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Sunday, December 17, 2006
FIRST CAPITOL NEWS FRONT PAGE - December 16, 2006
(Click on image to enlarge) SCROLL DOWN TO READ ENTIRE TEXT ISSUE. To read entire issue including ad please go to firstcapitolnews.com. To search our archives please go to firstcapitolnews.blogspot.com. To keep abreast of breaking stories on a daily basis please go to firstcapitolnews-today.blogspot.com. Thank you for reading the First Capitol News.
Saturday, December 16, 2006
Sometimes You Can Fight City Hall And Win
Complaint By Local Merchant Gets Unlicensed business closed by city after approximately three year run
By Tony Brockmeyer
It was about ten years ago that Jasper Noto decided it was time to get out of the concrete and swimming pool business and get into a business that was not as labor intensive or as dependent upon the weather.
Jasper and his mother Florence had visited Main Street in St. Charles and had heard wonderful stories about all the successful businesses. They felt Main Street was for them. They searched and found a location they liked in the 300 block of North Main. There they opened Mother’s Cupboard. They toiled from morning to night every day and although they worked hard and provided wonderful products, the sales just never lived up to their expectations. In an interview with the First Capitol News several years ago Jasper referred to the 300 block of North Main Street as the “bastard block.” “None of the action or activities or festivals on North Main comes onto the 300 block. They all stop a block short,” Jasper said. “More and more businesses are coming and going and it is a struggle each day just to meet our bills.”
Jasper thought they had made a mistake. “It’s South Main where the action is he began to say.” Finally when their lease was due to be renewed, they decided to move to a new building that was going to be constructed on South Main. Jasper and his Mom thought that finally they would achieve their dream. Even though licensing was more expensive and taxes higher they felt the move to South Main would be beneficial and bring them more business.
“I thought we would never get open,” Jasper said. Every day there was a new regulation or order from the City. Change this, change that, move this. over and over. It seemed that some of the people who had been on Main Street for ages thought this was their private domain and no one else belonged here. The city placed roadblock after roadblock in our way. The deck is too big it has to be made smaller, no windows on the side of the building that faces the Mayor’s building. The City even placed a stop work order on the building when they did not like the type of windows that were being installed. Finally after a lot of trial and tribulation caused by the city, J. Noto’s Italian Confections became a reality at 336 South Main Street.
The sales did not increase at the pace they would have liked but finally the business begins to prosper.
The festivals and activities did not bring the crowds into their business they thought would happen on South Main Street. “They line the street with booths and the people cannot even see our business,” Jasper said. Then when you ask to purchase the booth space in front of your store they won’t let you. You can purchase space but it may not even be close to your store.”
If that wasn’t bad enough Jasper was upset that across the street during each festival and during the annual Christmas Traditions program on South Main Street a cookie stand was set up. “Someone would come in and set up a tent and a sign that said Grandma’s Cookies and they would sell cookies and drinks. This went on for at least three years. Located next to the sidewalk, they took a lot of sales from our business. I called the city and complained but I was told the people had a license and owned the property and nothing was done. One year after our complaint, an inspector from the city came to our shop. We had an A frame sign on the sidewalk listing some of our specialties. Customers were in our shop and he barged in and told us the sign was illegal and to remove it immediately. I told him as soon as we finished with our customers. He then went outside and removed it from the sidewalk and placed it on the ground around the side of our building.”
This year on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, Grandma’s Cookies set up for business in the yard next to 401 South Main Street. They constructed a temporary cedar building with a canvas top. “During the last festival their tent was blown over and that is probably why they constructed a cedar building,” Jasper said. “They are really hurting our business and the city won’t do anything.”
Jasper said, “I talked to Bruce Evans the Community Development Director over a week ago. He finally called me back and told me they have a license to bake their cookies in their home and they should have a conditional use permit to place the temporary structure there. He further said his inspector had talked to them and they were in violation and since they were going to apply for a conditional use permit they would allow them to remain open until the conditional use permit could be voted on in January. I pointed out to him the Christmas Season would be over by then but he told me that was their policy. He told me that it took a while to contact the people from Grandma’s Cookies because their phone number was not on their business license.”
The First Capitol News contacted Bruce Evans at City Hall. He essentially told us the same thing. He further said it was the Christmas Season and they did not want to close the business because they would probably refuse and take the City to court and then there would be the expense of a lawsuit. He felt it would be better to allow them to operate while a conditional use permit was pending.
An investigation by the First Capitol News revealed that Grandma’s Cookies had a health inspection in September at 15 Briarwood Lane in St. Charles. We also contacted the licensing office at City Hall and were told that Grandma’s Cookies do not and did not have a St. Charles Business license and apparently were not paying sales tax or special business district tax nor Convention and Visitors Bureau tax. An additional fee is charged for business licenses for businesses on South Main Street and they evidently had not paid for that license either.
We contacted Community Development Director Bruce Evans and told him the results of our investigation. He told us the business would be issued an order to close and to remove the temporary structure from the property.
After informing Jasper Noto what Bruce Evans had told us he said, “Do you think the City is going to collect the taxes and fees they owe for the past several years?
MURDER - A RESULT OF DRUG DEAL RIP-OFF
Murder
A Result Of Drug Deal Rip-Off
Teenagers Charged
Alisa N. Lukasek, 18, of O’Fallon, Dorsey Carlos Thompson, 18, of St. Charles and Michael Alexander Adams, 19. of Bellefontaine Neighbors have been charged in the December 6, 2006 murder of Keeon Anderson of St. Charles. The murder of Anderson was first reported on the First Capitol News web log,
firstcapitolnews-today.blogspot.com on December 5th at 11:53p.m.
St. Charles police said they learned Lukasek had observed Anderson with a large amount of cash and convinced Thompson, who is her boyfriend, and Adams, a friend, to rob Anderson. Lukasek then made arrangements to purchase marijuana from Anderson later that evening. When Anderson arrived home at his apartment in the 700 block of Cunningham in the Powell Terrace neighborhood they attempted to rob him. Anderson attempted to drive away and was shot by Thompson who had a .44 caliber magnum pistol in his possession. Anderson attempted to drive away and apparently passed out, lost control of his vehicle, which then crossed First Capitol Drive and ended up in a snow covered field in front of Lindenwood University. A passerby notified police of the vehicle in which Anderson’s body was discovered.
Councilman John Gieseke told the First Capitol News, “I want to compliment the St. Charles PD on their efforts to solve this
crime. In very tough conditions they worked leads and made arrest. St. Charles has grown every year and the City Administration and Mayor have not kept up the manpower. Each year we hear rumors that the PD has asked for more manpower, the Mayor and City Administrator don’t tell us what is requested, we are flying blind on the needs. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to know if you increase population, have greater diversity in population and add gaming to the mix we need more police. Over the past
three years speeding complaints have gone through the roof, the number of service calls are exploding, our police are patrolling more streets with the same number of police. We will be in a crisis if public safety continues to be placed on the back burner, it is a question of priorities.”
\All three subjects are being held at the St. Charles County Jail with bonds set at $1 million dollars each.
John Gieseke, Councilman Ward 8 and candidate for St. Charles Mayor told the First Capitol News, “Recently the City of St. Charles has made the news with the recent murder near the campus of Lindenwood University along with some other serious crimes. Those who worked to solve these crimes should be commended for their efforts. It demonstrates the commitment they have for the residents of St. Charles.
These crimes and many others takes manpower to work and solve.The St. Charles Police Department’s manpower numbers have remained the same for the past three years. Some of the crimes in St. Charles have limited chance of being solved because the City Administration and Mayor have not placed public safety as a top priority.
Former Police Chief Paul Corbin and current Chief Tim Swope asked each year for the Mayor to increase manpower in the budget to make our city safer. Sadly each year these requests went unanswered.
Thankfully the dedicated men and women of the St. Charles police department have been doing more with less. The calls for service due to the casino, increased bar activity on Main Street and the explosion of calls for police service require the department to prioritize calls potentially placing your call behind another. You might have to wait for the police to arrive.
This management style can’t continue or we will see an increase in crime. Our police department has a Chief that has earned the trust of the City Council and the residents it is time that those in City Hall allow him to tell the Council what the department needs to make the City of St. Charles safer for our residents.
I intend to make public safety one of my top priorities if elected Mayor.”
Wanted For Armed Robbery of Citgo Station On Houston
The St. Charles Police are requesting assistance in identifying an Armed Robbery suspect. (See above composite)
On Sunday, December 10, 2006 at approx 6:22 pm a white male subject walked into the Citgo Service Station at 300 Houston in St. Charles and announced a robbery. Suspect stated he was armed with a gun during the robbery but the weapon was never displayed.
The robbery subject left the store with a small amount of cash. The suspect left on foot down Houston toward Adams St.
The robbery suspect is described as: a white, male, 27 to 30 years of age, 5’ 6” to 5’ 8”, slender build, blond mustache, large ears, wearing a stud ear ring with a single stone
Anyone with information is requested to call the Crimestoppers tip hotline at 636-949-3333 or the Detective Bureau at 636-949-3320.
Home Invasion On North Fifth St. Elderly Residents Assaulted
By Phyllis Schaltenbrand
A home invasion occurred sometime during the night of Thursday, December 11, 2006 in the 2300 block of North Fifth St. in St. Charles. Two elderly adults in their 70’s were victims of an assault.
According to the St. Charles Police, unknown suspects entered the victim’s home and physically assaulted the couple with a blunt instrument.
The victims are being treated at a local hospital for unknown injuries. The police report that the victims are conscious and alert and talking with officers.
Earlier reports in other media listed the suspects leaving in a gold van belonging to the victims however the police say that information was in error.
As of December 13th the police told the First Capitol News that they have a suspect but no arrest has been made yet as the investigation continues.
This story first appeared on our web log, firstcapitolnews-today.blogspot.com on December 12th at 12:32 p.m.
A home invasion occurred sometime during the night of Thursday, December 11, 2006 in the 2300 block of North Fifth St. in St. Charles. Two elderly adults in their 70’s were victims of an assault.
According to the St. Charles Police, unknown suspects entered the victim’s home and physically assaulted the couple with a blunt instrument.
The victims are being treated at a local hospital for unknown injuries. The police report that the victims are conscious and alert and talking with officers.
Earlier reports in other media listed the suspects leaving in a gold van belonging to the victims however the police say that information was in error.
As of December 13th the police told the First Capitol News that they have a suspect but no arrest has been made yet as the investigation continues.
This story first appeared on our web log, firstcapitolnews-today.blogspot.com on December 12th at 12:32 p.m.
GRACE NICHOLS TO RUN FOR MAYOR
Former St. Charles Mayor Grace Nichols announced her candidacy for Mayor stating: “The City of St. Charles has been fortunate to be in the path of progress for the last twenty years. Both population increases and economic development have allowed the City to benefit in many ways from westward expansion. Careful planning and citizen efforts to increase revenues through passage of the half-cent capital improvement sales tax in 1993 and the vote to allow casino gaming in 1994, finally allowed the City to have sufficient revenues to keep up with the needs of the citizens. The budget appropriation for the operating budget, capital budget and debt service has grown from @39 million in 1995 to $94 million in 2007. But the City is again saying that it out of money. What happened?”
“We must again address this problem of the budget but it will take leadership, it will take a Mayor who will face the hard issues, who will listen to and work with a City Council committed to address the problem of the city. I have not only had six years on the City Council and eight years as Mayor, but have been an attorney with 17 years in private practice and nine years as a circuit judge and senior judge. I have been trained in mediation and have worked to solve problems. I can make the City work.
One of the challenges of the next Mayor is that the position is changing in April 2007. The people voted to make the Mayor the Administrator of the City as well as performing the current functions. i had the pleasure of serving on the City Council when both Frank Brockgreitens and Doug Boschert served in that capacity and worked very closely with two administrators while I was Mayor. I believe that my background will help me perform the job successfully.
My vision for the City of St. Charles is a continuation of the one I had for the City before: solid economic development providing high-end jobs (not more and more fast food stores and strip malls), support for small businesses and start-ups; continuation of planned riverfront development, respect for our historic areas while taking a look at new ideas; support housing for all economic levels; maintaining our streets, roads and stormwater projects; high quality police and fire departments, and keeping an open door for all citizens. Most important we need a return to a city that we are proud of, that doesn’t make people snicker and make jokes when the name is mentioned. There must be an ed to silly lawsuits, name calling and personal attacks between Councilmembers, the Mayor and City officials. I pledge to put a stop to that and make you proud again.”
Nichols served as a City Council member from 1975-1981. She was elected Mayor of St. Charles in April of 1987 and wes reelected in April of 1992.
She is a Senior Circuit Judge. She was born in Alexandria, Virginia in October of 1937. She has a B.A. from College of William & Mary, Williamsburg, VA and a J.D. from St. Louis University in 1981.
RAMBLING WITH THE EDITOR - Tony Brockmeyer
We would like to thank our readers and our advertisers for their support and wish them and their families a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. It has been a tradition that we do not publish between Christmas and New Years. The next edition of the First Capitol News will be available on Saturday, January 6, 2006. In the meantime, if there are any breaking stories that we believe our readers will be interested in, we will place them on our web log, firstcapitolnews-today.blogspot.com.
If you are not checking our web log, firstcapitolnews-today.blogspot.com on a daily basis you might be missing out on some breaking stories. When we get a story we believe our readers will be interested in we place it on our daily web log. The entire edition of the First Capitol News, including all the ads, can be found each week on our web site; firstcapitolnews.com. When we experienced the recent ice and snowstorm our readers were able to read that week’s edition at firstcapitolnews.com.
