[chesterfield]
A local TV reporter recently got the Mercury-dime tour of a 1950s-era fallout shelter in Chesterfield. This one, adjacent to Faust Park, served as a facility for local government use during the post-Cold War years. The reporter admitted he wasn’t old enough to remember duck-and-cover drills that were a fact of everyday school life in the ’50s and early ’60s. But, some of us do, and they were pretty scary for kids; we had the eerie feeling that the radioactive fallout from an exchange of nuclear missiles between ‘us’ and ‘them’ would have permanent repercussions. Many of us had the very real fear that, were we not vaporized instantaneously, we would get violently ill and die horribly in a Dr. Strangelove-type scenario. Some basement walls in schools, churches and government buildings still sport the stark orange-and-black ‘Fallout Shelter’ signs that served as a constant reminder of impending doom throughout those decades. Our enemies today dream up similarly colorful ways to eliminate us, seemingly daily. Or, at least, harass us. (See Creve Coeur item below.)
[creve coeur]
Anonymous. We only know him or her, or them, by the stylized Guy Fawkes mask; a mysterious global hacker that may or may not be up to no good. Officials at De Smet Jesuit High School in Creve Coeur were trying to ferret out a student who fashioned himself after the antihero by slowing down the school’s computer system and uploading images of the masked Anonymous with cryptic messages like, We are legion. Though some students might think the bold act is pretty awesome, officials aren’t treating it as a harmless, end-of-the-year prank. The culprit likely will be dealt with severely. For one thing, unlike Anonymous, this miscreant probably will be caught. Punishment? We think it should include spending a week or so of summer vacation trapped inside, taking more and more difficult final exams (which he might have been trying to disrupt in the first place). Or maybe the genius should be assigned to help investigate global threats like Heartbleed and the next, probably more disruptive, criminal cyber activity that comes up.
[ellisville]
Right or wrong, many drivers who spot a patrol car poised to pounce on unsuspecting speeders flash their headlights to warn approaching motorists of the upcoming speed trap. And they can keep on doing it, proudly waving the flag of the First Amendment. A federal judge has given the City of Ellisville a judicial smack-down for citing a driver who flashed his brights at oncoming cars. That charge and its attendant $1,000 fee, from November 2012, were dismissed, but it did invite the ACLU into the wide-open can of free-speech worms. Broader issue, indeed. No word on whether there will be a motorcade of brights-flashing vehicles through town to celebrate this landmark decision.
[kirkwood]
Some think the on-again, off-again … wait, it’s tomorrow … no, it’s next week … opening in Maplewood of Strange Donuts was a publicity ploy. Well, it worked, because when the shop finally did open, there was a long line of curious customers clamoring … well, waiting … to get in—and TV stations outside with live feeds of on-air talent feeding themselves doughnuts. Let’s see how long it takes for the crazy dudes behind this operation to open up their second bakery, in a dinky space on E. Argonne Avenue in Kirkwood. How small? Check the address: 107 1/2 E. Argonne Ave. It is dwarfed by Veronica’s Argonne Salon, a snippery next door. Word is that Strange No. 2 will open … wait for it … in the next few months.
[ladue]
Ladue residents were lucky to get immediate results, but an oft-frustrating element of this media business is waiting for the other shoe to drop, especially in crime news. For instance: The bank is robbed,images of the suspect from surveillance are released … then, nothing. Most of us would like to know whether the good guys got the bad guys. Well, many investigations take time—unlike solving a recent rash of car break-ins in Ladue. Authorities have to mind their P’s and Q’s. No evidence, no charges. Calls to mind the three knuckleheads who got off easy when caught trying to remove A/C units from a vacant St. Louis nursing home. They brought no tools, so one took off his T-shirt and used the fabric to protect his fingers as he tried twisting off the nuts. No fingerprints, so the three were charged with trespassing. Bummer. In any case, following a rash of September car break-ins in the La Hacienda subdivision, last month the cops collared a suspect and got a bonus: he confessed. Frederick Lamont Jacobs, 38, also confessed to breaking into cars in University City earlier this year. Authorities have presented charges of felony stealing, fraudulent use of a credit device and possession of stolen property. Jacobs got in trouble in 2007 for allegedly doing the same sort of thing.
