CNSTC: Novemebr 29, 2023

November 29, 2023

Staying sharp

Around Town HEALTHY LIVING: Advancing lung biopsies with robotics. Pg. 3

Wentzville teacher leads students in helping homeless veterans. Pg. 4

Features

Avalanche, Movie & Sudoku.

Pg. F-1 CLASSIFIEDS AND HOME & GARDEN. Pg. F-2 /F-3 Moore On Life & Crossword.

Pg. F-4 Submitted photo The St. Charles City-County Library now offers Stay Sharp kits free to cardholders. These kits are designed to be used by individuals and their families who are experiencing cognitive challenges related to brain injuries, dementia, Alzheimer’s disease and other memory disorders.

St. Charles City-County Library now offers Stay Sharp kits designed to be used by individuals who are experiencing cognitive challenges

By Brett Auten As we age, it’s more important than ever to keep the brain active.

Engaging in mental or social activities may help to build up your brain’s ability to cope with disease, relieve stress and improve your mood. This means doing these activities may help to delay – or even prevent – dementia from developing.

The St. Charles City-County Library now offers Stay Sharp kits free to cardholders.

These kits are designed to be used by individuals and their families who are experiencing cognitive challenges related to brain injuries,

dementia, Alzheimer’s disease and other memory disorders.

“We always want to meet the needs of the community,” said Lori Beth Crawford, Chief Communications & Engagement Officer with the St. Charles City-County Library. “A lot of senior caregiving is done at the home, which likely doesn’t have the same resources that a community living center would have.”

Each kit includes puzzles, card games, books and other interactive activities that spark conversation and stimulate brain activity. They encourage conversation, multi-generational participation and memory-making for friends, families and neighbors. The kits

are fully funded by the Library Foundation and Glenfield Memory Care.

“The kits are a really good conversation starter,” said Brittany Schaaf, Social Media Coordinator and Content Writer for the St. Charles City-County Library. “And it is a chance to create new memories with loved ones. We have a wide range of abilities available when it comes to puzzles and books.”

The kits cover a range of topics so that users can pick kits that are of interest to them. The kit topics include baseball, cats, discover the USA, dogs, garden, handyman, homemaker, ocean, on the road again, space and things See ‘SHARP’ page 2

Serving St. Louis, St. Charles and Lincoln Counties | FREE Online at mycnews.com | Vol. 25 No. 48 | 636-379-1775

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2 Around Town November 29, 2023 • Community News - St. Charles County • www.mycnews.com Help the St. Peters Police Department trim their tree

Get your event or good news published in Community News:

Don’t miss this chance to join St. Peters police officers for a festive holiday event with your family. Make your own ornament and an officer will help you put it up on the tree. This event will take place from 6 – 8 p.m. on Dec. 8 at the St. Peters Justice Center.

All materials needed to make ornaments will be provided. The tree trimming is recommended for kids ages three-through-12, but all ages are welcome. Hot cocoa and cookies will be available for refreshments, and no reservations are needed!

Note: Please park in the mall parking lot across the street from the St. Peters Justice Center and use the crosswalk at Suemandy Drive and Grand Teton. Call 636-278-2244, ext. 3550, for more information.

email your information in calendar and article formats to editor@mycnews.com

Submittd photo Each Stay Sharp kit includes puzzles, card games, books, and other interactive activities that spark conversation and stimulate brain activity.

‘SHARP’ from cover that fly: birds and butterflies.

“It’s not being quizzed,” Schaaf said.

“It really gives a sense of purpose. There are some familiar, universal tasks. Some handyman things. The response has been super positive.”

Library cardholders can find the 55 kits at all branches, depending on availability. If there is a certain kit that a patron would like to receive, they can reserve it through the library’s catalog and pick it up at the branch they designate.

“The kits are very popular,” Crawford said. “The numbers speak for themselves. We currently have all 55 checked out and as the need arises, we will add to the Staying Sharp Kits.”

The Glenfield Memory Care helped sponsor and cover the costs of the kits.

“We are pleased to offer this new resource for the families of St. Charles County,” Director of Collection Services Carol Schrey said. “From the generous support of the Library Foundation and Glenfield Memory Care, we are able to offer an engaging kit for those experiencing memory and cognitive challenges.”

The St. Charles City-County Library also offers kits in Literacy and STEM that include microscope kits and talking books.

The Spencer Library Branch will be hosting a 10 Warning Signs of Alzheimer’s on Wednesday, Nov. 29 at 10 a.m.

Get in the holiday spirit at the St. Peters Annual Tree Lighting Ceremony Celebrate the holiday season with your family at the 34th annual Holiday Tree Lighting Ceremony on Friday, Dec. 1 at 6:30 p.m.

This event is free, and will include festive musical performances from the Childbloom Guitar Program of St. Charles County, Lindenwood’s Voices Only and an energetic Holiday Hop with Butch Wax & The Hollywoods to cap off the festivities.

The holiday cheer and celebration will be shared by all who attend – that includes a special guest appearance from Santa Claus himself.

