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Vol. 21 No. 17 • September 4, 20<strong>24</strong><br />

midriversnewsmagazine.com<br />

WEIGHING<br />

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STAR PARKER<br />

The nation needs a<br />

‘Great Reawakening’<br />

Over the years 1934-1961, British<br />

historian Arnold Toynbee published his<br />

12-volume “A Study of History.”<br />

Toynbee studied the rise and fall of 23<br />

civilizations. His conclusion was that great<br />

civilizations die not from external causes<br />

but from internal causes.<br />

They commit suicide.<br />

Toynbee concluded, in the words of one<br />

journalist, that “civilizations start to decay<br />

when they lose their moral fiber.”<br />

We don’t have to be great historians to<br />

know that civilizations have come and<br />

gone. Forever is not a given fact of life.<br />

In this vein, in this political season, with<br />

the excitement of an upcoming election in<br />

which we will choose who holds the highest<br />

office in our government for four years,<br />

as well as elections for the Senate and the<br />

House, I pray for a grand national awakening.<br />

It is the business of politicians to aspire<br />

to power, to tell us that our problems are<br />

because of the other party and to divert<br />

our attention from where it should be – on<br />

ourselves.<br />

If we so focus, many, I believe, will conclude<br />

it is hard to see a future for a nation<br />

with fewer and fewer children, greater and<br />

greater government and debt, and less and<br />

less economic growth.<br />

Per the Congressional Budget Office<br />

(CBO), growth of the U.S. population<br />

averaged 0.9% per year from 1974 to 2023.<br />

They project from 20<strong>24</strong> to 2054 it will be<br />

half that – 0.4% per year.<br />

For a population to hold steady, to not<br />

shrink, the average fertility rate must be 2.1<br />

children per woman. We have fallen well<br />

below this to 1.67, and CBO projects it will<br />

stay there.<br />

The implications are an aging population,<br />

with fewer and fewer of working age and<br />

an increasing burden of the expenses of an<br />

aging population – greater retirement costs<br />

and health care costs.<br />

One measure of this picture is the ratio<br />

of the size of the working-age population<br />

– ages 25-64 – to the size of the population<br />

65 and above.<br />

In 1950, that ratio was over 6 to 1. In<br />

2004, it was 4 to 1. In 20<strong>24</strong>, per CBO, it is<br />

2.9 to 1. And CBO projects that by 2054, it<br />

will be 2.2 to 1.<br />

Per Pew Research, in 1980, 6% of<br />

40-year-old Americans had never been<br />

married. By 2021, it was 25%.<br />

In 1980, federal debt held by the public<br />

was about 25% of GDP. Now it is almost<br />

100%. CBO projects that by 2054, it will<br />

be 166%.<br />

The explosion of federal debt is the result<br />

of the explosion of federal spending and<br />

growth of government.<br />

More government means more of our<br />

economy is diverted to bureaucrats and<br />

away from those who work and create. As<br />

a result, economic growth suffers.<br />

From 1950-2000, per Hoover Institution<br />

economist John Cochrane, the U.S.<br />

economy grew an average of 3.5% per<br />

year. Now we’re around 2%. Cochrane<br />

notes that if from 1950-2000 growth was<br />

2% rather than 3.5%, per capita GDP in<br />

2000 would have been $23,000 rather than<br />

$49,000.<br />

CBO projects average growth rate of the<br />

U.S. economy for the next 30 years less<br />

than 2% per year. This, of course, means<br />

diminishing average income for all Americans.<br />

Many years ago, when I turned away<br />

from welfare and turned toward God, my<br />

guide and mentor told me that there are two<br />

possibilities – government or God.<br />

The data shows more Americans turning<br />

away from faith and church attendance,<br />

and hence they are choosing government.<br />

We hear much rhetoric now about American<br />

democracy, but democracy is about<br />

how we choose, not what we choose. The<br />

focus of a free nation under God is about<br />

what we choose.<br />

So, I return to where I was at the beginning.<br />

A nation without children, without<br />

marriage, with expanding government and<br />

debt, is a nation, in the words of historian<br />

Toynbee, committing suicide.<br />

I pray for a reawakening.<br />

• • •<br />

Star Parker is president of the Center for<br />

Urban Renewal and Education and host of<br />

the weekly television show “Cure America<br />

with Star Parker.”<br />

© 20<strong>24</strong> Creators.com<br />

Read more on midriversnewsmagazine.com<br />

September 4, 20<strong>24</strong><br />

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4 I<br />

September 4, 20<strong>24</strong><br />

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6 I OPINION I<br />

September 4, 20<strong>24</strong><br />

MID RIVERS NEWSMAGAZINE<br />

EDITORIAL<br />

Do we really want to be like Kansas City?<br />

The St. Louis Cardinals are hovering around<br />

.500 and are in real danger of their first backto-back<br />

losing seasons since the 1950s. Aging<br />

stars Nolan Arenado and Paul Goldschmidt<br />

are shells of their former selves. Willson<br />

Contreras just went back on the injured list.<br />

Downtown St. Louis remains beset by crime,<br />

homelessness and decay. Oh, and last week<br />

was blisteringly hot.<br />

The end result? Tickets for the Redbirds<br />

series versus the Padres last week were being<br />

offered for one dollar (or less) on StubHub<br />

and still weren’t selling.<br />

Last Tuesday, the Cardinals announced<br />

attendance was 27,2<strong>24</strong>. Less than 13,000<br />

people actually attended the game. Both<br />

numbers are records for the current version<br />

of Busch Stadium.<br />

Consider this back-and-forth between<br />

Padres announcers Dan Orsillo and Mark<br />

Grant.<br />

“This is not the Busch Stadium I am used<br />

to. Late August, early September, usually it’s<br />

packed. Redbirds are in the race … it is a different<br />

vibe here.”<br />

“Yep, it’s shocking.”<br />

ATTENTION<br />

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A portion of Busch Stadium as the Cardinals played before the smallest crowd of the<br />

season during a game against the Milwaukee Brewers. (Photo by Keith Gillett/Icon Sportswire)<br />

Shocking, but sadly not surprising. Actions<br />

have consequences, and for years both the<br />

Cardinals roster and their downtown home<br />

have been neglected. Should we blame John<br />

Mozeliak? Bill DeWitt? Oliver Marmol?<br />

Tishaura Jones? Seventy-five years of oneparty<br />

rule? The Rally Squirrel? Yep, blame<br />

them all. It’s a pox on all our houses.<br />

Once we are done blaming and lamenting<br />

and crowing and complaining, let’s go ahead<br />

CLIP & MAIL<br />

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qualify as a Requester Periodical helping us save postage expense<br />

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and pull up our big-boy pants and do something<br />

about it. Let’s admit that this current<br />

reality stinks. Seeing the stadium so empty is<br />

an embarrassment.<br />

St. Louis is a baseball town. Let’s say it<br />

again, together: We are a baseball town. We<br />

show up. We stand up. We cheer on the great<br />

players and the great plays. We are both<br />

enthusiastic and respectful, knowledgeable<br />

and joyous.<br />

The team is not where we want it to be. We<br />

have shown our displeasure by not showing<br />

up and driving down prices. Message sent<br />

and damage done. Supply has met demand.<br />

Now let’s get back to being a baseball town.<br />

Buy up those cheap tickets. Go down to the<br />

park and get a hot dog and a beer. Is there a<br />

better way to spend a summer evening, even<br />

when your team isn’t the best? Nolan Arenado<br />

is having an awful season, and he had<br />

two game-winning hits last week. Two things<br />

can be true at the same time. We hate the<br />

results this year, but we still love the game.<br />

St. Louis is a baseball town.<br />

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submission. © Copyright 20<strong>24</strong>.


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September 4, 20<strong>24</strong><br />

MID RIVERS NEWSMAGAZINE<br />

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8 I NEWS I<br />

September 4, 20<strong>24</strong><br />

MID RIVERS NEWSMAGAZINE<br />

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SUNSET<br />

CONCERTS<br />

St. Charles City Mayor Dan Borgmeyer (right) is presents co-director of Chabad Jewish Center of St.<br />

Charles County Rabbi Chaim Landa (left), with the key to the city at the Fourth Annual St. Charles County<br />

Jewish Festival.<br />

(Photo courtesy of Chabad Jewish Center of St. Charles County)<br />

NEWS<br />

BRIEFS<br />

O’FALLON<br />

Council authorizes civil<br />

disturbance gear for police<br />

At its Aug. 22 meeting, the O’Fallon<br />

City Council voted 10-0 to approve a<br />

resolution authorizing the use of asset<br />

forfeiture funds to purchase civil disturbance<br />

gear and supplies for the O’Fallon<br />

Police Department’s Mobile Response<br />

Team.<br />

The purchase includes gas masks with<br />

voice projection microphones, riot canisters,<br />

laser outserts, riot shields, batons and<br />

accessories. A laser outsert is a gogglelike<br />

device that reduces the threat of eye<br />

injury from a laser and eliminates laserinduced<br />

glare and flash blindness. It is<br />

designed to protect against harmful laser<br />

wavelengths generated by laser-sighted<br />

weapons and hand-held devices.<br />

Some of this equipment will replace<br />

outdated equivalents for the police department.<br />

The riot shields, batons and accessories<br />

will be new additions to the mobile<br />

response team’s equipment.<br />

Veterans Museum hosts<br />

fallen heroes memorial<br />

The <strong>Mid</strong> America Veterans Museum<br />

will host a fallen heroes memorial from<br />

Sept. 4-7, open <strong>24</strong> hours daily, with a<br />

ceremony, guest speaker and color guard<br />

scheduled for each evening. For more<br />

information, call (636) 294-2657.<br />

Well-known police officer<br />

promoted to sergeant<br />

Longtime O’Fallon police officer<br />

Charles Pleasant has been promoted to<br />

the rank of sergeant. Pleasant joined the<br />

department in 2005. According to Police<br />

Chief Frank Mininni, he has served in<br />

numerous roles, including the St. Charles<br />

County Crime Interdiction Task Force,<br />

Emergency Operations Course Instructor,<br />

Accident Reconstruction Unit, Recruitment<br />

Team member, SWAT Officer and<br />

many in other special assignments.<br />

“I stand before you today, filled with<br />

pride and admiration as we celebrate<br />

the remarkable achievement of one of<br />

our own, Mininni told the O’Fallon City<br />

Council at its Aug. 22 meeting. “It is with<br />

great honor that I extend my profound<br />

admiration to officer Charles Pleasant on<br />

being promoted to the rank of sergeant in<br />

the O’Fallon Police Department.”<br />

Mininni said Pleasant was instrumental<br />

with the creation and setup of O’Fallon’s<br />

community policing programs, such as<br />

Pop-Up Patrol, Teen Driving School and<br />

the development of the department’s<br />

motorcycle program. Pleasant has also<br />

received many awards, including 12<br />

annual Mothers Against Drunk Driving<br />

awards.<br />

Before coming to O’Fallon, Pleasant<br />

served 19 years with the Missouri State<br />

Highway Patrol, rising to the rank of<br />

corporal. At the Highway Patrol, he was<br />

assistant commander of the narcotics unit<br />

and was on the SWAT Team for 10 years.<br />

“This promotion is not just a testament<br />

to Sgt. Pleasant’s dedication and hard<br />

work, but also a recognition of his leadership<br />

skills, integrity, and unwavering<br />

commitment to serving our community,”<br />

Mininni said. “In the face of challenges,<br />

Sgt. Pleasant has consistently displayed<br />

exceptional professionalism and courage,<br />

embodying the core values of our police<br />

department.”<br />

Pleasant was joined at the ceremony by<br />

his family. His wife pinned on his new<br />

badge.<br />

City seeks grant for EV<br />

charging station<br />

O’Fallon will proceed with the installation<br />

of electric vehicle (EV) charging<br />

stations at selected city properties, if it<br />

can take advantage of the 20<strong>24</strong> Charging<br />

and Fueling Infrastructure (CFI) Discretionary<br />

Grant Program that is part of<br />

the federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Law<br />

passed in November 2022. The grant<br />

would cover 80% of the cost for the EV<br />

charging stations.<br />

At its Aug. 22 meeting, the City Council<br />

passed a resolution 6-4, authorizing submittal<br />

of an application for that federal<br />

funding. The deadline for that application<br />

was Aug. 29. Council members Deana<br />

Smith (Ward 1), Tom “Duke” Herweck<br />

(Ward 2), Debbie Cook (Ward 5) and<br />

Linda Ragsdale (Ward 5) voted against<br />

the resolution.<br />

Working with energy consultant Veregy,<br />

city staff balanced the number of EV<br />

charging sites between the north and<br />

south areas of the city. Staff also investigated<br />

demographics of visitors using the<br />

sites.<br />

Assuming the grant application is<br />

approved, EV chargers will be placed<br />

at city hall, O’Day Park, the Ozzie<br />

Sports Complex, the Renaud Center and<br />

Westhoff Park.<br />

A separate project was evaluated to<br />

replace the existing EV charger located<br />

at Krekel Civic Center with a dual Level<br />

2 charger. The federal CFI grant requires<br />

a minimum of four charging locations<br />

per site, so the Krekel location was not<br />

eligible to be included in the 20<strong>24</strong> grant.<br />

However, Veregy believed it to be likely<br />

that a separate rebate will be available in<br />

the near future from a local entity. City<br />

staff now will look for available rebates<br />

during the pending grant application<br />

in an attempt to time the installations<br />

together.<br />

If the federal CFI grant is approved,<br />

the 20% match responsibility will be<br />

budgeted in 2025. The replacement EV<br />

charger at the Krekel Civic Center will be<br />

fully budgeted in 2025 with the goal of<br />

locating a rebate for a sizable portion of<br />

the charger.


FACEBOOK.COM/MIDRIVERSNEWSMAGAZINE<br />

MIDRIVERSNEWSMAGAZINE.COM<br />

September 4, 20<strong>24</strong><br />

MID RIVERS NEWSMAGAZINE<br />

I NEWS I 9<br />

ST. PETERS<br />

Officials request Tom<br />

Brown senior center polling<br />

location be restored<br />

A resolution seeking to restore the Tom<br />

Brown Senior Center as a local polling<br />

location was unanimously passed at the<br />

Aug. 22 St. Peters Board of Aldermen<br />

meeting.<br />

The location is situated directly across<br />

from a retirement community and was<br />

closed in part to voting due to the COVID-<br />

19 pandemic.<br />

At the April. 11 board meeting, alderman<br />

John “Rocky” Reitmeyer (Ward 1)<br />

introduced the subject. He stated that<br />

voting is a “patriotic duty” and explained<br />

how multiple voting locations were<br />

switched due to the pandemic.<br />

“COVID’s over,” Reitmeyer said.<br />

“People are going to church, people are<br />

going to schools, people are going to their<br />

classes, why can’t they vote there?”<br />

“It’s close for them to walk there and<br />

vote,” he added, and said when discussing<br />

this with St. Charles Election Authority<br />

Kurt Bahr, he was told that senior centers<br />

would not be restored as polling locations.<br />

Reitmeyer called it a “shame,” and stated<br />

the importance of giving senior citizens<br />

easy access to cast their vote.<br />

The resolution states, “Mayor Len<br />

Pagano and the Board of Aldermen have<br />

received numerous requests from seniors<br />

in the community to restore the Mayor<br />

Tom Brown Senior Center as a polling<br />

facility due to its central location in a predominately<br />

senior community. The city<br />

of St. Peters, Missouri, is requesting the<br />

Mayor Tom Brown Senior Center return<br />

as a polling facility for federal, state and<br />

local elections.”<br />

In an interview, Bahr said the polling<br />

place was moved because “it was too<br />

small of a polling place for our larger<br />

elections” and that COVID was only one<br />

factor in the decision to move voting out<br />

of the Tom Brown Senior Center. He said<br />

staff deemed it insufficient, adding, “We<br />

tried our best to put polling places closer<br />

to voters,” and said he hasn’t yet received<br />

any calls from residents with concerns<br />

about the location change.<br />

Bahr urged anyone unable to vote on<br />

election day due to the location change or<br />

for any other issue to come to the election<br />

authority and vote early, anytime within<br />

the two weeks before an election.<br />

WENTZVILLE<br />

Menards location<br />

delayed another year<br />

The amended final development plan/<br />

conditional use permit for a proposed<br />

Menards location in Wentzville has been<br />

extended through August 2025. The project,<br />

located at William Dierberg Drive<br />

approximately 700 feet east of Wentzville<br />

Parkway, was originally approved by<br />

the Board of Aldermen in 2021 and was<br />

granted a one-year extension in 2023, but<br />

has yet to break ground.<br />

At the board’s Aug. 14 meeting, Menards<br />

Real Estate Representative Nick<br />

Brenner said COVID had pushed various<br />

building projects back and that Menards<br />

had changed its store layouts and other<br />

planning processes. Although construction<br />

on five new Menards locations<br />

resumed in 2023, construction on the<br />

Wentzville site has not begun because<br />

“We weren’t ready for it,” Brenner said.<br />

“We are working through the engineering<br />

approvals. We did submit that. We’re<br />

working through that,” he added. “We are<br />

taking some steps here to make sure the<br />

site is ready once we are able to get going<br />

on the site.”<br />

Alderman Michael Lovell (Ward 3) said<br />

residents have expressed concerns.<br />

“I just think it’s been too long with no<br />

end in sight,” he said. “How do I know<br />

you guys are ever going to build?”<br />

Alderman Manny Macias (Ward 1) had<br />

a different take. He said he believes the<br />

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The extension was approved in a 4-2<br />