Shortly after the first of the year there will be some exciting changes coming to the First Capitol News. Watch for them. Reading habits are changing. People are going to the Internet to get their news. We are very excited about the number of people who are using our web site to read the First Capitol News. Some time after the first of the New Year we are going to charge a nominal fee for home delivery. The First Capitol News will be available free at many business locations throughout the area. We will also be increasing the number of red curbside paper boxes where you will be able to obtain a copy of the First Capitol News for free. You can read it free on the internet at firstcapitolnews.com. We will still have our daily web log with breaking stories at firstcapitolnews-today.blogspot.com. Our archives dating back to November of 2004 are available free at firstcapitolnews.blogspot.com. If you would like to have home delivery and would like to subscribe the cost for six months will be $20 and the cost for one year will be $35. You can mail your check to First Capitol News, 336 A South Main St., St. Charles, MO 63301. Any questions you can call us at 636 724-1955 or e-mail us at firstcapitolnews@aol.com or editor@firstcapitolnews.com.
The Mayoral primary election will be held in February. The two candidates receiving the largest number of votes will face each other in the April municipal elections. All ten City Council seats will also be up for election. It looks like Mike Weller might be planning on running for reelection. Now that the salary will be $10,000 plus expenses he seems to be interested. I wonder if he will be interested enough to start attending the meetings. He has the worst attendance record of any of the council members. Councilmen Larry Muench, Rory Riddler, Joe Koester, Mark Brown and Bob Hoepfner have indicated they will be running for reelection. Councilman John Gieseke has entered the race for Mayor.
And would you believe, Ken Kielty has indicated his desire to run for Councilman in Ward 8. John Gieseke is the current councilman but he has filed to run for Mayor so the field is open. Kielty is a former Councilman who got involved in politics and was able to secure the state license office when the Democrats were in power. He lost it when the Republicans took over. Then he tried to get the County Convention and Sports Authority to hire him to design a golf course. He was also active in the campaigns that attempted to recall Councilwoman Dottie Greer and Councilman Mark Brown. Both campaigns were fraught with fraud, forgeries and lies. People were arrested and charged and more arrests may be forthcoming. A threat made against St. Charles resident Bob Breidensteiner was found to have been made from Kielty’s cell phone. No charges were brought and Kielty refused to cooperate with the police investigation. If you want to read more about Ken Kielty you can go to our archives at firstcapitolnews.blogspot.com and in the search area type in Kielty.
St. Charles businessman Erv Emerling has taken out petitions to run against Councilman Bob Hoepfner. Emerling is the president of the Festival of the Little Hills and serves on the Arts and Culture Committee and the Fourth of July Committee.
Word on the street is that the Mayor does not like the new Director of the Convention and Visitors Bureau and plans on replacing him if she is reelected. We were told she is still working hard to get rid of Chief of Police Tim Swope. Do you think she may be planning on bringing Steve Powell back as director of the CVB? Since he was asked to leave Peoria he may be available.
Venetia McEntire has taken out petitions to run against Larry Muench for City Council. She upset a great number of people during the Los Pasadas procession on South Main. Actors portraying Mary and Joseph travel the street asking for a room at the Inn. As they neared First Capitol a young lady had the microphone and when Joseph asked if there was room at the Inn she was to reply that there was none. Her family was very proud and had come for the ceremony. They were planning on video taping her performance. As Mary and Joseph approached with about 1000 people following them, McEntire grabbed the microphone from the hands of the young woman and launched into a commercial for a new business she is planning on opening. The young man who was in charge of the ceremony later approached McEntire to voice his displeasure and was told that the Mayor was attending a party with McEntire and told her she could do what she wanted because, “They are only hired help.”
We were also told that a residency challenge may be filed against McEntire. She was also in charge of the Lewis & Clark fiasco held in 2004. You can read more about McEntire and Steve Powell in our archives.
If you are not checking our web log, firstcapitolnews-today.blogspot.com on a daily basis you might be missing out on some breaking stories. When we get a story we believe our readers will be interested in we place it on our daily web log. The entire edition of the First Capitol News, including all the ads, can be found each week on our web site; firstcapitolnews.com. When we experienced the recent ice and snowstorm our readers were able to read that week’s edition at firstcapitolnews.com.
Shortly after the first of the year there will be some exciting changes coming to the First Capitol News. Watch for them. Reading habits are changing. People are going to the Internet to get their news. We are very excited about the number of people who are using our web site to read the First Capitol News. Some time after the first of the New Year we are going to charge a nominal fee for home delivery. The First Capitol News will be available free at many business locations throughout the area. We will also be increasing the number of red curbside paper boxes where you will be able to obtain a copy of the First Capitol News for free. You can read it free on the internet at firstcapitolnews.com. We will still have our daily web log with breaking stories at firstcapitolnews-today.blogspot.com. Our archives dating back to November of 2004 are available free at firstcapitolnews.blogspot.com. If you would like to have home delivery and would like to subscribe the cost for six months will be $20 and the cost for one year will be $35. You can mail your check to First Capitol News, 336 A South Main St., St. Charles, MO 63301. Any questions you can call us at 636 724-1955 or e-mail us at firstcapitolnews@aol.com or editor@firstcapitolnews.com.
The Mayoral primary election will be held in February. The two candidates receiving the largest number of votes will face each other in the April municipal elections. All ten City Council seats will also be up for election. It looks like Mike Weller might be planning on running for reelection. Now that the salary will be $10,000 plus expenses he seems to be interested. I wonder if he will be interested enough to start attending the meetings. He has the worst attendance record of any of the council members. Councilmen Larry Muench, Rory Riddler, Joe Koester, Mark Brown and Bob Hoepfner have indicated they will be running for reelection. Councilman John Gieseke has entered the race for Mayor.
And would you believe, Ken Kielty has indicated his desire to run for Councilman in Ward 8. John Gieseke is the current councilman but he has filed to run for Mayor so the field is open. Kielty is a former Councilman who got involved in politics and was able to secure the state license office when the Democrats were in power. He lost it when the Republicans took over. Then he tried to get the County Convention and Sports Authority to hire him to design a golf course. He was also active in the campaigns that attempted to recall Councilwoman Dottie Greer and Councilman Mark Brown. Both campaigns were fraught with fraud, forgeries and lies. People were arrested and charged and more arrests may be forthcoming. A threat made against St. Charles resident Bob Breidensteiner was found to have been made from Kielty’s cell phone. No charges were brought and Kielty refused to cooperate with the police investigation. If you want to read more about Ken Kielty you can go to our archives at firstcapitolnews.blogspot.com and in the search area type in Kielty.
St. Charles businessman Erv Emerling has taken out petitions to run against Councilman Bob Hoepfner. Emerling is the president of the Festival of the Little Hills and serves on the Arts and Culture Committee and the Fourth of July Committee.
Word on the street is that the Mayor does not like the new Director of the Convention and Visitors Bureau and plans on replacing him if she is reelected. We were told she is still working hard to get rid of Chief of Police Tim Swope. Do you think she may be planning on bringing Steve Powell back as director of the CVB? Since he was asked to leave Peoria he may be available.
Venetia McEntire has taken out petitions to run against Larry Muench for City Council. She upset a great number of people during the Los Pasadas procession on South Main. Actors portraying Mary and Joseph travel the street asking for a room at the Inn. As they neared First Capitol a young lady had the microphone and when Joseph asked if there was room at the Inn she was to reply that there was none. Her family was very proud and had come for the ceremony. They were planning on video taping her performance. As Mary and Joseph approached with about 1000 people following them, McEntire grabbed the microphone from the hands of the young woman and launched into a commercial for a new business she is planning on opening. The young man who was in charge of the ceremony later approached McEntire to voice his displeasure and was told that the Mayor was attending a party with McEntire and told her she could do what she wanted because, “They are only hired help.”
We were also told that a residency challenge may be filed against McEntire. She was also in charge of the Lewis & Clark fiasco held in 2004. You can read more about McEntire and Steve Powell in our archives.
“We have bigger houses but smaller families:
We have more degrees but less sense;
more knowledge but less judgment;
more experts but more problems;
more medicines, but less healthiness.
We’ve been all the way to the moon and back,
but we have trouble crossing the street
to meet the new neighbor.
We build more computers
to hold more information,
to produce more copies than ever,
but we have less communication.
We have become long on quantity
but short on quality.
These are times of fast foods,
but slow digestion;
tall man, but short character;
steep profits, but shallow relationships.
It is time when there is much in the window
but nothing in the room.”
Dalai Lama
It’s Christmastime. It’s a joyful time for the most part, but it can be a melancholy time too when we reflect on how some happy memories were rooted in loved ones now departed. As the saying goes, “Everyone is trying to find their way back home.” Christmastime is the zenith of this sentiment – we wish hardest around this season to find our way back home with mom preparing a family meal and dad chopping wood in the back yard.
Each season brings its own special note to our life’s sheet music and sometimes the Christmas season delivers a flat note when we anticipate a crisp trumpet blast. There must be a reason that many of us tolerate “Jingle Bells” but have a spot in our hearts for “Silent Night” and “It Came upon the Midnight Clear.” The latter is sometimes especially appealing with its poignant sound though the message be of good cheer.
How many of you stop and pause and ask how you can make Christmas something more like what your grandma and grandpa would recognize? I bet most of us do. We all want the season to be more about family and friends and less about plastic trinkets from China brought to you via Wal-Mart for $6.98.
The quote from the Dalai Lama rings truer today than ever. Sadly, I think it will continue to grow in meaning before an about-face. We are truly, “long on quantity and short on quality.”
I think for me, one of the things that I yearn for more than anything is a return to an industrial America, where quality jobs produced quality goods. Surely, I’m looking for home too as an individual; however, more than that, I’m looking for a country that has common goals for common good; Towns rebuilding themselves with identities that aren’t decided by an advertisement agency but by local traditions and flavors.
Having grown up in St. Charles, it always struck me how curious it was that people moving to St. Charles County had no downtown to identify with. St. Peters, O’Fallon, and Wentzville all had a little speck of a downtown that was quickly rendered meaningless in their great seas of cul-de-sac subdivisions. Malls and strip malls became ersatz downtowns for these communities. There is it seems, “much in the window but nothing in the room.”
Of course, St. Charles City can certainly be criticized for its faults. Sometimes I think our City as a collective is searching for home to an extent that we sometimes have trouble shaking off the slumber of our past to an extent that we just want things to stay the same. I’m as guilty as my fellow townsfolk – I’ll admit it! When expatriated St. Louis County folk crossed the Big Muddy, we circled the wagons and preferred they moved on west lest they disturb our hometown too much. It seems we allowed the desire for no change to prevent us from taking more risks and embracing some things that would have helped our town in the long run.
Still, it is our community among all of our neighbors that is a real town. It is our community that has history, heritage, shops, walking neighborhoods with churches and parks. Our challenge is to embrace a balance of history and change that will keep our town a viable community.
There is no better time of the year to reflect on our past. There is no better time of the year to remember the importance of spring!
I want to close with the first portion of one of the nicest Christmas songs in German and the English translation, “Es ist Ein Ros’ Entsprungen.”
Es ist ein Ros’ entsprungen, aus einer Wurzel zart,
Wie uns die Alten sungen, von Jesse kam die Art,
Und hat ein Blümlein bracht mitten im kalten Winter
Wohl zu der halben Nacht.
Lo, how a Rose e’er blooming from tender stem hath sprung!
Of Jesse’s lineage coming, as men of old have sung.
It came, a floweret bright, amid the cold of winter,
When half spent was the night.
Merry Christmas – may you find your way home this winter!
THE PEOPLE SPEAK - Letters To The Editor
DEAR EDITOR
FIRST CAPITOL NEWS
I would like to thank all the residents that came out and voted. It was great to see the people speak about how this country is being run and want a change. The issues about the war in Iraq, the health care problems, education, jobs, energy prices, etc. They were tired of the “stay the course”, “my way or the highway” approach. They did a good job of changing elective members to congress. I only wished it would have been done @ the state & local levels. I guess enough people were ok with the “best Gov’t that money can buy” and thought it was ok for state elected officials to get laws changed that only affected St. Charles and sub-divisions to hook up to our sewer lines, etc.
The city officials had people to vote on a “strong” mayor at last election without telling them what that would have meant, that the mayor then would run everything and could hire and fire anyone they wanted for any reason known only to them.
Now they let the people vote on the mayor’s salary but they don’t like what the people voted, so they made statements like “they didn’t know what they were voting on because there were (3) different versions. So I guess they think people were stupid so they would set the salary. I would like to know if the ones like Mr. Weller and Dottie who stated they think it should be over the $100,000 to $120,000 range. What they don’t tell you that they would also get many benefits, like health-care, expense accounts, car or gas mileage, trips which would probably be paid for by the taxpayers, etc. I can only wonder if they are running for mayor, also. It would also be nice to know if the ones who wanted $100,000 or more also voted for raising the minimum wage? The really sad part is what they think of the city residents. The same as calling them as dumb or stupid because they didn’t vote like they wanted them to.
Walter Dietz
EDITOR’S NOTE
WE RECENTLY RECEIVED AN E-MAIL THAT BECAME CORRUPTED. WE THINK IT WAS REGARDING JUDGE ELECT THORNHILL. WE WOULD LIKE THE AUTHOR TO RESEND IT SO WE CAN PRINT IT.
FIRST CAPITOL NEWS
I would like to thank all the residents that came out and voted. It was great to see the people speak about how this country is being run and want a change. The issues about the war in Iraq, the health care problems, education, jobs, energy prices, etc. They were tired of the “stay the course”, “my way or the highway” approach. They did a good job of changing elective members to congress. I only wished it would have been done @ the state & local levels. I guess enough people were ok with the “best Gov’t that money can buy” and thought it was ok for state elected officials to get laws changed that only affected St. Charles and sub-divisions to hook up to our sewer lines, etc.
