West Newsmagazine 1-10-24

Vol. 29 No. 1 • January 10, 2024 

westnewsmagazine.com 

Against all odds 

Andrew Vendt overcomes triple 

adversity to skate for Mustangs 

PLUS: Mature Focus ■ Sewer Tax Vote Approved For Ballot ■ Manchester Pay Raise

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STAR PARKER 

Mazi Melesa Pilip: 

A fantastic republican to 

replace George Santos 

A special election will be held in New 

York’s 3rd Congressional District on 

Feb. 13 to replace George Santos, worldclass 

conman, who Republicans recently 

expelled on ethics charges. 

Republicans have picked a uniquely 

exciting candidate to run for this now open 

seat in Mazi Melesa Pilip. 

Pilip is a Black Orthodox Jew and a 

mother of seven children who arrived to 

Israel at age 12 from Ethiopia, grew up 

there, served as a paratrooper in the Israel 

Defense Forces and continued on to earn 

a degree in occupational therapy at Haifa 

University, where she met her husband, 

and then earned a master’s in diplomacy 

and security at Tel Aviv University. 

Her husband immigrated to Israel from 

Ukraine, and subsequently they moved to 

the U.S. where he continued his medical 

studies and now works as a cardiologist. 

With five children and pregnant with 

twins, she ran two years ago for a seat in 

the Nassau County Legislature, won the 

seat – defeating a Democrat incumbent – 

and then was reelected, winning 60% of 

the vote. 

Pilip effervesces her belief in the “American 

dream” and the importance to keep 

government limited, keep taxes low and 

fight crime. As an immigrant, she is particularly 

passionate about this issue and the 

importance to control our border. 

She will run against Democrat Tom 

Suozzi, who held the seat for three terms 

before leaving in 2022 to enter the race for 

New York governor. 

In an interview with Israeli newspaper 

Israel Today, Pilip explained that she 

became motivated to enter American politics 

when flare-ups with Hamas produced 

antisemitism endangering her children to 

walk freely and openly as Jews in their 

neighborhood in New York. 

“My story is the story of America and 

Israel together. Israel is a diverse state, 

there is not just one color, and in the U.S., 

any dream can become reality. ... This is 

my second immigration. I had to learn culture 

and a new language twice. It wasn’t 

easy for me.” 

Pilip is a poster child who speaks forcefully, 

disabusing distortions and ignorance 

about Israel being spread, particularly on 

university campuses. 

Recently, for instance, a program was 

held at UCLA labeled as an “Emergency 

Teach-In on the Crisis in Palestine.” One of 

the UCLA professors depicted Israel as a 

“colonial power driven by an exclusionary 

racial ideology.” 

Just looking at this impressive Black 

Ethiopian Jewish woman, who grew up in 

Israel, who speaks warmly about her love 

for and the beauty of the country where she 

grew up, says everything about the absurdity 

of such outrageous allegations. 

I recall on my own first trip to Israel 

noting the full spectrum of color in the 

population – white, brown, black. 

Israel literally was founded as an ingathering 

of Jews dispersed in the four corners 

of the globe. 

The parents and grandparents of today’s 

Israelis came from Eastern and Western 

Europe, the Middle East, North America, 

Latin America, North Africa and Asia. 

Pilip arrived to Israel as part of Operation 

Solomon in 1991 in which, over the 

course of 36 hours, Israel airlifted over 

14,000 Ethiopian Jews to Israel out of concern 

for their safety as result of political 

instability in Ethiopia. 

There is now an estimated more than 

160,000 Ethiopian Jews in Israel. 

Around the same time, 1990-91, after 

considerable pressure, the Soviet Union 

released over 300,000 Jews to leave for 

Israel. 

How Jews who returned to their historic 

homeland from all over the globe, after so 

many years of oppression, persecution and 

murder, could be accused of either racism 

or colonialism should give everyone great 

pause regarding what is happening on our 

college campuses. 

Meanwhile, Mazi Melesa Pilip is a presence 

Republicans and all Americans need 

in the U.S. Congress. 

Let’s hope and pray that in February she 

will be adding her important voice to those 

on Capitol Hill. 

• • • 

Star Parker is president of the Center 

for Urban Renewal and Education and 

host of the weekly television show “Cure 

America with Star Parker.” 

© 2024 Creators.com 

Read more on westnewsmagazine.com 

January 10, 2024 

WEST NEWSMAGAZINE 

I OPINION I 3 

Considering Cremation? 

CONSIDER ALL OF YOUR OPTIONS. 

If you’re considering cremation, 

you have more options than 

you probably realize. Choose a 

traditional ceremony, a scattering 

at sea, or even a graveside burial. 

With cremation, your options are 

virtually limitless. 

If you have any questions about 

cremation, please call us. We’re here 

to make sure you’ve considered all 

of your options. 

WEST COUNTY 

14960 Manchester Rd. at Holloway 

Ballwin, MO 63011 

(636) 227-5511 

EUREKA 

108 North Central Ave. 

Eureka, MO 63025 

(636) 938-3000 

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4 I OPINION I 



LETTERS TO THE EDITOR 

@WESTNEWSMAG 


The delicateness of feelings 

To the Editor: 

In today’s hyper-connected world, it 

often feels like we’re walking on eggshells, 

afraid to express our thoughts and opinions 

lest we offend someone. The problem with 

our nation isn’t that people’s feelings get 

hurt too quickly; it’s that we’ve become 

overly sensitive to dissenting viewpoints, 

and this hypersensitivity threatens the very 

foundations of open discourse in a democratic 

society. 

While empathy and understanding are 

crucial in fostering a harmonious society, 

we must strike a balance between protecting 

individual feelings and preserving 

the vital exchange of ideas. The notion 

that “everyone gets their feelings hurt too 

quickly” has led to a culture of censorship 

and self-censorship that stifles debate, 

innovation and intellectual growth. 

One of the most concerning consequences 

of this hypersensitivity is the 

rise of cancel culture. The fear of saying 

the wrong thing or holding an unpopular 

opinion has driven people to self-censorship 

for fear of facing social ostracization, 

professional consequences, or even public 

shaming. Thank you, social media. This 

stifling of free expression undermines the 

principles of free speech upon which our 

nation was founded. 

Moreover, our collective obsession with 

avoiding offense has led to a devaluation 

of genuine dialogue. When individuals are 

hesitant to engage in challenging conversations, 

we lose opportunities for personal 

growth and societal progress. Progress is 

often born out of the clash of ideas, and 

without it, we risk stagnation. 

It’s important to acknowledge that feelings 

can be genuinely hurt by words and 

actions, and empathy should never be discarded. 

However, it is equally important 

to develop resilience and the ability to 

engage in constructive debates. The path to 

personal growth and societal improvement 

often involves discomfort and challenge. 

The problem with our nation isn’t that people’s 

feelings get hurt too quickly, but rather 

that we’ve allowed hypersensitivity to hinder 

open discourse, free speech and progress. 

While empathy and respect for one another 

are essential, we must also foster resilience 

and the ability to engage in difficult conversations. 

Only by striking a balance between 

protecting feelings and preserving the free 

exchange of ideas can we ensure the health 

and vitality of our society. 

Michael Sargent 

Vetting local candidates 


Local elections will take place across Missouri 

in 2024. Local elected officials (state 

senators, state representatives, mayors, city 

council members) have a significant impact 

on our daily lives. They vote on legislation 

affecting taxes, funding for police and fire 

protection, highway safety bills and more. 

How do we go about vetting candidates for 

these various offices? I suggest there are 

non-partisan questions we can ask as part of 

a vetting process. 

First, have any local candidates knocked 

on your door to visit you in person? Or 

did they send surrogates and/or mailings? 

Candidates interested in you will take 

time to visit and ask about your views and 

concerns. Candidates working full-time 

will often still find time to visit voters personally. 

They should reach out to us. We 

should not have to reach out to them. Surrogates 

and mailings are a poor substitute 

for personal contact. 

Second, what did incumbent officeholders 

running for re-election accomplish in 

office? How will this benefit you? It is one 

thing to introduce pieces of legislation. It 

is quite another to pass legislation that benefits 

constituents. 

Third, have the candidates resided in 

areas they wish to represent for an appropriate 

period, say 10 years or more? This 

provides time to get engaged and become 

knowledgeable about local issues. Shorter 

residences might indicate a candidate is 

not sufficiently knowledgeable enough to 

represent a ward, city or district. 

Fourth, do the candidates have a record 

of community involvement? Have they 

served in other elected offices, on commissions, 

or been active in local nonprofits? 

These activities provide opportunities to get 

to know the people they seek to represent. 

Candidates with little or no record of community 

activity may also not be knowledgeable 

enough to serve effectively in an office. 

All voters, regardless of party affiliation, 

can ask the questions above. They will also 

be effective with all candidates regardless 

of their party affiliation. Asking these questions 

will help us become better-informed 

voters. Then we can make better choices 

on election day. 

Scott Ottenberg 

Concerning school vouchers 


Vouchers are a scam. Missouri’s educational 

funding was found to be inequitable 

and inadequate in lawsuits from 1993 and 

2004 (Committee for Educational Equality 

vs Missouri). These lawsuits, which Missouri 

lost, are why we have the foundation 

formula. The foundation formula currently 

sets the amount to educate each student at 

a bare minimum of $6,375. 

But not all public school districts receive 

the $6,375 per student. Some receive far 

more and some receive far less. Rural 

school districts are the ones receiving the 

most state money. The reason is that the 

state of Missouri projects how much each 

district will raise from local taxes, primarily 

property. The formula for that is $3 per 

$100 of assessed property value. The funds 

raised from property taxes are subtracted 

from the foundation formula. 

In a real-world example, the Rockwood 

School District had 20,286 students for the 

2022/23 school year. Multiply that number 

by the foundation formula of $6,375 per 

student and you get $129,323,250. Yet 

Rockwood only received $34,780,369 in 

foundation funding – that’s a $94,542,881 

shortfall. Put another way: Rockwood 

receives $1,714.50 per student from the 

foundation formula, not $6,375. 

So how on earth are you going to give 

my neighbor a voucher for $6,375 to send 

their kid to private school when you are 

only providing my kid with $1,714.50? 

In case you haven’t figured it out yet, 

there are only two ways to fund vouchers: 

1. Significantly increase the education 

budget. 

2. Defund rural school districts that are 

receiving the lion’s share of the foundation 

formula. 

The other thing that none of the voucher 

scammers seem to be taking into account 

is the Missouri Constitution. 

Article 9, Section 3 (b) requires 25% of 

state revenue to go to public schools. 

Article 3, Section 36 sets Missouri’s 

financial priorities. First is paying off debt. 

The second is funding public education. 

For those of you who do not know 

what public school districts are – they 

are those places that are required to 

accept every child who lives within their 

geographical boundaries no matter their 

disability or IQ. 

Jessica Risenhoover 

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© Copyright 2024. 

A PUBLICATION OF 

Linda Joyce 

Joe Ritter 

Sheila Roberts 

Cathy Lenny 

Warren Mayes 

Shwetha Sundarrajan 

ON THE COVER: Andrew Vendt returns to the ice for Marquette High. 

(Photo courtesy of Gigi Wagner/gigiwagnerphotography.com)

WHY JIM EXERCISES 

In my 20s, I exercised to be competitive in tennis and golf. 

In my 30s, to keep up with my 3 kids. 

In my 40s and 50s, so I could stay strong and active. 

In my 60s, because my sedentary friends started dying. 

In my 70s, to remain independent. 

In my 80s, so I can keep doing yardwork and other things I enjoy. 

As I approach 90, I exercise because I still have more life to live. 

Without strength-training, we lose about five to eight pounds of muscle per decade 

after age 30. 

The people who train at 20 Minutes to Fitness understand this. Like Jim, each one 

has a story about their own fitness journey. 

Jim trains here, he says, because “it’s an order of magnitude greater” than anything he 

did on his own. He also likes the idea of a medically based workout that he completes 

with an encouraging coach at his side, making sure he uses proper technique. 

People of all ages and fitness levels feel welcome at 20 Minutes to Fitness, now in 

its 21 st year. Because workouts are tailored to each person’s needs and limitations, 

all can achieve their strength-building goals with a once-a-week workout that 

takes just 20 minutes. 

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At age 88, Jim Hill plays 18 holes of golf three times a week, is planning his 

annual European tour and is a serious piano student. Since 2020, the retired 

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Your initial consultation and first session 

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For more information on 20 Minutes to Fitness, 

call its local studios in Clayton (314-863-7836), 

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Just 20 minutes. Just once a week.

6 I OPINION I 



@WESTNEWSMAG 


The Corporate Transparency Act 

Law Matters 

I normally 

write stories 

about my 

clients in this 

column. Life 

can be interesting. 

But every 

once in 

a while, I need to write about a 

change in the law. And this new 

law has a major impact on small 

businesses. 

The Corporate Transparency Act 

was passed in 2021. The law was 

passed to combat money laundering 

by drug cartels, tax fraud, and the 

funding of terrorist organizations. 

All very laudable goals, but the law 

has a huge impact. Every corporation, 

limited liability company, 

limited partnership, or similar entities 

(called “reporting companies”) 

are subject to the law with very few 

exemptions. Exempted entities are 

those businesses already registered 

with the Securities and Exchange 

Commission, tax exempt organizations. 

Governmental agencies, and 

banks. You might notice that there 

isn’t an exemption for small businesses. 

That’s because there isn’t one. 

Substantially all small businesses are 

covered, even that LLC that owns 

your vacation home. And what does 

the law require? 

The Financial Crimes Enforcement 

Network (“FinCEN”), a division 

of the Department of Treasury, 

has created a massive database to 

collect business beneficial ownership 

information. (I’m sure that 

China won’t be able to hack that.) 

Reporting companies must file in 

the database certain information 

with respect to anyone forming a 

reporting company or anyone who 

is a “beneficial owner” of a reporting 

company, meaning anyone who 

owns 25% or more of the reporting 

company or anyone who can 

exercise “substantial control” over 

the entity. The information that 

has to be filed (and kept current) is 

as follows: full legal name, date of 

birth, a copy of a valid, government 

issued photo ID that includes the 

name and date of birth of the individual. 

The law also says something 

about a photo, but I wonder if the 

photo ID will satisfy that requirement. 

Existing entities have until 

December 31st to file, but new 

entities have 90 days. 

And this new law is not to be 

taken lightly. If you fail to file the 

reports as required, there is a $500 

per day penalty up to $10,000 and 

up to 2 years of jail time. This is a 

serious law. 

So if you own an interest in a 

business, call your accountant. 

Everyone’s experience 

with estate planning is 

unique and you don’t 

always know what to 

expect. Fred has gathered 

some of the most 

interesting examples he 

knows into an entertaining 

and educational book. 

You Can’t Take It With You is available 

to order online at www.law-matters.net 

Fred L. Vilbig is an attorney with over 30 

years of experience in the areas of wills 

and trusts, small businesses, and real 

estate. This column is for informational 

purposes only. Nothing herein should be 

treated as legal advice or as creating an 

attorney-client relationship. The choice 

of a lawyer is an important decision 

and should not be based solely upon 

advertisements. 

EDITORIAL 

Random thoughts 

With a tip of the cap to our old friend Thomas Sowell, let’s kick off 2024 with 

some random thoughts on the passing scene: 

• It’s quite a coincidence that the three most tone deaf human beings alive were 

all able to become leaders of top universities and were all called before Congress 

at the same time. Or what if it wasn’t a coincidence? Did anyone think to quickly 

call every president of every college in America to make sure they were not as 

out of touch as the presidents of MIT, Harvard and University of Pennsylvania? 

• Quick note to Democrats: You are not going to sue or prosecute Donald Trump 

away from the next election. Every time you try, you just reinforce his core argument 

and harden the resolve of his constituents. Certainly you know this by now. 

It almost seems like the Democratic Party does not think their candidate can win 

and so they are throwing “Hail Mary” after “Hail Mary” instead. 

• Quick note to Missouri Rep. Adam Schwadron, of St. Charles,: We hope 

beyond hope that there are more important things for the legislature to work on 

than deciding if provel should be the official state cheese. Yes, Schwadron put 

forth a bill last week to name the gooey Imo’s topping the official state cheese. 

Amazingly, there is a similar bill put forth by Rep. Jamie Gragg, of Springfield, 

to name that town’s cashew chicken as the official state dish. It’s comforting to 

know all of our other problems are solved. 

• The Francis Howell School Board voted to eliminate Black history and Black 

literature courses from the district’s offerings. There were just 60 students signed 

up for the former course and 42 signed up for the latter, per the Post-Dispatch. 

Francis Howell has more than 16,000 students. Then, more than 3,000 people 

signed a petition to have the classes reinstated. The board agreed, as long as 

the content was politically neutral. A politically neutral discussion of historical 

politics? Sure, seems simple enough. 

• OK, back to college presidents. Claudine Gay, the ousted former president 

of Harvard, wrote a lengthy piece in the New York Times that is just astonishing 

in its shamelessness. She called her performance before Congress the result of a 

“well laid trap” where she “neglected to articulate that calls for the genocide of 

Jewish people are … unacceptable.” 

To be clear, Ms. Gay was asked “Does calling for the genocide of Jews violate 

Harvard’s rules on bullying and harassment?” 

Her response: “It can be, depending on the context.” 

That is not a well laid trap. That is a ball on a tee waiting to be hit out of the 

park. The cluelessness it takes to deem that question and the resulting outrage a 

“well laid trap” would be astonishing coming from Animal House’s Dean Wormer. 

The fact that it came from the president of Harvard University just boggles the 

mind. 

• Quick note to those who believe miracles cannot happen: A couple weeks ago, 

a Japan Airlines flight collided with a Japanese Coast Guard plane on landing. 

There were 367 passengers on the flight and the plane was completely engulfed in 

flames within 20 minutes of the collision. No one on that plane died. The staff and 

passengers were able to gather themselves, organize and exit the aircraft in less 

time than it takes most of us to decide on that day’s outfit. Humans are capable of 

amazing things sometimes, especially when they work together. No one on that 

plane died. Miraculous. 

Follow us on 

(636) 537-7884 | fvilbig@lawmatters.llc | www.lawmatters.llc





I 7 

NOW OPEN! 

Montgomery Health Center 

1851 Schoettler Road 

Chesterfield 

636-230-1990 

loganhealthcenters.com

8 I NEWS I 



@WESTNEWSMAG 


Mayor Robert Hoffman (center) presents Creve Coeur 2023 Citizen of 

the Year Awards to Mike Karasick (left) and Ted Armstrong (right). 

(Source: City of Creve Coeur) 

NEWS 

BRIEFS 

CHESTERFIELD 

City preserves right 

to annexation 

The city of Chesterfield is once again 

taking steps to preserve its ability to annex 

Clarkson Valley should the desire or need 

to do so arise in the next five years. 

Clarkson Valley consists of an area of 

about 2.7 square miles and immediately 

adjoins a portion of Chesterfield’s southern 

boundary. Chesterfield currently provides 

police and court administration services 

for the community. 

The St. Louis County Boundary Commission 

requires the submission of map 

plans every five years, identifying the 

limits of any potential boundary changes 

that might occur in incorporated and unincorporated 

areas. The current map plan 

submission cycle opened on Jan. 1 and 

closes on July 1. 

While the city does not have current 

plans for annexation, submission of a map 

plan reserves the right to pursue annexation 

during the proposal phase, explained 

Petree Powell, assistant city planner. 

If a plan is not submitted for the new 

cycle, the city would have to wait until 

2030 to take any action concerning Clarkson 

Valley, Powell said. 

Most boundary changes are required to 

be approved by the Boundary Commission, 

as well as by the voters in the impacted 

areas. 

At the Jan. 2 meeting, the City Council 

voted to adopt a resolution and submit the 

map plan to the Boundary Commission. 

City’s website, logo to 

undergo a refresh 

Chesterfield’s logo may look a little 

different when the website is redesigned. 

CivicPlus is currently updating the city’s 

website and will host the website in the 

future. However, CivicPlus has raised concerns 

that if the city proceeds with the website 

redesign without addressing the city’s 

logo first, it may face potential issues. 

The current logo is over 20 years old and 

presents scalability issues for the website. It 

incorporates imagery from the city, including 

trees, rolling hills and a rising sun. It 

uses an olive/moss green color palette. The 

city’s name is prominently displayed under 

the imagery. 

As the logo is featured across various 

platforms, from digital screens to print 

materials, it is crucial that it maintains 

clarity and visual appeal in all formats, 

Elliot Brown, assistant city administrator, 

explained. 

“A logo update would allow us the 

opportunity to spotlight a unique element 

or historic landmark of our community 

and present ourselves in a more modern 

way,” he said. However, a logo update is 

not just about visuals. “It’s a strategic process 

meant to ensure the city brand remains 

relevant and easily identifiable in today’s 

fast-paced digital environment.” 