Tree Lighting Schedule of Events Outdoor Tree Lighting Ceremony, City Hall courtyard

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St. Charles Fire Department recognized by Missouri EMSC

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The city of St. Charles Fire Department recently received notice from the Missouri Emergency Medical Service for Children on becoming a Certified Pediatric PREP (pediatric prehospital readiness and excellence program) service.

This certification recognizes the fire department’s commitment to the pediatric population of our community by providing equipment, hands-on training, education, and community resources.

“A core value of Missouri EMSC is to ensure every pediatric patient in the state

• • •

has access to quality emergency care, regardless of their location,” said Danielle M. Lee, MPH EMSC Program manager.

“We are extremely proud of our department and personnel who work every day to ensure that all members of our community are provided the highest level of emergency medical care that is possible,” said George Sheets, Chief of Fire and Emergency Services.

Please contact the St. Charles Fire Department at 636-949-3250 for further information on home fire safety.

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Master of Ceremonies – Brian Richardson, KFAV Radio Childbloom Guitar Program of St. Charles County Lindenwood University’s Voices Only (a cappella ensemble) Countdown to the Lighting of the Tree Lighting of the tree Singing of “God Bless America” Holiday Hop, Cultural Arts Centre Activity Rooms After Tree Lighting

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Holiday Hop with Butch Wax and The Hollywoods, 7-8:30 p.m. (Doors to the Activity Rooms open at 6:45 p.m.) Please Note: Bring your own chairs and non-alcoholic refreshments to the Holiday Hop. Seating and space is limited.

www.mycnews.com • Community News - St. Charles County • November 29, 2023

CWS Rotary Club joins its partners across the world to end polio Cottleville/Weldon Spring Rotarians joined its partners in recognizing World Polio Day by donating to the Make Polio History Campaign and stamping their pinkies purple, which is similar to the stamp children receive after being immunized for polio in mass immunization clinics.

Oct. 24 was End Polio Day. To celebrate this year’s World Polio Day, supporters from over 30 countries, across every region of the world, joined the Make Polio History campaign to tell global partners, donors and polio-affected country governments that eradication is possible and urgently needed now.

Before 1988, 350,000 children were paralyzed with polio. Only two countries remain endemic with wild polio cases.

This is a historic opportunity to get to zero cases, but if we don’t keep working, polio could quickly make a comeback, paralyzing hundreds of thousands of children again in our

Submitted photo CWS Rotarians joins its partners in recognizing World Polio Day by donating to the Make Polio History Campaign and stamping their pinkies purple, which is similar to the stamp children receive after being immunized for polio in mass immunization clinics. Pictured (from left) are Rotarians Jamieson Crane, Todd Rausch, Barbara Drant, Sue Cobb, Keith Arbuckle and Sandy Parr.

lifetime. To find out how you can help, visit makepoliohistory.org.

Information provided by The Global Polio Eradication Initiative, a public-private partnership led by national governments with six partners – the World Health

Organization (WHO), Rotary International, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Gavi, the vaccine alliance.

Core Physical Therapy celebrates grand opening with ribbon cutting Core Physical Therapy is celebrating their grand opening of their new location in Weldon Spring.

To commemorate the opening, they held a ribbon-cutting ceremony with the Cottleville Weldon Spring Chamber on Oct. 26.

Members of the Cottleville Weldon-Spring Chamber, Weldon Spring mayor Donald Licklider, and other community leaders were in attendance.

“Here at CORE Physical Therapy, we aim to help you find enjoyment in your daily activities, reach your personal goals and find healing and mobility,” said owner Marjorie Bennett.

CORE Physical Therapy brings exceptional outpatient orthopedic manual physical therapy skills to every appointment. They specialize in a variety of con-

Submitted photo

ditions from general sports injuries and orthopedics to pelvic floor disorders and everything in between.

Core Physical Therapy is located at 1043 Wolfrum Road in Weldon Spring.

For more information visit https:// www.coremobilept.com.

Healthy Living 3

4

Around Town

‘A servant’s heart’

November 29, 2023 • Community News - St. Charles County • www.mycnews.com

- By Jason Koch

Wentzville teacher leads a group of students as they try to help homeless veterans They call them the Bridge Family.

How this family of five earned that moniker is not a happy story. They’re called that because they literally live under a bridge near the Salvation Army in St. Louis The father served in Iraq. While he was there, he had a rough go.

“He explained to me that he saw his best friend get shot right next to him,” Jerry Cannon said. Cannon serves as the mayor of Truesdale, but his day job involves teaching at Wentzville Middle School where he is also the student council sponsor.

The father, Cannon said, really struggled after he saw his buddy get taken out by a sniper.

“He had PTSD really bad, lost his job, his family lost their home,” he said.

So the veteran, his wife, and his three children were forced to move under the bridge.

The Bridge Family is just one of the many homeless veterans Cannon and his students have helped collect clothing and personal items for over the past 18 years.

“These people are trying,” Cannon said. “They’re just having a rough way of getting over all the PTSD that they’ve encountered.”

He said the process changes lives, both for the homeless veterans they help, but also for the students who participate.