The city officials had people to vote on a “strong” mayor at last election without telling them what that would have meant, that the mayor then would run everything and could hire and fire anyone they wanted for any reason known only to them.
Now they let the people vote on the mayor’s salary but they don’t like what the people voted, so they made statements like “they didn’t know what they were voting on because there were (3) different versions. So I guess they think people were stupid so they would set the salary. I would like to know if the ones like Mr. Weller and Dottie who stated they think it should be over the $100,000 to $120,000 range. What they don’t tell you that they would also get many benefits, like health-care, expense accounts, car or gas mileage, trips which would probably be paid for by the taxpayers, etc. I can only wonder if they are running for mayor, also. It would also be nice to know if the ones who wanted $100,000 or more also voted for raising the minimum wage? The really sad part is what they think of the city residents. The same as calling them as dumb or stupid because they didn’t vote like they wanted them to.
Walter Dietz
EDITOR’S NOTE
WE RECENTLY RECEIVED AN E-MAIL THAT BECAME CORRUPTED. WE THINK IT WAS REGARDING JUDGE ELECT THORNHILL. WE WOULD LIKE THE AUTHOR TO RESEND IT SO WE CAN PRINT IT.
THE CITY DESK - Rory Riddler, Councilman Ward 1
Buying Our First Robot: A 21st Century Christmas
It took me a while to get use to living in the 21st Century. Born in 1955, for most of my life the 21st Century was the far future of science fiction, comic books and Saturday morning cartoons. While I enjoy reading what the future may hold, I’ve always felt a closer kinship for the past. Perhaps I was just born a little out of my time. It is probably why my favorite Christmas traditions seem more firmly rooted in the 19th Century than whatever year we happen to be living in at the moment.
Which brings me to how this Christmas brought me back to the future.
I come from a family where making a Christmas list was the exclusive domain of children…a contract, if you will, between Santa Claus and every good little girl and boy. Parents were always there to help Santa execute the terms of the contract and to remind you to keep up your end of the bargain. The adults in our family were left with dropping broad hints as Christmas approached. A magazine would be opened strategically to a certain ad or a family member would pause looking at an item in a department store window (when department stores dressed their windows) for what seemed an inordinate length of time, but there were no lists.
With every marriage comes compromise. It turned out that in my wife’s family the adults all made wish lists for Christmas. It took a while for the culture shock to wear off, but I love my wife and was willing to do most anything to fit in with her side of the family as well. My first attempts were awkward. “Dear Santa”…scratch that. “Dear Mother-In-Law, Father-In-Law, Brother-In-Law, Sister-In-Law”…too legal sounding. Eventually I got the hang of it.
Within our own household, the product of a mixed marriage of wish list writers and Christmas gift hinters, we’ve found a comfortable balance between surprise gifts that come from the heart and those gifts we know with more certainty to be greatly appreciated. This balance works except when it comes to practical requests. I find it hard to get excited about requests like, “I could use a new vacuum cleaner.”
My wife, Sue, also enjoys home remodeling and she’s good at it. Perhaps it comes from being the daughter of an engineer. But going into Sears and buying a new drill or table saw at Christmas can be embarrassing under the usual barrage of questions commissioned sales people feel compelled to ask:
“Buying this for yourself?” “Nope.” “Your father?” “Nope.” “A brother?”
Looking down at my shuffling feet, “No, it’s a Christmas present for my wife.” “Ha. Ha. Very funny sir.”
So when Sue asked for a Roomba, and after ascertaining that a Roomba was for cleaning floors, I decided that it was something we were just going to treat ourselves to right then and there and avoid trying to wrap what I assumed would be a bulky boring vacuum cleaner. What I didn’t suspect is we were about to buy our first robot.
When my brother and I were kids, we got a Mr. Machine for Christmas one year. It was a clear plastic mechanical man filled with gears that marched around the living room floor when you wound him up. Then there were the stamped metal robots that ran on batteries and trundled across the floor, eyes glowing and shooting death rays to a deafening whirring sound. Who needs a robot around the house that shoots death rays?
The advent of so-called artificial intelligence brought our kids the likes of Furbie when they were young. I could never figure out how useful robots would be that were this needy or starved for affection. Why not just buy a dog?
The Japanese are hard at work trying to produce an array of robots to mimic human speech, facial expressions and hold conversations with humans. Yawn. Why would I pay thousands of dollars for someone to talk to when there are so many people in the world I can communicate with in person, by cell phone, blackberry or e-mail?
I was starting to despair that there would ever be a practical robot in our homes. That is until I watched the Roomba at work. This flat, saucer shaped, device, guides itself around the room. It has special brushes for corners and to sweep around table legs, it goes under couches without moving them, it plots a pattern to make sure it covers the entire floor. When it’s dust bin is full it beeps at you so you know to empty it. The more expensive models come with a docking station that it returns to automatically. Instead of lugging a vacuum cleaner up the steps anymore and pushing it around a room, my daughter bounds up to her room with the Roomba under one arm and it does the rest.
I wish I had bought stock in the company that makes the Roomba, which is called appropriately IRobot. It seems the Jetsons got it wrong. We didn’t need a Rosie the robot to push around other mechanical devices. Like Star Wars array of practical “droids” designed to do specific tasks, it seems the future belongs to smarter appliances.
Merry Christmas R2-D2 and welcome to the 21st Century.
The View From The Cheap Seats BY Jerry Haferkamp
The View From The Cheap Seats
By Jerry Haferkamp
Here we go again. I’m talking about the bell ringing for the Salvation Army at area businesses. Along with other volunteers, the Realtors in the St. Charles County Association of Realtors will man (or woman, if you’re into political correctness) the red kettles for this worthwhile cause.
The Salvation Army provides food and shelter for many that need it, but they have needs, too. They need to build to provide shelter for homeless men in St. Charles. They need funds to provide meals for those who come to their shelter. Their present facility also provides volunteer medical care on a limited basis.
We could discuss for months the cause of homelessness or need. Whether from lack of education, illness, alcoholism, or just a run of bad luck, people need our help. We care about stray animals. Can we do no less for our fellow human beings?
While attending to the kettles, many of us have inspiring stories of donations. There are the kids who delight in dropping in loose change. A popular developer who dropped bills into my kettle even though I know he writes a generous check every year. I most remember a woman who came to the grocery store where I rang. She pulled up in an old car with bad tires, a missing wheel cover and side trim hanging loose. As she went into the store, she slipped a twenty-dollar bill into the kettle with the words, “Not long ago I needed help and the Salvation Army helped me. Now I can give something back.”
This is what keeps us volunteering to assist the “Army” in its fund drive. Your gas bills are high, but consider for a moment those with no heat. Your HMO doesn’t give you a choice of doctors, but at least you have a doctor. Your coat may be out of style, but you have one.
Last, but not least, smile at the bell ringer and say “Hi” or “Merry Christmas” even if you don’t deposit anything in the kettle. We know we don’t have the only kettle in town and you may have given elsewhere, but we do appreciate the greetings. They make the cold more bearable.
And to the Salvation Army for giving us the opportunity to help, we thank you!
Merry Christmas!
I hope that’s not just the view from the cheap seats.
By Jerry Haferkamp
Here we go again. I’m talking about the bell ringing for the Salvation Army at area businesses. Along with other volunteers, the Realtors in the St. Charles County Association of Realtors will man (or woman, if you’re into political correctness) the red kettles for this worthwhile cause.
The Salvation Army provides food and shelter for many that need it, but they have needs, too. They need to build to provide shelter for homeless men in St. Charles. They need funds to provide meals for those who come to their shelter. Their present facility also provides volunteer medical care on a limited basis.
We could discuss for months the cause of homelessness or need. Whether from lack of education, illness, alcoholism, or just a run of bad luck, people need our help. We care about stray animals. Can we do no less for our fellow human beings?
While attending to the kettles, many of us have inspiring stories of donations. There are the kids who delight in dropping in loose change. A popular developer who dropped bills into my kettle even though I know he writes a generous check every year. I most remember a woman who came to the grocery store where I rang. She pulled up in an old car with bad tires, a missing wheel cover and side trim hanging loose. As she went into the store, she slipped a twenty-dollar bill into the kettle with the words, “Not long ago I needed help and the Salvation Army helped me. Now I can give something back.”
This is what keeps us volunteering to assist the “Army” in its fund drive. Your gas bills are high, but consider for a moment those with no heat. Your HMO doesn’t give you a choice of doctors, but at least you have a doctor. Your coat may be out of style, but you have one.
Last, but not least, smile at the bell ringer and say “Hi” or “Merry Christmas” even if you don’t deposit anything in the kettle. We know we don’t have the only kettle in town and you may have given elsewhere, but we do appreciate the greetings. They make the cold more bearable.
And to the Salvation Army for giving us the opportunity to help, we thank you!
Merry Christmas!
I hope that’s not just the view from the cheap seats.
t. Charles Resident Helps Native American Children Have A Merry Christmas
By Tony Brockmeyer
Hundreds of Native American in South Dakota children will have a very Merry Christmas due to efforts of Joyce Smith and others in St. Charles.
For the past 10 years Joyce Smith along with friends, neighbors and others have been collecting toys and gifts for the Lakota Sioux Children at the Cheyenne River Youth Project in Eagle Bluff, South Dakota. Last week a 53-foot trailer loaded with Christmas presents left St. Charles enroute to the children so they can have a very merry Christmas.
“We were able to fill all but 54 requests out of the 593 we received this year,” Smith told the First Capitol News. Smith along with a group of volunteers, school children, teachers, church groups and others work to answer requests the children have written in letters to Santa. The presents are then packed and stored, usually in building or houses owned by Erv Emerling a St. Charles businessman. On the day the toys and presents are to be shipped members of the St. Charles County Metro West SWAT team load the trailer.
While camping in South Dakota with her late husband, a former superintendent of the Fort Zumwalt School District who passed away in 1997, Smith met Julie Garreau. Garreau started the youth camp for the Indian children in 1988. After learning about the plight of the Indian children Joyce Smith started her annual Christmas project and has been working hard to fill as many requests as possible each year.
Hundreds of Native American in South Dakota children will have a very Merry Christmas due to efforts of Joyce Smith and others in St. Charles.
For the past 10 years Joyce Smith along with friends, neighbors and others have been collecting toys and gifts for the Lakota Sioux Children at the Cheyenne River Youth Project in Eagle Bluff, South Dakota. Last week a 53-foot trailer loaded with Christmas presents left St. Charles enroute to the children so they can have a very merry Christmas.
“We were able to fill all but 54 requests out of the 593 we received this year,” Smith told the First Capitol News. Smith along with a group of volunteers, school children, teachers, church groups and others work to answer requests the children have written in letters to Santa. The presents are then packed and stored, usually in building or houses owned by Erv Emerling a St. Charles businessman. On the day the toys and presents are to be shipped members of the St. Charles County Metro West SWAT team load the trailer.
While camping in South Dakota with her late husband, a former superintendent of the Fort Zumwalt School District who passed away in 1997, Smith met Julie Garreau. Garreau started the youth camp for the Indian children in 1988. After learning about the plight of the Indian children Joyce Smith started her annual Christmas project and has been working hard to fill as many requests as possible each year.
SPORTS - First Capitol News - Mike McMurran Sports Editor
MY COLUMN - MIKE MCMURRAN SPORTS EDITOR
This is our Christmas edition so I would like to share a seasonal story or two with you. I don’t know if it just happens to me or if others have the same experience, but the other evening I woke at 2 or so in the morning and began thinking about Christmas. As the thoughts were going through my head I realized that this Christmas would mark the 22nd that Lynn and I would spend together. Without giving out Lynn’s age, twenty-two Christmas Eves are more than half than she has celebrated in her entire life; meaning, she has spent more Christmas Eves with me than without me. That, I thought, was profound enough a revelation to wake Lynn and share with her. She mumbled something about my being “crazy” and rolled over and went back to sleep. So much for the female gender being so romantic!
How I remember that first Christmas Lynn and I spent together. Christmas Eve is the major event in Lynn’s family – and has been for decades. It is a tradition that has been passed down from her mom’s side of the family. After dinner has been served and everything is cleaned up, the oldest boy of the family, which is Lynn’s brother Dave, begins passing out gifts – one at a time. There is a protocol to this madness, the youngest in attendance receives the first gift, then the second youngest and so on, until all the children have received at least one present to open. Imagine if you can, my first time experiencing this controlled mayhem in Lynn’s parent’s basement, no more than 500 square feet, if that, crammed with over 20 people and a pile of gifts the likes I had never seen. One by one the kid’s names were called and they were given their gifts. It was nuts! Wrapping paper was flying every which way. Hugs were given out like there was no tomorrow. It was so crowded that once you found your place to sit you dare not move out of fear of loosing a good vantage point. I remember the children that evening, Lynn’s nieces and nephews, and how wide eyed they all were. This wasn’t Santa’s visit, it was bigger and more exciting! I remember thinking to my self, “if I ever get married and have kids, this is how I would want them to spend Christmas – this is it!”