One benefit of hiring CivicPlus for the 

website logo design is that staff will have 

an opportunity to work with its creative 

team before beginning the larger website 

redesign project, gaining valuable insight 

into the company’s process, Brown said. 

CivicPlus’s logo development package 

costs $5,000, necessitating the City Council 

to vote on a budget amendment to cover 

the cost. That amendment was approved. 

CREVE COEUR 

Stormwater Open 

House scheduled 

The city of Creve Coeur will host its 

fourth and final Watershed Management 

Plan Open House from 6-7:30 p.m. on 

Wednesday, Jan. 17 at the Government 

Center, 300 N. New Ballas Road. 

Representatives from the city and Intuition 

& Logic will be available to discuss 

future stormwater infrastructure improvements. 

The watershed improvement project 

is being funded by the city’s parks and 

stormwater sales tax. 

Learn more about the Watershed Management 

Plan at crevecoeurmo.gov/763/ 

Stormwater. 

Citizens of the Year honored 

Mike Karasick and Ted Armstrong were 

recognized at the city’s annual Appreciation 

Event on Tuesday, Dec. 5 as Creve 

Coeur’s Citizens of the Year for 2023. 

“Mike and Ted both have extensive 

experience in the financial sector and 

have brought invaluable expertise to the 

Employee Pension Fund Board,” Mayor 

Robert Hoffman said during the award 

presentation. “Under their leadership, the 

board has successfully tackled numerous 

complex issues and challenges during the 

past year.” 

During their tenure on the board, Karasick 

and Armstrong took actions to lower 

the interest earnings assumption for the 

Legacy Pension Plan from 7% to 6.75% in 

2019 and from 6.75% to 6% in 2022. 

The Employee Pension Fund Board has 

also reviewed and analyzed a proposal 

to transition the city’s Legacy Pension 

Plan to Missouri LAGERS, the statewide 

municipal retirement plan. This transition 

to LAGERS is nearing completion, resulting 

in reduced long-term fiduciary liability 

to the city, peace of mind to retirees and 

a more competitive benefit to attract and 

retain great employees. 

In addition, a one-time lump sum option 

was initiated by the Employee Pension 

Board for participants who had separated 

from service with a vested accrued benefit, 

thereby reducing the fund’s liability. 

Karasick was appointed to the Employee 

Pension Fund Board of Trustees in 2016 

and has served as its chair since 2020. 

Armstrong currently serves as the vice 

chair of the Employee Pension Fund Board 

of Trustees; he has also served on the city’s 

finance committee from 2007 to 2011 and 

was reappointed in 2019. 

EUREKA 

Annual swap meet scheduled 

The 17th Annual Eureka Chamber of 

Commerce Garage Sale & Swap Meet with 

over 500 vendors takes over the Six Flags 

parking lot from 7 a.m. -3 p.m. on March 

9. Admission is charged at a cost of $10 

per car for shoppers. All proceeds support 

the chamber’s scholarship program and the 

local business community. Vendors can 

register at eurekaswap.com. 

MANCHESTER 

Elected officials approve 

board, mayoral raises 

Elected officials in the city of Manchester 

are set to receive a pay hike, starting on 

April 2, 2024. 

The enacting legislation was first introduced 

at the Dec. 4 Board of Aldermen 

meeting and was approved on Dec. 18. 

The ordinance raised compensation rates 

for the mayor from a monthly sum of $900 

to $1,170 and adjusted rates for elected 

officials from a monthly rate of $450 to 

$585. 

Compensation rates for elected city officials 

have not been adjusted since 2009. 

The suggestion to raise compensation 

rates came from City Administrator Justin 

Klocke, who introduced the idea to the 

Board of Aldermen in a memo. 

“This increase is well within the cumulative 

price increase of the dollar since 2009 

(40.23%), which is when the current rate 

of compensation for elected officials was 

established,” Klocke wrote. 

“We do need to receive some kind of 

compensation because it does indicate 

that there’s value in what we do. That is 

an awareness that we’re not going to get 

rich. We’re giving up family time we’re 

giving up time with friends and I meet 

with people all the time so I enjoy it a lot, 

but the compensation is just a little bit of 

incentive,” Mayor Mike Clement said. 

Clement went on to point out that the 

compensation rates cover expenses city 

officials take on throughout their term. 

“When we run for office, and as mayor, 

I’m gonna just say it’s $6,000 to $8,000 

and that’s a pretty low-key campaign. An 

alderman will spend $2,000 (on their campaign). 

Part of this is just to compensate for 

our expenses for being an elected official,” 

Clement said. 

The new ordinance includes clauses that 

penalize elected officials for missing more 

than two meetings and ensure that the 

compensation rate be adjusted for inflation 

starting every new term. 

“I think that was added at the recommendation 

of one of the sponsoring aldermen 

that we don’t wait 14 years; that if staff, or





I NEWS I 9 

if there’s some kind of a kind of a regular 

inflation rate of 3% or 2%, that can be 

documented then that should happen for 

the next year for elected officials,” Clement 

said. 

As the changes are poised to into effect 

by next spring, Klocke said he hoped 

the increased compensation rate would 

encourage civic participation. 

“Adequate compensation is crucial not 

only in recognizing the hard work and 

dedication of your leadership but also in 

ensuring that individuals from diverse 

backgrounds and experiences are encouraged 

to participate in civic governance 

while limiting undue financial constraints 

as reasonably as possible in the future,” 

Klocke wrote. 

New prosecuting 

attorney named 

The city of Manchester has a new prosecuting 

attorney, voted into office at the 

Dec. 18 Board of Aldermen meeting. 

Keith Cheung has been the city’s interim 

city prosecutor since being appointed on 

Sep. 5, 2023. 

Cheung said the city approached him 

to fill a vacancy left by former prosecuting 

attorney Mark Levitt, who retired after 

serving 25 years as the city’s prosecuting 

attorney. 

“I’ve been a resident for 30 years. So, 

you know, I was honored and quite frankly 

excited about it …,” Cheung said. 

His legal career has spanned 30 years. 

Currently, he serves as a prosecuting 

attorney in Frontenac, St. Ann, Town & 

Country, Crystal Lake Park, Florissant and 

Bel-Ridge. 

Manchester Mayor Mike Clement said 

Cheung’s residency and the fact that he 

is already well-known in Manchester are 

pluses. 

Chueng said, “I prosecute people 

because I should, not because I can – and 

to me, there’s a big difference between 

the two. For me, it’s never about money. I 

don’t look at it that way. We live in a civilized 

society. And part of that is, if there 

are laws, whether you agree with the laws 

or not, that’s part of civilized society, and 

if you break the law, there is a consequence. 

“Nonetheless, it’s it’s part of, you know, 

keeping people safe. You know, whether 

that be from people, you know, going 100 

miles an hour down (Hwy.) 141, people 

shoplifting, or things like that … (people 

in the community want to feel) safe and the 

laws are being enforced.” 

Ottenad honored for 

25 years of service 

Friends and family of Manchester alderman 

Marilyn Ottenad (Ward 2) piled into 

the city’s Justice Center on Dec. 18 to celebrate 

Ottenad’s 25 years of service to the 

Manchester community. 

“To say I was totally surprised is putting 

it mildly,” Ottenad said. 

At the end of the Dec. 18 Board of Aldermen 

meeting, Manchester Mayor Mike 

Clement recognized Ottenad and the work 

she’s done since she first took the oath of 

office in 1998. 

“She’s very, very much available and 

willing to talk and work through any kind 

of concerns and always concerns in city 

government. So she’s very much a person 

who stays connected with a constituency 

that she represents,” Clement said. 

Since Ottenad took office, she’s overseen 

several projects, like the construction 

of the Manchester Justice Center, and 

upcoming projects like adding sidewalks 

to Carmen Road. 

“And when you can help people and 

you know, see the satisfaction that a project 

has gone through and the people are 

happy, that makes everything worthwhile,” 

Ottenad said. “At the same time, you know, 

we know that not everything has a positive 

ending to them and even though we want it 

to be some things just aren’t realistic and 

the city can’t do it.” 

Ottenad has worked with four mayors, 

dozens of aldermen, and even more city 

staff to bring projects like the Highlands 

development project to fruition. 

“One of a few of the things that stick in 

my mind through the years is obviously 

the highlands development. We spent 

many months on that and to see it come 

to fruition and really be economically great 

for the city is a sense of pride, I love that,” 

Ottenad said. 

In addition to serving as the president 

of the board, Ottenad also serves as the 

board’s liaison for the city’s Homecoming 

Committee. 

“Homecoming is such a community 

event, I feel proud to be on the committee. 

And what people don’t realize is it 

takes about a year working to get homecoming 

put together and hopefully, you 

know the community likes it and comes 

out and enjoys it as much as the people on 

homecoming (committee) enjoy getting it 

together.” 

TWIN OAKS 

City seeks parks 

committee member 

The city of Twin Oaks is currently seeking 

applications from residents interested in filling 

one open spot on the Parks Committee. 

See NEWS BRIEFS, page 17 

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10 I NEWS I 



@WESTNEWSMAG 


Page holds ARPA funds for nonprofits in wake of county budget cuts 

By LAURA BROWN 

A handful of nonprofits have been left 

wondering if they will receive the federal 

American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds 

granted to them by the St. Louis County 

Council. County Executive Dr. Sam Page 

has said he is now holding those funds after 

the council cut his proposed 2024 budget by 

approximately $15 million. 

In a letter to community members and 

nonprofits dated Dec. 21, Page said he is 

holding the funds, “until we determine we 

have appropriate staff to administer these 

projects in compliance with (federal) Treasury 

Guidelines.” 

The ARPA funds in question are to be 

distributed after the nonprofits complete a 

10-step process laid out by the county. To 

date, five nonprofits are waiting for funds: 

Refuge + Restoration, $500,000; A Red 

Circle, $350,000; Rustic Roots Sanctuary 

Co., $250,000; St. Louis Survivor’s Legal 

Support, Inc., $25,000; and Journey Against 

Domestic and Sexual Abuse (JADASA), 

$25,000, for a total of $1.15 million. 

“This is a political ploy,” County Councilmember 

Mark Harder (R-District 7) said of 

Page’s decision to withhold the funds. “He 

said he would do this if he didn’t get what 

he wanted (in his proposed budget). It’s petty 

and unscrupulous that he would do this. He’s 

blaming manpower; that’s ridiculous. They 

just need to cut a check to these people. How 

long does that take?” 

Harder added that the county’s delay in 

releasing the funds allocated to the organizations 

could hinder future partnerships. 

“This is a prime example of one of the 

reasons people don’t want to work with the 

county,” Harder said. “These (organizations) 

have done what we’ve told them to do in 

order to receive the ARPA funds. So let’s 

give them their checks. If they spent their 

own money, they felt comfortable 

they were going to get reimbursed by 

the government. The need was there 

and every day (the county) is holding 

this money, they’re bankrupting these 

nonprofits. It’s not the best look for St. 

Louis County. This is politics.” 

In defense of holding the funds, 

Page’s letter states: “(The county) 

cannot afford to use the limited 

resources which remain in county government 

to launch new programming 

at the expense of the commitments 

the county already has to its residents 

– including pre-existing financial supports 

to some of the organizations 

identified for ARPA funding.” 

Still, members of the community 

and representatives from the nonprofits 

are pressing the county executive to 

release the funds that were allocated to 

them. 

Cynthia Bennett, executive director of 

JADASA, said the delay in ARPA funds is 

affecting her organization’s mission of assisting 

and educating women, and their children, 

who are survivors of domestic violence and 

sexual assault in underserved areas. 

“We are trying to help women and children,” 

Bennett said. “We did everything in good 

faith. We went through the long application 

process (which began in December 2022). 

The money was allocated to us. We were 

expecting this money. (Page) keeps talking 

about the budget, but (it’s my understanding) 

this is money from a whole different bucket.” 

Bennett said her organization has had 

to lay off some staff members and reduce 

educational programming for 2024 because 

the funds haven’t come through. She said 

JADASA will also have to be more stringent 

when it comes to deciding if the organization 

can pay for a hotel room for women in a 

domestic violence situation. 

Senior citizens picking their own produce at Rustic Roots Sanctuary Co. in North St. Louis County. 

(Photo: provided) 

Rustic Roots Sanctuary Co. was set to 

receive $250,000 in ARPA funds, which 

would have helped the organization expand 

services to create food security in North 

County. Executive Director Janett Lewis 

said Rustic Roots Sanctuary was building 

the funds into their 2024 budget, but they are 

holding off on that for now. 

“At this point we aren’t going to expect 

(the ARPA funds) and pivot and try to find 

funding from other sources,” Lewis said. 

“The funds would’ve helped us be able to 

feed more of our community, bring staff on 

and increase capacity.” 

Rustic Roots Sanctuary is a nonprofit farm 

that produced more than 18,000 pounds 

of food in 2023. It provides senior citizens 

with a bag of produce each week during the 

season and runs the Spanish Lake Farmers 

Market in the summer. The organization also 

teaches sustainability to the community and 

works with youth in agriculture. Lewis said 

the $250,000 ARPA funds for the farm were 

unanimously approved by the council in 

October 2022. 

According to Lewi, there is one grocery 

store in Spanish Lake serving 18,000 residents. 

Rustic Roots Sanctuary would’ve used 

the funds to increase food access in its community, 

an issue the COVID-19 pandemic 

shined a light on. 

To ensure that ARPA funds were used 

appropriately post-pandemic, the county 

partnered with consulting firm Deloitte to 

head up its ARPA application process and 

ensure the nonprofits’ compliance with U.S. 

Treasury Department rules. 

“Deloitte took us through a year of doing 

risk assessments, budgeting, making sure we 

were government compliant as an organization,” 

Lewis said. “Then they finally told us 

we would be able to start submitting for reim- 

See ARPA, page 19 

Final design underway for Main Street extension in Wildwood 

By CATHY LENNY 

Main Street in Wildwood will be getting 

longer despite the loss of two developments 

that would have contributed to the project. 

The extension will take Main Street from 

its current terminus east of Crestview 

Drive to Eatherton Road. Civil Design, Inc. 

(CDI) will provide professional engineering 

services to complete the final design of 

the extension at a cost of $112,750. CDI 

also completed the preliminary design. 

Both the city’s master plan and Town 

Center plan identify Main Street as the 

future central pedestrian-friendly corridor 

through Town Center. 

“It’s an important project from the 

standpoint of our Town Center plan,” Joe 

Vujnich, director of planning, explained. 

“Also, from an economic development 

standpoint, we know that allowing traffic 

to have an alternative, or a new way, 

to access the downtown district of Town 

Center is a positive.” 

Vujnich acknowledged that the Main 

Street extension is one of the items that 

caused significant delays for developers. 

“From the perspective of the department, 

we hope that if we can pre-plan it 

and have it shovel-ready, that’ll put us in 

a position to help the next developer or 

developers but also potentially for grants 

in the future,” he said. 

The extension of the existing Crestview 

Drive as Main Street will include on-street 

parking, bicycle lanes, sidewalks and other 

enhancements and is intended to create a 

vibrant, small town main street environment, 

according to city officials. 

Public Works Director Rick Brown told 

West Newsmagazine that for the city to 

extend Main Street, it would have to “take 

over Crestview as a public street.” Crestview 

is currently a private street. 

“In addition, because the proposed Main 

Street would be wider than Crestview currently 

is, the city would likely need to obtain 

new right of way and easements from the 

adjacent property owners,” Brown explained. 

“We have not held a public meeting or reached 

out directly to nearby residents regarding the 

project, but that is anticipated as part of the 

final design process.” 

The City Council approved the CDI contract 

at its Dec. 11 meeting, with council 

member Nathan Hopper (Ward 7) abstaining. 

CDI is currently working on the design 

of the Village Green project as well with 

Phase 1 construction planned for 2024. 

When complete, the Village Green will 

provide a park west of City Hall that will 

include nature and water play areas, gathering 

spaces, a main pavilion, an observation 

tower and a multiuse facility.





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12 I NEWS I 



By TRACEY BRUCE 

The Metropolitan Sewer District’s (MSD) 

Board of Trustees concluded business for 

2023 with the approval of two ballot issue 

initiatives on Dec. 14 for the April 2 General 

Election. 

One ballot issue, if passed by voters, would 

initiate a tax increase that would provide a 

new stormwater service to address stormwater, 

flooding and creek erosion issues in 

MSD’s entire service area. The property tax 

increase would be 7.45 cents per $100 of 

assessed valuation for residential property 

and cost about $2 a month or $25 annually for 

a property with a median value of $176,600, 

according to MSD documents. 

For non-residential properties, the cost 

would be calculated on the amount of the 

property’s square footage that is impervious 

to water or creates runoff. The cost would be 

an increase of $1.05 per 1,000 square feet. 

“The proposition is a simple yes or no vote 

question,” said Executive Director Brian 

Hoelscher during his report at the Dec. 14 

meeting. 

“If the voters vote yes, MSD will start 

charging the property tax in calendar year 

2025 and provide approximately $34 million 

worth of service per year.” 

“If the voters vote no, there will be no 

increase in property tax for this initiative and 

MSD will not provide this additional service,” 

Hoelscher said. 

The other ballot initiative addresses wastewater 

infrastructure and asks voters whether 

the district should issue $750 million in 

sewer revenue bonds. The money from the 

sale of the bonds would be used to fund $1.6 

billion of federal- and state-mandated wastewater 

infrastructure projects for the next four 

of 16 years, Hoelscher said. 

If voters authorize the district to issue 

the bonds, sewer rates would be raised by 

approximately 32% over the course of four 

years beginning in 2025 for metered residential 

customers and by 22% for unmetered 

customers in the city of St. Louis. 

The schedule, if the bond issue is approved, 

proposes rate increases of 7% in 2025, 7.6% 

in 2026, 7.5% in 2027 and 6.6% in 2028 for 

@WESTNEWSMAG 


MSD approves ballot proposals 

for April 2 General Election 

metered customers. A residential metered 

customer who averages a monthly bill of 

$57.04 in 2024 is estimated to pay $75.23 a 

month in 2028 under the rate change. 

Rate changes for non-metered residential 

homes would change by a -0.8% in 2025, 

7.6% in 2026, 7.6% in 2027 and 6.6% in 

2028. A non-metered customer who now 

pays $68.17 a month would pay $83.39 a 

month by 2028. 

If voters approve the proposal, Hoelscher 

said the rates will be lower than paying with 

cash in the beginning, but there will be debt 

service costs in the future. If voters do not 

approve the initiative, funding for the mandated 

projects will require much higher rates 

at first without debt service charges later, 

Hoelscher said. 

If the bond issue does not pass, the same 

metered home with a monthly bill of $57.04 

in 2024 will see a 35.4% increase in 2025 to 

$77.26, a 35.1% increase in 2026 to $104.34, 

a rate decrease of -20% in 2027 to $83.50 

and a 5.1% increase in 2028 to $87.72. 

St. Louis County earlier last year passed a 

resolution recommending MSD’s Board of 

Trustees consider the funding structure in the 

Rate Commission’s Minority Report with a 

24.2% increase rather than the 32.4% in the 

Rate Commission’s Majority Report that was 

adopted by the board. 

John Coffman, an attorney for the Consumer 

Council of Missouri, also recommended 

the lower rate of service, saying 

the board made no accommodations for the 

consumer. In meetings leading up to Dec. 14, 

residents expressed the difficulty of making 

ends meet as utility bills rise. 

However, Hoelscher said the Minority 

Report had errors and that although proposed 

rates would be slightly lower in the beginning, 

higher rates later would extend for 

three decades. 

In the Minority Report, the Rate Commission 

did express concerns for consumers and 

suggested that MSD consider expanding its 

Customer Assistance Program to cover low 

income consumers who are not currently 

qualified for the program. 

Hoelscher said staff were currently working 

on that project. 

MSD’s Berthold take district’s top spot 

Bret Berthold, the current director of 

operations for MSD, will take the district’s 

helm on July 1. 

Berthold has been with the district 

since 2009 and has filled the role of director 

of operations since 2018. He replaces 

Executive Director Brian Hoelscher, who 

is retiring in June. 

Hoelscher, who has worked for MSD 

for 28 years and been the executive director 

for 11 years, said, “Bret is undoubtedly 

the best person for the job, and we 

will work closely together the next six 

months to ensure a seamless transition.”





I NEWS I 13 

On The Ballot: Candidates filed for the April 2 Municipal Elections 

The following candidates have filed for 

the April 2 Municipal Elections. Candidates 

are listed in ballot order. Incumbents 

have an asterisk after their name. Term 

lengths are two years, except as otherwise 

noted. 

