CN; July 19, 2023

July 19, 2023

Sunflower sanctuary

Around Town

COMMUNITY VOICES By Dr. Nettie Collins-Hart. Pg. 2

Features

Recipe, Movie & Sudoku. Pg. F-1

CLA SSIFIEDS AND HOME & GARDEN. Pg. F-2 /F-3

Moore On Life, Lifestyle & Crossword Puzzle. Pg. F-4

Weather

Sunflowers are planted every year at Columbia Bottom Conservation Area in Spanish Lake attracting photographers, wildlife and nature lovers

By Wendy Todd

A popular online gardening site, Gardening Chores, analyzed top Google searches to determine the most popular flowers in the United States. Sunflowers ranked number two on the list. For sunflower lovers in St. Louis, there is a great opportunity to enjoy them in abundance at the Columbia Bottom Conservation Area in Spanish Lake, where

sunflowers are planted every year. They are expected to bloom through August despite drought conditions.

Due to the stressful weather conditions it’s possible that the flowers may be smaller than previous years, but the Missouri Department of Conservation staff, who plant the rows every year, states there will plenty of sunflowers to enjoy.

The sunflowers are planted to assist with dove management, as the flower’s seeds

attract the birds and the height helps hide dove hunters who gather for the hunting season in September.

The fields are to be viewed but not picked from, and serve as great photo ops for professional and amateur photographers. The sunflower fields work well for those looking to create photogenic social media posts.

See ‘SUNFLOWER’ page 2

FRIDAY Partly Cloudy 86/66

SATURDAY Sunny 87/67

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Submitted photos

Sunflowers at Columbia Bottom Conservation Area in Spanish Lake are planted every year and are expected to bloom through August despite drought conditions.

Northwest Views:

Susan G. Komen raises funds to fight breast cancer

June 10 was a beautiful day in Tower Grove Park where thousands of people gathered for the Greater St. Louis MORE THAN PINK Walk.

The Walk marked Komen’s 25th Year of Impact in the St. Louis Region and beyond. As we celebrated this milestone and watched 500 breast cancer survivors and metastatic thrivers parade to the stage it was a great time to reflect on the effect Komen has had on our community.

Thanks to your support we’ve raised over $40 million towards research and critical support services for breast cancer patients. Thousands of people have utilized screening services and received financial assistance to ease their

journey with the disease.

By Dawna Currigan

This year 2,583 walkers have raised $288,813, so far, which will help continue the impact Komen has on the St. Louis Region and anyone in the U.S. that needs assistance with breast health care. These funds will help Komen eliminate barriers to care for individuals and communities experiencing breast health inequities now and in the future.

If you are in need of help finding a free or low cost breast health screening or a current breast cancer patient in need of financial assistance you can access Komen’s Patient Care Center at www.Komen.org or by emailing helpline@komen.org.

A 20-plus year volunteer for Susan G. Komen® Dawna Currigan now serves as the Development Director for Missouri and Kansas. She is passionate about finding a cure since losing her mother at a young age and supporting her stepmom through her journey in recent years. “Day in and day out I work to do my little part to saves lives and find the cures.”

The opinions expressed in this column are the columnist’s alone and do not reflect the opinion of the owners or staff of Community News

COMMUNITY VOICES:

I hope everyone has had an enjoyable and productive summer! I am excited to welcome back students and staff who are rejuvenated and ready to take on a new year. For those of you who work throughout the summer, I want to thank you. Your commitment to ensuring that summer school runs smoothly and that the upcoming school year is successful makes us HSD Proud! As your superintendent, I am committed to continue providing support as we change and grow as a district, while also maintaining a culture of high expectations and excellence.

I would like to reflect on the great achievements we had this past year. Starting with graduation, what a tremendous celebration it was for the class of 2023. The class of ‘23 produced over 1,150 graduating seniors and received over $17.2 million in scholarship dollars. Many accepted offers from prestigious schools such as Harvard University, Howard University, the University of Notre Dame, and many more.

