CN: August 9, 2023

August 9, 2023

Transforming community college

Around Town

AUG. 18: Florissant and the KOC to co-sponsor a food truck event. Pg. 2

The Walk-Through History Program unveils its 52nd plaque. Pg. 4

STILL IN THIS TOGETHER: By the grace of God and the care of fellow drivers Pg. 4

Features (FLIP)

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

By Wendy Todd

St. Louis Community College is undergoing a transformation. Last month, the college held a groundbreaking ceremony at the Florissant Valley campus for a new Center for Nursing and Health Sciences.

The new center will expand the capacity for STLCC’s nursing, dental hygiene and radiology technology programs and includes dedicated areas for students to study, eat and socialize, including an outdoor student plaza. The center is projected to cost $61.97 million, covered by funds from Proposition R, an eight-cent tax levy approved by voters in 2021. It is expected to be completed by the end of 2024. It’s the second of six construction projects to be undertaken as part of “STLCC Transformed.”

The “STLCC Transformed” initiative aims to bring the college’s four main campuses into a more modern standing by providing facilities and programming for the growth and competitiveness of the St. Louis region. Renovation and expansion projects will take place at other main campuses including Forest Park, Meramec and Wildwood. Most of the buildings on the main campuses are about 60 years old, therefore updates are needed to provide and maintain learning spaces that accommodate today’s training and technology to remain competitive with other institutions.

The Florissant Valley campus is also revamping the Advanced Manufacturing Center which will combine engineering, accelerated workforce programs and computer information technology and offer mod-

ern learning and collaboration opportunities. There will also be dedicated classrooms for metal structures, composites fabrication, welding, industrial maintenance and robotics and HVACR.

Forest Park plans include a new Transportation Center that will span 79,000 square feet. The center will allow the automotive technology, diesel technology and truck driving programs to be housed in one place. The space will expand the capacity of these high-demand courses and aid in the facilitation of new certificate programs. The Highland Park building will be taken down to create space for the center.

The Meramec campus is preparing for the demolition of three building to allow for the

See ‘TRANSFORMING’ page 2

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Submitted photo

This artistic rendering shows a completed project on the campus of St. Louis Community College.

St. Louis Community College starts construction on its four main campuses to provide more modern facilities and programs to the St. Louis region

Around Town

‘TRANSFORMING’ from cover

Florissant and the Knights of Columbus to co-sponsor a food truck event

The Knights of Columbus Duchesne Council #2951 and the city of Florissant will be co-sponsoring a Food Truck Knights on Aug. 18 from 5 to 8 p.m. on the lot near the Old St. Ferdinand Shrine located at 50 rue St. Francois.

The trucks will serve until 8 p.m. and performing at the August event will be Social Distraction until 8 p.m.

The truck line up for the evening

will be: Bougie Bites, Mann Meats, Michelle’s Unique Treats, Cajun Seduction, Doughboys Pizza, Homestyle Grill, SNS Goodies and The Tamale Man.

Proceeds will benefit local nonprofit charities including the TEAM Food Pantry. Patrons are also encouraged to bring non-perishable food items for collection barrels that will be on site.

Route options proposed for the St. Louis County portion of the Northside-Southside Metrolink Expansion

Citizens for Modern Transit’s “Talking Transit” event, held June 27 via Zoom, served as a forum to discuss route options for the planned North STL County Community Connector MetroLink line, which will be a major component of the Northside-Southside MetroLink expansion project. The more than 50 members, stakeholders, transit riders and others in attendance received an overview of the planned project and had the opportunity to ask questions.

Louis City and County,” commented Roach during the “Talking Transit” discussion. “In order for the light rail lines to be successful, we need to have rooftops near them – whether those be houses or businesses with job opportunities. This needs to be the driver of development and deliver on unfulfilled promises to impacted neighborhoods of color.”

construction of two new, state-of-the-art buildings, the Financial Services and Enrollment Center and the Center for Emerging Technology.

The Financial Services and Enrollment Center will be a one-stop shop for student services and the Center for Emerging Technology will house new programming and provide access to the Academic Success and Tutoring Department and the library.

Last month the Wildwood campus began excavation for a Center for Health Sciences and Technology. New programs will be added to meet the job training and retraining needs in the areas of health care and technology.

The nursing program will be expanded to add new offerings including Among these programs, Wildwood plans to expand its nursing program and add new health care offerings in advanced imaging, physical therapy and paramedic technology. There will also be space for STEM classes as well as areas for students to have leisure time. The building is slated to be 132,900 square feet.

St. Louis Community College was established in 1962 and is the largest community college district in Missouri and one of the largest in the United States. The college annually serves more than 50,000 students through credit courses, continuing education and workforce development programs. For more information about STLCC, visit stlcc.edu.