On a recent Friday, three of the 31 student council members helping with the project spent part of their school day sorting through boxes and bags of clothing donations, organizing shirt and pants and filling boxes marked for men, women, and children as they prepare to make donations – and experience the opportunity to help those who are significantly less fortunate.

So far, students had collected 1,500 pounds of items. Last year, Cannon’s team donated more than 8,000 pounds.

Cannon said most donations start coming in after Thanksgiving.

“We’ve already gone and picked up two truckloads from people who couldn’t get here,” he said. “We’ll go pick it up. We’ll get it done.”

It’s the attitude that comes from a person who has been working to help homeless veterans and their families for almost two decades.

Changing lives It was Christmas time 18 years ago when Cannon went with his church to sing at the Salvation Army. And while they were there, a group of homeless men and women came in for a meal.

“I saw a guy who looked like my

Photos by Jason Koch (Left)Jerry Cannon, who also serves as the student council sponsor at Wentzville Middle School, and his co-sponsor, Josh Lanham, sort through personal items that were donated to help homeless veterans. (Right) Wentzville Middle School Student Council President Sophia Sexton looks at a donated shirt as she sorts items that will be given to homeless veterans. Jason Koch photo

grandpa and he was in an old ripped up T-shirt, he just had shorts on and it was like 10 degrees outside,” Cannon said.

“And so it just hit me really hard that there are so many people out there that have family that are homeless.”

And that thought drove him to find a way to serve, and to use that service as a way to teach.

“I just got a vision that we can do something and we have an opportunity to teach kids to serve and why not get them involved and make this a thing that we can have future generations taking care of people who need help,” he said. “Then it got into the need of homeless veterans, which took it another level up. These people have served our country and they come home, they had PTSD or they have all these other issues and they can’t get back to normal and they deserve our help.”

Helping those homeless veterans is a real eye opener for the students who help collect and sort donations, and then help walk veterans through the items to make sure they come away with everything they need.

“It’s sad seeing those people,” eighth grader and Wentzville Middle School student council vice president Logan Van Scoy said. “They come in with not very much stuff and then we help them.”

Van Scoy said he was surprised at how little some of these homeless veterans have.

“I just go to school and you don’t really think about that stuff until you’re there, and you see all those people walk in with stuff and it’s not a lot of stuff,” he said.

“Most of them have fought for our country. And so it’s just sad to see how they’ve been treated after they’ve made such a sacrifice for all Americans,” eighth grader and student council president Sophia Sexton said. “Not many of us could fit all of our things in a basket, but many of them, that’s all they have.”

Sexton, Van Scoy, and fellow eighth

grader and student council member McKenzie Fry all participated in last year’s drive, and are back for their second go this year.

Seeing the homeless veterans helped bring the students an important perspective.

“It just makes me feel grateful for what I have,” Fry said. “It makes me feel better knowing that I’ve helped someone instead of just walking past them.”

Cannon said he often sees dramatic change in the students who help with the process.

“I don’t think anyone who has ever gone can say that they’re the same afterward,” Cannon said.

He also said that students who have helped in the past still contact him to make donations.

“They just want to keep on giving and it builds a giving spirit but also a servant’s heart.”

Putting the future in good hands As Fry, Sexton and Van Scoy bolted around the room from box to box and donation to donation, Cannon stood and watched, beaming with pride as the three showed their dedication to helping others.

“Those are lessons that you can’t teach in a textbook,” he said. “You can already tell their hearts have changed.”

Cannon and student council co-sponsor Joshua Lanham both marveled at how devoted every student who helps is to the cause.

“Caring and kindness are so important to our students,” Lanham said.

Cannon said that goes beyond the 31 kids on the student council.

“This generation cares more about each other than any generation I have ever seen in my 64 years,” he said. “It’s refreshing to see that kind of renewal of kids who are willing to get out there and help and do good in their communities.”

Lanham agreed.

“They see things so much faster and are instantly connected with things they care about and causes they want to support,” he said. “They get this information and then want to jump in. They just care about each other.”

“They don’t want to be part of the division,” Cannon said. “They want to be part of the solution.”

Why the community wants to help Fifteen hundred pounds of clothes and personal items requires a lot of boxes.

On this recent Friday, there were already several boxes stacked in the corner – and the three student council members were busy taping up more so they had somewhere to go with the most recent donations. More donations were waiting to be picked up in the office.

That’ll be a pretty common occurrence for Cannon’s students, but that’s par for the course he said.

“They can’t believe that veterans are actually out on the street with nothing, and I think that tears at their heart,” Cannon said. “The very thought that someone who served our country is homeless and in need, I think that just motivates them to give more and also they know by giving it to us it is going to the right place. We will make sure it gets in the right hands.”

The community support also benefits the students.

“It makes me feel really happy and just grateful and appreciative of our community,” Sexton said.

“I was worried that no one would donate anything,” Fry said. “But when I come in this room to help box, it just makes me feel really happy and grateful that everyone came together and donated.”

Donations were collected through Nov. 28 and they’ll be given to homeless veterans on Dec. 1.

www.mycnews.com • Community News - St. Charles County • November 29, 2023

Barnes-Jewish St. Peters Hospital Progress West Hospital Comprehensive, collaborative and completely about you.

