CNSTC: December 28, 2016

December 28, 2016

A look back at 2016 Around Town

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CCFR adopt six local families

Healthy Living

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Moore on life

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Learn & Play

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Movie:

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Reach your resolutions

Submitted photo Lincoln County Fire Protection District Firefighter Mike Pingel displays a drone similar to the one used to help the fire district put out a fire at Troy Buchanan High School.

The Community News reviews the year that was for St. Charles County Looking back, 2016 was an eventful year here in St. Charles County. Before we flip the calendar to 2017, we at the Community News thought it would be a good time to look back at what transpired over the past 12 months. We have collected the highlights and remember all of the difference-makers in our community in 2016.

JANUARY A slow recovery

nois.

Richter ordered the evacuation of the town’s residents into safety once the drastic nature of the flooding became apparent, but the flood water left West Alton almost completely cut off from surrounding areas for many days until the waters receded and cleanup began.

“This small community just tries to get together and pull each other out of the disaster that they’re in. It’s nice to see people helping each other,” said West Alton Pit Stop manager Kim Kenoyer.

FEBRUARY More answers at the library

swers to questions for members of the community and beyond. Ask Alison expanded the district’s consumer health information services, partnerships and programs to new audiences. The persona of Ask Alison was created to squash the librarian stereotype, bring awareness that libraries are dialed in to the needs of the community and to go outside the brick and mortar of its buildings.

“The library is evolving and it is, and will continue to be, an amazing resource,” Joshlyn Racherbaumer, Marketing Manager for the St. Charles City-County Library District said. “Ask Allison gives us the opportunity to impact more lives and reach even more people.”

Afterthoughts

Comfort foods for winter

MARCH The firefighter’s eye in the sky

The year began with a great deluge, as heavy rains swamped the area, causing extensive flooding and a slow recovery.

“It’s like trying to drain a bathtub through a straw,” said West Alton mayor Willie Richter of the flooding that lingered in the small town, an aftermath of the heavy rains that resulted in record flooding in parts of Missouri and Illi-

The St. Charles City-County Library District launched Ask Allison, an interactive health and wellness blog.

The service provides even more an-

The use of a drone (also known as unmanned aerial vehicles) came in handy when the Lincoln County Fire Department battled a fire at Troy Buchanan High School.

A 9,000-square-foot field house caught ablaze and a drone was called in to fly above and give firefighters a true perspective of where to put their hose streams.

See A LOOK BACK page 2

‘Hidden Figures’

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Around Town

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Vol. 18 No. 52

In This Issue...

Around Town Central County Fire & Rescue crews partner with local schools, adopt six local families in need and more.

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Special Section Healthy Living

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School Two FHSD students shine with perfect ACT scores and more.

Business St. Charles County Executive hosts economic discussion with key business sector leaders and more.

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December 28, 2016 • Community News - St. Charles County • www.mycnews.com

A LOOK BACK Continued from cover “All of the exterior walls were still standing so we put the drone in the air to see exactly where the streams were hitting,” Lincoln County Fire Department Fire Marshall Barry Nuss said. “This was kind of a first time for us. We have always seen the value in having one but this was a first to where it served its purpose and it did its job wonderfully.”

The department had used drones (ones owned by paid volunteers) before but only to snap aerial photos. The drone used to combat that fire at Troy Buchanan High School came from a neighboring fire chief.

Local sports with Gary B.

11 Learn & Play

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What’s Happening

14 Classifieds 16 Movie

Why were there “Hidden Figures” at NASA?

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JUNE Swatting the mosquito threat

APRIL Ready for Earth Day

10 Sports

Featuring recipe and crossword.

“Bonnie is very outgoing and friendly to all she meets,” Mateja said. “She is very inquisitive which suits her well for her position in the unit.”

Mother Earth took center stage in St. Charles County on April 22.

In addition to several recycling and environmental awareness events around the county, St. Charles County’s Earth Day event took place at St. Charles County’s Broemmelsiek Park.

This free event, which was the second of its kind for the county, offered crafts, guided hikes, planting trips and free electronics recycling.

“This is a weather-dependent event and last year we had around 200 people and we hope to get more than that this time around,” Doug Bolnick, Public Information Officer for the St. Charles County Department of Public Health said. “It’s a great opportunity to get out and enjoy and see the park with family and friends with a focus on conservancy.”

MAY Sniffing out cybercriminals

The Zika virus was one of 2016s hot-button topics, insomuch that it loomed large over the upcoming Summer Olympics in Brazil. The mosquito-borne virus usually causes mild symptoms, such as fevers and rashes, but it has been linked to birth defects like microcephaly and Guillian-Barre syndrome.

But what about Missouri?

The two mosquito species that carry the Zika virus (the Aedes aegypti or Aedes albopictus) are usually present in Missouri, but the presence of the mosquitoes does not necessarily mean they will be carrying it.

“As of June, 2016, St. Charles residents shouldn’t be concerned with the Zika virus unless they are traveling to places like South America, Central America, Mexico, or the Caribbean,” Doug Bolnick, Public Information Officer with the St. Charles County Department of Public Health said. “It is a scary thing when you see what (Zika) can do to babies. It is horrible. But the media has played it up a little bit.”

No mosquitos in Missouri were ever found carrying the disease.

JULY Construction continues

Production Assistants Lisa Moran, Melissa Nordmann Staff Writers Brett Auten, Nicholas Elmes Columnists Gary Baute, Steve Bryan, Cindy Moore Cartoonist John Hanna Staff Photographer Ray Rockwell Social Media Lori North Classified Advertising Brooke Tolle Display Advertising Randy Davies, Heather Deatz, Susan Faust, Doug Garbs, Bob Huneke, Norm Merchant, Tony Mooney, Christy Parks, Laurie Simon, Ty Taylor, Christy Weber Circulation: Distributech, Dominion Distribution, Papers Unlimited, Josh Blasingame Community News is a Registered Trademark of Huneke Publications, Inc. Neither the advertiser nor the publisher is responsible or liable for misinformation, misprints, typographical errors, etc., herein contained. Huneke Publications, Inc. reserves the right to accept or reject all news and advertising copy which in the sole judgement and discretion of the publisher/editor is not suitable or deemed appropriate for publication. Copyright 2016 Huneke Publica tions, Inc. with all rights reserved. No part of the publications may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the publisher/editor. Publication of advertising contained herein does not necessarily constitute endorsement. Signed columns are the opinion of the writers and not necessarily the opinion of the publisher. Entire Contents Copyrighted

Let us introduce you to Bonnie, a 50-pound Labrador, one of the newest additions to the St. Charles County Police Investigation team.

Bonnie is unique in that she can sniff out the chemical odor that electronic storage devices such as thumb drives or SD cards gives. She is believed to be the first of her kind in Missouri.

According to Lt. Christopher Mateja, commander of the department’s Bureau of Criminal Investigations Cyber Crime Unit, the St. Charles County Cyber Crime Task Force is tasked primarily with conducting the forensic analysis of media suspected to contain evidence of criminal activity. Bonnie plays the role of an investigator. During search warrants she uses her training as an Electronic Storage Detection to search for, locate and recover hidden electronics that may contain evidence of cybercrimes.

Yet again, when the doors opened on Aug. 11, the Wentzville School District saw another boost in its number of students.

Since 2001 Wentzville has continued to be the fastest-growing school district in the state. This year saw an increase of 625 students district-wide, bumping the total from 15,349 to 15,974. When looking at the numbers, the amount of new students can be borderline astonishing. On one July day, 67 new students enrolled in the district. That was part of a two-week boom that saw around 300 students enroll during that time frame.

“This is just my fourth year in the district but this has been our reality since 2000,” Dr. Curtis Cain, Wentzville superintendent said. “Back then we were just under 6,000 students and this year we’re close to 16,000.

It has been a long-standing tradition that the district has been able to accommodate plenty of students every year. Growth is on our radar and we always anticipate it.”

SEPTEMBER An ‘a-maze-ing’ tradition

A local farm tipped its cap toward the St. Louis Blues in a 10-acre way.

When Eagle Fork Farms put the finishing touches on its 2016 corn maze, this year the farm, owned and operated by Charles and Laura Meyer, teamed with the St. Louis Blues to create a 50th Anniversary logo tribute maze.

A sprawling Blue Note was cut into the corn with GPS precision for the Moscow Mills farm.

Once the Meyers got the thumbs up from the Blues to use the trademark, they sent their design ideas to Rob Stouffer at Lee Summit’s Precision Mazes.

“Eagle Fork is a unique setting,” Stouffer said. “It really has the feel that you are out in the country. It is an authentic farm experience. I don’t think a lot of people know what they have in Charles and Laura’s www.mycnews.com place.”

Road work was a big theme of the summer as construction on I-70 was going strong while finishing touches were wrapped up on Fifth Street in St. Charles The Fifth Street Gateway Project was put in place to create a legacy for the Fifth Street corridor leading into the city of St. Charles OCTOBER from Interstate 70 for many years to come.

The project is part of the district redevelopBreaking the chain of hunger ment plan for the city and includes roadThe local chapter of Kids Against Hunger way and streetscape improvements along partnered with Lindenwood University to Fifth Street from Bass Pro Drive to First Capitol Drive.

All construction in the area is scheduled to be completed by April 2017.

AUGUST Growing strong in Wentzville

What would cause most school districts to fluster has become commonplace in Wentzville.

www.mycnews.com • Community News - St. Charles County • December 28, 2016

host a food packing event. Over a two-day span, a goal of 250,000 meals were packed and shipped both nationally and internationally. This event focused on local food pantries while keeping sights set on opportunities to serve those in need globally.

Estevenson Coleman knew the benefits of Kids Against Hunger firsthand.

Coleman, 22, was born in Haiti and he and his sister were put in an orphanage when his parents passed away. Coleman was just nine-years-old at the time. He recalls when the Kids Against Hunger deliveries would arrive every six months or so.

