■ Michael S. Abboud, the Jefferson County Jail inmate who collapsed in his cell in March and was pronounced dead a short time later at an area hospital, died from an accidental drug overdose, the Sheriff’s Office reports. A Medical Examiner’s Office report was needed to determine the cause of death, and it was completed July 14, showing that Abboud, 36, House Springs, died of “acute fentanyl intoxication,” the Sheriff’s Office reported. See Kim Robertson’s Page 1 story.
■ Bryan Roberts knew all about heavenly vistas long before he started helping people find God. One of the new faces of church leadership in Jefferson County, Roberts got an advanced, if informal, education in teaching and counseling during his 21-year career in the Air Force. The former first sergeant once was in charge of up to 200 enlisted men and women who came to him with their life struggles. Those encounters and encouragement from a pastor set Roberts, 44, of Barnhart on a path to ministry that brought him to Zion Lutheran Church in Pevely this summer. In June, he stepped into the role of vicar at Zion. See Gordon Bess’ Page 1 feature story.
■ David Piper profited from a change in his routine. Really profited. Piper, 67, of Imperial won a $10 million prize from the Missouri Lottery’s $300,000,000 Golden Ticket scratch-off game, the largest prize. He purchased the ticket at the Schnucks Market, 3900 Vogel Road, in Arnold after switching to a different machine from his usual one. See Tony Krausz’s story.
■ A petition drive to force an election to recall Ken Waller will go on, even though he has said he will not seek a third term as Jefferson County executive. Jeremy Day, one of the organizers, said Waller’s July 17 announcement that he will not seek re-election in 2018 will not slow down his group’s campaign to remove Waller from office. “At this point, there are two ways he can stop this recall,” Day said. “One is if he announces that he’s not going to seek public office in 2018. But he’s left his options open, and we fully expect that he’s going to use them. The second is if he just resigns now.” See Steve Taylor’s story.
■ The De Soto Board of Education on July 20 voted to appoint Lori McKee to fill the board seat left open when Larry Sanders resigned May 18. The vote was 6-0. McKee, 45, lives in the district outside De Soto city limits and works in financial planning for Hovis & Associates in De Soto. See Kevin Carbery’s story.
■ Leader editor Peggy Bess has worked for the newspaper for all of its 23 years, but uses the column this week to introduce herself.
■ Sports editor Russell Korando recaps his first year as Leader sports editor in his Aug. 3 column and covers Festus American Legion Post 253 baseball team’s dashed post-season hopes.
*** So long, Patrick Martin. Happy retirement. We will all miss you.