The district proved that we’re back and better as we reintroduced many in-person events, started new traditions, and continued our excellence both academically and athletically. Most recently, HSD sent 24 student-athletes to Jefferson City to participate in the Missouri State High School Activities Association (MSHSAA) Track and Field State Championships. We are pleased to say that many returned with trophies and medals, including East High, who brought back

‘SUNFLOWER’ from cover

According the MDC, sunflowers, a hearty plant with thick, “hairy” stems, typically take about 60 days to bloom from planting. About 14 fields are planted each year throughout the 4,300-acre area in early May. The additional plots in the fields intended for viewing are planted later in May so that their blooming is timed to occur through mid-August.

“There are 16 varieties of sunflowers in Missouri,” said Dan Zarlenga, media specialist at the MDC. “The most commonly thought of is the species Helianthus annuus, the common sunflower, which is what is planted at Columbia Bottom.”

During the six-week sunflower viewing period about 978 vehicles per day go to visit the site. The rest of the year averages about 300 vehicles per day.

“If we assume that the additional 678 vehicles per day are there to see the sunflowers, and we assume one-to-four people per vehicle, we can roughly estimate 28,000 – 115,000 visitors for sunflower viewing,” Zarlenga said.

The Columbia Bottom Conservation Area is located at 801 Strodtman Road and can be reached by taking the Riverview Drive Exit from I-270 and travelling north approximately three miles. Columbia Bottom is open every day from a half hour before sunrise until a half hour past sunset.

By Dr. Nettie Collins-Hart

School District

two state championships and placed fourth overall as a team in Class 4.

As we look forward to the next school year, we have several new and exciting initiatives ahead. HSD is pleased to pilot our fourth thematic school during the 23-24 school term. Southeast Middle School will include a vocational and career technical education (CTE) theme to create a school that educates the whole child intellectually, socially, and emotionally beginning this school year. It will include a five-day extended school week for students and a four-day, Tuesday - Friday, workweek for teachers with only 11 working Mondays.

The district is also expanding several established initiatives. One example of this is our Hazelwood Connect Elementary Virtual Academy. This program is open to students in grades 1-5 and is 100% virtual for students to learn at home. The program is taught by certified HSD teachers using HSD curriculum. The district also provides Chromebooks and hotspots for this program.

In addition, I am very excited about the redesigned PK Early Childhood Program, which is now offered at all 19 elementary schools. This program provides PK services with before and after-school care to district employees at a reduced rate of $100 per week and $200 per week for the non-employee rate. There is no fee for students eligible through our free and reduced lunch program.

Finally, as we focus on continuing our cul-

ture of high expectations and excellence, we look forward to improving our safety and security, facilities, technology, and educational programming for our students, staff, and community. Many of these improvements will come from Prop H funding, a $130 million zero-tax-rate-change bond issue ballot measure for the Hazelwood School District passed by voters in November 2022. This will serve our students for decades to come. We are excited about our new opportunity to have “Friday night lights” beginning this fall.

Thanks to the hard work of our students, parents, faculty, staff, community partners, and board members, Hazelwood School District remains a shining example of all that can be accomplished when people work together toward a common goal. You all make us HSD Proud!

Dr. Nettie Collins-Hart is the proud Superintendent of Schools for the Hazelwood School District serving approximately 18,000 students in the second-largest district in St. Louis County and seventh-largest district in Missouri. She was named 2019 National Superintendent of the Year by the National Association of School Superintendents. The opinions expressed in this column are the columnist’s alone and do not reflect the opinion of the owners or staff of Community News.

Summer is a time of reflection in the Hazelwood

Independent video game developer Graphite Lab recently announced it developed a brand-new video game – the 2D action platformer “Mr. Run and Jump” – for the once popular Atari 2600 console created in 1977. According to Atari, this marks the first 2600 Video Computer System (VCS) cartridge launch for a new title since 1990.

Graphite Lab’s developer John Mikula created the nostalgic “Mr. Run and Jump” for the 2600 hardware. Graphite Lab also developed a modernized version of the game that will launch soon on Windows PC via Steam and Epic, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4/5, Xbox One and Series X|S, and Atari VCS.