You deserve extraordinary care, close to home.

Find care at: bjcstcharlescounty.org

5

6 Around Town November 29, 2023 • Community News - St. Charles County • www.mycnews.com St. Charles County modernizing its 911 system The next generation of 911 is coming to St. Charles County, after the County Council voted to authorize an agreement between the county and the cities of Lake Saint Louis, O’Fallon, St. Charles, St. Peters, and Wentzville to modernize the emergency phone system.

“911 is the one service that almost everybody will need at some point in their life,” said St. Charles County Executive Steve Ehlmann, “And when you need it – it’s the most important thing in your life.”

Eighty-five percent of all 911 calls in St. Charles County are placed on cell phones. The old system, designed to route landline calls, has been adapted to route wireless calls as best as possible, but can cause delays in locating callers using the latest wireless technology.

“It’s not a matter of if we do the switch, it’s a matter of when,” says Director of Emergency Communications Jeff Smith.

Smith says the new system will help callers in several ways: • Will provide 911 with callers’ location received directly from their wireless device.

• Instead of cell tower location, or multiple tower triangulation, calls will be routed to the appropriate dispatcher based on the caller’s actual physical location.

• More accurate routing will result in less need for the transfer of calls between dispatch agencies, resulting in lower average response times from call placement to dispatch of assistance.

In the future, Smith says the same system will allow dispatchers to see the elevation of the person calling 911, which could help locate what floor someone is on in a building fire. Plans also call for allowing callers to send photos or videos from the scene of an emergency.

The new system comes at a cost of about $12 million spread out over the next seven years for new hardware, software and 911 call routing. The system will come online in phases over the next 18 months. The cost of the system will be shared by the county and the cities of Lake Saint Louis, O’Fallon, St. Charles, St. Peters and Wentzville, each of which is a primary system answering point for 911.

Funding to help pay for the new system will include money from the county and municipalities who answer 911. The county’s capital improvement sales tax will fund approximately 55%, with the remainder coming from the five municipalities. The only dedicated 911 funding source in St. Charles County is a tax on landlines that generates less the $250,000 annually in a county of 419,000 people. Twenty years ago, before cell phones dominated, the same tax raised $571,000.

More than 118,000 calls have been placed to 911 in St. Charles County this year through October. Of those, 98.7% have been answered within 10 seconds.

The average answer time is 3.5 seconds.

In late summer, the St. Charles County decided to hire some contract 911 dispatchers as a temporary measure to offset staff shortages. So far, a handful have come on board and a total of eight are expected.

Delivering the gift of a smile for Veterans Day Retirement & Assisted Living Community

cordially invites you to our

Holiday Boutique Tuesday, December 5, 2023 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Shop a variety of vendors including: Betty's Baubles & Beads Kordick’s Creations Wild & Wooley Mary Kay Cosmetics Whistle Shop 301 Paper Pie Books Dot's Chocolate Shop Pampered Chef Live Laugh Love Create Touchstone Crystal Augusta/Montelle/Balducci and Mount Pleasant Wineries Cookies, Cupcakes, Hot Cocoa, Give-a-Ways, Music & Tours!

RSVP to Rhonnie at RAyden@delmargardens.com or call 636-942-6318.

7092 S. Outer 364 • O’Fallon, MO 63368 DelmarGardens.com

Battling multiple health issues, U.S. Army veteran Bill Geer had been struggling to eat with only five remaining top teeth in his mouth.

“He was in constant pain and his teeth were so bad that he couldn’t even get a root canal,” explains his wife, Sheri. “We were referred to Affordable Dentures & Implants by our dentist because Bill needed his teeth removed and replaced to help him get rid of the pain.”

Little did Bill and Sheri know that when they walked into Dr. Michael Kimble’s St. Charles practice, they would receive a special surprise – the gift of free dental care to honor him on Veterans Day. For most military veterans, like Bill, who was deployed to Vietnam as a mortarman, dental care is not included in their military benefits.

“When I met Bill and learned about his service, we really wanted to help him and honor him for the sacrifices he made as a veteran,” said Kimble, who, free of charge, extracted Bill’s remaining teeth and replaced them with new, customized dentures. “I understand the impact oral health has on the overall health of a patient, and with Bill’s condition, it was important that we take care of his mouth so that he is able to focus on everything else.”

On Nov. 7, just before Veterans Day, Bill returned to Kimble’s

Veteran Patient Bill Geer smiles in mirror with Dental Assistant Katie Beffa.

Affordable Dentures & Implants practice in St. Charles, for the fitting of his new, customized teeth (dentures).

“When Dr. Kimble told us about providing this for free as part of a special Veterans Day program, I started crying,” shares Sheri. “We were having a hard time coming up with the money to pay for everything. We are lucky enough to be able to get all of Bill’s medicine – he is taking a lot of medicine – and we feel so blessed that he is being honored in this way.”

Sheri adds, “He has had multiple

Submitted photo

strokes, a brain tumor, cancer and he is a fighter. We live day-by-day and this helps us enormously because he couldn’t eat and that was impacting his health even more.”

