. 

“I emailed the principal, Mr. Marc 

Debrick, to see if he had any project ideas,” 

Gross commented. “He gave me a selection 

of projects to choose from and I picked the 

project that caught my attention.” 

The project involved placing pavers over 

a grassy, sometimes very muddy, median in 

the school’s parking lot. Once his project 

was chosen, the planning began. Planning 

before execution is a key requirement of 

an Eagle Scout project. Proposing a project 

must emphasize the Scout’s intention 

to give leadership through proper planning 

and project development. 

While planning for the project began in 

earnest last July, the project itself was completed 

this June. One of Gross’ challenges 

was learning to break down the work into 

bite-sized goals so he could balance the 

project’s demands with his school load and 

wrestling team membership. 

“The greatest challenge was getting the 

project done before my birthday on July 

11,” Gross commented, “Once I turned 18 

I could not get the Eagle Scout rank.” 

Armed with a group of volunteers from 

Troop 957, family and friends, the physical 

work began in earnest. 

“I was not expecting everyone to be as 

willing to work (as) hard … as they were,” 

Gross said thankfully. 

Materials were brought in and covered 

Eagle Scout Calvin Gross and his team standing on his completed project at Zion Lutheran. 

(Source: Wyatt Gross) 

by community sponsors that included Midwest 

Block and Brick in Earth City, who 

donated the pavers; and World Outdoor 

Emporium, which donated one cubic yard 

of chip rock. 

“My parents paid for the pizzas to feed the 

helpers and I paid for the rest,” Gross said. 

Over a period of three days, pavers were 

laid to cover a 500-square-foot area. The 

workers first removed a layer of dirt, then 

laid and leveled the chip rock. The final 

step was cutting and laying the pavers. 

Gross estimated a total of 270 hours were 

donated by everyone who helped see the 

project come to life. 

The project was completed on June 27, 

just two weeks before Gross’ birthday. 

Gross plans to study computational neuroscience 

in college while hopefully continuing 

his wrestling career.

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18 I BACK TO SCHOOL I 

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For the class of 2024, the time to begin the 

college application process is now. 

As schools grow more competitive each 

year, achieving the ideal myriad of impressive 

test scores, extracurriculars, letters and 

essays seems to be a near-impossible task. 

Don’t stress! Here’s the college application 

process explained. 

Students should start by creating a preliminary 

list of schools that fit all their personal 

criteria and preferences. This can be achieved 

using a Common App account. The Common 

App is a site designed to make college applications 

more accessible to students. It opened 

for the Class of 2024 on Aug. 1. The Common 

App is accepted by over 900 schools and 

assists students by compiling a wide range of 

college information into one source. 

A word of warning: Not every college 

accepts Common App and some might 

require other electronic admission sites, such 

as the Coalition App or the general application 

of the university. 

The typical regular application window is 

from August-January with students receiving 

their acceptance letters in the spring of 

their application year. However, some colleges 

incorporate a system of rolling admissions, 

meaning applications are accepted 

from fall through spring with decisions sent 

back as applications are processed. Other 

schools offer early action or early decision 

applications. Though early decision and 

early actions vary by institution, the College 

Board, the nonprofit that administers the SAT, 

recommends submitting those applications 

in November. Early applicants also receive 

their admissions decisions sooner. Along 

with this, if a candidate applies through either 

of these processes and gets denied, they are 

‘deferred’ to the regular application pool, 

granting them an extra shot at admissions. 

The biggest difference between early 

action and early decision is that early decision 

is a binding contract. A student may only 

apply via early decision to one school and if 

granted admission, the student must attend 

that college and can no longer consider other 

schools. Since early action is a non-binding 

way to apply to a college, students may apply 

to a variety of schools and consider all of 

their options after being accepted. 

While early decision tends to generate 

a higher number of acceptances, Victor 

Thomas, deputy director of admissions at 

Washington University in St. Louis, said that 

doesn’t necessarily mean early decision is an 

easier way to get accepted into a selective 

school. 

Thomas explained that universities use the 

same review process and criteria for both 

early decision and regular applications. 

“... there are just far fewer students applying 

in those (early decision) rounds so it allows 

you to stand out a little bit more,” Thomas 

said. “Especially in a place like WashU and 

other highly selective institutions, it’s really 

important to know that you can’t guarantee 

any particular outcome good or bad in any of 

the decision rounds.” 

Deciding whether to apply, or not, is on a 

case-by-case basis, but Thomas said students 

should keep affordability in mind. Considerations 

include not locking into a college that 

may not ultimately be financially feasible for 

a family, or when a student is seeking specific 

financial assistance through a talent or sports 

recruitment process. Keeping options open, 

and not pursuing the binding early decision, 

might be the best route for those students, 

Thomas suggested. 

Financial aid comes later in the process, 

typically after the student completes the 

Free Application For Federal Student Aid 

(FAFSA). In Missouri, that process opens 

annually on Feb. 1 and closes on April 1. 

Completing the FAFSA form allows the student 

to be considered for federal student aid. 

In addition, states and colleges use FAFSA 

information to award their own grants, scholarships 

and loans; however, they may have 

specific deadlines for those awards. Funding 

is limited, making deadlines all the more 

important. 

On the topic of deadlines, even within the 

regular application process, students applying 

sooner rather than later is the norm.





I BACK TO SCHOOL I 19 

“We consistently see that by Dec. 1, or the 

first week of December, that we will have 

about 85% to 90% of the applications for the 

whole year in by then. So most students are 

still applying early to colleges,” Chuck May, 

executive director of admissions at University 

of Missouri, said. “It ensures they will 

meet all of the deadlines for anything upcoming 

in the year. Scholarship deadlines, housing 

deadlines that may come up, or financial 

application deadlines like FAFSA. The earlier 

a student applies ensures they won’t miss 

those deadlines.” 

When looking at a student’s application, 

college admissions look at various elements 

to determine if that student is a right fit for 

the school from academics, extracurriculars, 

letters of recommendation, essays when 

required, standardized tests such as the SAT 

or ACT, et cetera. 

In recent years, test-optional applications 

have grown in popularity; however, May 

cautioned that if students choose to go testoptional, 

the essay question becomes “very, 

very important.” At Mizzou, the regular application 

does not include the essay question but 

the test-optional application does. He noted 

that the SAT and ACT are four-hour tests that 

cover a wide variety of subjects. Therefore, 

the essay, he said, has to convey that the student 

has taken the same amount of effort. 

In regard to extracurriculars, May said, 

“Academics, hands down, are the number 

one part of any review of any file. Academics 

fall way above the student organizations 

and getting involved. Typically the extracurricular 

activities they are doing outside the 

classroom aren’t going to hurt their application, 

they only help increase the chance of a 

student getting in.” 

Will Shelton, admissions officer at the University 

of Missouri-Kansas City, said most 

colleges are looking for the reason why a 

student’s extracurricular activities are significant 

to them. Colleges are looking for extracurriculars 

in which the student has excelled 

or shown a passion for rather than simply 

filling up their resume. 

Overall, the application process is very 

individualized. 

From Thomas’ perspective, students 

should focus more on finding a campus that 

is suited to their needs and not on where their 

friends are going or that ‘one school’ that will 

only make them happy in the long run. 

“I think the students that are more successful 

are the ones that approach this with an 

open mind and with a spirit of exploration 

as opposed to a fixation on one place where 

they can be successful or where they want 

to be. I really intentionally try not to use the 

phrase ‘college application process,’ because 

I think the word ‘process’ implies a kind of 

results-orientation that takes away from the 

experience and from the search and from the 

journey,” Thomas said. 

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20 I NEWS I 



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By JEFFRY GREENBERG 

The introductory sentence on the St. 

Andrews Cinema Facebook page says it 

all: Intermission’s almost over! 

Known primarily for its long-running 

Dollar Shows, St. Andrews Cinema 

opened way back in 1970. After a fire virtually 

destroyed it in September 2019, the 

new owners of the site are working to get 

it ready for a grand re-opening. 

The cinema at 2025 Golfway St. in 

Saint Charles has been at the heart of 

many pleasant memories for area residents, 

including new owners Anthony Nolen; his 

wife, Krystal; and a third partner simply 

known as Willie. 

“It’s a staple,” Nolen said. 

“We grew up in North County, 

but my aunt and uncle used 

to live in the subdivision 

right behind St. Andrews. 

Although I didn’t grow up 

here, I did come here often.” 

The Nolens, who have 

resided in O’Fallon for 

roughly 10 years, purchased 

the site about three years 

after the fire. Since the purchase, 

they have faced challenges 

and setbacks on a 

semi-regular basis. 