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A conditional use permit (CUP) for<br />

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10 I NEWS I<br />

September 4, 20<strong>24</strong><br />

MID RIVERS NEWSMAGAZINE<br />

@MIDRIVERS_NEWS<br />

MIDRIVERSNEWSMAGAZINE.COM<br />

Moving the scale: Weighing trendy weight loss drug options<br />

By LAURA BROWN<br />

Ozempic and Mounjaro, weekly injectable<br />

medications initially designed to manage<br />

type 2 diabetes, have surged in popularity<br />

as a weight loss solution. Developed to help<br />

regulate blood sugar levels, the active ingredient,<br />

semaglutide, and semaglutide with<br />

tirzepatide in Mounjaro, have shown remarkable<br />

effectiveness in weight loss, catching<br />

the attention of healthcare professionals and<br />

individuals, including celebrities and media.<br />

Ozempic has become a household<br />

name within weight loss dialogue, sparking<br />

debate over its use beyond its original<br />

purpose as a tool for physicians to use to<br />

fight obesity. While many patients lose significant<br />

amounts of weight while using the<br />

drug, some healthcare professionals and<br />

even patients say it isn’t the silver bullet to<br />

kill obesity.<br />

Obesity as a disease<br />

It wasn’t until 2013 that the American<br />

Medical Association (AMA) officially recognized<br />

obesity as a complex, chronic disease<br />

that requires medical attention.<br />

According to the Centers for Disease Control<br />

(CDC), 41.9% of adults in the United<br />

States were obese in 2023, compared to<br />

30.5% in 1999-2000. The CDC also reports<br />

that 31.6% of adults are overweight and<br />

7.7% are severely obese.<br />

Dr. Sara I. Hawatmeh is certified in internal<br />

medicine, obesity medicine and primary<br />

care and is part of St. Luke’s Hospital Medical<br />

Group. While Hawatmeh treats all adults,<br />

her practice specializes in a comprehensive<br />

approach to treating overweight and obese<br />

individuals with medication, nutrition,<br />

lifestyle changes and exercise coaching.<br />

Hawatmeh said injectable weight loss drugs<br />

Ozempic and Mounjaro are just one more<br />

tool a doctor can offer patients to help them<br />

lose weight.<br />

Ozempic manufacturer Novo Nordisk<br />

has released a version of Ozempic called<br />

Wegovy, which is intended for weight loss<br />

use. Mounjaro is manufactured by Eli Lilly<br />

(Adobe Stock photo)<br />

and Company, and its version of Mounjaro<br />

for weight loss is called Zepbound.<br />

“They are exactly the same as the ones<br />

used to treat diabetes,” Hawatmeh said.<br />

“Both medications contain semaglutide,<br />

which is a GLP 1 receptor agonist. Mounjaro<br />

also has an added ingredient, GIP (gastric<br />

inhibitory polypeptide), which has an<br />

added hormone effect.”<br />

Hawatmeh explained that both Ozempic<br />

and Mounjaro work for weight loss in the<br />

same way they work for diabetes.<br />

“Essentially what (Ozempic) does is<br />

slows gastric emptying so that the patient<br />

feels fuller for longer and also suppresses<br />

their appetite so that they can’t eat as much,”<br />

Hawatmeh said. “GLP 1 is a naturally occurring<br />

hormone that stimulates the pancreas to<br />

produce insulin, which lowers blood sugar<br />

levels. When hormone levels rise, the brain<br />

receives signals that you’re full, which can<br />

reduce appetite and help you eat less.”<br />

Hawatmeh went on to say that the added<br />

hormone effect of GIP in Mounjaro helps<br />

patients with insulin resistance and sensitivity.<br />

She said she primarily uses it for<br />

patients who are not getting adequate control<br />

or weight loss on other medications or<br />

cannot tolerate Ozempic.<br />

Side effects of the medications affect<br />

each person differently. Hawatmeh said<br />

the most common side effects are related to<br />

gastrointestinal issues like nausea, vomiting,<br />

diarrhea, constipation and heartburn. Dehydration<br />

is another possible side effect and if<br />

not monitored could lead to more serious<br />

side effects, including injury to the kidneys.<br />

Hawatmeh added that gallstones and hair<br />

loss are also common side effects that can<br />

also occur from weight loss alone, not necessarily<br />

from the drugs.<br />

One patient’s story<br />

High school teacher Mary Grobe, 45, has<br />

been a patient of Hawatmeh for almost three<br />

years and has lost 160 pounds to date. In 2021,<br />

at 5-foot-9, she weighed 365 pounds at her<br />

See MOVING THE SCALE, page 31<br />

Mayor planning veto of bill allowing firework sale, use<br />

By JESSICA MARIE BAUMGARTNER<br />

After months of discussion on whether<br />

to allow St. Peters residents to legally discharge<br />

fireworks and operate fireworks<br />

stands within the city for a set period around<br />

the Fourth of July holiday, the Board of<br />

Aldermen passed a bill regulating both<br />

actions. However, Mayor Len Pagano has<br />

indicated an intent to veto the legislation.<br />

Pagano and the board discussed this issue<br />

before and after the recent July 4 holiday,<br />

looking ahead to the 2025 season.<br />

The bill would permit fireworks stand<br />

owners to apply for a permit between Jan.<br />

2-May 1 of each year and pay a fee to operate<br />

their stands during the fireworks season,<br />

which would run from June 25-July 4. Fireworks<br />

stands would only be permitted to<br />

operate from 9 a.m.-10 p.m. Non-consumer<br />

fireworks are not permitted and fireworks<br />

stands would not be allowed to sell fireworks<br />

to minors.<br />

Adult St. Peters residents would be permitted<br />

to set off consumer-grade fireworks<br />

on their property between noon-11 p.m. on<br />

July 3 and 4. Minors would be prohibited<br />

from discharging fireworks without the<br />

supervision of an adult, who must be within<br />

hearing and sight at all times.<br />

At the Aug. 22 Board of Aldermen meeting,<br />

a number of residents came to speak on<br />

the measure.<br />

Two residents spoke out against permitting<br />

legal fireworks.<br />

Terry Lesinski shared pictures of his<br />

nephew, who was badly injured by fireworks<br />

when he was 16 years old.<br />

“Was he careless? Probably so,” Lesinski<br />

said. “He barely made it through that alive.”<br />

Len Berkel also opposed the bill and<br />

spoke from his experience as a veteran with<br />

post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).<br />

“Fourth of July for a lot of the combat veterans<br />

is not a good time,” Berkel said.<br />

Six other residents spoke in support of the<br />

bill.<br />

“If your bill passes, it would be one of the<br />

most restrictive bills in the county,” Tom<br />

Dixon said. He said fireworks bans “make<br />

law violators out of common, everyday<br />

ordinary citizens who want to celebrate our<br />

Independence Day.”<br />

Other speakers noted that fireworks are<br />

already permitted in surrounding cities in St.<br />

Charles County, and residents must leave<br />

the area to legally celebrate with fireworks.<br />

Before the vote, Alderman Joyce<br />

Townsend (Ward 1) spoke in support of the<br />

bill due to the continued issues.<br />

“In my opinion, what we have is not working,”<br />

she said. “The fact is we have weeks<br />

and weeks of fireworks going off. This ordinance<br />

would give people a lawful time to celebrate<br />

and many, many more peaceful days.”<br />

She added that the ordinance will ideally<br />

create “22 hours of noise, instead of 22<br />

days.”<br />

The bill passed 5-3.<br />

In an interview on Aug. 29, Pagano said<br />

he would veto the legislation at the board<br />

meeting on Sept. 12 for various reasons.<br />

“One of my concerns is that this legislation<br />

is being driven by elected officials and not<br />

by the people. I can’t support this because<br />

I have received so many complaints from<br />

people about this bill passing,” Pagano said.<br />

“There are several quirks that are inside the<br />

bill that I feel uncomfortable about.”<br />

One of those, Pagano said, is a definitive<br />

age at which a youth can purchase fireworks.<br />

According to state statutes, youth have to be<br />

at least 14 years old to buy fireworks unless<br />

accompanied by a parent or a guardian.<br />

Additionally, people under 16 must be supervised<br />

by an adult to sell fireworks. Pagano<br />

said that while the state defines those ages,<br />

the St. Peters legislation does not.<br />

Pagano noted that residents have also<br />

expressed concerns about safety, potential<br />

property damage and the effect of fireworks<br />

on individuals who have sensitivity to loud<br />

noises due to PTSD and autism. Others<br />

have pointed to the effects of fireworks on<br />

pets as another reason for concern.<br />

“Before this bill was introduced, there isn’t<br />

a board member that can say that people<br />

came to us saying, ‘We want fireworks.’<br />

Not one,” Pagano said. “That’s why I have<br />

a serious problem with this legislation.”<br />

The board would need a supermajority<br />

(2/3) vote to override Pagano’s veto. That<br />

would require six out of eight Aldermen<br />

voting to override the veto.


FACEBOOK.COM/MIDRIVERSNEWSMAGAZINE<br />

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September 4, 20<strong>24</strong><br />

MID RIVERS NEWSMAGAZINE<br />

I NEWS I 11<br />

NEWS BRIEFS, from page 9<br />

of Aldermen meeting, located at 302<br />

Whitehead St.<br />

During the meeting, Willow’s Locket<br />

social house owner Angie Carron<br />

answered questions and discussed noise<br />

and parking concerns with city officials.<br />

Carron said the venue will open for<br />

both private and public events. Director<br />

of Community Development Douglas<br />

Forbeck addressed noise concerns and<br />

said noise level conditions for the area<br />

had previously been implemented at<br />

nearby Friendship Brewery.<br />

According to a report from city staff,<br />

the site was rezoned and received a CUP<br />

in 2016 to be redeveloped from a singlefamily<br />

residence to a multi-purpose venue,<br />

The Blue House. A detached garage was<br />

converted to a caterer’s kitchen, and a tent<br />

was constructed. The CUP for The Blue<br />

House included live music and liquor-bythe-drink<br />

components. In 2022, the site<br />

was occupied by A Sweet Life of Bliss,<br />

a retail bakery that utilized the tent and<br />

outdoor spaces for dining and casual seating<br />

areas.<br />

“It should be noted that the proposed<br />

performance hours are consistent to what<br />

was previously approved for The Blue<br />

House, which operated for years without<br />

complaint,” the staff report states.<br />

Though the location is in the HD-1 Historic<br />

Downtown Corridor Zoning District,<br />

which is intended for retail use, Willow’s<br />

Locket will be surrounded by single-family<br />

homes on three sides.<br />

The topic of respecting the adjacent<br />

residential atmosphere directly east was<br />

addressed. Alderman Manny Macias<br />

(Ward 1) expressed encouragement for<br />

adding the venue to the area but said,<br />

“The noise is an issue.”<br />

Alderman Jordan Broviack (Ward 2)<br />

suggested having employees present to<br />

monitor noise levels and ensure events<br />

remain within reasonable noise limits.<br />

“I have put in my contracts that there’s<br />

no music either in the tent or the house<br />

after 10 o’clock,” Carron told the board,<br />

adding that music events would only<br />

occur at night on Fridays and Saturdays.<br />

“Sundays, I don’t want to be open past<br />

four,” she said.<br />

Carron agreed to add a noise condition<br />

in the business agreement with the city.<br />

She also agreed to ensure that her guests<br />

use public parking only. Due to the difference<br />

in business hours, other shops in<br />

the area will likely be closed during event<br />

hours, which is expected to free up additional<br />

parking.<br />

The CUP for Willow’s Locket passed<br />

unanimously.<br />

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12 I NEWS I<br />

September 4, 20<strong>24</strong><br />

MID RIVERS NEWSMAGAZINE<br />

@MIDRIVERS_NEWS<br />

MIDRIVERSNEWSMAGAZINE.COM<br />

O’Fallon approves annexation of Tall Tree Farm and Canine Country Kennel<br />

By JOHN TREMMEL<br />

At its Aug. 22 meeting, the O’Fallon City<br />

Council approved a petition for voluntary<br />

annexation of 161.6 acres located at 9260<br />

and 10102 Hwy. DD. Much of this land is<br />

adjacent to the northwest boundary of the<br />

6,950.8-acre August A. Busch Memorial<br />

Conservation Area.<br />

The land is proposed for development into<br />

the Villages at Busch Wildlife with 239 single-family<br />

homes to be built by Lombardo<br />

Homes. Similar development of this property<br />

was denied by St. Charles County in 2023.<br />

The council voted 7-3 to pass a bill<br />

approving the annexation petition. Council<br />

members Deana Smith (Ward 1), Debbie<br />

Cook (Ward 5), and Linda Ragsdale (Ward<br />

5) voted against the annexation. The petition<br />

was filed by Hamilton Weber LLC on behalf<br />

of Tall Tree Farm L.P. and Canine Country<br />

Kennel and Farm LLC.<br />

The annexed land now joins O’Fallon at<br />

its southwest border. To become the Villages<br />

at Busch Wildlife, the land must be rezoned<br />

from agricultural to residential and site plans<br />

must be approved. That process requires<br />

presentations to the Planning and Zoning<br />

Commission (P&Z) and approvals from the<br />

council. That process will start at the next<br />

P&Z meeting on Thursday, Sept. 5.<br />

During citizen comments at the Aug. 22<br />

meeting, seven people spoke in opposition<br />

to the bill, with vocal support from some in<br />

the audience. Speakers in opposition to the<br />

annexation included residents from O’Fallon,<br />

St. Charles County, Wentzville and Defiance.<br />

The speakers echoed concerns from previous<br />

meetings on the topic, including traffic<br />

density and deceased safety on Hwy. DD,<br />

removal of trees, light pollution, loss of the<br />

rural setting, lot sizes, the lack of commercial<br />

development in the proposed Villages<br />

at Busch Wildlife and school overcrowding,<br />

among other issues.<br />

Speakers also said the financial analysis<br />

of the development will show the city will<br />

lose more than $<strong>24</strong>0,000 each year with this<br />

development, because the cost of additional<br />

city infrastructure and services will be greater<br />

than the tax revenue.<br />

“The (O’Fallon) Comprehensive Plan also<br />

requires evaluation of the development’s<br />

impact on the city’s finances,” William Carrier<br />

of Wentzville said. “Using a financial<br />

analysis method like the city of O’Fallon<br />

with its optimistic income and spending<br />

values, we determined the development will<br />

cost the city approximately $<strong>24</strong>0,000 per<br />

year. Interestingly, the annexation agreement<br />

requires Lombardo to make a total<br />

$119,5000 contribution to the city during the<br />

building phase to partially offset city losses.<br />

The future shortfalls will likely lead to future<br />

tax increases for O’Fallon’s residents.”<br />

One O’Fallon resident, Jamie Cronk,<br />

spoke in favor of the annexation.<br />

“I have been a resident of O’Fallon longer<br />

than anybody on this council has been alive,”<br />

Cronk said. “I’ve been here 68 years and<br />

Hwy. 70 didn’t come here and Hwy. K was<br />

a two-lane road. I’ve lived through lots of<br />

development, lots of road improvements,<br />

and I’ve seen a lot of growth over the years,<br />

with some a little bit rocky in the early 2000s.<br />

“I feel like this council does a spectacular<br />

job at what they do, with balancing property<br />

owner rights and adjacent properties.<br />

O’Fallon has continued to grow, but the<br />

growth has been controlled and done in a<br />

smart way.”<br />

Attorney Drew Weber from Hamilton<br />

Weber LLC also spoke in favor of the annexation,<br />

as he had at the prior council meeting<br />

and P&Z meetings.<br />

Weber will present the plans for The Villages<br />

at Busch Wildlife to to P&Z on Sept.<br />

5, and he said he will request rezoning from<br />

Agricultural District to a R-3 Medium Density<br />

Residential District, to build 239 singlefamily<br />

homes on 160 acres, averaging about<br />

0.68 acres per lot.<br />

He said the smallest lot on the development<br />

will be 9,185 square feet (about onefifth<br />

of an acre). Fifty less homes will be on<br />

the development than were proposed last<br />

year to the county, and 67% of existing trees<br />

will be retained.<br />

Prior to the vote on the voluntary annexation,<br />

Smith said she was concerned about the<br />

cost-benefit for the city. Ragsdale said the<br />

development will affect all O’Fallon taxpayers<br />

and residents.<br />

“You might not get your streets repaired<br />

because tax dollars will be deflected to the<br />

Villages,” Ragsdale said. “Why is O’Fallon<br />

taking on this burden?”<br />

Cook agreed with Smith’s and Ragsdale’s<br />

comments, and said she was concerned about<br />

the annual cost to the city.<br />

“We can’t get our streets repaired and curbs<br />

replaced now,” Cook said. “This doesn’t make<br />

financial sense. I want to see the plans at P&Z<br />

first. We should table this until after P&Z. Or<br />

we should push it back to the county.”<br />

Council member Nathan Bibb (Ward 3)<br />

said the services extension for this development<br />

will not be a problem, as services<br />

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Compass Realty Group is a licensed real estate broker and abides by Equal Housing Opportunity laws. All material presented<br />

herein is intended for informational purposes only. Information is compiled from sources deemed reliable but is subject to<br />

errors, omissions, changes in price, condition, sale, or withdrawal without notice. This is not intended to solicit property<br />

already listed. Photos may be virtually staged or digitally enhanced and may not reflect actual property conditions.