The discussion featured panelists Kristen Lueken, Project Manager for AECOM, the consulting firm studying the various route and transit stop alternatives for this project; Sal Martinez, CEO of Employment Connection of St. Louis; Marcie Meystrik, Director of Transportation Planning at East-West Gateway Council of Governments and Taulby Roach, President & CEO of Bi-State Development. The forum was moderated by Kimberly Cella, Executive Director of Citizens for Modern Transit.

Plans for the overall MetroLink expansion project include a new line in the city of St. Louis, known as the Jefferson Avenue Alignment, that will run 5.6 miles along Jefferson Ave., from Chippewa St. to Grand Blvd. and west along Natural Bridge Rd. and will feature 14 new MetroLink stations. The St. Louis County part of the MetroLink expansion, known as the North STL County Community Connector, will travel five to eight miles from Natural Bridge into North St. Louis County. Four different route options, featuring seven to 10 MetroLink stations, are currently being studied. The total project will span 14 to 17 miles and offer seating, ticketing and weather protection at all stations. Seamless access to the existing MetroLink system is a major planning component with a transfer station to be located near Jefferson Avenue and Ewing Avenue.

“This is a regional project that will serve as a catalyst for the future of St.

The goal of the planned project is to provide more choices to those with limited transportation options. The four route options for the North STL County Community Connector include:

• Goodfellow Blvd. – West Florissant Ave.

• Natural Bridge Ave. – Florissant Rd.

• Natural Bridge Ave. – Jennings Station Rd. – Halls Ferry Rd.

• Natural Bridge Ave. – Lucas and Hunt Rd. – Halls Ferry Rd.

Research indicates that within a halfmile of these proposed routes, onefourth of households do not own a vehicle and 11% of workers already rely on transit as their primary means of transportation to work, which is over five times the county average. The proposed light rail would operate twice as often with faster and more reliable travel times compared to typical bus service.

Public outreach and engagement have been an important element of the planning process for the MetroLink expansion project. To-date, these efforts have been presented to over 35 stakeholder groups, briefings for elected officials and 40 street team pop-up events hosted in St. Louis City and county. More than 28,000 residents have been reached through paid social media with 520 engagements and a total of 2,390 completed surveys received. Those interested in learning more about the project or weighing in on the options, can visit www.GrowingMetroLink.com.

Submitted photos

This artistic rendering shows a completed project on the campus of St. Louis Community College.

Construction is underway on the campuses of St. Louis Community College as a part of the “STLCC Transformed” initiative which aims to bring the college’s four main campuses into a more modern standing.

Drought and flood resiliency planning enhanced by new collaborations aimed at keeping river traffic flowing

With low water levels alternating with flood conditions to disrupt operations on the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers in recent years, those involved in creating the plans and policies to keep river traffic moving have found new ways to partner to strengthen the resiliency of the rivers for navigation.

Their collaboration was the focus of a FreightWeekSTL 2023 virtual panel discussion on May 25, which featured panelists from the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT), Missouri Department of Agriculture, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Coalition to Protect the Missouri River.

Cheryl Ball, Waterways and Freight Administrator for the Missouri Department of Transportation highlighted the role MoDOT is playing to address drought and resiliency issues on the inland waterways, and how partnerships, collaboration and communication are central to their success.

Among MoDOT’s key initiatives is the creation of a drought action Commercial Navigation Impact Team to support freight movement. Comprised of multiple stakeholders ranging from state agencies, navigators, ports and other departments of transportation to the Coast Guard, Corps of Engineers, National Weather Service and the St. Louis Regional Freightway, the committee looks at how drought or flooding may be impacting Missourians, and considers what they can do either as a group or as state to help minimize those impacts and keep freight flowing on the rivers.

“We want to make sure that navigators and the ports have all the information because if you can plan ahead, you can look at how things are happening and maybe make alternative plans,” said Ball. “That's one of the reasons MoDOT was most interested in freight, because if it can't move on the river, then it has to move in another place. So, it's either going to go to rail or trucking, and both of those modes have quite a bit of congestion going on right now. We want to keep traffic flowing on the river to the best of our abilities. So, when we pulled this group together and discussed those items, what we found was a couple of root cause issues, and we’re now working toward remedying those.”

Lou Dell’Orco, Chief of Operations for the St. Louis Division of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, provided an update on the corps proactive approach to help keep river traffic moving. The Corps of Engineers is responsible for maintaining the congressionally autho-

rized channel dimensions of nine feet of depth and 300 feet of width on 300 miles of the middle Mississippi River from Saverton, Missouri to Cairo, Illinois. The channel in this area is primarily maintained by dredging.