“We owned a CBD American 

Shaman store a few years 

back and COVID tanked our 

business,” Nolen said. “We 

decided during COVID to 

open STL Hemp Company, 

which was like a wholesale hemp distribution 

retail company. We opened a store, then 

when recreational hit, we ended up closing 

it as sales volume dropped completely due 

to the recreational cannabis market.” 

At the time the couple was in the midst 

of negotiating the purchase of the cinema 

property. “Which took us almost a year,” 

Nolen said. “It was a long process.” 

The building itself required a total 

remodel – inside and out. A contractor 

redid the roof, which Nolen considered a 

good deal at $25,000. Surprisingly, it was 

completed within three days. 

Following that project, the couple had 

confidence in the contractor and signed 

with him for $55,000 to finish the front 

end of the building and the two small theaters. 

But work kept being delayed. Eight 

months later, he told the Nolens that he 

decided to file for bankruptcy. 

“That’s the last I heard from him, which 

was about three-and-a-half months ago,” 

Nolen said. 



St. Andrews Cinema on the 

verge of a grand re-opening 

The couple persevered, doing much of 

the non-tradesmen jobs themselves and 

hosting fundraisers in the parking lot. 

However, late spring and summer heat 

plus stormy weather have led to smaller 

crowds and some cancellations of events 

meant to raise money to offset what the 

Nolens lost and engage with the community. 

Those events include Wednesday Bike 

Nights and Thursday Night Car Meets. 

Nolen described the car meets as “Amazing! 

(It’s) a packed parking lot full of cars 

coming and going for hours. So, that’s 

been a blessing.” 

There have also been huge crowds at 

theFlea Markets and Vendor Craft Fairs 

the Nolens host every other Saturday. 

The St. Andrews Cinema marquee, circa 2015. 

(Source: St. Andrews Cinema/Facebook) 

“God has his hand over all of this. This 

was kind of bigger than me, my wife and 

my partner, and He’s provided everything 

that we’ve needed for this project … everything!” 

Nolen exclaimed. “Even though 

we lost a lot during COVID in losing our 

business, we came out and something kept 

pulling us to this building. So, we decided 

to say ‘yes to the address.’” 

“Part of our plan the whole time was to 

find an event space. That’s what we were 

looking for when we opened up STL Hemp 

… a place where we could hold events that 

nobody else would hold,” Nolen said. 

Using the outside space as well as the 

inside is something, Nolen said they were 

always going to do. 

“We’ll be using the entire site as a movie 

theater, an event space and an event center. 

We’re going to do throwback, classic 

movies; some Dollar Show days; dinner 

and a movie; plus, comedy shows. 

See ST. ANDREWS, next page



Time again for Festival of the Little Hills 



I 21 

The 52nd Annual Festival of the Little 

Hills returns to Saint Charles’ historic 

Main Street and Frontier Park, Friday, Aug. 

18 to Sunday, Aug. 20. The Midwest’s premier 

arts and crafts show, the festival also 

features music, a Kids Korner, artisans, 

delicious food and fun activities. 

The festival is open from 4-10 p.m. on 

Friday, 9:30 a.m.-10 p.m. on Saturday, and 

9:30 a.m.-5 p.m. on Sunday. 

More than 300 artisan booths will showcase 

handcrafted items, including wood 

carvings, pottery pieces, paintings, metalwork, 

home décor items, quilts, jewelry 

and more. 

Musical acts are scheduled all weekend 

for the Main Stage in Frontier Park and in 

the Shriners Air Patrol Beer Tent in Frontier 

Park at the south end near the Lewis 

& Clark statue. Visit festivalofthelittlehills. 

com for concert details. 

On Friday beginning at 5 p.m. Saturday 

beginning at 1 p.m. and Sunday beginning 

at noon, kids of all ages can enjoy 

watching circus performers on North Main 

(Source: Festival of the Little Hills/Facebook) 

Street. Performances include magic shows, 

juggling, cowboy tricks and a fire show. 

Bounce houses will be set up during the 

entire festival in Frontier Park, along with 

a Lewis and Clark encampment and keelboat 

replica on display. The Kids Korner 

will be open on Saturday from 10 a.m.-5 

p.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. north 

of the festival main stage. 

Free shuttle service is available from 4-11 

p.m. on Friday, 9 a.m.-11 p.m. on Saturday 

and 9 a.m.-6 p.m. on Sunday. Shuttles run 

from four locations: St. Charles West High, 

located at 3601 Droste Road; EPC (Executive 

Personal Computers), located at 3941 

Harry S. Truman Blvd.; Duchesne High, 

located at 2550 Elm Street; and Life Storage 

St. Charles, located at 2661 Veterans 

Memorial Parkway. An accessible shuttle 

will be available from EPC. 

Per city ordinance, no pets other than 

service animals will be allowed in Frontier 

Park during the festival. Pets are permitted 

on the Katy Trail, however, as it is a Missouri 

state park. 

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“We’re going to do a drive-in theater 

movie night probably once a week so we 

can promote it. We might do pre-ticket 

sales only for events like that. They’ll be 

big events where we can have 200 or 300 

people max.” 

At the time of the July 14 interview, 

Nolen said that they’ll start holding 

events inside once occupancy permits are 

obtained. Cinema seating will be in the 

two smaller rooms but all three rooms will 

have brand-new screens. They’ll also host 

a grand opening (or re-opening) with an 

official ribbon cutting and several other 

elements. 

Nolen declined to share inside photos so 

that the awe factor will be kept in place for 

the grand reopening. 

“We want the grand opening to be the 

first eyes on the inside. It’s been completely 

remodeled. So, we’d like to keep 

that wow factor until we open,” Nolen 

explained. “Once we open, we’ll be giving 

a big shout-out to those who lent a hand to 

help us because we had to go in our pocket 

and pretty much drain our savings to get 

this done. But it’s OK. It’s just something 

that happens sometimes. We’re just letting 

God let things work through. 

“We’re a family-owned and operated 

company, and we’re looking for other 

family-owned and operated companies to 

do advertising with us. There are a lot of 

eyes and ears, and together we’re going to 

do all we can to help bring the community 

back together.” 

The St. Andrews Backyard BBQ 

Bash will be held from 3-8 p.m. on 

Saturday, Aug. 5. For details on this 

and other events, visit St. Andrews 

Cinema on Facebook. 

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22 I MATURE FOCUS I 





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News & Notes 

By LISA RUSSELL 

Battling loneliness 

with purpose 

In a 2023 national poll, one in three 

adults between the ages of 50 and 80 

reported frequent feelings of loneliness 

or isolation from others. Unfortunately, 

these all-too-common feelings can also 

have profound impacts on both physical 

and mental health. Research has linked 

loneliness to higher risks for a variety of 

conditions including high blood pressure, 

heart disease, obesity, autoimmune disorders, 

anxiety and depression, and even 

Alzheimer’s disease. 

However, a recent study co-authored by 

Patrick Hill, a Washington University in St. 

Louis associate professor of psychological 

and brain sciences, points to a powerful 

antidote to loneliness: having a sense 

of purpose in life. That purpose can be as 

major as leading a charitable effort or as 

small as practicing a sport; all that matters 

is its importance to the individual. 

The study was based on surveys of more 

than 2,300 adults in Switzerland. It found 

that no matter their age and whether or not 

they lived alone, participants reported that 

a sense of purpose in their lives was a key 

factor in keeping loneliness at bay. 

Respondents were asked to score their feelings 

on a lack of companionship, isolation 

from other people, and a sense of being “left 

out or passed over” during a four-week period. 

They also completed a six-item Life Engagement 

Test, which asked them to rate statements 

such as “there is not enough purpose in 

my life” and “I value my activities a lot.” 

“A sense of purpose is this general perception 

that you have something leading 

and directing you from one day to the next,” 

Hill said. “It can be something like gardening, 

supporting your family, or achieving 

success at work.” 

While activities that lend themselves 

to a purposeful life often involve interaction 

with others, something about having a 

sense of purpose seems to fight loneliness 

regardless of how many other people are 

involved, he said. 

Hill added that the study did find a slight 

increase in reports of loneliness for people 

in their 70s and beyond, which is an age 

when a sense of purpose can be especially 

important. “We’re trying to dispel the 

myth from previous generations that this 

is simply a time for retiring and resting… 

There are no downsides to finding something 

meaningful later in life.” 

A recent Washington University study 

found that having a sense of purpose is a 

powerful antidote to feelings of loneliness 

and isolation common among older adults. 

(Source: Adobe Stock) 

Hip fracture warning 

Hip fractures are a dreaded consequence 

of aging for a number of reasons. Most 

significantly, a fractured hip is too often 

associated with a shortened life… statistics 

show that up to 24% of those who 

suffer a hip fracture die within the first year 

afterward. Loss of independence is another 

common problem for hip fracture survivors, 

with 40% unable to regain their ability 

to walk without assistance after a year. 

