■ People from around the world will be heading to Jefferson County this summer to witness a special event that has been 575 years in the making: a total solar eclipse. There will be festivals and events in the days leading up to the Aug. 21 event, and public viewing locations set up across the county for the eclipse itself. See Laura Marlow’s Page 1 feature that sums up planning so far.
■ Jefferson County will participate in a regional prescription drug monitoring program, perhaps as soon as July 1. The Jefferson County Health Department’s Board of Trustees took the fight against the opioid epidemic into its own hands by voting 4-0 at its May 25 meeting to enact an ordinance to establish a Jefferson County prescription drug monitoring program (PDMP) and coordinate it with a program established by the St. Louis County Department of Public Health that includes or soon will include 21 other counties and six cities around the state. See Tracey Bruce’s Page 1 story.
■ Former Vineland Elementary principal Adam Grindstaff has filed suit in Jefferson County Circuit Court over his recent departure from the De Soto School District, naming as defendants the school board, Superintendent Josh Isaacson and assistant superintendent Clint Freeman.
Grindstaff resigned April 28 but alleges in the lawsuit that he was forced to do so. See Kevin Carbery’s story.
■ Sherry Poppen has resigned from the Fox C-6 Board of Education, and the school district is seeking candidates to fill the vacancy. Poppen was elected in April 2015 to a three-year term on the school board. So, the remaining six school board members will appoint someone to fill the rest of the term, which expires in April 2018. See Kim Robertson’s story.
■ The upcoming Jefferson County Rodeo promises some new acts to go along with its traditional riding competitions, event chairman Doug Goforth said. The rodeo, an International Professional Rodeo Association competition, is set for Friday and Saturday, June 9-10, at the Jefferson County Fairgrounds, 10349 Business 21, Hillsboro. Gates open at 5 p.m. each night with the rodeo getting underway at 7 p.m. See Kevin Carbery’s story.
■ Peggy Bess writes an Editorial Page column this week about school board members who keep information to themselves that should be shared publicly. Officials should be trying to reveal as much as they can rather than focusing on bending the rules to keep secrets.
■ The Sports section this week focuses on state track results and stellar efforts by several athletes across the county. Oh, and there’s some baseball, too.
*** More sun, more hours to play. Summertime is near!