CHESTERFIELD 

Ward 1: Mary Monachella* 

Ward 2: Mary Ann Mastorakos* 

Ward 3: Michael Moore* 

Ward 4: Merrell Hansen* 

Ward 3: Scott Ottenberg* 

Ward 4: Joe Farmer*, Jean Vedvig 

Ward 5: Debra Smith McCutchen* 

Ward 6: Robin L. “Rob” Rambaud* 

Ward 7: Jim Kranz 

Ward 8: Timothy E. Kummer, Michael 

Gillani* 

WINCHESTER 

Ward 1: Ed Schaefer, Christine Danielle 

Luebbert* 

Ward 2: Michael Schmidt*, Mark Raup 

PARKWAY 

Matthew Schindler*, 

Kevin Seltzer*, Todd Williams, 

Stacey L. Myton, 

John Tettinger 

ROCKWOOD 

Tamara Jo Rhomberg*, 

Phillip Milligan, Thomas 

Dunn 

(Adobe Stock photo) 

CLARKSON VALLEY 

Ward 1: Jeff Schweig* 

Ward 2: Brock MacDonald* 

Ward 3: Lin Midyett* 

BALLWIN 

Ward 1: Michael Finley* 

Ward 2: Pam Haug, Kevin Roach* 

Ward 3: Frank Fleming* 

Ward 4: David Siegel* 

Freezing weather is here! 

DES PERES 

Mayor: Mark Becker* 

Ward 1: John E. Pound*, James Kuenzi, 

Jennifer Weller 

Ward 2: Dean Fitzpatrick* 

Ward 3: Patrick Barrett*, Kathleen McKean 

Gmelich 

ELLISVILLE 

No election scheduled. 

EUREKA 

Ward 1: Jerry Diekmann* 

Ward 2: Kevin Kilpatrick* 

Ward 3: Jerry Holloway*, Tom Maruna 

MANCHESTER 

Mayor: Mike Clement* 

Ward 1: No one filed 

Ward 2: Marilyn Ottenad* 

Ward 3: Benjamin Toben* 

TOWN & COUNTRY 

Ward 1: Barbara Ann Hughes* 

Ward 2: (1-year term) Fred “Fritz” Wiesehan* 

Ward 2: Al Gerber, John Steinhubl 

Ward 3: John R. Harder, Michelle Francisco* 

Ward 4: (1-year term) Sue Allen* 

Ward 4: David Murphy* 

TWIN OAKS 

Two open seats for at-large aldermen: 

April Milne*, Tim Stoeckl*, Ioan Chereji 

WILDWOOD 

Mayor: Joe Garritano, Tony Salvatore 

Ward 1: Vicki Wroblewski, Chris Preston, 

Ashley Slauter 

Ward 2: Robert L. “Bob” Mabry 

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14 I NEWS I 



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Just prior to the board meeting, nearly 

all of the city’s aldermen and some city 

staff toured of the public works/parks 

department site. During the meeting, Joe 

Sweitzer, senior project manager of Navigate 

Building Solutions, offered a slide 

presentation that included four specific site 

options and costs. 

City Administrator Eric Sterman added 

detailed explanations regarding the city’s 

and project’s financial numbers. 

The initial slide displayed Navigate’s 

scope of work. It noted details of the existing 

facility and site, staff needs and wants, 

funding options, and impact on Vlasis Park. 

Staff identified five reasons why a new 

facility is required. They are: 

• Address the age and deterioration of 

existing facilities. 

• Provide additional heated storage space 

to increase the useful life of high-dollar 

vehicle and equipment. 

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• Create additional administrative space. 

“All the materials that go into concrete and 

other things the department does are stored 

outside because of lack of room,” Sterman 

said. “That is something strongly discouraged 

by DNR (Department of Natural Resources). 

Because of environmental concerns such as 

runoff, those should be covered. 

“Also, as Joe (Sweitzer) mentioned, we 

have five or 10 shipping containers on the 

site because there’s simply no inside storage 

room available. The shipping containers 

are also very unsightly; the neighbors 

don’t want to have to see them. But we 

simply haven’t had much choice. We also 

want the trucks and other high dollar equipment 

stored under roofs.” 

Three of the four Navigate options would 

have the public works facilities rebuilt in 

the same general areas of Vlasis Park. 

Their total anticipated costs would be about 

$4.4 to $5 million with the total project 

taking 24 months to complete. The necessary 

phases of development would include: 

• A design/bidding phase of eight months. 

• Permitting and public approval of two 

months. 

• A construction phase of 14 months. 

The fourth choice would be to build on 

a site to be purchased. Sweitzer showed 

eight possible sites; however, three are 

currently not for sale. Building on a different 

site would run roughly $16.8 million 

and take about 36 months. The necessary 

phases of development for this plan would 

include: 

• A design/bidding phase of 10 months. 

• Permitting and public approval of two 

months. 

• A construction phase of 24 months. 

Mayor Tim Pogue was adamant about 

See BALLWIN, next page



Wildwood addresses safety 

issues at multiple intersections 


Safety improvements at multiple intersections 

in Wildwood were discussed at 

the last City Council meetings of the year. 

Crosswalk improvements are planned 

for Strecker Road as part of Phase 2 of that 

multiphase project. Rapid flashing beacons 

(RFBs) will be placed at two crosswalks: 

Prestwick Place Lane and Turnberry Place 

Drive. Earlier this year, the public works 

department completed a project where 

RFBs were installed at two other crosswalks 

on Strecker Road. 

RFBs are activated by a pedestrian pushing 

a button. A flashing strobe light then 

alerts oncoming traffic of the presence of a 

pedestrian at the crosswalk. 

At its Dec. 11 meeting, the City Council 

approved an agreement with Civil Design, 

Inc. (CDI) to develop the plans and specifications 

of installing RFBs at a cost of 

$15,344. That project will now go out to 

bid. 

The council also approved a contract 

with George Butler Associates, Inc., to 

complete the engineering design for 

J-Turns to be constructed on Hwy. 100 at 

its intersections with Pond Road and St. 

Albans Road. The project will consist of 

the design and reconstruction of lane width 

changes and J-turns along Hwy. 100 at a 

cost of $362,190. 

Federal funds were made available 

through the Transportation Improvement 

Program coordinated through the Missouri 

Department of Transportation, according 

to Public Works Director Rick Brown. 

However, there is one area where 

residents feel that little has been done to 

improve the safety of the road – lower 

Old State Road. Recently, that section of 

the road saw three accidents in an 18-hour 

period that sent one motorist to the hospital, 

according to Jim Vanek of Citizens for 

a Safer Old Sate. 

Vanek said the accidents are the result 

of “decades of inaction from local government 

officials.” Old State falls under the 

jurisdiction of St. Louis County with the 

municipalities of Wildwood and Elllisville 

bordering the roadway. Vanek is adamant 

about making safety improvements to the 

road after his son was hit while riding his 

bicycle on Old State in 2021. He noted that 

Concerned Citizens recently had 125 new 

members join its group on Facebook. 

“They realize, as well as the other 560 

members, that this is a regional safety 

hazard and numerous improvements are 

critically overdue,” Vanek said. 

Although the group had sought additional 

improvements along Old State, such 

as a roundabout at Ridge Road, Wildwood 

has noted that its options are limited since 

the county maintains Old State and there 

currently are no resources available for 

improvements at the county level. 

The city is planning to construct a shared 

use path along Old State, which will offer 

some protection for pedestrians and bicyclists. 

It will run along the north side of 

Old State Road between Nantucket Island 

Drive to Old State Place. At the Dec. 11 

meeting, the council agreed to hire O.R. 

Colan Associates to provide right-of-way 

acquisition services for the project at a cost 

of $44,800. 



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BALLWIN, from previous 

ruling out the far-more-expensive option, 

but said A, B and C should still be open 

to discussion due to their far greater cost 

effectiveness. 

“The assumption here is that we don’t 

want to see any tax increase and we want to 

keep the city debt-free. There is no ticking 

time when we have to start on this, but the 

funding is certainly available,” Sterman 

said, noting that other recent facilities have 

partially been funded by federal COVIDera 

grants. He reviewed the following 

funding numbers: 

• An anticipated budget of $5 to $6 million 

from current funding sources. 

• No tax increase. 

• No debt. 

• Funding for the project to come from 

the city’s infrastructure fund with no 

impact on the city’s general fund reserve. 

Ballwin anticipates an infrastructure fund 

balance of about $6.2 million at the end of 

fiscal year 2023. The infrastructure fund is 

funded by 50% of any carryover/surplus at 

year’s end. 

Impacts to Vlasis Park and privacy for 

neighbors were also discussed but Sterman 

stressed that at this time, the project 

is a “blank slate.” He noted that while the 

Vlasis Park master plan called for a nature 

play area on its western edge, everything 

comes down to money. 

The next step in the process will be for 

city staff to request quotes from architects 

with decisions made at future meetings. 

The Citizens Park Commission will also 

review the plans and weigh in on potential 

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16 I NEWS I 



Parson restricts foreign-owned land location 

Executive Order 24-01 was signed by 

Gov. Mike Parson at a press conference on 

Jan. 2 in an effort to limit foreign nations 

from owning agricultural land in the state 

of Missouri within 10 miles of any critical 

military facility in the state. 

During the press conference, Parson said 

the move is to ban ownership of land from 

“China and other nations that may wish us 

harm.” In addition to China, other nations 

banned by the order include those designated 

as foreign adversaries by the U.S. 

State Department. 

The order grants the Missouri Department 

of Agriculture (MDA) greater oversight 

and enforcement authority over all 

foreign agricultural land purchases. 

“With this order, any foreign purchase of 

Missouri farmland must first be examined 

and approved by MDA,” Parson said. 

To help ensure that MDA has the necessary 

resources and staff to enforce these 

additional protections, the state is including 

over $200,000 and two additional full-time 

staff members in its upcoming budget recommendations 

to the General Assembly. 

Parson said he signed the order because 

while there was more than one bill proposed 

at the state legislature addressing 

foreign ownership of Missouri land, one 

Gov. Mike Parson 

has not been passed. 

“Understanding the heightened concern, 

this order safeguards our military and intelligence 

assets, prevents security threats 

to our state and gives Missourians greater 

peace of mind,” he said. 

The order goes as far as it can within Parson’s 

executive authority. 

“Believe me, if I had the authority, we 

wouldn’t just be talking about banning 

farmland but all commercial properties by 

foreign adversaries, regardless of rural or 

urban,” Parson said. “A commercial building 

in our urban areas in the hands of China 

poses just as much, if not more, of a threat 

to our security interests than a rural farm.” 

Parson noted his support of international 

investment in Missouri by foreign allies, 

like Japan, which has 120 facilities in the 

state; Germany with nearly 70, and Israel 

with six. 

“In the last five years alone, nearly $19 

billion has been invested in our state, and 

nearly 150,000 Missouri jobs are directly 

supported through foreign-owned Missouri 

businesses across our state,” Parson 

said. “Missouri has always had and always 

welcomed foreign investment from friendly 

nations. As such, we believe this order today 

sufficiently protects Missouri’s security 

interests from potential bad actors. While 

not punishing our allies for being good economic 

partners or upstanding individuals 

fleeing oppression in search of a better life.” 

Nations currently classified as foreign 

adversaries include China, Cuba, Iran, 

North Korea, Russia and Venezuela. For 

the purposes of this order, “critical military 

facilities” refers to all staffed military facilities 

in Missouri, officials said. The order 

does not affect existing landowners. Currently, 

foreign agricultural land purchases 

are capped at 1% of the total agricultural 

land across the state, as outlined in state 

statute. 

@WESTNEWSMAG 


Highways commission 

members appointed 

Gov. Mike Parson last week 

appointed former St. Louis 

Mayor Francis Slay to the 

State Highways and Transportation 

Commission along with 

Saint Joseph resident Daniel 

Hegeman. 

Slay currently serves as executive 

director for the St. Louis 

Regional Crime Commission. 

He also is a member of the Bar 

Association of Metropolitan St. 

Louis. He served as mayor of 

St. Louis for 16 years. 

Hegeman currently serves 

as senior community business 

manager at Evergy and coowner 

of Hegeman Farm, Inc. 

He serves as the chairman of St. 

Joseph Metropolitan Planning 

Organization and is a board 

member and former chairman 

of Second Harvest Community 

Food Bank. He previously 

served as a state senator for the 

12th District and as a state representative. 

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I NEWS I 17 

NEWS BRIEFS, from page 9 

The committee is responsible for presenting 

an annual budget for the operation 

of and improvements to the park; planning 

for future park development; reviewing/ 

refining park rules and procedures; and 

planning city park events, all subject to 

approval from the Board of Aldermen. 

Interested residents can download an 

application from cityoftwinoaks.com, 

complete and submit it to City Clerk/ 

Administrator Frank Johnson via fjohnson@cityoftwinoaks.com, 

or by dropping 

it off at City Hall, 1381 Big Bend Road. 

Following a review of the applications, 

the mayor will recommend a committee 

member for appointment to a three-year 

term, subject to aldermanic approval. 

WEST COUNTY 

Town hall scheduled to 

address opioid crisis 

St. Louis County Council member Mark 

Harder (R-District 7) will host a town 

hall covering the area’s continuing and 

escalating illegal drug crisis at 6:30 p.m. 

on Thursday, Jan. 25 at the Ballwin Golf 

Course and Events Center, 333 Holloway 

Road. 

Harder noted that the town hall is part of 

a continuing community conversation that 

began on Sept. 6, at which time area residents 

expressed interest in learning more 

about the local opioid problem. 

“A lot of people think that this problem 

doesn’t impact those of us living in West 

County, but what police, medical workers 

and drug task force agents are seeing tells 

a different story. The public needs to be 

better informed,” Harder said. 

He noted that opioids like heroin and fentanyl 

have been here for a while; however, 

newer, more lethal, drugs like xylazine and 

nitazenes are now emerging as threats to 

public health and safety. 

At the town hall, personnel from the U.S. 

Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) will 

present a comprehensive overview of what 

agents are seeing in the field, public dangers 

and what the DEA is doing to address 

the opioid epidemic and overall drug threat 

in the community. An expert from the St. 

Louis County Health Department will be 

present to discuss how to recognize the 

signs of drug use, what to do in the case of 

overdose and how best to work with those 

using illegal drugs to get them help to quit. 

Citizens of all ages are encouraged to 

attend and take part in the discussion. 

Holocaust Remembrance Day 

Dr. Michael Berenbaum will be the keynote 

speaker for the 2024 Rachel Miller 

Lecture, in honor of International Holocaust 

Remembrance Day at 3:30 p.m. on 

Jan. 28 at The St. Louis Kaplan Feldman 

Holocaust Museum. 

Berenbaum is a writer, lecturer and 

teacher consulting in the conceptual development 

of museums and the development 

of historical films. He is the director of 

the Sigi Ziering Institute: Exploring the 

Ethical and Religious Implications of the 

Holocaust at the American Jewish University 

(formerly the University of Judaism) 

where he is also a Distinguished Professor 

of Jewish Studies. From 1988–93 he 

served as project director of the United 

States Holocaust Memorial Museum, overseeing 

its creation. 

His lecture is entitled, “The World Must 

Know: Antisemitism in the Wake of October 

7th.” 

The lecture will be followed by a book 

signing. Tickets are available at STLHolocaustMuseum.org/upcoming-events. 

“Amid these challenging times, we knew 

that finding a powerful speaker for International 

Holocaust Remembrance Day was 

crucial,” said Myron Freedman, executive 

director of the St. Louis Kaplan Feldman 

Holocaust Museum. “We could not be 

more honored to have Dr. Berenbaum joining 

us for this cornerstone program. His 

experience and knowledge are uniquely 

suited to speak to both the historic and 

contemporary challenges of antisemitism.” 

The St. Louis Kaplan Feldman Holocaust 

Museum is a partner of the Jewish 

Federation of St. Louis. The Federation 

founded the museum in 1995 and nurtured 

and maintained it for 25 years. Learn more 

at StlHolocaustMuseum.org. 

Searching for senior 

pageant contestants 

The Missouri Senior Cameo Club is 

searching for women, aged 60 or older by 

April 1, to participate in the annual Ms. 

Missouri Senior America pageant. 

Initial interviews take place in January 

with talent auditions following on Thursday, 

Feb. 1. 

Pageant contestants will: 

• Recite a 35-second personal philosophy 

of life. 

• Be interviewed by a panel of professional 

judges. 

• Model an age-appropriate evening gown. 

• Perform a 2.5-minute talent presentation. 

A queen will be crowned along with a 

first and second runner-up. All participants 

are invited to become members of the 

Missouri Senior Cameo Club, a nonprofit, 

charitable organization that performs 

showcases at senior facilities throughout 

the St. Louis metro area. 

Women interested in learning more 

can contact Susan Pellegrino via email 

at msmosenior@gmail.com or by calling 

(314) 640-5789. 

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18 I SCHOOLS I 



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BULLETIN 

BOARD 

Prinicipia hosts 

mediation tournament 

Principia School held its fourth annual 

National High School Mediation Tournament 

last semester with 12 teams representing 

seven schools from around the 

country participating. 

Principia was the first school in the 

nation to host a high school mediation 

tournament in 2021. This year’s tournament 

included experts from the International 

Academy of Dispute Resolution 

(INADR), Washington University Law 

School and the Principia College Mediation 

Team as judges, coaches and mentors. 

The following students received Mediator 

Awards: Quinna McCarthy, first place, 

Principia; Addison Loveless, second place, 

STEAM Academy at McCluer South- 

Berkeley; Amerie Alexander, third place, 

Principia Upper School; Thelo Carper, 

fourth place, Principia Upper School; 

Elise Toombs, fifth place, Principia Upper 

School; Keith Smith, sixth place, McCluer 

North High. 

In the Advocate/Client category, the 

following students placed in the top six: 

Nne Ezi Okike and Zawadi Oyugi, first 

place, Principia Upper School; Wylie 

Walters and Rhiannon Lewis, second 

place, Principia Upper School; Marley 

Dorsey and Roderick Willis, third place, 

STEAM Middle School; Ellie Werleman 

and Lauryn Milton, fourth place, STEAM 

Academy at McCluer South-Berkeley; 

Donovan Greene and LeiLani Billups 

fifth place, STEAM Academy at McCluer 

South-Berkeley; Carolina Gomez and Lily 

Strother, sixth place, Hampton-Dumont 

CAL High. 

The overall team winners were: Hampton- 

Dumont CAL High of Hampton, Iowa, 

in first place; Principia Upper School 

Team 3in second place; STEAM Academy 

at McCluer South-Berkeley High Team 

2 in third place; McCleur North High 

in fourth place; Principia Upper School 

Team 1 in fifth place; and Principia Upper 

School team 12 in sixth place. 

De Smet Jesuit collects 

food for St. Patrick Center 

De Smet Jesuit High exceeded its goal 

of collecting 40,000 pounds of food to 

benefit St. Patrick Center through the 

holiday season and into the new year. 

A team of De Smet Jesuit seniors led the 

food collection drive, handling logistics, 

data analytics, and marketing. De Smet 

Jesuit alumni also contributed to this 

year’s collection. 

By the numbers, De Smet collected 

41,218 pounds of food, or 70 pounds per 

student, to double the amount collected 

in 2022. The food collection effort is part 

of the Great Ignatian Challenge, a canned 

food drive competition with 18 other 

Jesuit schools from around the country. 

The school that collects the most pounds 

of food per student is eligible to win up to 

$100,000 for its scholarship fund. 

The Great Ignatian Challenge is the 

brainchild of Fordham Prep alumnus, Jim 

Rowen, who pledges more than $500,000 

annually to support the effort. 

A key component of a Jesuit education 

is caring for the wider community, which 

allows students to gain first-hand knowledge 

of local, national, and global issues. 

Through service to the community, the 

students prepare for the day when they 

will participate in their world as competent, 

concerned, and responsible members 

who are committed to social justice. 

Rockwood student honored 

for lifesaving deed 

Girl Scouts of the USA and Eastern 

Missouri recently honored fifth-grade 

Scout Ruth Martin, with the organization’s 

Medal of Honor after she jumped 

into action this spring to assist a fellow 

student who was choking during lunch 

period. She was presented with the Medal 

of Honor by GSEM CEO Dr. Natissia 

Small during a special ceremony at Rockwood’s 

Center for Creative Learning. 

On April 14, 2022, Martin was enjoying 

her school lunch with her fourthgrade 

friends when one of her classmates, 

a fellow Girl Scout, began to cough and 

put her hands to her throat, signaling 

that she was choking. Martin jumped 

into action and hurried to her classmate, 

where she administered the Heimlich 

maneuver multiple times, while another 

student called for a teacher’s assistance. 