“We utilize dredging to provide safe, efficient, and reliable movement to keep commerce flowing on the Mississippi River in support of the nation's economy. Over 500 million tons – half of all U.S. grain exports – transit the Mississippi River at some point annually,” said Dell’Orco.

Dell’Orco said early on in the 2022 dredging season, the corps noticed that the hydrograph for St. Louis was closely mirroring that of 2012, which was the last time the area experienced a significant drought.

“In September, we began to implement lessons learned from that previous timeline which would enable efficient dredging and keep the channel open and at authorized dimensions with the forecast we were facing,” Dell’Orco said.

He explained the actions taken consisted of managing releases from their reservoirs when they did have precipitation or when they could take it down a little, and then strategically bringing in more Corps of Engineers and contract dredges ahead of critical times throughout the season when low water was persistent. In all, five dredges were utilized at various timeframes.

“Our dustpan dredges are able to fill up an Olympic size swimming pool every hour when they're in full production. So, the Mississippi River water levels finally started to rise, and the mission was complete in February 2023,” said Dell’Orco.

Shane Kinne, Executive Director of the Coalition to Protect the Missouri River, which represents a broad cross section of industry that live and work on the Missouri River, provided insight on the current state of river navigation and what has happened recently to improve movement on the waterways.

“Despite some recent low runoff years, I think it’s important to note that these are really exciting times for navigation on the Missouri River,” he said.

“The most recent numbers from 2020 show that over 5.4 million tons were moving on the Missouri River, which is a significant increase over the 2019 number of 3.9 million tons. And that's a mix of sand and gravel being the largest piece, in addition to fertilizer, petroleum products, grain and a lot of other things as well.”

St. Louis County Children’s Service Fund announces recipients of mental health awards

St. Louis County Children’s Service Fund (CSF) announced this year’s recipients of the John. M. Anderson Community Mental Health Provider Award and Excellence in the Field of Mental Health Award.

Latosha Fowlkes, president and CEO of The Core Collective at Saint Vincent, has been awarded the Community Mental Health Provider Award.

Dr. Lizette Smith, director of clinical programs at Our Little Haven, has been awarded the Excellence in the Field of Mental Health Award.

Both Fowlkes and Smith are recognized for their dedication to the region and commitment to reducing the stigma of mental health in the Black/African-American community.

The John M. Anderson Community Mental Health Provider Award is new in 2023 and was designed to recognize and celebrate the outstanding contributions of individuals who provide on-the-ground care in the community. This award aims to highlight and celebrate the accomplishments of mental health professionals whose work directly addresses the needs identified by the community and actively works to reduce the stigma of mental illness in the Black/African-American community.

“We are thrilled to have Latosha Fowlkes and Dr. Lizette Smith as our 2023 awardees,” said CSF Executive Director Emily Koenig. “They are trusted community leaders who have dedicated themselves to making St. Louis a better place for those they serve. They deserve this recognition, and we are excited to honor them and their work.”

Fowlkes was selected as a 2023 Community Mental Health Provider awardee for her work in reducing mental health stigma as well as addressing the needs and access to resources in the community and combatting the stigma surrounding mental illness in the African-American community.

With a strong focus on closing the service gap for youth transitioning out of foster care, Fowlkes has demonstrated her commitment to improving the well-being of vulnerable populations. Through her leadership

and strategic vision, she has transformed St. Louis County and created collaborative spaces that offer holistic support and healing opportunities.

In addition, Smith has been recognized with the 2023 Excellence in the Field of Mental Health Award for her contributions to increasing access to mental healthcare resources in St. Louis County. With a career spanning almost two decades, Smith has been dedicated to creating a safe and healing environment for individuals impacted by abuse, neglect and mental or behavioral health needs.

Smith’s notable achievements include the development of Keystone Outpatient Mental Health Services, where she directs oversight of clinical programs, provides clinical supervision and is responsible for coordinating accreditation and legal/ethical practice and grant funding management and administration.

Both award winners were recognized at the St. Louis American Foundation’s Salute to Excellence in Health Care Awards Reception, presented by BJC HealthCare, on June 22 at Hilton St. Louis Frontenac.

For more information on the mental health resources CSF provides to youth and families in St. Louis County, visit CSF’s website at stlcsf.org. You can also explore available services using their interactive map tool at https://stlcsf.org/ find-a-service/.

Around Town

Christian Hospital EMS nationally recognized for quality care for heart attacks and strokes

Christian Hospital Emergency Medical Services (EMS) has received the American Heart Association’s Mission: Lifeline EMS Gold achievement award for its commitment to offering rapid, research-based, life-saving care to people experiencing the most severe form of heart attacks and strokes.