Recently, a study led by the International 

Osteoporosis Foundation (IOF) found that 

the already large burden of hip fractures 

around the world will soon grow even 

larger, in perhaps unexpected ways. Key 

findings of its global analysis were that 

although hip fracture occurrence is trending 

downward in many countries, the overall 

number of hip fractures is expected to 

skyrocket, nearly doubling by 2050 compared 

to 2018 levels. And although hip 

fractures are typically seen as a women’s 

health issue, an increasing number of older 

men will also experience these fractures 

over the coming decades, and men’s mortality 

rate will outpace that of women. 

The international research group evaluated 

trends in hip fracture incidence, post-fracture 

treatment and all-cause mortality among 

adults over 50 in 19 countries, including the 

U.S., between 2005 and 2018. They used 

these trends, along with United Nations 

world population data, to project the number 

of hip fractures in 2030, 2040, and 2050, 

along with estimates of post-fracture treatment 

(defined as the proportion of patients 

receiving anti-osteoporosis medications after 

a fracture), and rates of all-cause mortality. 

Despite the fact that many countries 

show overall population declines in the 

incidence of hip fractures, a rapidly rising 

total number of fractures will soon place a



major burden on healthcare systems worldwide, 

the analysis found. Men in particular 

are expected to receive less post-fracture 

treatment, and a larger increase in their 

projected number of hip fractures than 

women by 2050, along with higher rates of 

all-cause mortality 

“The findings of this important study 

highlight the urgent need for improved 

strategies in hip fracture prevention and 

care. This should be seen as both a warning 

and a call to action for healthcare systems 

worldwide,” said Professor Cyrus Cooper, 

IOF president and a study co-author. 

“Healthcare systems must act… to ensure 

that any older adult who has sustained a 

first hip fracture receives the needed treatment 

and management to prevent further, 

potentially life-threatening fractures.” 

Limited access to 

mental healthcare 

Demand for mental healthcare services 

currently is rising nationwide, and this is 

as true for older Americans as it is for all 

other age groups. But for those covered 

by Medicare Advantage insurance plans – 

which now equals 48% of the senior population 

– accessing these services can be 

significantly more challenging than it is for 

younger people, according to a new study 

published in Health Affairs. 

The study was conducted by a group 

of medical school researchers who built 

a nationwide data set of health plan networks, 

their service areas and their participating 

providers in 2019. 

They found that, in nearly two-thirds 

of psychiatrist networks within Medicare 

Advantage plans throughout the U.S., less 

than a quarter of all psychiatrists practicing 

in a given service area are considered 

“in-network” by the plans. 

As dismal as this limited availability 

of network mental health practitioners 

sounds, “It’s likely a rosier picture than 

reality,” according to lead author Jane Zhu, 

M.D., an assistant professor of medicine at 

Oregon Health & Science University. “We 

know the actual number of psychiatrists 

available to see patients is much lower.” 

That’s the case because even if a psychiatrist 

is technically considered in-network 

by the Medicare Advantage plan in a given 

service area, many are not taking new 

patients at all due to a nationwide shortage 

of these physicians. This means many 

seniors face higher out-of-pocket costs 

from going out of network, delays in getting 

care, or skipping mental health treatment 

altogether because they can’t find a 

provider, Zhu added. 

In more than half of the service areas 

examined in the study, the accessibility situation 

for seniors was at its bleakest: not a 

single psychiatrist participating in Medicare 

Advantage insurance was accepting patients. 

According to Zhu and her colleagues, 

these findings highlight seniors’ limited 

access to mental healthcare nationwide. 

They also point to an urgent need for insurers 

like Medicare Advantage to incentivize 

more psychiatrists into their plans, and to 

expand their coverage of services provided 

by other healthcare professionals like 

psychologists, licensed professional counselors 

and other physicians who provide 

mental health services. 

On the calendar 

St. Luke’s Hospital presents a free community 

program, Tips for Taking Medicines 

Safely as You Age, on Tuesday, Aug. 

15 from 10 a.m.-noon at the Chesterfield 

Community Center, 237 Chesterfield 

Mall (second floor inside the mall, next to 

Macy’s). The guest speaker will be Way 

Huey, assistant director of pharmacy services 

at St. Luke’s. Register by emailing 

olderadults@chesterfield.mo.us or by calling 

(636) 812-9500. 

• • • 

St. Louis Oasis presents a free program, 

Standing Tall – Tips for Improving 

Your Posture, on Tuesday, Aug. 22 from 

10 a.m.-noon at the Corporate Parkway 

Branch Library, 1200 Corporate Parkway 

in Wentzville. Did you know poor posture 

can be a cause of pain, lead to organ 

problems and make you look older? Learn 

from a physical therapist how to check 

your own posture along with techniques 

to instantly improve it. You will also learn 

about exercises and devices you can use to 

help you stand tall. Register online at stlouis.oasisnet.org. 

• • • 

St. Luke’s Hospital presents a free Bone 

Builders class on Thursday, Aug. 24 from 

1:30-3 p.m. at the St. Luke’s Desloge Outpatient 

Center, 121 St. Luke’s Center Drive 

in Building A. According to the National 

Osteoporosis Foundation, 60% of adults 

over 50 are at risk of breaking a bone due 

to osteoporosis … Do you know your risk? 

Join us to learn more about exercise, nutrition 

and medications for bone health and 

osteoporosis prevention. Register by visiting 

stlukes-stl.org. 

BJC Missouri Baptist Hospital offers a 

Today’s Grandparents class on Thursday, 

Aug. 31 from 6:30-9 p.m. at the Missouri 

Baptist Medical Center Clinical Learning 

Institute, 3005 N. Ballas Road. Grandparenting 

is truly a joy! This hands-on class 

offers updates on current trends in infant 

care and feeding, and provides tips on 

local and long-distance grandparenting. 

The course fee is $20 per person (each 

person attending must register separately). 

Registration is available online at classesevents.bjc.org. 



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I MATURE FOCUS I 23 

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1475 Kisker Rd, Suite 270 | St. Charles, MO 63304 

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5 other locations in St. Louis and Illinois to serve you!

24 I HEALTH I 





Prepare for School Sports Physicals: On Your Mark, Get Set, Go! 

St. Luke's Urgent Care in O'Fallon offers sports and camp physicals for kids ages 12 and older. 

No appointment necessary. 

7-0117 

07/2023 

St. Luke's Urgent Care - O'Fallon 

5511 Winghaven Blvd. 

Suite 100 

O'Fallon, MO 63368 

LEARN MORE 

314-695-2500 

stlukes-stl.com/urgent-care 

August is National Immunization Awareness month 

HEALTH 

CAPSULES 

By LISA RUSSELL 

End of summer means 

evaluating kids’ vaccine status 

As summer comes to an end for schoolage 

children, many area parents may be 

thinking about whether their kids’ immunizations 

are up to date. That’s the purpose of 

National Immunization Awareness Month 

in August: to help protect the health of 

Americans of all ages by informing them 

about proper vaccination. 

Childhood vaccines that protect against 

polio, measles/mumps/rubella (MMR), 

hepatitis A and B, and diphtheria/tetanus/pertussis 

(DTaP) have been required 

for children attending public schools for 

decades. Other vaccines, such as those 

for influenza, rotavirus, varicella (chicken 

pox), meningitis, human papillomavirus 

(HPV) and most recently COVID-19, are 

less often mandatory in all cases, but are 

recommended by the Centers for Disease 

Control and Prevention as well as by 

national pediatric medical organizations. 

Recently, a Harvard-led analysis of 

21 polls conducted before and after the 

(Source: Adobe Stock) 

COVID pandemic showed that parents’ 

attitudes concerning school vaccination 

mandates have shifted as a result. While 

the study found their positive perceptions 

about the overall safety of vaccines have 

not declined, many parents are now questioning 

the mandates themselves. 

For example, polls taken shortly before 

the 2022-23 school year began showed 

Americans were divided on the issue of 

whether students should be required to 

have a COVID-19 vaccine to attend public 

schools, with as many as 52% opposing 

these requirements. 

That level of opposition has also impacted 

the number of parents who believe that 

standard childhood immunizations should 

be required for public school attendance, 

the Harvard analysis found. It showed that 

public support for traditional school immunization 

requirements dropped by as much 

as 12% between 2019 and 2023, down to a 

level of about 75%. Those results mean that 

roughly a quarter of U.S. parents are now 

opposed to mandatory routine vaccinations 

– the highest level of opposition in recent 

history, the study’s authors said. 