Coleman was one of many packers at Lindenwood, meaning he had come full circle.

“Honestly, it’s crazy,” Coleman said. “It’s shocking, really. When I was eating the food I had no idea how it came about. That person put their time behind this to make it happen out of compassion and love. Now that it is me doing the packing, it is a strange feeling.”

NOVEMBER A trip of healing

While people throughout the St. Louis metro area, and the country, took time out on Nov. 11 to honor those who have risked their lives to protect the country, one man worked to raise money to help those same veterans deal with the life-long mental and emotional scars caused by their service.

Mike Snider, a Vietnam-era veteran who served in the Air National Guard but did not see combat, fought to raise close to $11,000 by Nov. 28 in order to help two local veterans who did serve in Vietnam return to the country to face the demons that conflict has left them with for decades.

Snider formed a nonprofit called Veterans Return to Vietnam and started looking into other organizations that were trying to help vets by let-

ting them go back to Vietnam.

“I have had a lot of people ask ‘Why would you spend so much money just to send one man back?” he said. “What really abhors me is that 20 veterans a day commit suicide. Over 65 percent of them are over 50 years old, so a great many of them are Vietnam veterans.

“What is the value of a human life?” he said.

“What is the value of giving peace to someone who fought and saw men die beside him and have been suffering for many years?”

Around Town

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DECEMBER Rolling to the rescue

A group of students at Liberty High School in

Wentzville came through on a project that has bettered the life of an area girl.

Just shy of her second birthday, Faith Willis was diagnosed with spina bifida. Melanie Willis, Faith’s mother and an employee of the school district, responded to an email sent out by Vince Redman, an engineering teacher at Liberty High School.

Each year Redman’s senior-level class is required to choose a project under the criteria of building something from the ground up or innovating or improving an already-established product.

In the email, Melanie spoke of Faith’s dislike of her walker and the family thought about getting her a wheelchair to help her with longer distances so she would not tire so easy and keep up with her peers. The conundrum came in Faith’s size. She was too small in stature for the kind of wheelchair the Willis’ were looking for.

In stepped seven of Redmen’s students and the team was off and running.

Obviously, the most fulfilling part of the project was when Faith and Melanie came to the classroom to bring home the final product.

“She learned really quick, like within five minutes,” Bryan Eplett, an 18-year-old senior, said.

“It was nice to see something we built and raise money for make a difference in a little girl’s life.”

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Central County Fire & Rescue crews partner with local schools, adopt six families in need To celebrate the season of giving, the crews at Central County Fire & Rescue (CCFR) have come together to adopt area families in need.

CCFR firefighter Alan Cross, director of the Central County Community Outreach Program, worked with local elementary schools to identify six local families; each family was paired with one of the district’s six stations so that crews could gather gifts and other supplies.

“CCFR is proud to serve our community in any way we can,” Assistant Fire Chief Steve Brown says. “We hope that we can make the holidays a little brighter for some of our St. Peters families.”

The money being used to assist these families was raised by firefighters at fundraising events throughout the year and provided by the Central County Community Outreach Program.

This program was founded by a group of CCFR firefight-

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Photo courtesy CCFR (From left) CCFR Captain Glen Mundwiller and firefighters David Rawlings and Matt Conoyer prepare gifts to donate to local families in need.

ers who realized that many families needed help after house fires and other emergency situations. This 501(c)3 non-profit program is funded through donations and provides assistance to families in need, conducts community education and out-

reach efforts and supports local community organizations.The members of the Community Outreach program organize a variety of community events such as regular movie nights at the fire stations, and the Gifts for Kids toy drive.

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Around Town

December 28, 2016 • Community News - St. Charles County • www.mycnews.com

Wentzville School District Board of Education Conservation commission approves elementary school boundary approves changes to smallmouth changes and rock bass regulations At its Dec. 16 meeting in Jefferson City, the Missouri Conservation Commission voiced final approval for regulation changes recommended by the Missouri Department of Conservation related to smallmouth bass and rock bass. The regulation changes become effective on March 30, 2017.

The regulation changes create a standard 15-inch minimum length limit for smallmouth bass and a daily limit of one for all Smallmouth Bass Special Management areas. They also expand these areas on the Big Piney, Jacks Fork, Big, and Meramec rivers.

The existing minimum length limit for smallmouth bass of 12 inches and daily limit of six fish

remain for Missouri streams other than those of Smallmouth Bass Special Management areas.

The regulation changes also set a statewide length limit of seven inches for rock bass (also called goggle-eye, warmouth, Ozark bass, and shadow bass) and remove the Osage Fork of the Gasconade River from the Rock Bass Special Management areas.

The regulation changes are based on extensive scientific research related to bass populations and harvest with consideration of public input received, including from nine public meetings held by the department.

For more information on bass fishing, visit huntfish.mdc. mo.gov/fishing/species.

Image courtesy Wentzville School District This map shows the new boundaries for all elementary schools in the Wentzville School District beginning next fall with the 2017-18 school year.

The Wentzville School District Board of Education has unanimously approved new boundaries for all elementary schools beginning next fall with the 2017-18 school year.

The new boundaries were proposed by a boundary committee comprised of parents, community members and WSD staff that met during six public meetings between March and October this year.

The committee was charged with redistricting the existing nine WSD elementary schools, as well as two new elementary schools currently under construction, as part of the district’s shift to K-6 elementary buildings. The K-6 Plan for Growth was formulated by the board of education following the passing of Proposition E in April of 2015 and moves sixth grade out of the three existing WSD middle schools into eleven elementary schools in order to relieve overcrowding

at the middle schools without having to request a tax increase from WSD residents.

The committee considered current and projected enrollment numbers, birth data, free and reduced lunch populations, transportation and feeder patterns when formulating the new boundaries. An effort was also made to move the least amount of students as possible with the new boundary configurations.

“Everyone involved in the process understands this is a very personal and significant change for some WSD families,” said Director of Community Relations Mary LaPak. “We respect that, and we are confident that our caring staff will ensure a smooth transition for affected students and their families.”

The Wentzville School District continues to be the fastest-growing school district in the state. The WSD has

added, on average, between 500 and 600 students each year since 2001. This past year, enrollment increased from 15,333 students to 15,984 – an increase of 651 students. The district has built eleven new schools, renovated classrooms in older schools, and added more than 250 classrooms onto existing schools in the past 16 years to accommodate new students.

“Each WSD school is exceptional,” said Superintendent Dr. Curtis Cain. “At the end of the day, all WSD students will be in a school where the bar is set high and where our phenomenal educators will ensure every child has the tools they need to be successful.”

Middle and high school attendance areas are not affected by this boundary change. To check the 2017-18 assigned schools for a particular address, visit the WSD website.

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www.mycnews.com • Community News - St. Charles County • December 28, 2016

A letter from St. Charles‘ sister city Editor’s note: The city of St. Charles is the sister city of Ludwigsburg, Germany. St. Charles resident and champion of the sister cities program Joe Daues exchanges letters with Dietholf Zerweck about the goings on in their cities.

Zerweck writes for the Ludwigsburg Kreiszeitung, the daily newspaper and the following is his most recent letter: Dear Friends in St. Charles, It was a nice surprise to get an email from Joe Daues, in which he asked me to write a Christmas letter to our beloved sister city in midwestern Missouri, which I still remember with great pleasure from my visit with a group of pupils from the Mörike-Gymnasium years ago.

As you know, one of the main attractions in our city is the Barocker Weihnachtsmarkt, (we know it as the Baroque Christmas Market) on the historic market place, which also this year attracted many visitors and tourists from everywhere.

Although there has not been a single snowflake so far, the atmosphere in the market place,

with the many candle lights and the smell of Glühwein, sausage, potato pancakes, lentil suppe, Christmas cookies called Gutsle and roasted chestnuts is really something special.

Also young people crowd in the evenings around the many huts and buy little presents for Christmas, and on the open stage in front of the Stadtkirche choirs we have instrumental music galore. In the castle gardens of the Blühendes Barock a huge advent wreath with four red candles 10 feet tall has been installed for the first time this year – another superlative like the monster pumpkins in the annual pumpkin exhibition.

One of the highly-debated issues in our city parliament this year was the topic of a cable-car line through the center of town.

The fundamental ecologists of the Green Party would of course like to have as little car traffic as possible in the town center, and even with quite a few electric buses for public traffic it appears attractive for many people to have cable-cars which would bring people from the outskirts and neighboring

towns like Markgröningen and Remseck for work or shopping to the center.

Some people favour an extension of the big street car lines running in Stuttgart, but that would mean ugly high steps because these trains run on high wheels. Others would like to have low entry street cars like in cities like Strasbourg, and the mayor votes for fast buses and no rails.

So you can see that Ludwigsburg has little issues to debate in comparison to the big problems of our world. Of course there is first of all the problems of refugees from war zones like Syria and many other parts of the world which touches our communities. Many people here are engaged in church groups and other initiatives to help the asylum seekers to learn the language and become integrated in German society.

On the other hand there are the people who do not want any more foreigners in Germany.

Looking at the outcome of the U.S. presidential elections, a lot of people here are afraid that populists like Donald Trump

Around Town

Submitted photo

The Ludwigsburg Christmas Market.

or right-wing leaders in other European countries could gain influence in German politics.

And everybody is curious to see how the relationship between our countries will develop in the coming Trump presidency.

So all the more important is the friendship and the many relations between our sister cities.

By the way: since the takeover

of Crimea by Putin’s Russia, the contacts between Ludwigsburg and her Ukranian sister city Jevpatorija have become very difficult.

Let us hope for a more peaceful 2017. With best wishes for a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Yours sincerely, Dietholf Zerweck

American Legion post supports Toys For Tots

Submitted photo

American Legion Post #323 of Wentzville presented a $1,000 check to the U. S. Marines Corp for the Toys For Tots campaign along with two boxes of toys on Dec. 3. The Marines and their helpers are flanked by Pat Winn, Legion Historian on the far left and Mr. Rod Callaway, Legion Commander, on the right.