Martin’s quick action saved her friend 

and showcased her true Girl Scout spirit 

in an emergency. 

“Receiving the Girl Scouts Medal of 

Honor feels amazing,” Martin said. “I 

didn’t think it was such a big a thing to do, 

I just did the right thing.” 

The Girl Scout Medal of Honor is given 

to girls who save a life or attempt to save 

a life without risk to the girl’s own life. 

This award is reserved for Girl Scouts 

who have performed heroic acts beyond 

the degree of maturity and training to be 

expected at their age. GSEM is proud to 

officially recognize Martin as one of these 

remarkable heroes.



Elementary school to get new 

additions funded by Prop S 

Owners Ben Boland & Jim Menner 



I SCHOOLS I 19 

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Proposed street view of River Bend Elementary post-reconfiguration 

(Source: PSD) 


River Bend Elementary in the Parkway 

School District is expanding with building 

additions and site improvements made 

possible by Proposition S funding. 

Proposition S was approved by voters 

in 2022 to fund capital improvement and 

other projects at all the schools in the 

district. The funded projects began this 

year and will be completed through the 

summer of 2028. 

An amended site development plan has 

been submitted to the city of Chesterfield’s 

Planning Commission for the elementary 

school building located west of River 

Valley Drive. 

The first major change will be the reconfiguration 

of the entrance to the school. 

The 600-square-foot addition encloses the 

space to add security to the site and makes 

the entrance more readily identifiable as 

the “front door.” 

“These improvements were designed to 

provide a more secure facility, better classroom 

organization and improved student 

accessibility,” said Jason Mayfield, vice 

president of WSP USA, Inc. 

It is a primarily glass clad vestibule that 

provides both an indoor and outdoor gathering 

space before being granted access to 

the school, he said. The new front doors 

are framed by brick pilasters with decorative 

wall sconces to further accent the 

entry point. 

Another addition is a new 2,675-squarefoot 

kindergarten that will project southward 

from the current kindergarten. A new 

ADA ramp will lead down to a storm shelter 

added below the kindergarten. 

Along with a new kindergarten playground, 

new playground equipment will be 

added on the western edge of the campus. 

A portion of the track, basketball court, 

driveway and sidewalks at the entrance 

will be resurfaced as well. 

Also planned is a new 2,800-square-foot 

fine arts addition that will mimic the scale 

of the existing facility. 

The proposal provides for a seamless 

transition between the main building and 

the new additions, said Petree Powell, 

assistant city planner. 

Materials and design of the new additions 

will match the existing structure to 

the extent possible, she said. 

Interior renovations will include an 

elevator to provide ADA access and a fire 

sprinkler system. 

The Chesterfield Planning Commission 

approved the amended site development 

plan at its Dec. 11 meeting. 

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ARPA, from page 10 

bursement in October of this year. When that 

came and went (without reimbursement) we 

started asking (where the funds were).” 

Lewis said they were told the funds were 

being held because of Page’s concerns over 

the county’s budget. Even so, Lewis said 

Page’s action will not discourage Rustic Root 

Sanctuary from working with the county in 

the future. 

“I feel like collaborating with the county is 

important, so I’m hopeful that the funds will 

come,” she said. 

Time is limited, though. The ARPA funds 

must be allocated by December 2024 and 

spent by December 2025. There is a possibility 

that the funds could be reallocated to 

other parts of the county’s budget, but that 

would require a vote by the council. Harder 

said reallocating these funds has not been 

discussed by the council as of press time. 

“There’s always the suspicion that if we 

don’t use this money that somehow it will 

get put back in a bucket and that we can reallocate 

those funds,” Harder said. “We (the 

council) have not considered reallocating 

these funds. These organizations have satisfied 

what’s necessary and they’re supposed 

to get a check.” 

In the meantime, Page’s letter says the 

county will, “continue to review and look 

closely at our budget throughout the year, but 

we cannot launch new programs while we 

are budgeted less money to run the important 

operations of St. Louis County.”

20 I SPORTS I 



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7-0151 

01/2024 

St. Joseph’s Academy basketball coach Julie Matheny and her twin brother, Bob Goessling, recorded their 

500th victory while leading the Angels as coaches. 

(Photo provided) 

SPORTS 

BRIEFS 

By WARREN MAYES 

High school girls basketball 

St. Joseph’s Academy basketball coach 

Julie Matheny recently hit a coaching milestone. 

Matheny and Bob Goessling, her twin 

brother and assistant coach, recorded 

their 500th victory leading the Angels as 

coaches. St. Joseph’s defeated Visitation 

Academy 61-43. 

In their tenure with the Angels, St. 

Joseph’s Academy has reached the Final 

Four nine times. The Angels won a state 

championship in 2004 under the siblings. 

Matheny played her high school basketball 

at St. Joseph’s, graduating in 1979. 

She played college basketball at Saint 

Louis University. 

In 1992, she returned to St. Joseph’s as 

the head of the junior varsity basketball 

team and as an assistant coach for the varsity. 

She became the head varsity coach 

in 1999. Since then, she has had 13-plus 

20-win seasons, 16 district championships, 

nine Final Four appearances and 1 Class 5 

state championship. 

Matheny has been inducted into the Missouri 

Basketball Coaches Association Hall 

of Fame. 

• • • 

Parkway South junior Ava McCulla 

was named the MVP in a recent game in 

Springfield against Hillcrest. 

McCulla scored 24 points and pulled down 

12 rebounds in the 45-42 win. She also had 

four steals and dished out two assists. 

High school boys basketball 

Parkway Central senior forward Oliver 

Kokal recently became the fifth leading 

scorer in Colts history, amassing 1,349 

points. 

The 6-foot-6 Kokal passed Matt Feldhaus, 

a 2004 graduate, who had 1,347. 

Earlier last month, Kokal passed Devion 

Harris, a 2020 graduate. Now ahead of 

Kokal on the all-time scoring list is Jarrett 

Cox-Bradley, a 2015 graduate, who has 

1,410 points. 

When the season began, Kokal’s 519 

career rebounds ranked him fifth all-time 

at Parkway Central. 

In November, Kokal signed a college 

letter of intent to play at South Dakota. 

Kokal is a two-time first-team all-conference 

player as well as a two-time all-district 

player. He was a member of the Class 5 

All-State team as a junior and he has earned 

Parkway Central’s Scholar Athlete Award 

three times. His career personal bests are 38 

points, 16 rebounds, and seven assists. 

He is also a member of the Colts’ baseball 

team and boasts a 4.09 GPA. 

“Oliver is a versatile forward that can 

play on the perimeter and in the post,” said 

South Dakota coach Eric Peterson. “He 

has a high IQ, is a very good athlete, and 

has the ability to stretch the floor with his 

shooting. I love his toughness and energy 

he brings every time he steps on the floor.” 

High school boys soccer 

The Westminster Christian Academy 

boys soccer team enjoyed a 2023 season 

unlike any in school history. 

The Wildcats finished the year with a 

21-5 record and brought home the program’s 

first state championship. 

After a team-leading, 27-goal season, 

senior Caden Collison was named to the 

United Soccer Coaches All-Central team. 

Coach Dan Legters was named the 

Missouri Soccer Coaches private schools 

coach of the year. 

Collison and senior forward Levi Weik 

earned Missouri Soccer Coaches Association 

all-state honors. Both were named 

to the first team. Collison was named the 

Class 2 Player of the Year. 

High school girls soccer 

Lafayette coach Ryan Butchard recently 

was named the 2023 Missouri All-Region 

Girls Soccer Coach of the Year. 

The Lancers finished 19-4 last spring. 

Lafayette earned third place in the Class 

4 state tournament with a 4-1 win over 

Kickapoo. 

“To win this award is a great feeling, 

and I completely dedicate this award to 

my girls because they are and always will 

be the foundation to our success as a program,” 

Butchard said. “I am very honored 

to have won this award. It was a dream first 

season as the head coach of the Lafayette 

girls soccer program.” 

Butchard, 27, also credited his assistant 

coaches with the team’s success. 

“I also dedicate this award to my phenomenal 

assistant coaches Tim and Nina Walters, 

who are a huge part of what we do here 

in the program,” Butchard said. “To have 

Tim around helping is huge for me as a very 

young head coach. I played for him from 

2009-2012 and grew very close with him. 

He’s like another father figure in my life.” 

Looking back, Butchard revels in how 

well his team played. 

“Last season was so special for us and 

our kids. We hadn’t been to a Final Four 

in 17 years and when we got there we truly 

enjoyed the whole experience,” Butchard 

said. “We had to beat some amazing programs 

such as Eureka, Marquette and Liberty 

Wentzville just to get there. Those are 

fantastic teams.” 

Out of 19 total players from last year, 

Butchard will have 15 girls coming back. 

Ten of those girls are returning starters. He 

added a talented freshman class will be 

adding to the program. 

“We are eager to see the team play together 

and compete every day,” Butchard said. “I 

am very excited for this upcoming spring 

season. We are making some big changes in 

our program this upcoming preseason to be 

more prepared than we were last year. I’m 

excited to see how our girls adapt to those 

changes and grow even stronger.” 

Seniors who Butchard said he will be 

counting on this spring are Emily Derucki, 

Allie Kinner, Hadley Hendrickson and 

Hailey Schiwinger. 

“(They) are the long-serving superstars 

in our team who we will lean on early 

to set the tone for the rest of the season,” 

Butchard said. “I know they will lead by 

example and help the younger girls understand 

the tradition and standards of this 

prestigious program.”



Marquette’s Vendt overcomes triple 

adversity to skate for Mustangs 



an ESSENTIAL part of your 

DAILY ROUTINE 

I SPORTS I 21 

WestNewsmagazine.com 

is updated daily 

with the local news, 

events and information that 

impact your world. 

The Marquette seniors celebrate Senior Night (from left) Grant Wrisberg, Collin Farrel, 

Cade Eckert, Trent Lewis, Bradley Odman, Andrew Vendt, Brock Wrisberg, Joshua Li and 

Aiden Zonies. 

(Photo by Gigi Wagner) 

By WARREN MAYES 

Dealt a bad hand not once but three 

times, Marquette’s Andrew Vendt decided 

to go ahead and play his cards – keeping 

his eyes looking toward his dreams. 

He wanted to play hockey. But two 

years ago he was involved in horrible 

crash in which three high school students 

were killed. Vendt’s injuries were extensive. 

His right femur was broken and he 

had internal bruising. 

In his junior year, a season during which 

he scored four goals and added three 

assists, the Mustangs reached the Challenge 

Cup semifinals. However, Vendt 

suffered a broken collarbone and missed 

the playoffs. 

His misfortunes continued in 2023. He 

tore his medial collateral ligament (MCL) 

in August and didn’t reach the ice until the 

end of December – just in time for Senior 

Night against Kirkwood. 

“I would say he is the definition of perseverance 

in kids today,” Marquette coach 

Gary Tockman said. 

The 6-foot, 175-pound senior plays both 

defense and center for Marquette. He 

suited up for the first time this season on 

the night before Senior Night in a game 

against Francis Howell. 

“I was honestly very nervous in the 

locker room before (the game),” Vendt 

said. “It would be my first game in about a 

year. I did not want to get hurt again after 

all of the recovery and work I had been 

through in the past four months.” 

But he said “getting back on the ice was 

like a dream.” 

“I had been waiting for that moment to 

get back in my Mustangs uniform for a 

year. I was super super happy,” he said. 

In a scenario that only a scriptwriter 

would ponder, Vendt scored a goal in his 

return game. 

“(It) was a really amazing moment. I 

think it was a great moment for the team 

and everyone was happy to see a smile on 

my face,” he said. “I received a beautiful 

cross ice pass from a very talented junior 

on our team, Drew McLean, and I was 

able to shoot it in.” 

Tockman said the moment was magical. 

“When he scored in the first game, the 

bench went crazy, like a freshman scoring 

his first every varsity goal,” Tockman said. 

“He had a huge smile on his face, too.” 

The next night, Tockman said Vendt was 

“a driving force” in the team’s success, 

which included a goal against Kirkwood. 

“We ended up getting revenge on Kirkwood, 

who beat us earlier in the season,” 

Vendt said. “We beat them 3-1, and it was 

a super awesome night for all of the team.” 

Vendt began playing hockey at age 

5. Before Marquette, he played with the 

Chesterfield Falcons. He played varsity as 

a freshman in a year when the Mustangs 

played CBC for the Challenge Cup. They 

fell 2-0 but Tockman was impressed by 

Vendt’s first campaign. 

Vendt said he was looking to build on 

his success as a sophomore but his life 

changed with the car accident in November 

of that year. 

The fatal crash occurred near Kiefer 

Creek Road and Forest Valley Drive. Five 

teenagers between the ages of 15 and 16 

were in the vehicle. Two Marquette students 

– Rhegan Sajben, 15, of Wildwood, 

and Jacob Keifer, 15, of Ballwin – were 

killed. The driver, Cole Anello, 16, of 

Manchester, also died. He went to De 

Smet Jesuit. 

Tockman was out of town when he 

heard about the accident. 

“I was in Dallas with our club team 

when I got the call from his dad,” Tock- 

See VENDT, page 22 

FED UP WITH PAIN 

PILLS, INJECTIONS & 

CHRONIC PAIN? ATTEND 

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GERIATRIC PHYSICAL THERAPIST 

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You may not know when it was 

that you started to have pain 

every day, but now it's starting to 

limit what you're able to do. 

Maybe now you even have pain 

that lasts from the time you wake 

up to the time you go to bed, with 

no pain-free moments. If this is 

happening to you, you're not 

alone. We hear these types of 

things all the time. In fact, 

Chronic Pain is one of the most 

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Like many people out there living 

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If none of these 

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ever living a pain-free life again. 

Fortunately, there are newer 

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22 I SPORTS I 



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VENDT, from page 21 

man said. “As time goes on, the memory 

of the accident fades a bit but I personally 

always think back to that call I got in the 

hotel and how sad I still am for those that 

did not make it, but how grateful I am that 

Andrew made it through that. That accident 

always helps me keep perspective 

when I am with the Marquette team and 

kids.” 

Vendt came away from the accident with 

a chip in the bone of his elbow, bruises 

and gashes from the seatbelt and deep 

lacerations on his legs. He underwent 

immediate surgery at SSM Health Cardinal 

Glennon where doctors put a femoral 

nail into his right leg. 

“It is funny they call it a nail, because 

when they took it out in April of 2022, it 

was a pretty massive rod and the screws 

holding everything in were also really 

big,” Vendt said. “The hardware removal 

surgery was a really painful recovery, too.” 

He said his rehab was grueling and 

strenuous because he had lost all the 

muscle in both of his legs. 

“My right leg literally had so much atrophy 

that a machine had to activate my muscle,” 

Vendt said. “Breaking the femur caused a lot 

of trauma to the muscle, which needed special 

treatment from Dr. (Michael) Murphy at 

Performance Chiropractic.” 

According to Vendt, the scar tissue had 

to be carefully broken up to allow him to 

regain full movement and mobility in his 

leg. He had at least three doctor or therapy 

appointments every week for about four 

months. 

“I never knew how hard it was to get 

everything back,” Vendt said. “It took 

probably eight or nine months for my legs 

to have equal strength. I was not able to 

start running until about nine months after 

the injury. My hip was really negatively 

impacted by the femur break making running 

really painful.” 

Through it all Vendt had “amazing” support 

of his Mustang teammates and coaching 

staff, which included text messages, 

phone messages, videos, gifts, in-person 

visits and prayers. 

“It really helped lift my spirits and 

encouraged me to keep going during such 

a difficult time,” Vendt said. “It really 

helped me focus on all of the good that 

was still around me instead of all of the 

terrible things that had happened.” 

Tockman was proud of how his team 

responded but not surprised. 

“Honestly, it is just another instance 

of what makes Marquette hockey such a 

great program,” Tockman said. “Yes, success 

on the ice is important but year after 

year, we have great groups of kids come 

through the program, all truly caring 

about each other and understanding the 

big picture of what is important.” 

@WESTNEWSMAG 


Knowing he would be able to play 

hockey again kept Vendt going. He was 

honored to be named a team captain his 

junior season. But another difficult card 

was waiting for him. 

On Jan. 23, 2022, Vendt was killing a 

penalty against Kirkwood when he took a 

really big hit. 

“I knew I was done immediately,” Vendt 

said. “It was really devastating because I 

was so excited heading into playoffs since 

I hadn’t been able to play in them the year 

before. I thought we had a great chance to 

make a long run, and wanted to be a part 

of that on the ice.” 

The hit left him with a broken collarbone 

and cost him the remainder of the season. 

Thankfully, surgery was not needed but 

it was a “really painful recovery,” Vendt 

said. One that required plenty of patience 

as the bone healed. 

He chose to stay positive and work hard, 

getting to the gym before school every 

day and throughout the summer. 

“I was really feeling strong and ready 

for my senior year,” Vendt said. 

But his hockey season would be paused 

once again. This time by a soccer injury. 

In the second game of his senior soccer 

season, Vendt suffered the MCL tear in 

his left knee. 

“Honestly, I could not believe it,” Tockman 

said. “You really just have to scratch 

your head on how he could again get 

injured and would have to endure surgery 

and a lengthy rehab.” 

Vendt underwent surgery on Sept. 8. 

“I was absolutely devastated to not be 

able to finish out the soccer season and I 

knew I would miss a really big chunk of 

my hockey season,” Vendt said. “I also 

had a lot of college visits planned that 

needed to be cancelled or rescheduled. It 

was so hard to handle.” 

Once again his teammates and coaches 

rallied around him. Now, back on the ice, 

he said his main goal is being a contributing 

member of the team. 

“My goal along with the rest of my 

teammates – and we are very determined – 

is to become state champions,” Vendt said. 

His younger brother, Will, also skates 

for the Mustangs. 

“I am really excited to play with Will. 

We play soccer together as well, so that 

was a disappointing aspect of the season 

ending injury in soccer, not getting to 

play that together for my last year at Marquette,” 

Vendt said. 

Even with all that has happened, Vendt 

doesn’t want anyone feeling sorry for him. 

Rather he hopes his story can inspire others. 

“I know I have faced a lot of hardships 

and those are important to include but I 

hope that people can feel inspired and 

know that people are actually pretty resilient, 

especially when they see the good 

that is around them,” he said.



Maternal mortality addressed 

with $4.3 million from state 



The Best in Steaks, Seafood, 

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I 23 


By LAURA BROWN 

Missouri’s latest Pregnancy Associated 

Mortality Review (PAMR) released 

in 2023 found that Missouri’s maternal 

mortality rate is up from previous years 

by 25%. This equates to an average of 70 

Missouri women dying while pregnant or 

within one year of pregnancy each year, 

with the highest number recorded in 2020 

at 85 deaths – ranking Missouri as 44th 

nationally in maternal mortality. 

The report looked at outcomes from 

2018-2020 and found that 84% of the 

pregnancy-related deaths were preventable. 

It notes that contributing factors 

include challenges of access to care, 

missed clinical interventions to manage 

conditions like heart disease and unaddressed 

or unresolved mental health 

conditions that include substance use 

disorders, which are the leading cause of 

death and long-term harm. 

The report prompted Gov. Mike Parson to 

partner with state legislature, state-funded 

healthcare organizations and the University 

of Missouri to reduce the number of maternal 

deaths across the state. Last month, he 

allocated $4.3 million in state funds to 

come up with solutions to transform the 

quality of and increase access to health 

services for women during pregnancy and 

postpartum. 

In a press release announcing the programs, 

Parson said the funding will help 

the state implement a plan to provide 

“needed support and save lives.” 

According to Dave Dillon, Missouri 

Hospital Association’s vice president of 

public and media relations, access to care 

is not just a rural challenge in Missouri. 

“If you live in an urban area, while you 

might be surrounded by the best hospitals 

the state has, we have a lot of people who 

are uninsured,” Dillon said. “If you don’t 

find a provider who will help you through 

that, that’s a problem.” 

MO HealthNet, the state’s Medicaid coverage, 

has assistance available for pregnant 

women who qualify. This coverage now 

lasts through pregnancy, childbirth and a 

full year postpartum. According to Dillon, 

the coverage includes behavioral health 

services, which was deemed necessary in 

the PAMR study. 

“According to the PAMR data, most 

deaths occur after a new mom’s clinical 

experience is over,” Dillon said. “That’s 

why extending coverage out a year from 

childbirth is important. A lot of (preventable 

deaths are due to) behavioral health 

issues. This is where we have opportunities 

for transformation in how we – Missouri – 

care for new moms.” 

Dillon said nearly half of all births in the 

state are covered by Medicaid. 

“The more we can do to keep women 

covered, keep them in the system so they 

can receive continuity in services, the more 

we can reduce the mortality rate associated 

with pregnancy,” Dillon said. “The continuity 

of care, access to coverage, that is 

important for all moms in Missouri.” 