Well, I did, and I have, and they do! Most everyone that was at that Christmas celebration in 1985 will be at Lynn’s mom’s house this Christmas Eve. Some have grown and moved to far away places like Texas and Memphis; sometimes they make it back, sometimes not. Those smiling little children, Lynn’s nieces and nephews are now all in their 20’s; except for Brad and Meghan who were not born yet. They have been replaced by the second generation of Ruthie’s grandchildren – of which my kids are part of. There are two notable absences: Grandpa Bud Kurtz and his brother Uncle Roy, both of whom watch the celebration from heaven. Not that they can be replaced, because they cannot, but someone new has joined the annual celebration, Santa Claus! Yep, every year he stops by and drops off some candy canes, M&M’s, and tells the children to make sure to hurry and go to sleep once they get home. He stays around long enough to have his picture taken with Aunt Elaine, Grandmas Ruthie and Barbie, and pretty much anybody who wished to pose with Santa. For some reason Santa always coaxes Lynn’s nieces Tasha and Meghan, both of whom are in their 20’s, both of whom stand about 5’8” and both of whom would be described as “knock-out blondes,” to sit on Santa’s lap at the same time. At this particular point of the Christmas celebration, Santa has this strange resemblance to Don Oelklaus, especially when Don is assessing the Rams’ cheerleaders. Then again it could just be my imagination. Anyway, my wish from 22 years ago has come true!
Much like the tradition passed down from Ruthie’s family, Family McMurran has started their own Christmas tradition – securing the family Christmas tree. Many of my friends tell stories of how they pack their family into the family vehicle and travel to places like Troy or Warrenton, and cut down their Christmas tree. They explain to me how special it is, and I have no reason to doubt them.
About 20 years or so, when I was a starving university student, I landed a part-time, seasonal job unloading tens of thousands of Christmas trees of off flat-bed trucks. My dear friend John Kozlowski hooked me up with the gig; it was hard work, but we came home smelling like Christmas trees every night, which was a good thing. The nursery we worked for distributed literally tens of thousands of Christmas trees around the entire region. They also kept a few hundred, the very best few hundred, to sell right off their lot, located at the intersection of Broadway and St. Louis Avenue. If you do not know where Broadway and St. Louis Avenue is, don’t worry, It would best be described as “in the ‘hood,” or “in the ghetto.” Yes, those ladies who seem to be walking up and down the street are what you think they are. It is a rough neighborhood – but while on the lot of St. Charles City resident Mike Tremmel’s Glueck’s Nursery, you feel, and are, as safe as if you were walking on Main Street in beautiful downtown Saint Charles, maybe safer!
Anyway, we load up the minivan and travel to the “’hood,” pick out our tree, take a few pictures, and come home. While on the lot Mike always invites me inside for an ice cold drink (or two, or three). There are always snacks for the kids – and here’s the best part: we have the most beautiful Christmas tree you can possibly imagine! Oh sure, much of it has to do with the trimming Lynn and the kids do, but the tree is always so very, very full and beautiful. Seldom do people comment how nice my yard looks, or how nicely pruned the trees in the front yard look, but most everyone who walks into our home comments on how beautiful, how strikingly beautiful our Christmas tree looks. When they ask where I got it, I tell them “the ghetto,” and they think I’m joking. I’m not!
Our next edition will not be until January 6, so I would like to take this opportunity to wish all of the regular readers of this column Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and Happy New Year! Don’t think it doesn’t make me feel special when out of the blue someone walks up to me and tells me how much they enjoy, and look forward to reading my columns. It almost always ends with, “can’t you please write a little more about sports?” I can’t imagine why they would say such a thing.
May all your dreams for the New Year be realized.
High School Basketball
‘Just Like Last Time’
St. Charles West/St. Charles High Rivalry Bigger Than Ever
By Louis J. Launer
It is a rivalry that goes back thirty years in any sport—at least since St. Charles West was built and opened in 1976. This year, the students from both St. Charles High School and St. Charles West are really getting into the cross-town division that highlights the St. Charles city sports scene every fall, winter and spring. This academic year, basketball seems to be the marquee sport for the two schools.
There was only one meeting this year for SCW and SCHS in girls’ volleyball and football. St. Charles West won both matches. In the first boys’ basketball game of the season, the day before Thanksgiving, The St. Charles West Warriors, led by star Kramer Soderberg, defeated the St. Charles Pirates, 74-71 in an overtime thriller that even caught the attention of the St. Louis television stations.
St. Charles West has a lot of talent. Soderberg is only a 5’11” junior, but has become team leader. Many have labeled Soderberg as this decade’s Ryan Robertson, who led the 1994-95 Warriors to its first and only state basketball title. St. Charles West this past week was involved in their annual Warrior Classic tournament. The night before they were to play in the championship game of the tournament, they played one game in the annual Shoot-Out that took place at the Scottrade Center in downtown St. Louis. The Warriors defeated a talented San Diego Hoover basketball team, which was supposed to include All-American JayDee Luster, 66-55. Unfortunately, Luster sat on the bench due to illness. Soderberg did score thirty points in the victory and opened some eyes that this was no typical Warrior team.
The next night in a packed St. Charles West gymnasium, St. Charles High played St. Charles West for the championship of the St. Charles West Warrior Classic Tournament. It was a rematch from 2 ½ weeks before. Did anyone expect lightning to strike twice?
The students this year for both schools could not be more emotional about this rivalry. It became a fever pitch.
The St. Charles Pirates have a mammoth star of their own. His name is Josh Harrellson. In November, the 6’9”, 265-pound center/forward signed a letter of intent to play basketball next year in Macomb, Illinois at Western Illinois University.
In the first quarter, the St. Charles Pirates began to dominate. The game still remained close with the Pirates holding on to a 12-11 lead at the end of the first quarter. The momentum shifted to St. Charles West in the second quarter. But Harrellson continued to be the Warriors number-one problem as they tried to keep the ball away from the Pirates’ leader. Soderberg scored his only three-point field goal early in the second quarter. The Warriors’ Brian Maurer and Alex Bazzell stepped up and scored two 3-point buckets each in the game. The game remained close at halftime, 23-20.
The third quarter was where the Warriors began to dominate. They kept defensive pressure on the Pirates, taking the ball away at any chance they could. But in the game overall, the free-throw percentage for St. Charles West was 88.9%, compared to the Pirates’ 46.2%. Harrellson missed several free throws. But Harrellson did get his time to show as Dean Dillen stole the ball from the Warriors on a fast break, passed it to a running Harrellson for a “peanut butter and jam” slam-dunk. But that didn’t take the thrust away from the Warriors, who won the game 56-46, and winning first place in the Warrior Classic Tournament.
“Just like last time,” shouted the West fans from the bleachers before time ran out. The referral was from the 74-71 Thanksgiving eve overtime game also held at St. Charles West.
Kramer Soderberg scored a total of 102 points throughout the entire week. That included all of the Warrior Classic games he played and the Shoot-Out game in St. Louis. Soderberg scored 22 against the Pirates. Harrellson scored 25 for the Pirates, but had no field goals and was 5 for 11 in free throws.
There will be another rematch, across town at St. Charles High School on the Gene Bartow Court. But it won’t be for another eight weeks and there are several games these two teams have to play, including a number of them against Duchesne. The battle for St. Charles and who goes to the state tournament in February is far from over.
Saturday, December 02, 2006
FIRST CAPITOL NEWS FRONT PAGE DECEMBER 2, 2006
(Click on image to enlarge) Scroll down to read other stories in this edition. The entire edition of the First Capitol News including the ads can be found at firstcapitolnews.com. Daily breaking news is posted at firstcapitolnews-today.blogspot.com.
Major Winter Storm Hits Area
By Phyllis Schaltenbrand
A major winter storm hit the St. Charles area Thursday. After many hours of rain, sleet, and freezing snow the area was covered in several inches of snow.
Many St. Charles businesses did not open Thursday and some of those that did open closed early.
The St. Charles City Hall closed at 1:00 p.m. Thursday and was closed Friday. It is expected to reopen Monday Morning.
City crews worked through the day Thursday and into the night in an attempt to keep the city streets passable. By early Friday morning most of the main thoroughfares were passable. Many of the secondary streets and subdivision streets were still covered with several inches of ice topped by several inches of snow. Most city streets are expected to be passable by later Friday afternoon.
Because of icy conditions the Missouri State Highway Patrol closed several sections of Interstate 44 and Interstate 70 for several hours. Interstate 70 was reported to be extremely dangerous from Goodfellow Boulevard in St. Louis to Columbia, Missouri.
Many homes in the metropolitan area including areas of St. Charles were without power Friday morning. Several trees were uprooted and many power lines were down.
Ameren UE reported that in some areas is could be several days before they would be able to restore power.
Should you experience any power lines down please do not approach the lines but immediately notify 911.
A major winter storm hit the St. Charles area Thursday. After many hours of rain, sleet, and freezing snow the area was covered in several inches of snow.
Many St. Charles businesses did not open Thursday and some of those that did open closed early.
The St. Charles City Hall closed at 1:00 p.m. Thursday and was closed Friday. It is expected to reopen Monday Morning.
City crews worked through the day Thursday and into the night in an attempt to keep the city streets passable. By early Friday morning most of the main thoroughfares were passable. Many of the secondary streets and subdivision streets were still covered with several inches of ice topped by several inches of snow. Most city streets are expected to be passable by later Friday afternoon.
Because of icy conditions the Missouri State Highway Patrol closed several sections of Interstate 44 and Interstate 70 for several hours. Interstate 70 was reported to be extremely dangerous from Goodfellow Boulevard in St. Louis to Columbia, Missouri.
Many homes in the metropolitan area including areas of St. Charles were without power Friday morning. Several trees were uprooted and many power lines were down.
Ameren UE reported that in some areas is could be several days before they would be able to restore power.
Should you experience any power lines down please do not approach the lines but immediately notify 911.
ROBBERY
Robbery
On Monday, November 27, 2006 the Moto Mart located at 2801 North Highway 94 was held up.
At approximately 11:55 p.m. a male subject described as; white, 5’6” – 5” 10”, 140 to 160 pounds, approximately 25 years of age, bearing a black and red coat, black gloves, a black motorcycle helmet, black scarf covering part of his face with a pale complexion and blue or green eyes entered the store.
He implied he had a weapon but did not display one. He announced a robbery and then exited the store with a small amount of cash.
The robbery suspect left on a dark colored motorcycle going southbound on Highway 94. There were no reported injuries.
On Monday, November 27, 2006 the Moto Mart located at 2801 North Highway 94 was held up.
At approximately 11:55 p.m. a male subject described as; white, 5’6” – 5” 10”, 140 to 160 pounds, approximately 25 years of age, bearing a black and red coat, black gloves, a black motorcycle helmet, black scarf covering part of his face with a pale complexion and blue or green eyes entered the store.
He implied he had a weapon but did not display one. He announced a robbery and then exited the store with a small amount of cash.
The robbery suspect left on a dark colored motorcycle going southbound on Highway 94. There were no reported injuries.
Filing for Two Seats on the St. Charles School Board of Education Opens on December 12th.
Filing for Two Seats on the St. Charles School Board of Education Opens on December 12th.
Qualified candidates for the Board of Education may file for office beginning at 8:00 a.m. on Tuesday, December 12, 2006. Individuals may file at the District’s Administrative Offices, 1025 Country Club Road, St. Charles, Missouri 63303 Filing hours: 8:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday 8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. on Friday. The District’s Administrative offices will be closed December 22, 2006 through January 5, 2007. Filing will not take place if the district is closed due to inclement weather. Candidates may file for one of two, three-year terms. The deadline for filing is 5:00 p.m. on January 16, 2007.
Bernie Weinrich and Donna Towers acurrently holding the seats up for election
Members of the Board of Education shall be citizens of the United States and resident taxpayers of the St. Charles School District. They shall also have resided in the state for one (1) year preceding their election or appointment. Members shall be at least 24 years of age.
All Board members should have knowledge of and an interest in the welfare and educational opportunities of students.
Board members initially elected or appointed after August 28, 1993, in addition to the other qualifications listed in this policy, are required by law to successfully complete orientation and training requirements within one (1) year of the date of the election or appointment. The orientation and training shall consist of at least 16 hours with the cost of such training to be paid by the district. All programs providing the orientation and training required under the provisions of this section shall be offered by a statewide association organized for the benefit of members of Boards of Education or be approved by the State Board of Education.
A Board member is a “public servant” under the Missouri Criminal Code provisions regarding bribery, acceding to corruption, official misconduct and misuse of official information.
A “taxpayer” is an individual who has paid taxes to the state or any subdivision thereof within the immediately preceding 12-month period, or the spouse of such individual.
Qualified candidates for the Board of Education may file for office beginning at 8:00 a.m. on Tuesday, December 12, 2006. Individuals may file at the District’s Administrative Offices, 1025 Country Club Road, St. Charles, Missouri 63303 Filing hours: 8:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday 8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. on Friday. The District’s Administrative offices will be closed December 22, 2006 through January 5, 2007. Filing will not take place if the district is closed due to inclement weather. Candidates may file for one of two, three-year terms. The deadline for filing is 5:00 p.m. on January 16, 2007.
Bernie Weinrich and Donna Towers acurrently holding the seats up for election
Members of the Board of Education shall be citizens of the United States and resident taxpayers of the St. Charles School District. They shall also have resided in the state for one (1) year preceding their election or appointment. Members shall be at least 24 years of age.
All Board members should have knowledge of and an interest in the welfare and educational opportunities of students.
Board members initially elected or appointed after August 28, 1993, in addition to the other qualifications listed in this policy, are required by law to successfully complete orientation and training requirements within one (1) year of the date of the election or appointment. The orientation and training shall consist of at least 16 hours with the cost of such training to be paid by the district. All programs providing the orientation and training required under the provisions of this section shall be offered by a statewide association organized for the benefit of members of Boards of Education or be approved by the State Board of Education.
A Board member is a “public servant” under the Missouri Criminal Code provisions regarding bribery, acceding to corruption, official misconduct and misuse of official information.