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December 28, 2016 • Community News - St. Charles County • www.mycnews.com

MDC says frost flowers can be part of landscaping

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Frost flowers appear like magic in woods and fields when winter brings sub-freezing temperatures. But people can make them appear with the right choice of native plants in landscaping designs. The recent cold spell created icy blooms on the stems of white crownbeard, a native wildflower, at the Missouri Department of Conservation’s (MDC) Anita B. Gorman Discovery Center in Kansas City. In recent years, glassy or milk-white ribbons of ice have appeared reliably on crownbeard with the first deep freeze.

Not all plants will produce frost flowers. But white crownbeard, yellow crownbeard, yellow ironweed and dittany will produce them if soil, moisture and temperature conditions are right. The cold freezes moisture in the stems of these plants, icy

ribbons expand out in patterns that depend on how the stem splits and other factors. Perhaps the roots of those plants stay active longer and have more moisture to produce the ribbonlike patterns.

White crownbeard is a tall plant. Most gardeners will want to plant it in the back of native wildflower plots. Dittany is a smaller plant that may fit better in shaded yard plantings. They are bonus plants for gardeners, providing colorful flowers in summer and frost flowers in winter.

Native plants also benefit pollinator species such as butterflies and bees. For information on frost flowers, visit http://on.mo. gov/2hKVdzS. Information about using native plants in landscape gardens is available at http://grownative.org/.

Moore On Life

Photo courtesy Bill Graham, Missouri Department of Conservation Adding specific wildflowers to native plant gardens, or to acreage plantings friendly to pollinator insects such as butterflies, can bring both summer blooms and winter frost flowers. White crownbeard, yellow crownbeard, ironweed and dittany are Missouri natives that produce frost flowers when an early-winter freeze transforms moisture in plant stems into ice formations.

By Cindy Moore

“Community News hits all areas for all ages.”

-Reader ’s comment, 2016

Why do you read the Community News?

Pick up your copy at a newsstand today or check us out online, www.mycnews.com

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Afterthoughts

ccording to the calendar, Christmas should already be wrapped up. Wait…wrapped up…get it? I just made myself giggle. But I wasn’t always giggling this giddily, especially after being forced to finish things up at the last possible minute.

Take for instance my ever-annoying neighbors – the Pilkinson’s (whom I dearly love in case they’re reading this)! I could have sworn they cut us off their card mailing list when I didn’t receive one.

So right back in their face, I cut them off of my list.

It’s the clear thing to do when stamps are 47 cents apiece.

They then caught me off guard by popping in unexpectedly on Christmas Day to deliver a chocolatey treat along with a card. The nerve! Some unpunctual people just don’t understand the rule of the season.

Get your things to me at a reasonable time so I can reciprocate in like manner! This under-thewire trick left me desperately rummaging through the neighbor gifts piled on our kitchen counter. I quickly searched for something to re-give.

Ah-ha! Fortunately, the Murdock’s delivered a plate of homemade chocolate chip cookies and some kind of strange-looking fruity cake before they ran off to Hawaii. Perfect! They’d never know.

I looked at the cookies; I tasted the cookies. They were amazing. Much too yummy for the johnnycome-lately Pilkinson’s disrupting the flow of Christmas. I grabbed the fruity cake instead and tossed in some old Halloween candy to fill in the gap from the missing cookies. You know…desperate times and all that stuff.

Now what to do about a tag? I had to take one of the cards that had already been sent to us and white out our names then re-sign it.

Bah Humbug Pilkinson’s! How is it they are the last to deliver gifts, but the first to have their Christmas lights up? Oh, now I remember…maybe because they never take them down in the first place!

So we sent them merrily on their way with their fruitcake, Halloween candy and re-gifted card straight from the heart with peace on earth and all sorts of goodwill to them. I then intended to kick up my feet and catch up on the ten holiday movies I hadn’t had time to watch.

Just into the first movie my husband got a call. “It’s Mrs. Pilkinson. She’s having company over tonight and insists on making your delicious fruitcake. She wants the ingredients ASAP!” I yelled back, “No can do! Old secret family recipe from Hawaii.”

You know…desperate measures and all that stuff.

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.

www.mycnews.com • Community News - St. Charles County • December 28, 2016

Healthy Living

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Cold and flu season facts

Reach your resolutions

By Dr. Devin Bell

Photo courtesy of Getty Images

Despite most New Year’s resolutions centering on physical healthrelated goals, dreams and desires, there are many other ways to better yourself in 2017. By focusing on different parts of your life, you can become a more well-rounded person thanks to a few simple tips, tricks and products.

Incorporate more than just health goals into your 2017 plans by spending time and resources to improve your organization, balance your budget, invigorate your mind, increase time with loved ones and, yes, boost your body’s well-being.

To help accomplish these goals and more, you can add to your repertoire creative planners and pens, budgeting apps, digital tools, simple games and kitchen equipment, among other products.

For more ideas and inspiration to better your life in the New Year, visit eLivingToday.com.

Get organized with flair If getting organized is on your to-do list, you might as well have fun doing it. Creative planners add flair to everything from calendars and lists to thank-you notes and files with colorful gel pens.

Find more colorful options to optimize your organization at gelbee.com.

Better budgeting Paying off debt and saving money in 2017 is easier with a budget that is simple to create and follow. EveryDollar, a free budget tool that syncs across devices such as your computer, iPhone or Android, helps you stay up-to-date on your finances by viewing what’s planned, spent and remaining, any time, any place. Your first budget takes an average of just 10 minutes to create, so it’s easy to get started. Find more information at EveryDollar.com.

Add to your arsenal For many people looking to better their health in the coming year, the thought is much easier than the action. Prepare yourself for all of the fruits and vegetables you plan to add to your diet with the right tools to turn ingredients into delicious recipes, such as a blender. A versatile kitchen tool to have on hand, a blender can give you the ability to turn an ordinary breakfast into a standout smoothie or make it easier to opt for a healthier frozen fruit drink rather than a soda.

Fun family time While so many New Year’s resolutions are centered around individual goals, there are ways to better both yourself and those most important to you – family members. One way to increase family time with fun, engaging activity is with classic board games, card games or jigsaw puzzles that can serve as the main event for a designated weekly night together. With varying options for different age groups and interests, there’s a board game or puzzle out there for every family.

Yearn to learn With all the attention paid to physical health goals around the New Year, don’t forget about your mental health. By investing in an e-reader or tablet, you’ll give yourself a tool to stay up-to-date on www.krekeler.com current events plus a handy device that allows you to keep many of your favorite books right at your fingertips. With their variety of functions and abilities, tablets and e-readers can help you combine learning with entertainment.

We hear a lot about cold and flu season.

What’s the difference between having a cold and having the flu and the symptoms associated with each?

The symptoms can often be similar, but a big difference I see is that flu has a very sudden onset. Usually having a cold involves a gradual onset, but with the flu, patients tell me it happened at this exact moment. When you see that abrupt onset, along with high fever and severe body aches, those are the three big symptoms of having the flu as opposed to having a common cold.

A cold also usually has a runny nose, maybe a sore throat and a mild cough. Having the flu usually has a few less of those symptoms, and the cough is much more severe.

Are there preventative measures I can take to help decrease my risk of getting a cold or the flu, and spreading it to others?

Unfortunately, nothing is perfect, but we try to avoid close contact whenever we can, washing your hands can be helpful, covering your mouth when sneezing or coughing and then washing your hands afterwards…these are common methods to help prevent the spread of the flu and common cold. The flu vaccine also helps protect against several strains of the flu.

If I received the flu vaccine last year, am I still covered for this flu season? When should I get the flu shot?

The flu shot is a once-a-year immunization.

We get our vaccines around Sept. 1 and it goes through February. We ask patients to be immunized once-a-year. You can get it at your doctor’s office and at many convenience stores.

When should I see a doctor if I am feeling bad? And what should I expect during the visit if I go to the doctor and possibly have the flu?

If it gets to the point where your fevers aren’t

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being controlled by Tylenol or ibuprofen, or if your headaches are so unbearable and aren’t being controlled with Tylenol or ibuprofen, it’s a reasonable time to go see your doctor and discuss if it’s more than just a common cold. Unfortunately, sometimes it’s hard to distinguish between having a virus that will just run its course or something more intense like the flu.

One of the things you can expect in the office visit is possibly getting a test for the flu. It involves spraying a small amount of water into the nose and suctioned back out to test for the virus in the nasal cells. Unfortunately, there aren’t always tests for the common cold. Antibiotics are typically used to treat bacterial infection. Since neither the cold nor flu is caused by bacteria, you may not receive antibiotics unless the doctor sees something that is bacterial in nature.

Are there multiple treatment options for the cold and flu?

Yes, most of them involve treating the symptoms. The old adage of rest and hydration – that’s great in this situation. Get plenty of rest and drink plenty of fluids. There are over-the-counter options like decongestants and antihistamines to help with a runny nose, cough and congestion.

There’s also Tamiflu, a prescription medication, given in the early stages of the flu to hopefully shorten its duration. It’s not recommended in every situation – talk to your provider to see if it’s a good option for you.

Dr. Devin Bell is a family physician at BJC Medical Group at Progress West Hospital in O’Fallon.

He sees patients for annual physicals, as well as other common and specialized reasons. Dr. Bell is committed to helping his patients enjoy a healthier lifestyle. Make an appointment by calling 636-3442400.

8

School

December 28, 2016 • Community News - St. Charles County • www.mycnews.com

Two FHSD students shine with perfect ACT scores There are only about a thousand students in the United States every year who achieve perfection when taking the ACT test. David Yang from Francis Howell High School (FHHS), and Kayleigh Ammond from Francis Howell Central (FHC), are part of that 0.6 percent of almost two million students who did what many think is impossible: they received a perfect 36 on the ACT. David Yang is a sophomore at FHHS, and when looking at his college career resume, a perfect ACT score doesn’t come as much of a surprise.