He said partnerships with community 

organizations across the state will be vital 

in helping moms both in and out of the 

clinical setting. 

“Maybe they don’t have access to good 

housing, food or transportation,” Dillon 

said. “All of those things can factor into a 

healthy pregnancy. 

“Seldom can a hospital provide better 

housing for a person, but other organizations 

in the community can come in and 

help and influence their ability to stay 

healthy during and after childbirth.” 

Happy Hour Menu! 

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24 I HEALTH I 



@WESTNEWSMAG 


Americans participating in a new survey said recovering from holidayrelated 

stress and unhealthy behavior often takes them weeks. 


HEALTH 

CAPSULES 

By LISA RUSSELL 

Recovering from the holidays 

may take weeks, survey finds 

It’s Jan. 10. Have you recovered from 

the holidays yet? 

Feeling back to normal after the holiday 

season often takes several weeks, according 

to a new survey of Americans conducted 

by the American Heart Association. 

That may be true because, according to four 

out of five respondents, they are so focused 

on creating “special moments” for others 

during the holidays that they overlook their 

own health. 

Eating healthy, exercising regularly, 

and getting enough sleep are the top three 

healthy habits that people tend to abandon 

during the month of December, the survey 

found. For nearly two-thirds of respondents, 

the holiday season is more stressful 

than tax season … making it a drain on 

their mental health as well. 

While more than half said that feeling 

less stressed after the holidays takes 

at least a few weeks, moms reported the 

highest holiday stress levels. More than a 

quarter said it takes them a month or more 

to recover afterward. 

Most survey respondents (71%) said that 

their biggest regret each holiday season 

is that they did not take time to relax and 

enjoy themselves. 

The random survey of 1,000 U.S. adults 

was conducted in December for the 

American Heart Association’s Healthy for 

Good TM initiative. 

Broccoli sprouts may be 

the ultimate healthy green 

New research suggests that broccoli 

may be even better for you than previously 

thought … especially if it’s consumed in its 

young, recently sprouted form. 

Broccoli is one of several cruciferous 

vegetables, which also include kale, cabbage, 

brussels sprouts and other greens, 

which are high in anti-inflammatory phytochemicals 

that can reduce the risk of 

several diseases. A new study from Osaka 

University in Japan, recently published in 

Redox Biology, found that broccoli sprouts 

have a significantly higher concentration 

of phytochemicals called polysulfides than 

mature broccoli, only five days after germination. 

In this study, researchers investigated 

the concentration of polysulfides in broccoli 

sprouts during germination and early 

growth. The study built on their previous 

work on polysulfide concentrations in 22 

vegetables, including onions, garlic, and 

broccoli, using chemical analysis to determine 

the concentration of polysulfides at 

each stage. 

The team found that total polysulfide 

content in broccoli sprouts significantly 

increased during germination and growth, 

Mercy launches AI chatbot 

Mercy recently introduced “Toni,” a 

chatbot designed to make communicating 

about everyday healthcare needs 

such as scheduling appointments and 

refilling prescriptions faster and easier 

for patients and their families. Toni acts 

as a virtual assistant, and is available 24 

hours a day. 

Mercy is one of the first major health 

systems in the country to provide chatbot 

services, according to its President and 

with an approximately 20-fold increase in 

polysulfides by the fifth day. These findings 

suggest that the abundance of polysulfides 

in broccoli sprouts may contribute to their 

health benefits, which include preventing 

some cancers; improving cardiovascular 

health; regulating blood glucose levels and 

reducing inflammation. 

Diet soda linked to 

fatty liver disease 

Many people think that because it contains 

no sugar or calories, diet soda is a 

relatively healthy beverage choice that can 

help them lose weight. But that couldn’t be 

further from the truth, say the authors of a 

new study published in the journal BMC 

Public Health. 

Their research suggests that heavy diet 

soda consumption may actually increase 

body mass index and promote the development 

of a dangerous condition called 

metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic 

liver disease (MASLD), previously known 

as fatty liver disease. Current estimates 

are that MASLD may impact 46% of the 

world’s population, making it a major 

global health threat. There is currently no 

medical treatment for MASLD other than 

losing weight and getting more exercise. If 

not reversed, the disease can progress to 

liver scarring and cirrhosis. 

The study was based on data from the 

Drinking large amounts of diet soda 

contributes directly to a dangerous liver 

condition called MASLD, according to a 

recent study. 


CEO Steve Mackin. “Toni is part of Mercy’s 

commitment to using technology to 

make the health care experience better, 

more convenient and most importantly, 

private and secure,” Mackin said 

“Toni can handle your requests faster 

and easier than a phone call,” added 

Tamara Carlton, Mercy’s executive director 

of product development. “Research 

shows people prefer getting answers 

from a chatbot over dealing with forms 

National Health and Nutrition Examination 

Surveys (NHANES) and included 

about 2,400 participants, just under half 

of whom had MASLD. After adjusting 

for variables related to their demographics, 

lifestyle and existing metabolic syndrome, 

those who said they “always” drink 

diet sodas – which indicates a high level 

of consumption – were significantly more 

likely to have MASLD. The higher their 

BMIs, the more likely they also were to 

have the disease. 

The study authors said that excessive 

intake of artificial sweeteners found in diet 

soda promotes inflammation, insulin resistance 

and weight gain, which then leads 

to fatty deposits in the liver. More clinical 

trials are needed to study this association, 

they added. 

Earlier in 2023, a new guideline from the 

World Health Organization (WHO) advised 

against using non-sugar sweeteners in diet 

sodas, and specifically labeled aspartame 

– one of the most common – as “possibly 

carcinogenic to humans.” 

Daily hair care routines 

may be harmful to health 

For many women – and more than a few 

men – getting ready every morning means 

applying one or more hair products, blow 

drying and styling their hair with hot appliances 

like flat irons or curling wands, and 

then finishing off with a generous spritz of 

hairspray. 

These daily routines also involve inhaling 

significant amounts of chemicals that 

may be harmful to human health, according 

to researchers at Purdue University. In 

a new study, they found that several chemicals 

present in hair products linger in the 

air after use. They say that on average, a 

person can inhale from 1-17 milligrams of 

these potentially harmful chemicals in a 

single hair care session at home. 

“We found the results to be extremely 

alarming,” said Nusrat Jung, an assistant 

professor in Purdue’s Lyles School of 

Civil Engineering. “We did not expect to 

see such significant emissions of volatile 

chemical mixtures from off-the-shelf hair 

or making phone calls. Toni puts you in 

control of your healthcare decisions, and 

the best part is Toni will be able to do 

even more for patients in the future.” 

Toni was named for long-serving Sister 

of Mercy Mary “Roch” Rocklage, who 

was born Antoinette Marie Rocklage and 

passed away in 2023. In its first month of 

service alone, Toni interacted with over 

14,000 Mercy users and answered about 

42,000 of their questions.





I HEALTH I 25 

care products during typical hair care routines 

that many people perform each and 

every day.” 

The most ubiquitous and most concerning 

of these, Jung said, is a chemical 

known as D5 siloxane. It is often listed first 

or second in the ingredient lists of many 

hair care products and has become popular 

over the past few decades due to its low 

surface tension, smooth texture and high 

thermal stability. 

“D5 siloxane has been found to lead to 

adverse effects on the respiratory tract, 

liver and nervous system of laboratory animals,” 

Jung said. “Many of these products 

are scented, too, and some of the chemicals 

used to make these fragrances are potentially 

dangerous to inhale as well.” 

According to the European Chemicals 

Agency, D5 siloxane is classified as “very 

persistent, very bioaccumulative” in tests 

on laboratory animals. There is little information 

currently available about its impact 

on humans, she added. 

“There has not been much in-depth 

research into this, so we really have no idea 

to what extent the threat these chemicals 

pose when inhaled over a long period of 

time,” Jung said. “There have been tests 

into ‘wash-off’ products like shampoos, 

but almost none for ‘leave-on’ products 

like hair gels, oils, creams, waxes and 

sprays.” 

Jung’s research also found that applying 

high heat to these chemicals, such as with 

curling irons and hair straighteners, can 

concentrate them even further. When met 

with temperatures of 210°C (410°F), for 

example, the researchers found the chemical 

emissions from these hair care products 

increased anywhere from 50% to 310%. 

So how can people protect themselves 

from inhaling these chemicals? Jung said 

that although the best answer is not to use 

them at all, the second-best solution is to 

have an exhaust fan running during use, 

which reduced D5 inhalation exposure by 

over 90% in the Purdue research. 

“There’s a good reason why these chemicals 

are restricted from being used in washoff 

hair care products in certain parts of the 

world,” she added. “The effects on people 

and the planet need to be studied further 

and regulatory action needs to be taken.” 

Those who use hairstyling products every 

day are exposing themselves to potentially 

hazardous chemicals, say Purdue University 

scientists. 


On the calendar 

BJC St. Louis Children’s Hospital sponsors 

a Babysitting 101 virtual class on 

Tuesday, Jan. 16 from 6-8:30 p.m., live via 

Teams Meeting. This interactive class is a 

great introduction to the basics of babysitting 

and is recommended for ages 10 and 

above. A workbook, first-aid kit, babysitter 

skills assessment and backpack are 

included in the cost of $25 per child. Parents 

may sit in on the class at no additional 

cost. Register online at bjc.org/babysittingclass. 

• • • 

BJC presents a Family and Friends 

CPR virtual course on Wednesday, Jan. 17 

from 6:30-8:30 p.m., live via Teams Meeting. 

This class uses the American Heart 

Association curriculum to teach hands-on 

CPR skills (course does not include certification 

upon completion). The cost is $50. 

Registration for a seat in this class is for 

two people. Register online by visiting bjc. 

org/cpr-class. 

• • • 

BJC offers a Bariatric Surgery Information 

Session on Monday, Jan. 22 from 5:30- 

6:30 p.m., live via Zoom. Join a Washington 

University bariatric physician to learn more 

about surgical treatment options available at 

Barnes-Jewish Hospital and Barnes-Jewish 

West County Hospital for patients who meet 

certain criteria. Time will be allotted for 

questions and insurance coverage will be 

discussed. To register, visit classes-events. 

bjc.org; to learn more about BJC’s bariatric 

surgery criteria for patients, call (314) 454- 

7224 and press Option 1. 

• • • 

Mercy St. Louis offers a Sitter Skills 

course on Friday, Feb. 2 from 6-9 p.m. at 

the hospital, 615 S. New Ballas Road, in 

Classroom #2 on the 7th floor. Children 

ages 11 to 13 will learn about infant care, 

child development, interactive play, safety, 

handling emergency situations and marketing 

babysitting services. Children should 

bring a doll or stuffed animal to class. The 

cost is $30 per child. Register online by 

visiting mercy.net/practice/mercy-hospitalst-louis 

and clicking on Classes, Seminars 

and Events, then Skills Classes for Kids. 

• • • 

BJC St. Louis Children’s Hospital presents 

a Staying Home Alone virtual class 

on Wednesday, Feb. 7 from 6:30-8 p.m., 

live via Teams Meeting. Parents and children 

attend the class together to ensure 

a child’s readiness to stay at home alone. 

The registration fee is $25 per family. To 

register, call (314) 454-5437. 

5.50 

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1, 2024 and is subject to change. CD Interest compounded 

quarterly. $1,000 min to open account and obtain APY, 

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penalties, may reduce earnings. QwickRate and National CD 

Rateline customers are not eligible for this offer. MEMBER 

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www.mwrbank.com 

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Jewelry 

Buying Event 

Get Paid Cash FOR GOLD, SILVER, DIAMONDS, 

COSTUME JEWELRY, WATCHES & COINS 

THURSDAY, JANUARY 25 • 11 am to 4 pm 

FRIDAY, JANUARY 26 • 11 am to 4 pm 

SATURDAY, JANUARY 27 • 11 am to 4 pm 

We also buy antiques, artwork, 

paintings, swords, china, crystal 

and other collectibles & rarities. 

If you would prefer 

a private or in-home 

appointment, 

call 314-691-2888 

west county mall 

LOWER LEVEL NEAR JCPENNEY

26 I MATURE FOCUS I 



@WESTNEWSMAG 


BRIAN G. QUINN, ESQ., cela, ATTORNEY AT LAW 

Gregory F. Quinn, ESQ. ATTORNEY AT LAW 

• Estate Planning and Elder Law, Veterans Benefits, 

Medicaid Benefits and Special Needs Planning 

• Wills, Trusts, Powers of Attorney, Living Wills and 

Directives for all stages of life 

• Offering assistance with probate and other issues 

families will face after the death of a loved one 

• Helping families with long term care planning and 

crisis situations 

• Brain G. Quinn has received the designation of 

Certified Elder Law Attorney (CELA ® ) from the 

National Elder Law Foundation (NELF) 

• Offering FREE -- Long-Term Care guidance through Elder Care Advisors. 

Call Jenn at 636-395-0877 for details 

Call our office for a FREE consultation to discuss your family’s solution 

636-394-7242 

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More than three-quarters of Americans over 50 believe Medicare should cover the most 

popular new drugs for weight loss, according to a new survey. 


News & Notes 

By LISA RUSSELL 

Asking for coverage 

It’s once again that time of year when 

many Americans are looking for ways to 

shed holiday pounds. For older adults in 

particular, though, losing weight may be 

an especially important goal – according to 

Centers for Disease and Control and Prevention 

statistics, 40% or more of people 

over 50 have obesity, which poses a significant 

threat to their health and longevity. 

A new Michigan Medicine poll of U.S. 

adults aged 50 to 80 recently found that 

63% of those who consider themselves 

to be overweight are interested in taking 

a prescription medicine to help them 

manage their weight. What’s more, over 

three-quarters of those in the over-50 age 

group believe Medicare should cover these 

medicines, which is currently not allowed 

under U.S. law. 

A new category of weight-loss drugs, 

which includes the name brands Ozempic, 

Wegovy and Mounjaro, have skyrocketed 

in popularity since they were first approved 

for use in treating type 2 diabetes. They are 

so popular, in fact, that nationwide shortages 

have occurred, and many people are 

stretching their finances to pay the high 

costs of treatment, which can exceed 

$12,000 per year, out of their own pockets. 

“Our data show the strong awareness 

and interest in these medications, and in 

access to them through insurance, alongside 

coverage for other weight-focused 

care including nutrition counseling, exercise 

programs and bariatric surgery,” said 

Lauren Oshman, M.D., M.P.H., an obesity 

medicine specialist who worked on the poll. 

“We hope these findings will help inform 

policymakers and benefit plan designers 

who are grappling with the tradeoffs of 

cost and long-term benefit when it comes 

to these medications.” 

Oshman also noted that nearly all the 

older adults polled said they had tried to lose 

weight in the past with only limited success, 

including large percentages who said they 

had exercised or changed their diets. 

A law passed in 2003 prohibits Medicare 

from covering weight loss medications, 

although it is allowed to cover drugs to 

help people with type 2 diabetes manage 

their weight. Most private insurance plans 

and the Veterans Health Administration do 

cover them, but with restrictions due to 

high monthly costs for this new generation 

of medications. 

Local pioneers in heart 

failure treatment 

Physicians at Washington University 

School of Medicine in St. Louis are once 

again at the forefront of discovering new 

medical treatments for serious disease. 

They are now pioneering the use of radiation 

therapy – a treatment typically used to 

treat cancer – to potentially help patients 

whose hearts are failing due to a lifethreatening 

abnormal heart rhythm called 

ventricular tachycardia. 

Their recent study, published in late 2023 

in the journal Med, suggests that low-dose 

radiation therapy may improve the heart’s 

function by reducing the number of inflammatory 

cells present in the heart muscle 

and improving its pumping capacity. 

After studying the cardiac effects of 

See MATURE FOCUS, page 28

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@WESTNEWSMAG 


MATURE FOCUS, from page 26 

radiation in a small group of patients with 

ventricular tachycardia as well as in mice 

with heart failure, the Wash U team found 

that low-dose radiation therapy appears to 

improve heart function in several forms 

of the condition, which happens when 

the heart cannot pump enough blood and 

oxygen to support the body’s needs. 

“The radiation therapy used to treat ventricular 

tachycardia is targeted to a specific 

location in the heart; however, a large portion 

of the rest of the heart gets a low-dose 

exposure,” explained co-senior author 

and cardiologist Ali Javaheri, M.D., Ph.D. 

“There was concern that it could be harmful 

to overall heart function, even though it 

treats dangerous arrhythmia. We were surprised 

to find the opposite: Heart function 

appeared to be improved after radiation 

therapy, at least in the short term.” 

To understand more about radiation’s 

effects on the heart, the researchers plan 

to continue their investigations of the nine 

patients already receiving radiation therapy 

for their ventricular tachycardia. They’ll 

also be conducting more advanced studies 

to see if there is evidence of reduced 

inflammation in the human hearts similar 

to what they found in mice. 

About 6.2 million American adults currently 

live with heart failure, according to 

Preparing for surgery by walking more than 7,500 steps a day can reduce complications 

afterward, a recent study found. 


the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 

More than half of those hospitalized 

for heart failure die within five years despite 

treatment, which currently includes medications, 

sodium and fluid restriction, and cardiac 

procedures including heart transplant. 

Steps toward better 

surgical recovery 

People facing surgery, especially at older 

ages, have to consider the odds of postoperative 

complications … which typically 

occur in about 30% of patients, statistics 

show. But taking one simple step – or steps, 

to be more exact – can slash that risk nearly 

in half, regardless of what type of surgery 

they are having, according to research 

recently presented at the American College 

of Surgeons (ACS) Clinical Congress. 

The study used Fitbit activity tracking 

data from adults participating in the 

All of Us Research Program to identify 

patients who might be at higher risk of 

postoperative complications. The odds of 

complications within 90 days after hospital 

discharge were reduced by just over half 

if a patient took more than 7,500 steps a 

day before the operation, after adjusting for 

the complexity of the procedure, comorbidities, 

and other factors. Fewer daily 

steps were associated with a higher rate of 

post-surgical complications. 

Participants in the study underwent a wide 

range of operations, including general surgery, 

orthopedic surgery, and neurosurgery. 

They were 57 years old on average; women 

made up nearly 75% of the study population. 

Using daily step counts to evaluate individual 

fitness levels prior to surgery may 

be a great way to help people survive and 

thrive afterward, according to the authors. 

“Fitbits and other wearable devices could 

potentially be linked to Electronic Health 

Records (EHRs) and have that data be 

something that surgeons consider when 

planning (pre-operative) care for their 

patients,” said lead study author Carson 

Gehl, a medical student at the Medical 

College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee. “This 

could really come to fruition to improve 

postoperative outcomes.” 

This is the only population-level study to 

explore the relationship between physical 

activity, as measured by a Fitbit, and complications 

up to 90 days after surgery, Gehl said. 

Widening life expectancy gap 

The difference between life expectancies 

for men and women in the U.S. remains 

New Year. 

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well over 5 years in spite of a small recent 

reduction in this concerning gap, which 

has been widening for more than a decade. 

According to the Provisional Life Expectancy 

Estimates for 2022 released in late 

November by the Centers for Disease Control 

and Prevention, overall life expectancy 

at birth for Americans increased slightly 

compared to 2021, from 76.1 to 77.5 years. 

Earlier that month, a study published 

in JAMA Internal Medicine found that the 

life expectancy gap between the sexes had 

increased to 5.8 years in 2021, its widest 

since 1996. Although the gap has closed 

slightly to approximately 5.5 years according 

to the newest report, it remains a major 

concern, according to the study team. 

The life expectancy gap between men and 

women in the U.S. has been widening 

since 2010. 


“There’s been a lot of research into the 

decline in life expectancy in recent years, 

but no one has systematically analyzed why 

the gap between men and women has been 

widening since 2010,” said the paper’s first 

author Brandon Yan, M.D., MPH. 

Using data from the National Center for 

Health Statistics, Yan and his fellow researchers 

from around the country identified the 

causes of death that were lowering life 

expectancy the most. Then they estimated 

the effects on men and women to see how 

different causes were contributing to the gap. 

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 

largest contributors were heart disease, 

unintentional injuries, diabetes, homicide 

and suicide. During the pandemic, men 

were significantly more likely than women 

to die of the virus. 

The newest provisional data also show 

the number of suicides increased in 2022 to 

the highest level ever recorded in the U.S. 

… and men die from suicide four times 

more often than women. Drug overdoses 

and homicides are far more likely to be 

causes of death for men as well. 

Yan said the investigation’s results raise 

questions about whether more specialized 

care for men, particularly mental healthcare, 

should be provided to address growing 

health disparities between men and women. 