“Mr. Run and Jump” focuses on a man searching for his dog before he wanders too far away. The Atari 2600 cartridge features 80 screens of platforming action across six distinct worlds, five enemy types with their own attack patterns and personalities, and a scoring system that starts with 25,000 points. The score decreases by one for each second that elapses, and colliding with an enemy decreases the score by 100.

Each “Mr. Run and Jump” cartridge comes sealed in a high-quality box along with a 2600 game and an instruction manual. Cartridges are manufactured from all new parts and materials, with beveled edges to prevent pin damage, strong gold-plated connectors, and identical power draw to the originals. The limited-edition cartridge created in the U.S. costs $60 and will be available for purchase on July 31 via www.atari.com.

“’Mr. Run and Jump’ makes our second launch of a new IP with Atari,” said Matt Raithel, Graphite Lab Owner and Studio Director. “Our last game, ‘Kombinera,’ was a critical success and ranked among the top 50 highest rated games on PlayStation last year.”

Founded in 2009, Graphite Lab is led by Raithel. The independent video game development studio produces hit titles featuring some of the world’s most visible and iconic brands. Graphite Lab specializes in bringing brands to life in fun and entertaining ways, including recent releases on PC, consoles, and mobile platforms. Graphite Lab is headquartered at 650 Maryville University Dr. in St. Louis County.

Raithel added that Mikula developed “Mr. Run and Jump” as “a hobby project over recent years, and Atari loved the idea so much that it wanted to publish both the collectible 2600 console and newer version available in the near future.”

For more information, visit www.mrrunandjump. com and www.graphitelab.com.

Around

Public encouraged to water and mulch trees during extreme drought

As Missouri continues to experience extreme drought, the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) encourages the public to implement a watering plan for trees, especially newly-planted seedlings. In the urban and suburban forest, where valuable trees shade homes, sidewalks and businesses, watering them now can prevent losing them altogether.

“Living plants are more than 50% water,” explained MDC Forestry Field Programs Supervisor Russell Hinnah. “Water taken up by tree roots feeds the tree and transpires through the leaves. A mature tree can move hundreds of gallons of moisture a day!”

When trees lose moisture through leaves and are not able to replace it, water stress develops. Windy conditions can even accelerate this stress. Water stress may not kill a tree outright, but it could weaken a tree and predispose it to other insect and disease problems. Water stress also reduces fruit and nut production.

Symptoms of water stress include leaf droop and the eventual drying and scorching of leaves, resulting in tree canopies turning brown.

“Some trees are dropping leaves to reduce water usage,” said Hinnah. “That doesn’t mean they are dying, but it does mean they’re thirsty and they may have gone dormant. Some species will regrow leaves if watered or if rains return.”

Hinnah advises people to water and mulch trees to help them through the drought.

“Trees and shrubs replenish water loss overnight and early in the day, so watering anytime except afternoon works best,” he said. “It stresses the tree less and less water evaporates.”

Slowly soaking the ground under the canopy of the tree allows roots more chances to absorb water. Hinnah advises against watering the foliage since it could result in fungal growth on the leaves and sunlight could scorch wet leaves if watered during the day. He also advises against watering a tree through a pipe stuck in the soil. Slow watering will cover a larger area and will reach all the absorbing roots.

“Use a soaker hose, sprinkler or drip irrigation system,” Hinnah suggested. “For smaller trees, simply poke holes in an old hose or recycle milk jugs or other large containers by poking a few holes in the base and filling them with water. If possible, water from the trunk to the drip lines where the longest limbs end.” Apply the equivalent of about two-inches of rainfall per week.

“If you’re using a sprinkler system, you can estimate this amount of water by placing several small containers under the canopy of your trees,” said Hinnah. “When the average depth in the containers equals two-inches, you’re done with that tree.”

Newly-planted trees are the most susceptible to water stress and should be monitored closely. Many times, these trees have lost a percentage of their root system in the digging process and are not very efficient with water uptake.