Bill is not alone in his dental care needs. According to the American College of Prosthodontists, 178 million Americans are missing at least one tooth and more than 35 million Americans are missing all their teeth on one or both arches.

Bill shares, “It’s been about a year that I could eat normally. I hope to be able to eat steak and ribs again one day.”

www.mycnews.com • Community News - St. Charles County • November 29, 2023

ONGOING EVENTS Mondays: Optimist Club meetings

The Wentzville/Lake St. Louis Optimist Club meets on the second and fourth Monday of each month at 6:30 p.m. at the Wentzville IHOP, 10 Layla Lane, Wentzville, MO.. For more information contact Ed Jurotich at 314-560-1868.

Mondays: Anonymous

Alcoholics

If you want to drink, that’s your business. If you want to stop, we can help. Call Alcoholics Anonymous at 636-970-0013.

Mondays: Take off Pounds Sensibly

TOPS meet every Monday at Holy Cross Lutheran Church at 8945 Veterans Memorial Hwy in O’Fallon. Meetings at 9:30 a.m. with weigh in beginning at 8:30 a.m. For more information please call Leogene Weber. 636-399-3124.

Mondays: NAMI St. Louis Connection Recovery Support Group

If you have mental health concerns and need support, please come on Mondays at 6:30 p.m. at Friedens United Church of Christ at 1703 Old Highway 94 South in St. Charles.

Mondays: Kiwanis Club meeting

Cottleville-Weldon Spring Kiwanis Club meets the first Monday of the month at noon at Bandana’s at 3446 Pheasant Meadows Dr. in O’Fallon.

Contact Mary Vaughan at 314-581-0497 or Karen Grant at 773-914-4900 for more information.

Mondays: Parent support group

Because I Love You, (BILY), Gateway parent support group meets every Monday at 7:30 p.m. at First United Methodist Church at 801 First Capitol Dr. in St. Charles. For information and directions, please contact the helpline at 314-993-7550 or email gateway_parent_help@ yahoo.com. BILY is a program of self-help for parents of troubled children (all ages). We are not professionals, but parents helping each other. The meetings are free to attend.

Mondays: Seasoned eye carvers meeting

Meetings are held from 9 to 11 a.m. at the St. Charles Senior Citizens Center at 1455 Fairgrounds (near the Bass Pro Shop). Visitors are always welcome. For more information visit http://www.stcharlesareawoodcarvers.com/ or contact Charles Sapp at cwsapp@charter.net.

Mondays: St. Peters Rotary Club

Noon at St. Peters City Hall, One St. Peters Centre Blvd. www.stpetersrotary.org.

Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays: Fitness First Exercise Class 9:30-10:30 a.m., American Legion Hall, 504 Luetkenhaus Blvd., Wentzville. 314-3696521.

Mondays: Choral Arts Singers practice

Choral Arts Singers practice on Mondays, from 7-9 p.m. at Connection ChristianChurch, 1332 Feise Road in Dardenne Prairie. New singers (high school and older) are welcome.

Auditions are not required.

See www.concertarts.org.

Measurement

10 a.m. - 12 noon at the ST. Charles Health Deparment in the Upper Level Conference room.

Measurement Mondays is a family-friendly breastfeeding support group. We are open to all moms and momsto-be who are breastfeeding or interested in breastfeeding.

The group is supported by the St Charles County WIC program so there will be information about the program avail-

Mondays and Wednesdays: Tai Chi for arthritis class

Every Monday and Wednesday a Tai Chi for arthritis class, sponsored by the city of St. Charles Parks and Recreation, takes place from 9:15 - 10 a.m. at Webster Park across from the Family Arena. This is a class that is taught nationally

SUDOKU answers from page F-1

to manage arthritis and to prevent falls. For more information call 636-949-3372.

Tuesdays: Meeting

Toastmasters

7 p.m. at the Midwest Bank Centre Board Room at 2299 Technology Blvd., O’Fallon, MO 63368. Info: 636-3792505.

Tuesdays: Cribbage Club

Meets every Tuesday, 12:30 – 3:30 p.m. at The Falls Golf Course Clubhouse. Relaxed, friendly play and is open to all.

Call 314-954-3364 for info.

CROSSWORD answers from page F-4

Business meetings are held on the first Monday of each month unless otherwise specified. Currently, during the COVID pandemic, meetings are held via conference call, starting at 6:45 pm. For more information, contact Beverly Kaskadden at 636-561-6947.

Mondays: American Legion Post 388 Meets

Meets the fourth Monday of the month at 6:30 p.m. at

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• 4 passes for 10 at GG Sports Park, Paintball & Airsoft Mega Park Courtesy of GG Sports Park

• 2 movie passes Courtesy of B&B Theatres, Wentzville

• $20 gift card Courtesy of Hawk Point Emporium/Bounce Back

• Cooler with card for 1 free bundtlet every month for a year Courtesy of Nothing Bundt Cakes

• $20 Gift Card Courtesy of Imagination Pottery Wentzville

Scan the QR Code and upload your photo by December 27th!

Winners will be chosen by random draw and will be announced by Dec. 29.