The pandemic also disrupted some 

children’s normal vaccination schedules, 

leaving more kids susceptible to vaccinepreventable 

diseases, according to CDC 

statistics. This includes Missouri, where 

overall levels of vaccination lag slightly 

behind national averages. A vaccination 

map published by the American Academy 

of Pediatrics shows, for instance, that Missouri’s 

rate of DTaP vaccination among 

24-month-olds stands at 78.6%, compared 

to 81.9% nationally and a target vaccination 

rate of 90% established by the CDC’s 

Healthy People 2030 initiative. 

An interactive quiz designed to help parents 

determine what vaccines their child 

may need based on their individual health 

needs is available online at cdc.gov/vaccines/childquiz. 

Younger women face 

higher risks after heart attack 

Heart attacks are occurring more frequently 

in younger adults – both men and 

women, the American Heart Association 

has reported. One recent study found that 

roughly 30% of people hospitalized due to 

a heart attack in the U.S. are now between 

the ages of 35 and 54. 

But when women under age 55 have a 

heart attack, they also face nearly double 

the risk as same-age men of being hospitalized 

again in the year immediately 

afterward, according to research newly 

published in the Journal of the American 

College of Cardiology. 

Younger women now represent about 

5% of all heart attacks occurring in the 

U.S. each year, statistics show. This may 

seem like a small number, but it adds up to 

about 40,000 women hospitalized for heart 

attacks each year – about the same number 

of younger women diagnosed with breast 

cancer annually. And while breast cancer 

may receive more publicity, heart disease 

is actually the leading cause of death 

among women in this younger age group. 

Researchers have known for some time 

that women under 55 have about twice the 

risk of in-hospital death from a heart attack 

than same-age men. However, it was unclear 

whether female heart attack survivors also 

experience a higher risk of complications in 

the period after leaving the hospital following 

treatment for a heart attack. 

The new study included about 3,000 

patients treated for heart attacks at over 100 

U.S. hospitals. The participants were 48 

years old on average, and represented ethnically 

and racially diverse backgrounds. 

The analysis showed that nearly 30% of 

patients were hospitalized again in the year 

after discharge following a heart attack, 

and those repeat hospital admissions 

peaked within the first month afterward. 

Women had nearly twice the overall risk 

(1.65 times higher) of being rehospitalized 

than men. They were 1.5 times more likely 

to need inpatient treatment due to recurrence 

of cardiac-related problems. 

The biggest differences in rehospitalization 

between the sexes, though, was found 

to be due to non-cardiac causes, which 

occurred in more than twice the number (2.1 

times higher) of women than men. These 

were hospitalizations caused by other major 

health events such as digestive problems, 

depression, bleeding and pneumonia. 

The study authors said their findings 

reveal a need for closer follow-up of 

younger women who suffer heart attacks, 

including both their cardiac and noncardiac 

risk factors. If, with the help of 

their doctors, women can focus on ways 

to improve their overall health following 

a heart attack, this could improve their 

health outcomes and lower their chances 

of rehospitalization. 

Survey shows more Americans 

than ever are depressed 

As of this February, rates of depression 

among U.S. adults had reached the highest 

levels recorded since the national public 

opinion firm Gallup started tracking the 

condition with an annual survey in 2015. 

In the randomized poll of nearly 5,200 

adults, 29% said they have been diagnosed 

with depression during their lifetime, and 

18% said they currently have depression 

and/or are being treated for it. That compares 

with 2015 rates of 20% of respondents 

saying they ever had depression and 

11% with a current diagnosis. 

The new estimates are based on online 

survey responses to two questions: “Has 

a doctor or nurse ever told you that you 

have depression?,” and “Do you currently 

have or are you currently being treated for 

depression?” 

When responses were analyzed by age, 

people between the ages of 18 and 44 were 

most likely to report ever being diagnosed 

with depression or currently having the ill-





I HEALTH I 25 

ness. About one-third of these younger adults 

have ever been diagnosed, and more than 

20% said they currently have depression. 

The largest changes among age subgroups 

compared to responses received five 

years ago were seen among 18- to 29-yearolds, 

whose rates of depression were up 

by 13.9%; and among Black and Hispanic 

adults, whose reported depression increased 

by 14.3% and 12.9%, respectively. 

According to Gallup analysts, the poll 

already had reflected steadily rising rates 

of depression before the pandemic began 

in 2020. They wrote that “social isolation, 

loneliness, fear of infection, psychological 

exhaustion (particularly among front-line 

responders such as health care workers), 

elevated substance abuse and disruptions in 

mental health services have all likely played 

a role” in the increases seen since then. 

It’s also true that increased societal 

recognition of depression as a mental 

health problem rather than a personal 

weakness – and less social stigma around 

people revealing their depression and getting 

treatment – have also contributed to 

increasing reports, they added. 

Anemia too common in girls 

and young women, study finds 

A recent University of Michigan study of 

young girls and women between the ages 

of 12 and 21 found that four out of 10 have 

blood levels of iron well below normal … 

low enough to cause symptoms such as 

low energy, dizziness and fatigue. Most 

of them probably don’t know it, however, 

because regular health screenings for their 

age group don’t include blood tests that 

measure iron levels. 

The study’s most alarming finding was 

that one in every 17 females in this age 

group have low enough iron levels to justify 

a diagnosis of iron-deficiency anemia, 

which can cause severe or even life-limiting 

symptoms if not treated. 

The study, published in JAMA, used 

data from a broad-based sample of about 

3,500 young women who took part in 

the NHANES national health survey. It 

focused on their levels of ferritin, a protein 

that stores iron inside the cells and helps 

to determine if a healthy amount of iron is 

present in the body. 

While the overall iron deficiency rate 

in the study group was 40%, the rate was 

about 30% higher among both Black and 

Hispanic girls and young women compared 

with their white peers. Although 

females who had already started menstruating 

were more likely to have lower blood 

iron levels, 27% who had not yet reached 

that milestone also had low iron. 

Lead author Angela Weyand, M.D., a 

pediatric hematologist at Michigan Medicine, 

said that blood iron testing in adolescent 

girls and young women should 

become the norm. She added that symptoms 

they and their parents should watch 

for include fatigue, cognitive or mental 

health concerns, shortness of breath when 

exercising, pale or sallow skin, rapid heartbeat 

or frequent headaches. 

“Iron deficiency is an under-recognized 

problem with adverse impacts, but its 

symptoms and even those of anemia are 

normalized in young females,” Weyand 

said. “Why are we not screening for a 

condition that is highly prevalent, easily 

diagnosed, easily treated and associated 

with serious symptoms and increased risk 

of death if not addressed?” 

On the calendar 

BJC St. Louis Children’s Hospital presents 

a Staying Home Alone virtual class 

on Wednesday, Aug. 16 from 6:30-8 p.m., 

live via Teams Meeting. Parents and children 

attend the class together to ensure a 

child’s readiness – physically, mentally, 

socially and emotionally – to stay at home 

alone. Families will engage in workshopstyle 

activities about issues that may 

arise when preparing for this experience. 

A family workbook, emergency cards, 

family fire escape plan, parent checklist for 

assessing readiness and first aid kit will be 

delivered to each participating household 

prior to class. The registration fee is $25 

per family. To register, call (314) 454-5437. 

• • • 

BJC St. Louis Children’s Hospital sponsors 

a Babysitting 101 virtual class on 

Monday, Aug. 21 from 6-8:30 p.m. This 

interactive class, offered virtually through 

Teams Meeting, is a great introduction to 

the basics of babysitting and is recommended 

for ages 10 and above. Topics 

include the business of babysitting, child 

development and behavior, basic child 

care, expecting the unexpected, and choosing 

age-appropriate games and activities. 

A workbook, first-aid kit, babysitter skills 

assessment and backpack will be delivered 

to each participant’s home prior to class. A 

list of needed supplies and the online link 

will be provided in the confirmation email. 

The cost is $25 per child. Please note that 

the child is the registrant; parents may sit 

in on the class at no additional cost. Register 

online at bjc.org/babysitting-class. 

• • • 

St. Luke’s Hospital presents Make Peace 

with Food: Basics of Mindful Eating on 

Wednesday, Aug. 23 from 6:30-8 p.m. at 

the Desloge Outpatient Center, 121 St. 

Luke’s Center Drive in Building A, Conference 

Room 3. Most of us struggle with 

food at some time in our lives; we eat when 

we are stressed, sad and more. Join us for 

this free class to learn the basics about 

eating more mindfully and move closer to 

feeling at peace in your relationship with 

food. Register by visiting stlukes-stl.com.