Applying a ring of mulch around the tree trunk, not up against the trunk, helps retain moisture. Apply a three-foot-wide circle of mulch about three-inches deep ad keep it about three-inches from the trunk. Mulch keeps soil cool and adds nutrients.

Cracks in the soil indicate severe soil drying and add to drought stress for trees by allowing air to reach roots and subsoil to dry them out. Mulching or filling soil

Town

cracks with additional soil can help, but simply pushing in the sides of cracked areas can damage surface roots and expose a new layer of soil to sun and wind – creating dryer soil.

For more information on tree care, visit https://mdc. mo.gov/trees-plants/tree-care.

Submitted photo

Around Town

St. Louis Area Diaper Bank experiences increased diaper need

Research recently released by the National Diaper Bank Network (NDBN) reports that 47% of U.S. families with young children struggle to afford diapers. At a local level, the St. Louis Area Diaper Bank reveals it has seen a 25% increase in diaper distribution – approximately 300,000 diapers each year – since 2020.

St. Louis Area Diaper Bank is a member of the NDBN and its sister organization Alliance for Period Supplies, a nationwide nonprofit dedicated to eliminating diaper need and “period poverty” in America. This year the St. Louis Area Diaper Bank – through a network of 70 community organizations, educational and health partners serving low-income families – will distribute 4.1 million diapers to more than 70,000 families in the St. Louis region. Last year the nonprofit distributed 3.3 million diapers in St. Louis.

The NDBN Diaper Check 2023: Diaper Insecurity among U.S. Children and Families is a nationally representative study commissioned by the NDBN. Major findings include:

• A significant increase of 14 percentage points in diaper need since the first study was conducted in 2010.

• Diaper need intersects with food insecurity, and 28% of respondents who reported diaper need said they skipped meals so they could afford more diapers.

• 70% of the respondents reported they were stressed or anxious about their responsibilities as a parent or caregiver. 53% said they felt judged because they could not afford diapers.

• One in four (25%) of parents and caregivers with diaper need reported having to miss work or school because they did not have enough diapers to drop their

One more sleep Still In This Together:

It was the only weekend in all of May or June that our Omaha grandsons weren’t going to be out of town for baseball tournaments, and we planned to make the most of it.

There was so much to celebrate! Conor, who just turned 14, had a confirmation, an eighth-grade graduation, and a birthday: a triple whammy that deserved an in-person shoutout. Boxes of presents sent ahead just aren’t the same as in-person smiles and “Happy Birthday” songs, especially being able to watch Papa John’s face turn red as he sings in Donald Duck’s voice. And Aidan’s late March birthday, number 11, was also awaiting a proper hug to make the double-digit number real.

The boys and their parents have dedicated so much energy and time to their select baseball teams, all because and Conor and Aidan are ready to be serious, devoted and driven to learn, work their hardest and be part of a team, in every sense of the word. And we couldn’t be prouder. We stayed in touch the week before our drive to Omaha, and each day became a little more exciting as we discussed upcoming events and the times each of them would be playing in the hometown memorial tournament for a fallen policeman.

Of course, there would be conflicting game times played at fields miles away from each other. But we were counting down the sleeps the way we always did when they were little, until we would see them, and hug them, and marvel at how much they’ve grown. The excitement is just as real now as it was back in the days of carrying snacks for them from St. Louis, watching the boys’ favorite Saturday morning cartoons with them, and John carrying them up the steps at bedtime on his back, whinnying like a bucking bronco. Those days are gone, as are Grandpa’s knees, but counting down the nights before we leave is still part of the ritual. And it doesn’t get any better than “one more sleep.”

We were amazed at the amount of coordination, concentration, and conversation that went into making the baseball games work: Which uniforms needed to be worn, which parent and grandparent would be going with which boy on which day, where the cleats and water bottles and baseball gloves were before anyone set their alarms and headed to bed and we were welcomed to their bedrooms to tell the boys goodnight just as we did in the old days. This was “an easy weekend” compared to most because everything was happening in Omaha. Wow!