EMS staff are trained to provide resuscitation to someone whose heart has stopped and can begin treatment immediately when they arrive at the scene — up to an hour sooner than if someone travels to the hospital by car. People who transported by ambulance may also receive faster treatment at the hospital.

Mission: Lifeline EMS is the American Heart Association’s national initiative to advance the system of care for patients with high-risk, time-sensitive disease states, such as severe heart attacks and strokes. The program helps reduce barriers to prompt treatment — starting from when 911 is called, to EMS transport and

continuing through hospital treatment and discharge. Optimal care for heart attack and stroke patients takes coordination between the individual prehospital providers and health care systems.

“Arguably the most important link in the chains of survival for acute stroke and cardiovascular emergencies is emergency medical services and prehospital professionals,” said Edward Jauch, M.D., MS, MBA, chair of the department of research at the University of North Carolina Health Sciences at Mountain Area Health Center. “Early condition identification, stabilization and prehospital interventions, and initiation of actions within the regional systems of care provide patients with the best chance for receiving expedient definitive therapies leading to optimal outcomes and maximized quality of life.

“The American Heart Association Mission: Lifeline EMS awards are an important way to recognize the

The Walk-Through History Program unveils its 52nd plaque in honor of late Florissant couple

Family and friends gathered across the street from Florissant City Hall on June 28 to unveil the 52nd Walk Through History plaque in honor of the late Harold and Bernice Foley.

This plaque dedication had to be re-scheduled from last July.

Harold “Bud” Foley was a labor leader and the state’s most decorated veteran of World War II. He had received two Purple Hearts, two Bronze Starts, seven Battle Stars, three Presidential Citations and the Croix de Guerre from France.

Bud, a labor leader, was president of the St. Louis Building and Construction Trades and business manager of the Pipefitters Union Local 562.He had been a member of the plumbers and pipefitters union for 42

years, rising from a journeyman pipefitter to various offices within the union.

Besides holding the position of business manager, he also had been a business agent and secretary-treasurer. Bud was known for his skill in getting labor and management to communicate with each other. Bud also served as a councilman from 1952 to 1957.

Bud was also very active in PRIDE, a labor management group formed to resolve disputes in the construction industry. Bud always wanted to improve the quality of life for working people.

Bud and his wife Bernice were very active for many years on the Florissant Township & Democratic Club. Bernice supported FDR and every Democrat President, Missouri Governor and U.S. Senator until she was

crucial roles and performances of EMS personnel in stroke and cardiac patients’ care.”

The Mission: Lifeline EMS achievement award focuses on agencies’ on-scene care, bringing to the forefront the collaboration and contributions to patient care for prehospital providers.

“Christian Hospital is honored to be recognized by the American Heart Association for our dedication to providing optimal care for heart attack patients,” said Brian Hokamp, Christian Hospital EMS chief. “The Mission: Lifeline program puts proven knowledge and guidelines to work on a daily basis so patients have the best possible chance of survival.”

Christian Hospital is also recognized with the American Heart Association’s Mission: Lifeline System of Care Target: Heart Attack award, focused on the system of care for patients.

We were on a pretty mundane errand, on the way to the grocery store that’s still a little unfamiliar, so I was trying to rearrange the list to make it a bit more logical and prevent too many forward/backward/two aisles over where I just was kind of moves that aggravate me immensely.

I happened to glance up at just the right moment to see the big electric sign on the side of the highway flashing madly.

WRONG WAY DRIVER ACTIVITY REPORTED IN THE IMMEDIATE AREA USE EXTREME CAUTION!!

“Did you see that sign?” I yelled at John, and he shook his head ‘Yes’ at the same moment he moved into the slow lane, reduced our speed, and sat up straighter, as alert as I’ve ever seen him while driving.

I wasn’t sure which direction of the highway the sign was warning about, but then I saw several trucks on the opposite side of the highway flashing their headlights. There was nowhere to go, no exits for several miles on our side of the hilly highway, and my heart was racing.

I saw a motorcyclist coming from the opposite direction waving one arm madly in a karate chop motion, doing his best to attract attention to the situation, too, and my eyes filled with tears.

We had just passed the little tree on top of the rock cliff along the highway that I’ve wondered about since we moved here in February. It’s decorated with red, white and blue tinsel and garland and ornaments, and I have questioned whether it is in honor of a fallen hero. I’ve found myself unconsciously sending a little prayer heavenward each time we pass, and today was certainly no exception.

But today, the little tree whose story is still unknown to me served as a reminder of the fragility of this human experience we are all involved in. I heard no sirens, saw no hovering of a helicopter overhead, but people on the other side of the highway continued to honk their horns now, trying their best to alert oncoming traffic to the uncertainty ahead.