26 I BUSINESS I 





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Mail to: 

754 Spirit 40 Park Drive • Chesterfield, MO 63005 

Not Just Paint has opened at 6220 Mexico Road in St. Peters 

(Source: St. Charles Regional Chamber of Commerce) 

BUSINESS 

BRIEFS 

PLACES 

Not Just Paint, a creative arts studio, 

opened its doors and cut the ribbon July 

13. The new business provides signature 

classes for a variety of creative projects 

in visual arts and crafts including painting, 

candlemaking, potting plants and more for 

adults 18 and older, and children ages 6 

to 17. The studio will also provide private 

classes at your location. Not Just Paint is 

located at 6220 Mexico Road in St. Peters. 

To register for classes visit notjustpaintllc. 

com or call (636) 669-8606. 

• • • 

United Services for Children has a 

new address: 3420 Harry S. Truman Blvd. 

in St. Charles. The nonprofit organization 

provides therapy and early intervention for 

children with developmental disabilities 

or delays, and support services for their 

families. 

• • • 

Century 21 CopperKey Realty, led 

by husband and wife, Chris and Cassie 

Kramer, is located at 4011 N. St. Peters 

Parkway. Reach them by calling (636) 

317-1120 

• • • 

Vacations by TravelPlex has opened its 

newest location at 6061 Mid Rivers Mall 

Drive in Cottleville. Corporately, the firm 

is celebrating its 30th year of providing 

travelers the advice, tools and resources 

they need for travel and vacations around 

the world. 

• • • 

Members of the St. Charles Regional 

Chamber of Commerce helped Wing- 

Haven Country Club General Manager 

Matt Renner cut the ribbon on its newly 

expanded clubhouse in O’Fallon on July 

25. The improvements include a large 

expansion of the facility’s kitchens, an 

updated dining area with new seating and 

an indoor/outdoor full service bar which 

connects to new covered patio seating that 

overlooks the 18th green. 

• • • 

The Home Builders Association Charitable 

Foundation recently presented a 

donation of $20,000 to Habitat for Humanity 

of St. Charles County. The Foundation 

is the charitable arm of the Home Builders 

Association, a local trade association of 

nearly 600 member firms in the residential 

construction industry. Michelle Woods, 

executive director for Habitat for Humanity 

of St. Charles County said the donation 

will go toward the 2023 build season. The 

nonprofit plans to build two homes in the 

city of St. Charles this year. 

PEOPLE 

Powers Insurance & Risk Management 

recently hired Giovanni “Johnny” 

Favazza as commercial lines risk management 

advisor. A former senior account 

executive at an insurance brokerage in 

Texas and associate for a California-based 

investment advisory firm, he has a Bachelor 

of Business Administration degree in 

managerial finance from the University of 

Mississippi. 

• • • 

Desmond McNeil has 

joined Boone Center, 

Inc. (BCI) as transportation 

manager. In this 

new role, funded with 

the financial backing 

of the Developmental 

McNeil 

Disabilities Resource 

Board (DDRB) of St. Charles County, he 

will create new transportation solutions for 

adults with intellectual and developmental 

disabilities who work. Currently 80% of 

those working under BCI’s employment 

program in St. Charles County have lost 

van transportation since 2021 because of 

inadequate state funding, according to the 

agency.


MID RIVERS NEWSMAGAZINE I BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT I 27 

Logan’s Sports and Rehab Clinics – helping to keep young athletes in the game 



At Logan University Health 

Centers’ Sports and Rehab, young 

athletes can learn to increase 

their performance, minimize their 

potential for injury and be treated 

for injuries if they occur. 

New revitalized sports clinics 

are under development at both 

the Mid Rivers Health Clinic in 

St. Peters and the Montgomery 

Health Center in Chesterfield. 

Quintin Murray, D.C., M.S., a 

clinician and assistant professor 

at Logan, said the clinics are an 

option for sports related healthcare that 

some athletes and families might not 

know about. 

“We’re working to get more and 

more people familiar with who we 

are and what we do,” said Dr. Murray. 

“When most people consider traditional 

chiropractic care they don’t necessarily 

think about athletic performance or 

routine sports care. It’s something we 

want to make sure that people know we 

offer as a service.” 

The sports and rehab clinics offer 

services for athletes that begin with 

their required school and sports 

physicals that help ensure that students 

are healthy and ready to participate 

Quintin Murray, D.C., M.S. Jesse Politowski, D.C. 

in their chosen sport, one of the most 

important steps to playing safely and 

avoiding injury, Dr. Murray said. 

“One of the first things before taking 

on a sport is are you physically fit for it? 

Have you done the prerequisites to build 

your stamina, build your strength. And 

if not, how are you going to get ready to 

participate,” he said. 

Dr. Murray said patient education is an 

essential piece for maintaining good health 

and when it comes to children, educating 

their parents is most important. 

“They are the driving force, so it’s 

important that they are well informed to 

provide the guidance or pull in the reins 

when they need to,” he said. 

“Our whole goal is to prepare 

student athletes and the general 

population to participate in activities 

they find enjoyable,” Dr. Murray said. 

“Sometimes though, injuries happen and 

those can be a deterrent to continuing 

the activity or if an athlete continues to 

compete, can lead to further injuries.” 

Logan has a full general clinic facility 

and a separate sports rehab facility as 

well, said Jesse Politowski, D.C. a faculty 

clinician at Logan. “There is a real benefit 

in having the specialty clinic because a 

sports injury would be treated differently 

than a general musculoskeletal injury.” 

He said that preseason is one of the 

highest risk times for injury especially 

when young people are not as active in the 

summer and start the season going at 100%. 

The most common injuries they see are 

acute strains, sprains and injuries from 

overuse. 

“Perhaps they were training a little too 

hard, or not resting enough,” Dr. Murray 

said. “We’ll see a lot of those come through 

our door.” 

The sports clinic features adjustment 

tables specifically designed for sports 

injuries and clinicians use modalities that 

include electrical stimulation, light therapy, 

sound waves as well as the hands of the 

clinicians themselves to work the tissues, 

Dr. Murray said. 

Once the injury is treated, it is essential 

that patients are healed and cleared before 

returning to training and the sport, he said. 

Young athletes, however, aren’t the only 

ones who can benefit from the new revitalized 

clinics. The therapy and treatments are 

helpful to active people of all kinds. 

“We’re open to anyone and everyone who 

wants to get more out of their performance, 

or who are dealing with a nagging injury 

preventing them from playing a round of golf 

as well as they want to,” Dr. Murray said. 

“We’ll see people from the high level 

college athlete to everyday athletes or 

weekend warriors and really everything in 

between,” said Dr. Politowski. 

Because Logan’s Health Centers are 

teaching facilities, the fee per visit is just $10. 

For more information or to make an 

appointment, call Logan University’s 

Health Centers. 

Mid Rivers Health Center 

6131 Mid Rivers Mall Drive • St. Peters 

636-397-3545 

Montgomery Health Center 

1851 Schoettler Road • Chesterfield 

636-230-1990 

SUNSET 

CONCERTS 

Sunset Concerts 

are back! 

www.stpetersmo.net/sunset 

Sponsored by: 

NOTE: Bands and food options are subject to change. 

Sunset Fridays Concerts 

370 Lakeside Park 

Corporate Pavilion 

• 6:30 p.m. Concerts 

• 6 p.m. Food Trucks/Beverage Sales 

Enjoy date night along the lake in a 

winery-style setting with great music! 

Aug. 11: Power Play 

Aug. 18: Serapis 

Aug. 25: Wildhorse Creek Band 

Sept. 1: Paul Bonn & The Bluesmen 

Sept. 8: Paul Jarvis & The Old 

Barn Boys 

Saturday, Sept. 16 

Music begins at 4 p.m.* 

• Soul Cracker 

• Butch Wax and The Hollywoods 

*Seating opens at 3 p.m. for Sunset Saturday events. 

Sunset Fridays “On The Road” 

at SPTVnow.net! 

How’d you like to see great local 

favorites like Garden Party, Cole 

Blue Steel, Serapis or Jackson Stokes 

anytime, anywhere? SCAN THE QR 

CODE for the only local concerts you can take with you!

28 I EVENTS I 



Explore 

ITALY 

March 11 - 19, 2024 

636-946-0633 

WWW.STCHARLESREGIONALCHAMBER.COM 

BOOK 

NOW 



LOCAL 

EVENTS 

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT 

St. Charles Flea and Artisan Market is 

from 8 a.m.-2 p.m. on the second Saturday 

of the month at the Saint Charles City Hall 

parking garage, 200 N. Second St. in St. 

Charles. Details at stcharlesflea.com. 

• • • 

Twilight Market is from 3-7 p.m. on the 

second Saturday of each month through 

November at 301 Main St. in Old Town St. 

Peters. Artists, vendors, musicians, food/ 

drink and more. Free to attend. Details at 

stpetersmo.net. 

• • • 

St. Charles Riverwalk Market is from 

7:30 a.m.-1 p.m. on Saturdays through Nov. 