With a GPA of 4.67, he ranks first academically in his class.

This year he is enrolled in four AP classes, including Calculus BC, which is the highest high school math class available, as well as chemistry, physics, and world history.

In addition, he also has

time to be a member of the swimming club and the Scholar Bowl. The perfect ACT score was just another in a long list of honorable achievements. Last May, he won his category in the Mathematical Association of America (MAA) competition, and last year he was the second ranked freshman Scholar Bowl participant in St. Charles County.

FHHS Principal Dr. David Wedlock said he is proud of the outstanding character David exhibits through his thoughtful, generous and kind interactions with others.

“His disposition engenders both positive relationships and a focus on learning,” Wedlock said. “Academically, David possesses a dynamic mind with great interest in solving complex math problems, and we congratulate him on this remarkable achievement.”

Kayleigh Ammond at FHC

also has many impressive items on her list of achievements.

She was recently recognized as a commended scholar by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation, she received an AP Scholar award from the Advanced Placement (AP) Program for receiving high scores on her AP exams and she was named a commended student by the Bright Flight Program. She is interested in biological research and is also considering the medical field as a possible career choice.

She hopes to attend one of her dream schools – Northwestern, Cornell, Washington University or Harvard.

In addition to earning all of these prestigious honors, she also participates in the marching band, the regular band, the Scholar Quiz Bowl, as well as FHC theater, where she was part of the orchestra and a technician during plays.

Photos courtesy Francis Howell School District David Yang from Francis Howell High School (FHHS), and Kayleigh Ammond from Francis Howell Central (FHC) received a perfect 36 on the ACT.

FHC Principal Dr. Sonny Arnel couldn’t stop raving about Kayleigh.

“She is truly a unique woman who is caring and dedicated to her education, music, and her friends,” Arnel said. “I

cannot wait to learn what she accomplishes in her future.”

It looks like both David and Kayleigh have the brightest future ahead of them.

Wentzville School District kindergarten registration dates set Dates have been set for the Wentzville School District’s kindergarten registration/screening process. This event is for all children who will turn five before Aug. 1, 2017. If your child has not been screened at the Parents as Teachers office or his/her preschool this year, appointments are required and can be made by contacting the Parents as Teachers office at 3273863, ext. 22281. Screening appointments are filled on a first come, first served basis. While every effort will be made to accommodate you at your child’s school, it is a possibility that you may have to have a screening at another elementary school in the district. Once the boundaries are finalized for the 2017-18 school year, your child’s completed records will be transferred to the school your child is slated to attend. Registration/screening dates are as follows: • • • • • • • • •

Boone Trail, Jan. 31, 2017 Crossroads, Feb. 13, 2017 Discovery Ridge, Feb. 7, 2017 Duello, Feb. 9, 2017 Green Tree, Feb. 16, 2017 Heritage, Jan. 24, 2017 Lakeview, Feb. 2, 2017 Peine Ridge, Jan. 26, 2017 Prairie View, Feb. 23, 2017

The day of the screening/registration parents should bring:

• • •

The child to be screened.

Two proofs of residency.

Signed Lease Agreement (verify dates are valid), closing document for new home purchase (settlement statement), or most recent real estate property tax statement; and • Current utility bill, cable bill, official mail from federal or state agency, or most recent personal property tax paid receipt.

• Child’s most current immunization records (doctor’s records, doctor verified form, etc.).

• Official copy of child’s birth certificate (requested but not required).

• Parent’s driver’s license or photo identification (requested but not required).

• Parenting plan or custody agreement (if applicable).

• Documentation regarding legal guardianship (must be court ordered guardianship or limited guardianship, not power of attorney) or foster care placement (required if applicable).

If you do not have a Missouri birth certificate, you may obtain one at a cost of $15 from the St. Charles County Community Health/ Environment-Vital Statistics Office at 1650 Boone’s Lick in St. Charles or by calling 636949-7400 for more information. You may also visit them on the web at http://www.sccmo.org.

Photo courtesy Wentzville School District Dates have been set for the Wentzville School District’s kindergarten registration/screening process.

www.byerlyrv.com

www.mycnews.com • Community News - St. Charles County • December 28, 2016

Business

St. Charles County Executive hosts economic discussion with key business sector leaders When St. Charles County’s business leaders met with County Executive Steve Ehlmann recently for their quarterly economic meeting, Ehlmann was told just what he wanted to hear: helpful insights and information to help his administration keep moving forward.

The group, representing financial services, healthcare, logistics/transportation, advanced manufacturing and information technology, told the county executive of their optimism for the global economy in 2017 and their desire to have Uber and bus shuttles operating in the community. They discussed issues such as full employment, an aging workforce, millennials, automation, robotics and more.

“As we look beyond the recent presidential and gubernatorial elections,” the county executive says, “the insights and suggestions each of these top business officials offered on the local economy, transportation issues and other opportunities and challenges will be very helpful for my administration as we continue our focus on St. Charles County as a premier community in metro St. Louis.

“The local economy is booming in St. Charles

County,” Ehlmann continues, “but there remains work to do as we all adjust to the rise of millennials in the workforce, expected changes in U.S. trade agreements around the world and the need for us to go beyond the excellent road and bridge system we have been building for decades in the community.”

Business attendees at the meeting included Shawn Kormanek, Site President of Citi; Chris Watts, President of Progress West Hospital and Barnes-Jewish St. Peters Hospital; Linda Haberstroh, President of Phoenix Textile Corporation; Chris Seyer, CEO of Seyer Industries; Randy Schilling, President/CEO of BoardPaq; and Olivia Lindsey, Director of Human Resources for Nike IHM. Ehlmann says several areas discussed in the meeting will become priorities, including transportation network companies.

“It’s time for us to do what is necessary to allow Uber and Lyft to operate in St. Charles County,” Ehlmann says. “We will support local and state-wide efforts to allow Missouri and our community to jump into the 21st century.”

West Community Credit Union scholarships available West Community Credit Union is accepting applications for their annual scholarship program. There are four $1,500 scholarships and one $2,000 scholarship available to graduating

high school seniors. Applications are available at www.westcommunitycu.org and are due March 17, 2017. For more information, visit online or stop by a local branch.

Advertiser Profile: It’s a new world of camping

By Russ Patton Owner of Byerly RV The magical mystery tours of RV travel continue to attract Americans. 2016 will be a record year for the industry. RVs are big business.

Several companies are listed on the NYSE. Dealers who are looking to retire or have suffered during the recession are being consolidated into multi-lot networks. One of them has recently “gone public.” Traditional family-owned, local dealers are now competing with outside entities which mainly focus on the growing number of first-time buyers. Their selling model is quite different from the low key, soft selling of a local business.

About 40 years ago, the fathers of several local RV dealers joined in an effort to promote the RV lifestyle. The Midwest Gateway RV Dealers Association sponsors two RV shows each year. This year’s spring show will be held at the downtown St. Louis convention center from Feb. 2-5. The fall show takes place the weekend after Labor Day. It is a free outdoor show which will be at the Premier Outlet Mall in Chesterfield Valley.

National consolidators have not been able to buy out any established local dealerships.

They must build their own. This is a testament to the dedication of the local, family-owned RV dealerships and their customers. Eastern

Missouri cherishes local, independent business as evidenced by the predominance of local grocery companies versus national chains. The “Show Me” attitude is still alive in Missouri.

Competitors are welcome, but one may notice a contrast in business models.

In our market, families are selling to families.

One doesn’t have to submit their driver’s license or wait for an “escort” to browse through the selection of RVs. We don’t run your credit to determine what you qualify for. We don’t insist on your vitals so we can pepper you with emails and solicitations. There are no membership qualifications. Our prices are as low as the chains, although the perception of low prices is the primary selling tool of chains which target first-time buyers. The perception of higher prices at local dealers is nothing more than the local dealer’s commitment to offer a selection of higher-quality products because they want your repeat business. We believe that the price/value balance is the best way to shop for an RV. We believe buying local is best for you and best for Missouri. We are Byerly, the Center of the RV World since 1948. Visit us in Eureka or check our website, www.byerlyrv.com, and follow us on Facebook.

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Home Equity Loans & Lines of Credit: Subject to credit approval. Offer available on applications submitted by 1/15/17 with a minimum loan amount of $10,000 or more. Loan-to-Value (LTV) rules apply. Contact bank for details. Property insurance required. Home Equity Lines of Credit only: Introductory rate of 2.99% Annual Percentage Rate (APR) will be fixed for 12 months. The current rate that would have applied is 4.00% APR. The APR, after the introductory period may vary and will not exceed 20% APR. APR is based upon the rate published in The Wall Street Journal Money Rate table. Prime was 3.50% as of 11/1/16. Special Introductory Rate is only available in Missouri and Illinois.

9

10

Sports

December 28, 2016 • Community News - St. Charles County • www.mycnews.com

Sports you see with Gary B...

Wrestling team ends year on high note The Lindenwood wrestling team concluded its 2016 season when it competed in the 38th annual Midwest Clas- sic hosted by the University of Indianapolis recently. Hunter Haralson and Batchka Zulkhuu highlighted the Lions’ performance at 133 and 174 pounds respectively as each placed.

Haralson, entering the tournament holding an overall record of 5-4, collected two victories in the mail event including a major decision and a tiebreaking decision to advance him to the quarterfinals. Overall, he finished third in consolation.

Zulkhuu began the tournament needing a victory to win his first round. He fell by decision in the second round, but he would then garner a hot streak of wins. First, he pinned his opponent just 1:10 into the match then followed that up with an 8-1 decision. He pulled off two more decisions to reach the semifinals of the consolation where he would fall by pin. However, Zulkhuu got the chance to take fifth place and took full advantage. The match reached the third round, but Zulkhuu found a way to pin his opponent to earn his sixth win of the event and eighth of the season.

