■ On a spring evening in rural De Soto, Dixie, a baby dwarf Nigerian goat sits on her owner’s lap, seemingly unconcerned about whether she looks cute snuggling there or instead, tasty. It’s an important distinction at the Henry Family Farm, where only Dixie, another goat and three Great Pyrenees dogs are pets. The hundreds of other animals being raised on the farm – Black Angus cattle, pigs, sheep and chickens – are destined for the table. The Henry Farm is one of four farms that recently received permits from the Jefferson County Health Department in a new program that sets health safety guidelines for family farms to sell their meat products directly to local customers. See Tracey Bruce’s Page 1 feature story.
■ Following the lead of Byrnes Mill and Kimmswick, Jefferson County government and seven cities will ask voters Aug. 2 to allow the continuation of a sales tax on the titling of motor vehicles and other specified items purchased from a source other than a licensed Missouri dealer. Along with the county, the cities planning for an Aug. 2 vote include Arnold, CrystalCity, De Soto, Festus, Herculaneum, Hillsboro and Pevely. See Kevin Carbery’s Page 1 story.
■ Schnuck Markets Inc. officials are interested in Hillsboro, businessman David Mangelsdorf told the city’s Board of Alderpersons May 2, while Karsch’s Village Market owners have announced they are definitely coming to town. Karsch’s spokeswoman Fran Orlando on Monday confirmed a Hillsboro Chamber of Commerce announcement saying the Karsch family will open a grocery store in the old Queen’s Supermarket, 10724 Business 21. See Kevin Carbery’s story.
■ The Arnold Business Resource Officer program, which began in November, has been a huge success, city officials say. Two Arnold Police officers are business resource officers and spend their time visiting Arnold businesses to cut down on shoplifting and other crimes in the city’s business districts. Since November, the two officers have handled 620 calls, writing 192 reports, making 68 arrests and issuing 64 criminal summonses and 23 traffic summonses. Of the 68 arrests, many were for felonies. See Kim Robertson’s story.
■ A Kevin Carbery story and Ted Howell photos recap the latest visit of the Vietnam ‘Traveling Tribute’ Memorial Wall, which was on display in Festus May 5-8. Organizers estimate about 2,500 people stopped by during the 24/7 exhibit.
■ The North Jefferson County Ambulance District is preparing to build a new ambulance house in the Fenton area this summer. The house, which is estimated to cost about $2 million, will be on Gravois Road, south of the intersection of Valley Dell and Hwy. 30, Chief Jamie Guinn said. See Tracey Bruce’s story.
■ Editorial Page editor Patrick Martin writes in his column about the second annual Leader Pet Expo, which brought about 1,000 people and 300 dogs to the Jefferson County Fairgrounds on May 1. It was great fun, and we’re going to offer it again one year from now. Mark your calendar.
■ Sports editor Gordon Bess writes about the high school baseball postseason that starts Friday at district host sites around the state and across five classes of schools. The 12 Jefferson County teams are spread across Classes 2-5 and they cover the gamut from real long-shots to serious contenders, with a lot of question marks to go around. Bess says the only thing that’s certain about the outcome is that it’s uncertain.
*** Got some pictures you took of the grandkids that are contest worthy? The “Show Off Your Grandkids” photo contest is underway, with a May 20 deadline for submissions.