■ Two Jefferson Countians have been inducted into the Special Olympics Missouri Hall of Fame – athlete Brock Guseman, 40, of High Ridge and coach Terri Dallas, 56, of De Soto, the leisure services coordinator for NextStep for Life, which provides a variety of services for Jefferson County residents with disabilities. Guseman and Dallas were among three people added to the Hall of Fame last month. A Special Olympics athlete from Columbia, Sarah Byland, also was inducted into the Hall of Fame. See Tracey Bruce’s story.
■ The Jefferson County Parks and Recreation Department has added to its High Ridge Civic Center property. The Jefferson County Council voted 6-0 Jan. 28 to spend $43,000 to buy a 1.05-acre piece of land at 2800 Horrell Lane. The piece of land will be added to the Civic Center lot, which is “L” shaped, to make it a rectangle of about 4 acres total. See Steve Taylor’s story.
■ Nisha Patel made a promise the night she was introduced as the Fox C-6 School District’s next superintendent. Patel, who’s been an educator for 20 years, said every child who enters one of the district’s schools will be loved, cared for and served, and that the child will leave the district with a purpose. “I want to be known as the kids’ superintendent,” said Patel, 46, who is currently the district’s assistant superintendent in charge of secondary education. “That is my goal.” More than 200 people showed up Jan. 29 at the Fox C-6 Service Center to learn who would succeed Superintendent Jim Wipke, who announced in November that he is leaving Fox to take the same position at the Ladue School District. See Tony Krausz’s story.
■ Crystal City School District officials will hold an informational meeting Feb. 12 to explain how the process to hire a new superintendent will work and to get public comments before the search begins. The meeting will begin at 7 p.m. and will be held in the Crystal City High School auditorium, 1100 Mississippi Ave. District residents are invited to the meeting, which is expected to last about an hour. See Kevin Carbery’s story.
■ Gaye Counts, the wife of Arnold Mayor Ron Counts, said she likes to stay out of the spotlight. However, her contributions to the city were publicly celebrated Jan. 15, when the Arnold Chamber of Commerce presented her with the 2019 Don Earl Citizen of the Year award, recognizing her community service. Counts, who received the award during a chamber breakfast at the Drury Inn, was honored for using her skills as a master gardener to help the city create the Farmers Market eight years ago, as well as for other projects she has worked on over the years. See Tony Krausz’s story.
■ The Arnold City Council had a portion of its Jan. 17 meeting go to dogs – and to the cats and other animals. Council members voted to amend three city codes related to service animals, animal bites and disposal of animal fecal matter. The council voted 6-0 to allow service animals inside city-owned buildings and facilities, as long as documentation can be provided showing they are service animals. See Tony Krausz’s story.
■ Patrick Martin writes the Editorial Page column this week, addressing the need for a state law to prohibit texting while driving – for ALL ages. Whoo-hoo! – extra letters in the Jefferson County Leader.
■ A 2002 Crystal City High graduate works for the L.A. Rams as a manager of sports science and assistant athletic trainer. Tyler Williams, 35, was on the sidelines in the epicenter of the sports universe Sunday. See Russell Korando’s column in the Sports section, which also features wrestling and basketball coverage.
*** Winter, spring, winter, spring. Mother Nature, please make up your mind.