Sponsored by:

Get your event or good news published in Community News: email your information to editor@mycnews.com.

HOLIDAY MEMORIES MADE HERE O’FALLON, MO FT. ZUMWALT PARK

THROUGH December 30 BUY TICKETS NOW! TICKETS MUST BE PURCHASED IN ADVANCE!

No purchase necessary.

O’Fallon office 636-561-2626 • Kirkwood office 314-965-1005 https://travelleaders-janstravel.com/

Mondays: Mondays:

able at each meeting. Each meeting will be a little different than the last. There will be baby weigh-ins, introductions, games, interactive education, group conversation, and even snacks.

Mondays: St. Charles County Council of the Blind meetings

Santa Photo Contest • Cooler with card for 1 free bundtlet every month for a year Courtesy of Nothing Bundt Cakes

American Legion Hall, 607 Westridge Dr., O’Fallon, 636219-0553.

What’s Happening 7

Only one entry allowed per person.

VISIT www.ofallon.mo.us/COL FOR DETAILS.

8

Sports

November 29, 2023 • Community News - St. Charles County • www.mycnews.com

www.mycnews.com

VETERINARY MOBILE CLINIC

1:00 - 3:00 PM Rural King

Rabies (1 Year) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $14 15190 Vet Mem Pkwy | Wentzville Fri. & Sat. December 1 & 2 Rabies (3 Year) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $22 Mobile “On the Run” St. Charles Co. License . . . . . . . $6 Hwy. N & Z | Wentzville Thu. December 7 (Not Neutered or Spayed) . . . $12 DHPP (Dog Vacc) . . . . . . . . . . . . $22 Charlies Farm & Home RCP (Cat Vacc) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $22 1583 W. Pearce Blvd. | Wentzville Fri. & Sat. December 8 & 9 Heartworm Test . . . . . . . . . . . . . $30 Pete Pratte DVM - Lake St. Louis Animal Care - 636.887.0322 www.vetmobileclinic.com

. . . Sports you see with Gary B . . .

UMSL have players earning honors to the All-District Academic Team The University of Missouri-St. Louis women’s soccer team had three players named to the College Sports Communicators Academic All-District team. Juniors Kayley Judy, Jada Holloman and Emily Bloomfield were all named to the CSC Academic All-District Team.

To be eligible for nomination to the CSC Academic All-District Team, a student-athlete must be at least a sophomore in academic standing with at least a 3.50 cumulative grade point average, must have competed in 90 percent for the institution’s games played OR must start in at least 66% of the games throughout the season.

Judy, a second-team All-GLVC selection, was tied for the team lead in goals scored (7) and points scored (16) this season. She scored game-winning goals against Illinois Springfield and Southwest Baptist this year. Judy is tied for fourth in the conference in goals scored, tied for fifth in points scored and tied for ninth in game-winning goals. She is an exercise science major with a cumulative GPA of 3.74.

Holloman, a third-team All-GLVC selection, was tied with Judy for the team lead in goals and points scored this season. She scored game-winning goals against Indianapolis and Quincy. Holloman is tied for fourth in the conference goals scored, tied for fifth in points scored and tied for ninth in game-winning goals. Holloman is majoring in biology and has a cumulative GPA of 3.78.

Bloomfield started all 17 games for the Tritons this season leading the team in assists with five and was fourth in points scored with nine. She was also a part of a defense that posted seven shutouts this season.

She was named as the team’s nominee for the GLVC’s James R. Spalding Sportsmanship Award. Bloomfield is a nursing major with a cumulative GPA of 3.57. *Brains and athletics

Ambush drop home opener in overtime The St. Louis Ambush plays professional indoor soccer in the Major Arena Soccer League (MASL) and competes all the home games at the Family Arena in St. Charles.

The Ambush lost a heartbreaker to the Milwaukee Wave in overtime Friday at The Family Arena. In an unusually low-scoring affair for professional indoor soccer, the Wave took home a 2-1 victory.

After a scoreless first quarter, the Ambush got on the board first in the eighth minute of the second quarter on a goal from Wil Nyamsi off a long pass from Curtis Kirby.

The Wave drew even in the seventh minute of the third frame when St. Louis’ Will Eskay sent an errant pass that found the foot of Milwaukee’s Derek Huffman, who was able to put it in the back of the net.

The fourth quarter was another scoreless stanza in a back-and-forth duel that saw both teams have multiple chances. The game went into sudden death overtime that saw Milwaukee’s Cesar Correa get off a shot out of the reach of Ambush goalkeeper Paulo Nascimento to nail down the 2-1 win for the visitors.

Next for the Ambush is a road trip across Missouri when they square off with their cross-state rivals, the Kansas City Comets, on Sunday, Dec. 3 at 4:05 p.m. at the Cable Dahmer Arena in Independence, Missouri.

The next Ambush home game is slated for Dec. 9 when they host the Empire Strykers at 6:05 p.m. at The Family Arena. *So close

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.

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November 29, 2023 • Community News • www.mycnews.com

ALWAYS AN ADVENTURE

BY AVALANCHE

– SUDOKU –

Moving on The last of the fall colors still cling to the trees, awaiting the next storm that will strip them away, leaving the bare branches of that in-between time of late fall and early winter. Most of the firewood is stacked, but the cold night temperatures remind me that another pickup load would be a wise acquisition.

