■ Louise Johnson knew she wanted to thank the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office for all the help the agency gave her when she was living on her farm in the Jefferson County portion of Fenton. So, the animal lover decided to donate $20,000 to the Sheriff’s Office – enough money to purchase a new K-9 officer, get training for the dog and buy a bullet-proof vest for it. See Tony Krausz’s story.
■ After Kayleb Briggs, 8, of Cedar Hill died from an apparent asthma attack on Halloween, friends, neighbors and even strangers have come out to support his family, said his grandmother, Marian Alexander of the Hillsboro area. Kayleb, who died not long after returning home from a friend’s house on Oct. 31, was a second-grader at Hillsboro Elementary School, and the Hillsboro R-3 School District community also has offered its support. See Tracey Bruce’s story.
■ You can summarize the approach for plugging the holes at the top of De Soto city government with two words. It’s temporary. The City Council has named city clerk Ann Baker as interim manager and Sgt. Michael McMunn as interim police chief effective Nov. 3, the day after the board met in closed session to approve both moves. Neither Baker nor McMunn has any interest in taking the jobs permanently. See Gordon Bess’ story.
■ Debbie Dunnegan has announced she will run for a third term as Jefferson County’s recorder of deeds. Dunnegan, 53, of the Hillsboro area is a Republican in the middle of her second four-year term. The Recorder of Deeds Office is the county’s official document repository, responsible for maintaining land records and related documents, plus providing public access to the records. See Steve Taylor’s story.
■ Go ahead; overwhelm them. The Jefferson County Health Department wants more young children to have their blood checked for exposure to lead and doesn’t mind if the job keeps nurses busy. “We would love it if we could get all the kids in to get tested,” Health Department Director Kelley Vollmar said. “It’s a free test they can do at any time. We would love to be overwhelmed.” The open invitation is tied to Jefferson County’s status as a hot spot for lead contamination. The county has two lead-related Superfund sites under the supervision of the federal Environmental Protection Administration. See Peggy Bess’ story.
■ A marriage, of sorts, is in the works in the fight against substance abuse in Jefferson County, and the two parties involved are pretty pleased about the idea. In a process slated to start in January, the Jefferson County Health Department hopes to absorb the Jefferson County Drug Prevention Coalition. The board that oversees the Health Department has informally approved the concept while the coalition’s board is expected to take up the matter on Nov. 15. See Peggy Bess’ story.
■ Ahead of Veterans Day, Leader Special Sections editor Laura Marlow writes the column in the Editorial Pages this week, telling of her experiences in compiling stories by and about veterans for a Nov. 9 Leader tribute.
■ Sports gets a Page 1 this week as well as its regular section. As Sports editor Russell Korando writes: The site of the state cross country championships was Jefferson City, but by the end of Saturday, the competition had a distinct Jefferson County feel to it. The Festus boys won their fourth straight Class 3 state championship at the Oak Hills Golf Course. About an hour before the Festus boys ran, the Festus girls claimed their second state championship by edging Herculaneum 108-110. In addition, the Herculaneum girls cross country team finished in the top four for the 14th straight year, a state record.
*** It’s time to buy your tickets for the Dec. 1 Leader Holiday Dinner. Call the Leader at 636-931-7560.