“We have brought insights to a worrisome 

trend,” he said. “Future research 

ought to help focus public health interventions 

towards helping reverse this decline 

in life expectancy.” 

Training to avoid knee 

replacement 

Knee osteoarthritis is a major cause of 

pain and disability in the U.S., affecting 

an estimated 14 million adults. More than 

half of those diagnosed eventually must 

undergo total knee replacement surgery, a 

costly and painful procedure which comes 

with a long recovery time and risks of complications 

such as infection, nerve damage 

and blood clots. 

But it may be possible to avoid knee 

replacement by strengthening the muscles 

around the knee joint, say researchers from 

the University of California, San Francisco. 

Looking at data from participants in 

the Osteoarthritis Initiative, a nationwide 

study sponsored by the National Institutes 

of Health, they found that those with stronger 

quadriceps muscles, relative to the 

hamstrings, can lower their odds of needing 

total knee replacement. 

The muscles on the front of the thigh 

commonly referred to as the quadriceps 

are the strongest muscle group in the body. 

The hamstrings – muscles around the back 

of the thigh – are responsible for extension 

of the hip and flexion of the knee, making 

them equally essential for stabilizing it. 

“The two muscle groups act as counter 

forces, and the balance between them 

enables a wide range of activities while 

protecting the knee joint,” said study lead 

author Upasana Upadhyay Bharadwaj, M.D. 

“An imbalance, in addition to other factors, 

leads to a change in the biomechanics resulting 

in the progression of osteoarthritis.” 

Comparing patients who had total knee 

replacement with a control group, a higher 

ratio of quadriceps to hamstring volume 

was associated with significantly lower 

odds of total knee replacement over up to 

four years. The results suggest that regular 

strength training programs to “balance” 

the quadriceps in relation to the hamstrings 

may be beneficial in helping to avoid the 

surgery, Bharadwaj said. 

The study was recently presented at 

the Radiological Society of North America 

(RSNA) annual meeting. 

Dementia’s financial drain 

Most people think of Alzheimer’s and 

dementia as diseases that damage the 

brain. But a new University of Michigan 

study shows just how much damage they 

also can do to a person’s bank account, and 

the increased demands placed on the valuable 

time of their family members as well. 

See MATURE FOCUS, page 30 



I MATURE FOCUS I 29 

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@WESTNEWSMAG 


MATURE FOCUS, from page 29 

The study found that people with dementia 

paid more than double the amount 

of money out-of-pocket for health care 

within the first eight years of being diagnosed, 

compared to their same-age peers 

with similar health problems but without 

dementia. Their overall net worth declined 

by about 60% over the same period, while 

those without dementia maintained roughly 

the same level of wealth. 

People with dementia also entered nursing 

homes at nearly five times the rate of 

their peers in the first two years after being 

diagnosed, a level of care that can quickly 

drain financial resources. Those who were 

able to remain in their homes were far 

more likely than those without dementia 

to use paid in-home care, which is often 

not fully covered by Medicare and usually 

comes at a high cost. 

In another sign of financial distress, 

enrollment in Medicaid nearly doubled for 

people with dementia in their first eight 

years after diagnosis, while the rate of 

enrollment for their peers did not change. 

The study also revealed major differences 

in the demands placed on family 

members of dementia patients. By the end 

of their second year after symptoms began, 

people with dementia needed three times 

more hours of care from family and friends 

than their peers without it, averaging 45 

hours per month of unpaid care compared 

to 13 hours by the end of two years after 

dementia diagnosis. 

The analysis used data from about 2,400 

adults participating in the Health and 

Retirement Study, a long-term investigation 

based on interviews and health exams. 

It was recently published in JAMA Internal 

Medicine. 

On the calendar 

St. Luke’s Hospital presents Coffee and 

Conversations on Wednesday, Jan. 17 from 

10-11 a.m. at the hospital’s Institute for Health 

Education, 222 S. Woods Mill Road in Chesterfield, 

in Conference Rooms 4-5. Join us 

monthly for a cup of joe and conversation 

with St. Luke’s health professionals about 

health and wellness topics. This month’s 

topic is Chair Yoga; explore simple meditations 

and practice safe, accessible yoga poses 

from the comfort of a chair. Loose comfortable 

clothing is recommended for this free 

session. Register at stlukes-stl.com. 

• • • 

BJC Missouri Baptist Hospital offers a 

Today’s Grandparents class on Thursdays, 

Jan. 18 and Feb. 1, from 6:30-9 p.m. 

at the Missouri Baptist Medical Center 

Clinical Learning Institute, 3005 N. Ballas 

Road. This hands-on class offers updates 

on current trends in infant care and feeding, 

and provides tips on local and longdistance 

grandparenting. The course fee 

is $20 per person (each person attending 

must register separately). Registration is 

available online at classes-events.bjc.org. 

• • • 

Living a Healthy Life with Chronic 

Conditions, presented by St. Louis Oasis, 

is on Mondays, Jan. 22 through March 11, 

from 1-3:30 p.m. at the Chesterfield Community 

Center, 690 Chesterfield Parkway West 

(second floor of Chesterfield Mall, next to 

Macy’s). Developed and tested by Stanford 

University, this self-management course is 

for adults with chronic conditions. Participants 

learn and practice skills such as problem-solving 

and goal-setting to cope with 

the common symptoms and frustrations of 

living with a chronic illness. The free course 

is sponsored by BJC Missouri Baptist Medical 

Center. Register at classes-events.bjc.org. 

• • • 

St. Luke’s Hospital presents Living a 

Healthy Life with Chronic Pain on Fridays, 

Feb. 2-March 8, from 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m., live 

via Zoom. This evidence-based six-week virtual 

program helps individuals better manage 

their chronic pain symptoms by learning 

important self-management skills. Topics 

include action planning, healthy eating, communicating 

with your healthcare team and 

more. The program is free, thanks to support 

from the Eastern Regional Arthritis Center. 

Local couple celebrates 80 years of wedded bliss 

Andrew and Bertha Kowalczyk with members of their family at their 80th wedding 

anniversary on Jan. 1, 2024. 

(Emily Southerland photo) 

On Jan. 1, the friends and family of 

Andrew and Bertha Kowalczyk gathered 

at Cape Albeon Lakeside Retirement 

Living to celebrate the couple’s 80th 

wedding anniversary. 

Andrew, a distinguished World War II 

veteran is 103 years old. Bertha is 102. 

Together they have six children: Marion, 

Paul, David, Andrea, Peter and Bruce. 

The couple met in 1942 while students 

at the University of New Hampshire. At 

the time, Andrew was in the Army ROTC 

but soon resigned so that he could accept 

a commission with the Navy where he 

could use his engineering skills. The 

couple became engaged in November 

1943 with a plan to marry after the war 

ended. But then, Andrew changed his 

Participants will receive a free resource book 

and exercise CD after enrollment. Register at 

stlukes-stl.com. 

• • • 

St. Luke’s Des Peres Hospital sponsors a 

Medicare 101 course on Wednesday, Feb. 

21 from 6-7:30 p.m. at the Desloge Outpatient 

Center, 121 St. Luke’s Center Drive, 

in Conference Room 3 of Building A. Gain 

mind and suggested that they get married 

either during the upcoming holidays or 

in February of 1943. Bertha choose Jan. 

1 as she thought it would be a lovely way 

to start the new year. 

Longtime residents of Cape Albeon 

Lakeside Retirement Living in Valley 

Park, the Kowalczyks have become 

cherished members of the close-knit 

community, according to Maggie Mundwiller, 

who shared their story with West 

Newsmagazine. 

“The Kowalczyks’ 80th wedding anniversary 

is not just a personal milestone; 

it is a testament to the enduring power of 

love and commitment that resonates with 

us all. Their story is an inspiration to our 

community and beyond,” Mundwiller said. 

an understanding of the different parts of 

Medicare (A, B and D), Medicare Supplemental 

and Medicare Advantage plans, and 

find information to help you choose the 

coverage options that best meet your needs. 

The free class is offered through the Missouri 

State Health Insurance Assistance 

Program (SHIP). Registration is available 

at stlukes-stl.com. 

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ROCKWOOD R-VI SCHOOL DISTRICT 

STATEMENTS OF REVENUES, EXPENDITURES 

AND CHANGES ROCKWOOD R-VI IN SCHOOL FUND DISTRICT BALANCE 

STATEMENT OF REVENUES, EXPENDITURES AND CHANGES IN FUND BALANCE - 

GOVERNMENTAL FUNDS GOVERNMENTAL FOR THE FUNDS YEAR ENDED JUNE 30, 2023 

FOR THE YEAR ENDED JUNE 30, 2023 

Capital Total 

General Teachers' Debt Service Projects Governmental 

Fund Fund Fund Fund Funds 

Revenues 

Property taxes $68,297,136 $86,234,541 $31,008,059 $ 3,653,618 $189,193,354 

Other local sources 34,148,770 41,345,221 963,317 3,366,656 79,823,964 

Intermediate sources 1,401,620 1,977,879 731,579 84,987 4,196,065 

State sources 8,947,644 38,797,014 - 38,606 47,783,264 

Federal sources 5,712,328 1,667,446 - 2,105,535 9,485,309 

Other sources 369,769 523,128 - 61,795 954,692 

Total revenues 118,877,267 170,545,229 32,702,955 9,311,197 331,436,648 

Expenditures 

Instruction 

Elementary 2,971,469 53,343,177 - 28,937 56,343,583 

Middle 1,316,024 29,683,430 - 13,901 31,013,355 

High 2,196,790 41,488,128 - 71,453 43,756,371 

TAG/title/special 1,351,924 8,072,091 - 67,542 9,491,557 

Early childhood special education 2,398,863 3,990,942 - - 6,389,805 

Student act/athl/act/spons act 5,518,388 3,803,664 - 320,509 9,642,561 

Other instruction 121,149 619,935 - - 741,084 

Total instruction 15,874,607 141,001,367 - 502,342 157,378,316 

Support services 

Attendance 1,850,736 - - - 1,850,736 

Guidance 618,428 5,324,417 - - 5,942,845 

Health, psych, speech and audio 4,786,412 71 - 24,300 4,810,783 

Improvement of instruction 6,225,425 3,976,843 - 273,516 10,475,784 

Professional development 276,579 3,686 - - 280,265 

Media services (library) 2,676,915 3,136,663 - 111,387 5,924,965 

Board of Education services 392,505 - - - 392,505 

Executive administration 1,270,257 2,719,172 - 94,349 4,083,778 

Building level administration 5,792,026 11,389,053 - - 17,181,079 

Business central services 1,237,116 - - - 1,237,116 

Operation of plant 29,117,835 - - 730,662 29,848,497 

Security services 1,120,731 - - 233,529 1,354,260 

Pupil transportation 8,770,494 - - 4,798,802 13,569,296 

Food services 7,377,183 - - 256,155 7,633,338 

Central office support services 4,183,683 - - 7,392 4,191,075 

Community services 15,089,183 35,556 - 161,537 15,286,276 

Facilities acquisition and construction - - - 6,556,179 6,556,179 

Debt service 

Principal, Interest & fiscal charges - - 34,334,918 89,857 34,424,775 

Total support services 90,785,508 26,585,461 34,334,918 13,337,665 165,043,552 

Total expenditures 106,660,115 167,586,828 34,334,918 13,840,007 322,421,868 

Excess of revenues over 

(under) expenditures 12,217,152 2,958,401 (1,631,963) (4,528,810) 9,014,780 

Other financing sources (uses) 

Transfers (1,526,775) - - 1,526,775 - 

NET CHANGE IN FUND BALANCE 10,690,377 2,958,401 (1,631,963) (3,002,035) 9,014,780 

Fund balance at beginning of year 51,065,957 32,176,558 21,490,482 10,514,529 115,247,526 

Fund balance at end of year $61,756,334 $35,134,959 $19,858,519 $7,512,494 $124,262,306 

SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION 

2022-23 Tax Rate $ 4.1483 

Jaime Bayes 

Bonded Indebtedness $ 119,490,000 

Jaime Bayes, President, Board of Education 

Capital Lease Obligations 3,149,161 

$ Janet Sadowski 

Janet Sadowski, Secretary, Board of Education 

The above schedule represents a summary of revenues, expenditures and fund balances by major classification of each fund and all funds of the Rockwood R- 

VI School District as required by Missouri School Law Chapter 165 - 121(1). The schedule was prepared based upon the District's audit report prepared by 

Kerber, Eck & Braeckel LLP, and accepted by the Board on December 19, 2023. The complete audit report is available for inspection and examination at 

Rockwood R-VI School District Administration Center, 111 East North Street, Eureka, Missouri 63025-1229 and on Rockwood School District's website 

(http://www.rsdmo.org/departments/finance). 

The District’s activities and funds are all presented in this report and have been audited by the District’s Certified Public Accountants, Kerber, Eck & Braeckel 

LLP, who rendered an unmodified opinion for the District again this year. The scope of the audit included examining, on a test basis, evidence supporting the 

amounts and disclosures in the basic financial statements. The audit also included assessing the principles used and significant estimates made by 

management, as well as evaluating the overall financial statement presentation. 

Members of the Tom Shaw Foundation present a $6,000 check to 

Caring For Kids. At the presentation were (from left) CFK Executive 

Director Cynthia Harcourt, Ralph Turney, CFK President Diane Brncic, 

Gary Hollingsworth, Tom Shaw Jr., Judge Susan Block and Debbie 

Shaw-Franke. 

(Photo provided) 

BUSINESS 

BRIEFS 

PLACES 

The Tom Shaw Foundation presented a 

$6,000 check to Caring For Kids at the 

end of December. The check represented 

proceeds of the Tom Shaw Freedom Walk 

for Charities, which took place in Defiance 

on Sunday, Oct. 15. Since its founding in 

2009, Caring For Kids (CFK) has served 

4,645 local children with 2,233 beds. 

CFK supports foster families, parents and 

grandparents who struggle to provide basic 

needs for the children in their care. 

• • • 

Shawn and Jeffrey Young opened a Code 

Ninjas at 16747 Main St. in Wildwood on 

Jan. 8 with a grand opening planned for 

Feb. 19. Local children between the ages 

of 5 and 14 can learn to code in a fun, safe 

and social environment where gaming is 

celebrated and STEM is cool. Additionally, 

students learn problem-solving skills 

they’ll need for future jobs. Learn more at 

codeninjas.com, search “wildwood.” 

• • • 

Soda Fountain Express is now open at 

147 West Port Plaza Drive. The retro-style 

diner is a second location for the popular 

Soda Fountain at Union Station and features 

the same variety of eats and sweets from 

11 a.m.-8 p.m., Monday through Saturday 

and 11 a.m.- 6 p.m. on Sundays. Menus are 

available at sodafountainexpress-stl.com. 

• • • 

The Home Builders Charitable 

Foundation (HBCF) recently presented 

a $20,000 donation to UCP Heartland 

for the purpose of updating a bathroom at 

the organization’s Oak Tree Respite Home 

in Webster Groves. The unique respite 

program offers a fully staffed home-awayfrom-home 

for adults with developmental 

disabilities. Primary caregivers may 

schedule a planned or emergency visit 

for their loved ones while they travel or 

tend to their personal needs. The HBA is 

a local trade association of more than 600 

member firms representing the residential 

construction industry. The HBCF is its 

charitable arm. 

PEOPLE 

Chrissy Laycob, Vera Emmons 

and Steve Gallant have been named 

to the St. Louis Kaplan Feldman 

Holocaust Museum Board of Directors. 

Their terms began Jan. 1. Laycob is a 

third-generation descendant speaker, 

who frequently tells the story of 

her grandparents, both of whom are 

Holocaust survivors. She is the co-chair 

of the Museum’s Lutz Humanitarian 

Award program. Emmons is a long-time 

museum educator and second-generation 

descendant speaker, who often shares 

the testimony of her mother, a Holocaust 

survivor. She has previously chaired the 

Yom HaShoah Committee for several 

years and served on multiple museum 

task forces, including one dedicated 

to hiring the museum’s new executive 

director. Gallant serves as executive vice 

president, general counsel of Maritz; 

chief operating officer, general manager 

of Maritz Engagement Solutions; a past 

president of the St. Louis Jewish Light, 

and a member of the local Red Cross 

Board of Directors.



Whether it is in January with a new 

year’s resolution or next summer by the 

pool, Chesterfield Athletic Club is the 

place to be and has been for fifty years. 

The Chesterfield Athletic Club (CAC) 

opened its doors as a tennis club in 1974 

and will mark its 50th anniversary this 

year. 

“We are celebrating our past, but we 

are looking forward to our future,” said 

Kimberly Daws, the new director of 

membership acquisition and enrichment. 

And the future looks bright. The 

Chesterfield Athletic Club (CAC) 

now boasts nine indoor tennis courts, 

six outdoor tennis courts and twelve 

pickleball courts, a full cardio theater 

with weight room, racquetball and 

basketball courts and over 50 group 

exercise classes including yoga, water 

aerobics, boot camp and strength classes, 

personal training and massage therapy. 

“We also recently added a cold pod, 

making contrast therapy available as 

well,” Daws said. 

CAC also has experienced, goaldriving 

personal trainers, tennis pros 

and group exercise instructors to guide 

members through their fitness journey 

and up their game skills in a no pressure 

environment, she said. 

“We’ve recently enhanced our tennis 

program adding three new tennis pros,” 

Daws said. “We now have 15 pros, and tennis 

is booming. We have clinics, lessons and 

leagues for juniors and adults. There also is a 

brand new winter pickleball interclub.” 

Staff members are also stepping into new 

roles. In addition to Daws’ new membership 

role, Sharon Sherry is now the director of 

operations and Wynn Criswell is the director 

of tennis. 

Named the “US Tennis Association 

(USTA) St. Louis’ 2023 Facility of Year, 

the whole club is seeing an upsurge in 

membership and activities with the highest 

numbers in its history, Daws said. 



Chesterfield Athletic Club – It’s the place to be 

(Chesterfield Athletic Club photo) 

“Hands down, it is the people that 

have made us successful over the past 

five decades. They make the difference 

at our club, both the staff and the 

membership,” Daws said. “We have 

charter members that have been here 

since we opened our doors in 1974. We 

have staff who have been here 20 and 30 

years. The people make the difference, 

and when people come to our club, they 

can feel it. It’s an amazing place.” 

And the amenities, may be one of the 

reasons. The Club has a fully stocked 

pro shop, a café and a “Tot Drop” 

childcare area. During the summer, the 

Club offers a competitive swim team in 

its newly renovated outdoor pool. Poolside 

eats and drinks are available and live music 

is scheduled on the weekends. 

Members with a platinum full membership 

have access to all the Club’s features and 

amenities including pools, tennis courts 

(indoor tennis court fees apply), the sauna, 

whirlpool, gymnasium, walking trail, fitness 

center, cycling studio and all fitness classes. 

Or join with a specially tailored membership 

for tennis players, fitness enthusiasts or 

just for the summer with full access to the 

club and pool during the summer months. 

Discounted memberships are also available 

for students, seniors and corporate groups. 

Gills Tree 

Service 

I BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT I 33 

“I think the future is so promising,” Daws 

said. “We have so much to look forward to 

and more things to discover. We want to 

continue to elevate the level of service of our 

commitment to members and the facility.” 

Interested? Give the Chesterfield Athletic 

Club a call, or better yet, stop by and a staff 

member will be glad to show you around. 

Sign up for the year and get your first month 

free. What are you waiting for? It’s the place 

to be. 

(Chesterfield Athletic Club photo) 

Chesterfield 

Athletic Club 

16625 Swingley Ridge Road 

(636) 532-9992 • chesterfieldathleticclub.com 

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National Equestrian Center preserved 

by St. Charles County as show arena 

By KATE UPTERGROVE 

One of the few remaining places for big 

horse shows in the St. Louis region has 

been purchased by St. Charles County 

Parks for $5.9 million. The National 

Equestrian Center (NEC), a 54-acre site at 

6880 Lake St. Louis Blvd., will be added 

to that county’s parks system. 

According to St. Charles County Parks 

Director Ryan Graham, the NEC fills an 

important niche in destination tourism. 

For those not interested in horse shows, 

the center will host Vintage Market Days, 

April 26-28. The upscale, vintage-inspired 

market features original art, antiques, 

clothing, jewelry, handmade treasures, 

home décor, outdoor furnishings, seasonal 

plantings, food and more. Admission to the 

ticketed event is $15 per person on Friday, 

$10 on Saturday, and $7 on Sunday. 

Additional community and equestrian 

events will be posted at thenationalequestriancenter.com. 

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National Equestrian Center in Lake Saint Louis 

“Without the NEC, your big horse shows 

that need room to stable hundreds of horses, 

they just couldn’t fit anywhere else around 

here,” Graham explained in a press statement. 