Katie and I dropped Aidan off an hour before his game time, then hit a handy drive through coffee shop for her morning caffeine and an all-purpose gas station with a great breakfast sandwich to get me started. Tim and John went in the opposite direction with

child off at childcare. They also reported missing an average of 5.1 workdays in the past 30 days, which represents a loss of $296 per month for a parent earning the federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour.

“This national study solidifies what we are feeling firsthand in our community,” said St. Louis Area Diaper Bank Executive Director Muriel Smith. “It’s time to realize that we are in a public health crisis, one that causes harm to our children and their families. We as a nation must do better to support those who need our help.”

Founded in 2014, the St. Louis Area Diaper Bank provides diaper and period supply access to the region’s low-income families, as well as raises community awareness about the causes and consequences of diaper need and period poverty. For more information, call 314-624-0888 or visit their website.

By Vicki Bahr

Conor, stopping into a corner pancake place after they dropped him off for the older team’s warmup.

We kept in touch the way they always do, by phone, and by very cool websites that allow them to keep track of the game each of them isn’t physically present for, so they can cheer the boys, the teams and the coaches on.

And then we reconnected as one of the teams lost and the other won, and next gametimes were duly adjusted so all of us were able to meet up, compare notes, and divide and conquer to be sure everything was bought for the evening get-together with in-town family as we celebrated Conor’s birthday.

One of us went grocery shopping and the other took both boys home to shower, get the next day’s uniforms ready, and check on the smoker that had been going since five that morning and was being monitored by an app on Tim’s phone. And Katie and Tim just kept smiling. They had introduced us to teammates and their families, which have become their families, too, and to the most wonderful coaches, who are helping form our grandsons’ appreciation of sports, and imparting life lessons along the way.

And somehow, all too quickly, there was only one more sleep until we were leaving to come home. Aidan’s team won their tournament, Conor’s team handled their competition admirably, and we had one final request for the boys. Since school was officially over, their parents both had to go to work the next morning, and summer camps hadn’t officially started yet, could we treat them to breakfast before we left?

I’m pretty sure we’ve started a whole new tradition. We laughed and talked and replayed the weekend as Aidan “demolished” (his word) his ‘Hungry Man Breakfast’ and Conor asked John the most wonderful, mature questions about his service in the Navy so many years ago.

The boys were ours for two whole, uninterrupted hours and I’m so very glad. These young men are remarkable, responsible and very fun to be with. I can’t wait until our next countdown to “one more sleep” before we leave to go to Omaha.

Vicki Bahr is an inveterate word lover and story sharer, a published author in magazine, newspaper and blog forms. As a mom of four, grandma of nine, and wife of one for 50 years, she finds that inspiration and wonder are everywhere.

Sports you see with Gary B...

Hoots pick up both wins of double-header against Alton

The O’Fallon Hoots play their home games at CarShield Field in O’Fallon and play in the Prospect League.

A battle between two of the closest distanced Prairie Land Division rivals took place at CarShield Field recently, as the Hoots and the Alton River Dragons faced off in a twin bill.

With O’Fallon trailing by five runs in the bottom of the seventh inning, the offense rallied to put up six runs for a walk-off victory taking the first game 10-9. Highlights included:

• Maloy Heaghney hit his third home run of the season.

• Tyson Ludwig drove in three runs in a multi-hit performance.

• *Gavin Baldwin and Tyler Ferguson recorded their first hits as Hoots members.

• Coby Rogers tossed a scoreless inning in relief.

Then, in game two, Chase Beattie clutched up in the bottom of the sixth and drove in the game-winning run with a two-out double ensuring a 4-2 victory. Highlights included:

• Beattie proved the hero of the game, with his two RBIs in the bottom of the sixth representing the game winning runs.

• Ludwig drove in the other RBI for the Hoots. He also scored the first run of the game thanks to a pair of stolen bases.

• Sam Feltz shut the door to close out the game, striking out the side in the top of the seventh to earn his fourth save of the season.