And then there were brake lights, and cars moving suddenly from the fast lane over to the right, and everyone ever so carefully slowed down.

There in the fast lane of east-bound traffic, a small white car sat facing west-bound. A policeman stood alongside the driver’s side window talking to a tiny older woman, risking his own life to protect hers.

There were no flashing lights, no flares or hordes of police cars, just an electronic sign flashing its hastily created message after someone’s panicked phone call

almost 100. She supported local ballot issues for progress and Florissant area office holders including mayors and councilmembers.

She worked hard and used old-school wisdom to nudge elected officials to excel.

Bernice and her husband Bud were long-time Florissant residents and they were considered by many to be political pioneers for Florissant progress.

By Vicki Bahr

alerted the highway patrol of the circumstances, the thoughtful headlight-flashing and horn blaring on the part of oncoming drivers, the motorcyclist waving his arm to signal the danger, and a single policeman doing his part to alleviate the possibility of a tragic outcome.

Less than an hour later, as we traveled back home with our milk, eggs, bread, and “just because ice cream seemed appropriate” purchases, there was not a sign of the wrong way driver or her car, and the electronic highway sign was once again lit with a clever message about listening to your mother and buckling your seat belt instead of the panic-inducing warning of a wrong way driver in the immediate area, but I’m certain I wasn’t the only one who was feeling the grace of God and the love of my fellow human beings that morning.

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.

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

Photo courtesy city of Florissant

EVENTS

Aug. 12: Flower show

The Gardeners of Florissant will be having its annual flower show at the lower level of the Florissant Valley Library. The public is invited to enter the show. The entrees are: flowers with single stem, flowers with three stems, flowers with six stems, house plants, hanging baskets, fresh veggies in groups of three equal size and smaller veggies in groups of six and twelve.

RECURRING EVENTS

Weekdays: Food pantry volunteers needed

The Harvey Kornblum Jewish Food Pantry is in need of ongoing adult volunteers to sort food, stock shelves and shop with clients. Two-to-four hour shifts are available, Monday-Friday 8:45 a.m.-3:45 p.m. To learn more or to join this fun group, contact Chelsey Banaskavich at 314-513-1674 or cbanaskavich@jfcs-stl.org.

Mondays: City council meetings

City of Pine Lawn holds regular city council meetings at city hall at 6250 Steve Marre Ave. in Pine Lawn on the second Monday of the month at 6:30 p.m. The meetings are open to the public.

Mondays: Choral Arts

Group meetings

Choral Arts Group practices every Monday from 7 to 9 p.m. at Connection Christian Church at 1332 Feise Rd. in O’Fallon. Auditions not required. Ages high school and older are invited to join. There will be spring and fall public concerts. For more information call Marty at 636-5799227, or email concertartsa@ gmail.com.

Mondays: Workshop meetings

City of Pine Lawn holds regular workshop meetings at city hall at 6250 Steve Marre Ave. in Pine Lawn on the fourth Monday of the month at 6:30 p.m. The meetings are open to the public.

Mondays: A cappella singers

All men who like to sing are invited to come sing with us, The Men of Harmony. We practice every Monday night at 7 p.m. at 5500 Parker Raoad which is the first house on Uthe Lane. We sing four-part harmony a capella (without accompaniment). We sing some traditional songs, as well

as show tunes and more contemporary music. We do perform for the public at various functions. Persons interested can come right on in or for more information call Al at 314-993-6134.

Mondays-Thursdays: Volunteers needed

Community Action Agency of St. Louis County is in need of volunteers to stock shelves, sort food shipments and pack bags for Food Pantry Clients Monday through Thursday from 8 a.m. until 3 p.m. Two to four hour shifts are available. If you are interested, please contact Cheryl Piece at 314-446-4440 or cpiece@ caastlc.org for additional information.

Tuesdays: Bingo

Florissant Elks Bingo takes place at 16400 New Halls Ferry every Tuesday. Doors open at 4 p.m., bingo starts at 6 p.m. No outside food or drinks allowed per St. Louis County. Food and drinks available for purchase. Maximum 150 players. Must wear mask to enter. Social distancing followed.

Tuesdays: TOPS (Take Off Pounds Sensibly)

TOPS (Take Off Pounds Sensibly) meets from 10 – 11 a.m. at Expansion Church at 11150 Old Saint Charles Rd. in St. Ann. For more info, contact Pat Pinson 314-428-1168 or 314-435-5898.

Tuesdays: A cappella singers

The Gentlemen of Sound are looking for men who like to sing or want to learn. They practice Tuesdays at Lady of the Pillar school at 401 S. Lindbergh from 7 – 9 p.m. They try to do public events monthly. Always looking for new members. Come by or call Kirk at 314-954-7920 .