A “taxpayer” is an individual who has paid taxes to the state or any subdivision thereof within the immediately preceding 12-month period, or the spouse of such individual.
THE CITY DESK - Rory Riddler, Councilman Ward 1
Middle East Reality Check:
Is Democracy, Without The Guarantee Of Religious Freedom & Individual Rights, Worth Fighting For?
Earlier this year, the Pope ignited protests when he dared to point out the writings of a scholar from the Renaissance who had criticized the extremist teachings of Islamic sects. As if to say, “We’ll show you whom to call extreme,” tens of thousands of Islamic fundamentalists, in countries as far away as Indonesia took to the streets, burned the Pope in effigy and screamed themselves silly.
This week the Pope left Rome to visit Turkey. It was a diplomatic and public relations visit to help soothe the easily ruffled feathers of some Muslims. One of the sites on the Pontiffs top ten list of things to do and see in Turkey was to visit the Hague Sophia in Istanbul.
Istanbul was formerly Constantinople, the capitol city of the Western Roman and Byzantine Empires. The Hague Sophia is truly one of the wonders of the ancient world. It is a massive multi-domed Church that dominates the city’s skyline. I say Church because that is why it was built. It was built by Christians for Christians.
But when Constantinople fell to the invading Turks it was quickly converted to a Mosque.
That hasn’t bothered me very much over the years. It all happened a long time ago. I don’t often go around thinking, gee, when are we going to organize another crusade and kick those Muslims out of our holy sites? But I get the impression that some Muslims think about that a lot.
Here was the Pope about to visit the Hague Sophia and the news reported that radical Muslim clerics were warning people that if the Pope tried to offer a prayer or make the sign of the cross in their Mosque, blood would flow in the streets. It must be all that caffeine in the Turkish coffee.
Tolerance is something we take for granted in this country and most of the Western World. I remember being abhorred to learn last year that a man in Afghanistan was being tried as a criminal for converting to Christianity. This is after we supposedly freed the country from the intolerant Taliban extremists and they elected their own government. Fortunately, the more “moderate” government just had the man declared insane for wanting to practice a religion of his own choosing. Not like the bad old days when they would have stoned him to death.
Which brings me to one of the main points of this week’s column. Democracy without the safeguards of a Bill of Rights isn’t worth fighting for. Freedom isn’t just the right to vote for leaders, it’s the protection of the inalienable rights held by each of us. It is about a Bill of Rights that protect us not from the excesses of despots, but from the excesses of our own democratically elected government.
The people of Iraq and Afghanistan don’t have that same protection of their civil liberties. Over half of their population, the women of these emerging democracies, aren’t even guaranteed the same rights as men. There is no freedom of religion…only the officially sanctioned State religion. Why should Iraqis fight and die for their own country, when that nation does not respect nor guarantee their rights as individuals?
At the end of World War II the United States imposed a government on occupied Germany and Japan. It included both democracy and a Bill of Rights. Guess what? Those ideals flourished. We knew what worked, but instead we deposed a secular, but cruel dictatorship in Iraq and then twiddled our thumbs as they created a fundamentalist regime answerable to religious extremists.
Frankly, I have had it with the terminal stupidity that passes for U. S. Foreign Policy in the Middle East and feel we need to debunk myths that seem to have been invented simply to justify bad decisions. I’m not talking about rehashing why we went to war. The justification, or lack of it, to have invested thousands of lives and hundreds of billions of our tax dollars doesn’t deal with the problem at hand.
The fact is that we have no business being in the middle of someone else’s civil war. We probably should have partitioned the country from the beginning. At least the Kurds in the North (the ones not trying to kill us) would have loved us for giving them their own nation. But we were too afraid Turkey might get mad because they have spent the last five hundred years or so killing Kurds in their own country. This is, of course, the same Turkish government who wouldn’t let our troops invade Iraq from the North at the start of the war even though they were suppose to be our ally.
What I’m challenging are the premises and strategy with which we continue to engage our enemies. Not just in Iraq, but anywhere.
Laws protecting individual and religious freedom, must be imposed. As I have already stated (but it is worth repeating till somebody in Washington gets it) democracy without the protections we enjoy in the Bill of Rights, is not worth fighting for. When you supposedly “win” (and I use that term loosely) a war, you get to “impose” a few rules. If individuals in Iraq and Afghanistan had individual liberty, they might feel more like fighting to defend those rights and not just the esoteric notion that they can cast a ballot once every few years.
When the radicalized Muslims take to the streets any time someone prints a cartoon or questions why someone would behead innocent civilians in the name of God, I would like to see more world leaders stand up and tell them how wrong they are…not apologize that we live in freedom loving nations where people have a right to draw cartoons or voice an opinion. Jump up and down all day in the hot sun screaming your heads off. We no longer care that you are so easily offended.
Finally, let’s never forget that there are ten good people in the Muslim world for every one who wants to kill us or blow up innocent civilians. But they need to hold their own people accountable, not have them idolized 24/7 on an Arab television network. They need to encourage capitalism and economic reforms that will give their young people jobs, careers and hope. For those without work or hope, radical fundamentalism becomes their only life and only hope.
These are tough issues I know. But we either have to change the rules and start playing the game on our terms, or risk losing to people so intolerant they don’t want to share the planet with anyone who doesn’t think exactly like they do. I’m rooting for the silent majority of Muslims to take back their religion from the radicals. When the Pope is allowed to say a prayer in the Hague Sophia, I will know that day has arrived.
Is Democracy, Without The Guarantee Of Religious Freedom & Individual Rights, Worth Fighting For?
Earlier this year, the Pope ignited protests when he dared to point out the writings of a scholar from the Renaissance who had criticized the extremist teachings of Islamic sects. As if to say, “We’ll show you whom to call extreme,” tens of thousands of Islamic fundamentalists, in countries as far away as Indonesia took to the streets, burned the Pope in effigy and screamed themselves silly.
This week the Pope left Rome to visit Turkey. It was a diplomatic and public relations visit to help soothe the easily ruffled feathers of some Muslims. One of the sites on the Pontiffs top ten list of things to do and see in Turkey was to visit the Hague Sophia in Istanbul.
Istanbul was formerly Constantinople, the capitol city of the Western Roman and Byzantine Empires. The Hague Sophia is truly one of the wonders of the ancient world. It is a massive multi-domed Church that dominates the city’s skyline. I say Church because that is why it was built. It was built by Christians for Christians.
But when Constantinople fell to the invading Turks it was quickly converted to a Mosque.
That hasn’t bothered me very much over the years. It all happened a long time ago. I don’t often go around thinking, gee, when are we going to organize another crusade and kick those Muslims out of our holy sites? But I get the impression that some Muslims think about that a lot.
Here was the Pope about to visit the Hague Sophia and the news reported that radical Muslim clerics were warning people that if the Pope tried to offer a prayer or make the sign of the cross in their Mosque, blood would flow in the streets. It must be all that caffeine in the Turkish coffee.
Tolerance is something we take for granted in this country and most of the Western World. I remember being abhorred to learn last year that a man in Afghanistan was being tried as a criminal for converting to Christianity. This is after we supposedly freed the country from the intolerant Taliban extremists and they elected their own government. Fortunately, the more “moderate” government just had the man declared insane for wanting to practice a religion of his own choosing. Not like the bad old days when they would have stoned him to death.
Which brings me to one of the main points of this week’s column. Democracy without the safeguards of a Bill of Rights isn’t worth fighting for. Freedom isn’t just the right to vote for leaders, it’s the protection of the inalienable rights held by each of us. It is about a Bill of Rights that protect us not from the excesses of despots, but from the excesses of our own democratically elected government.
The people of Iraq and Afghanistan don’t have that same protection of their civil liberties. Over half of their population, the women of these emerging democracies, aren’t even guaranteed the same rights as men. There is no freedom of religion…only the officially sanctioned State religion. Why should Iraqis fight and die for their own country, when that nation does not respect nor guarantee their rights as individuals?
At the end of World War II the United States imposed a government on occupied Germany and Japan. It included both democracy and a Bill of Rights. Guess what? Those ideals flourished. We knew what worked, but instead we deposed a secular, but cruel dictatorship in Iraq and then twiddled our thumbs as they created a fundamentalist regime answerable to religious extremists.
Frankly, I have had it with the terminal stupidity that passes for U. S. Foreign Policy in the Middle East and feel we need to debunk myths that seem to have been invented simply to justify bad decisions. I’m not talking about rehashing why we went to war. The justification, or lack of it, to have invested thousands of lives and hundreds of billions of our tax dollars doesn’t deal with the problem at hand.
The fact is that we have no business being in the middle of someone else’s civil war. We probably should have partitioned the country from the beginning. At least the Kurds in the North (the ones not trying to kill us) would have loved us for giving them their own nation. But we were too afraid Turkey might get mad because they have spent the last five hundred years or so killing Kurds in their own country. This is, of course, the same Turkish government who wouldn’t let our troops invade Iraq from the North at the start of the war even though they were suppose to be our ally.
What I’m challenging are the premises and strategy with which we continue to engage our enemies. Not just in Iraq, but anywhere.
Laws protecting individual and religious freedom, must be imposed. As I have already stated (but it is worth repeating till somebody in Washington gets it) democracy without the protections we enjoy in the Bill of Rights, is not worth fighting for. When you supposedly “win” (and I use that term loosely) a war, you get to “impose” a few rules. If individuals in Iraq and Afghanistan had individual liberty, they might feel more like fighting to defend those rights and not just the esoteric notion that they can cast a ballot once every few years.
When the radicalized Muslims take to the streets any time someone prints a cartoon or questions why someone would behead innocent civilians in the name of God, I would like to see more world leaders stand up and tell them how wrong they are…not apologize that we live in freedom loving nations where people have a right to draw cartoons or voice an opinion. Jump up and down all day in the hot sun screaming your heads off. We no longer care that you are so easily offended.
Finally, let’s never forget that there are ten good people in the Muslim world for every one who wants to kill us or blow up innocent civilians. But they need to hold their own people accountable, not have them idolized 24/7 on an Arab television network. They need to encourage capitalism and economic reforms that will give their young people jobs, careers and hope. For those without work or hope, radical fundamentalism becomes their only life and only hope.
These are tough issues I know. But we either have to change the rules and start playing the game on our terms, or risk losing to people so intolerant they don’t want to share the planet with anyone who doesn’t think exactly like they do. I’m rooting for the silent majority of Muslims to take back their religion from the radicals. When the Pope is allowed to say a prayer in the Hague Sophia, I will know that day has arrived.
Case In Point By Joe Koester, Councilman Ward 9
“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.”
Martin Luther King, Jr.
On a recent trip to Austria the damaged reputation of The United States abroad was made quite clear by the attitudes of our European cousins. The United States is now seen in a light of suspicion and most average Europeans hold a measure of contempt for our government.
Some Americans say, “Who cares?” But there are serious consequences for us when we decide to go it alone and leave our allies behind. Namely, our country bears the brunt of casualties and we bear the greatest portion of actual financial cost too. Furthermore, our businesses find a more hostile atmosphere in which to operate and make deals. A negative image abroad harms our companies’ abilities to compete.
The Europeans are not happy about our fall from grace – they appreciate the role that our country played in WWII and they appreciate the role that we played as a stabilizing force for the past 50 or so years. The Europeans want to support an America that they remember from years past – a beacon of hope for peace and human rights for all peoples of the globe. They yearn for an America that is fighting for the underdog and standing up to injustice for the sake of doing what’s right and not because we are trying to help Exxon-Mobile shore up its reserves. Not one European nation wants the role the US holds and they do not want to see us lose pole position either. They simply want an America that they can cheer for and trust. One gentleman put it this way, “We could understand that you elected Bush the first time, you didn’t know better, but to reelect him made Europeans ask, “What are the Americans thinking?” I would argue that Bush lost the first race by more than 500,000 votes and the second election was so tainted by scandal in several states, especially Ohio, that it is indeterminable whether or not we Americans did in fact “re-elect” Mr. Bush. But, with that aside...
Most Europeans are quite capable of keeping the people of a land and the government of a land separate. They understand that politics doesn’t always equate society at large.
Again, our allies want us to lead. They want us to lead while holding high the banner of justice. Europeans still praise President Clinton for tackling genocide and violence in the Balkans and admit that it was they who should have taken care of the matter in their own back yard. But, it was we who sent troops and did the work – our veterans whom we are all so proud of. Their mission was clear and our soldiers did what the European forces were apparently incapable or unwilling to do – enforce our collective pledge to never again allow genocide (on Western Soil).
I know that America’s military can accomplish most any mission that they are handed as long as they know what the goal is. This is no difference for anyone who is at college; starting a business; working for a dream – they have to know what they are shooting for and not simply wandering in the wilderness in order to achieve their goals. Every American stands proudly behind our men and women of the Armed Forces for bravery and loyalty.
Our nation has grown tired of senseless loss of lives. It was the administration who had no game plan for our soldiers, and it was this administration that holds all blame for current troubles that they failed to plan for.
As scripture says, “Our people perish for lack of vision.”
County Executive Receives Prestigious East-West Gateway ‘Chairman’s Award’
County Executive Receives Prestigious East-West Gateway ‘Chairman’s Award’
The East-West Gateway Council of Governments presented St. Charles County Executive Joe Ortwerth with its prestigious Chairman’s Award at the organization’s annual meeting and award ceremony at the Millennium Hotel in St. Louis on November 17, 2006. The Chairman’s Award is a rarely bestowed honor given to individuals who have made extraordinary contributions to the St. Louis region.
