[ballwin]
Let’s call this a public-service announcement. Everyone, take that lottery ticket out of your pocket. Did you buy it Jan. 7? That’s good. At a convenience store in Ballwin? That’s great. Where, exactly? Speedy Gas & Wash? Maybe yes, maybe no, you think. Man, that could be even better! Now, let’s just chill for a few moments. Breathe in deeply. Now, hold it in. OK … let it out, slowly. Why? Because it will make you feel so much better when we give you the numbers, which would entitle you to a $3.6 million prize if they’re on your ticket. Now, put on your glasses, and turn the ticket right-side up. It’s been some stretch of weather we’re having, eh? Pitchers and catchers are to report to spring training in … excuse me? Oh, yes; the numbers. Is the first one a ‘9’? Why’d you pick that? Stan the Man wore No. 6. That’s what I picked. I bet thousands of St. Louisans pick that every week. OK; so you picked ‘9’ as your first number, and … you’re right! Awesome. So, everyone who picked ‘6’ as the first number, tear up your ticket. Bummer for all of us. But there are five other numbers, of course. They could make it or break it. Ready? Sure? All right then, here we go: 15, 33, 35, 38 and 43. Aw, nuts. You had one or two, but not all? I didn’t have any. Sucks to be us … again. But whoever has all six numbers, the Missouri Lottery is looking for you … and we bet you know who you are. Make sure to sign the back of the ticket first. Then, head straight for any of the Missouri Lottery’s four offices—in St. Louis, Springfield, Jefferson City or Kansas City. You have 180 days to claim. Please let us know when you’re leaving. We’d like to follow you. You know, for protection. Plus, to celebrate your new-found generosity.
[chesterfield]
Let’s hear a rousing fanfare for Doug Hoover, who has been named Music Educator of the Year for the 2014-15 school year. Hoover, who has taught for more than 30 years at Parkway Central High School, received the honor from the St. Louis Suburban Music Educators Association. Under his leadership, the Parkway Central Band has garnered plaudits for its musical accomplishments, as well as been in the national spotlight by performing at such events as the Pasadena Tournament of Roses Parade, the Fiesta Bowl Parade, the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, the Miami Orange Bowl Parade, and the 1989 U.S. Presidential Inaugural Parade for George H. W. Bush. Prior to his career at Parkway, Hoover taught in New Mexico and was assistant band director at a Santa Fe high school. He received a bachelor’s degree from New Mexico State and a master’s from just right of the big river at SIU-Edwardsville.
[clayton]
Regardless of whether you think the gallons of unflattering tabloid ink about country/pop star Taylor Swift are accurate, Scholastic Corp. thought enough of her to create a writing contest based on her mega-hit song Shake It Off. And the entries poured in, about 45,000 of them, by the U.S. mail (no other method of entry was allowed) with essays or poems exploring how to ‘shake off’ negative feelings. And this is where it gets serious. And where Isabella, a sixth-grader at the Wilson School in Clayton, got her moment in the spotlight. She wrote about how she shook off the blue feelings she got about her brother’s battle with leukemia, by writing or drawing. Reportedly, her brother got to ring the bell signifying the end of his chemotherapy on the very same day that Isabella was notified she’d been named one of a number of runners-up in the contest.
[creve coeur]
In sports circles, many eagerly anticipate the naming of the ‘Rookie of the Year.’ And, those who take the pulse of business activities within Creve Coeur and Olivette may be pleased to learn that the up-and-coming business named rookie of the year for 2014 is … wait for it … Trellis Bookkeeping Solutions. (And the crowd goes wild!) Tina Seidel of Trellis, 11628 Old Ballas Road, accepted the award from Ed Lindner, president of the CCO chamber. In her LinkedIn profile, Seidel emphasizes a passion for helping small businesses grow by working smarter, not harder. Lindner also handed out awards honoring the accomplishments of other hometown businesses and institutions, which included tips of the chamber’s hat for volunteer efforts and community service: Stephen Wolff of Wolff Properties was named businessperson of the year. Sports Clips received the award for its volunteer efforts. And the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, which has perhaps the largest footprint of any concern within the CCO Chamber, was recognized for its community service efforts. (Pictured, above)
[maplewood]
It goes something like this: You’re stopped at a traffic light when you feel a bump from behind. Somebody has hit you! Flustered, you put the car in park, get out and check for damage. Meanwhile, two people get out of the other car, the first to apologize profusely … the other to get in your car and take off with it. You’ve probably been hearing lately about this new twist on carjacking, in which nobody so far in our area has been hurt. After such an incident last month in Kirkwood at Geyer Avenue and Big Bend Boulevard, police provide some pointers:
1. Pull off to the side where you’ll be safer, and call 911.
2. Provide a description of the other vehicle … with a plate number, if possible.
3. If the other driver approaches, roll down the window slightly and let them know you prefer to wait until authorities arrive.
If the bump was a legitimate accident, they’ll wait until after police have finished their work. If the bump was bogus, they already may have taken off.
[o’fallon]
You can take this one all the way to the bank: a taxicab, to rob the bank. Cops say the bearded knucklehead sporting a blackand- white sweatshirt with bold skull-and-wings print chose that transportation to rob the Bank of Old Monroe in O’Fallon, the day after Christmas. On one hand, we all understand the feeling of being a little tapped out after the holidays. Knuckleheads, on the other, typically understand neither the concept of subtlety nor the existence of surveillance cameras at any place from a convenience store to, shucks, a bank. In this case, the dude in garish sweatshirt and ‘gimme’ cap was snapped several times within the bank where, apparently weaponless, he gave the teller his withdrawal slip—a ‘gimme’ note demanding money. It likely was handwritten, unless such things are available on the interwebs. Anyhow, apparently the cab was idling outside during the illicit transaction, because it was described by police as a ‘vehicle of interest.’ Hey, even if our hero didn’t take the cab home, at least he had a wad of cash from which to pay the cabbie, along with hush money … um: a nice tip. BTW, this capeless wonder is not a very nice fellow. He’s suspected also of robbing a St. Charles bank earlier in the month and has a rap sheet that includes burglary and domestic violence.
[st. louis]
Middle-schoolers throughout the country and metro are being offered free admission to see Selma, the widely acclaimed historical drama that provides a stark and gripping view of the 1960s South during the struggle for civil rights, while tickets last. Several theaters in and around St. Louis are providing complimentary screenings of the film, which is all the more relevant here at home in the wake of Ferguson. Perhaps motivated partly by that racially charged incident, which shed light on other cases of alleged police brutality in NYC, Detroit and elsewhere, a group of black businessmen in New York underwrote an effort to allow kids to vicariously experience part of the struggle that previous generations endured and still do. Socially conscious leaders here picked up the ball and enlisted four area theaters to provide screenings to students in grades seven through nine: Moolah Theater and Regal St. Louis 18 in the city, along with the O’Fallon 15 and AMC Creve Coeur 12. Teachers may reserve 25 or more tickets for their classroom. Kids must have a report card and/or valid student I.D.
[wildwood]
Teens for Jeans is all about collecting jeans for area homeless teens, and senior Chase Rose at Lafayette High School in Wildwood is hoping to surpass 200, the approximate number of new or gently used pairs his efforts collected last year. A member of the National Honor Society, Chase kicked off the initiative after getting ideas for giving back at dosomething.org, which provides a carrot: his school could win a $10,000 scholarship grant. Chase built a website to provide details about and promote the program. The images Chase used as illustrations are stark, as are the figures he cites: Two of three homeless in the nation are under age 18—1.5 million U.S. teens are homeless and have very little to keep them warm in the winter. Through the end of the month, jeans will be collected in and picked up from drop boxes located at the Dierbergs and Mathnasium stores in Wildwood Town Center. Lapels in Wildwood will collect until Feb. 7, as will Smoothie King in Ellisville. Of course, jeans are being collected at the high school, as well. So, take off your jeans and hurry on in!