[st. louis]
This one takes the StL 250 cake: Just in time for the city’s big birthday—The Lou was founded in 1764 as a French trading post—archaeologists near the Arch have discovered remnants of what daily life here beyond the frontier must have been like around 1770. MoDOT is planning to replace ramps to the Poplar Street Bridge, and the feds require that a scientific survey be completed. It’s a good thing. That hadn’t always been the case here: Nearly 40 blocks along the river were cleared in the 1930s to make way for a national park honoring Thomas Jefferson; the Gateway Arch was completed there in 1965 and is the focal point of the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial. One can only imagine what science could have revealed there. Anyhow, research near the PSB reveals that, at least for some settlers, the fur trade was lucrative enough for fine French pottery to have been used in a residence a mere 270 square feet. The dig has unearthed remnants of two tiny homes, turning up relics that include a white chip of ceramic with two blue lines and what looks to be yellow petals of a floral pattern. It is likely that this and other recovered artifacts one day will reside permanently in the expanded museum beneath the Arch.
[sunset hills]
Are any of you procrastinators who perennially wander the card aisles of supermarkets and pharmacies on Mother’s Day morning wondering where, oh where, did all the good ones go—again? This year let’s not. The 27th annual three-day art fair at Laumeier Sculpture Park next weekend (May 9 through 11) winds up on Mother’s Day. Perhaps select a gift for Mom from an artist who came all the way from Portugal, or a treasure from another of the 150 artists (representing 35 states) who’ll display their wares and/or demonstrate their unique talents. Various dining choices and musical entertainment will abound beneath clear or partly cloudy skies, we predict with fingers crossed (either way, it’s a rain-or-shine event). Admission is $10 for ages 12 and up, $5 for 6 to 11; museum members and little ones are free. There will be opportunities to sample alcoholic beverages with such spirited names as Art of the Vine and Schlafly’s Art of the Ale. And kids can get all messy at Creation Location, a free, hands-on art activity area. If you somehow manage to miss all that, you can still bring Mom on her day
to a brunch presented by Whole Foods (a brunch ticket, available online, covers admission to the fair for that day). Don’t give Mom a reason to wonder whether you’ll ever amount to anything.
[university city]
Francis Gymnasium at Washington University was a big deal 110 years ago. That, roughly, is when it was built for the 1904 Olympics in St. Louis. Good news: The historic building will carry on as a focal point of and the entrance to a 66,500-square-foot expansion of the athletic complex. Ground was broken a few weeks ago on the $54 million project, and the renovation and additions are expected to be completed in 2016. Bohlin Cywinski Jackson, the architecture firm behind Apple’s NYC flagship store, designed the center in association with St. Louis firm Hastings+Chivetta Architects. Officials say the new building’s sustainable design both preserves and transforms Francis Gymnasium’s historic role. The gym and Francis Field were site of the Games of the III Olympiad, so was called the third modern Olympics, and the first time the competitions were held outside Europe. Runners will have a much different experience than did the champions of yore, who probably sprinted on cinders. By project completion, they’ll enjoy an indoor, suspended jogging track. The new recreation complex and fitness center are named for Gary and Rachel Sumers, who have pledged $12 million toward the endeavor.
[webster groves]
From schools nationwide, only 10 ‘Life Changers’ were chosen, and Patrick Dempsey, a science teacher at Hixson Middle School, is among them. The local winner received $1,500 for himself and $1,500 for the school, not to mention the tremendous satisfaction of being singled out as an educator who exemplifies excellence. The awards are sponsored by National Life Group insurance company. Dempsey was surprised with the honor at school by a group that included friends, family, colleagues and a company rep. He was among seven awardees chosen specifically for influencing students through leadership and a positive attitude. He didn’t make it into the top tier, which isn’t like getting only a B+ or anything: The top-named LifeChanger of the Year and his school received $10,000. But, we imagine, being a great teacher is its own reward.
By Bill Beggs Jr.