25 at the Foundry Art Centre, 500 N. Riverside 

Dr. in St. Charles. Fresh produce and 

crafts from local vendors, live music and 

more. Details at discoverstcharles.com. 

• • • 

“Reuse, Repurpose, Recycle” Art Exhibition 

is through Aug. 31 at The Crossroads 

Art Center, 310 W. Pearce Blvd. in Wentzville. 

Details at crossroadsartscouncil.org. 

• • • 

Charles Houska’s “Joy Ride” is in 

the grand hall through August; “Art of the 

Arcade” with Two Plumbers Brewery + 

Arcade is in the main gallery through September 

23 at The Foundry Art Centre, 520 

N. Main Center in St. Charles. Details at 

foundryartcentre.org. 

• • • 

Macler Gallery Show, “Somewhere 

Down the River” is through Aug. 26 at 

The Creative at Klondike, 4600 Hwy. S. in 

Augusta. Visit thecreativeatklondike.com. 

• • • 

Under the Sunshine Art Show is 

through September at the Crossroads Arts 

Council, 310 W. Pearce Blvd. in Wentzville. 

For submission information, email crossroadsartscouncil@gmail.com 

or visit crossroadsartcouncil.org. 

• • • 

Abstract Art Show is now through Sept. 

10 at the St. Peters Cultural Art Centre, 1 St. 

Peters Centre Blvd. in St. Peters. Artwork 

will be non-objective and use forms, colors, 

textures and gesture marks to achieve its 

effect. Artists reception is from 6-8 p.m. on 

Aug. 3. Details at stpetersmo.net. 

• • • 

Performance in the Park is at 6:30 p.m. 

on Wednesday, Aug. 16 at O’Day Park 

Amphitheater in O’Fallon. The St. Louis 

Shakespeare Festival presents “The Merry 

Wives of Windsor” in 90’s sitcom style. 

Free admission. Details at ofallon.mo.us. 

• • • 

Fall Into the Arts is from 11 a.m.-4 p.m. 

on Sunday, Sept. 17 at O’Day Park, 1000 

O’Day Park Drive in O’Fallon. Artists and 

crafters, craft beer tastings, artisan food 

vendors and live music. Free admission. 

Details at ofallon.mo.us/fall-into-the-arts. 

• • • 

St. Charles County Youth Orchestra 

auditions will be held Aug. 25-27 at Grace 

Baptist Church, 3601 Ehlmann Road in 

St. Charles. Students at all levels of string, 

wind, brass and percussion are invited to 

audition. By appointment only. Details at 

sccyo.org/auditions. 

BENEFITS 

Room at the Inn Golf Tournament is 

from 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m. (registration is at 9 

a.m.) on Monday, Aug. 21 at Old Hickory 

Golf Club, 1 Dye Club Drive in St. Peters. 

Price is $750 per foursome and $200 for individuals. 

For details, call (314) 209-9181 or 

visit roomstl.org. 

• • • 

22 Strong Walk is on Saturday, Sept. 16 

at Wright Construction Services, 11 Lami 

Industrial Drive in St. Peters to honor and 

support U.S. veterans. There will be a 

22-mile and a 2.2-mile walk. Register at 

wrightconstruct.com/giving-back. For questions, 

email lpaskoff@building-change.com. 

• • • 

The “Quest for Camelot - A Night of 

Health, Healing and Hope” Gala is from 

6-10 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 23 at the Ameristar 

Casino in St. Charles. Tickets start at 

$200. For details visit bjcstcharlescounty.org/ 

gala or email Emily.Riccio@bjc.org. 

CONCERTS & FESTIVALS 

St. Charles Municipal Band performs 

at 7:30 p.m. on Thursdays through Aug. 25 

at the Jaycee Pavilion in Frontier Park, 500 

S. Riverside Drive in St. Charles. Big Jazz 

Band Concerts are on the second Sunday 

of the month through September. Details at 

stcharlesband.com. 

• • • 

Food Truck Frenzy is every Friday night 

through Oct. 13 at Sports Park, 3589 Hwy. 

K in O’Fallon, featuring various popular 

local food trucks in a family-friendly park 

setting. Bring seating. Time and locations 

will vary. Admission and parking is free. 

Details at ofallon.mo.us. 

• • • 

New Town Concert Series continues 

with The Big Rigs from 7-10 p.m. on Saturday, 

Aug. 5 at the New Town Amphitheater, 

3312 Rue Royale in St. Charles. Free event. 

Aug. 12 - Larry Gerst & Friends. Aug. 19 - 

Trixie Delight. Details at discoverstcharles. 

com and search “New Town Concert Series.” 

• • • 

St. Charles Food Truck Event is from 

5-8 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 8 at Blanchette 

Park, 1900 W. Randolph St. in St. Charles. 

Some trucks may be cash only. Bring seating. 

Coolers may be checked at the entrance. 

No alcoholic beverages, glass containers or 

animals. Details at stcharlesparks.com. 

• • • 

O’Fallon Jammin’ Concert Series continues 

with Sometimes a Fantasy from 6:30-9 

p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 8 at the Civic Park 

Family Owned and Operated. 

NOW OFFERING 

PICK-UP SERVICE! 

$2 OFF 

$20 OR MORE 

Not valid with any other coupon or discount. 

Limit 1 coupon per customer per visit. 

Must present ad. Expires 9/5/23 

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Deep Fried Lobster Tails 

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314-858-9091 

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Shrewsbury, MO 63119 

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Open Monday - Thursday 4 - 9 pm 

Friday and Saturday 11:30 am - 10 pm 

Closed Sunday 

RESERVATIONS RECOMMENDED



Bandstand, 308 Civic Park Drive in O’Fallon. 

Admission and parking are free. Food trucks 

and concessions are available. Bring seating. 

Details at ofallon.mo.us/jammin. 

• • • 

Beale Street Concert Series featuring 

Retro Nerds is from 6-8 p.m. on Wednesday, 

Aug. 9 on The Streets of St. Charles, 1520 S. 

Fifth St. Bring seating. The series continues 

Sept. 13 with No Diggity. Visit facebook. 

com/StreetsofStCharles for details. 

• • • 

Sunset Fridays featuring Power Play is 

from 6:30-8:30 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 11 at 

370 Lakeside Park in St. Peters. Enjoy live 

music, food trucks and more. The series 

continues on Aug. 18 with Serapis. Full 

concert schedule at stpetersmo.net/sunset. 

• • • 

Hot Summer Nights featuring Ben Lacy 

and Tim Cunningham is from 6-10 p.m. on 

Saturday, Aug. 12 on Second Street between 

Morgan and Decatur in Frenchtown. Food 

truck service begins at 6 p.m. and live music 

starts at 7 p.m. Series continues on Sept. 9 

with Bluegrass Night featuring Special 

Consensus. Details at stcharlescitymo.gov. 

• • • 

St. Charles Jewish Festival is from 11 

a.m.-2:30 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 13 at the 

Foundry Art Centre parking lot, 520 N. 

Main Center in St. Charles. The festival 

features music, kids activities, food and 

Here's $5.00 

(Use it for anything at Massa's) 

August 11th is my Birthday 

August 5th is my 50th Anniversary 

Oh Hell, Make it $10.00 

Expires the end of this Month! 

3072 Winghaven Blvd. 

Lakeside Shoppes Plaza 

636-561-5202 

3761 New Town Blvd. 

Right at the Hwy. 370 

636-925-2961 



more. Tickets are free but required to aid in 

event planning; visit JewishStCharles.org/ 

Festival. 

• • • 

Music on Main featuring Butch Wax 

and the Hollywoods is from 5-7:30 p.m. 

on Wednesday, Aug. 16 on Historic Main 

Street in St. Charles. Free event. Bring seating. 

The series continues on Sept. 20 with 

Vynal Tap. Details at discoverstcharles.com. 

• • • 

Dardenne Prairie Summer Concert 

featuring the Well Hungarians is from 7-10 

p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 17 at City Hall Park, 

2032 Hanley Road. Bring seating. Free 

event with concessions available. Details at 

dardenneprairie.org. 

• • • 

Festival of the Little Hills is from 4-10 

p.m. on Friday, Aug. 18; from 9:30 a.m.-10 

p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 19 and from 9:30 

a.m.-5 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 20 on Main 

Street and in Frontier Park in Saint Charles. 

Over 300 arts and crafts vendors, nonprofit 

organizations and entertainment. Free event. 

Details at festivalofthelittlehills.com. 

• • • 

Twilight Tuesdays Music in the Park 

features Butch Wax and the Hollywoods 

from 6-8:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 22 at 

Legacy Park Amphitheater, 5490 Fifth St. 

in Cottleville. Bring seating. On Sept. 12 - 

Facts O’ Life. No golf carts on the amphitheater 

hill or grass. Free event. Details at 

cityofcottleville.com or call (636) 498-6565. 