FACEBOOK.COM/MIDRIVERSNEWSMAGAZINE<br />

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September 4, 20<strong>24</strong><br />

MID RIVERS NEWSMAGAZINE<br />

I NEWS I 13<br />

Sports Park to be connected to Bluebird Meadow Park using Dardenne Greenway<br />

By JOHN TREMMEL<br />

Hwy. K currently blocks Dardenne Greenway’s<br />

pedestrians and cyclists from easily<br />

traveling through O’Fallon to other parks in<br />

Dardenne Prairie and Cottleville. Dardenne<br />

Creek also blocks the north/south path.<br />

O’Fallon and Great <strong>Rivers</strong> Greenway<br />

have long discussed path connectivity via<br />

a 1.5-mile portion of the Dardenne Greenway,<br />

from Dardenne Prairie’s Bluebird<br />

Meadow Park to O’Fallon’s Sports Park.<br />

In 2023, O’Fallon applied for federal<br />

funding assistance for a project to make the<br />

connection. The application was approved<br />

and awarded funding assistance through<br />

East-West Gateway Council of Governments,<br />

using the Transportation Alternatives<br />

Program (TAP).<br />

O’Fallon Director of Communications<br />

Tony Michalka confirmed that TAP “will<br />

reimburse up to $900,000 to go towards<br />

future construction costs. St. Charles<br />

County and Great <strong>Rivers</strong> Greenway are<br />

also committed to contributing to the<br />

future construction costs. Total construction<br />

costs are not established at this time.”<br />

At its Aug. 22 meeting, the O’Fallon City<br />

Council voted 10-0 to approve a resolution<br />

authorizing an agreement with Intuition &<br />

Logic Engineering for engineering design<br />

services, starting the Sports Park to Bluebird<br />

Meadow Park connection project, in an<br />

amount not to exceed $595,728. $400,000<br />

of those design fees will be covered by<br />

money from Great <strong>Rivers</strong> Greenway.<br />

According to a staff memo, the project<br />

will create a 12-foot shared-use path connecting<br />

the two parks. This path will link<br />

to the existing path along Hwy. K, extend<br />

south and upgrade the current 8-foot path<br />

at Sports Park to 12 feet. The project also<br />

O’FALLON, from previous<br />

already are there and are being expanded,<br />

with development currently underway along<br />

Diehr Road toward Hopewell. Farther south,<br />

Bibb said development would not make<br />

sense, because of the lack of services.<br />

Bibb said the term “high density” related<br />

to this development had been “spun to drive<br />

(opposition) turnout.” He also highlighted<br />

that the 67% tree retention is nearly three<br />

times what the code requires (only 20% is<br />

required for the proposed R3 zoning).<br />

“Multi-family is specifically excluded”<br />

from this R3 zoning application, Bibb said,<br />

making it “medium density and not high<br />

density.”<br />

Cook made a motion to table the bill until<br />

after the P&Z meeting, but it was defeated<br />

7-3, and the council then approved a petition<br />

for voluntary annexation.<br />

includes a bike repair kiosk and other amenities<br />

near the Sports Park restrooms.<br />

The path will extend north to an existing<br />

bridge in Sports Park, which will be<br />

rebuilt to separate pedestrian and bicycle<br />

traffic from vehicles. It will continue west<br />

along Sportspark Drive, cross a tributary<br />

of Dardenne Creek with a box culvert,<br />

and then use a new pedestrian bridge to<br />

traverse Dardenne Creek into Bluebird<br />

Meadow Park, connecting to the existing<br />

Dardenne Greenway.<br />

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©20<strong>24</strong> SSM Health. All rights reserved. GSC-STL-<strong>24</strong>-2117710 8/<strong>24</strong><br />

Bluebird Meadow<br />

Park links to the<br />

Dardenne Greenway<br />

in Barathaven Park,<br />

providing connectivity<br />

to the I-64 Dardenne<br />

Connector project,<br />

which is planned to<br />

eventually connect<br />

to the August Busch<br />

Wildlife Conservation<br />

area and the Katy Trail.<br />

Part of the existing Dardenne Greenway. (Courtesy of Great <strong>Rivers</strong> Greenway)<br />

Opening<br />

Fall 20<strong>24</strong>!


14 I NEWS I<br />

September 4, 20<strong>24</strong><br />

MID RIVERS NEWSMAGAZINE<br />

@MIDRIVERS_NEWS<br />

MIDRIVERSNEWSMAGAZINE.COM<br />

Residents express concerns at Cottleville Trails public hearing<br />

By JESSICA MARIE BAUMGARTNER<br />

The Cottleville Trails development has<br />

seen various changes since the first phase<br />

plans were introduced in 2019. Lombardo<br />

Homes, Consort Homes, Fischer<br />

& Frichtel Homes and McKelvey Homes<br />

partnered to develop land in Cottleville,<br />

located south of Hwy. N and east of Hwy.<br />

K. The original first-phase plans were<br />

amended in 2020 and 2022.<br />

Then, in March of this year, Phases H<br />

and I were proposed but withdrawn. Last<br />

month, the developer submitted new<br />

replacement proposals for three phases<br />

to complete the project. Phases G, H and<br />

I were presented at the Aug. 12 Planning<br />

& Zoning (P&Z) meeting and included<br />

a storage facility, five-story apartment<br />

complex and single-family home community.<br />

P&Z did not recommend these<br />

phases for approval.<br />

Following that, the developer updated<br />

several of the plans before holding a<br />

public hearing to gain feedback from<br />

residents at the Aug. 21 Board of Aldermen<br />

meeting.<br />

The developers withdrew two public<br />

hearing requests and two other items to<br />

accommodate the changes and rolled the<br />

three remaining public hearings for the<br />

updated Phases G, H and I together.<br />

Applicant Jeff Kolb displayed the current<br />

updated plans for residents, noting<br />

that the developers are seeking feedback<br />

to better customize the project. Some<br />

of the updates included the removal of<br />

the storage facility, to be replaced with<br />

a proposed 105 townhomes for sale. The<br />

apartment building was also removed<br />

and replaced with 84 units of townhome<br />

rental property.<br />

Kolb also said one development phase<br />

would include a courtyard, sand volleyball,<br />

fire pits with benches, a pool and<br />

pool house, and a dog park. Another phase<br />

would include similar amenities and an<br />

additional carport-style covered golf cart<br />

parking area and charging station.<br />

Afterward, residents expressed concerns<br />

for the project, noting traffic, overcrowding<br />

and community commitment<br />

as the main issues.<br />

Tom Barnhardt described the traffic<br />

near his home by Hwy. N, and shared<br />

frustrations with people speeding and<br />

hearing motorcycles in the early morning<br />

and at night.<br />

“I don’t see anything here proposing<br />

adding extra lanes on (Hwy.) N,” Barnhardt<br />

said, adding there was a “need for<br />

traffic improvements” in that area.<br />

“I live across from you on Dardenne<br />

Farms, and I know what you’re talking<br />

about,” Mayor Bob Ronkoski said in<br />

response.<br />

Others continued the traffic discussion.<br />

“My house is the closest one to (Hwy.)<br />

N,” Evonne Grither said, noting traffic<br />

increases and noise issues. “In the five<br />

years that we’ve been here, we’ve moved<br />

very close to the craziness that you hear<br />

(about) in Wentzville. It’s only gonna get<br />

worse.”<br />

Retired police officer and Castlebrook<br />

HOA president Bill Reichmuth explained<br />

how his neighborhood installed a gate to<br />

prevent dangerous traffic about 15 years<br />

ago, but that road congestion continues<br />

to increase.<br />

“With this development, it’s going to<br />

be worse than it’s ever been,” he said.<br />

Reichmuth also questioned the need<br />

for the “density” of the proposal, but<br />

thanked the developer for removing the<br />

apartment complex. He noted that, after<br />

all of his years on the force, he has witnessed<br />

that “most of the crime that you<br />

go to is apartments.”<br />

Reichmuth also warned the developer<br />

that the open-style golf cart parking<br />

plans are not a good idea, and suggested<br />

they change that to an enclosed space<br />

and consider making all of the homes<br />

available for ownership.<br />

“You are creating a thieves’ den,”<br />

Reichmuth said.<br />

Shannon George questioned housing<br />

prices and expressed a wish to see more<br />

affordability.<br />

“I don’t think that we should box ourselves<br />

into a community where people<br />

from outside can’t come in,” she said.<br />

“I’m actually more in support of apartments<br />

and townhomes.”<br />

Other residents disagreed, requesting<br />

the removal of rental property from the<br />

plans.<br />

“Home ownership is what’s made Cottleville<br />

a great place to live,” Bill Argan<br />

said.<br />

Revised plans for the Cottleville Trails<br />

development will be reviewed at the<br />

Sept. 9 P&Z meeting, with a tentative<br />

schedule to be read at the Sept. 18 board<br />

meeting.<br />

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Francis Howell’s Metz recognized as<br />