Tuesdays: Chair Zumba Chair Zumba every Tuesday from 2:15 – 3 p.m. at The Bridge At Florissant at 1101

Garden Plaza Dr. (Parker @ Arlington). For more information call 314-831-0988.

Tuesdays: Celebrate Recovery

Celebrate Recovery Tuesday meetings take place at 6 p.m. with a Saturday Bible Study at 9 a.m. at LifePoint Church at 424 Graham Rd. in Florissant. For more information visit www.lifepointministries. church/celebrate-recovery or call (men) Steve D. at 636634-6582 or (women) Denise W. at 530-417-6151.

Tuesdays: TOPS (Take off pounds sensibly)

From 9:15 - 10:30 a.m. located at John F. Kennedy Center/ Henry Koch Ctr., Howdershell Rd. at Charbonier Rd., Florissant. For more info contact Paul McConnell, 314831-5476.

2nd Tuesday Sept.-June: Show-me Stitchers: Show-me Stitchers is the local chapter of the Embroiderers’ Guild of America. We meet on the second Tuesday, Sept.June at 6:30 p.m. at Trinity Lutheran Church, 14088 Clay-

ton Road, Chesterfield, MO. Learn needlepoint, embroidery, cross stitch, and more.

Every 4th Tuesday of the month: Fort Bellefontaine

Memorial American Legion Post 335 meeting

6:30pm, Fort Bellefontaine Memorial American Legion Post 335, at the Bellefontaine Neighbors Community Center at 9669 Bellefontaine Rd. Those interested in membership are invited to attend.

Wednesdays: Bingo

Bingo takes place every Wednesday at American Legion Post 338 at 9655 Midland Blvd. in Overland. Doors open at 5 p.m. For more information contact Chairman Ed Hilleman at 314-660-1813.

Wednesdays: Bingo

Life Care Center of Bridgeton, at 12145 Bridgeton Square in Bridgeton, welcome all to Community Bingo every last Wednesday of the month at 2:30 p.m. Light refreshment will be served. Please RVSP at 314-298-7444 with the month you will attend and number of people attending.

CROSSWORD answers from page F-4

SUDOKU answers from page F-1

Sports you see with Gary B...

Hoots play last game of season and set record

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

The Hoots (18-30,1318) wrapped up their 2023 regular season with a match up with the visiting Springfield Lucky Horseshoes (25-29,14-13) on Saturday, Aug. 5.

In the game, the Hoots hit five home runs en route to an 18-10 victory over the Lucky Horseshoes. Inside the Box Score:

• Drew Mize’s two-run home run, gave the Hoots a league-leading 62 home runs on the season.

• Michael Long hit home runs No. 13 and 14 to claim

sole possession as the 2023 Prospect League home run leader; he batted .297 for the year as well with 33 hits and 20 walks for the year.

• Chase Beattie and Tucker Platt each hit a home run as well.

• Six Hoots batters had a multi-hit performance.

• Sam Feltz pitcher, tossed three innings allowing four hits, no runs, five strike outs and two walks.

Ambush sign No. 1 local draft pick

The St. Louis Ambush play professional soccer in the MASL with the home games at the Family Areana.

Recently, they signed free agent forward Skylar Funk to a three-year deal the team announced.

Funk is a St. Louis area native who hails from Alton, Illinois. He comes to the Ambush with one season of experience in the Major Arena Soccer League.

Funk was the number one draft pick (11th overall) by the Florida Tropics in the 2022 MASL college draft. He appeared in nine games for the Tropics last season, tallying three goals and two assists.

He played collegiate soccer at Southeastern University in Lakeland, Florida and at Lewis and Clark Community College in Godfrey, Illinois. At Southeastern, he earned his bachelor’s degree in business administration. He also served as a graduate assistant coach during his final season at Southeastern.

Skylar played prep soccer at Alton High School, where he was named large school player of the year and first team all-conference. In his youth, Funk played club soccer at St. Louis Scott Gallagher. He started playing soccer at the age of three.

Ambush co-owner, General Manager and Head Coach Jeff Locker said, “We’re pleased to welcome

Skylar home. He’s a untapped talent with the attributes to become a superb indoor soccer player.”

Ambush Director of Scouting Donnie Alberty said, “Funk has the combination of physical presence and skill that are well suited to the indoor game. We feel he can develop into an important contributor to our future success.”

Funk said he is “excited to come home and play in front of an amazing fan base and being in front of family and friends.”

The Ambush will kick off their eleventh season this fall.

* For more details go to www.STLAmbush.com

Former Ambush player back on the roster

The St. Louis Ambush have re-signed veteran defender Richard Schmermund to a contract extension through the 2027-28 season, the team announced.