The bulk of the summer tourists have gone, while the last of the leaf watchers are still recreating and camping in the remote regions, getting ready to head back to warmer climes before the brilliant colors give way to the white of winter’s snow. Hunting season will soon come and go, ushering the mountains into the full grip of winter.

Some other things have moved on, such as an iconic local business, which traded hands during the worst days of the pandemic lockdowns. A not-quite-a-billionaire bought it at a fire-sale price from the previous owners. Three years later, the business is about to be liquidated; a local realtor called the previous owner and asked where the water shut-off valve was located, so he could winterize the building. Maybe the new owner didn’t need that much of a tax write-off after all.

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.

Some long-time local individuals have gone away, or are packing up and getting ready to do so. Carol, a friend who has cut my hair since I had a lot of it (three decades ago I had quite a nice, thick patch of the stuff) sold her house and is about to head to the Ozarks. She’s 70, and is ready to start on a new adventure.

One neighborhood family sold their place (in a matter of hours) and headed to the other side of the mountains to be with family.

Not all the departures were voluntary; a former co-worker and well-known first responder died in a car crash recently. He saved a many lives, but also carried SEE ANSWERS ON STC PG. 7

‘ALWAYS AN ADVENTURE’ continued on F2

‘The Marvels’ keeps it simple

C Movie:

By Mat DeKinder

oncern trolling Marvel Studios has become a cottage industry as of late, thanks primarily to the creative and relative financial shortcomings of both their movies and television shows over the past couple of years.

A fair amount of that concern has been warranted as superhero fatigue has started to set in with audiences, as studios give comic book fans more and more and more of what they want; favoring quantity on corporate earnings reports over quality, creatively-entertaining products.

Meeting at this nexus is “The Marvels,” a movie that is both a sequel and the first graduation of heroes introduced in Marvel television shows onto the big screen.

The result is a solid Marvel movie that, while it doesn’t achieve the level of a must-see cinematic experience, does stand out above most of what’s been coming down the Marvel pike recently.

The movie centers on Carol Danvers/Captain Marvel (Brie Larson), a test-pilot imbued with awesome cosmic powers who

Photo courtesy Marvel Studios

we first met in “Captain Marvel” and who spends most of her time traveling around the galaxy righting wrongs.

Proceedings kick off when Carol’s powers get entangled with Monica Rambeau (Teyonah Parris), the daughter of Carol’s best friend who was introduced in “WandaVision” and Kamala Khan (Iman Vellani), a teenage superhero who is obsessed with Captain Marvel and was introduced in “Ms. Marvel.”

The three heroes inconveniently swap places with each other whenever they use their powers, so they are forced to team up to figure out how to untangle their powers all while try-

ing to thwart Dar-Benn (Zawe Ashton), an alien who will go to any length to save her own dying planet while seeking as much retribution against Captain Marvel as she can along the way.

“The Marvels” has a lot of charm as writer/director Nia DaCosta brings a creative flair to the film seen in moments like the opening fight scene where everyone’s powers first get tangled and different characters pop in and out of three different battles taking place in the farthest reaches of the galaxy, on the deck of a space station and in the living room of an apartment in Jersey City.

There are also some genuinely

funny moments like a visit to a planet where all language is sang instead of spoken and quite possibly the most hilarious Andrew Lloyd Webber needle drop of all time.

The cast keeps things above boards as well as the chemistry between the three leads is fun to watch, especially Vellani and her fangirl energy. Plus you have Samuel L. Jackson running around doing Samuel L. Jackson things and holding down the center of the film as Nick Fury.

On the down side, Dar-Benn is kind of a weak villain and when the movie shifts away from practical sets with actual humans to an overstimulating, computer-generated mishmash, we see some of Marvel’s more recent bad habits take the audience out of the movie.

The takeaway from “The Marvels” for Marvel Studios is that it’s ok to make a stand-alone movie that’s nothing more than an entertaining romp through space with enjoyable characters.

Sometimes simpler is better.

“The Marvels” is rated PG13 for action/violence and brief language.

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November 29, 2023 • Community News • www.mycnews.com

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CROSSWORD: THE 1980'S

‘ALWAYS AN ADVENTURE' from F1 the burden of the trauma of those he couldn’t save. He will be missed.

Some of those who are moving on have asked when I might go. After all, it is a lot of work to live here in these mountains. The crowds, and all the baggage that they bring have changed life in this region quite a bit. The cost of living is becoming untenable, and for those of us who moved here to get away from all of the urban strife, it is quite discouraging. It is a frequent topic of conversation among those who have been here for a long time.

Interestingly, four households here in our small neighborhood either have property in the Ozarks, or family members who do. We’ve all thought of heading there, and at some point, some of us, like my friend Carol, very well might pick up and go.

The pace is slower, the cost of living is far more reasonable, and for lack of a better way of putting it, it’s still America there.