one of nation’s top catchers her age<br />

By WARREN MAYES<br />

Francis Howell’s Adelle Metz created a<br />

huge first impression for herself with a big<br />

freshman softball season last fall.<br />

She helped the Vikings to a 27-6 record<br />

and win in the Class 5 state championship<br />

game. Metz hit .357 and drove in 31 runs,<br />

which was second on the team. She hit four<br />

homers, three triples and eight doubles.<br />

Metz only struck out six times in 108 plate<br />

appearances.<br />

Metz was recognized as a second team<br />

All-State player for her accomplishments<br />

and is now being recognized nationally for<br />

her play.<br />

Metz has been ranked as the No. 4 catcher<br />

in the nation in the Class of 2027 by Extra<br />

Inning Softball.<br />

“When I got the call I was very excited,”<br />

Metz said. “It’s an honor to be recognized<br />

among the top of my recruiting class. I’m<br />

grateful for the support of my coaches,<br />

teammates and family. It’s a big accomplishment,<br />

but it’s just another step in my<br />

journey.<br />

“There is always room for improvement,<br />

and I’m motivated to see where it takes me.<br />

It’s an honor.”<br />

Coach Lexi Romeril understood why<br />

Metz was ranked so high by Extra Inning<br />

Softball.<br />

“It’s not shocking that Adelle is a standout<br />

athlete,” said Romeril, who will be starting<br />

her second season guiding the Vikings.<br />

“We’ve had a lot of athletes come through<br />

Howell, and a lot of athletes rank in the Top<br />

10 in their respective sports, but it’s been a<br />

long time since we’ve had a Top 5 in softball.<br />

I actually don’t know if we ever have.<br />

That’s something I’ll need to look up in the<br />

record books.<br />

“She has a great work ethic and isn’t afraid<br />

to be challenged.”<br />

Metz is off to a good start this season,<br />

too. In the Howell Jamboree held before the<br />

regular season began, Metz homered in her<br />

very first at bat.<br />

She’s been playing softball since she was<br />

in kindergarten. Her parents and friends got<br />

her interested.<br />

Romeril met Metz for the first time while<br />

she was hitting by herself in the cages waiting<br />

for her brother to be done with football<br />

practice.<br />

“I was aware of Adelle, but she was 14. It’s<br />

rare that you can measure the athleticism of<br />

a 14-year-old against that of an 18-yearold,”<br />

Romeril said. “I could tell then just<br />

how methodical she was with her practices.”<br />

Metz won the starting catcher position as<br />

a freshman.<br />

“She was a freshman in uncharted waters.<br />

Francis Howell sophomore Adelle Metz<br />

sports the new uniform the Vikings will be<br />

wearing this fall. (Photo by Jimi Morisaki)<br />

I wanted her to enjoy her experience, knowing<br />

that we had a veteran team that she<br />

could learn from and be successful alongside,”<br />

Romeril said. “I think that experience<br />

has made her a better leader this year with<br />

a different team and different playing style.”<br />

Romeril said it was a spirited competition<br />

for that catcher position.<br />

“We have a lot of great catchers in the<br />

program, but her natural talent coupled with<br />

her work ethic definitely sealed the deal,”<br />

Romeril said.<br />

Metz enjoys the responsibilities that<br />

come with being the catcher.<br />

“I like how I control the game as a catcher,”<br />

Metz said. “I like being able to touch the<br />

ball every pitch because it keeps me tuned<br />

to the game.”<br />

Besides catching, Metz can play anywhere<br />

in the outfield.<br />

“I like to be able to show off my speed<br />

when I track balls,” Metz said. “That’s<br />

something I don’t get to do while catching.<br />

And show off my arm.”<br />

While Romeril noted Metz does play in<br />

the outfield, it’s not something that happens<br />

often.<br />

“She doesn’t get the opportunity there<br />

much because of her skills behind the plate,”<br />

Romeril said. “She has a great presence on<br />

the field. Because she’s very tall she can<br />

already command an infield naturally. She’s<br />

a leader, so we don’t have to coax much out<br />

of her vocally.<br />

“Not to mention, she’s super mobile,<br />

which is something I personally look for in<br />

catchers. She doesn’t rely on just one skill.”<br />

Metz does not shy away from being a<br />

leader.<br />

“Physically one of my biggest strengths as<br />

a catcher is getting strikes for my pitchers.<br />

See METZ, page 30<br />

PETER LU, REALTOR ®<br />

September 4, 20<strong>24</strong><br />

MID RIVERS NEWSMAGAZINE<br />

I SPORTS I 15<br />

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16 I SCHOOLS I<br />

September 4, 20<strong>24</strong><br />

MID RIVERS NEWSMAGAZINE<br />

Sydney Skye shines bright<br />

By BETHANY COAD<br />

@MIDRIVERS_NEWS<br />

MIDRIVERSNEWSMAGAZINE.COM<br />

Sydney Skye Webb is the inspiration<br />

behind her mother’s book, “Sydney Skye’s<br />

Best Day Ever” (Photo courtesy of Tequila Webb)<br />

Sydney Skye Webb was born prematurely<br />

at <strong>24</strong> weeks, weighing only one<br />

pound, two ounces.<br />

During a crucial time of lung development,<br />

baby Webb needed an extra boost of<br />

assistance and received a tracheostomy to<br />

help her lungs keep breathing. Being intubated<br />

during the time babies learn how to<br />

suck a bottle and eat by mouth, led to the<br />

necessity of a gastrostomy, a feeding tube<br />

(G-Tube) that was placed directly in the<br />

stomach for her to receive nutrition.<br />

Webb was a fighter, and her tiny body<br />

kept pushing past the obstacles that were<br />

thrown at her. After eight long months at<br />

SSM Cardinal Glennon Hospital, Webb<br />

was transferred to Ranken Jordan Pediatric<br />

Bridge Hospital and spent the next 10<br />

months slowly being cleared, milestone by<br />

milestone, to be discharged home.<br />

More hurdles were skimmed over as<br />

Webb was weaned off all medication and<br />

ventilator support. She attended Strictly<br />

Pediatrics medical daycare, where she<br />

began to walk and said goodbye to her<br />

wheelchair. At age 4 1/2 her trach was<br />

removed. Flying through pre-K and kindergarten,<br />

Webb started first grade at<br />

Independence Elementary and continued<br />

to work very hard with physical therapy,<br />

occupational therapy and speech therapy<br />

See SKYE, next page<br />

Pedal the Cause moves to new<br />

home in St. Charles County<br />

By BETHANY COAD<br />

For the first time in its 15-year history,<br />

Pedal the Cause will host its annual event<br />

in its new home: the Family Arena in St.<br />

Charles.<br />

Students and families from the Francis<br />

Howell, Fort Zumwalt, Orchard Farm, city<br />

of St. Charles and Wentzville school districts<br />

are invited to participate in all aspects<br />

of the two-day event, held Saturday, Sept.<br />

21 and Sunday, Sept. 22. It will feature<br />

eight new course options, six road and two<br />

gravel. Participants can also join in the<br />

Spin Zone, an outdoor stationary cycling<br />

event, and in virtual participation options<br />

where activities are completed individually<br />

during the weekend. There is also a Kids<br />

Challenge bike ride for kids ages 3-13.<br />

Pedal the Cause is offering a $10 registration<br />

discount for students who attend<br />

one of the St. Charles County schools. As<br />

a bonus, the school with the most student<br />

registrants (relative to the size of the student<br />

body) will receive a school-wide party,<br />

with Fitz’s Root Beer floats, a bubble bus<br />

and fun and games.<br />

“It’s the 15th anniversary of Pedal the<br />

Cause and we have so much to look forward<br />

to,” said David Drier, executive director<br />

of Pedal the Cause. “Our new home in<br />

St. Charles is emblematic of our growth as<br />

a regional event: Courses cross three counties,<br />

two states and two major rivers. Not<br />

only will the courses provide a safer, less<br />

crowded and scenic experience for our<br />

riders, but our new home gives us room to<br />

continue to expand and therefore increase<br />

our donation each year to fund vital cancer<br />

research. The community has already<br />

embraced us and made us feel so welcome.<br />

In our new home, the sky is the limit.”<br />

Pedal the Cause is one of the top 10<br />

largest cause-related cycling events in the<br />

country and 100% of participant-raised<br />

funds go to support cancer research at Siteman<br />

Cancer Center and Siteman Kids at St.<br />

Louis Children’s Hospital. To date, Pedal<br />

the Cause has donated more than $45 million<br />

to fund 223 cancer research projects<br />

which spans 171 adult and 52 pediatric<br />

projects.<br />

Families can register online for the Kids<br />

Challenge (for the $10 student discount,<br />

enter the coupon code SCKC<strong>24</strong> or visit<br />

pedalthecause.org to learn more.


FACEBOOK.COM/MIDRIVERSNEWSMAGAZINE<br />

MIDRIVERSNEWSMAGAZINE.COM<br />

September 4, 20<strong>24</strong><br />

MID RIVERS NEWSMAGAZINE<br />

I SCHOOLS I 17<br />

SKYE, from previous<br />

at Sensory Solutions Inc.<br />

Now Webb is an eighth grader attending<br />

Barnwell <strong>Mid</strong>dle, with an array of hobbies<br />

such as singing, dancing, gymnastics,<br />

karate and watching musicals.<br />

“My biggest challenge right now is learning<br />

how to eat by mouth.” Webb said. “I<br />

have had my G-tube for so long now. But I<br />

work hard with my therapists every week.”<br />

This past July, Webb pulled out all the<br />

stops to compete in the National Miss<br />

Amazing Pageant.<br />

“The Miss Amazing Pageant is for girls<br />

and women who are ‘differently abled’ and,<br />

well, mom signed me up on the last day<br />

of sign-ups and I didn’t know about it at<br />

all,” Webb said. “But I was excited about it<br />

once she told me.”<br />

The National Miss Amazing Pageant is<br />

an annual gathering of girls and women<br />

from across the country held July 26-28 in<br />

Chicago, providing opportunities for participants<br />

to achieve goals, step outside of<br />

comfort zones and build networks of support.<br />

“In pageantry, my biggest challenge was<br />

the introduction,” Webb said. “I have a<br />

severe fluency disorder (stutter) and I<br />

sometimes get nervous to speak.”<br />

With a desire to raise awareness,<br />

Webb’s mother, Tequila, published a book,<br />

“Sydney Skye’s Best Day Ever,” sharing<br />

her daughter’s journey with the world.<br />

“My mom says the book was an assignment<br />

given to her by God,” Webb said.<br />

“Since I had never seen anyone else with<br />

a trach or G-tube, I would touch people’s<br />

necks around where my trach was looking<br />

for theirs. My mom wanted it so that myself<br />

and other children like me could feel seen<br />

and represented. She also says it was created<br />

to give a little hope to other parents<br />

and caregivers who receive the diagnosis<br />

of tracheostomy and/or gastrostomy for<br />

their children. My mom calls them ‘accessories<br />

to life’ and says it’s OK if someone<br />

needs one to help them along. They are our<br />

superpowers.”<br />

Webb is a gold medalist with the Francis<br />

Howell Special Olympics team and was<br />

recently invited to join the National Junior<br />

Honors Society at Barnwell.<br />

“She does not let her ‘different abilities’<br />

hold her back ever,” Tequila said.<br />

Webb says that her experiences and support<br />

systems within Francis Howell have<br />

helped her to grow both academically and<br />

socially, and is enjoying her time at Barnwell.<br />

“Sydney is a ray of sunshine and has<br />

a heart of gold,” Barnwell Principal Erin<br />

Thurston said. “We are so lucky she is part<br />

of our Barnwell community as she brings<br />

so much joy to our halls.”<br />

With aspirations to be a Broadway<br />

actress, Webb plans to go to college and<br />

live on her own.<br />

“No matter what, you can face any obstacle<br />

as long as you believe in yourself and<br />

be yourself,” Webb said. “You are a gift to<br />

this world.”<br />

Sydney Skye Webb at the National Miss<br />

Amazing Pageant.<br />

(Photo courtesy of Tequila Webb)<br />

For Webb, it was all it professed to be.<br />

“What I liked about it was that it was<br />

very inclusive,” Webb said. “The staff and<br />

volunteers were very nice, respectful and<br />

sweet. I met a bunch of girls and women<br />

just like me. I was able to let loose, and my<br />

disability didn’t matter there.”<br />

The experience in Chicago was memorable<br />

and busy for her.<br />

“They had something for us to do the<br />

entire time we were there,” Webb said.<br />

“We had arts and crafts, a movie night, a<br />

daytime pajama party, a gala dinner and<br />

played games like bingo. My experience<br />

was awesome.”<br />

However, the experience was not without<br />

its challenges.<br />

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mjohnson@fandfhomes.com


18 I<br />

September 4, 20<strong>24</strong><br />

MID RIVERS NEWSMAGAZINE<br />

Walk to End Alzheimer’s Sept. 28 in Cottleville<br />

@MIDRIVERS_NEWS<br />

MIDRIVERSNEWSMAGAZINE.COM<br />

By JESSICA MARIE BAUMGARTNER<br />

Over 700 participants across 151 teams<br />

have already signed up for the 20<strong>24</strong> St.<br />

Charles County Walk to End Alzheimer’s.<br />

This year’s event will be held Saturday,<br />

Sept. 28 at St. Charles Community College,<br />

and is expected to draw 2,000 participants<br />

after same-day registration.<br />

One of the teams taking part was formed<br />

just two years ago, in 2022, in honor of<br />

team leader Natalee Keathley’s mother.<br />

“It felt like a way for us to give back<br />

to the community that helped us through<br />

some very dark times when my mom was<br />

first diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease,”<br />

Keathley said<br />

She described how the walk offered her<br />

and her family support, while also spreading<br />

awareness.<br />

“The fundraising aspect is our way of<br />

giving back and supporting the many<br />

research studies, clinical trials and other<br />

initiatives to find better treatments and<br />

hopefully find a cure,” she said. “There is<br />

an overwhelming feeling of mixed emotions<br />

that come over you, when walking<br />

amongst so many others who are affected<br />

by the disease and going through the same<br />

Team Sandra Lee with their Elvis getups.<br />

things. Just knowing support is out there is<br />

very impactful.”<br />

Team Sandra Lee is known for its lighthearted<br />

antics to make the walk more fun.<br />

“My mom is a huge fan of Elvis, so<br />

last year we all wore gold Elvis-inspired<br />

sunglasses with sideburns along with our<br />

Team Sandra Lee shirts that also have an<br />

Elvis silhouette on them,” Keathley said.<br />

The team is just one of many that have<br />

made the walk a success over the years.<br />

Senior Walk Manager Mary Williams<br />

explained that since the walk began 20<br />

(Photo courtesy of Alzheimer’s Association)<br />

years ago, fundraising efforts have<br />

increased.<br />

“The Walk to End Alzheimer’s has seen<br />

incredible growth since its humble beginnings,”<br />

she said. “What started as a small<br />

gathering in a local park with just a few<br />

hundred participants has blossomed into a<br />

major event held at the St. Charles Community<br />

College, now the second largest<br />

Walk in Missouri.”<br />

The Walk helps to fund research leading<br />

toward new medications designed to<br />

combat early onset Alzheimer’s and assists<br />

patients and their families. The walk’s support<br />

groups are famous for offering families<br />

the care and help they need, providing<br />

a <strong>24</strong>/7 helpline at (800) 272-3900.<br />

Participants can register at the 20<strong>24</strong> St.<br />

Charles County Walk to End Alzheimer’s<br />

website, or in person at the event from<br />

8-9:30 a.m. at the St. Charles Community<br />

College at 4601 <strong>Mid</strong> <strong>Rivers</strong> Mall Drive.<br />

Questions can be directed to Williams at<br />

marwilliams@alz.org.<br />

St. Charles-based disability advocate selected to photograph 20<strong>24</strong> Paris Paralympics<br />

By OLIVIA SIEGEL<br />

On Aug. 22, adaptive photographer Elizabeth<br />

Rajchart left for Paris for the 20<strong>24</strong><br />

Paralympic Games, to help commemorate<br />

the event and capture athletes’ stories<br />

through her camera.<br />

Rajchart, a disabled person and resident<br />

of St. Charles, has specialized in three<br />

types of photography: adaptive fashion,<br />

sports and performances or events.<br />

“This is a dream I’ve been working<br />

toward since 2019, and I’m still pinching<br />

myself that it’s actually come true,”<br />

Rajchart said. “It is incredibly exciting to<br />

be able to continue my work on a whole<br />

new continent.”<br />

Rajchart will stay at the games, which<br />

run from Aug. 28-Sept. 8, until mid-September,<br />

and she’ll help capture moments<br />

from the opening ceremonies, meetings<br />

with the International Paralympic Committee<br />

(IPC) and politicians, and even some<br />

behind-the-scenes parts of the games.<br />

“The main instruction I’ve been given for<br />

my job at the Paralympics is to continue<br />

doing what I already do: photograph disability,”<br />

Rajchart said. “Whether in the<br />

stands, among the crowds, the athletes or<br />

the staff, I am to feature my community in<br />

all aspects of the games.”<br />

Paris will be a new experience for<br />

Rajchart, who has never traveled<br />

overseas. She moved to St. Charles<br />

in 2013, and began to learn photography<br />

in 2016. Practicing with a camera<br />

in manual mode helped Rajchart<br />

improve her technique.<br />

“I’ve always loved photography,”<br />

she said. “As a kid, I would set up my<br />

dolls and take pictures of them, but<br />

I really wanted to learn photography<br />

because I was bored.”<br />

Photographing drag culture in St.<br />

Louis was essential to the start of<br />

Rajchart’s journey, and she practiced<br />

at a club recommended by a friend<br />

who noticed her increasing interest<br />

in photography. Rajchart enjoyed the<br />

experience, but she wanted to expand<br />

her efforts to something that hit close<br />

to home: the disabled community.<br />

“I realized how little representation (for<br />

people with disabilities) there was in photography<br />

in general and how much I could<br />

make a difference in that,” Rajchart said.<br />

“We all have our own strengths and our<br />

own personalities, and with my photography,<br />

I’m able to help others show that.”<br />

Through both her own experiences as<br />

a disabled person and by gaining knowledge<br />

in other areas, she developed public<br />

Elizabeth Rajchart<br />

speaking skills and has used them to educate<br />

people about disability, accessibility,<br />

mental health and self-advocacy.<br />

She’s currently looking to receive Americans<br />

with Disabilities Act certification<br />

and training, which she believes will help<br />

her in expanding resources in St. Charles<br />

for disabled individuals, while making art<br />

spaces more accessible to people of all<br />

abilities.<br />

Other local efforts of Rajchart include<br />

supporting disabled artists and disabledowned<br />

businesses both online and in St.<br />

Charles. When speaking, she has partnered<br />

with organizations that provide<br />

various services to individuals with disabilities,<br />

such as the National Alliance<br />

on Mental Illness.<br />

“It means so much to see someone<br />

who looks like you and makes you feel<br />

like you’re actually part of the community<br />

instead of an outsider waiting to<br />

be pulled in,” Rajchart said.<br />

Having connections with clients or<br />

models and community members also<br />

helps Rajchart work with disabled communities<br />

more closely while teaching<br />

and educating larger communities on<br />

topics such as ableism, self-advocacy<br />

and disability accommodations.<br />

“I have insight into a life that is<br />

unknown, sometimes scary, to many<br />

people,” she said. “I’m able to connect<br />

with my models in a way an abled person<br />

simply couldn’t. We just … see each other<br />

more, in my community. We connect on a<br />

different level.”<br />

Rajchart hopes her photography of the<br />

Paralympics Games will showcase disabled<br />

people “as they wish to show themselves<br />

to the world, not as society chooses<br />

to (see them).”


