creve coeur
Despite the frequent protests of those opposed to the continuing development of GMOs (genetically modified organisms) by our town’s Monsanto and other companies, scientists argue that it’s all, well, science. And it’s all for the greater good. Nobody’s cloning humans here. Crop researchers at Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, 
across Monsanto’s world headquarters on Olive Boulevard in Creve Coeur, continue to refine strains of corn, soybeans and other crops that are more resistant to pests and drought. They also produce much greater yield for a world that never has enough to eat. More than 1,000 scientists from nonprofit, corporate, academic and private institutions say public doubts about genetically modified food crops are hindering the next Green Revolution. In a letter published in the journal Science, six researchers from three institutions explain their recent petition in support of science-based criteria in guiding the safe and effective employment of genetic technology. The petition, the first organized by individual scientists in support of the technology, yielded more than 1,400 signatures from plant science experts supporting the American Society of Plant Biologists’ (ASPB) position statement on genetically modified crops, which states they are “an effective tool for advancing food security and reducing the negative environmental impacts of agriculture.” That is, runoff from pesticides and fertilizers poses a huge environmental problem worldwide. With this as a backdrop, the $45 million expansion on the west side of the Danforth is close to complete and is set to open in the spring. More than 100 additional researchers will be on staff in the three-story addition, recently named the William H. Danforth wing.
pagedale
Build-A-Bear continues to build more stuffed bears and other critters, last year taking three steps forward and two back, so to speak, meanwhile extending a furry paw aboard Carnival Cruise ships. The branded build-your-own experience will roll out in the second half of this year, company officials say. While the toy company, headquartered in Pagedale, closed a few stores here and there, new locations made last year a net gain in storefronts. The company’s plans include a store in the Disney resort in Shanghai, China, and a partnership with Marvel. Can you imagine ‘Spiderbear’? No? Well, a Darth Vader bear you can stuff yourself is already a reality, and if this cute and cuddly version of the galaxy’s ultimate evil creates cognitive dissonance for you, get over it. It’s heeere. But it’s OK. Really. Because there’s a Wookie bear, too.
ladue
Library cards for newborns. Does the St. Louis County Library have any leverage to reverse the trend of people spending more time staring at their phones than reading? And by reading, we’re not talking about the Kindle, which doesn’t really count. To the library, reading involves pages made of paper with ink letters on both sides. And a cover to protect the insides. Families of newborns throughout the county at select hospitals will receive a goodie bag that includes a book, a bath toy, information about infant development and a library card. Parents also receive an invitation to celebrate their child’s first birthday at the library, where they will receive another free book. Born to Read expects to reach more than 15,000 families in 2016. Support for the program comes from the St. Louis County Library Foundation. Participating hospitals include: St. Anthony’s Medical Center, SSM DePaul Health Center, St. Clare Health Center, Missouri Baptist Medical Center, SSM St. Mary’s Health Center, St. Luke’s and Mercy clinics. Now, please tell us you actually read this in our magazine and didn’t access our website using your phone. Especially if you’re driving. As an aside, who needs a library when you have Google? Well, who needs a doctor when you’ve got WebMD? Some things are irreplaceable!
webster groves
Miriam touts itself as an expert in learning disabilities. But the Webster Groves-based organization started 60 years ago as an elementary school only goes to eighth grade, and that only since 2002, when it added a middle school. That will change next fall with Miriam Academy, a high school for students with learning disabilities set to open its doors. Miriam Academy will serve high school students with average to above-average intelligence who have learning challenges in math, language, sensory and social skills development. Differentiated instruction and curriculum modifications will be part of the framework. To date, $3.5 million has been raised for the project, both to launch the academy in a suitable location and to add enhancements to the middle school. Miriam School serves just fewer than 100 young people, and through Miriam Learning Academy, about 900 kids benefit from after-school learning opportunities and outreach programs via private and charter schools.
olivette
Every year since 2008, tons of used home medical equipment has been diverted from landfills by St. Louis HELP at its Olivette warehouse. In 2015, 140 tons of equipment, from hospital beds to motorized scooters, was reconditioned. Yeah, that’s heavy. But it represents the 11,000 pieces collected last year alone that folks in the metro can use without paying a penny. The nonprofit loans the equipment to anyone in need. Last year more than 5,500 pieces went to people who couldn’t afford to purchase them or whose insurance wouldn’t cover them. Parts from busted wheelchairs can be used for repairs. Broken wooden crutches? Into the wood chipper they go. Nothing is wasted; everything is refurbished or recycled. Thus, the tagline you may have seen on one of two trucks: ‘Recycle, Revitalize, Redistribute.’
st. louis
If you’re a practicing Catholic, can you buy Girl Scout cookies in the metro? That’s just one of the questions on the minds of many after Archbishop Robert Carlson wrote a letter to parish priests and others saying the Girl Scouts have become more and more incompatible with church values as the girls leadership and character-building group “moves in the ways of the world.” In the letter Carlson also mentioned the Boy Scouts, but only in passing. There are other scouting organizations for both genders, but none with the popularity or membership numbers of the aforementioned. Reportedly, about 4,000 girls belong to GSA troops that meet in Catholic churches in and around St. Louis. They can quit and consider the Frontier Girls or American Heritage Girls, I suppose, but many of the Girl Scout leaders themselves have spent a lifetime in service to the organization. There’s nothing similar to build the entrepreneurial spirit in young women than the cookie sale every year, or few things as prestigious on a young man’s resume as attaining the rank of Eagle Scout. I can understand how an implicit affiliation with Planned Parenthood wouldn’t sit well with His Reverence. But overall, the organization helps build core values, and wouldn’t a Catholic troop be able to downplay or eliminate anything that’s anathema to the church? Let’s not throw out the baby with the bath water, people. Besides, I’m running out of Thin Mints in the freezer and feeling a bit desperate.
Pictured: Pagedale