* Exciting night at the old ballpark

Hoots season ending soon

The O’Fallon ball club will be ending the 2023 season on Saturday, Aug. 5, so get your tickets early to see this exciting team.

Go to www.OFallonHoots.com.

* Fun season

Lindenwood students excel in the classroom and in sports

Lindenwood University’s student-athletes had another successful academic semester in the classroom during the Spring 2023 season. The student-athletes across Lindenwood’s 30 NCAA Division I sports combined for a 3.31 GPA last semester.

Across all sports, 25 teams posted at least a 3.0 GPA while nine teams earned a 3.5 GPA or better. Overall, 141 student-athletes received a 4.0 during the spring semester.

The women’s gymnastics team earned the highest GPA among all sports at Lindenwood with a 3.70 between their 17 athletes. Women’s basketball finished with the second highest GPA with a 3.69, followed by the women’s golf team with a 3.62.

Men’s ice hockey led all men’s teams during the spring semester with a 3.57 GPA. They also had the highest GPA during the fall semester (3.63). They were followed by baseball with a 3.47 and men’s lacrosse with a 3.43.

“I continue to be impressed by the performance of our student-athletes in the classroom,” said Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics Jason Coomer.

“In addition to the efforts of our student-athletes, the academic success we are enjoying is also a product of the excellent work our academic advising team, faculty and support staff provide at Lindenwood. It is clear our campus works as a team to put all students in a position to find success.”

* The way it should be, school work first, sports second

Gary Baute, a St. Louis native, may be educated in business but he lives and breathes sports. As a fan or an athlete, Gary is all sports all the time. He hosted a radio sports program on KFNS, emceed the River City Rascals’ inaugural season, among many other activities. I am currently hosting a Health show on 97.1 FM, ‘Prime Time Health’ www.PrimeTimeSTL.com. It broadcasts Saturday nights at 8 and Sunday mornings at 9.

CROSSWORD answers from page F-4

SUDOKU answers from page F-1

RECIPE : Better-for-you brownies with a sweet, simple swap

INGREDIENTS:

Prune Puree:

16 ounces pitted California prunes

1/2 cup hot water

Brownies:

nonstick cooking spray

6 ounces unsweetened chocolate

1/2 cup California extra-virgin olive oil

2 cups light brown sugar

10 ounces California prune puree

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/4 cup cocoa powder

2 teaspoons vanilla extract flaky sea salt, for garnish

DIRECTIONS:

To make prune puree: In blender, combine prunes and water. Pulse to combine then blend until smooth, pourable consistency

forms, scraping sides, if necessary. Store puree in airtight container in fridge up to 4 weeks.

To make brownies: Preheat oven to 350 F. Line 9-by-9-inch baking pan with parchment paper then lightly grease with nonstick cooking spray.

Using double boiler, melt chocolate and olive oil. Whisk in sugar and prune puree; mix until dissolved.

Into large bowl, sift flour, baking powder and cocoa powder. Gently fold in chocolate and prune mixture then add vanilla. Spread batter in prepared pan, sprinkle with flaky sea salt and bake 20-25 minutes, or until top starts to look dry and brownies are just beginning to pull away from sides of pan.

Cool in pan. Remove then cut brownies into 3-inch squares.

VEGAN BROWNIES

Prep time: 10 minutes | Cook time: 25 minutes | Servings: 9

Movie:

By Steve Bryan

Born and raised in South St. Louis, Steve Bryan is now based in Anaheim, California, and has been allowed access to movie and television sets to see actors and directors at work. Though his writing has taken him far from St. Louis, Steve is, at heart, still the same wide-eyed kid who spent countless hours watching classic movies at neighborhood theaters.

Afterwatching and reviewing movies for several years, the last thing I expected to see was Al Yankovic praising “Harry Potter” star Daniel Radcliffe’s performance in “Weird: The Al Yankovic Story,” a biographical film released by Roku.