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20 I MATURE FOCUS I<br />

September 4, 20<strong>24</strong><br />

MID RIVERS NEWSMAGAZINE<br />

@MIDRIVERS_NEWS<br />

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Regular exercise is essential for helping older adults stay positive, which is a focus during<br />

Healthy Aging Month in September.<br />

(Adobe Stock photo)<br />

News & Notes<br />

By LISA RUSSELL<br />

Positive focus on aging<br />

It’s officially Healthy Aging Month, a<br />

September observance designed to focus<br />

attention on the positive aspects of getting<br />

older. Launched in 1992 when the Baby<br />

Boom generation was beginning to turn 50,<br />

its goal is to remind older adults that it’s<br />

never too late to improve their well-being<br />

… physically, mentally and socially.<br />

Following are some key areas where<br />

experts say small changes can pay off big<br />

in terms of a healthier, more rewarding<br />

older adulthood:<br />

• Make movement a daily priority.<br />

According to the Department of Health<br />

and Human Services (HHS), there’s almost<br />

nothing more important to well-being<br />

than being active. It increases mobility<br />

and stamina, makes it easier to perform<br />

activities of daily living such as bathing<br />

and dressing, decreases the chances of a<br />

fall, and lowers the risk of chronic disease,<br />

dementia, anxiety and depression.<br />

• Eat well more often. The HHS recommends<br />

eating more fruits, vegetables, whole<br />

grains and dairy and less added sugars, saturated<br />

fat and sodium. Older adults often don’t<br />

get enough protein either, so foods like lean<br />

meats, seafood, beans, peas and eggs can<br />

help increase protein intake. Seniors are also<br />

more prone to becoming dehydrated because<br />

the sensation of thirst naturally declines with<br />

age … so drinking water and other low-sugar<br />

beverages throughout the day can assist<br />

digestion and help prevent dehydration.<br />

• Maintain an active mind. Staying<br />

engaged intellectually, by doing things like<br />

reading, taking a class or starting a new<br />

hobby, can boost brain health and overall<br />

well-being. Keeping busy with personally<br />

meaningful activities such as clubs and volunteer<br />

organizations can also make you feel<br />

happier, according to the National Institute<br />

on Aging. Stress management plays a major<br />

role in staying mentally healthy as well.<br />

• Quit (or cut back) unhealthy habits.<br />

Stopping unhealthy habits, especially<br />

smoking, will lower serious health risks<br />

INDEPENDENT LIVING | ASSISTED LIVING | MEMORY CARE<br />

10 DuBray Drive | St. Peters, MO 63376 em ClarendaleOfStPetersLIFE@ClarendaleOfStPeters.com


FACEBOOK.COM/MIDRIVERSNEWSMAGAZINE<br />

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September 4, 20<strong>24</strong><br />

MID RIVERS NEWSMAGAZINE<br />

I MATURE FOCUS I 21<br />

at any age. The National Institute on<br />

Aging also recommends that older adults<br />

avoid alcohol or limit excessive drinking,<br />

and should be cautious about becoming<br />

dependent on other substances, such as<br />

prescription pain medications.<br />

• Stay social. Lastly, maintaining a solid<br />

social support network with family and<br />

friends can provide positive opportunities<br />

for connection and enrichment. Don’t<br />

be afraid to get out into your community<br />

to expand your social networks. Getting<br />

active on social media can also be an<br />

excellent way to reconnect with old friends<br />

and make new ones.<br />

A blood test for Alzheimer’s<br />

It may soon be possible to detect Alzheimer’s<br />

disease in its early stages with a simple<br />

blood test. And not surprisingly, scientists at<br />

Washington University in St. Louis – one of<br />

the world’s leading research centers studying<br />

Alzheimer’s and dementia – is a driving<br />

force behind this major advance.<br />

In early 2022, the Washington University<br />

School of Medicine announced its development<br />

of a test which uses a highly sensitive<br />

technique to measure levels of Alzheimer’s<br />

proteins in a single blood sample. This year,<br />

in collaboration with medical researchers at<br />

Lund University in Sweden, they showed<br />

that the test is as good at identifying people in<br />

early stages of the disease as more invasive<br />

and expensive brain scans and spinal taps<br />

now approved for Alzheimer’s diagnosis.<br />

The test measures tau protein 217, or<br />

p-tau217 for short. The research team calls<br />

it “an excellent indicator” of the presence<br />

of amyloid plaques in the brain which are<br />

unique to Alzheimer’s.<br />

“In the near future, this type of blood<br />

test will replace the need for costly and<br />

less accessible cerebrospinal fluid and PET<br />

imaging tests in specialist memory clinics,”<br />

said co-senior author Oskar Hansson, M.D.,<br />

Ph.D., a professor of neurology at Lund.<br />

“We’d love to have a blood test that can<br />

be used in a primary care physician’s office,<br />

functioning like a cholesterol test but for<br />

Alzheimer’s,” Dr. Maria Carrillo, chief<br />

science officer of the Alzheimer’s Association,<br />

said of the study.<br />

Once an accurate blood test has been<br />

fully tested and approved, it could “change<br />

the game in the speed in which we can conduct<br />

Alzheimer’s trials and get to the next<br />

new medication,” Carillo added. “These<br />

are absolutely transformational times.”<br />

Sleep well to prevent T2D<br />

There’s a long list of science-backed benefits<br />

of consistently good sleep, including a<br />

healthier heart, a sharper mind, improved<br />

mood and energy levels, and a stronger<br />

immune system. Results of a recent study<br />

from Brigham and Women’s Hospital suggest<br />

one more upside of sleeping well: a<br />

reduced risk of type 2 diabetes.<br />

The new study analyzed data from a<br />

group of more than 84,000 participants in<br />

the UK Biobank. Their average age was<br />

62, and all were initially free of diabetes.<br />

After their sleep was carefully measured<br />

for seven consecutive nights to establish<br />

a baseline, their health was followed for<br />

more than seven years.<br />

The data revealed that compared to participants<br />

with regular sleep patterns, those<br />

with irregular sleep – meaning their day-today<br />

sleep duration varied by more than 60<br />

minutes on average –had a 34% higher risk<br />

of developing diabetes. That risk remained<br />

even after the researchers accounted for<br />

lifestyle factors, a family history of diabetes,<br />

and obesity.<br />

“Our findings underscore the importance<br />

of consistent sleep patterns as a strategy<br />

to reduce type 2 diabetes,” said lead<br />

author Sina Kianersi, Ph.D. Interestingly, a<br />

2023 study also led by Kianersi similarly<br />

found that being a “night owl” leads to a<br />

higher diabetes risk, again suggesting a<br />

connection between the disease and disrupted<br />

sleep. His team’s newest findings<br />

were published in Diabetes Care.<br />

On the calendar<br />

St. Luke’s Hospital and the Alzheimer’s<br />

Association sponsor Advancing the Science:<br />

The Latest in Alzheimer’s & Dementia<br />

Research on Tuesday, Sept. 10 from 6-7<br />

p.m., presented online via Zoom. Join us to<br />

learn about tremendous gains being made in<br />

the understanding of the science and basic<br />

biology underlying Alzheimer’s and other<br />

dementias, leading to great strides in strategies<br />

for prevention, detection, diagnostics,<br />

and therapeutic interventions. To sign up for<br />

the free session, visit stlukes-stl.com.<br />

• • •<br />

St. Luke’s Hospital offers free Medicare<br />

counseling sessions on Tuesday, Sept.<br />

10 and Tuesday, Oct. 8 at the St. Luke’s<br />

Resource Center, 101 St. Luke’s Center<br />

Drive in Chesterfield. St. Luke’s has partnered<br />

with Missouri State Health Care<br />

Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) to<br />

offer free Medicare counseling and enrollment<br />

assistance. Appointment times are<br />

available at 10 a.m., 11:30 a.m. and 1 p.m.<br />

Sign up online at stlukes-stl.com.<br />

• • •<br />

BJC Missouri Baptist Hospital offers<br />

Today’s Grandparents classes on Thursdays,<br />

Sept. 12 and Oct. 3, from 6-8:30 p.m.<br />

at the Missouri Baptist Medical Center<br />

Clinical Learning Institute, 3005 N. Ballas<br />

Road. The course fee is $20 per person<br />

(each person attending must register separately).<br />

Registration is available online at<br />

classes-events.bjc.org.<br />

• • •<br />

St. Luke’s Hospital offers a monthly<br />

walking group meeting on Thursday, Sept.<br />

12 from 9-10 a.m. Participants meet at the<br />

St. Luke’s walking trail, 232 S. Woods<br />

Mill Road in Chesterfield. Each monthly<br />

meetup will feature a different health<br />

education topic presented by various St.<br />

Luke’s clinicians, followed by a 30-minute<br />

walk on St. Luke’s walking trails. Register<br />

online at stlukes-stl.com.<br />

• • •<br />

BJC Missouri Baptist Hospital hosts a<br />

Stroke Support Group in-person meeting<br />

on Thursday, Sept. 12 from noon-2<br />

p.m. in the hospital’s Clinical Learning<br />

Institute, 3015 N. Ballas Road in St. Louis,<br />

in Room 416. Whether you are a stroke<br />

survivor or taking care of a loved one, we<br />

invite you to join our support community.<br />

There is no cost to participate. Register at<br />

classes-events.bjc.org.<br />

• • •<br />

St. Luke’s Hospital presents Coffee and<br />

Conversations on Wednesday, Sept. 18 from<br />

10-11 a.m. at the Desloge Outpatient Center,<br />

121 St. Luke’s Center Drive, in Building A,<br />

Conference Room 3. Join us monthly for a<br />

free cup of joe and a conversation with St.<br />

Luke’s health professionals about health<br />

and wellness topics. This month’s topic is<br />

Healthy Hands. Register at stlukes-stl.com.<br />

• • •<br />

St. Luke’s Hospital presents Living a<br />

Healthy Life with Chronic Pain on Fridays,<br />

Sept. 20-Oct. 25, online via Zoom.<br />

This six-week course is an evidence-based<br />

program that helps individuals better<br />

manage their chronic pain symptoms by<br />

learning important self-management skills.<br />

To register, visit stlukes-stl.com.<br />

• • •<br />

St. Luke’s Hospital offers a Bone Builders<br />

class on Tuesday, Sept. <strong>24</strong> from 5:30-7<br />

p.m. in Building A, Conference Room 3<br />

of the Desloge Outpatient Center 121 St.<br />

Luke’s Center Drive in Chesterfield. Join<br />

us for this free class to learn more about<br />

exercise, nutrition and medication for bone<br />

health and osteoporosis prevention. Register<br />

at stlukes-stl.com.<br />

• • •<br />

St. Luke’s Hospital presents Good Sleep<br />

is a Possible Dream: Steps to Sounder<br />

Sleep on Thursday, Sept. 26 from 6:30-8<br />

p.m. in Building A of the Desloge Outpatient<br />

Center, 121 St. Luke’s Center Drive in<br />

Chesterfield. Learn more about sleep and<br />

strategies for sleeping better at this free<br />

class. Register at stlukes-stl.com.<br />

• • •<br />

BJC Missouri Baptist Medical Center<br />

sponsors a Living a Healthy Life virtual<br />

class on Wednesdays, Oct. 16-Nov. 27,<br />

from 1-3:30 p.m. All sessions will be held<br />

online via Zoom. Developed and tested by<br />

Stanford University, this self-management<br />

course is for adults with chronic conditions.<br />

The free class is presented by St. Louis<br />

Oasis. Register at classes-events.bjc.org.<br />

Melissa Q. Leavy<br />

Owner/Attorney<br />

ZOOM<br />

Meetings<br />

Available<br />

For Your<br />

Convenience<br />

PRACTICE AREAS:<br />

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• Long-term Care Planning<br />

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• Special Needs Planning<br />

• Probate and Trust Administration<br />

• Guardianships and<br />

Conservatorships<br />

A caring approach to legal planning,<br />

representation and advocacy for<br />

older and disabled persons.<br />

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(In the “Legal Center” Building)<br />

636-333-9160 or 83-ELDERLAW<br />

info@yourelderlawyers.com • yourelderlawyers.com<br />

Mature<br />

FOCUS<br />

Our special section featuring issues,<br />

events, products and services<br />

of interest to our<br />

50-plus readers.<br />

COMING<br />

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Cases of head lice may be more prevalent among young children soon<br />

after they return to classrooms.<br />

(Adobe Stock photo)<br />

HEALTH<br />

CAPSULES<br />

By LISA RUSSELL<br />

September may be prime<br />

time for head lice cases<br />

It’s an uncomfortable topic for parents to<br />

say the least … but during the first weeks<br />

of school, the incidence of head lice among<br />

young kids typically rises, which is one<br />

reason why September is designated as<br />

National Head Lice Prevention Month.<br />

Following a steep decline while students<br />

were learning remotely during the COVID-<br />

19 pandemic, these panic-inducing parasites<br />

made a comeback in 2023. The Centers for<br />

Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates<br />

that between 6 and 12 million children<br />

ages 3-13 get head lice each year.<br />

Just last month, the CDC issued revised<br />

guidelines for schools and families to<br />

handle head lice cases. Perhaps the most<br />

significant change is that students with<br />

head lice no longer need to be sent home<br />

early from school; they should now be<br />

allowed to finish the school day, receive a<br />

home lice treatment and return to class as<br />

soon as the following morning.<br />

The CDC also joined with the American<br />

Academy of Pediatrics and the National Association<br />

of School Nurses to recommend that<br />

children need not be completely free of “nits,”<br />

or lice eggs, before returning to school because<br />

the risk of transmission is minimal once treatment<br />

has killed actively crawling lice.<br />

A recent survey of parents conducted by<br />

Nix, a head lice treatment brand, showed<br />

that many are unaware of these changes.<br />

The survey, which included parents of children<br />

between ages 5 and 11, also found that<br />

two-thirds don’t know whether schools are<br />

required to report a head lice outbreak (they<br />

are not). About a quarter of parents who took<br />

the survey admitted to knowingly having<br />

sent their child to school with head lice while<br />

keeping it a secret from their school’s staff.<br />

According to the CDC, symptoms of<br />

head lice in children can include a tickling<br />

feeling or sensation of something moving<br />

in the hair; sores on the scalp caused by<br />

scratching; irritability, and sleeplessness.<br />

Treatments include prescription and overthe-counter<br />

lice medicines, lice combs to<br />

remove nits, and professional removal<br />

using a specialized heat treatment.<br />

Study shows cutting back on<br />

bacon could prevent disease<br />

Processed meats like bacon, sausage, cold<br />

cuts and hot dogs can be found on the plates<br />

of millions of Americans at nearly every<br />

meal. And while cutting out these foods<br />

entirely is off the table for most people, cutting<br />

back a little could have an outsize impact<br />

on the nation’s health, say British scientists.<br />

Researchers from the University of Edinburgh<br />

in the U.K. used a special computer<br />

model they developed to simulate different<br />

levels of meat consumption by more than<br />

<strong>24</strong>2 million American adults. They estimate<br />

that if Americans could cut back their<br />

typical processed meat intake by 30%, the<br />

result would be about 353,000 fewer cases<br />

of type 2 diabetes, 92,500 fewer cases of<br />

cardiovascular disease, and 53,300 fewer<br />

cases of colorectal cancer over 10 years.<br />

Using bacon as an example, that amounts<br />

to roughly 10 fewer slices per week, they said.<br />

The model accounted for differences<br />

across U.S. demographic groups. On average,<br />

Americans eat about just over an ounce (29<br />

grams) of processed meat and 1.7 ounces (47<br />

grams) of unprocessed red meat daily.<br />

Based on their findings, the researchers<br />

recommended that the upcoming 2025<br />

Dietary Guidelines for Americans should<br />

potentially advise adults to limit their processed<br />

meat intake. The study was published<br />

in The Lancet Planetary Health.<br />

Losing a loved one may speed<br />

aging, even for the young<br />

For people as young as their teens, twenties<br />

and thirties, losing someone close to<br />

them like a parent, child, sibling or spouse<br />

can actually speed up the biological aging<br />

process … especially for those who have<br />

experienced multiple losses, say scientists<br />

from Columbia University’s Mailman<br />

School of Public Health and the Butler<br />

Columbia Aging Center.<br />

The aging impact of loss is measurable<br />

using DNA markers called epigenetic<br />

clocks, their recent study found.<br />

“Few studies have looked at how losing a<br />

loved one at different stages of life affects<br />

these DNA markers, especially in study<br />

samples that represent the U.S. population,”<br />

said lead author Allison Aiello, Ph.D.<br />

“Our study shows strong links between<br />

losing loved ones across the life course<br />

from childhood to adulthood and faster<br />

biological aging in the U.S.”<br />

Aiello and her team used data from different<br />

age-based groups of Americans<br />

who were followed as part of the National<br />

Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult<br />

Health beginning in 1994. Using blood<br />

DNA analysis, they looked the biological<br />

impacts of losses experienced during childhood<br />

or adolescence (up to age 18) and<br />

early to middle adulthood (ages 19 to 43).<br />

They also examined the number of losses<br />

experienced across this time period, and<br />

their cumulative effect on biological aging.<br />

Their findings suggest that the impact of<br />

loss on aging can be seen long before middle<br />

age. Those who experienced a significant<br />

loss during childhood or adolescence had<br />

more markers of biological aging than<br />

those who did not; and experiencing two or<br />

more losses in adulthood was more strongly<br />

linked to biological aging than one loss, and<br />

significantly more so than no losses.<br />

Aiello and her co-authors emphasized that<br />

while losing a loved one at any age can have<br />

long-lasting health impacts, those effects<br />

might be more severe during key developmental<br />

periods like childhood or early<br />

adulthood. “We still don’t fully understand<br />

how loss leads to poor health and higher<br />

mortality, but biological aging may be one<br />

mechanism…For those who experience<br />

loss, providing resources for coping and<br />

addressing the trauma is essential,” she said.<br />

The research was published in JAMA<br />

Network Open.<br />

On the calendar<br />

St. Luke’s Hospital presents Conversations<br />

for Women on Thursday, Sept. 5 from<br />

6:30-7:30 p.m. at the Desloge Outpatient<br />

Center, 121 St. Luke’s Center Drive in Chesterfield,<br />

in Building A. Join us for informal<br />

presentations with women’s health specialists<br />

on topics of importance to women.<br />

Meetings will plenty of time for Q & A.<br />

This month’s topic is Look Out Below; join<br />

OB/GYN Dr. Matthew Bialko and Angie<br />

Sellers, physical therapist, as we talk pelvic<br />

health. Register at stlukes-stl.com.<br />

• • •<br />

St. Luke’s Hospital offers Make Peace<br />

with Food: Basics of Mindful Eating<br />

on Tuesday, Sept. 10 from noon-1 p.m. at<br />

Desloge Outpatient Center Building A, 121<br />

St. Luke’s Center Drive in Chesterfield, in


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September 4, 20<strong>24</strong><br />