For more information, go to www.LindenwoodLions. com ~~~ Thanks to Andrew P. Morris of Lindenwood Sports Information for the information

Indoor football starts in March The River City Raiders will play in the new 16-team Champions Indoor Football League starting March 11.

“We had an opportunity to look at just about every (indoor) league in existence,” said Raiders President/ CEO Kenny Nowling. “The CIF seemed to be the right fit for the River City Raiders. They’re very like-minded (to us) from a business standpoint. I think their growth potential is huge. In my opinion, it’s the premier league of indoor football.”

Go to www.IndoorRaiders.com for more information. ~~~Football in the Lou

Ambush player receives honors The St. Louis Ambush are a professional indoor soccer team that play in the Major Arena Soccer League (MASL) with their home games at the Family Arena in St. Charles.

St. Louis Ambush defender Richard Schmermund has been named to the Major Arena Soccer League’s Team of the Week for Week Eight of the regular season.

As a defender, he displayed great two-way ability, helping on both offense and defense in a recent loss to Cedar Rapids. From the back line, Schmermund helped to keep Cedar Rapids forward Gordy Gurson without a goal for only the second time this season. He also added a goal and an assist to his team’s efforts.

2016 WINNER

6

This is his fourth season with the Ambush who is a St. Louis area native who grew up in Ferguson. He played prep soccer at McCluer High School and club soccer for Scott Gallagher and Lou Fusz.

Schmermund’s collegiate career was spent at St. Louis Community College, where he was awarded First Team All Conference. Prior to joining the Ambush, Rich played professionally with the Illinois Piasa (PASL). He appeared in 14 games for the Ambush in 2013-14 where He contributed five goals and 13 blocks.

During the 2014-15 campaign, “the Schmerminator” registered seven goals and two blocks in 15 games played. Schmermund appeared in all 20 games last season (2015-16), tallying four goals, six assists and 11 blocks.

The Ambush next contest is against the cross-state rival Kansas City Comets in a New Years’ Eve matinee Saturday, Dec. 31 at 1:05 p.m.

For more information go to www.STLAmbush.com ~~~Home town quality I will be broadcasting the “STL Health and Wellness LIVE” show every Saturday from 9-11 am on 590 The Fan and 590TheFan.com

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, and co-hosted SportsRadioSTL.com, among many other activities.

Winner of Six Awards

Missouri Press Foundation Better Newspaper Contest

Best Columnist – Humorous First Place – Joe Morice

Honorable Mention – Cindy Moore

Best Education Story First Place – Sara Hardin

Best Magazine/Alternative Publication Second Place – CrossRoads Magazine

Best News/Feature Obituary Third Place – Robert Huneke for Joe Morice Obituary

Best Military Story

Honorable Mention – Sara Hardin

www.dshuster.com

www.mycnews.com • Community News - St. Charles County • December 28, 2016

Recipe:

Comfort food to beat the winter blues

W

hen the temperature drops, there’s nothing quite like the pleasure of simple and delicious comfort food. Instead of letting the winter chill get you down, warm your body and heart with dishes that are both comforting and delicious. After all, there is no better time to satisfy your cravings for feel-good favorites than during the cold winter months.

These mouthwatering winter recipes will not only help warm you up, but create a loving family dining experience that everyone can

Learn & Play

11

SUDOKU: 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.

enjoy. When serving up hearty winter recipes, such as a savory Pulled Pork Grilled Cheese or delectable Baked Spaghetti, there’s no better way to satisfy the craving for wholesome comfort food than with Borden Cheese and its wide range of offerings. From mild cheddar and mozzarella to Mexican, Swiss, American and more, every chunk, slice and shred is pure, creamy goodness that transforms family recipes into something truly memorable.

For more inspiration and ideas for family dinners, visit bordencheese.com.

Baked Spaghetti Cook time: 35 minutes | Servings: 6 Ingredients: Nonstick spray 1 package (16 ounces) spaghetti 1 tablespoon butter 1 cup chopped onion 1 cup chopped green pepper 1 pound ground beef 1 can (28 ounces) tomatoes with liquid, cut up 1 can (4 ounces) mushrooms, drained

1 can (2 1/4 ounces) sliced ripe olives, drained 2 teaspoons dried oregano 2 cups shredded mild cheddar cheese 1 can (10 3/4 ounces) condensed cream of mushroom soup 1/2 cup water 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

See solution on page 13

Directions: Heat oven to 350 F.

Crossword Puzzle – Theme: Finish the Lyrics

Spray 9-by-13-inch baking dish with nonstick spray. Cook spaghetti according to package directions.

ACROSS 1. Face fringe 6. Go low, as in jeans 9. “Oh, my!”

13. Underway 14. Tire measurement 15. Wear away 16. Luciano Pavarotti, e.g.

17. Roman goddess of plenty 18. Previously an Oiler 19. *”...I’m ready, yes, I’m ready for you. I’m standing on my own ____ ____” 21. *”On a dark desert highway, cool wind in ____ ____” 23. It’s all the rage 24. Person, place or thing 25. PC brain 28. Bingo-like game 30. Moses’ older sister 35. Be in pain 37. Sail support 39. *”Come on, shake your body, baby, do the ____” 40. “Heat of the Moment” band 41. Single-cell protozoan 43. *Then along comes ____” 44. Great white, e.g.

46. “Goodness gracious!”

47. Commoner 48. *”Raindrops are falling on ____ ____” 50. Saharan-like 52. “Cause I’m a woman! W-O-M-A-N...” singer 53. Like Roman Empire 55. ENT’s first concern 57. *”My daddy’s sleeping and mama ain’t ____” 60. *”So put another dime in the ____” 64. *”...I’ll tell you all about it when I see you ____” 65. “____ to Joy” 67. Abomination 68. Formal dishes 69. *”So bye, bye Miss American ____” 70. *”Oh, I was only twenty four hours from ____” 71. Front-line combat vehicle 72. Credit card acr.

73. Wheel shafts DOWN 1. Quilter’s stuffing 2. Not many 3. Something that’s unacceptable 4. Disappear, like into the sunset 5. Unbroken series of events

In large, nonstick skillet, heat butter over medium-high heat until hot. Saute onion and pepper until tender. Add ground beef and cook until beef has browned; drain.

Stir in tomatoes, mushrooms, olives and oregano. Bring to boil and reduce heat to medium. Simmer 10 minutes.

Place half of spaghetti in prepared baking dish. Top with half of vegetable-meat mixture. Sprinkle with half of cheddar cheese. Repeat layers.

Combine soup with water; pour over casserole. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Bake uncovered 30-35 minutes, or until thoroughly heated.

Ham and Gouda Quesadilla Cook time: 15 minutes | Servings: 1

Ingredients: 2 teaspoons olive oil 1 small onion, thinly sliced 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard 1 flour tortilla (10 inches)

2 slices deli ham 8 dill pickle rounds 1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded gouda cheese

Directions: In small, nonstick skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat until hot. Stir in onions.

Cook, stirring frequently, until onions become tender and golden brown.

Spread mustard on one half of tortilla. Top with ham, onions, pickles and cheese; fold uncovered part of tortilla over filling to form semi-circle.

Cook quesadilla in dry skillet over medium-high heat until browned on both sides and cheese is melted.

Cut into four pieces and serve.

6. See him run!

7. Cleopatra’s cause of death 8. Whatchamacallit 9. “Summertime” or “Porgy and Bess,” e.g.

10. “Laughing on the inside” in text 11. Month of Purim 12. D.C. bigwig 15. Thai or Mexican food, e.g.

20. a.k.a. dropsy 22. Delish!

24. Small bouquet 25. Geological rift 26. Aggressive 27. “Umble” Heep 29. *”I’ve got a blank space, baby, and I’ll write your ____” 31. Boisterous play 32. Collectively 33. Come to terms

34. *”...Here’s my number, so call me ____” 36. Container weight 38. Kind of ski lift 42. “Farewell” in Paris 45. V.I.P. in Hawaii 49. Draper of “Mad Men” 51. Actress Fanning 54. Parkinson’s drug 56. Updike’s “Rabbit ____” 57. Turkish honorific 58. *”All you get is pain. When I wanted sunshine I got ____” 59. Sound on Old MacDonald’s farm 60. Audience’s rejection 61. Hillary’s hubby 62. British river 63. December 25th, for short 64. Pre-college challenge 66. Party bowlful See solution on page 13

12

What’s Happening

December 28, 2016 • Community News - St. Charles County • www.mycnews.com

Send your event to editor@mycnews.com and we'll print it!

795-2014.

EVENTS Dec. 30: O’Fallon Celebration of Lights

Get into the heart of the holidays with a tour of the dazzling, nostalgic and inspiring Celebration of Lights display in Fort Zumwalt Park at 1000 Jessup Drive in O’Fallon. The display is open from Nov. 25 through Dec. 30 (closed Dec. 25), open nightly at 6 p.m. Choose your favorite way to see the sights: cruise through the park with friends or family in your own vehicle or bundle up for a city train ride, a tractor-pulled sleigh-hayride or a ride in a horse-drawn carriage or wagon. No reservations are needed to drive through the lights display, but the specialty rides must be booked at least two weeks in advance. To get the date you want, book soon. Visit www. ofallon.mo.us/celebration-of-lights for hours and costs of the drive-through (which is not available on Mondays or Dec. 13), booking information for specialty rides, etc.

Dec. 31: Mouse races and dance

The St. Francis of Assisi/Immaculate Conception Parishes are sponsoring The Great Mouse Race/Dance at the St. Francis Memorial Hall in Portage Des Sioux. The doors open at 6 p.m., the Mouse Races start at 7 p.m. and the dance starts at 10:30 p.m. Music will be provided by Waarp-D. Beer and setups are included. Cost is $25 per person, must be 21 to attend. For tickets call Gail Dreyer at 314-623-3299, the Parish House at 636-899-0907 or any of the Parish Council Members.