FAMILY & KIDS 

Family Fridays are from 2-4 p.m. on the 

second Friday of every month at the Heritage 

Park Museum, 1630 Heritage Landing 

in St. Peters. Each session has games and 

crafts, storytime, or hands-on displays. Free 

event. Details at stccparks.org. 

• • • 

Back to School Family Night is from 

6-8:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 8 at Legacy 

Park Amphitheater, 5490 Fifth St. in Cottleville. 

Comedian/magician Jeff Lefton, 

the Bubble Bus and other kids activities are 

featured. Free event. Details at cityofcottleville.com. 

• • • 

Summer Sendoff is from 1-4 p.m. on 

Sunday, Aug. 13 at O’Day Park, 1000 

O’Day Park Drive in O’Fallon. Food truck 

picnic, inflatables and yard games are 

featured. Admission and parking are free. 

Details at ofallon.mo.us. 

SPECIAL INTEREST 

The Kiwanis Club of Cottleville- 

Weldon Spring meets at noon on the first 

See EVENTS, page 30 

BE INFORMED, MEET ELECTED OFFICIALS 

August 4 | Matt Becker, Realtor, 

Apartment Building Proliferation 

August 11 | James Knowles, 

Dardenne Prairie City Administrator 

August 18 | Tracy Dougan, 

Concerned Women of America 

August 25 I Stefanie Kaiser, Coordinator, 

Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children 

NEW MEETING LOCATION: 

B. Hall’s Family Grill | 3782 Monticello Plaza Dr I O’Fallon 63304 

FRIDAY LUNCH MEETINGS AT NOON 

St. Charles County 

Pachyderm Club 

www.sccpachyderms.org 

I EVENTS I 29 

DINING 

636.591.0010 

$5 Off 

purchase of $25 or more 

Valid at: 

St. Peters 

Wentzville 

St. Louis - Chesterfield 

St. Louis - Brentwood 

Expires 9/3/2023. Limit one (1) coupon per 

guest. Coupon must be presented at time of 

purchase. Valid only at the Nothing Bundt Cakes 

bakery(ies) listed. Valid only on baked goods; 

not valid on retail items. Must be claimed in 

bakery during normal business hours. Not valid 

for online orders. Not valid with any other offer. 

Discounts applied before tax. Coupon may not 

be reproduced, transferred or sold. Internet 

distribution strictly prohibited. No cash value. 

For 

Bakery 

Lentil Chili 

HAPPY HOUR SPECIAL 2PM-4PM 

#11 Italian Club Sandwich 

Pepperoni Pizza 

BUY ONE SANDWICH, GET ONE 

FREE 

WITH THE PURCHASE OF CHIPS & DRINK 

One coupon per person. In-Store Only. Not to be combined 

with other offers. Offer good only during Happy Hour 2-4 PM. 

Expires 9/6/23 

3023 Highway K • O’Fallon, MO 63368 

636-272-7000 

ORDER ONLINE AT PICKLEMANS.COM 

® 

Log on to AmisPizza.com for Full Menu! 

LUNCH EXPRESS 

Large Slice of Pizza & Salad 

$7.45 

11AM-4PM 

$4.00 OFF 

Any Large Pizza 

or Pasta Dinner 

Sunday - Thursday. 

Dine in or Carryout. Not valid with 

any other offer. Expires 8/31/23. 

& PIZZERIA 

www.AmisPizza.com 

Pizza, Pasta, Steaks Seafood, Salad 

Pizza, Pasta, Steaks, Seafood, Salad 

Carryout Delivery • Catering 

Carryout & Delivery • Catering 

Now Available Ordering Online 

3728 Monticello Plaza • 636-329-8787 

9824 Manchester Rd. Rock Hill • 314-963-1822 

Large One 

Topping Pizza, 

any appetizer, large 

combination salad 

$8.95 OFF 



any other offer. Expires 8/31/23. 

$5 OFF 

W/ ANY PURCHASE 

$25.00 

OR MORE 

CARRYOUT 



any other offer. Expires 8/31/23.

30 I 





EVENTS, from page 29 

Monday of the month at Bandanas Bar-B- 

Q, 3446 Pheasant Meadow Dr. in O’Fallon, 

with a mission focused on helping local 

children. For details, email cwskiwanisclub@gmail.com. 

• • • 

St. Peters Lions Club meets on the first 

and second Tuesday of the month at The 

Lions Club House, 9 Park Street in St. Peters. 

Being a Lion is about leading by example, 

building relationships and improving the 

world through kindness. For details, email 

lionsclubstpetersmo@gmail.com. 

• • • 

Cottleville/Weldon Spring Rotary 

Club meets at noon every Wednesday 

at Bemo’s, 5373 Hwy. N. in Cottleville. 

RSVP to Toddrasche01@gmail.com. 

Details at cwsrotary.org. 

• • • 

The Cavesprings Toastmasters Club 

offers in-person and online meetings from 

8 a.m.-9 a.m. Wednesdays at the St. Charles 

Ambulance District, 2000 Salt River Road 

in St. Peters. Improve public speaking and 

communication skills. RSVP to cavespringstoastmasters@gmail.com. 

• • • 

St. Charles County Pachyderm Club 

meets at noon every Friday at B. Hall’s 

Family Grill, 3782 Monticello Plaza Drive 

in O’Fallon. Guest speakers - Aug. 4: Matt 

Becker, Realtor on “Apartment Building 

Proliferation;” Aug. 11: Dardenne Prairie 

City Administrator James Knowles; Aug. 

18: Tracy Dougan, Concerned Women of 

America. Details at sccpachyderms.org. 

• • • 

DECK STAINING 

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Offering affordable dumpster rental 

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and residential homeowners 

We offer dumpsters for any job! 

10-15-20-30-YARD DUMPSTERS 

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Military & Senior 

Discounts Available! 

Tree Removal 

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Any other Service 

TREE SERVICE 

Any tree removal estimated value of 

$999 or more. Must Mention ad the 

same time as estimate. Not valid 

with other discounts. Exp: 8/31/23 

TOP GUNN 

FAMILY CONSTRUCTION 

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Deck & Fence Installation 

Baseboard & Trim Carpentry 

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Window & Door Installation 

Wood & LVT flooring Installation 

$100 Off Labor on any job $ 1000 or more 

HIRE A GUY 

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ROOFING 

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314-968-7848 stlroofing.com





I 31 

TALL TREE FARMS, from page 10 

Johnson’s great-grandfather, Oscar Schierbaum, 

was born at Tall Tree in 1875. 

Both of her great-grandparents and grandparents 

died on the farm. Her grandpa was 

born there as were his seven siblings. Her 

great-aunt took her own life on the farm. 

Though her dad spent his career in the 

U.S. Air Force instead of farming and 

settled his family in St. Peters, Johnson 

remembers spending most of her childhood 

at her family’s farm. 

“We would bale hay and drive tractors. I 

never thought a thing of it,” Johnson said. 

“It’s never been our desire to sell, and it was 

my grandpa’s desire that we didn’t. But they 

– the developers, the residents, the government 

– all of them, have put us in a position 

where we have to. It used to be our haven to 

escape the world. It’s not a haven anymore. 

You don’t sit out and listen to the birds anymore. 

All you hear are cars. The people are 

complaining that they don’t want us to sell 

it, but it was okay when they (built), and 

when they moved out there around us.” 

The St. Charles County Council took no 

action at its last meeting on July 10 on a 

conditional use permit (CUP) or rezoning 

of the property, on which KM Investment 

Group IV hopes to build the multi-phase 

Tall Tree subdivision. A vote will likely be 

taken at the council’s July 31 meeting. 

The St. Charles County Planning & 

Zoning Commission (P&Z) voted not to 

recommend approval of the project to the 

County Council in June. 

Johnson said as the years passed, farmers 

in the area felt the pressure of deurbanization, 

a process where people move from 

urban areas to rural areas. 

“As time went by, some farmers sold off 

their land. Some died. But we never had 

any intention to sell our land, ever, merely 

because of our family ties,” Johnson said. 

“There were sentimental reasons too, and 

our family’s history. As those farmers sold, 

slowly but surely, more and more homes, 

townhomes, subdivisions and schools 

were built creating the traffic problem.” 

The traffic problem is something on 

which everyone can agree. Current residents 

say they’re worried about the safety 

on Hwy. DD, and Johnson says the roadway 

is why her family had to abandon 

farming their property. 

“I never understood back then when the 

old people were talking about it. I do now,” 

Johnson said. “It’s because of them that we 

can no longer farm it because DD is too 

dangerous now to drive a tractor on, when 

my entire life, we drove farm equipment 

from one side to the other all the time, 

without batting an eye.” 