MID RIVERS NEWSMAGAZINE<br />

I HEALTH I 23<br />

Conference Room 3. Join us for a free inperson<br />

class to learn the basics about mindful<br />

eating and move closer to feeling more<br />

at peace in your relationship with food.<br />

Register at stlukes-stl.com.<br />

• • •<br />

BJC St. Louis Children’s Hospital<br />

offers a Family & Friends CPR course<br />

on Saturday, Sept. 14 from 9 a.m.-noon<br />

at Missouri Baptist Medical Center, 3015<br />

N. Ballas Road, in Auditorium Rooms 1, 2<br />

and 3. This class uses the American Heart<br />

Association’s curriculum to teach hands-on<br />

CPR skills (course does not include certification<br />

upon completion). Registration for a<br />

seat in this class is for two people. The cost<br />

is $50. Register at classes-events.bjc.org.<br />

• • •<br />

Barnes-Jewish West County Hospital<br />

offers a Bariatric Surgery Information<br />

Session on Monday, Sept. 16 from 5:30-<br />

6:30 p.m., live via Zoom. Join a Washington<br />

University bariatric physician to learn more<br />

about surgical treatment options available<br />

at BJC for patients who meet certain criteria.<br />

Time will be allotted for Q&A, including<br />

about insurance coverage of these procedures.<br />

To register, visit classes-events.bjc.org.<br />

• • •<br />

BJC St. Louis Children’s Hospital offers<br />

a Babysitting 101 course on Saturday, Sept.<br />

21 from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. at the SLCH Specialty<br />

Care Center West County, 13001 North<br />

Outer Forty Road in Town & Country. This<br />

interactive class, recommended for kids age<br />

10 and above is a great introduction to the<br />

basics of babysitting. A workbook, first aid<br />

kit and backpack are provided. Please register<br />

each child attending; the cost is $25 per<br />

person. Advance registration is required at<br />

classes-events.bjc.org.<br />

• • •<br />

Pedal the Cause 20<strong>24</strong> takes place on<br />

Saturday, Sept. 21 and Sunday, Sept. 22 at<br />

The Family Arena, 2002 Arena Parkway in<br />

St. Charles. All funds raised benefit Siteman<br />

Cancer Center and Siteman Kids at St.<br />

Louis Children’s Hospital. Celebrate with<br />

your family on Saturday, ride on Sunday<br />

and share the unparalleled Pedal the Cause<br />

experience. This year’s event will feature<br />

new course options, a signat Detailed<br />

information and registration are available<br />

at pedalthecause.org.<br />

• • •<br />

St. Luke’s Hospital and Schnucks offer a<br />

nutrition class on Monday, Sept. 30 from<br />

2-3 p.m. at Schnucks Kehrs Mill, 2511<br />

Kehrs Mill Road in Ballwin. A St. Luke’s<br />

dietitian will discuss how to find and make<br />

healthier choices at the grocery store; how<br />

to read a food label; and nutrition recommendations<br />

for optimal health. Participants<br />

will also receive wellness resources, samples<br />

and a $10 Schnucks gift card. The cost<br />

is $5 per person. Register at stlukes-stl.com.<br />

20<strong>24</strong><br />

Friday • Sept. 13 • 4pm–9pm<br />

Saturday • Sept. 14 • 10am–8pm<br />

Sunday • Sept. 15 • 11am–4pm<br />

Historic North Main Street • St. Charles, MO<br />

Considering a career in chiropractic?<br />

Experience Logan University’s Future Leopard Weekend.<br />

Saturday, Oct. 12, 20<strong>24</strong><br />

Tour our campus and facilities, participate in<br />

interactive demonstrations and hear from<br />

faculty and students on what it’s like to be a<br />

Doctor of Chiropractic student.<br />

Register at Logan.edu/FLW


<strong>24</strong> I BUSINESS I<br />

September 4, 20<strong>24</strong><br />

MID RIVERS NEWSMAGAZINE<br />

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17455 N. Outer 40 Road. (Photo provided)<br />

BUSINESS<br />

BRIEFS<br />

PLACES<br />

indiGO Auto Group has opened a<br />

Porsche service center in Chesterfield<br />

Valley. The Porsche Service Center Chesterfield<br />

is a 25,000-square foot, state-of-the-art,<br />

factory-authorized service center located<br />

at 17455 N. Outer 40 Road. Its automotive<br />

team consists of 17 full-time technicians<br />

who are trained by indiGO Auto Group and<br />

led by General Manager James Drake and<br />

Service Manager Stephanie Gessner. The<br />

facility’s hours of operation are 7:30 a.m.-6<br />

p.m. Monday-Friday, and from 9 a.m.-2<br />

p.m. on Saturdays. Learn more at porscheservicecenterchesterfield.com.<br />

• • •<br />

Ignite Medical Resorts has broken<br />

ground on its newest facility, Ignite Medical<br />

Resort St. Peters, which is slated to<br />

open in late summer 2025. The facility will<br />

serve the rehabilitation needs of patients<br />

in St. Charles and St. Louis counties. It<br />

is being developed in partnership with<br />

the Leo Brown Group, <strong>Mid</strong>as Construction,<br />

American Bank of Freedom, KCB<br />

Real Estate, Barnes Jewish Hospital and<br />

the Missouri Healthcare Association. The<br />

project will create over 200 construction<br />

jobs and once open, is expected to create<br />

an additional 150 healthcare and facility<br />

positions. The resort will be located on<br />

Executive Center Parkway, just down the<br />

street from the Barnes Jewish St Peters<br />

Hospital campus.<br />

• • •<br />

Four charitable organizations have been<br />

awarded $5,000 “Sharing Success” grants<br />

by Cuivre River Electric Cooperative<br />

(CREC) and CoBank. The recipients of<br />

the 20<strong>24</strong> grants are Bridge of Hope Lincoln<br />

County, Anne’s Anchor, Volunteers in<br />

Medicine St. Charles and the Tribute to Veterans<br />

Memorial. Bridge of Hope (bridgeofhopelc.org)<br />

helps individuals with the most<br />

basic needs by providing emergency shelter<br />

and food. Anne’s Anchor provides support<br />

for mothers and children (annesanchor.org).<br />

Volunteers in Medicine (volunteersinmedicinestcharles.org)<br />

serves the primary<br />

health care needs of uninsured, low-income<br />

adult residents in St. Charles and Lincoln<br />

counties. The Tribute to Veterans Memorial<br />

(tributetoveteransmemorial.org) honors<br />

Warren County servicemen who paid the<br />

ultimate sacrifice while serving their country<br />

from WWI to the present.<br />

• • •<br />

The O’Fallon Police Department<br />

has achieved accreditation from the<br />

Commission on Accreditation for Law<br />

Enforcement Agencies (CALEA). This<br />

accreditation is considered the gold standard<br />

in law enforcement and focuses on<br />

standards that provide best practices<br />

related to life, health, and safety procedures<br />

for law enforcement agencies. These<br />

standards are considered foundational for<br />

contemporary law enforcement agencies.<br />

CALEA accreditation is an ongoing commitment<br />

to transparency, accountability<br />

and community service.<br />

• • •<br />

Maryville University has announced the<br />

retirement of Dr. Mark Lombardi, Ph.D.,<br />

its 10th president. Lombardi will retire<br />

after the completion of the current school<br />

year in June 2025. Since 2007, he has led<br />

the university to unparalleled expansion,<br />

growing from a local university of 3,000<br />

students to over 9,000 students from 50<br />

states and nearly 60 countries. Maryville<br />

has been named one of the ten fastest<br />

growing private universities in the nation<br />

for the past several years and recognized<br />

by Forbes, U.S. News and the Chronicle of<br />

Higher Education. It also has been designated<br />

an Apple Distinguished School three<br />

times under Lombardi’s leadership. Learn<br />

more at maryville.edu.


September 4, 20<strong>24</strong><br />

MID RIVERS NEWSMAGAZINE I BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT I 25<br />

HouseFit – helping seniors keep fit and stay in their homes<br />

FACEBOOK.COM/MIDRIVERSNEWSMAGAZINE<br />

MIDRIVERSNEWSMAGAZINE.COM<br />

Given a choice, people<br />

prefer to age in place, says Dr.<br />

Beth Templin, DPT, owner of<br />

HouseFit.<br />

They want to stay in their own<br />

homes rather than move into a<br />

nursing home or assisted living<br />

center, but sometimes they don’t<br />

have a choice. Increasing issues<br />

with health and mobility lead to<br />

a loss of independence and the<br />

need for more care, she said.<br />

“The biggest barrier to staying<br />

in the home, is they don’t<br />

have the physical fitness and<br />

independence to stay home,”<br />

she said.<br />

Enter HouseFit, a fitness<br />

business with programs led by<br />

physical therapists. HouseFit is<br />

designed to keep healthy seniors fit,<br />

and help those beginning to see a<br />

decline in their mobility to improve<br />

their fitness in order to remain in their<br />

home as long as possible.<br />

Without a plan to stay fit and active,<br />

skills can diminish and disappear, Dr.<br />

Beth said. “The number one complaint<br />

for aging adults is difficulty with<br />

walking and stairs. Once they have<br />

trouble in those two areas, they start<br />

Dr. Beth Templin, PT, DPT, GCS<br />

struggling to get out in the community.<br />

And then they have trouble taking care<br />

of their home – doing yard work, raking<br />

leaves and taking out the trash. From<br />

there, it can snowball to the inside of the<br />

house and soon they are having trouble<br />

doing floors, laundry and dishes. It’s a<br />

downward spiral.”<br />

“Most people think this is part of the<br />

aging process, but it’s not. It’s just that<br />

they are out of shape. They’ve lost some<br />

strength, endurance and balance year after<br />

year, and finally it’s added up to the point<br />

where they start to lose their<br />

independence,” Dr. Beth said.<br />

Lifestyle choices like exercise<br />

can make a difference, she said.<br />

HouseFit has programs for<br />

seniors that start where they are<br />

and move in a positive direction.<br />

The facility is divided into<br />

two halves. On one side there<br />

is a gymnasium for exercise<br />

programs led by physical<br />

therapists. On the other side are<br />

programs that address physical<br />

issues in order to bring the<br />

mobility and strength of those<br />

seniors up to the level where<br />

they can get in the gym.<br />

HouseFit offers monthly<br />

memberships. “All our physical therapists<br />

specialize in aging adults. We know how<br />

to modify activities for aches and pains,<br />

know how to adapt things if there are<br />

balance issues and monitor those who<br />

might need a rest break.”<br />

The exercise programs come in three<br />

different levels – a Foundations course,<br />

a Masters course with more intense<br />

exercises where participants need to be<br />

able to get up and down from the floor<br />

and the Elite course, a more intense<br />

workout that includes boxing, agility<br />

ladders and hurdles.<br />

Some “youngsters” in their 60s are<br />

members. Most people though are in their<br />

70s, 80s and 90s, she said.<br />

“About 50% have experienced some<br />

decline or a loss of some kind. They are<br />

struggling to do something. They can’t<br />

stand for long periods of time, have<br />

trouble gardening or have to give up golf,”<br />

she said.<br />

The other 50% are relatively healthy,<br />

but maybe are feeling old for the first<br />

time and are taking proactive steps to<br />

avoid decline in the future. The program<br />

also offers online classes and a concierge<br />

service with a physical therapists at home.<br />

The question is, are you fit enough,<br />

healthy and strong enough to continue<br />

living in your home long term? If<br />

not, HouseFit offers a free 30 minute<br />

consultation with a therapist to see if<br />

HouseFit can help, she said. Making the<br />

call may be the first step to maintaining<br />

your quality of life, in your own home.<br />

HouseFit<br />

3809 Lemay Ferry Road, 63125<br />

(314) 939-1377 • HouseFitstl.com<br />

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Sunday, September 22<br />

O’Fallon’s O’Day Park • 11 AM – 4 PM<br />

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September 4, 20<strong>24</strong><br />

26 I BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT I MID RIVERS NEWSMAGAZINE<br />

Finding the right OB/GYN care for you begins with BJC HealthCare<br />

An obstetrician-gynecologist,<br />

or ob/gyn, plays a vital role in the<br />

care of a woman’s overall health<br />

and well-being throughout her life.<br />

Therefore, it’s important to feel<br />

comfortable and confident in the<br />

provider you choose. Here are a<br />

few tips to help you find the right<br />

ob/gyn care for you.<br />

(BJC HealthCare photo)<br />

Consider your comfort level<br />

“One of the most important<br />

things is your level of comfort<br />

with the ob/gyn you are choosing,”<br />

says Kirsten McDaniel, DO, a<br />

board-certified obstetrician-gynecologist<br />

with BJC Medical Group at Progress<br />

West Hospital. “You’ll be sharing<br />

many personal details and experiences<br />

of your life with them so you should<br />

feel comfortable with this person and<br />

heard by them.”<br />

While you can find an ob/gyn by<br />

searching online or receiving a recommendation<br />

from friends or family, finding<br />

the right fit for you often begins with<br />

a conversation. Establishing care, even<br />

before becoming pregnant, can allow<br />

you to assess your comfort level and<br />

develop a strong rapport with an ob/gyn.<br />

“It’s not only about providing excellent<br />

care with good outcomes but listening<br />

to the patient, addressing any questions or<br />

concerns they may have and allowing them<br />

to be involved in the decision-making of<br />

their care,” adds Dr. McDaniel. “I also try to<br />

alleviate some of the anxiety they may have<br />

by reminding them that it’s our job to worry<br />

about things for them.”<br />

Consider your ideal birth experience<br />

If you’re pregnant or plan to become pregnant,<br />

keep your ideal birth experience in<br />

mind and discuss how this can be achieved<br />

with your ob/gyn. This might be accommodating<br />

a natural childbirth, offering an epidural<br />

for a medicated birth or just providing<br />

certain comfort measures you would like in<br />

your childbirth experience.<br />

The childbirth center at Progress<br />

West Hospital is equipped to handle<br />

any of those birth experiences women<br />

may be interested in, with amenities<br />

such as spacious rooms with walkin<br />

showers, birthing balls and continuous<br />

or intermittent monitoring<br />

options. In all birthing scenarios, the<br />

labor and delivery team welcomes<br />

and encourages skin-to-skin after<br />

birth to support breastfeeding and<br />

mother and baby bonding, and even<br />

dad can participate too.<br />

Consider your care team’s expertise<br />

Of course, you’ll want to choose a provider<br />

with the depth of experience to ensure<br />

you’re in good hands. Board-certified<br />

ob/gyns have completed additional examinations<br />

and women’s health care specific<br />

training and are required to continue their<br />

education. Along with its intimate atmosphere,<br />

the childbirth center offers consultations<br />

with Washington University<br />

maternal-fetal medicine specialists and a<br />

Level II newborn intensive care unit (NICU)<br />

staffed by neonatologists from St. Louis<br />

Children’s Hospital. Lactation consultants<br />

are also available seven days a week to support<br />

mothers with breastfeeding. Progress<br />

@MIDRIVERS_NEWS<br />

MIDRIVERSNEWSMAGAZINE.COM<br />

West Hospital is recognized by the National<br />

Safe Sleep Hospital Certification Program<br />

as a Gold Level Safe Sleep Hospital for its<br />

commitment to best practices and education<br />

on infant safe sleep.<br />

Extraordinary care in St. Charles County<br />

The team of physicians, nurses and technicians<br />

in St. Charles County is proud to provide<br />

personalized care for all of women’s<br />

health care needs, offering obstetrical care<br />

throughout pregnancy, delivery, and postpartum<br />

and full gynecological care from age<br />

11 to post menopause.<br />

Contact us for an Ob/Gyn appointment<br />

To make an appointment with a BJC<br />

HealthCare-affiliated ob/gyn provider who<br />

delivers at Progress West Hospital, call<br />

(800) 392-0936.<br />

Visit progresswest.org to learn more about<br />

childbirth services at Progress West Hospital,<br />

or schedule an in-person tour by calling<br />

(636) 344-2218.<br />

BJC HealthCare<br />

Progress West Hospital<br />

progresswest.org • (800) 392-0936<br />

NEW LOCATION NOW OPEN!<br />

Welcoming new patients<br />

• State-of-the-art office<br />

• Locally owned and operated<br />

• Relationship-focused dentistry<br />

• Don’t have dental insurance?<br />

Ask about our Dental Savings Plan.<br />

OVER 600 REVIEWS<br />

ON GOOGLE!<br />

www.cottlevillesmiles.com | 636-928-4090<br />

475 MIRALAGO SHORE DRIVE | COTTLEVILLE


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MIDRIVERSNEWSMAGAZINE.COM<br />