The 2023-24 season will be Schmermund’s eleventh in professional indoor soccer.

Schmermund is a St. Louis native who played collegiate soccer at St. Louis Community College where he was named First Team All-Conference.

* Building for the future

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 sea son, among many other activities. I am currently host ing a Health show on 97.1 FM, ‘Prime Time Health’ www.PrimeTimeSTL.com.

It broadcasts Saturday nights at 8 and Sunday mornings at 9.

Feature F-1

RECIPE : Fuel up for summer fun

PEANUT BUTTER AND JELLY SWEETPOTATO TAQUITOS

Prep time: 5 minutes | Cook time: 20 minutes

Servings: 8

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup sweetpotatoes, peeled and diced small nonstick olive oil spray

1/2 cup peanut butter, preferred nut butter or nut-free butter

8 small, low-carb flour tortillas

1 cup blueberries, washed and dried

1 cup raspberries, washed and dried

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat air fryer to 400 F. Add diced sweetpotatoes to air fryer basket and lightly spray with olive oil spray. Cook sweetpotatoes 10 minutes, shaking basket 1-2 times to toss sweetpotatoes. Transfer cooked sweetpotatoes to medium bowl; add peanut butter and mix well.

Lay tortillas on counter and place

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.

1-2 tablespoons sweetpotato mixture on each tortilla. Add blueberries and raspberries next to sweetpotato mixture. Roll each tortilla tightly. Place rolled tortillas, seam sides down, in air fryer. Spray tortillas lightly with olive oil spray. Cook in air fryer 6-7 minutes.

Remembering Paul ‘Pee-wee Herman’ Reubens

n 1980, John Landis directed

“The Blues Brothers,” a musical comedy starring John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd as Jake and Elwood Blues, two men who grew up in an orphanage. After returning to their childhood home, Sister Mary Stigmata (Kathleen Freeman) asked them to save the St. Helen of the Blessed Shroud Roman Catholic orphanage where they grew up. The duo then set out on a “Mission from God” to bring their band back together to earn enough money to pay the orphanage’s property taxes. In addition to performances from Belushi and Aykroyd, musical legends such as James Brown, Cab Calloway, Ray Charles and Aretha Franklin showed their stuff in the film.

“The Blues Brothers” also featured an actor named Paul Reubens, who had a small but memorable role as a waiter. Reubens’ character interacted briefly with the Blues Brothers after they arrived at the Chez Paul restaurant. Better known as the child-like Pee-wee Herman, Reubens passed away on July 30, 2023, after suffering from cancer. Early in his career, Reubens was able to bring his bowtie wearing alter-ego to life on stage in “The Pee-wee Herman Show” at the Groundlings Theater in Los Angeles. HBO also recorded one of his performances at Hollywood’s Roxy theater and broadcast it later that year.

One of Pee-wee’s earliest appearances was during a 1976 episode of “The Dating Game,” but he wasn’t selected by the Bachelorette. He did, however, appear several times on “The Gong Show” even though repeat performances on the show were forbidden. A few years later, Reubens was so impressed by Tim Burton’s short films that he asked Burton to direct “Pee-wee’s Big Adventure,” which became a great comedic

showcase for Paul Reubens. In this adventure, Pee-wee went on a cross-country quest to find his beloved bicycle and met such characters as “Large Marge” (Alice Nunn), a truck driver who turned out to be a ghost, and a convict named Mickey (Judd Omen), who said he was arrested for cutting the tag off a mattress.

Thanks to the film’s success, Reubens hosted “Saturday Night Live” on Nov. 23, 1985, performing entirely in character as Pee-wee Herman. In 1986, he brought the character to Saturday Morning television on “Pee-wee’s Playhouse.” Phil Hartman, John Paragon and Laurence Fishburne were part of the show, which was reportedly watched by adults as well as children. Pee-wee would often interact with “The Playhouse Gang,” a group of children inside the playhouse. Devo’s Mark Mothersbaugh, Todd Rundgren, Danny Elfman and other musicians contributed to the soundtrack. The Emmy Award-winning series ran on CBS from 1986 to 1990.

In later years, Reubens joined the cast of Kinka Usher’s “Mystery Men,” a 1999 film that focused on Champion City, a metropolis with only one notable superhero. In this film, Ben Stiller, Hank Azaria and William H. Macy played regular guys with questionable abilities. Macy, for instance, was the Shoveler who, in his words, “shoveled well.” After an absence from TV and films, Paul Reubens turned in a great performance as the Spleen, another would-be hero whose extreme flatulence could knock people out. The would-be heroes tried to save Captain Amazing (Greg Kinnear), but that rescue ended badly.

