■ Stephanie Dandridge, 70, of Pevely drops to one knee and pleads with a man holding a baby over a railing to place the child back into a stroller. She feigns putting her gun down to convince the man she will not harm him and keeps encouraging him to return the baby to safety. Eventually, the man gently puts the child into the stroller, and Dandridge gets off the ground and keeps her gun trained on the man. That was just one scenario Dandridge and other members of the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office 39th Citizens Academy encountered April 2 as they completed shooting-simulator exercises at Jefferson College’s Imperial campus on Hwy. 61-67. See Tony Krausz’s Page 1 feature story.
■ If you take care of someone with a cognitive disorder, you probably worry about that loved one wandering off and getting lost. But, the Jefferson County Health Department and the Sheriff's Office are working together to help ease that worry. The agencies are partnering up to apply for grants to fund Project Lifesaver, which would provide caregivers and law enforcement and fire and rescue agencies across the county with a better way to keep track of people with cognitive problems, like dementia, autism, Down syndrome and traumatic brain injuries. See Katelyn Mary Skaggs’ story.
■ When students at Our Lady Queen of Peace School in House Springs gather their belongings and walk out the door on the last day of school next month, they will head off in new directions. The school, which is 53 years old, is closing for good on May 23 because of declining enrollment, said the Rev. Dennis Schmidt, the church’s pastor. See Tracey Bruce’s story.
■ To address the Sheriff’s Office need for more space to store crime evidence, the Jefferson County Council voted unanimously April 8 to purchase a building in Pevely. The council agreed to spend $780,000 to buy a building to store evidence at 1177 Mason Circle North in the I-55 Business Park. The building formerly housed the Duester Electric Co., an electrical contractor. See Steve Taylor’s story.
■ There’s no such thing as a recession in the business of helping the needy. Recognizing that, the St. Rose of Lima St. Vincent de Paul Society in De Soto has undergone a major expansion, acquiring a warehouse next to its thrift store at 326 S. Second St. The De Soto society, also known as the local St. Vincent de Paul Society “conference,” celebrated its centennial in 2017 and ended that year with a major boost from the Jefferson Foundation, which awarded the organization an $83,000 grant. The De Soto conference used the grant to purchase a neighboring warehouse from Mueller Electric. The 3,300-square-foot warehouse, built in 1950, is at 204 W. Pratt St. and is now packed with furniture that is sold at the thrift store. See Gordon Bess’ story.
■ The tennis courts at Sunset Park in Festus will be replaced, and a fourth court will be added.
Festus City Council members voted 8-0 April 10 to award a $362,795 contract to McConnell & Associates in St. Louis to complete the renovations at the park, 816 Parkview Drive. The company was the only bidder for the project. “I’m glad it’s happening,” said Sam Richards, who presided over his first meeting as mayor following the April 2 election. “The tennis courts have been there so many years. It’s time.” See Kevin Carbery’s story.
■ Editor Peggy Bess writes this week about the county’s tourism taxes and how visitors to local hotels help fund our community.
■ Sports editor Russell Korando celebrates St. Pius coach Jerry Woods in this week’s “The County Line.” Also see some exciting sports photography in the sports section.
*** The Grand Times features lovely vacation photos and invites you to attend the De Soto Senior Expo on April 24. See you there!