Dec. 31: Bingo

The Men’s Club of St. Robert Bellarmine Parish, located at 1424 South First Capitol Dr. in St. Charles, will host a New Year’s Eve Bingo in the Parish Hall. Doors open at 4 p.m., bingo starts at 6:45 p.m. $3,600 in prizes will be given away. Numerous door prizes will be provided to lucky players. The concession stand will be open for food and beverage purchases. (Do not bring crockpots or electric appliances please.)

Dec. 31: New Year’s Eve fundraiser

Tickets are on sale now for the New Year’s Eve Celebration at the Knights of Columbus Hall in St. Paul. Citizens 21-years-and-older are invited to welcome in 2017 with dinner, dancing, an open bar and champagne toast at midnight, while enjoying this fun holiday party that is being hosted by the St. Dominic High School (SDHS) Project Graduation Fundraising Committee. This exciting fundraising event benefits SDHS Project Graduation, an alcohol-free and safe night of celebrations for students after graduation.

Doors open at 7 p.m. and a buffet style pasta dinner will be served at 7:30 p.m. Entertainment is provided by DJ Todd Strothers and party favors will be furnished to guests to help ring in the New Year. To purchase tickets, call celebration coordinator Nancy Gomer at 636-795-1137 or email NancyLg11@ yahoo.com, or call co-coordinator Julie Osvath at 314-303-0134 or email osvath4@yahoo.com. The St. Paul Knights of Columbus Hall is located at 1270 Church Rd. in St. Paul. Please make checks out to St. Dominic High School.

Jan. 10: Country music concert

The Gateway Country Music Association presents their Winter Show at Wentzville Holt High School, C. H. Jones Auditorium Show starting at 3 p.m. Tickets are $10 and available at door or reserved seats by calling Beverly at 636-384-0916 or Dean at 636-

Jan. 10: Early childhood registration

Registration for early childhood education for 2017-2018 takes place from 2 - 7 p.m. at Hope High School at 307 W. Pittman in O’Fallon for Fort Zumwalt School District parents of students who will be three or four on or before July 31, 2017. What you’ll need: Your child’s birth certificate and your child’s immunization records. You also will need one document from each of the lists below. One of the following documents: current, unpaid gas or electric bill, current rental agreement with deposit receipt must be supplied if renting, recent closing document/ settlement statement, current mortgage statement or current real estate tax statement. You will also need one of the following documents: current bank statement, current credit card or loan statement, current personal property tax receipt, current voter registration card or welfare, Social Security or other official mail from federal or state agency. For more information go to ecc.fz.k12.mo.us or call 636-379-0930 during school hours.

Jan. 10: Free human trafficking conference

SCCAT, the St. Charles Coalition Against Human Trafficking, will present an all new conference on Breaking the Chains of Human Trafficking at the Spencer Library Commons area, 2nd floor at 427 Spencer Rd. in St. Peters. The conference and lunch are free. Register at Eventbrite.com. Registration (no new registrations taken on event day) and orientation are from 8:30 to 9 a.m. and the program runs from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. For more information contact ehogan@cpps-ofallon. org or apatriciashores@att.net. This project is made possible in full by a grant from the American Association of University Women (AAUW).

Jan. 13: Bunco bash

The Knights of Columbus Ladies Auxiliary 7198 is hosting a Bunco Bash at the Pezold Banquet Center at 5701 Highway N, in Cottleville. Doors open at 6 p.m. Cost is $15 in advance and $20 at the door. Net proceeds to benefit Sts. Joachim and Ann Care Service. Contact Mary at 636-240-6078 for more information.

Jan 14: Theater auditions

Young People’s Theatre will hold open auditions for “Aesop’s Musical Foibles” at 9 a.m. in the Daniel J. Conoyer Social Sciences Building auditorium on the St. Charles Community College campus. The campus is located at 4601 Mid Rivers Mall Drive in Cottleville.

Auditions will consist of a song that will be taught, cold readings from the script and basic movement. Children auditioning should wear comfortable clothes and shoes and must be accompanied by an adult. Performances will be at 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. Feb. 18, and 2 p.m. Feb. 19. Tickets are $5 and can be purchased at stchastickets.com or by calling 636-922-8233.

Jan. 25: Community awareness night

An opportunity for parents and residents to learn more about the heroin and opioid prescription crisis in St. Charles County will take place from 7 - 8:30 p.m. in the Fort Zumwalt East High School Auditorium at 600 First Executive Dr. in St. Peters. Presenters will facilitate break-out discussions after the opening presentation. Presenters include: Detective Juan Wilson, St. Charles City Police Department; Special Agent Tim McDermott, Drug Enforcement Agency; Tim Lohmar, St. Charles County Prosecuting Attorney; Cassie Morris, National Council

on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse; Lisa Cassidy and Kyle Gaines, St. Charles Co. Ambulance District and Beth Sailors, Preferred Family Health. Drug deactivation pouches will be available courtesy Boys & Girls Clubs of St. Charles County. Childcare will be courtesy East High National Honor Society.

Mondays: Take Off Pounds Sensibly

Jan. 29: All-you-can-eat breakfast and blood drive

1st Monday: Gardeners of St. Charles County Monthly Meeting

The Knights of Columbus at St. Robert Bellarmine Church (1424 First Capitol Drive South in St. Charles) will hold an all-you-can-eat breakfast from 8 to 11:30 a.m. Breakfast includes: made to order omelets, pancakes, sausages, scrambled eggs, biscuits and gravy, juice, milk and coffee Cost for adults is $7, for children six to 11 is $4 and children five-and-under are free. In addition a blood drive will be held at the same time as the breakfast. Those who donate blood that day will receive a free breakfast. For additional information please call 636-946-6799.

Jan. 31: Choral rehearsals

Love to sing? New singers are welcome to join. Auditions are not required.

Choral Arts Singers begin weekly rehearsals on Jan. 9 at 7 p.m. Please stop by rehearsal and consider joining. Rehearsal is located at Transfiguration Episcopal Church at 1860 Lake Saint Louis Blvd. in Lake St. Louis. Concerts are being planned with local high schools to be presented in late April or early May.

Feb. 4: Scrapbooking day

Scrapbooking Day for Fort Zumwalt East High School Grad Night 2017 takes place at Harvester Church of the Nazarene at 3115 McClay Rd. in St. Peters from 9 a.m. – 9 p.m. Half-day price is available. Electric is available; bring extension cords. There will be a goodie bag, attendance prizes, games and snacks. Pre-cut FZE items for sale to benefit Grad Night, plus: Creative Memories Advisor Cindy Lawrence will have supplies on hand. A portion of the Creative Memories sales goes to Grad Night. Questions? Contact Laura Wagner at laura.wag1017@gmail.com.

Feb. 18: Bowling fundraiser

The Tri County Citizens Advisory Board invites you to the 18th Annual Crazy Bowl at O’Fallon Bowling Lane at 420 Sonderen St. in O’Fallon. Registration is at 5:30 p.m., bowling begins at 6:30 p.m. Cost is $20 per bowler and includes three games of bowling, bowling shoe rental and prizes. Cash bar is available. To reserve your place call Esther Angelos at 636-441-0329 or Melinda Oliver at 636-940-3333 ext.

240. Ninety percent of your contribution is tax deductible as allowed by law.

ONGOING EVENTS

Sundays and Tuesdays: Central Missouri Railroad Association meeting

The Central Missouri Railroad Association meets at Suite 20 in the Warrenton Outlet Mall. This unique organization is for railroad modelers, railfans, photographers and railroad retirees with layouts in O, HO, N hoping to add G scales. Meetings are on Sundays from 1 to 5 p.m. and Tuesdays from 7 to 9 p.m. For more info call 636-2795522 or 636-456-0776.

Mondays: Take off Pounds Sensibly

Take off pounds Sensibly (TOPS) meets every Monday from 9:30 - 10:30 a.m. Weigh-ins begin at 8:30 a.m. We meet at Blanchette Park at 1900 Randolph Street in St. Charles. For more information contact Grace at 636-9464687.

TOPS meet every Monday at Holy Cross Lutheran Church at 8945 Veterans Memorial Highway in O’Fallon.

Meetings at 9:30 a.m. with weigh in beginning at 8:30 a.m. For more information please all Linda Wilcox at 636-447-9056.

6:30pm. Location varies. 314.304.7480.

1st Monday: St.Charles County Council of the Blind meetings

Business meetings are held on the first Monday of each month (second Monday in September due to Labor Day ) unless otherwise specified. No meetings are held in June, July, or December. Meetings are held in the Community Council Building (2nd floor of the Spencer Branch Library) from 6:30 - 9 p.m. For more information contact Beverly Kaskadden (President) at 636561-6947.

2nd Monday: Winghaven Civil War Round Table

6:30pm, Midwest BankCentre board room, 2299 Technology Dr. O’Fallon.

For more informaiton call Mike at 314.276.5018.

4th Monday: American Legion Post 388 Meets

6:30 pm at Holy Cross Lutheran Church, 8945 Vets. Mem. Pkwy.

636.219.0553.

Every Monday: St. Peters Rotary Club Noon at St. Peters City Hall, One St. Peters Centre Blvd. www.stpetersrotary.org.

Every Monday: Seasoned Eye Carvers Meeting

The Seasoned Eye Carvers meet every Monday from 9am to noon at the St. Charles Senior Citizens Center, 1455 Fairgrounds (near the Bass Pro Shop).

Visitors are always welcome! For more information check the club web site: www.stcharlesareawoodcarvers.com/ or contact Charles Sapp.

Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday: Fitness First Exercise Classes

9:30-10:30am, American Legion Hall, 504 Luetkenhaus Blvd., Wentzville.

314.369.6521.

Mondays: Chronic pain support group

Tuesdays: Monthly veterans coffee

Veterans from all branches of service are invited to the Wentzville Green Lantern Senior Center at 506 S. Linn Ave. in Wentzville on the second Tuesday of each month from 9 – 10:30 a.m. for coffee, pastries and camaraderie.

Come meet with fellow veterans who served our country and share your experience.