September 4, 20<strong>24</strong><br />

MID RIVERS NEWSMAGAZINE<br />

I EVENTS I 27<br />

Come in for our nightly specials!<br />

MONDAY - THURSDAY<br />

Help pack gift boxes for Operation Christmas Child from 9-11 a.m. on<br />

Saturday, Sept. 7 at Calvary Church, 3889 <strong>Mid</strong> <strong>Rivers</strong> Mall Drive in St.<br />

Peters, or contribute directly through samaritanspurse.org/occ.<br />

LOCAL<br />

EVENTS<br />

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT<br />

October Calls for Art - “Earth, Wind,<br />

Fire and Water” at Crossroads Arts Council,<br />

310 West Pearce in Wentzville. All<br />

mediums are welcome. Details at crossroadsartscouncil.org.<br />

• • •<br />

Choral Arts Singers Fall Practice is<br />

at 7 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 9 at Connection<br />

Christian Church, 1332 Feise Road in<br />

Dardenne Prairie. Rehearsals are from 7-9<br />

p.m. on Mondays through December. Holiday<br />

concerts are in early December. No<br />

audition is required. For high school ages<br />

and older. Details at concertarts.org or via<br />

email to concertartsa@gmail.com.<br />

• • •<br />

Chapel of the Cross Craft Fair is<br />

from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. on Saturday, Sept.<br />

14 at 907 Jungermann Road in St. Peters.<br />

Featuring Crossed Heart BBQ and more.<br />

Free admission.<br />

• • •<br />

Pieces of the Heart Quilt Show is Oct.<br />

17-19 at the Wentzville Community Club,<br />

500 W. Main St. in Wentzville. Times vary.<br />

Details at crossroadsartscouncil.org/20<strong>24</strong>-<br />

quilt-show.<br />

BENEFITS<br />

Operation Christmas Child is from 9-11<br />

a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 7 at Calvary Church,<br />

3889 <strong>Mid</strong> <strong>Rivers</strong> Mall Drive in St. Peters.<br />

Help pack shoeboxes for children in need.<br />

For details, visit samaritanspurse.org/occ.<br />

• • •<br />

Patriot Blood Drive is from 11 a.m.-3<br />

p.m. on Friday, Sept. 13 at the O’Fallon<br />

Municipal Centre (City Hall), 100 N. Main<br />

Street. Honor the first responders who<br />

bravely rushed to help those in need on<br />

9/11/2001 by helping to save local lives<br />

through blood donations. To schedule an<br />

appointment, visit bloodcenter.org or call,<br />

(800) 747-5401.<br />

• • •<br />

Citizens United in Service is from 9-11<br />

a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 14 at the O’Fallon<br />

City Hall, 100 N. Main St. in O’Fallon.<br />

Create care packages for shipment to military<br />

troops serving overseas and create cards<br />

of appreciation for local first responders.<br />

• • •​<br />

Impact Life Blood Drives are from<br />

8:30 a.m.-1 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 15 at<br />

St. Cletus Catholic Church Hall, 2705<br />

Zumbehl Road in Saint Charles and at All<br />

Saints Catholic Church Parish Center-Cafeteria,<br />

7 McMenamy Road in St. Peters. To<br />

schedule an appointment, visit bloodcenter.<br />

org or call (800) 747-5401.<br />

• • •<br />

Art From the Heart is at 5:30 p.m. on<br />

Thursday, Sept. 19 at Mungenast Lexus<br />

of St. Louis, 13700 Manchester Road. Art<br />

donated by childhood cancer patients and<br />

their siblings is featured. Tickets are $50<br />

per person at friendsofkids.org or by calling<br />

(314) 275-7440.<br />

CONCERTS/FESTIVALS<br />

The Beale Street Concert Series continues<br />

with the John Hughes Experience at 6 p.m. in<br />

The Streets of St. Charles, 1520 S. Fifth St.<br />

Bring seating but no coolers, outside food or<br />

drink. Details at discoverstcharles.com.<br />

• • •<br />

The Sunset Concert Series continues on<br />

Friday, Sept. 6 with The Paul Bonn Band<br />

at 6 p.m. at 370 Lakeside Park in St. Peters.<br />

Free admission. Bring seating. Next concerts<br />

are Power Play at 6 p.m. on Friday,<br />

Sept. 13 and on Saturday, Sept. 21 at 4 p.m.<br />

(doors open at 3 p.m.) with the Fabulous<br />

Motown Revue, Funky Butt Brass Band<br />

and fireworks. Full concert schedule at<br />

See EVENTS, page 28<br />

Any Large Pizza for the<br />

MONDAY<br />

price of a Small Pizza<br />

$0.39 cent Toasted Ravioli<br />

TUESDAY (Limit 30 per table)<br />

8 oz. King Cut Sirloin Special<br />

WEDNESDAY $13.95<br />

Chicken Spedini<br />

THURSDAY<br />

$12.95<br />

The Original Stefanina’s at 8645 Veterans Memorial Parkway<br />

O’Fallon 63366 | 636-272-3499 | stefaninas.com<br />

ENJOY DELICIOUS FOOD & DRINKS<br />

ON MAIN STREET IN HISTORIC ST. CHARLES<br />

• Patio Dining<br />

• Live Music<br />

• Open 7 Days a Week<br />

SUN-TUES | 11am-3 pm<br />

WED&THURS | 11am-8pm<br />

FRI&SAT | 11am-9pm<br />

• Follow Us<br />

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903 S. MAIN STREET | MAGPIESONMAIN.COM | 636-947-3883<br />

Erio’s<br />

Ristorante<br />

Since 1971<br />

Fresh Fish Daily • Certified Angus Beef<br />

Veal • Pasta • Hand-tossed Pizza<br />

951 Jungermann Rd • St. Peters<br />

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LIVE MUSIC<br />

EVERY FRIDAY<br />

& SATURDAY<br />

5:30PM-8:30PM<br />

The Best In Italian Cuisine<br />

us on<br />

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P<br />

Open Monday - Thursday 4 - 9 pm<br />

Friday and Saturday 11:30 am - 10 pm<br />

Closed Sunday<br />

RESERVATIONS RECOMMENDED<br />

Ask about Catering!<br />

facebook.com/midriversnewsmagazine


28 I EVENTS I<br />

September 4, 20<strong>24</strong><br />

MID RIVERS NEWSMAGAZINE<br />

@MIDRIVERS_NEWS<br />

MIDRIVERSNEWSMAGAZINE.COM<br />

BE INFORMED, MEET ELECTED OFFICIALS<br />

Sept. 6 | John Tompkins –<br />

Censorship Industrial Complex<br />

Sept. 13 | Andrew Bailey –<br />

MO Attorney General<br />

Sept. 20 I Adam Schnelting –<br />

State Senate District 23 candidate<br />

Sept. 27 I Bev Ehlen –<br />

Props and Amendments on November ballot<br />

MEETING LOCATION:<br />

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

FRIDAY LUNCH MEETINGS AT NOON<br />

FOLLOW US<br />

St. Charles County<br />

Pachyderm Club<br />

@St.CharlesCountyPachydermClub<br />

NOW<br />

OFFERING<br />

DOOR DASH<br />

AND<br />

UBEREATS<br />

Ask about our new lunch specials!<br />

$2 OFF<br />

$20 OR MORE<br />

Not valid with any other coupon or discount.<br />

Limit 1 coupon per customer per visit.<br />

Must present ad. Expires 10/1/<strong>24</strong><br />

ASK ABOUT OUR MILITARY DISCOUNT<br />

6149 MIDRIVERS MALL DR.<br />

ST. PETERS, MO 63304<br />

TUES-SUN 7A-2P | CLOSED MON<br />

636-<strong>24</strong>4-2587<br />

6663 Edwardsville Crossing Dr. | Edwardsville, IL<br />

618-307-9966<br />

4519 N. Illinois St. | Swansea, IL<br />

618-416-4633<br />

9983 Manchester Road | St. Louis, MO<br />

314-858-9091<br />

7289 Watson Road | Shrewsbury, MO<br />

314-769-9775<br />

Family Owned and Operated.<br />

EVENTS, from page 27<br />

stpetersmo.net/sunset.<br />

• • •<br />

Mosaics Fine Art Festival is Sept.<br />

13-15 along several blocks of North Main<br />

Street in Historic St. Charles. Times vary.<br />

Details at stcharlesmosaics.org.<br />

• • •<br />

Fiesta De Cultura - A Celebration of<br />

Hispanic Heritage is from 1-4 p.m. on<br />

Sunday, Sept. 15 at The Foundry, 520 N.<br />

Main Center in St. Charles. Enjoy Latin<br />

music from Gipsy Social and a taco bar.<br />

Cost is $50 per person and includes two<br />

drink tickets. Details at glxi.org/fiesta or<br />

email, info@glxi.org.<br />

• • •<br />

St. Charles Oktoberfest is Sept. 27-29<br />

at Frontier Park, 500 S. <strong>Rivers</strong>ide Drive.<br />

Times vary. Food and gift vendors, 5K and<br />

10K runs, antique car show, brat eating<br />

contest, Dachshund races, live music and<br />

more. Free event. Details at saintcharlesoktoberfest.com.<br />

• • •<br />

Prairie Day is from noon-5 p.m. on<br />

Saturday, Sept. 28 at City Hall Park, 2032<br />

Hanley Road in Dardenne Prairie. Vendor<br />

booths, children’s inflatables, face painting,<br />

a rock climbing wall and food trucks.<br />

The Well Hungarians perform at 6:30 p.m.<br />

Fireworks begin at 9:30 p.m. Free event.<br />

Details at dardenneprairie.org.<br />

FALL FUN FOR EVERYONE<br />

Apple Festival is from 7:30 a.m.-1 p.m.<br />

on Saturday, Sept. 7 at the Foundry Art<br />

Centre Parking Lot, 520 N. Main Center in<br />

St. Charles. Details at stcharlescitymo.gov.<br />

• • •<br />

Fall Into the Arts is from 11 a.m.-4<br />

p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 22 at O’Day Park<br />

in O’Fallon. Works of art, music and food<br />

and drink from local restaurants. Details at<br />

ofallon.mo.us/fall-into-the-arts.<br />

• • •<br />

Witches in Cottleville is from 3-10 p.m.<br />

on Saturday, Oct. 5 in Historic Cottleville,<br />

5342 Hwy. N. Ages 21 and older. Rain or<br />

shine. No outside coolers, cans or bottles<br />

are allowed. Tickets start at $45 at witchesincottleville.com.<br />

• • •<br />

Legends & Lanterns takes place each<br />

weekend from Saturday, Oct. 12 through<br />

Sunday, Oct. 27 on Main Street in Historic<br />

St. Charles. Seasonal characters share<br />

haunted tales, music, games, spooky history<br />

and more. Details at discoverstcharles.<br />

com/events/legends-lanterns.<br />

• • •<br />

Spirits of the Past is from 6-10 p.m. on<br />

Saturday, Oct. 12 at the Historic Daniel<br />

Boone Home, 868 Hwy. F in Defiance.<br />

Dark tales and superstitions of the 1800s<br />

are brought to life. Walk through lanternlit<br />

paths in the historic park and listen to<br />

stories of the past. Limited tickets will be<br />

available to reserve between 6 and 9 p.m.<br />

When you arrive, a specific time will be<br />

assigned to tour the Boone Home; each<br />

tour is limited to 15 guests at a time. Each<br />

vignette will repeat every 8-10 minutes.<br />

Tickets are $15 per person. To register,<br />

visit stccparks.com.<br />

• • •<br />

Halloween Carnival is from 11 a.m.-1<br />

p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 26 at the St. Peters<br />

Rec-Plex South, 5250 Mexico Road in<br />

St. Peters. Enjoy games, crafts, a hot dog<br />

lunch and more. For ages 10 and under.<br />

Wear a costume and receive a special treat<br />

at check-in. Family-friendly costumes<br />

only. Registration is required for children<br />

and guardians at stpetersmo.net.<br />

• • •<br />

Halloween Spooktacular on Ice is from<br />

7-9 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 1 at the Rec-Plex<br />

North Ice Rink, 5200 Mexico Road in St.<br />

Peters. Ice skating, games, prizes, music, a<br />

costume contest and a pumpkin decorating<br />

contest. Cost is $12 per person. Register at<br />

stpetersmo.net.<br />

FAMILY & KIDS<br />

Friday Night Public Stargazing begins<br />

at sunset or 7 p.m. on clear Friday nights<br />

at the Broemmelsiek Park Astronomy<br />

Site,1593 Schwede Road in Wentzville.<br />

Free event. Advanced registration is<br />

requested for groups of 10 or more.<br />

• • •<br />

Drive-In Movie: “Ghostbusters -<br />

Frozen Empire” is at 7:30 p.m. on Friday,<br />

Sept. 13 at the Renaud Center, 2650 Tri<br />

Sports Circle in O’Fallon. Register by Sept.<br />

6. at ofallon.mo.us/parks&rec.<br />

• • •<br />

Children’s Business Fair is from<br />

noon-2 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 15 at Happy<br />

Joe’s, 905 Jungermann Road in St. Peters.<br />

Network with other young entrepreneurs<br />

and showcase your talent. Dedtails at childrensbusinessfair.org.<br />

REMEMBRANCE EVENTS<br />

Patriot Day Ceremony is at 8:30 a.m.<br />

on Wednesday, Sept. 11 at the O’Fallon<br />

Municipal Centre (City Hall), 100 N. Main<br />

Street, honoring our first responders and<br />

remembering the victims of the terrorist<br />

attacks of September 11, 2001. For details,<br />

visit ofallon.mo.us.<br />

• • •<br />

Remembrance Walk is at 9 a.m. on<br />

Wednesday, Sept. 11 at the O’Fallon<br />

Municipal Centre (City Hall), 100 N. Main<br />

Street. Immediately following the 9/11<br />

Ceremony, this 1-mile walk reflects on the<br />

sacrifices made, honors those who continue<br />

to inspire us, and ends in a show of<br />

patriotism along Main Street.<br />

• • •<br />

POW-MIA Remembrance Day Ceremony<br />

is at 7 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 20 at<br />

the Veterans Memorial Walk, 800 Belleau<br />

Creek Road in O’Fallon. This candle-lighting<br />

ceremony is dedicated to the members<br />

of the U.S. Armed Forces who remain<br />

missing in action or imprisoned on foreign<br />

soil, and the families who are still waiting<br />

to welcome them home once again. For<br />

details, visit ofallon.mo.us.<br />

SPECIAL INTEREST<br />

The Fallen Heroes Memorial Exhibit<br />

featuring a 28-foot American flag made<br />

from the dog tags of 7,040 fallen heroes is<br />

on display from 4 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 3<br />

through 10 a.m. on Sunday, Sept. 8 at the<br />

<strong>Mid</strong> America Veterans Museum, 410 E.<br />

Elm Street in O’Fallon. A ceremony with<br />

guest speakers and color guard is at 7 p.m.<br />

Sept. 3-7. Details at mavm.org.<br />

• • •<br />

Dash for Donuts is at 8 a.m. on Saturday,<br />

Sept. 7 at 370 Lakeside Park, 1000<br />

Lakeside Park Drive in St. Peters. This<br />

7k/5k course will be held on paved trails<br />

in the park. Halfway through the course,<br />

dashers will get donuts from Donut King.<br />

Pets are not allowed on the race course. To<br />

register, visit stpetersmo.net.<br />

• • •<br />

Pool Paws Dog Swim is from 9:30 a.m.-<br />

12:30 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 7 at Alligator’s<br />

Creek Aquatic Center, 403 Civic<br />

Park Drive in O’Fallon. All dogs must<br />

be accompanied by an adult, ages 18 and<br />

older. Must bring written proof of vaccinations.<br />

Register at ofallon.mo.us/parks&rec.<br />

• • •<br />

St. Charles Watershed Alliance<br />

Forum is from 3:30-5:45 p.m. on Wednesday,<br />

Sept. 11 at the Weldon Spring Interpretive<br />

Center, 7295 Hwy. 94. The topic<br />

is integrating construction, planning, and<br />

green infrastructure for watershed sustainability.<br />

Register at stcharleswatershedsalliance.com/news.<br />

• • •<br />

Wheelers & Dealers beginner square dance<br />

lessons are at 7 p.m. on Thursdays, starting<br />

Sept. 12 at Friedens UCC, 1703 S. Old Hwy<br />

94 in St. Charles. Cost is $5 per lesson.<br />

• • •<br />

PETapalooza is from 2-4 p.m. on Saturday,<br />

Sept. 14 at the Olde Towne Park<br />

Pavilion, 1 Park St. Local businesses,<br />

vendor booths, veterinary experts, prizes,<br />

animals ready to adopt, microchipping for<br />

$10, free nail clipping and more. Details at<br />

stpetersmo.net.<br />

• • •<br />

Home & Remodeling Show is Sept.<br />

20-22 at the St. Charles Convention Center,<br />

1 Convention Center Plaza. Times vary.<br />

Admission and parking are free. Details at<br />

STLHomeShow.com.


