O’Fallon to request release of 2020 Community Development Block Grant Funds

www.mycnews.com • Community News - St. Charles County • July 7, 2021 Around Town 3

Shamrock FC 330 brings mixed martial arts to St. Charles

By Jason Sibert

Before a sold-out crowd of more than 400 mixed martial arts fans at Ameristar Casino in St. Charles on June 25, lightweight Evan Elder continued his string of wins with a victory over CJay Hunter.

Elder, of Hillsboro, Missouri, improves to 5-0 with the victory. The bout was fought primarily off the mat but went to the mat just a few times. Elder won 3-0, as all three judges scored the fight 32-27 after three rounds. Both fighters showed signs of exhaustion after the action.

“There a lot of obstacles, but I try to go into every fight in shape,” Elder said after his win at Shamrock FC 330. “I always try to improve.”

Elder went on to talk about the importance of mental attitude in fighting.

He said, “It’s not just about being a champion. It’s about human excellence.”

The winner credited his opponent’s grappling skills and stuck with a strategy of avoiding them.

“CJay (Hunter) is a very talented fighter,” he said. “I wanted to keep him off of the mat. When I hit the ground, I got up as soon as I could. I wanted to keep him standing. I think I could have hit his legs more.”

In co-main event action, St. Louis’ Drew Gigax improved to 7-0 with a first-round win over Travis Ford in the catchweight division. Gigax drew early blood, winning with 1:23 left in the first round by technical knockout. Ford hit the canvass three times in the kickboxing fight.

The main card started with St. Charles’ Jeremiah Curtwright, a welterweight, besting Tavae Lewis in one round, as the referee stopped the fight at the 2:50 mark in the first round with Curtright landing a series of punches with Lewis against the cage.

The second bout of the main card ended in a similar way with St. Louis catchweight David Evans winning over Nikk Willyard at the 1:30 mark in the first round. The referee stopped the fight with Evans landing a series of deadly punches with his opponent on his back. Demagio Smith and Derik Scott, both of St. Louis, faced off in a lightweight bout, and Smith won 3-0 by judges’ decision.

In preliminary bouts, middleweight Austin Miller defeated Blaine Summers (technical knockout) in the first round, and Tre Lewis defeated Anthony Gillick (TKO) in the first round in catchweight competition (kickboxing).

Austin Cornell defeated Joseph Murphy via judges’ decision 3-0 in the catchweight weight class, and Kody McGehee beat Lex Lightharp 2-1 by decision in lightweight competition. Arvin Mills (welterweight) beat Cory Tinnon after one round due to verbal submission. Nicolas Alcaraz won via knockout in less than a minute over Jerry Hoban in a middleweight bout. In a kickboxing bout, Gavilan Bland defeated Michael Banks by unanimous decision.

Photo courtesy Jim Range Photographer for Shamrock Fighting Championships

Before a sold-out crowd of more than 400 mixed martial arts fans at Ameristar Casino in St. Charles on June 25, lightweight Evan Elder (left) continued his string of wins with a victory over CJay Hunter.

The city of O’Fallon will request the release of 2020 CDBG funds from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) on July 6 following a two-week period in which the public will have the opportunity to comment on the slated use of the funds. O’Fallon’s 2020 CDBG Annual Action Plan identifies community needs and has been proposed for the following projects: • Home improvement loans and siding replacement grants to eligible low-to-moderate income households throughout O’Fallon. • Senior transportation and assistance through Aging Ahead, which operates out of O’Fallon’s Senior Center. • Emergency Homeless Prevention assistance for eligible public service agencies to support O’Fallon residents with rent/ mortgage/utility assistance. • The Disabled Transportation Assistance Program which provides rides to medical and essential living appointments for residents with disabilities. • ADA Public Facility Assistance Program funding for the removal of material and/or architectural barriers that restrict the mobility or accessibility of elderly or persons with disabilities to public facilities. • Program Administration providing towards the salary, benefits and training of the CDBG program administrator as well as necessary administrative costs to effectively administer the program.

Written comments on these determinations may be directed to Public Assistance Specialist Alexis Jaegers at O’Fallon City Hall, 100 N. Main St., O’Fallon, MO 63366.

The current CDBG Annual Action Plan is available on the city’s website, https://www.ofallon.mo.us/grants-assistance, or by contacting Public Assistance Specialist Alexis Jaegers at 636-379-5411 or ajaegers@ofallon.mo.us.