■ Festus R-6 was the only school district in Jefferson County to reach the highest level in English and math on the state’s revamped Annual Performance Report (APR), which was released last month. See Tony Krausz’s Page 1 story, which provides detailed information on the performance of each of the county’s 11 public school districts.
■ It started as a simple get-together at a park on a Monday afternoon. Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Matt Moore sent an email to his fellow deputies asking them to meet Nov. 4 at Sandy Creek Covered Bridge State Historic Site north of Hillsboro to celebrate the 17 deputies who welcomed babies to their families this year. Sheriff Dave Marshak reached out to a photojournalist he knows to take a photo of the 14 deputies who were able to make it to the park that day. A reporter tagged along, which spawned a news story published last week in a St. Louis publication, chronicling the large number of babies born to the Sheriff’s Office families this year. The story was picked up by the Associated Press wire service and shortly thereafter spread to publications around the world. See Tony Krausz’s Page 1 feature story.
■ Kyle Ryan Polete of St. Louis, a former Cedar Hill Fire Protection District firefighter, has been charged with a felony for allegedly using a cell phone to take a video of a woman in a tanning booth at Arnold Club Fitness, 2218 Michigan Ave, according to court records. Polete was charged Oct. 17 with first-degree harassment, a class E felony punishable by up to four years in prison. See the story, reported by Leader staff.
■ A deal to keep the Arnold Golf Club open, with the city retaining ownership but no longer covering operational expenses, could be placed on a tee next month. Arnold City Administrator Bryan Richison said City Council members recommended that Arnold pursue a five-year deal with Walters Golf Management, turning over operation of the 5,580-yard, par-70 course at One Golfview Drive to the company. Richison said five of eight council members recommended entering into a contract with Walters, which had been hired to manage the course last year. See Tony Krausz’s story.
■ Hundreds of people turned out for the 13th annual De Soto Veterans Day Parade and Luncheon on Nov. 9, said Jeff Valle, one of the organizers. “We had two World War II veterans. We had vets of the Korean War, the Gulf wars, the Vietnam War and the War on Terror – we had a cross section of people who have served since World War II,” said Valle, chairman of the Veterans Parade and Luncheon Committee. See Kevin Carbery’s story.
■ The Festus R-6 School District officials will hold a variety of activities this winter to honor the former Douglass Cooperative High School, which enrolled black students during segregation. As part of the recognition, Festus school officials would like to hear from those who worked for or attended the old school. They also would like to borrow artifacts from the school, which closed in the 1950s. See Kevin Carbery’s story.
■ Seeking more space, the owner of Bates Automotive, 1228 N. Truman Blvd., in Crystal City recently bought the lot next door. So, the busy auto repair shop has relocated its office to what formerly was a Taco Bell restaurant at 1226 N. Truman Blvd. Owner Jeff Bates said he intends to convert the old office in his garage structure into service bays. His garage currently has four bays, and he plans to add two more bays. See Kevin Carbery’s story.
■ Gordon Bess writes about the Gettysburg Address in the Nov. 14 editorial column. You won’t be surprised by varying views on impeachment.
■ A lively Sports section recaps outcomes for high school teams who went to state tournaments, plus check out Sports editor Russell Korando’s column on Jefferson High football player Will Breeze and his recovery from a neck injury.
*** Mitten weather. BRRRR!