“They’d have to go to either Sedalia, 

Missouri, or Springfield, Illinois.” 

In the past, St. Louis County’s Queeny 

Park has hosted equestrian competitions, 

but now it hosts only one a year on a much 

smaller scale focused on cross country 

trials. Boone County had also operated an 

equestrian facility at one time, but no more, 

Graham said. 

The NEC site features three arenas, six 

barns, 585 horse stalls, 63 camping spaces 

and almost four acres under roof. The 

main show area features more than 5,000 

square feet of upper-level banquet space 

that can seat up to 250 people overlooking 

the arena. This space is available to rent 

for birthday parties, wedding receptions 

and special occasions. Its RV camping 

sites are open to the public at a cost of 

$25 per night. 

“The NEC is a tourism destination that 

attracts people from around the country, 

and we look forward to carrying on the tradition 

of hosting high-quality equestrian 

events and expanding the operations and 

offerings of the center,” Graham said. 

St. Charles County officials anticipate 

hosting between 45 and 50 events per year. 

The first of which took place last weekend. 

The Meet Me in St. Louis Winter Festival, 

a hunter jumper show, was held Jan. 4-7 

and was open to the public. 

(Tracey Bruce photo) 

In addition to hosting shows and other 

events, Graham said the NEC provides the 

opportunity to introduce kids and families 

to the art of riding, handling and training 

horses and the recreational, emotional and 

therapeutic benefits of doing so. 

The site has been operated since the 

1990s first by Carmelo Natoli and since 

his death in 2012 by his surviving family 

members. With developers seeking to 

convert the site to new homes, the family 

approached the county about purchasing 

the property and preserving its equestrian 

use and greenspace. 

Graham acknowledged that this acquisition 

wouldn’t have been possible without 

the generosity and willingness of the 

Natoli family to sell the property at below 

its appraised value, which amounts to a 

donation of the difference to St. Charles 

County. In recognition of Carmelo’s vision 

for the NEC, the main arena on the property 

will be renamed “The Natoli Arena.” 

The NEC purchase was unanimously 

approved by the St. Charles County Council 

in October. The county has budgeted 

$2,554,457 for the site’s annual operating 

costs for 2024: $1,253,400 for operations 

and maintenance and $1,301,057 for personnel. 

The cost to operate, maintain and 

improve the center will be paid from revenues 

generated from facility rentals, concessions, 

stall rentals, camping, et cetera 

and from the county’s use tax, which 

is dedicated to its parks and recreation 

department.





I EVENTS I 35 

NOW OPEN FOR DINNER 

The Dink it! For Families in Need Pickle Ball Social is from 6-9 p.m. on Saturday, 

Feb. 3 at the Missouri Pickleball Club, 747 Gravois Bluffs Blvd. in Fenton 

LOCAL 

EVENTS 

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT 

An art exhibit featuring works by 

Haley Clancy Inyart and Abbi Ruppert 

is on view through Tuesday, Jan. 23 at 

John Burrough’s Bonsack Gallery, 755 S. 

Price Road in St. Louis. For details, visit 

jburroughs.org. 

• • • 

Emily Dickinson’s Herbarium is on 

view through Sunday, March 31 at the 

Stephen and Peter Sachs Museum on the 

grounds of the Missouri Botanical Garden. 

Included in the cost of Garden admission. 

For details, visit mobot.org/museum. 

• • • 

Chamber Project St. Louis presents 

DWELL: Dynamic Reflections from 7-8 

p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 25 at the World 

Chess Hall of Fame, 4652 Maryland Ave. 

in St. Louis. Explore a sense of place, 

space and time with music for clarinet, 

strings and piano. Artist Talk and refreshments 

begin at 6 p.m. Tickets are $25. For 

details, visit chamberprojectstl.org. 

• • • 

Chamber Project St. Louis presents 

its Con Spirito Concert Series at 12:30 

p.m. on Friday, March 1 at First Presbyterian 

Church, 100 East Adams Ave. in 

Kirkwood. Music for voice, harp and 

strings is featured. For tickets, visit 

chamberprojectstl.org. 

• • • 

The Bach Society of Saint Louis Chorus 

and Orchestra present “Bach’s St. John 

Passion” at 3 p.m. on Sunday, March 

10 at First Presbyterian Church, 100 E. 

Adams Ave. in Kirkwood. To purchase 

tickets, visit bachsociety.org. 

BENEFITS 

The J’s Winter Used Book Sale is 

Sunday, Jan. 28 through Thursday, Feb. 

1 at The Jewish Community Center, 2 

Millstone Campus Drive in Creve Coeur. 

Proceeds benefit the J’s Cultural Arts 

Department. For details and times, visit 

jccstl.com. 

• • • 

The Dink it! For Families in Need 

Pickle Ball Social is from 6-9 p.m. on 

Saturday, Feb. 3 at the Missouri Pickleball 

Club, 747 Gravois Bluffs Blvd. in Fenton. 

All proceeds benefit Circle of Concern. 

Both players and spectators are welcome. 

Cost is $50 for players, $25 for learn to 

play and $20 for spectators. Snacks provided; 

raffles and cash bar available. Register 

at circleofconcern.org. 

• • • 

A trivia night is at 7 p.m. (doors open 

at 6 p.m.) on Saturday, Feb. 10 at St. 

Joseph’s Catholic Church, 567 St. Joseph 

Lane in Manchester. Emceed by Zip 

Rzeppa. Free beer, wine, soda, water and 

popcorn. $240 for a table of 8. For details, 

visit kocstjoe.org/trivia. 

• • • 

The “Curiouser and Curiouser” trivia 

night is at 6 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 16 at 

The Sheldon, 3648 Washington Blvd. in 

St. Louis. Participants can enter to win 

raffles, mini-games, costume and table 

decorating contests. The cost is $300 per 

team of 10 or $40 for individuals. Admission 

includes beer and soft drinks; a cash 

bar is available. Bring snacks. No outside 

alcohol. Registration is required at 

TheSheldon.org/Trivia. 

• • • 

The Art and Wine local artists exhibition 

is from 5-7 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 23 at 

the Longview Farm House, 13525 Clayton 

Road in Town & Country. Admission 

is $25 per person with food and drink 

See EVENTS, page 35 

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for content produced especially 

with older adults in mind. 

In the first issue of every month, count on 

Mature Focus to keep you in the know on 

timely topics related to aging well; plus a brief 

calendar of classes, screenings and more. 

In the second issue of the month, you’ll find 

Community Events for Older Adults. It’s 

chock full of classes, fitness and 

sports activities, social engagements 

and special interest opportunities presented 

by the cities of Ballwin, Chesterfield, 

Ellisville, Manchester and Wildwood. 

Twice a year we bring you 

Serving Our Seniors, a special advertising 

section that allows you to learn more about 

and connect with local businesses that might 

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EVENTS, from page 35 

included. Proceeds go toward the city’s 

Military and First Responders Tribute. For 

tickets, call (314) 587-2814 or visit townand-country.org/379/Events. 

• • • 

The Empowering Inclusion and 

Accessibility Disability Awareness Convention 

is from noon-4 p.m. on Sunday, 

March 24 at the DoubleTree Hotel by 

Hilton, 16625 Swingley Ridge Road in 

Chesterfield. The event brings together 

disability advocates, leaders, experts and 

the general public to raise awareness and 

promote inclusion and accessibility. For 

details, visit thearyafoundation.org. 

FAMILY & KIDS 

The Manchester Snowman Building 

Contest continues through Feb. 28. To 

enter, send current pictures to shardesty@ 

manchestermo.gov. Be sure to include the 

entrant’s name, address and phone, and 

the date the snowman was built, Prizes 

will be awarded. 

• • • 

Little Explorers is from 9-10:30 

a.m. on the first and third Wednesday of 

the month at various parks in Ballwin. 

Themed activities change weekly and 

include a craft and snack for ages 2-5. 

The cost is $8 for residents; $10 for nonresidents. 

Parents and guardians are free. 

For details, visit ballwin.mo.us. 

• • • 

Creative Corner is from 10-11 a.m. 

monthly on the first Thursday at The Timbers 

of Eureka, 1 Coffey Park Lane. This 

is a creative, messy program, focusing on 

exploration, science, sensory skills, crafts, 

snacks and more for ages 2-5. An adult 

needs to stay with the child. The cost is 

$10 for residents, $11 for non-residents. 

To register, visit eureka.mo.us. 

• • • 

Tumbling Tots is from 10-11 a.m. 

monthly on the second Thursday and third 

Wednesday at the Eureka Community 

Center, 333 Bald Hill Road. Features mats 

and foam climbing pieces, balls, building 

blocks and other gross-motor equipment 

for ages 6 months to 5 years. The cost is 

$9 for residents; $10 for non-residents. 

Register at eureka.mo.us. 

• • • 

Story Time With Miss Pam is monthly 

from 10 a.m.-noon on the second and 

fourth Saturdays at the National Museum 

of Transportation, 2933 Barrett Station 

Road in Kirkwood. Included with museum 

admission. Details at tnmot.org. 

• • • 

Upside Down Indoor Triathlon is from 7 

a.m.-noon on Saturday, Jan. 13 at The Pointe, 

1 Ballwin Commons Circle. Each participant 

will complete a 15-minute run, 15-minute 

a little bit 

spinner bike and a 10-minute swim. For ages 

8 and up. Cost is $30 per person. To register, 

visit ballwin.mo.us/Events. 

• • • 

Junior Art Class is from 6-7:30 p.m. on 

Tuesdays, Jan. 16 through Feb. 20 at The 

Pointe, 1 Ballwin Commons Circle. Kids 

complete a variety of different projects 

with supplies and instruction provided. 

The cost is $180 per resident for the sixweek 

class; $195 for non-residents. To 

register, visit ballwin.mo.us. 

• • • 

Tot Time is from 9-11 a.m. on Fridays, 

Jan. 19 and Feb. 2 at the Chesterfield 

Community Center in the Chesterfield 

Mall. Kids aged 5 and younger will 

engage in various activities, story time, 

group games, and arts and crafts. Siblings 

ages 6-11 are welcome when they are 

accompanied by the tot and an adult. A $3 

cash-only drop-in fee per child is charged. 

For details, visit chesterfield.mo.us and 

search “Tot Time.” 

• • • 

Pages and Pals “On the Farm” is from 

10-11 a.m. on Thursday, Jan. 25 at the 

Schroeder Park Building, 359 Old Meramec 

Station Road in Manchester. Children 

will hear a story, have a snack and do a 

craft based around a theme. An adult must 

accompany the participating child. The 

cost is $5 for residents; $6.50 for non-residents. 

Register at manchestermo.gov. 

• • • 

Family Dance Night is from 5:30-7:30 

p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 3 at the Ballwin 

Golf Course, 333 Holloway Road in Ballwin. 

Dress in your best ‘50s gear and 

prepare for an evening of music, dancing, 

snacks and more. For ages 3-13. Registration 

is per person. The cost is $10 for 

residents; $15 for non-residents. Register 

by Jan. 26 at ballwin.mo.us/Events. 

• • • 

A Daddy & Daughter Glow Dance is 

from 6-7:30 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 9 at the 

Schroeder Park Building, 359 Old Meramec 

Station Road in Manchester. Wear 

your brightest clothes and enjoy dancing, 

snacks, games and a craft. For ages 2-11. 

The cost is $27 for resident pairs; $35 for 

non-resident pairs. Register at manchestermo.gov. 

• • • 

A Mother-Son Dance Party is from 

6:30-8 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 23 at the 

Eureka Community Center, 333 Bald 

Hill Road. Moms and sons will enjoy 

pizza, dessert, a craft activity and dancing. 

Dressing up is encouraged but optional. 

The cost is $12 for residents; $13 for nonresidents. 

Spots will fill up fast. Register 

at eureka.mo.us. 

• • • 

A Daddy Daughter Dance is from 

6:30-8 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 24 at the 

Eureka Community Center, 333 Bald



Hill Road. Dads and daughters will enjoy 

pizza, dessert, a craft activity and dancing. 

Dressing up is encouraged but optional. 


Spots will fill up fast. To register, 

visit eureka.mo.us. 

• • • 

Pages and Pals “Messy Munchkins” 

is from 10-11 a.m. on Thursday, Feb. 29 

at the Paul Schroeder Park Building, 359 

Old Meramec Station Road in Manchester. 

Children will hear a story, have a snack 

and do a craft based around a theme. An 

adult must accompany the participating 

child. The cost is $5 for residents; $6.50 

for non-residents. Register at manchestermo.gov. 

• • • 

Family Bingo Night is from 6:30-8 

p.m. (doors open at 6:15 p.m.) on Friday, 

March 1 at The Timbers of Eureka Gymnasium, 

333 Bald Hill Road. Wear bright 

colors and bring glow sticks and snacks. 

The cost is $7 for residents; $8 for nonresidents 

and includes bingo supplies, 

prizes, pizza and refreshments. Register 

before Feb. 27 at eureka.mo.us. 

• • • 

A Youth Easter Egg Hunt is at 10 a.m. 

on Saturday, March 23 at Legion Park, 333 

Bald Hill Road in Eureka. Features separate 

areas for ages 2 and younger, 3-4, 5-7 

and 8-10. Hunts begin at 11 a.m. with age 

groups staggered in 5-minute increments. 

A pancake breakfast served by the Knights 

of Columbus will be available while supplies 

last. Admission is free. Participants 

should park at the Eureka Community 

Center. For details, visit eureka.mo.us. 

SPECIAL INTEREST 

Herb Your Enthusiasm with horticulture 

expert Jill Thompson is from 6-7:30 

p.m. monthly on the third Wednesday at 

Kircher Park, 25 Williams Road in Eureka. 

The per-class cost is $5 for residents; $7 

for non-residents. Details and registration 

(required) at eureka.mo.us. 

• • • 

The Snowball Race Series continues at 

7:30 a.m. on Saturday, Jan. 13 at SLCC 

Meramec in Kirkwood; at 8:30 a.m. on 

Saturday, Jan. 27 at the Creve Coeur Park; 

and at 8:30 a.m. on Saturday, Feb. 10 at 

Frontier Park in St. Charles. The cost is 

$18 per race. Register at raceroster.com, 

search “ Snowball Series.” 

• • • 

A Martin Luther King Jr. Day program 

featuring “The House is on Fire” 

author Rachel Beanland is at 7 p.m. on 

Tuesday, Jan. 16 at The Jewish Federation 

of St. Louis, 12 Millstone Campus Drive 

in Creve Coeur. Registration is required, 

but the event is free. To reserve seats, 

visit showpass.com/rachel-beanland-thehouse-is-on-fire. 

• • • 

Project Unplugged Winter Workshops 

are from 2-3:30 p.m. on Sundays, 

Jan. 21, Feb. 4 and March 3 at the 

Longview Farm Barn in Town & Country. 

Jan. 21 features guest speaker Amanda 

Jokerst and a soothing 30-minute yoga 

session. Feb. 4 is Nourish in Nature; 

March 3 is Herbal Tea DIY. The cost per 

session is $25 per person. Register at 

town-and-country.org/379/Events. 

• • • 

Manchester Arts Crafternoons - “Poke 

Fabric Wreath” is from 1-2:30 p.m. on 

Tuesday, Jan. 23 at the Schroeder Park 

Building, 359 Old Meramec Station Road. 

The cost is $6 for residents; $7.80 for 

non-residents and includes instruction, 

supplies and coffee/water. Register at 

manchestermo.gov. 

• • • 

Card Making is from 10 a.m.-noon on 

Thursday, Feb. 1 at the Chesterfield Community 

Center in the Chesterfield Mall. 

Create handmade cards for all occasions. 

Each class is themed by season. The cost 

is $10 per class, cash only. All ages. Register 

by emailing olderadults@chesterfield.mo.us. 

• • • 

The One Wow Moment Biblical 

Course is from 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. or 6:30-8 

p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 8 at Chabad of 

Chesterfield in the Chesterfield Mall. The 

course discusses six women who used one 

moment to change everything and teaches 

how to make courageous and meaningful 

decisions. Additional classes will be 

offered on March 14, April 11 and May 

16. The cost starts at $99; scholarships are 

available. Register at JewishChesterfield. 

com/wow. 

• • • 

A Ceramic Shoe Wine Bottle Holder 

art class is from 5:30-8 p.m. on Thursday, 

Feb. 15 at the Ballwin Golf Course and 

Events Center, 333 Holloway Road. This 

class features step-by-step instructions. 


Register at ballwin.mo.us. 

• • • 

Garden Club meets at 6:30 p.m. on 

Wednesday, Feb. 28 at the Chesterfield 



I EVENTS I 37 

Community Center, 237 Chesterfield 

Mall. Make connections with fellow gardeners 

while learning new tips and tricks. 

Membership is free. To register, email 

recreation@chesterfield.mo.us. 

• • • 

The Chesterfield Shamrock Run is at 

8:30 a.m. on Saturday, March 16 at the 

Chesterfield Valley Athletic Complex, 

17925 N. Outer 40 Road in Chesterfield. 

The race will consist of a 5K or 10K race 

and a Lil’ Leprechaun Run for kids. The 

5K/10K races begin at 8:30 a.m.; the Fun 

Run begins at 10 a.m. Participants registered 

by Feb. 25 receive participation 

shirts. The 5K/10K cost is $25 through 

Feb. 18 and increases through race day. 

The Lil’ Leprechaun Run is $15 through 

race day. Register at chesterfield.mo.us/ 

shamrock-run. 

• • • 

Paint Your Pet is from 5:30-8 p.m. on 

Thursday, March 28 at the Ballwin Golf 

Course, 333 Holloway Road in Ballwin. 

Features simple step-by-step instructions 

for an acrylic painting on a 16x20 

stretched canvas. The cost is $55 for residents; 

$60 for non-residents. Register at 

ballwin.mo.us. Pet photos must be sent 

in advance to artherapystudios@yahoo. 

com. 

• • • 

Glow Golf is from 7:30-10 p.m. on 

Friday, April 26 at the Ballwin Golf 

Course, 333 Holloway Road. Play golf 

in the dark with LED golf balls. The cost 

is $40 per person and includes the round, 

the cart, and the LED golf ball. For details, 

visit ballwin.mo.us. 

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• Deck Repairs 

• Deck Upgrades 

• Deck Staining 

• Staircases 

• Hand Rail 

• Fully Insured 

• Warranty 

• No Money Up Front 

When you want it 

done right... 

Check our 

ads first. 


314.518.0231

38 I 



@WESTNEWSMAG 


WEST HOME PAGES 

THE FAN MAN 

INSTAllATIoN ProFESSIoNAlS 

Ceiling Fans • Wholehouse Fans 

Gable Vent Fans • Recessed Lighting 

Specializing in installation for two story homes 

with no wiring on first floor. 

When Handyman Quality Just Won't Do. 

(314) 510-6400 

ROOFING 

TUCKPOINTING 

GUTTERS 

LEAFGARD 

314-968-7848 stlroofing.com 

COMPLETE KITCHEN & BATH REMODELING 

COMPLETE 

REMODELING 

PLUS OTHER INTERIOR PROJECTS 

SPECIAL 

Bathtub Conversion 

into Walk-in Shower 

References Available 

Reasonable Pricing 

Quality Work 

Senior Discounts Available 

Serving West County & 

surrounding areas since 1985 

Edwards Remodeling•Call 314-397-5100•Licensed & Insured 

H NEST 

JUNK HAULING 

$ 

25.00 OFF 

Any Service 


www.honestjunk.com 

314-312-1077 

Locally Owned & Operated 

H NEST 

JUNK HAULING 

DIY DUMPSTER RENTAL 

$ 

399 


www.honestjunk.com 

314-312-1077 

Locally Owned & Operated 

30+ YEARS 

EXPERIENCE 

County House Washing 

& Painting 

A+ 

RATED 

WEST 

INTERIOR AND EXTERIOR 

PAINTING SPECIALIST 

PAINTING • STAINING • POWERWASHING 

Mike Lynch 636.394.0013 

WWW.COUNTYHOUSEWASHING.COM 

636-938-ROOF (7663) 

Like us on Facebook 

Locally Owned & Operated by Rick Hinkson 

J.D. CONTRACTING 

EXTERIOR SPECIALIST 

REPLACEMENT 

WINDOWS 

TEXT JIM 

314.723.0027 

• Low E 

• Energy Efficient 

• Double Hung 

• Siding, Soffit 

and Gutters 

CALL OR TEXT JIM TO REQUEST A BID! 