While delivering the award, EWGCG Chairman Les Sterman recognized Ortwerth’s contributions during his time as County Executive and also his service as a member of the Missouri House of Representatives.
According to Sterman, the award is given to “individuals who recognize that their responsibilities as elected officials go beyond the boundaries of their own jurisdiction. They engage thoughtfully and passionately in regional issues, even though they may get little political benefit at home from doing so.” Sterman also referred to County Executive Ortwerth as a straight shooter who never shrinks from difficult subjects and will always share his honest opinion.
Joe Ortwerth served 12 years in the state legislature and became St. Charles County Executive in 1995. He has served on the EWG Board of Directors for many years, on the Blue Ribbon Panel of the Missouri Highway and Transportation Commission and was the leading proponent of the Page Avenue bridge project. County Executive Ortwerth is a strong proponent of ethics in government and is a respected steward of taxpayer dollars. After 12 years as St. Charles County Executive, Mr. Ortwerth is retiring to private life, leaving a fiscally sound government in place for the residents of St. Charles County and his mark on the metropolitan region as a leader of character, integrity and foresight.
The East-West Gateway Council of Governments presented St. Charles County Executive Joe Ortwerth with its prestigious Chairman’s Award at the organization’s annual meeting and award ceremony at the Millennium Hotel in St. Louis on November 17, 2006. The Chairman’s Award is a rarely bestowed honor given to individuals who have made extraordinary contributions to the St. Louis region.
While delivering the award, EWGCG Chairman Les Sterman recognized Ortwerth’s contributions during his time as County Executive and also his service as a member of the Missouri House of Representatives.
According to Sterman, the award is given to “individuals who recognize that their responsibilities as elected officials go beyond the boundaries of their own jurisdiction. They engage thoughtfully and passionately in regional issues, even though they may get little political benefit at home from doing so.” Sterman also referred to County Executive Ortwerth as a straight shooter who never shrinks from difficult subjects and will always share his honest opinion.
Joe Ortwerth served 12 years in the state legislature and became St. Charles County Executive in 1995. He has served on the EWG Board of Directors for many years, on the Blue Ribbon Panel of the Missouri Highway and Transportation Commission and was the leading proponent of the Page Avenue bridge project. County Executive Ortwerth is a strong proponent of ethics in government and is a respected steward of taxpayer dollars. After 12 years as St. Charles County Executive, Mr. Ortwerth is retiring to private life, leaving a fiscally sound government in place for the residents of St. Charles County and his mark on the metropolitan region as a leader of character, integrity and foresight.
COMMENTS & COMMENTARY by Charles Hill
In the past I have always tried to stay somewhat neutral in the politics of St. Charles. The recent filing date for Mayor of St. Charles has closed and there are three very distinct candidates.
Mayor Patti York has proven that vindictive politics takes a toll on the city. York actively campaigned against council members running for re-election, she and her family supported the re-call efforts on two sitting council members. She went as far to allow Glennon Jamboritz to use her building’s address when applying for a business license and then diverted City funds to fictitious businesses until it got to him.
Leadership is difficult, real leaders work with people not against them. Now she is trying to distance herself from the problems she has caused. My understanding is this paper is going to wrap up the year with top stories. My hope is the top story highlighted is the Mayor’s letter to the City of St. Louis regarding her support of Tommy Mayer the police officer who ordered the City Administrator on the ground at gunpoint. At the time the city was being sued by Sergeant Mayer, York told the police chief of the City of St. Louis Mayer was right and the city should loose.
Former Mayor Grace Nichols who is retired and acts as a fill in for Judges who miss work. Nichols’s claim to fame is that she is the Mayor who bought the “Goldenrod Showboat” to St. Charles. Nichols tenure also brought the “miniature museum” to Main Street. Keep in mind both these are no longer here and cost the city a tremendous amount of money.
Councilman John Gieseke, Ward 8. John has been the most outspoken when it comes to making sure the residents of St. Charles are placed first. John helped clean up York and Nichol’s messes. He voted to sell the miniature museum building to Tony’s on Main and lead the fight to rid the City’s taxpayers of having to support the failed Goldenrod. All in all he has proven to be one of the few to realize the city is a business not a personal pocket book for the rich and famous.
This isn’t an endorsement but this election is very important. You have to ask this very simple question, like a person or not, who has the drive to move this city forward. I know that I usually write about Main Street I do believe that the current direction hasn’t worked well; I believe the old ways of the Goldenrod and Miniature Museum didn’t work. It’s up to you to determine what direction you want this city to grow and go.
Mayor Patti York has proven that vindictive politics takes a toll on the city. York actively campaigned against council members running for re-election, she and her family supported the re-call efforts on two sitting council members. She went as far to allow Glennon Jamboritz to use her building’s address when applying for a business license and then diverted City funds to fictitious businesses until it got to him.
Leadership is difficult, real leaders work with people not against them. Now she is trying to distance herself from the problems she has caused. My understanding is this paper is going to wrap up the year with top stories. My hope is the top story highlighted is the Mayor’s letter to the City of St. Louis regarding her support of Tommy Mayer the police officer who ordered the City Administrator on the ground at gunpoint. At the time the city was being sued by Sergeant Mayer, York told the police chief of the City of St. Louis Mayer was right and the city should loose.
Former Mayor Grace Nichols who is retired and acts as a fill in for Judges who miss work. Nichols’s claim to fame is that she is the Mayor who bought the “Goldenrod Showboat” to St. Charles. Nichols tenure also brought the “miniature museum” to Main Street. Keep in mind both these are no longer here and cost the city a tremendous amount of money.
Councilman John Gieseke, Ward 8. John has been the most outspoken when it comes to making sure the residents of St. Charles are placed first. John helped clean up York and Nichol’s messes. He voted to sell the miniature museum building to Tony’s on Main and lead the fight to rid the City’s taxpayers of having to support the failed Goldenrod. All in all he has proven to be one of the few to realize the city is a business not a personal pocket book for the rich and famous.
This isn’t an endorsement but this election is very important. You have to ask this very simple question, like a person or not, who has the drive to move this city forward. I know that I usually write about Main Street I do believe that the current direction hasn’t worked well; I believe the old ways of the Goldenrod and Miniature Museum didn’t work. It’s up to you to determine what direction you want this city to grow and go.
FIRST CAPITOL COUNSELING BY DR. HOWARD ROSENTHAL
Simple test reveals if you are obsessive about the holidays
Dr. Howard Rosenthal
You just might be obsessive about the holidays. Do you have thoughts that completely occupy your mind about experiencing the perfect holiday season? Take this dynamite little test I’ve created and get instant feedback about your personality. Okay, here goes:
If your family decorated your Christmas tree or Hanukkah bush and you secretly snuck back in the middle of the night while the family slept to make sure each ornament was picture perfect then you just might be obsessive.
If you dusted your home a second time while standing on a step stool because a few tall people might be visiting your home for a holiday gathering . . . well, you just might be obsessive about the holidays.
If you shopped at a dozen stores to get the cheapest price on a holiday gift and then returned it because you saw the item for 39 cents less on the Internet, you just might be obsessive. (By the way, does the word “postage” ring a holiday bell here?)
If you wolfed down a prophylactic dose of statin drugs and a handful of antioxidant vitamins before eating your turkey dinner, for fear that your cholesterol might shoot up a point, you just might be obsessive.
If you built your last snowman using a bubble level then you just might be obsessive. (It’s also called a spirit level, but believe me when I say that this behavior isn’t remotely related to a healthy spirit of the holidays.)
On the other hand, if you give your Uncle Henry the same bottle of Hai- Karate Cologne with rust particles on the metal cap that he gave you as a gift in 1967 when the product was released, you just might not be obsessive. Just keep doing what you are doing.
Here’s to a great obsession free holiday season.
Dr. Howard Rosenthal is Professor and Program Coordinator of Human Services at St. Louis Community College at Florissant Valley and a multi-book author. His website is www.howardrosenthal.com. Copyright Howard Rosenthal 2006.
THE View From The Cheap Seats BY Jerry Haferkamp
The View from the Cheap Seats
By Jerry Haferkamp
A few weeks ago I wrote that I would mention campaign finance monkey business after the candidates filed for the mayoral position. Here is something of interest to a few of you.
In the last campaign for mayor, a campaign committee whose address happened to be the same as Mayor York’s residence donated $2,300 to the Citizens For a Responsible Community. This committee then did a mailing supporting Mayor York. It wouldn’t look good if the mailings were from her promoting herself. This made it look like she had some outside the home support. One would think that this would, for all intents and purposes, qualify the CFRC as a campaign committee. “So what”, you ask?
The revised Missouri statutes forbid a campaign committee to give or receive contributions under a fictitious name. Both the CFRC (receiver) and the Citizens to Elect Patti York (giver) would be considered fictitious entities. The CFRC is registered with the State, but I couldn’t find a registration for Citizens to Elect Patti York.
So, when the elections get here, vote for the status quo. Our mayor has brought many “firsts” to our city. The first mayor to have a recall petition circulated against her. The first mayor known to sign contracts without council approval as required. The first mayor to actively campaign to remove a council member who wouldn’t bow to her whims. The first mayor to need a “legal defense fund”. The first mayor to thumb her nose at ordinances the rest of us would be fined for, like boarded up windows on her property on Main. The first mayor to support fraud in the recall process. (You remember her comment: It doesn’t matter how they got the signatures…they have them) What a class act!
Vote to continue the status quo. You know I will. Yeah, right!
It seems the mayor of O’Fallon knows how to keep troublemakers at bay. The City of O’Fallon has just given Carl Maus, head stirrer of the pot at CFRC, a nice paying job as a “liaison” between the mayor and the council. Around $50 grand a year for what? O’Fallon needs a “liaison”? Donna dear, please keep him there. CFRC has caused enough trouble in St. Charles and St. Peters. But look out Wentzville. It looks like they’re headed west.
Has anyone seen charges filed by our local prosecutor concerning the person who handed over to election officials petitions that were known (according to sworn depositions) to be fraudulent? I didn’t think so. Don’t expect one either. It’s not like they were trying to steal your car. It was only your government they were interested in stealing. If he can just get me to stop mentioning it, you will forget and it will all just go away. He was the only unopposed candidate that I didn’t vote for. It was a matter of principles. Some of us still have them. As you can see in the paragraphs above, some don’t.
I’m confident that you will be showing yours when it comes time to vote for a new mayor.
That’s today’s view from the cheap seats.
By Jerry Haferkamp
A few weeks ago I wrote that I would mention campaign finance monkey business after the candidates filed for the mayoral position. Here is something of interest to a few of you.
In the last campaign for mayor, a campaign committee whose address happened to be the same as Mayor York’s residence donated $2,300 to the Citizens For a Responsible Community. This committee then did a mailing supporting Mayor York. It wouldn’t look good if the mailings were from her promoting herself. This made it look like she had some outside the home support. One would think that this would, for all intents and purposes, qualify the CFRC as a campaign committee. “So what”, you ask?
The revised Missouri statutes forbid a campaign committee to give or receive contributions under a fictitious name. Both the CFRC (receiver) and the Citizens to Elect Patti York (giver) would be considered fictitious entities. The CFRC is registered with the State, but I couldn’t find a registration for Citizens to Elect Patti York.
So, when the elections get here, vote for the status quo. Our mayor has brought many “firsts” to our city. The first mayor to have a recall petition circulated against her. The first mayor known to sign contracts without council approval as required. The first mayor to actively campaign to remove a council member who wouldn’t bow to her whims. The first mayor to need a “legal defense fund”. The first mayor to thumb her nose at ordinances the rest of us would be fined for, like boarded up windows on her property on Main. The first mayor to support fraud in the recall process. (You remember her comment: It doesn’t matter how they got the signatures…they have them) What a class act!
Vote to continue the status quo. You know I will. Yeah, right!
It seems the mayor of O’Fallon knows how to keep troublemakers at bay. The City of O’Fallon has just given Carl Maus, head stirrer of the pot at CFRC, a nice paying job as a “liaison” between the mayor and the council. Around $50 grand a year for what? O’Fallon needs a “liaison”? Donna dear, please keep him there. CFRC has caused enough trouble in St. Charles and St. Peters. But look out Wentzville. It looks like they’re headed west.
Has anyone seen charges filed by our local prosecutor concerning the person who handed over to election officials petitions that were known (according to sworn depositions) to be fraudulent? I didn’t think so. Don’t expect one either. It’s not like they were trying to steal your car. It was only your government they were interested in stealing. If he can just get me to stop mentioning it, you will forget and it will all just go away. He was the only unopposed candidate that I didn’t vote for. It was a matter of principles. Some of us still have them. As you can see in the paragraphs above, some don’t.
I’m confident that you will be showing yours when it comes time to vote for a new mayor.
That’s today’s view from the cheap seats.
FIRST CAPITOL NEWS SPORTS - MIKE McMurran Sports Editor
As much as I personally like high school football, it is somewhat difficult not to get excited about the upcoming high school basketball season here in beautiful Saint Charles City. All three schools located inside the City limits, West, High and Duchesne are receiving statewide media attention. Both Saint Charles public schools are ranked in the top-twenty of regional large schools (enrollment over 1000) while Duchesne sits at #4 in the small school poll. The sad thing about all of this is only one of three, and maybe not even one, will escape from the district tournament in February (see related article).
Each local team returns a bonafide superstar and candidate for all-state honors. Duchesne returns second-team All-Metro guard Zach Plackemeier, who as a junior averaged 23.3 points, 4.2 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 2.1 steals per contest, hitting fifty-six 3-pointers while leading Duchesne to a 23-4 record and their first district title in decades. Plackemeier has already signed to play college ball at Indiana-Purdue University at Fort Wayne.