Radcliffe played the title role, a musician with a talent for making creative and engaging song parodies. When the 75th Emmy Award nominations were recently announced, Yankovic and Radcliffe were honored with their first Emmy nominations. Yankovic also earned honors for outstanding writing for an original movie as well as the credit for the original music and lyrics to the song “Now You Know.”

In “Weird,” Radcliffe played Yankovic, a teenager whose comedy and parody songs caught the attention of Barret Eugene Hansen, a Southern California radio personality better known as Dr. Demento. After Hansen played one of Al’s parody creations on the air, Yankovic’s career took off. While still in high school, he used his musical skills to twist the Knack’s “My Sharona” into the tasty parody “My Bologna.” After Queen’s “Another One Bites the Dust” hit the airwaves in 1980, Yan-

kovic released his take on the song: “Another One Rides the Bus.”

The 1980’s seemed to inspire Al Yankovic’s creative side, which led to the top 40 parody hit “I Love Rocky Road. That was Yankovic’s comedic twist on the Joan Jett & the Blackhearts song “I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll.” After Toni Basil’s song “Mickey” hit the charts, Yankovic released “Ricky,” a song and video that paid homage to the popular 1950’s television series “I Love Lucy.” Weird Al’s second album featured “Eat It,” his take on Michael Jackson’s immensely popular “Beat It.” Yankovic wasn’t sure how the pop star would react, but Jackson was reportedly amused by the parody.

Al’s success with videos and parodies

helped make his 1989 film “UHF” a reality. An underappreciated, low-budget film, “UHF” focused on a struggling UHF television station. Yankovic played George Newman, a young man who landed a position at a station that played reruns of “The Beverly Hillbillies,” “Mister Ed” and other classic shows. In “UHF,” “Seinfeld’s” Michael Richards played Stanley Spadowski, a janitor who inadvertently became the perfect host for the children’s show at the station. “UHF” even contained a brilliant, eye-popping parody of the Dire Straits hit “Money for Nothing” that definitely was worth a look. Al Yankovic has a great sense of humor and a talent for parodies. During his concerts, for instance, Yankovic would show the trailer for a proposed biographical film about his life. That footage prompted audiences to ask when the actual film about his life would actually be made. After the finished version of “Weird” was released, it received accolades from the British Academy Television Awards, Critics’ Choice Television Awards and others. Here’s hoping that the Emmy Awards Committee honor Al Yankovic for decades of fun, laughter and, of course, parodies.

Fill in the blank squares in the grid, making sure that every row, column and 3-by-3 box includes all the digits 1 through 9.

Daniel Radcliffe, Al Yankovic earned Emmy nods for ‘Weird: The Weird Al Story’

“Weird: The Al Yankovic Story” photo courtesy Funny or Die

COLLECTIBLES

HELP WANTED

HELP WANTED

NOVENA

PRAYER TO ST. JUDE

May the Sacred Heart of Jesus be adored, glorified, loved and preserved throughout the world, now and forever. Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us. St. Jude, Worker of Miracles, Pray for us. St. Jude, Helper of the Hopeless, Pray for us.

Say this prayer 9 times a day for 9 days, then publish. Your prayers will be answered. It has never been known to fail.

Thank you,

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Yeggs

John Hanna

CROSSWORD: MOVIE ANIMALS

‘

own egg franchise in the Midwest (St. Louis area). We follow their day to day lives, watching as they go about the hectic task of preparing for their one big day every year. Along the way they have adventures filled with fun, comic doings and pathos.

Moore on Life

It’ssummertime and that means yard sale time.

Yard sales are funny events. Here’s how they work. First you go through your entire house and garage and find things that you hate and no longer want to be around. Next, lug these items out of your house and scatter them onto the front lawn. And finally, charge strangers a hefty fee to cart your useless junk off from your property.

Here’s the kicker: People actually fall for this scam.

My husband and I recently hosted one of these cons and made off like bandits.

We set up our merchandise on a Friday and were ready to go Saturday morning. The first group of suckers…err…customers arrived bright and early.

“What is this thing?” A young shopper asked me.