Locally Owned & Operated by Tim Hallahan 

Serving West County for 25+ Years 

636.458.6400 

timjhallahan@gmail.com 

westwoodpaintinginc.com 

Licensed & Insured 

ALL OF YOUR DECKING NEEDS 

• Wood 

• Vinyl 

• Composite 

• Aluminum 

• Refacing 

• New Decks 

• Deck Repairs 

• IPE (Hardwood) 

Rlinkconstruction@yahoo.com 

314.607.8953 

FIND US ON 

CUSTOM DECKS 

SCREEN ROOMS, ENCLOSURES, 

REPAIRS, RESURFACE, PATIOS, STAMPED CONCRETE, 

4 SEASON ROOMS, OUTDOOR LIVING SPACES 

GENERAL CONTRACTOR | All Types Of Home Improvements 

Insurance Specialist, Fully Insured | A+ BBB Rating, 30 Years Experience 

FREE INSPECTIONS & ESTIMATES 

314-282-1991 | www.CovenantContractingSTL.com 

J.D. CONTRACTING 

EXTERIOR SPECIALIST 

ROOFING 

PLUS Powerwashing, 

Decks & Staining 

TEXT JIM 

314.723.0027 

CALL OR TEXT JIM TO REQUEST A BID! 

• Emergency 

Repairs 

• Free Roofing 

Inspections 

• Insurance 

Claims 

• Siding, Soffit 

& Fascia 

• Insured 

TOP GUNN FAMILY 

CONSTRUCTION INC. 

Build and Repair Decks & Fences, 

All Painting, Wallpaper Removal, 

Powerwash/Stain Decks, Finish Basements, 

Remodeling, Kitchens, Baths 

Senior Discounts • Military Discounts 

First responders must show ID 

Call Today • 636-466-3956 

GunnFamilyConstruction@gmail.com 

When you want it done right... 

Check our ads first. 


Our Home Page professionals will help you 

PREP YOUR HOME FOR 

WINTER WEATHER

HAULING 

HELP WANTED 

or email 

briano@meabrk.org 

CARPET 

(314) 892-1003 

COLLECTIBLES 

DECKS 

Upgrades 

EverythingDecks.net 

38 years experience, 

no money up front, 

wa ranty, insured, 


MarkHicksLLC.com 

BBB A+ 

636-337-7733 

ELECTRICAL 

- 40 hrs/week 

- 12 months/year 

EEOC 

- 11 Paid Holidays 

Apply at: 

CUSTODIAN 

- 40 hrs/week 


- Competitive Salary 


Apply at: 

HELP WANTED 

In Private Home. 

This position 

Rotating shifts. 

For more info ca l 

LANDSCAPING 

Shrub Trimming, 

Yard Cleanups, 

Power Washing, 

Moles, Small Walls 

and Paver Patios. 

Ca l/text Jeff 

PAINTING 

Dickspainting.com 

LANDSCAPING 

WE SPECIALIZE IN 

LAWNS & MULCH AND MUCH MORE! 

poloslawn@aol.com 

Free Estimates 

PLUMBING 

314-409-5051 

24 hour service! 

314-808-4611 

1 Story House 

2 Story House 

SERVICES 

•Reliable 

Fu l / PT 

PET SERVICES 

TREE SERVICES 

Fr e Estimates. 

636-475-3661 

636-281-6982 

Fu l Service Ministry | (314) 703-7456 

REAL ESTATE 





WEST CLASSIFIEDS • 636.591.0010 • CLASSIFIEDS@NEWSMAGAZINENETWORK.COM 

I 39 

CARPET 

-CARPET REPAIRS- 

Restretching • Reseaming 

& Patching. 

No job is to small! 

FREE Estimates 

(314) 892-1003 

COLLECTIBLES 

WANTED TO BUY 

VINYL RECORD ALBUMS 

Buying quality collections of 

Rock, Jazz, Blues and More! 

No collection to large or small 

Private Collector: JP 

Call or Text 636-342-1616 or 

Email: Jp.vinyl57@gmail.com 

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 & backa-up 

generators. No job too small. 

Competitively priced. Free Estimates. 

Just call 636-262-5840 

GARAGE DOORS 

DSI/Door Solutions, Inc. 

Garage Doors, Electric Open–ers. 

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 

DECKS 

Deck Staining 

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 

SKIP'S HAULING & DEMOLITION 

Junk hauling and removal. Cleanouts, 

appliances, furniture, debris, 

construction rubble, yard waste, 

excavating & demolition! 10, 15 

& 20 cubic yd. rolloff dumpsters. 

Licensed & insured. Affordable, dependable 

and available! 

VISA/MC accepted. 22 yrs. service. 

Toll Free 1-888-STL-JUNK 

888-785-5865 or 314-644-1948 

• Brushed & Rolled Only 

• No money up front/Warranty 

A+ 

Free Estimates • Insured/A+BBB 

EverythingDecks.net • (636) 337-7733 

DONATION PICKUP 

Keep your Saturdays to yourself 

and we will pick it up for you! 

Complimentary Curbside 

Donation Pickup. Anything that 

is non-perishable or flammable. 

Serving the West County area! 

CALL TODAY 

to schedule your appointment. 

314-742-4342. 

EDUCATION 

Traveling Fossil & Rock 

Presentations with a Biblical 

Perspective. Suitable for all grade 

levels. FREE Fossils for everyone. 

Can the Bible timeline 

be tested and trusted? 

Yes! 

The Rock’s Cry Out Ministry 

Contact Bill Barnes 314-608-2928 

FOR SALE 

Husky 5000-Watt Gasoline 

Powered Generator with Briggs 

& Stratton Engine 

features 6250-watt peak 

Call 314 -703-7456 

Ballwin Area 

HELP WANTED 

COMPASSIONATE 

CAREGIVERS NEEDED!! 

VISITING ANGELS is hiring for 

Chesterfield/Wildwood/Ballwin/ 

Des Peres/ T&C- $17-19/hr. 

Personal Care Assistants & 

Homemaker shifts. Weekly Pay, 

Flexible Schedules, 401K match. 

Health Ins. after 6 mo. if FT 

Call 636-695-4422 or apply at 

VisitingAngels.com/westplex 

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 



HVAC Maintenance Technician 

- 40 hrs/week 



Full Benefit Package includes: 

- Retirement through the Public 

Educational Employee Retirement 

System (PEERS) of Missouri 

- Paid Medical, Dental 

& Vision Insurance 

- Flexible Spending Accounts 

- Life Insurance 

- Long-Term Disability 

- Employee Assistance Program 

- Sick Leave Compensation 

- Vacation Compensation 


Apply at: 

https://rockwood.ted. 

peopleadmin.com/hire/index 

or call (636) 733-3270 

EEOC 

HELP WANTED 


Hiring For Positions of: 

-Plumbing Maintenance 

Technician- 

- 40 hrs/week 





Educational Employee 

Retirement 











Apply at: 



or call (636) 733-3270 

EEOC 



Mowing & Landscaping 

Technician in 

Grounds Department 

- 40 hrs/week 
















Apply at: 



or call (636) 733-3270 

EEOC 



CUSTODIAN 

- 40 hrs/week 
















Apply at: 


peopleadmin.com/ 

hire/index or call (636) 733-3270 

EEOC 


Hiring For position of: 

Part-Time Custodians 

(Temporary Position) 

-Flexible Work Schedule 

-Competitive Wage 

-No weekends 

Apply at: 


peopleadmin.com/hire/ 

Viewjob.aspx?JobID=3198 

or call (636) 733-3270 

EEOC 

HOME HEALTHCARE 

TROSSIE CARES 

Private Home Health 

24 hr. Affordable 

Home Healthcare Service. 

Referencces Available. 

Call 314-620-3550 

or email 

trossiecares@gmail.com 

HOME IMPROVEMENT 

Mizzou Crew LLC (Since 2004) 

We can’t do everything, 

but we CAN do a lot! 

Landscaping, Demolition, 

Flooring, Light Construction, 

Furniture Assembly, Fencing, 

Deck Repair, Rough Carpentry. 

Call/text Jeff 314-520-5222 or 

email mizzoucrewstl@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 

PRISTINE MIDWEST 

CONSTRUCTION LLC 

Specializing in 

Decks & Fences 


pristinemidwest@gmail.com 

(314) 575-3879 

REMODEL & REPAIR 

Rotted wood, Painting, Tile, 

Drywall, Floors, Electrical, 

Carpentry, Plumbing, 

Power Washing. Insured. 


Tom Streckfuss 314-910-7458 

sbacontractingllc@gmail.com 

Total Bathroom Remodeling 

Cabinetry•Plumbing•Electrical 

30 Years Experience 

LANDSCAPING 

Leaf Clean Up 

& Vacuuming 

Pruning Work, Grading, 

Planting, and 

Dormant Sod Work. 


636-296-5050 

Retaining Walls • Patios • Pruning 

Chainsaw Work • Seasonal 

Clean-up • Honeysuckle Removal 

Friendly service with attention to detail 

Call Tom 636.938.9874 

www.mienerlandscaping.com 

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 

LANDSCAPING 

WE SPECIALIZE IN 

RETAINING WALLS • PAVER PATIOS • DECKS 

FENCES • TREES • NEW LANDSCAPING 

LAWNS & MULCH AND MUCH MORE! 

Free Estimates 

314-280-2779 

poloslawn@aol.com 

OBITUARY 

Timothy Bischoff 

Timothy Charles Bischoff, age 

57, passed away on December 

21 at his home in Marion, IL 

after battling cancer for over 

eight years. He was born son 

of William and Sharon (Seyferth) 

Bischoff. Tim graduated 

in 1984 from Parkway West. 

He married Beth Gabrielson 

in 1991, and is survived by her 

and their two children, Alissa 

and Bridger, his mother Sharon, 

brother Todd and family, and 

sister Beth Thomas and family. 

Arrangements are entrusted 

to Wilson-McReynolds Funeral 

Home in Marion IL. Tim’s wishes 

were for cremation. The family 

will hold an Irish Wake later 

in time. Any donations in Tim’s 

honor, can be made to Siteman 

Cancer Center siteman.wustl. 

edu/tribute by selecting other 

designation and typing Patient/ 

Family Care Fund. For full 

obituary and other information 

visit https://www.wilsonmcreynolds.com/obituaries/. 

PAINTING 

DEFINO’S 

PAINTING SERVICES 

EST. 2006 

Interior & Exterior Painting 

Deck Staining 

- Insured & Free Estimates - 

definospainting.com 

314-707-3094 

SENIOR LIVING 

PAINTING 

CELEBRATING 50 YEARS! 

PAINTER 

DAN VOLLMER 

• I AM INCORPORATED INC. • 

INTERIOR SPECIAL 2024 

$75 Per Avg. Rm Size 

(12’x12’ Walls 3 Room Minimum) 

FREE ESTIMATES: CALL DAN 

(636) 577-8960 

Exterior Painting! 

PLUMBING 

LICENSED PLUMBER 

Bonded & Insured 

Available for all your 

plumbing needs. 

No job is too small. 


35 Years Experience. 

Senior Discounts 

24 hours service! 

314-808-4611 

GVM Plumbing 

Can’t beat my prices! 

Repair • Remodel • Install 

Great Water Heater Install Rates! 

Licensed • Responsive • Reliable 

(636) 288-7002 

• 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 

TREE SERVICES 

• COLE TREE SERVICE • 

Tree and Stump Removal. 

Trimming and Deadwooding. 

Free Estimates. 

636-475-3661 

www.cole-tree-service.biz 

WEDDING SERVICES 

ANYTIME ANYWHERE 

- CEREMONIES - 

Marriage Ceremonies 

Vow Renewals • Baptisms 

Pastoral Visits • Graveside Visits 

Full Service Ministry 

(314) 703-7456 

COMING SOON 

SPRING 2024 

2 BED, 2 BATH 

1050 SQ. FT. 

$1,500/MONTH 

55+ Community 

All outside maintenance 

included 

CONTACT US TODAY FOR MORE INFORMATION: 

636-584-3065 • info@maritzllc.com • maritzllc.com/availability 

To place a Classified 

ad call 636.591.0010 

CARPET REPAIRS 

Restretching, reseaming & 

patching. No job too small. 

Free estimates. 

WANTED TO BUY 

• SPORTS MEMORABILIA • 

Baseba l Cards, Sports Cards, 

Cardinals Souvenirs and 

Memorabilia. Pre-1975 Only. 

Private Collector: 314-302-1785 

Mark Hicks, LLC 

Construction, Repairs, 

ERIC'S ELECTRIC 

Licensed, Bonded and Insured: 

Service upgrades, fans, can lights, 

switches, outlets, basements, 

code violations fixed, we do it 

a l. Emergency ca ls & back-up 

generators. No job too sma l. 

Competitively priced. Fr e 

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 

Ca l 314-550-4071 

www.dsi-stl.com 

J & J HAULING 

WEST CLASSIFIEDS • 636.591.0010 • CLASSIFIEDS@NEWSMAGAZINENETWORK.COM 

WWW.WESTNEWSMAGAZINE.COM 

WE HAUL IT ALL 

Service 7 days. Debris, furniture, 

a pliances, household trash, yard 

debris, railroad ties, fencing, decks. 

Garage & Basement Clean-up 

Neat, courteous, a fordable rates. 

Ca l: 636-379-8062 or 

email: jandjhaul@aol.com 

SKIP'S HAULING & DEMOLITION 

Junk hauling and removal. Cleanouts, 

appliances, furniture, debris, 

construction rubble, yard waste, 



Mowing & Landscaping 

Technician 

in Grounds Department 


Fu l Benefit Package includes: 



System (PEERS) of Mi souri 



- Flexible Spending A counts 







Apply at: 

https: /rockwood.ted.people 

admin.com/hire/index 

or call (636) 733-3270 



HVAC Maintenance Technician 

- 40 hrs/week 




- Retiremen through the Public 





- Flexible Spending A counts 



- Employee A sistance Program 



h tps://rockwood.ted.people 


or ca l (636) 733-3270 

EEOC 



Fu l Benefit Package includes: 








www.rsdmo.org 

or call 636-733-3253 

-PART TIME COOK- 

Multi Faceted Position. 

requires, cooking, serving 

& light house work. 

Wed & Fri, 12PM-8:30PM 

Every other weekend, 

(314) 349-1457 

Ask for Sherlyn Whiteside 

HOME IMPROVEMENT 

Kitchen Remodeling, 

Wainscoting, Cabinets, 

Crown Molding, Trim, Framing, 

Basement Finishing, Custom 

Decks, Doors, Windows. 

Fr e estimates! 

Anything inside & out! 

Ca l Joe 636-699-8316 

AFFORDABLE CARPENTRY 

SBA Contracting LLC 

Home Improvement and Repairs 

Interior Painting, Flooring, 

Drywa l & Wood Repair. 


Insured 

Ca l 314-910-7458 

or email us at 

sbacontracting lc@gmail.com 

Total Bathroom Remodeling 

Cabinetry•Plumbing•Electrical 

30 Years Experience 

ORGANIZING SPECIALIST 

Home or Office 

• COLE TREE SERVICE • 

Tree and Stump Removal. 

Trimming and Deadwooding. 

www.cole-tree-service.biz 

GET 'ER DONE TREE SERVICE 

Tree trimming, removal, deadwooding, 

pruning and stump 

grinding. Certified arborist. 

Fully Insured • Free Estimates 

A+ BBB • A+ Angie's List 

Serving the Area Since 2004 

314-971-6993 or 636-234-6672 

excavating & demolition! 10, 15 

& 20 cubic yd. rolloff dumpsters. 

Licensed & insured. Affordable, 

dependable and available! 

VISA/MC a cepted. 22 yrs. service. 

To l Free 1-888-STL-JUNK 

888-785-5865 or 314-644-1948 


- Employee A sistance Program 



Food Service 

Our Child Nutrition Assistants 

work school days only 

Part time or Fu l time, 

No experience n eded. 

Seven Paid Holidays, 

Retiremen through PEERS, 

Perfect Attendance Days 

Manager positions available 

with fu l benefits. 

RETAINING WA LS • PAVER PATIOS • DECKS 

FENCES • TR ES • NEW LANDSCAPING 

314-280-2779 

• SPRING CLEAN-UPS • 

Mulching, 

Bush & Shrub Trimming, 

Removal and Planting 

Dethatching / Power raking, 

Aeration and Overseeding, 

Brushwork, Sod Insta l 

and Leaf Removal 

• FAST & FREE ESTIMATES • 

TWO MEN & A MOWER 

636-432-3451 

MORALES LANDSCAPE LLC 

Clean-Up • Mowing Mulching 

Planting • Aeration • Sod Insta l 

Leaf/Tree Removal • Paver Patios 

Trimming/Edging Stone & Brick 

• Retaining Wa ls • Drainage Work 

- F R E E S T I M AT E S - 

636-293-2863 

moraleslandscape@hotmail.com 

M I E N E R 

LANDSCAPING 

Retaining Wa ls • Patios • Pruning 

Chainsaw Work • Seasonal 

Clean-up • Honeysuckle Removal 

Friendly service with a tention to detail 

Ca l Tom 636.938.9874 

www.mienerlandscaping.com 

Best Landscaping Values in Town! 

Mizzou Crew Mulch, 

314-520-5222 

or www.MizzouCrew.com 

TODD THE PLUMBER 

Licensed, Bonded & Insured 

Available for a l your plumbing 

n eds. No job to big or too sma l. 

35 years experience! 

314-800-4960 

• ANYTHING IN PLUMBING • 

Good Prices! Basement 

bathrooms, sma l repairs & code 

violations repaired. Fast Service. 

Certified, licensed plumber - MBC 

Plumbing - Ca l or text anytime: 

LICENSED PLUMBER 

Bonded & Insured 

Available for a l your 

plumbing n eds. 

No job is too sma l. 


35 Years Experience. 

Senior Discounts 

POWERWASHING 

POWERWASHING 

APRIL SPECIAL 

Starting at $239 

Starting at $279 

636-279- 056 

A l Smiles Pre sure Washing, LLC 



h tps: /rockwood.ted.people 


or call (636) 733-3270 

EEOC 

COMPASSIONATE 

CAREGIVERS NEEDED ! 

VISITING ANGELS is hiring for 

Chesterfield/Wildwood/Ba lwin/ 

Des Peres/ T&C- $17-19/hr. 

Personal Care A sistants & 

Homemaker shifts. W ekly Pay, 

Flexible Schedules, 401K match. 

Health Ins. after 6 mo. if FT 

Ca l 636-695-4422 or apply at 

VisitingAngels.com/westplex 

Interior and 

exterior painting 

Deck staining 

- Insured & Free Estimates - 

314-707-3094 

Let’s a range your things 

so you can easily locate them 

SOFTBAL LEAGUES 

Men 60+ Senior Softball League 

Slow pitch softba league for men 

60 years and older 

to play in St. Charles County 

is a cepting individual 

applications for the 2022 season. 

Double-headers on 

Wednesdays at 4:30pm 

at Schneider-Kiwanis Park. 

Final day for applications 

is Saturday, April 30. 

If interested email: 

herbieo.jr@gmail.com 

or ca l or text: 

Herb Olmsted 314-960-2872 

Outside Service A tendant 

$11.15 / Hour 

Looking to fi l our outside team, 

flexible hours, golf privileges, 

meals on duty, and more! 

Ca l (636) 227-9962 

for more information. 

LANDSCAPE 

REHAB + 

SPECIALIZING 

IN ALL YOUR 

HARDSCAPING 

NEEDS! 

REPAIR•REDO 

ALL NEW 

RETAINING WALLS 

PAVER PATIOS 

FIRE PITS • WALKWAYS 

BOBCAT WORK 

• FREE ESTIMATES • 

636-775-5992 

when n eded. 

SUZANNE 314-422-5695 

-CAREGIVER- 

•Experienced 

•Companion 

Seeking A Position 

in West County 

Ca l 314-941-1326 

+ 

WEDDING SERVICES 

WATERPROOFING 

TOP NOTCH WATERPROOFING 

& FOUNDATION REPAIR LLC 

Cracks, sub-pump systems, 

structural & concrete repairs. 

Exterior drainage co rection. 

Serving Mi souri for 15 years. 

Fina ly, a contractor who is honest 

& leaves the job site clean. 

Lifetime Wa ranties. 

Free Estimate 

a b 

ANYTIME ANYWHERE 

- CEREMONIES - 

• Marriage Ceremonies • Vow Renewals • Baptisms 

• Pastoral Visits • Graveside Visits

CD Special 

12-month or 18-month 

Your funds can 

grow safely in a 

Certificate of Deposit. 

5 .00 

% APY 

$1 share deposit required. Must qualify for membership. Offer of 5.00% Annual Percentage Yield (APY) on 12-month or 18-month CD have a minimum deposit of $500 to 

open. Rate/APY is accurate as of 9/22/23. Early withdrawal penalties apply. Offer subject to end without notice. Federally insured by NCUA.

West Newsmagazine 1-10-24

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