■ At least two members of the Byrnes Mill Police Department, Lt. Roger Ide and Officer Kevin Schroeder, have been placed on leave without pay in the wake of an investigation into the department. City officials would not give names of suspended officers or say how many had been put on leave, but the two men told the Leader they had been suspended. Ide was the subject of a vote of no confidence Byrnes Mill Police took in August, and after that vote, a letter signed by eight Byrnes Mill Police officers was forwarded to the Board of Aldermen detailing numerous complaints against Ide. See Tracey Bruce’s Page 1 story.
■ More than 1,000 people attended the Jefferson County Bicentennial Exposition on Saturday at the Jefferson County Fairgrounds in Hillsboro. “It’s hard to estimate, but I know there were at least 1,000, and maybe as many as 1,500 people there over the course of the day,” said Bernard Laiben, chairman of the Jefferson County Bicentennial Committee, which sponsored the event. “We had 1,000 programs, and they were gone pretty early.” The warm, breezy day was perfect for the event – marred only by a brief but intense rain squall that doused everything at about 2:30 p.m. See Laura Marlow’s story.
■ For operators of bingo games around the county, “N–6” looms large. On Nov. 6, voters across Missouri will decide the fate of Amendment 4, a change to the state constitution that, if approved by a simple majority, will ease the restrictions on who can work at bingo games. Under current state law, those who work at bingo games must be a member of the sponsoring organization for two years. The proposed amendment would cut that requirement to six months. See Steve Taylor’s Page 1 story.
■ It looks like Jefferson County hot rod enthusiasts Dave Sewell, 51, of High Ridge and Matt Cruise, 40, of Dittmer are about to get their 15 minutes of fame. The two men formed the St. Louis Street Kingz Club, which will be featured on the upcoming season of “Street Outlaws: Memphis,” a Discovery Channel reality TV series focused on street racing. No date has been announced for the start of the show’s second season, but it’s tentatively scheduled to begin in early November, according to a spokeswoman for “Street Outlaws: Memphis.”
■ Tiffany Lindsey, owner of newly opened Sherwoods Classic Eats in Barnhart, said while her restaurant offers familiar American fare, it is gaining notice for its special dessert from the Old World, chimney cakes. The restaurant opened Aug. 27 at 1725 Catlin Drive in a building that also houses the Mobil On the Run convenience store. The restaurant has seating for 50 inside and for 30 outside at its covered patio. See Kevin Carbery’s story.
■ The city of Arnold will take over maintenance of streets in the Maxville Gardens subdivision, now that streets and sidewalks finally have been completed there, Arnold City Administrator Bryan Richison said. The subdivision, which was built about 10 years ago, is off Missouri State Road and includes Agape, Chara, Eirene, Karpos and Pistis streets, which have been repaired and brought up to the city’s standards, Richison said. The Arnold City Council is expected to accept the streets for maintenance at its next meeting, which starts at 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 18, at Arnold City Hall, 2101 Jeffco Blvd. See Tracey Bruce’s story.
■ Sports editor Russell Korando writs about Luke Skaggs, who is a fresh young face in prep officiating. Also in sports, the St. Pius X girls tennis team continues its undefeated season as district team champions.
■ Editor Peggy Bess revisits the subject of lobbyists gifts in her column this week. The Leader that goes to south Jefferson County has EXTRA letters this week.
*** See you at the Arnold Senior Expo – 8 a.m. to noon Wednesday, Oct. 10 at the Arnold Recreation Center, 1695 Missouri State Road.