“Oh, I really shouldn’t let that go,” I said. “But you look like a nice person so I’m going to cut you a deal. That is a vintage VHS player. Very hard to find nowadays. In fact, I think I saw this exact model on ‘Antiques Roadshow.’”

“I don’t know…”

I could tell she was hesitating.

“Ten bucks and I’ll throw in two boxes of VHS movies at absolutely no additional cost to you,” I said as I headed towards her car with the offending merchandise.

I tossed in a mystery box as another incentive. That sealed the deal. I’m sure she can use some old hubcaps. Maybe make some DIY garden planters out of them.

The day progressed nicely, except for that one man. There always has to be one. His haggling got out of control. He wanted me to drop the price on a mixer that was missing one beater from 50 cents to 25 cents. I finally agreed, on the condition that

By Cindy Moore

ACROSS

1. Deli side

5. *"Breakfast at Tiffany's" animal

8. Songs for one

12. What formica and biochemical have in common

he take a mystery box. Little did he know that he took a load of used cat toys off my hands for the quarter I lost in the deal. I considered us even.

Soon it was time to wrap up the sale, but we still had stuff that needed to be gone and I wasn’t about to load it back into my house.

I hurried and boxed everything up then printed a sign which said, “GET YOUR CHRISTMAS SHOPPING DONE EARLY. FREE GIFTS FOR MOM AND DAD.”

Within an hour the neighborhood kids had cleaned us out. Mission accomplished.

Cindy Moore is the mother of three superlative kids, servant of two self-indulgent felines and wife to one nifty husband. Her ficticious occupation? Archeological Humorist: someone who unearths absurdity and hilarity in strange and unusual places including public restrooms, the lint filter, and church meetings. Most recently, she excavated a find in her neighbor’s bird feeder.

The opinions expressed in this column are Cindy Moore’s alone and do not reflect the opinion of the owners or staff of Community News.

13. Prefix for partly

14. Dark

15. Crew equipment, pl.

16. Steinbeck's "East of ____"

17. Golf shirt

18. *"Marmaduke" animal

20. *"Away & Back" animal

21. Game "field"

22. Slightly insane

23. Casual top

26. Vending machine

30. Rocks, to a bartender

31. Bowling prop

34. Lush

35. Trots and canters

37. Broadcasting medium

38. Inflammatory swelling

39. Highland tongue

40. Sock pattern

42. Bring into play

43. Go back over

45. Theater passages

47. Part of a cheer

48. Lump of anything

50. Milo and Otis, e.g.

52. *"Dunston Checks In" animal

56. Wheel on a spur

57. CISC alternative

58. Private theater box

59. Resembling wings

60. MacFarlane or Rogen

61. Go-____

62. *Bullseye, Hamm and Lotso Bear, e.g.

63. Lyric poem

64. Immediately, doctor's jargon

DOWN

1. Air quality concern

2. Fibber

3. Farm measure

4. Sushi condiment

5. Natural moth repellent

6. To change, as in the U.S. Constitution

7. Fork prong

8. *"Harry Potter" animal (2 words)

9. Earthenware pot

10. *"Born Free" animal

11. I in T.G.I.F.

13. Administer diazepam

14. When Cinderella wins

19. Civil wrongs

22. "Some Nights" band

23. *"Life of Pi" animal

24. Close call

25. Bank job

26. Gossamer

27. Cry like #5 Across

28. Liquorice flavored herb

29. Hues

32. Backgammon predecessor

33. *"Babe" animal

36. *"Anchorman" and "The Wizard of Oz" animals

38. Kundera's "Unbearable Lightness of ____"

40. "That feels good!" exclamation

41. Set in motion

44. Like a go-getter bird

46. Lies in ambush

48. Wept

49. It makes waste?

50. Singular of #17 Across

51. Home versus ____ game

52. Guesstimate phrase (2 words)

53. To perfection (3 words)

54. Taj Mahal city

55. As opposed to gross

56. *"Willard" animal

Yeggs’ is a comic series about Robert and Bill, two rabbits who have opened their