Having said that, this place still has an almost magical draw. The scenery is astounding, and our little community in a somewhat-remote valley is unique in that everyone knows pretty much everyone else in the neighborhood of about 50 homes. We don’t have cell coverage, and don’t really want it. There are no through streets here;

Moore on Life

in effect it’s just a big cul-de-sac. Wildlife still abounds nearby, and the harsh weather keeps the squatters from setting up in the woods for long.

One doesn’t have to go far to find all the hassles of city living, but we’re still isolated from it, even if just by a few miles.

More than one neighbor has put their home on the market for a little while, thought better of it, and cancelled the listing; they decided to keep their places, because once you leave, you’ll never get it back.

As for me, I’ll be staying, at least for a while longer; the urban sprawl is inexorably progressing, but we still have it pretty good – for a reminder, all I have to do is look out the window.

Avalanche is a functional illiterate who left the St. Louis area three decades ago in search of adventure. He enjoys motorcycling and all things outdoors. He lives with his wife and dogs.

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.

By Cindy Moore

I

t’s the month for gluttony so what a ridiculous time to reduce the amount of frosting in between one of the most beloved cookies on the planet – Oreos. Yes, the scandal has surfaced and you can hear the complaints everywhere as people start to dip their favorite cookie into their milk: “Hey, what’s the big idea? Where’s the middle stuff?”

“Help! I’ve been robbed. My filling has been replaced with a thin coating of White-out across the center.”

Some people have compared it to the apocalypse others blame it on aliens, while more sane groups have attributed it to manufacturers trying to maintain profit margins amid the rising costs.

Yup, this is where companies try and pull a fast one to increase their bottom line as they snooker the consumer into believing nothing’s changed.

It’s called shrinkflation.

But I’m on to them. When I get a 12-ounce bag of chips and open it to find mostly air and hardly any chips I get mad. So mad, that I immediately fall back on my seventh-grade math skills to see exactly how much they’ve swindled me out of.

But of course, I soon realize that x over y is of absolutely no practical use for this problem or any other problem in my daily life. Hmm, that may be all part of the plot.

So while the plot is thickening, the frosting in between the cookie is not.

This is how I discovered shrinkflation: I went to the store to pick up a few things and reached for a box of my favorite cereal. The front of the box looked as big as usual and the price was still the same.

Aha, I thought. Those sneaky shrinkflators haven’t got ahold of this yet.

The next day my husband opened the box and

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Cookie-gate poured himself a bowl of cereal. I asked him to pour me some too.

“No can do. It’s a single serving.”

“What?! That can’t be,” I said staring into the empty box.

“Yup, they filled it with air, but you should be thankful.”

“Thankful? For ripping us off?”

“Not so fast,” he said. “I figure we got the best part of the deal. Do you know how much they charge for air at the service station nowadays?”

I guess it’s also the month for gratitude.

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.

ACROSS 1. *"Heaven's on Fire" band 5. *Setting of "Cheers" TV show 8. Derive 13. "I'm ____ you!"

14. Gas station brand 15. Affirmatives 16. Image in Orthodox Church 17. *Robert Wagner or Stephanie Powers, on TV 18. *Vote for H.W. Bush, e.g.

19. *Weird Al's last name 21. Forum, pl.

22. Dog-____ book 23. Clingy plant 24. Spiky succulent 27. Accumulates (2 words) 31. Turkish military leader 32. Consequence 35. *Wintour of Vogue 36. Zoroaster follower 38. E in B.C.E. 39. #53 Down, third person singular 40. Do like exhaust pipe 41. Hertz' offering 43. Extra cost 44. Expert, in U.K. (2 words) 46. *Ricky Martin's boy band 48. Arrival time acronym

49. *Piano player Lee Curreri on "Fame" 51. *Baltimore player 53. *Mikhail Gorbachev's policy 56. Recipient of money 57. *Umberto Eco's "The ____ of the Rose" 58. Oration station 60. Some tournaments 61. In the thick of 62. Place, in French 63. Not at all good 64. Bitty 65. Other than what is DOWN 1. Ornamental pond dweller 2. Deep black 3. Greek promenade 4. Shakespeare's output 5. * Lou Reed's "Home of the ____" 6. Like thick smoke 7. Campus military org.

8. Attractive to look at 9. *"Back to the Future" car 10. One on drugs 11. Cecum, pl.

12. Is, in Paris 14. "A horse is ____ ____, of course, of course" 20. Resin-producing tree 23. Took the bait 24. *Christopher Reeve's sartorial style

in "Superman II" 25. Old World lizard 26. Indigenous person from Suriname or Guyana 27. Surveyor's map 28. Mix-up 29. Not married 30. Promenade in Spain 33. Tournament ranking 34. Remains container 37. *Washington's volcano Mount ____ ____ 39. *Close of "The Big Chill" 41. Genetic initials 42. Entertained 45. Affirm to be true 47. Cavatappi or udon, sing.

49. Scapegoat's due 50. Fiber crop variety 51. Head of family 52. Deed hearing 53. Chew on 54. Schooner canvas 55. *TV's "Family ____" 56. Sound of explosion 59. *"Peggy ____ Got Married"

SEE ANSWERS ON STC PG. 7