When Dorris died and the last of the 

Zwyers left the farm, the family leased the 

property to a local farmer. 

“But even the farmer, who we started 

leasing it to the last few years, told us he 

can no longer farm it for the same reason 

we couldn’t – safety. He said, ‘I can’t do 

this anymore. I’ve almost gotten killed too 

many times on DD,’” Johnson said, adding 

that he left in 2018. “So, every year we 

are in the red because we don’t have any 

revenue, and we still have to pay the taxes. 

“We find it pretty ironic, the people 

complaining came out and built anyway, 

regardless of our wishes, and put us in the 

position that we now cannot farm it. And 

now they are complaining about exactly 

what they did. Our family finds that all 

pretty hypocritical.” 

Johnson said this isn’t the first time the 

family has fought for their land, either. 

“Our ancestors would absolutely die if 

they saw what was built out there now 

because before World War II we owned 

about another 100 acres that are now 

Busch Wildlife, but the government took it 

‘for the betterment of our country and contribution 

to the war effort,’” she said. “So, 

we literally lost it, and they built ammunition 

plants out there that they never used. 

Then, they turned it into Busch Wildlife 

rather than giving it back to us. 

“Following that, in the 50s I believe – I’m 

not sure because Grandpa is no longer here 

to ask – but once again, the government 

came and decided they wanted to build a 

road smack dab in the middle of our farm, 

(that’s) why Hwy. DD is so dangerous. 

And once again, they got away with it by 

declaring eminent domain.” 

Johnson said her family is in limbo with 

the sale of their land to KM Investment 

Group until the powers that be decide 

how to handle the situation. If the project 

is approved by St. Charles County or 

annexed into O’Fallon, as has been discussed, 

the sale will go through in phases 

just like the development, Johnson said. 

The St. Charles County Council met 

after press time on Monday, July 31. For 

more on the fate of Tall Tree Farm, visit 

midriversnewsmagazine.com. 

MID RIVERS CLASSIFIEDS • 636.591.0010 • CLASSIFIEDS@NEWSMAGAZINENETWORK.COM 

CLEANING SERVICES 

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Email: spotless.dina@gmail.com 

COLLECTIBLES 

WANTED TO BUY 

• SPORTS MEMORABILIA • 

Baseball Cards, Sports Cards, 

Cardinals Souvenirs and 

Memorabilia. Pre-1975 Only. 

Private Collector: 

314-302-1785 

ELECTRICAL 

ERIC'S ELECTRIC 

Licensed, Bonded and Insured: 

Service upgrades, fans, can lights, 

switches, outlets, basements, 

code violations fixed, we do it 

all. Emergency calls & back-up 

generators. No job too small. 

Competitively priced. 

Free Estimates. 

Just call 636-262-5840 

GARAGE DOORS 

DSI/Door Solutions, Inc. 

Garage Doors, Electric Openers. 

Fast Repairs. All makes & models. 

Same day service. Free Estimates. 

Custom Wood and Steel Doors. 

BBB Member • Angie's List 

Call 314-550-4071 

www.dsi-stl.com 

HAULING 

J & J HAULING 

WE HAUL IT ALL 

Service 7 days. Debris, furniture, 

appliances, household trash, 

yard debris, railroad ties, fencing, 

decks. Garage & Basement Clean-up 

Neat, courteous, affordable rates. 

Call: 636-379-8062 or 

email: jandjhaul@aol.com 

HELP WANTED 

Established and Growing 

Formulation Company 

Now Hiring for the following 

full-time positions: 

Manufacturing Production 

Lead & Warehouse Associate 

Both roles require fork-lift 

Operator experience 

Sales Representative 

(to Industrial Manufacturers) 

Of a full-range of 

metalworking fluids 

Please forward your resume 

for consideration to: 

info@clisyntec.com 

ConsultantLubricants.com 

HELP WANTED 

Rockwood School District 

Hiring For Position of: 

Food Service 

Our Child Nutrition Assistants 

work school days only 

Part time or Full time, 

No experience needed. 

Starting Pay $14 Hourly. 

Seven Paid Holidays, 

Retirement through PEERS, 

Perfect Attendance Days 

Manager positions available 

with full benefits. 

www.rsdmo.org 

or call 636-733-3253 

Reliable person for multitasking 

caregiver in private home for 

elderly adult. 

Thursday & Friday 

and every other Sunday 

Job includes 

Caregiving & light housekeeping, 

etc, Starting time in August 

For More Information 

Call Sherlyn 

at 314-349-1457 

DO YOU LOVE TO WRITE? 

Inquire about freelance reporting 

for Mid Rivers Newsmagazine. 

If interested, email 

editor@newsmagazinenetwork.com 

HOME IMPROVEMENT 

HAPPY HANDYMAN SERVICE 

"Don't Worry Get Happy" 

Complete home remodel/ 

repair kitchen & bath, 

plumbing, electrical, 

carpentry. 24HR Emergency 

Service. Commercial and 

Residential. Discount for 

Seniors/Veterans. 

636-541-9432 

HOME IMPROVEMENT 

REMODEL & REPAIR 

Rotted wood, Painting, Tile, 

Drywall, Floors, Electrical, 

Carpentry, Plumbing, 

Power Washing. Insured. 

FREE ESTIMATES 

Tom Streckfuss 314-910-7458 

sbacontractingllc@gmail.com 

AFFORDABLE CARPENTRY 

Kitchen Remodeling, Wainscoting, 

Cabinets, Crown Molding, Trim, 

Framing, Basement Finishing, 

Custom Decks, Doors, Windows. 

Free estimates! 

Anything inside & out! 

Call Joe 636-699-8316 

LANDSCAPING 

Lawn Repairs 

Erosion Water Control 

French Drains to Direct Service 

Water • Down Spouts Buried 

Top Soil • Sod • Mulch • Compost 

Brush Removal • Landscape 

Maintenance • Pruning • Flower 

Beds • Seeding • Fertilizer 

Applications • Decorative Stone 

Wall Work & Repairs 

Landscaping Lights • Planting 

of Bushes & Design 

Schedules are Available! 

Call (636) 366-4007 

FOR QUICK RESPONSE 

TEXT TO 636-368-8800 

Best Landscaping Values in Town! 

-Mizzou Crew- 

Mulch, Shrub Trimming, 

Yard Cleanups, Power Washing, 

Moles, Small Walls & Paver Patios. 

Hauling Services, 

Demolition, 

Handyman Services 

& Rough Carpentry 

Call/Text Jeff 

314-520-5222 

or www.MizzouCrew.com 

PAINTING 

PLUMBING 

ANYTHING IN PLUMBING 

Good Prices! Basement 

bathrooms, small repairs & code 

violations repaired. Fast Service. 

Certified, licensed plumber - MBC 

Plumbing - Call or text anytime: 

314-409-5051 

REAL ESTATE 

I BUY HOMES 

ALL CASH - AS-IS 

I have been buying and selling 

for over 30 years. 

No obligation. $ 

No commission. 

No fixing up. 

It doesn’t cost to find out 

how much you can get. 

Must ask for 

Lyndon Anderson 

314-496-5822 

Berkshire Hathaway 

Select Prop. 

Office: 636-394-2424 

TREE SERVICES 

Complete Tree Service for 

Residential & Commercial 

Tree Pruning & Removal 

Plant Health Care Program 

Deadwooding • Stump Grinding 

Deep Root Fertilization 

Cabling & Storm Clean Up 

ISA Certified Arborists 

Doug Beckmann MW-5255A 

Teresa Hessel MW-5754A • Brad Meyer MW-5286A 

Free Estimates • Fully Insured 

314-426-2911 

meyertreecare.com 

WEDDING SERVICES 

ANYTIME ANYWHERE 

- CEREMONIES - 

• Marriage Ceremonies 

• Vow Renewals 

• Baptisms 

• Pastoral Visits 

• Graveside Visits 

Full Service Ministry 

(314) 703-7456 

Sell Your Stuff 

... FAST 

in Mid Rivers 

Classifieds 

Call NOW 

636.591.0010

Is a Car on Your College 

Kid’s Back-to-School List? 

We are among the areas largest auto lender, 

and our rates are always highly competitive. 

Plus our loans are usually approved in minutes. 

Rates as low as 

5.25 

% 

for 36 months 

APR 

* $1 share deposit required. Must qualify for membership. Federally insured by NCUA. Loan subject to credit approval. Rates vary according to your credit history and loan term. Rates, terms and conditions subject to 

change without notice. Payment example for $15,000 financed for 36 months at 5.25% Annual Percentage Rate (APR) is $451.25 per month. See www.firstcommunity.com for full terms and conditions.

Mid Rivers Newsmagazine 8-2-23

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