September 4, 20<strong>24</strong><br />

MID RIVERS NEWSMAGAZINE I 29<br />

The Rack House Kitchen Wine Whiskey: Upscale casual dining and drinks since 2015<br />

FACEBOOK.COM/MIDRIVERSNEWSMAGAZINE<br />

MIDRIVERSNEWSMAGAZINE.COM<br />

By SUZANNE CORBETT<br />

Keep an eye out for the Rack House<br />

Kitchen Wine Whiskey when driving<br />

along Hwy. N at Country Ridge Drive in<br />

Cottleville.<br />

A place whose reputation is acclaimed<br />

as one of the best upscale casual restaurant<br />

whiskey bars in the country by Whiskey<br />

Advocate Magazine, which placed Rack<br />

House on its annual prestigious list of 101<br />

Best Whiskey Bars in America.<br />

“It’s an honor we didn’t realize we had<br />

received until customers told us about it,”<br />

said Rack House owner John Hamilton.<br />

With one of the largest selections of bourbons<br />

and whiskeys in the state, Rack House<br />

is a good stop for people who are big into<br />

bourbon – and good food.<br />

On average, Rack House has 330-plus<br />

bourbons, scotches and whiskeys on hand,<br />

Hamilton said.<br />

“We’re a great place for people who want<br />

to try stuff before they spend the money on<br />

it. You can come here and try something<br />

rare or sample a special<br />

bottle brand like Pappy Van<br />

Winkle bourbon,” Hamilton<br />

said. “We’re also the place<br />

for people who want to get<br />

into bourbon. That’s why we<br />

have a Whiskey Club Card.”<br />

Bucket list whiskeys<br />

like Pappy Van Winkle and<br />

mainstream brands like<br />

Maker’s Mark, Jim Beam<br />

and Knob Creek share the<br />

bar with craft cocktails. The<br />

Rack House’s signature<br />

cocktail is its Barrel-Aged Manhattan. An<br />

updated classic cocktail mixed with Four<br />

Roses (yellow label bourbon), sweet vermouth,<br />

angostura bitters and imported Amarena<br />

cherries. It’s finished in a charred oak<br />

barrel for three months. A great apéritif that<br />

connoisseurs claim stimulates the appetite.<br />

Beyond bourbon, The Rack House offers<br />

craft beers, cider, top-shelf spirits and wines<br />

curated by sommelier Josh French. French’s<br />

impressive wine list mixes domestic and<br />

The Rack House Kitchen Wine Whiskey<br />

Creative upscale food by Chef Clayton includes his take on<br />

Shrimp Cocktails and Crusted Lamb Rack. (Photo provided)<br />

5065 Hwy. N • Cottleville • therackhousekww.com • 636-<strong>24</strong>4-0574<br />

Hours: Tuesday-Thursday: 3-10 p.m.; Friday: 3-11 p.m.; Saturday: 11 a.m.-11 p.m.; Sunday: 10 a.m.-4 p.m.;<br />

Saturday and Sunday Brunch: 11 a.m.-3 p.m.; Closed Mondays<br />

international wines with fun options such as<br />

wine flights and sangria. All these options<br />

help inspire Chef Clayton Borage’s creative<br />

menu designed to satisfy cravings from<br />

bodacious burgers to approachable gourmet<br />

fare, such as Crusted Lamb Rack and Blackberry<br />

Barbecue Sauced Smoked Pork Steak.<br />

Seasonally driven, Borage updates the<br />

menu every few months and offers daily<br />

specials, and once-a-month dinner specials<br />

like Second Wednesday Beef Wellington<br />

Night. It’s a gourmet<br />

treat that requires a<br />

pre-order reservation<br />

so the kitchen can prep<br />

the number needed for<br />

the night. While Borage<br />

Rack House Kitchen Wine Whiskey owner<br />

John Hamilton. (Photo by Suzanne Corbett)<br />

usually preps a few extras for walk-ins, it is<br />

advised to order early.<br />

Other monthly foodie events include the<br />

Blue Point Oyster Night and the Burger and<br />

Blend Nights – whiskey and burger pair-ups.<br />

Borage is planning wine-centric dinners as<br />

well.<br />

“We take pride in offering an upscale<br />

casual dining and drink experience that’s<br />

not pretentious. The whole point of going<br />

out is to have a good time and enjoy yourself,”<br />

Hamilton said. “Come as you are.<br />

We’re a place where guests come in jeans<br />

and a T-shirt, or dressed for a date.”<br />

THEY TOLD ME<br />

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Large Slice of Cheese Pizza & Salad<br />

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Any Large Pizza<br />

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Sunday - Thursday.<br />

Dine in or Carryout. Not valid with any other<br />

offer. Expires 9/30/<strong>24</strong>.<br />

Pizza, Pasta, Steaks Seafood, Salad<br />

Carryout & Delivery • Catering<br />

Large One<br />

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any appetizer, large<br />

combination salad<br />

$8.95 OFF<br />

Sunday - Thursday.<br />

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any other offer. Expires 9/30/<strong>24</strong>.<br />

$5 OFF<br />

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$25.00<br />

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CARRYOUT<br />

Sunday - Thursday.<br />

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And stock your freezer!<br />

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Order Online for Delivery<br />

12<strong>24</strong> Hwy K O’Fallon, MO 63366 | 636-980-1212<br />

@ Monical’s Pizza of O’Fallon, MO | Follow Us for Specials!


30 I<br />

September 4, 20<strong>24</strong><br />

MID RIVERS NEWSMAGAZINE<br />

@MIDRIVERS_NEWS<br />

MIDRIVERSNEWSMAGAZINE.COM<br />

METZ, from page 15<br />

Being a catcher comes with a big leadership<br />

role,” Metz said. “Talking after every pitch<br />

is very important to me to make sure the<br />

defense doesn’t fall asleep.<br />

“I’m really good at creating great chemistry<br />

with my pitchers to make sure we both<br />

are on the same page.”<br />

As good as she is behind the plate, she<br />

knows what to do when he has the bat in<br />

her hands.<br />

“She is undoubtedly one of the smartest<br />

hitters I’ve ever coached,” Romeril said.<br />

“I’ve never seen her fail twice in a row. I<br />

know that an unsuccessful at-bat will just<br />

breed a successful one the next time she<br />

steps to the plate.<br />

“She learns something from every pitch,<br />

and she goes to the plate with a plan.”<br />

Metz likes to keep her mind uncluttered<br />

when she bats.<br />

“I spend a lot of time on my hitting game,”<br />

Metz said. “Hitting is very therapeutic for me<br />

and during the season I try to hit six to seven<br />

days a week.”<br />

Metz kept busy throughout the summer<br />

traveling the country. She played for the<br />

Louisville Sluggers Huecker/Norwood.<br />

Her catcher teammate tore her ACL.<br />

That put her in the position to catch every<br />

game.<br />

“I played really well and contributed to a<br />

lot of my team’s success,” Metz said. “My<br />

team overall fought through a ton of adversity<br />

due to injuries. It was a lot but I was<br />

able to better my game. Playing on the team<br />

I do helps me learn a lot. I play with mostly<br />

older girls, and they do a great job guiding<br />

me and teaching me lessons. “<br />

This season, Metz is optimistic.<br />

“I’m looking forward to playing with new<br />

girls and hopefully making it back to the<br />

Final Four,” Metz said. “I 100% believe the<br />

Vikings can repeat.”<br />

For herself, Metz wants to lead the team<br />

in on-base percentage.<br />

“She and I have had a lot of conversations<br />

about her future in this program,” Romeril<br />

said. “We have a core group of athletes that<br />

work hard for each other and hold each<br />

other accountable. She’s a big part of the<br />

reason they’re comfortable doing that.<br />

“In your typical athlete, the jump from<br />

sophomore to junior year is big. I am eager<br />

to see how her game improves after this<br />

season just because of genetics and maturity<br />

alone. Her work ethic is unmatched, so<br />

I know we don’t have to worry about that<br />

falling off. I expect her to only grow into a<br />

better player each year.”<br />

That’s Metz’s ambition as well.<br />

“I believe there is always something to<br />

improve on so I expect myself to always<br />

grow and improve my abilities,” Metz said.<br />

Metz is a multisport student-athlete at<br />

Francis Howell. She also is a member of the<br />

track team, where she set the school record<br />

in the javelin this past season.<br />

“I just started throwing the javelin in<br />

March of this year,” Metz said. “I like that<br />

it came easy for me. I have a lot to improve<br />

but it’s exciting to see my progress in a very<br />

little amount of time.”<br />

She set the first record on March 29 with<br />

a throw of 36.04 meters or 118 feet, 11<br />

inches. She bettered it later in the season.<br />

The school record and her current record is<br />

39.23 meters or 128 feet, 70 inches.<br />

She plans to participate in the Vikings’<br />

track and field program all four years.<br />

“My goal is to make it to state the next<br />

three years and win state by my senior year,”<br />

Metz said.<br />

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MID RIVERS<br />

H O M E P A G E S


FACEBOOK.COM/MIDRIVERSNEWSMAGAZINE<br />

MIDRIVERSNEWSMAGAZINE.COM<br />

September 4, 20<strong>24</strong><br />

MID RIVERS NEWSMAGAZINE<br />

I 31<br />

MOVING THE SCALE, from page 10<br />

heaviest. Grobe said she considered herself<br />

to be a “normal” weight until she hit her 20s.<br />

Then over the next two decades, she said she<br />

maintained the same lifestyle but continued<br />

to gain weight and did not know why.<br />

Before seeing Hawatmeh in 2021, Grobe<br />

said she was referred to an endocrinologist<br />

who determined that she had Hashimoto’s<br />

Hypothyroidism, a disease that causes an<br />

underactive thyroid. Grobe said she was<br />

hopeful this was the answer to why she<br />

wasn’t losing weight, but it turned out that<br />

there was more going on with her health.<br />

“When I got on medication for my thyroid<br />

I thought I would see the weight come off<br />

right away,” Grobe said. “But I only lost<br />

about 15 pounds. I was eating healthy and<br />

exercising, but I wasn’t losing any more<br />

weight. Not much changed after three to<br />

four months on the thyroid medication.”<br />

This is when Grobe sought the help of<br />

Hawatmeh.<br />

“Right away we knew there was more<br />

going on,” Grobe said. “After more testing,<br />

Dr. Hawatmeh diagnosed me with high cholesterol,<br />

fatty liver and insulin resistance.”<br />

Knowing there are options for weight<br />

loss treatment, Grobe said she didn’t want<br />

to consider weight loss surgery. One big<br />

reason for this was that it was not covered<br />

by her health insurance, and neither were<br />

medications. Grobe’s insurance only covers<br />

consultations for weight loss. Hawatmeh<br />

said getting insurance companies to cover<br />

the expensive injectable weight loss drugs<br />

is a hurdle for a lot of her patients.<br />

“Medicare doesn’t cover any weight loss<br />

medication,” Hawatmeh said. “Ozempic<br />

and Mounjaro are only covered by insurance<br />

if the patient has diabetes. If they are<br />

paying out of pocket, those drugs can cost<br />

$1,000 a month, if not more.”<br />

At the time, Grobe said she was almost<br />

considered diabetic according to her medical<br />

tests.<br />

“I was three points below the number you<br />

have to be in order to be considered diabetic,”<br />

Grobe said. “Dr. Hawatmeh made<br />

multiple appeals to the insurance company<br />

for coverage and all of them were denied.”<br />

Grobe started taking Ozempic with<br />

samples, and when those ran out, she had<br />

a coupon to get Mounjaro for $25 a month.<br />

She said the added drug in Mounjaro helped<br />

the weight come off for her.<br />

“I was on it for at least a year, then (Eli<br />

Lilly and Company) ended the coupon,”<br />

Grobe said. “Out of pocket is $1,200 a<br />

month. Who can afford that? I had to quit<br />

taking it. I have a house payment.”<br />

By then, Grobe said she had lost enough<br />

weight that all of her health issues had been<br />

resolved.<br />

She had gone from a size 26 to a size 8.<br />

Grobe said she continued her monthly visits<br />

with Hawatmeh and continued eating her<br />

same diet and maintained the same level of<br />

exercise. However, her weight crept back up.<br />

“When I didn’t have the medicine, we<br />

tried other things,” Grobe said. “While we<br />

were doing that from November 2023-January<br />

20<strong>24</strong> I gained 56 pounds doing the same<br />

things.”<br />

Grobe said the only difference was she<br />

was not taking her weekly doses of Mounjaro.<br />

She said her insulin resistance was<br />

likely the reason her weight was coming<br />

back on. In order to get back on the medication,<br />

Grobe said she went to a compound<br />

pharmacy, but the drug she got from there<br />

didn’t help as much as the name-brand<br />

Mounjaro did for her weight loss.<br />

Accountability<br />

Grobe follows an exercise program and<br />

nutrition plan. She lifts weights three days a<br />

week, does a workout with her body weight<br />

once a week and walks at least 30 minutes a<br />

day, six days a week. She also swims.<br />

“I shoot for 8,000-10,000 steps a day,”<br />

Grobe said. “I didn’t start with that. I had<br />

to start low and build on it. I eat meat and<br />

veggies. I have a protein shake every day. I<br />

do eat fruit, but not too much because of the<br />

sugar. I drink plenty of water.”<br />

Grobe said meeting with Hawatmeh<br />

monthly has helped hold her accountable.<br />

“It’s hard to lose the weight on your own,”<br />

Grobe said. “If you can go to a professional<br />

who can help you … you should. I couldn’t<br />

have done this by myself. It’s hard and it’s<br />

OK to ask people to help you out.”<br />

Grobe gaining weight when coming off<br />

of the medication is not uncommon. In fact,<br />

Dr. Darin Minkin said long-term data shows<br />

that 90% of patients who lose weight with<br />

medication will gain back everything within<br />

11 months once stopping the medication.<br />

Minkin is a general and advanced laparoscopic<br />

surgeon and founder St. Luke’s Des<br />

Peres Hospital’s bariatric surgical program.<br />

He has performed more than 4,000 bariatric<br />

operations and said sometimes surgery is<br />

the best option for weight loss.<br />

“Patients with a higher BMI need a permanent<br />

tool for their weight loss,” Minkin<br />

said. “In most cases, their best chance to<br />

lose weight and keep it off is surgery.”<br />

Minkin’s practice also focuses on a comprehensive<br />

approach to weight loss and<br />

includes support groups, nutrition and fitness<br />

coaching and even uses medication for<br />

weight loss in addition to surgery. The maximum<br />

weight patients can be to qualify for<br />

bariatric surgery is 500 pounds. Minkin said<br />

he uses injectable drugs, or other weight<br />

loss medications, to help those patients lose<br />

enough weight to qualify for surgery.<br />

“Sometimes, if a patient who lost weight<br />

after surgery starts gaining, they will go on<br />

medication to help keep that weight off,”<br />

Minkin said.<br />

Meanwhile, affordable access to Mounjaro<br />

for Grobe continues to be an issue.<br />

“I don’t know the long-term plan yet,”<br />

Grobe said. “I would love to totally stop,<br />

but that all depends on my blood work. So<br />

far when I go off the medicine, my numbers<br />

get bad again. It’s not just about my weight.”<br />

After being on this journey for almost<br />

three years, Grobe said she wished more<br />

doctors were knowledgeable about medical<br />

weight loss treatment. Hawatmeh said<br />

the AMA recognizing obesity as a chronic<br />

disease is a step in the right direction.<br />

“When we discuss obesity we treat it like<br />

we would any other chronic disease and<br />

medications are meant to be used lifelong,”<br />

Hawatmeh said. “However, I have taken a<br />

small amount of patients off the medication<br />

either due to loss of (insurance) coverage,<br />

they have reached their goal weight or they<br />

no longer want to be on it. But most patients<br />

will gain some or all of their weight back.”<br />

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