■ Rock Township Ambulance District has let its state narcotics license lapse three times since 2001 and is under state disciplinary action for its most recent lapse, which occurred in 2015. For the first two lapses, one in 2001 and the other in 2006, the district received a letter of censure. But after Rock Township let its narcotics license expire again, on Feb. 28, 2015, the Missouri Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs (BNDD), part of the state’s Department of Health and Senior Services, placed the district on probation. The ambulance district is the only one in Jefferson County with a history of discipline and only one of five in the state currently on probation. See Nathan Anton and Kim Robertson’s Page 1 investigative report.
■ A project to build wooden jewelry boxes at Festus High School that linked students in the industrial arts class taught by Russ Schmidt with students in the daily living class taught by special education teacher Jena Bohn ended up creating sweet bonds between the kids. See Laura Marlow’s heartwarming Page 1 story.
■ Jefferson County businessman Todd Mahn, 45, owner of Mahn Funeral Homes in De Soto and Festus, is running in the Aug. 2 primary for the Republican Party’s nomination for Missouri’s 8th District congressional seat, taking on incumbent Jason Smith, R-Salem. Mahn formerly tried to win the seat as a Democrat, but said the Republican Party’s platform is a better fit for him. See Kevin Carbery’s story.
■ The Melba Theatre in De Soto is closed and the doors are padlocked, but Herman Carnell Jr., who formerly owned the theater and says he owns it again, is hoping to reopen it by the end of the month. See Tracey Bruce’s story.
■ One of the new owners of the Teamsters Health and Medical Camp just east of Pevely says his group hopes to make the overall facility profitable, but the owners’ immediate focus is to promote their golf course. The camp property, 1230 Abbey Lane, includes Union Hills Golf Course and also has a swimming pool and other features, including a lake, pavilions, RV hookups, camping, hiking trails and ballfields.
■ If Jefferson County Democrats didn’t raise the white flag with their paltry set of filings for the 2016 county elections last month, Associate Circuit Judge Shannon Dougherty may have done it for them, Editorial Page editor Patrick Martin writes in this week’s column.
■ Thanks to a community-spirited gift, some hard work and a persevering attitude, folks can still sing “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” at Hillsboro, Sports editor Gordon Bess writes in this week’s column about refurbishment of the Hillsboro Little League fields after major damage from flash flooding in July 2015.
***** Get ready for the Leader Pet Expo, set for May 1 at the Jefferson County Fairgrounds. You, and your pet, are invited! See the April 28 paper for the line-up of events.