■ The salary for a starting road patrol deputy at the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office will increase from $37,902 to $50,300 next year, a nearly 33 percent increase. Jefferson County Council members voted unanimously June 11 to approve a new Sheriff’s Office salary schedule, which reflects pay increases for 192 commissioned officers, which includes jail officers. Those increases will take effect Jan. 1 and come on the heels of the passage of Proposition P, a 35-cent property tax for the Sheriff’s Office that in the unincorporated parts of the county overwhelmingly approved in April. See Steve Taylor’s Page 1 story.
■ The June 21 Leader invites the public to a Saturday open house at Mercy Hospital Jefferson in Crystal City to tour new facilities that are part of a $175 million renovation project. The event is set for 9-11 a.m. at 1400 Hwy. 61. Check out the eight-page special section that describes what’s new.
■ Part of the stone foundation from a grist mill that gave Byrnes Mill its name still stands along the Big River at the city’s park. About 150 years have passed since the late Patrick Byrne purchased the mill, and more than 80 years have gone by since the mill was destroyed by fire, leaving just the foundation. Those old stones aren’t the only reminder left of the town’s namesake, though. Patrick’s great-great-grandson, Christopher “Chris” Byrne III, and great-great-great-grandson, Leo Christopher Byrne, live in a house along Byrnesville Road in House Springs on the exact spot where Patrick’s log cabin once stood. See Tracey Bruce’s Page 1 feature story.
■ More than 200 people descended upon the Jefferson County Administration Center in Hillsboro on June 14, filling all the seats in the assembly room and sitting on the floor between the aisles and in the front of the room. They left with what they wanted to hear. The Jefferson County Planning and Zoning Commission voted unanimously to recommend denial of a request for a conditional-use permit to open a silica sand quarry at the corner of Hwy. 21 and Old Hwy. 21 in the Goldman area north of Hillsboro. St. Peter Sand Co. LLC of Arnold submitted the request, asking for the permit so the company can operate a sand mine on 259 acres at 7808 Vatterott Lane, a private, gated gravel road off Tishomingo Road. See Steve Taylor’s story.
■ Bluff City Beer Co., a longtime beer distributor at 1555 McNutt St. in Herculaneum, will cease operations July 20 under sales agreements with Kohlfeld Distributing and Summit Distributing. The Bluff City warehouse has been distributing liquor since the 1930s. The building will go up for sale and 17 Bluff City employees at the Herculaneum site may apply for jobs with the new owners of the distributorship territories. See Kevin Carbery’s story.
■ With enough apparent good will on both sides, the long-running annexation feud between the city of De Soto and the surrounding De Soto Rural Fire Protection District may have just entered a new and more positive phase. In a letter dated June 14, De Soto Rural FPD Board Chairman Mark Mahn wrote to De Soto Mayor Rich McCane, proposing that the two sides “develop a task force committee to examine the problems that divide our departments, and propose goals to solve these issues.” He was writing in response to McCane’s presentation at the June 13 meeting of De Soto Rural’s Board of Directors. See Gordon Bess’ story.
■ Jefferson County’s five Rotary Clubs are coming together to raise money for the county Health Department’s new wellness van, which has begun traveling throughout the county to provide mobile health services. The Festus and Crystal City, Hillsboro, High Ridge, Arnold and De Soto clubs will hold a golf tournament on Friday, Aug. 10, in House Springs, with hopes of raising $10,000, with at least half of that going to the Health Department. The money will go toward covering costs of people who receive services aboard the van but are unable to pay. See Katelyn Mary Skaggs’ story.
■ Who dun wut in the feud between Jefferson County Executive Ken Waller and most of the County Council? Peggy Bess follows the trail in her column in the Editorial section, which includes an array of letters from writers countywide.
■ Sports editor Russell Korando writes this week in favor of a change for American Legion ball – cutting games from nine innings to seven. The change was discussed for five years, and is long overdue, Korando says. Also read about two no-hitters in three days for the Jefferson County Blazers’ pitching staff.
*** See you at the hospital open house!