■ Ryan O’Connor’s home life should become a lot easier in about a year. That’s when O’Connor, a retired Arnold Police officer who was shot in the head in December 2017 by a burglary suspect, will get to move into a new “smart home,” thanks to the Gary Sinise Foundation, which is building the house. The home is expected to be complete by late summer or early fall next year, said Chris Kuban, a Gary Sinise Foundation spokesman. When the house is completed, the organization will give it to the O’Connors mortgage free. O’Connor and his family attended a groundbreaking ceremony held Oct. 3 in Wildwood, where the home is being built. At the ceremony, an artist’s rendering of the home was unveiled. “Just seeing the home, it is mind blowing,” O’Connor said. “The house is amazing.” See Tony Krausz’s story.
■ Arnold city officials have agreed to pay $20,000 to former Community Development director Mary Holden to settle a discrimination complaint she filed against the city last year, after she left Arnold to take a job in Florida. Holden filed the complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the Missouri Commission of Human Rights on Oct. 31, 2018, claiming gender discrimination and retaliation. She had worked for the city for 15 years before resigning in June 2018 to become senior planner for the city of Marco Island, Fla. See Tony Krausz’s story.
■ Should you be allowed to drop a few coins into a slot machine at your nearest convenience store? How about at the civic organization where you play bingo? That’s the thorny question state officials have been grappling with this year, and one local legislator is leading a committee charged with coming up with answers to that question and others. State Rep. Dan Shaul of Imperial (R-District 113) is the chair of a special House committee that has been meeting over the summer and fall with the hopes of drafting legislation that the General Assembly could consider in 2020. “We’ve got a beehive stirred up, and we have to make sure we get the honey out of it and hope that nobody gets stung,” Shaul said. See Steve Taylor’s story.
■ About 75 people attended a ribbon-cutting and open house, held Oct. 3 to mark completion of High Ridge Elementary School’s new gymnasium, which doubles as a tornado shelter that can withstand winds up to 250 miles per hour. “The structure is magnificent,” said Geoff Macy, the Northwest R-1 School District’s chief operating officer. “There is no other one like it, in the district or the county.” See Tracey Bruce’s story.
■ Thousands of women showed up in full witch regalia to haunt the streets of Kimmswick on Saturday. It was the city’s ninth annual Witches Night Out, and according to organizer Valerie Meyers, everyone had a cackling good time. “We had a little over 4,000 women, and we also had a full moon, only the second full moon we’ve had, and perfect weather,” she said. See Mary McKinstry’s story.
■ The pipeline work associated with eliminating the Festus sewage lagoon near West City Park will continue to cause temporary road closures in town for the foreseeable future, Public Works Superintendent Matt Clemens said. The $3.2 million lagoon elimination project began in early September and is slowly progressing, he said. Above and Below Contracting of Festus is the contractor for the project. See Kevin Carbery’s story.
■ Sports editor Russell Korando writes about the scoring drought that has hit the St. Pius X boys soccer team. Besides that pain, the school is dealing with a recent decision to change the team’s classification from Class 1 to Class 2. See the column and a roundup of fall sports.
■ Did you hear? The first Jefferson County Job Fair is set for Oct. 23. Peggy Bess’ column this week offers hiring tips in a low-unemployment market. Letters praise or bash Trump, plus hit an array of other topics.
*** Everyone is invited to the Jefferson County Job Fair, 3-7 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 23, at the Fox C-6 Service Center, 849 Jeffco Blvd., in Arnold. Read about the fair on Pages 1-16B in the Oct. 17 Leader.