Tuesday and Friday Evenings: Tae Kwon Do Classes

Dardenne Presbyterian Church, 7400 South Outer 364 in Dardenne Prairie. For more information, call 636.561.4347.

1st Tuesday: Fleur de Lis Garden Society

6:30pm at various locations. Info: www.fleurdelisgardensociety.org; Jeanne at 314.605.8563.

2nd Tuesday: Show-me Stitchers Embroiderer’s Guild of America

7pm at the Ladue Chapel. Info: www. showmestitchers.com.

Last Tuesday of every month, St. Charles American Legion Post 312 spaghetti dinner.

5pm, St. Charles American Legion Post 312, 2500 Raymond Drive in St. Charles. $6 per person. For more information call Post 312 at 636.947.7666.

4th Tuesday: O’Fallon Garden Club 6:30pm at Sunrise Methodist Church, 7116 Twin Chimney Blvd. Info: Barb at 636.978.5930.

Every Tuesday: Kiwanis Club of St. Charles

Noon-1 p.m. at Bogey Hills Country Club at 1120 Country Club Rd. in St. Charles. Membership in Kiwanis offers you the opportunity to benefit your community and its youth by serving with like-minded people. If you are interested in making a positive impact for generations to come, please join us. For more information please call 636-448-4277. You can also find us at http://stcharleskiwanis.com

Every Tuesday: St. Charles Optimist Club Noon-1pm at Pio’s Restaurant.

Every Tuesday: Quilting Guild at the O’Fallon Family YMCA

1-4pm Free. Quilt for local charities.

No sewing experience required.

American Chronic Pain Association is a support group for and by people experiencing chronic pain. Group meets 2nd and 4th Mondays of every month at 3 – 5 p.m. at the Spencer Road Library in St Peters. Important: This is an anonymous group (first names only).

Every Tuesday: Meeting

3rd Monday of Each Month: Life After Loss support group

7:15-9:45pm at First United Methodist Church, 801 First Capitol Drive in St. Charles. Info: www.gatewayspotlight. org or 636.256.6823.

Support group for families who have lost a loved one to heroin/opiate addiction. 7 - 8:30 p.m. at Barnes Jewish St. Peters Hospital Campus in Room 212 of Professional Building 1. Contact: geevigna@charter.net. No registration required

Every Tuesday: Cribbage Club

1 – 4 p.m. at The Falls Golf Course Clubhouse. Relaxed, friendly play and is open to all. Call 636-561-2970 for more information.

Tuesdays: Lions Club meeting

St. Peters Lions Club meets the first and third Tuesday of every month at 7 p.m. in Old Town St. Peters on Park Street.

Toastmasters

7pm at the Renaud Spirit Center, 2650 Tri Sports Circle, O’Fallon. Info: 636.379.2505.

Every Tuesday: Gateway Spotlight ChorUS

Tuesdays: St. Louis Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association Male Caregiver Experience

The group meets on fourth Tuesday of every month from 10-11:30 a.m. at the Spencer Road Library at the Community Commons, 427 Spencer Rd. For more information about Alzheimer’s disease, support, or the Male Caregiver Experience, please call the Alzheimer’s Association’s 24/7 Helpline at 800.272.3900 or visit www.alz.org/ stl.

Tuesdays: Gateway Chorus Rehearsal

Spotlight

Gateway Spotlight is a women’s a ca-

w w w. m y c n e w s . c o m

www.mycnews.com • Community News - St. Charles County • December 28, 2016 pella chorus that meets at First United Methodist Church at 801 first Capitol Dr. in St. Charles every Tuesday evening beginning at 7 p.m. Call 636-2566823 for more details.

Tuesdays: Cribbage

Looking for an evening out? Come and play cribbage Tuesdays at 6 p.m. at the IHOP at 3851 Veterans Memorial Dr. in St. Peters. Win prizes and awards with semiannual tournaments.

ACC sanctioned. For more information contact Dee at 636-233-8032.

Every Tuesday & Thursday: Tai Chi at the St. Charles County Family YMCA 8-9am & 10:15-11:15am. No experience necessary. 636-928-1928.

Tuesdays & Thursdays: Get Fit Exercise Classes

9-10am and 5:30-6:30pm at Immaculate Heart of Mary Church Hall, New Melle. 314.369.6521.

Wednesdays: Talk

Veterans

Coffee

Veterans from all branches of the service are invited to attend “Coffee Talk” every Wednesday at. 9 a.m. at Grace Baptist Church, 3601 Ehlmann Rd. in St. Charles (Take I-70 to the Cave Springs exit). We will have applications for VA health care, applications for the honor flight, reports from local American Legion and VFW halls and lots of good comradery. Come join us for free coffee and donuts and enjoy an hour with your fellow veterans.

Every Wednesday: Dardenne Presbyterian Church Basketball

8-9:30pm, Dardenne Presbyterian Christian Life Center, 7400 South Outer 364 in Dardenne Prairie. Open to 6th grade and up. Bring a light and dark shirt for different teams.

1st Wednesday: Hope & Healing

5-6pm, Dardenne Presbyterian Rock Church, 7400 South Outer 364 in Dardenne Prairie. Unique service of music, worship, and prayer for those in need of hope and healing.

Wednesdays: Women’s fishing club

Gateway Bass ‘n Gals all women’s bass club has monthly meetings the first Wednesday of every month at Rookies Bar and Grill at 3721 New Town Rd. in St. Charles at 7 p.m. Women of any fishing level please come and check out our women-only fishing club.

Every Wednesday: Crossroads Cribbage Club

10am Meets at 1380 Boone St., Troy, MO 63379. 636.528.8379.

Every Wednesday: Men’s Golf League

5pm, tee off at 5:30 pm at Heritage of Hawk Ridge. www.lakesaintlouis.com, under the parks and recreation section.

Every Wednesday: Charity Bingo

6:45pm VFW Post 5077 sponsors, at VFW Hall, 8500 Veterans Mem. Pkwy., O’Fallon. 636.272.1945 or www.vfwpost5077.org.

Every Wednesday. Kiwanis Club of Harvester monthly meeting.

Noon, Fratelli’s Restorante, 2061 Zumbehl Road in St Charles.

For more information, please contact kellenj@ATT.net

Every 2nd and 4th Wednesday: Winfield Foley Firefighters Association Bingo.

Doors open at 5:00 pm, bingo at 6:30 pm. Bingo hall is next door to County Market in the Winfield Plaza on Hwy 47. For more information, call 636566-6621 or 636-566-8406.

1st and 3rd Wednesday Each: St. Charles Area Wood Carvers 7pm – 9pm. Meetings are held at the Hollenbeck Middle School at 4555 Central School Road, St. Charles, Missouri. Visitors are always welcome! For more information check the club web site: www.stcharlesareawoodcarvers. com/ or contact Charles Sapp.

2nd Wednesday: Free Financial Education- Money Matters

6:30pm at the O’Fallon Family YMCA. PNC Bank and The O’Fallon Family YMCA have partnered to provide monthly free financial education courses for members of the community. Info (including a list of topics): call PNC Bank at 636.272.2449.

Wednesdays: Take Off Pounds Sensibly

Take Off Pounds Sensibly meets every Wednesday at 10 a.m. in the parish hall of Chapel of the Cross Lutheran Church at 907 Jungermann Rd. in St. Peters. TOPS is a national non-profit weight-loss organization that supports its members in attaining their goal weight. There is no cost for the first meeting. All are welcome. Weigh-ins begin at 9 a.m. Contact Judy Bauer at 636-541-2263 for further information.

Thursdays: Take Off Pounds Sensibly (TOPS)

Take Off Pounds Sensibly meets every Thursday at 6 p.m. in the United Methodist Church at 725 N. Wall St. in Wentzville. TOPS is a national non-profit weight-loss organization that supports its members in attaining their goal weight. There is no cost for the first meeting. All are welcome. For more information call Mary Stassi at 636-357-1387.

Thursdays: Optimist Club meetings

The O’Fallon Optimist Club meets on the second and fourth Thursday of each month at 7 p.m. at Bank of Old Monroe T.R. Hughes Blvd. in O’Fallon.

Thursdays: Lions Club meetings

St. Charles Lions Club meets every second and fourth Thursday of the month at 7 p.m. at 1144 S Benton Street in St. Charles. Contact Art for more info at 636-441-1831. New members are welcome.

3rd Thursdays: Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 458 Meeting 7pm, Amvets Post 106, 360 Brown Rd in St. Peters.

Those who served in any branch between 1962 and 1975 are welcome.

Every Thursday: Dardenne Presbyterian Church Quilters

9am-2pm, Dardenne Presbyterian Church, 7400 South Outer 364 in Dardenne Prairie.

Members do hand quilting to quilts of any size for donation that is given to various church supported charities.

No experience is necessary to join the group. For more information, contact Vickie Young at 636.928.7348, or Brenda Kenny at 636.240.3753.

Thursdays: Rotary Club breakfast

Every Thursday at 7:30 a.m., except the last Thursday of the month, the O’Fallon Rotary Club meets for breakfast at the Holy Cross Lutheran Church Gym at 8945 Veterans Memorial Parkway in O’Fallon. We are a fraternal group that does good in the community and worldwide while having fun.

Every Thursday: Kiwanis Club of St. Peters

6:30am at IHOP (3851 Veteran’s Memorial Pkwy St. Peters). 636.328.4941.

Every Thursday: Kiwanis Club of O’Fallon

11:45am Meets at JJ’s Restaurant in O’Fallon. Info: www.ofkiwanis.com.

Every Thursday: Rotary Club meeting

What’s Happening

SUDOKU answers from page 11

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CROSSWORD answers from page 11

7:30am, The Rendezvous Café at 217 South Main St. in O’Fallon. We welcome existing and potential members to visit and have breakfast with us. www.ofallonmo.rotary-clubs.org

Every Thursday: Yoga at The St. Charles County Family YMCA 7-7:55pm Any 636.928.1928.

level.