While Duchesne’s strength looks to be their outside shooting, the Pirates of Saint Charles High will be looking to the inside and their big man, literally speaking, Josh Harrellson. Josh, a Western Illinois signee, averaged 18.1 points, 11 boards and 3.4 blocks per game last season as he lead the Pirates to a 21 win season. The 6’8” senior center didn’t start playing basketball until junior high and has slowly, yet surely, turned into one of the dominant big men in the region. It will be interesting to see just how big his numbers will be this season.
While Harrellson didn’t start playing basketball until junior high, West’s Kramer Soderberg has been bouncing the ball since he learned how to walk. It certainly helps that Kramer’s dad is St. Louis University basketball coach Brad Soderberg, which explains his basketball savvy – but the tag of “Brad Soderberg’s son” is passé. Make no bones about it, Kramer can play the game like few others. In just his junior season he averaged 23 points, 4.8 assists, 3.3 rebounds and 1.4 steals per contest as he led the Warriors to a 20-7 record and the GAC North title. Like Plackemeier, Soderberg hit 56 3-pointers, while nailing 162 free throws – most of which came in the 4th quarter.
As bad as the past football season was in Saint Charles, and it was one of the worst seasons in recent history, the basketball season looks to be one of the very brightest.
While on the subject of basketball, the very first FCN High School Athlete of the Week, Jeff Coffey, of St. Charles West, has walked on and made the roster of Soderberg’s Billikens. Coffey, a 6’3” guard, epitomizes what a dream and hard work can accomplish. Congratulations Jeff, you have made your family, your school and your entire community proud.
And lastly, I’ve received a number of inquiries as to whether or not I was serious about running for the Saint Charles City Council. Yes, I am as serious as I can be. Politics has been a passion of mine for many, many years. As a child I can remember pondering over election results for hours, looking for any type of voting pattern I could find. Prior to moving to beautiful Saint Charles, I was elected to the City Council, and ultimately the mayor of Country Club Hills, MO. This past week I picked up the packet from the City Clerk’s office and plan on submitting all the paper work on Monday, January 9th. While in City Hall I was approached by an anonymous individual who asked: “Hey, aren’t you that sports guy from the First Capitol News?” To which I responded, “Why yes I am. Thank you for recognizing me. By the way, which ward do you live in?” Spoken like a true candidate.
mcmurran@charter.net/314.280.9189
High School Basketball
VERY HOT HARDWOOD
Six Big Teams In – Only One Team Will Survive to go to State
By Louis J. Launer
It could be a massive train wreck in high school basketball when February rolls around.
This year’s Class 4 District 7 tournament, which will be hosted at St. Charles High School, has includes defending state champion St. Francis Borgia, Duchesne, St. Charles, St. Charles West, Pacific and St. Dominic. To many fans and experts along the way, this district could become home of a next state champion. Although there is a lot of championship-caliber talent in all of the schools mentioned, only one team will have to emerge out of this district to see any postseason action.
Many are predicting that Borgia could be that team. But others say that St. Charles West has fielded one of their best teams since their state championship in 1995. Kramer Soderberg (the son of St. Louis University head basketball coach Steve Soderberg) is leading the Warriors this year. Soderberg continues to average 20 points per game and is 40 percent from the free-throw line. Also for St. Charles West, watch for Brian Maurer and sophomore Alex Bazzell to help out Soderberg. Jeff Ellis, a 6’4½” forward can also pull some surprises. Ellis is a transfer from Sherman, Texas.
But don’t count out Duchesne, where their 23-4 season in 2005-06 turned some heads. They are just as potent as St. Charles West and Borgia. Senior Zack Plackemeier will lead Duchesne for a second year. Plackemeier signed a letter of intent to play at Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne. Last season, he averaged 23.3 points a game as a junior. Guards Dan Friedel and Brandon Durk, who round out a Duchesne team, that match the might of St. Charles West and even St. Charles, will join Plackemeier.
St. Charles High School has a senior star in Josh Harrellson. Harrellson just signed a letter of intent to play at Western Illinois University. This year, he will concentrate on the Pirates as they try to get out of the shadows of St. Charles West and Duchesne, as well as St. Francis Borgia. Joining Harrellson with the Pirates is 6’10” Belgian exchange student Dean Dillen. Rudy Harper and guard K.J. Rufkahr round out the Pirates on their road to what has become a very intense basketball season.
ST. CHARLES WEST 74, ST. CHARLES 71 (OT) – You could not find a parking space anywhere on the St. Charles West campus the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. In their traditional Thanksgiving eve season opener for both schools, the Pirates dominated the first half, but made the fatal mistake of not finishing off the Warriors. They paid the price in overtime.
Soderberg led St. Charles West in setting up the scores. Soderberg had 21 points in the game. But Josh Harrellson had several good shots from the three-point circle. The game had to go into overtime and St. Charles West outlasted St. Charles High in the never-ending cross-town rivalry. The victory by St. Charles West and the close outcome is a sign that this will be one of the most exciting basketball seasons this year.
Each local team returns a bonafide superstar and candidate for all-state honors. Duchesne returns second-team All-Metro guard Zach Plackemeier, who as a junior averaged 23.3 points, 4.2 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 2.1 steals per contest, hitting fifty-six 3-pointers while leading Duchesne to a 23-4 record and their first district title in decades. Plackemeier has already signed to play college ball at Indiana-Purdue University at Fort Wayne.
While Duchesne’s strength looks to be their outside shooting, the Pirates of Saint Charles High will be looking to the inside and their big man, literally speaking, Josh Harrellson. Josh, a Western Illinois signee, averaged 18.1 points, 11 boards and 3.4 blocks per game last season as he lead the Pirates to a 21 win season. The 6’8” senior center didn’t start playing basketball until junior high and has slowly, yet surely, turned into one of the dominant big men in the region. It will be interesting to see just how big his numbers will be this season.
While Harrellson didn’t start playing basketball until junior high, West’s Kramer Soderberg has been bouncing the ball since he learned how to walk. It certainly helps that Kramer’s dad is St. Louis University basketball coach Brad Soderberg, which explains his basketball savvy – but the tag of “Brad Soderberg’s son” is passé. Make no bones about it, Kramer can play the game like few others. In just his junior season he averaged 23 points, 4.8 assists, 3.3 rebounds and 1.4 steals per contest as he led the Warriors to a 20-7 record and the GAC North title. Like Plackemeier, Soderberg hit 56 3-pointers, while nailing 162 free throws – most of which came in the 4th quarter.
As bad as the past football season was in Saint Charles, and it was one of the worst seasons in recent history, the basketball season looks to be one of the very brightest.
While on the subject of basketball, the very first FCN High School Athlete of the Week, Jeff Coffey, of St. Charles West, has walked on and made the roster of Soderberg’s Billikens. Coffey, a 6’3” guard, epitomizes what a dream and hard work can accomplish. Congratulations Jeff, you have made your family, your school and your entire community proud.
And lastly, I’ve received a number of inquiries as to whether or not I was serious about running for the Saint Charles City Council. Yes, I am as serious as I can be. Politics has been a passion of mine for many, many years. As a child I can remember pondering over election results for hours, looking for any type of voting pattern I could find. Prior to moving to beautiful Saint Charles, I was elected to the City Council, and ultimately the mayor of Country Club Hills, MO. This past week I picked up the packet from the City Clerk’s office and plan on submitting all the paper work on Monday, January 9th. While in City Hall I was approached by an anonymous individual who asked: “Hey, aren’t you that sports guy from the First Capitol News?” To which I responded, “Why yes I am. Thank you for recognizing me. By the way, which ward do you live in?” Spoken like a true candidate.
mcmurran@charter.net/314.280.9189
High School Basketball
VERY HOT HARDWOOD
Six Big Teams In – Only One Team Will Survive to go to State
By Louis J. Launer
It could be a massive train wreck in high school basketball when February rolls around.
This year’s Class 4 District 7 tournament, which will be hosted at St. Charles High School, has includes defending state champion St. Francis Borgia, Duchesne, St. Charles, St. Charles West, Pacific and St. Dominic. To many fans and experts along the way, this district could become home of a next state champion. Although there is a lot of championship-caliber talent in all of the schools mentioned, only one team will have to emerge out of this district to see any postseason action.
Many are predicting that Borgia could be that team. But others say that St. Charles West has fielded one of their best teams since their state championship in 1995. Kramer Soderberg (the son of St. Louis University head basketball coach Steve Soderberg) is leading the Warriors this year. Soderberg continues to average 20 points per game and is 40 percent from the free-throw line. Also for St. Charles West, watch for Brian Maurer and sophomore Alex Bazzell to help out Soderberg. Jeff Ellis, a 6’4½” forward can also pull some surprises. Ellis is a transfer from Sherman, Texas.
But don’t count out Duchesne, where their 23-4 season in 2005-06 turned some heads. They are just as potent as St. Charles West and Borgia. Senior Zack Plackemeier will lead Duchesne for a second year. Plackemeier signed a letter of intent to play at Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne. Last season, he averaged 23.3 points a game as a junior. Guards Dan Friedel and Brandon Durk, who round out a Duchesne team, that match the might of St. Charles West and even St. Charles, will join Plackemeier.
St. Charles High School has a senior star in Josh Harrellson. Harrellson just signed a letter of intent to play at Western Illinois University. This year, he will concentrate on the Pirates as they try to get out of the shadows of St. Charles West and Duchesne, as well as St. Francis Borgia. Joining Harrellson with the Pirates is 6’10” Belgian exchange student Dean Dillen. Rudy Harper and guard K.J. Rufkahr round out the Pirates on their road to what has become a very intense basketball season.
ST. CHARLES WEST 74, ST. CHARLES 71 (OT) – You could not find a parking space anywhere on the St. Charles West campus the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. In their traditional Thanksgiving eve season opener for both schools, the Pirates dominated the first half, but made the fatal mistake of not finishing off the Warriors. They paid the price in overtime.
Soderberg led St. Charles West in setting up the scores. Soderberg had 21 points in the game. But Josh Harrellson had several good shots from the three-point circle. The game had to go into overtime and St. Charles West outlasted St. Charles High in the never-ending cross-town rivalry. The victory by St. Charles West and the close outcome is a sign that this will be one of the most exciting basketball seasons this year.
Saturday, November 18, 2006
FEDERAL GRAND JURY SUBPOENAS ST. CHARLES CITY RECORDS
Including Records of Illegal Signing Of Express Scripts Contract By Mayor York
By Tony Brockmeyer
The First Capitol News has learned that a Federal Grand Jury Subpoena has been served on the City of St. Charles asking for City records including the records of the illegal signing of a contract with Express Scripts by Mayor York. (see Illegal Contract Draws Fire, February 5, 2005; By 10-0 Vote City Council Initiates An Investigation Into The Unauthorized Signing of Insurance Contract By Mayor, February 26, 2005; Unauthorized Signing Of Contract By Mayor Could result In Her Impeachment, Council To Hold Hearings Subpoena Witnesses, March 19, 2005; Mayor Attempts To Mislead Residents, April 9, 2005; Hearing Regarding Mayor’s Alleged Illegal Signing of Contract Will Be Held May 4th at 6pm, April 30, 2005; Kneemiller, Reese, Weller Refuse To Vote For Subpoenas In Hearing On Alleged Illegal Signing Of Contract By Mayor York, May 7, 2005; Express Scripts Demands $200,000 from City - Mayor York Signed Contract Without Council Approval, May 13, 2006; all can be found at ..
firstcapitolnews.blogspot.com) Minutes of the meetings can be found in the records at St. Charles City Hall.
We have also learned that the City Council has approved an expenditure of approximately $25,000 that was used to hire a private attorney to make sure that the City complies with the subpoena in the proper fashion.
Because of the Fifth Amendment, the federal legal system has to use grand juries to bring charges, at least for certain offenses. The Fifth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution requires charges for all capital and “infamous” crimes be brought by an indictment returned by a grand jury. The amendment has been interpreted to require that an indictment be used to charge federal felonies, unless a defendant waives his or her right to be indicted by a grand jury. The Supreme Court has held that this part of the Fifth Amendment is not binding on the states, so they can use grand juries or not, as they wish.
If a defendant waives his or her right to be indicted by a grand jury, the prosecutor can charge them by using an “information.” An information is simply a pleading that accuses the defendants of committing crimes, just as an indictment does. The difference between an indictment and an information is that a grand jury must approve an indictment, while a prosecutor can issue an information without the grand jury’s approval or, for that matter, without ever showing the information to the grand jury.
Since most federal prosecutions involve felony charges, grand juries play an important role in enforcing federal criminal law.
Federal grand juries are composed of between 16 and 23 individuals. Sixteen is the minimum and 23 is the maximum number that can constitute a federal grand jury.
Since grand jury proceedings are secret, grand juries meet in private, which means they usually meet in areas that are not accessible to the public. Federal grand juries meet in special “grand jury rooms” that are located in generally out of the way areas of a federal courthouse. Grand juries use subpoenas to gather the evidence they need to use in deciding whether crimes have been committed. They can subpoena documents and physical evidence and they can subpoena witnesses to testify.
In the federal system, grand juries are more likely to hear testimony from federal agents than from police officers, but they do sometimes hear from police officers, as well. They are most likely to hear from police officers when they are investigating, drug trafficking or corruption in local government.
In the federal system, witnesses cannot be accompanied into the grand jury room by their attorney.
