■ Local coaching legend, public official and civil rights pioneer Adam McCullough Jr. died Sunday evening at Scenic Nursing & Rehabilitation Center in Herculaneum. He was 93. “Coach” McCullough, as he was known to so many, suffered from Alzheimer’s disease for more than 10 years. He and his wife, Willa, 87, whom he married in May 1955, were longtime educators and the first African-American teachers to move from all-black Douglass School to all-white Festus High School, Willa in 1954 and Adam in 1955. That made them the first to cross the educational color line in Jefferson County and begin the long process of integration locally. See Gordon Bess’ story.
■ While the number of lab-positive flu cases in Jefferson County has started to decrease, the 2018-2019 flu season is already the second-highest on record. “We have seen a steady decrease in total flu cases the past two weeks,” said Dylan Steigerwald, county Health Department epidemiologist. “Hopefully, this will continue, but there is no way to predict this in advance.” The March 17-23 report showed 137 cases, down significantly from the week before, March 10-16, when 224 cases were reported. As of March 23, Jefferson County had tallied 2,291 laboratory-positive cases for the season and five flu-related deaths. Steigerwald said the five deaths were all adults over the age of 25. See Katelyn Mary Skaggs’ story.
■ The Crystal City Board of Education has hired a new superintendent – Steven Barnes, who’s currently an assistant superintendent for the Morgan County R-3 School District in Versailles in southwestern Missouri. Barnes, 50, of Barnett will take over the top job at Crystal City on July 1. He will replace former Superintendent Philip Harrison, who was put on paid administrative leave on Aug. 29, 2018, and then retired on Feb. 14. See Kevin Carbery’s story.
■ Stephen Sutler struggled for years with drug addiction. He said the addiction cost him relationships with family and friends and even his freedom. On at least two occasions it almost cost him his life. But now, after numerous treatment programs, Sutler, 34, of Arnold is on a path of clean living. He married his wife, LeeAnne Sutler, in June 2018, and is a father figure for her two children – Myles, 16, and Selena, 10. The couple is expecting a child together in November. Stephen Sutler, who works as a carpenter, wants to use his experiences to help others overcome or avoid drug addiction. See Tony Krausz’s Page 1 feature story.
■ A painting of the Crystal City steamboat, a side-wheel wooden-hull ship built in 1887, will be one of the items auctioned off during St. Pius X High School’s Legacy Gala Dinner Auction. The event will be held Saturday, April 6, in the gym at the school, 1030 St Pius Drive, in Crystal City. Admission to the auction is $100 per person, which includes a dinner and cocktails catered by Andre’s. For more information about the auction, call 636-931-7487, ext. 135, or email gala@stpius.com.
■ Gordon Bess writes about the death penalty in the Editorial Page column.
■ See Sports editor Russell Korando’s column about Windsor High’s new baseball/softball facility and the man for whom it is named, Jack Cronin.
*** Next up, the April 24 De Soto Senior Expo. Look for details in the newspaper. See you there!