Info:

Every Thursday: Active Older Adults Game Day at the O’Fallon Family YMCA

10am Free. Bring a favorite snack to share. Anybody welcome.

2nd and 4th Thursdays: Alexander Chapter #242 Order of the Eastern Star Meetings 7:30pm, St. Charles Masonic Lodge, 2051 Collier Corporate Parkway in St. Charles.

3rd Thursday of each month: Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 458 meetings 7pm, Amvets Post 106, 360 Brown Rd in St. Peters.

3rd Thursday of the month, Ladies Night Out

Cottleville Crafts, Etc..., 5335 Highway N in Cottleville. Vinyl design class. For more information, call 636.441.2700 or visit www.cottlevillecrafts.com.

2nd & 4th Thursday: Alexander Chapter 242/Eastern Star St. Charles Masonic Lodge, 2051 Collier Corporate Parkway, St. Charles.

636.577.0056.

2nd and 4th Thursdays: Lions Club meetings St. Charles County Lions Club meets second and fourth Thursday of each month at 7 p.m. at 1144 S Benton in St. Charles. New members welcome.

3rd Thursday of each month: Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 458 Meeting 7pm, Amvets Post 106, 360 Brown Rd. in St. Peters. Veterans who served in any branch of service between 1962 and 1975 are welcome.

Every Friday: Moms Play Group

10am at LSL Community Association, 100 Cognac Ct., Lake Saint Louis, MO 63367. 314.479.0306, andreacrislip@ gmail.com or www.lslmothersclub. com.

Every Friday: VFW Fish Fry

3-8pm VFW Post 2866. 66 VFW Lane.

Call Bill Sams, 636.724.9612.

Every Friday, St. Charles American Legion Post 312 Charity bingo

6:30pm, St. Charles American Legion Post 312, 2500 Raymond Drive in St. Charles. For more information call Post 312 at 636.947.7666.

Every Saturday: Chess

Saturdays: Bosom Buddies

The St Charles County WIC Clinic is working to become a breastfeeding friendly clinic. As part of this effort, we have formed a breastfeeding support group for our area. What is great about “Bosom Buddies” is that we are not just open to WIC clients!

Bosom Buddies is a family-friendly breastfeeding support group. We are open to all moms and moms-to-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 available at each meeting. Each meeting will be a little different than the last. There will be introductions, games, interactive education, group conversation, and even snacks. Meetings will be held at the Middenorf-Kredell Branch Library in O’Fallon. We will continue to meet, at the same time and place, on the fourth Saturday of every month at 10 a.m. No registration required.

Saturdays: Fruehschoppen Sam-

stag Verein (FSV)

Last Saturday of every month Fruehschoppen Samstag Verein (FSV) meets at 11 a.m. at 2865 Brew House Restaurant in St. Charles on Veteran’s Memorial Parkway across the parking lot from Sam’s Warehouse. Wir treffen uns auf ein Bier (und vielleicht Mittagessen), und geniessen ein Gespräch auf deutsch. We’re meeting for a beer (and maybe lunch), and enjoying a conversation in German. April, June and September meetings are held at different locations. See https://www.facebook.com/groups/472022532983525/

1st & 3rd Saturday: St Peters Square Dance Club Dances

6:30pm. 1st United Methodist Church, 801 First Capital Dr. www.squaredancestcharles.com.

3rd Saturdays: Restore St. Charles Work Day.

8am, Dardenne Presbyterian Church, 7400 South Outer 364 in Dardenne Prairie. Volunteer labor needed to provide the needy in our community with adequate living accommodations.

Continental breakfast, safety instructions, and job assignments provided before work begins.

Every Sunday: Wentzville Community Club Flea Market

8-11am or later in the food court at Mid Rivers Mall in St. Peters.

6am-1pm, 500 West Main St. in Wentzville. For more information, call 636.357.4328.

Every Saturday: Veterans Learn guitar for FREE

2nd Sunday: Moscow Mills Lions Breakfast

9:30am in Historic St. Charles. Info: Bill Dennis at 314.479.5750.

Every Saturday: Peaceful Puppy Mill Protest

11am - 12:30pm at Petland, 6131 Ronald Reagan Drive, Lake St. Louis. banmo.puppymills@yahoo.com.

Second and Fourth Saturday of the month: Charitable bingo

Bingo starts at 6:30 p.m., doors open at 4 p.m. at the Wentzville Community Club located at 500 West Main in Wentzville. For more information visit www.wentzvillecommunityclub.com or www.facebook.com/wentzvillecommunity-club

7am - noon, September - April. Moscow Community Center, Hwy C. $7/ adult, $4/child, under 6 free. www.eclubhouse.org/sites/moscowmills.

2nd Sunday: The Wheelers and Dealers Square Dance 7pm. Blanchette Park, 1900 W Randolph St. www.squaredancestcharles. com.

Sundays: Meat shoot Wentzville VFW Post 5317 at 1414 Hwy Z in Wentzville hosts shotgun meat shoots every Sunday at noon.

Fourteen rounds consist of seven meat rounds and seven money rounds. First Sunday of the month is open shoot.

Other Sundays are .680 minimum choke. House gun available and shells supplied. For more information, please call 636-639-1648.

CHURCH Every Saturday: JAM – Jesus and Men’s Bible Study.

8-9:30am, Dardenne Presbyterian Hearth Room, 7400 South Outer 364 in Dardenne Prairie.Bible study, discussion, and upcoming event planning.

Every Sunday: Young Adult Bible

Study and Fellowship Group. 11am, Dardenne Presbyterian Church Parlor, 7400 South Outer 364 in Dardenne Prairie. The Bible and some great YouTube videos will be used.

Northside Church of Christ Free Correspondence Bible Course: Call for more 636.293.5030.

information,

Operation Backpack: United Methodist Church, Wentzville

Food to at-risk children over the weekend. 636.327.6377

Every Tuesday: Ministry To Men: Men’s Introductory Bible Discussion Groups 7am at United Methodist Church, 725 N. Wall St., Wentzville. Groups are interdenominational and beginners as well as “old timers” are welcome.

636.698.5598 or 636.625.3447.

3rd Tuesday: Luncheon for Seniors

11am - 2pm at Transfiguration Episcopal Church, 1860 Lake St. Louis Blvd., 636.561.8951

2nd Wednesday: Noon Luncheon Shiloh United Methodist Church, 1515 Hwy T, Foristell, 636.673.2144.

HEALTH Cancer Survivor Fitness Program

Free for all cancer patients and survivors. A 12-week program with trained instructors to help participants regain energy and improve stamina. St. Charles County Family YMCA, 636928-1928.

Diabetes Self Management Training (DSMT)

Available with a doctor’s order.

636.949.9600 or Patty Shelton at 636.947.5573.

Medical (MNT)

Nutrition

Therapy

A nutritional diagnostic therapy and counseling service held at SSM St. Joseph Health Center. Available with a doctor’s order only. Registration: 636.949.9600 Info: 636.947.5163.

Free Mammogram Screenings

SSM Health Care offers free mammogram screenings to women who have no health insurance. Appointments are available at SSM St. Joseph Health Center, 300 First Capitol Drive in St. Charles and SSM St. Joseph Hospital West, 100 Medical Plaza in Lake Saint Louis. Info: Karen at 636.947.5617.

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December 28, 2016 • Community News - St. Charles County • www.mycnews.com

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December 28, 2016 • Community News - St. Charles County • www.mycnews.com

Movie

By Steve Bryan

Why were there ‘Hidden Figures’ at NASA? In the 1960’s, America raced Russia to put humans on the moon and return them to Earth. After both countries suffered horrifying disasters (Apollo 1 for the U.S. and Soyuz 1 for Russia) NASA guided Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin on a historic journey to the lunar surface. It was the fulfillment of John F. Kennedy’s dream and the culmination of years of hard work.

“Hidden Figures,” an upcoming historical drama, sheds light on the invaluable contributions made by women in the space program.

Taraji P. Henson stars as Katherine Johnson, a brilliant mathematician whose calculations put John Glenn into orbit. Strapped into a capsule atop an Atlas booster, which had a tendency to explode, Glenn made it into space thanks to Johnson and her colleagues, who were not always given their due.

In the film, the always fantastic Octavia Spencer plays Dorothy Vaughan, the woman who led a team of all African-American female mathematicians. Spencer’s work in this piece already earned her Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild nominations for Best Supporting Actress. Recording artist Janelle Monáe Robinson rounds out the cast as Mary Jackson, another member of the computational team.

Looking back on the period from a safe perch in 2016, it’s hard to understand why these women were kept out of the spotlight. Johnson helped put Friendship 7, Glenn’s capsule, into orbit, but the “Hidden Figures” trailer shows her struggling to rightfully become an engineer.

NASA respected her brains, but not enough to actually promote her at first (she and her team were simply referred to as “computers”).

Johnson, Vaughan and Jackson were not the only woman stuck in the shadows at NASA. While Glenn, Alan Shepard and Gus Grissom became Mercury astronauts, 13 very capable women had endured the same grueling tests as the men. They also had flight records that exceeded some of the male candidates. Though scientists determined woman could handle space flight better than men, they were denied their ride.

Geraldyn “Jerrie” M. Cobb, the most outspoken of the “Mercury 13” group, lobbied to be considered for the first flights, but to no avail. When John Glenn returned to space on a shuttle mission, Cobb asked to get a shuttle seat, but her request was largely ignored. Cobb had spent her life using her aviation talents for missionary work and had the “right stuff ” to go into space.

“Hidden Figures” is poised to become a big winner during awards season. Here’s hoping “The Mercury 13,” the book about Cobb and the other 12 female astronaut candidates, is adapted for the screen as well. Their story deserves to be told.

“Hidden Figures,” rated PG for thematic elements and language, opens wide in theaters Jan. 6.

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 Photos courtesy Twentieth Century Fox theaters.

www.stcharleschristmas.com www.stcharleschristmas.com