Since witnesses have not been indicted, they have no constitutional right to counsel, since the Sixth Amendment right to counsel only applies after someone has been indicted
When it comes to a federal grand jury subpoena, U.S. attorneys, the federal government’s chief prosecutors, can convene grand juries to present evidence to indict someone for a crime. In a grand jury proceeding, there are no judges or defense attorneys. The U.S. attorneys present evidence and call and question witnesses in front of the jury. The jurors do not reach a verdict of guilty or innocent, but vote on whether the evidence and witnesses presented support the indictment sought by the federal prosecutor.
Several elected officials refused to comment citing the secrecy proceedings of a grand jury.
Since the proceedings of grand juries are secret, we were unable to obtain any further information regarding the subpoena served on the City of St. Charles.
By Tony Brockmeyer
The First Capitol News has learned that a Federal Grand Jury Subpoena has been served on the City of St. Charles asking for City records including the records of the illegal signing of a contract with Express Scripts by Mayor York. (see Illegal Contract Draws Fire, February 5, 2005; By 10-0 Vote City Council Initiates An Investigation Into The Unauthorized Signing of Insurance Contract By Mayor, February 26, 2005; Unauthorized Signing Of Contract By Mayor Could result In Her Impeachment, Council To Hold Hearings Subpoena Witnesses, March 19, 2005; Mayor Attempts To Mislead Residents, April 9, 2005; Hearing Regarding Mayor’s Alleged Illegal Signing of Contract Will Be Held May 4th at 6pm, April 30, 2005; Kneemiller, Reese, Weller Refuse To Vote For Subpoenas In Hearing On Alleged Illegal Signing Of Contract By Mayor York, May 7, 2005; Express Scripts Demands $200,000 from City - Mayor York Signed Contract Without Council Approval, May 13, 2006; all can be found at ..
firstcapitolnews.blogspot.com) Minutes of the meetings can be found in the records at St. Charles City Hall.
We have also learned that the City Council has approved an expenditure of approximately $25,000 that was used to hire a private attorney to make sure that the City complies with the subpoena in the proper fashion.
Because of the Fifth Amendment, the federal legal system has to use grand juries to bring charges, at least for certain offenses. The Fifth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution requires charges for all capital and “infamous” crimes be brought by an indictment returned by a grand jury. The amendment has been interpreted to require that an indictment be used to charge federal felonies, unless a defendant waives his or her right to be indicted by a grand jury. The Supreme Court has held that this part of the Fifth Amendment is not binding on the states, so they can use grand juries or not, as they wish.
If a defendant waives his or her right to be indicted by a grand jury, the prosecutor can charge them by using an “information.” An information is simply a pleading that accuses the defendants of committing crimes, just as an indictment does. The difference between an indictment and an information is that a grand jury must approve an indictment, while a prosecutor can issue an information without the grand jury’s approval or, for that matter, without ever showing the information to the grand jury.
Since most federal prosecutions involve felony charges, grand juries play an important role in enforcing federal criminal law.
Federal grand juries are composed of between 16 and 23 individuals. Sixteen is the minimum and 23 is the maximum number that can constitute a federal grand jury.
Since grand jury proceedings are secret, grand juries meet in private, which means they usually meet in areas that are not accessible to the public. Federal grand juries meet in special “grand jury rooms” that are located in generally out of the way areas of a federal courthouse. Grand juries use subpoenas to gather the evidence they need to use in deciding whether crimes have been committed. They can subpoena documents and physical evidence and they can subpoena witnesses to testify.
In the federal system, grand juries are more likely to hear testimony from federal agents than from police officers, but they do sometimes hear from police officers, as well. They are most likely to hear from police officers when they are investigating, drug trafficking or corruption in local government.
In the federal system, witnesses cannot be accompanied into the grand jury room by their attorney.
Since witnesses have not been indicted, they have no constitutional right to counsel, since the Sixth Amendment right to counsel only applies after someone has been indicted
When it comes to a federal grand jury subpoena, U.S. attorneys, the federal government’s chief prosecutors, can convene grand juries to present evidence to indict someone for a crime. In a grand jury proceeding, there are no judges or defense attorneys. The U.S. attorneys present evidence and call and question witnesses in front of the jury. The jurors do not reach a verdict of guilty or innocent, but vote on whether the evidence and witnesses presented support the indictment sought by the federal prosecutor.
Several elected officials refused to comment citing the secrecy proceedings of a grand jury.
Since the proceedings of grand juries are secret, we were unable to obtain any further information regarding the subpoena served on the City of St. Charles.
Conventional Wisdom The Big Loser On Election Day
By Tony Brockmeyer
Looking at the results of the November 2006 general elections. It appears that the big loser was conventional wisdom.
Conventional wisdom before an election, is those statements that so called political experts make trying to gaze into a crystal ball to predict the results.
Both before and after an election the political spin doctors are working overtime trying to imprint their unique brand of partisian politics on the race for results. The First Capitol News would like to look at a couple of conventional wisdom nugget's that we feel faired particularly bad this election cycle.
The first of these is the conventional wisdom that St. Charles County is “solidly” Republican. In fact, our voters are remarkably independent when given good candidates to vote for. Remember this was a county where Ross Perot received 39 percent in his first bid for President. That was the highest percentage he received in any county in Missouri.
Attorney General Jay Nixon, Democrat, has consistently carried St. Charles County by a good margin. This is a fact most Republican political pundits would like you to ignore. It is also the reason Jay Nixon is the odds on favorite to be Missouri’s next Governor.
In a recent column by would-be pundit John Sonderreger, he was again pressing the point that because most County offices were retained by Republican candidates, the county was still heavily Republican. This is pure wishful thinking on John’s part given the actual results. Not only did Democratic County Council members Joe McCulloch and Cheryl Hibbler retain their seats against strong and well funded Republican challengers, but several Republican held State Representative seats were too close to call until the wee hours of the morning.
Chief among these was Ken Bierman in the 17th District. This Orchard Farm school board member, running for the first time as a Democratic candidate against an opponent with 10 times the money he had to spend, came within one tenth of one percent of winning the upset of the year. Democrat Tom Green was locked in a close battle with State Representative Sally Faith who edged him one point nine percent. St. Charles City Councilman Joe Koester kept Majority Floor leader Representative Tom Dempsey biting his nails until the last results were in. Koester captured 47.17 percent of the vote in a district the Republicans thought was one of their safest to retain. He too was at a disadvantage in fund raising. Dempsey had hundreds of thousands of dollars at his command and still was forced to scramble and put out negative mailers against Joe Koester as late as two days before the election.
Claire McCaskill, despite a relentless barrage of negative mailers, television ads and electronic phone calls, all attacking her family, finances and credibility, managed to reduce Senator Talent’s previous winning margin in St. Charles County.
Talent received 4,000 less votes county-wide then he did the last time he was on the ballot. Keeping the race close in St. Charles County contributed heavily to McCaskill’s overall win. She may also have been helped by the stem cell initiative, which despite a spirited campaign by religious organizations targeted to this County, ended the night in a virtual tie among county voters.
Locally there were examples of the upset of conventional wisdom on two issues. The first of these was proposition A. While narrowly missing their required 4/7th’s mark it carried a majority of 55 percent of City voters. Councilman Mike Weller had predicted that voters south of Interstate 70 would oppose the measure because of the proposed site of the Community Center would be perceived as too far to go. Voters south of Interstate 70 approved of the issue 55.8 percent compared with the approval north of 70 of 54.6 percent of voters. In other words, people south of 70 were even more in support than those north punching a huge hole in Weller’s theory. Likewise Councilman Bob Hoepfner, who campaigned heavily against the proposal going so far as to arrange to send electronic phone calls to leave his recorded message on answering machines throughout the City and running ads in other publications. But when it came time to count the ballots at Hanover, in his area, gave the measure over 60 percent support. The highest precinct support was Montclair where it received a 60.79 percent approval.
The Council had promised voters that the issue would be on the ballot and supporters of a community center consider this vote as giving them a mandate to move forward. The issue will receive further study and refinement over the next four or five months. Expect to see a community center project on the drawing boards before too long.
Finally there is the issue of the Mayor’s salary. Tuesday night the spin doctors were really trying to explain away the will of the voters. Councilwoman Dottie Greer stated that her voters were “confused” and somehow unable to figure out the issue. This same sentiment was echoed by the Mayor. Councilman Mike Weller, who supports a high salary for the next mayor, stood by his position though he admitted that it was out of step with the message from voters. Councilman Bob Hoepfner, who had originally wanted to pay the new Mayor $150,000 per year, was strangely silent during the debate Tuesday night. At least he had less of a problem understanding what the voters meant when they voted down the highest pay range by over 80 percent.
Council members Rory Riddler and Mark Brown both pointed out that had the issue of retaining the current form of government being placed on the ballot as they had proposed, the voters likely would have overturned the previous narrow vote in favor of this radical change in government. Councilman John Gieseke, who has announced his bid for mayor, told the First Capitol News, that he will recuse himself on any vote relative to what the city should pay it’s next mayor.
Conventional wisdom among the movers and shakers has been that the Mayor’s salary must be at least $120,000. That prediction along with most of what passes for conventional wisdom in St. Charles county politics was turned on its head by the voters on November 7th.
Looking at the results of the November 2006 general elections. It appears that the big loser was conventional wisdom.
Conventional wisdom before an election, is those statements that so called political experts make trying to gaze into a crystal ball to predict the results.
Both before and after an election the political spin doctors are working overtime trying to imprint their unique brand of partisian politics on the race for results. The First Capitol News would like to look at a couple of conventional wisdom nugget's that we feel faired particularly bad this election cycle.
The first of these is the conventional wisdom that St. Charles County is “solidly” Republican. In fact, our voters are remarkably independent when given good candidates to vote for. Remember this was a county where Ross Perot received 39 percent in his first bid for President. That was the highest percentage he received in any county in Missouri.
Attorney General Jay Nixon, Democrat, has consistently carried St. Charles County by a good margin. This is a fact most Republican political pundits would like you to ignore. It is also the reason Jay Nixon is the odds on favorite to be Missouri’s next Governor.
In a recent column by would-be pundit John Sonderreger, he was again pressing the point that because most County offices were retained by Republican candidates, the county was still heavily Republican. This is pure wishful thinking on John’s part given the actual results. Not only did Democratic County Council members Joe McCulloch and Cheryl Hibbler retain their seats against strong and well funded Republican challengers, but several Republican held State Representative seats were too close to call until the wee hours of the morning.
Chief among these was Ken Bierman in the 17th District. This Orchard Farm school board member, running for the first time as a Democratic candidate against an opponent with 10 times the money he had to spend, came within one tenth of one percent of winning the upset of the year. Democrat Tom Green was locked in a close battle with State Representative Sally Faith who edged him one point nine percent. St. Charles City Councilman Joe Koester kept Majority Floor leader Representative Tom Dempsey biting his nails until the last results were in. Koester captured 47.17 percent of the vote in a district the Republicans thought was one of their safest to retain. He too was at a disadvantage in fund raising. Dempsey had hundreds of thousands of dollars at his command and still was forced to scramble and put out negative mailers against Joe Koester as late as two days before the election.
Claire McCaskill, despite a relentless barrage of negative mailers, television ads and electronic phone calls, all attacking her family, finances and credibility, managed to reduce Senator Talent’s previous winning margin in St. Charles County.
Talent received 4,000 less votes county-wide then he did the last time he was on the ballot. Keeping the race close in St. Charles County contributed heavily to McCaskill’s overall win. She may also have been helped by the stem cell initiative, which despite a spirited campaign by religious organizations targeted to this County, ended the night in a virtual tie among county voters.
Locally there were examples of the upset of conventional wisdom on two issues. The first of these was proposition A. While narrowly missing their required 4/7th’s mark it carried a majority of 55 percent of City voters. Councilman Mike Weller had predicted that voters south of Interstate 70 would oppose the measure because of the proposed site of the Community Center would be perceived as too far to go. Voters south of Interstate 70 approved of the issue 55.8 percent compared with the approval north of 70 of 54.6 percent of voters. In other words, people south of 70 were even more in support than those north punching a huge hole in Weller’s theory. Likewise Councilman Bob Hoepfner, who campaigned heavily against the proposal going so far as to arrange to send electronic phone calls to leave his recorded message on answering machines throughout the City and running ads in other publications. But when it came time to count the ballots at Hanover, in his area, gave the measure over 60 percent support. The highest precinct support was Montclair where it received a 60.79 percent approval.
The Council had promised voters that the issue would be on the ballot and supporters of a community center consider this vote as giving them a mandate to move forward. The issue will receive further study and refinement over the next four or five months. Expect to see a community center project on the drawing boards before too long.
Finally there is the issue of the Mayor’s salary. Tuesday night the spin doctors were really trying to explain away the will of the voters. Councilwoman Dottie Greer stated that her voters were “confused” and somehow unable to figure out the issue. This same sentiment was echoed by the Mayor. Councilman Mike Weller, who supports a high salary for the next mayor, stood by his position though he admitted that it was out of step with the message from voters. Councilman Bob Hoepfner, who had originally wanted to pay the new Mayor $150,000 per year, was strangely silent during the debate Tuesday night. At least he had less of a problem understanding what the voters meant when they voted down the highest pay range by over 80 percent.
Council members Rory Riddler and Mark Brown both pointed out that had the issue of retaining the current form of government being placed on the ballot as they had proposed, the voters likely would have overturned the previous narrow vote in favor of this radical change in government. Councilman John Gieseke, who has announced his bid for mayor, told the First Capitol News, that he will recuse himself on any vote relative to what the city should pay it’s next mayor.
Conventional wisdom among the movers and shakers has been that the Mayor’s salary must be at least $120,000. That prediction along with most of what passes for conventional wisdom in St. Charles county politics was turned on its head by the voters on November 7th.
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