In his lifetime, Paul Reubens made audiences laugh and even cry at times. He will be missed.

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.

Paul Reubens photo courtesy Bigstock

Recipe courtesy of Tracy Shaw on behalf of Healthy Family Project

John Hanna Yeggs

CROSSWORD: FRUITS & VEGETABLES

Moore on Life

I’ve noticed a lot of heated disagreements, chaos, contention and tacky war of words going on in the world lately and most of them are just before date night at our house.

My husband and I decided the best way to keep our relationship strong and thriving was to go out to a movie. You know, sit close to each other; share a carton of popcorn; drink out of the same straw from our soda…so romantic.

Easy enough; pick one and go. So, I did.

“Oh look! ‘Barbie’ is playing. Doesn’t that sound fun? Let’s go,” I said.

“’Barbie?!’ As in the doll? As in a girly movie for tweeners?” he said.

“No, no, no. I’ve heard it’s hilarious and has the type of humor for grownup ladies and guys too.”

“Is that the same one your sister and all her friends dressed up in pink for?”

“Possibly. But you wouldn’t have to wear pink…much.”

“I don’t own anything pink so that lets me off.”

“Umm, you do have those white gym socks that I accidentally washed with my red sweats. They’re the perfect shade of Barbie pink.”

“What?! I thought I told you to toss those.”

“They were practically new. I put them in the garage with the rags you use to wash your car with. I’ll go get them.”

“Not gonna do it.”

“But Gosling’s in the movie.”

“Huh? I’m supposed to be tempted by a young goose?”

“No, I mean Ryan.”

By Cindy Moore

“I don’t care what its name is, I’m not going. I’d have to turn in my man card at the door and never get it back again.”

“Fine. What movie do you want to see?”

“’Mission Impossible’ or ‘Oppenheimer.’”

“Oh great, one explosion after another followed by a really gigantic explosion.”

We sulked for a while not speaking to one another. So much for our romantic date night.

“I know, let’s do this the only fair and democratic way: rock, paper, scissors,” I said.

My rock totally destroyed his scissors.

The popcorn and soda were great; the movie was hysterical plus he looked very fetching in his pink socks. I don’t think he’ll even miss his man card after this.

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

The opinions expressed in this column are Cindy Moore’s

ACROSS

1. Itsy Bitsy Spider's tunnel

6. Operations, as in military

9. Carpenter's joint

13. Book, in Paris

14. Coach's talk

15. Long-necked wader

16. Did not go out to eat (2 words)

17. Chi preceder

18. Top scout

19. *'90s children's series "____ in Pyjamas"

21. *Alternative to stick

23. T-cell killer, acr.

24. Show worry

25. Knee-related acronym

28. Sushi restaurant's boozy offering

30. *Grilled cheese and ____ soup

35. Mouse to a snake

37. In ____, or together

39. Convicted one

40. *Pear or quince, botanically speaking

41. California and Nevada lake

43. Raja's daughter

44. Uncouth ones

46. Of two minds

47. René Descartes' "therefore"

48. Make wealthy

50. Use a surgical beam

52. Gingerbread creation

53. *When fruit is ready

55. Red-white-and-blue inits.

57. *"Hot" vegetableshaped toy

60. *L in BLT

64. 3-D picture in a book

65. U.N. workers' grp.

67. Owned house or car, e.g.

68. Item on a cell phone bill

69. What's old is new again, prefix

70. Popular electric car

71. Hair styling products

72. Scottish cap

73. British peers

DOWN

1. Block of concrete, e.g.

2. Pocket bread

3. Baker's baker

4. Dickens's Heep

5. Serena's sport

6. Prefers

7. *Fairytale princess test

8. Virgo's brightest star

9. Letter opener

10. Ship to Colchis

11. Airhead

12. The loneliest number?

15. Concerning this

20. Nautical "Stop!"

22. College assessment

test, acr.

24. Camera's tiny aperture

25. *Gwyneth Paltrow's daughter

26. Sing like Tony Bennett

27. Madagascar primate

29. Myanmar currency

31. Bébé's mother

32. Rooster, in the olden days

33. Polynesian kingdom

34. *Layered bulb

36. Giant Himalayan?

38. Lady Grantham of "Downton Abbey"

42. Follow as a consequence

45. Claw mark

49. "Battleship" exclamation

51. Heir's concern

54. *At the end of a hot pepper or many a sweet potato

56. Cruising

57. Prepare to be shot

58. October birthstone

59. What Little Toot does 60. *Fruit of the ____

61. Brezhnev's domain

62. Jailbird's home

63. Airline postings 64. Dog breed from China

66. Grazing ground

excavated a find in her neighbor’s bird feeder.

alone and do not reflect the opinion of the owners or staff of Community News.

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