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Saturday, October 07, 2006
FRONT PAGE - FIRST CAPITOL NEWS , October 7, 2006
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Casino Property Taxes Can Be Lowered By Gaming Commission
By Phyllis Schaltenbrand
At the September 26th joint meeting of the City Council and St. Charles School Board, matters concerning both the district and the City at large were discussed. Several council members including Councilman Riddler and Koester as well as, Councilwoman Greer expressed frustration that local grade schools are slated for shuttering after the 2006-2007 school year.
According to school board members, Missouri ranks 46th in state funding of K-12 education. State legislators failed to pass a school-funding formula that would better fund local schools resulting in the financial burden being transferred to local homeowners by way of property taxes.
Most St. Charles residents believed that placing a riverboat gaming casino here would help guarantee local schools’ financial stability, however, the school board also pointed out that the casinos can appeal their local assessment to the State Gaming Commission. The Gaming Commission can vote to assess the casino property at a lower level, thereby, cutting the casino’s property taxes that are most beneficial to our local schools. It could be argued that the St. Charles School District has lost thousands of dollars yearly due to such low, inaccurate assessments of casino property.
Contributing further to frustration by both council and school board alike is the inequity of state funding on the local level. If the St. Charles School District would simply receive the same funding amounts per student as Francis Howell and Fort Zumwalt School Districts, $3 Million more would flow into our city school district annually.
School board member, Wayne Oetting stated that the State of Missouri considers the St. Charles School District a “wealthy” district, which has resulted in lower funding levels. In fact, if the district were not a hold-harmless district, Oetting pointed out that school-funding levels would be lower still. Oetting commented that he never felt that St. Charles was a wealthy district, but rather an average district. Apparently, the state disagrees.
The St. Charles City R-VI School District plans on moving its main offices to Benton after the current school year. Benton is the oldest operational school in St. Charles and has been educating our youth since 1896. Its closing means that school children in the northern parts of the City will have greater distance between their homes and their “local” school.
Councilwoman Greer voiced her opinion that closing schools was premature because our city is aging and in the coming years many young families will be buying homes previously occupied by older residents. Councilman Riddler pointed out that entry-level priced homes in the county are right here in St. Charles and that young families will turn to St. Charles City for their first home if we can provide neighborhood schools that offer smaller class sizes close to home.
Councilman Koester commented to the First Capitol News, “Missourians were first told that the lottery would save our schools. Then casinos would be such a great boon. In reality, every gaming dollar that came into the front door for our schools was taken out through the back door by state legislators.”
At the September 26th joint meeting of the City Council and St. Charles School Board, matters concerning both the district and the City at large were discussed. Several council members including Councilman Riddler and Koester as well as, Councilwoman Greer expressed frustration that local grade schools are slated for shuttering after the 2006-2007 school year.
According to school board members, Missouri ranks 46th in state funding of K-12 education. State legislators failed to pass a school-funding formula that would better fund local schools resulting in the financial burden being transferred to local homeowners by way of property taxes.
Most St. Charles residents believed that placing a riverboat gaming casino here would help guarantee local schools’ financial stability, however, the school board also pointed out that the casinos can appeal their local assessment to the State Gaming Commission. The Gaming Commission can vote to assess the casino property at a lower level, thereby, cutting the casino’s property taxes that are most beneficial to our local schools. It could be argued that the St. Charles School District has lost thousands of dollars yearly due to such low, inaccurate assessments of casino property.
Contributing further to frustration by both council and school board alike is the inequity of state funding on the local level. If the St. Charles School District would simply receive the same funding amounts per student as Francis Howell and Fort Zumwalt School Districts, $3 Million more would flow into our city school district annually.
School board member, Wayne Oetting stated that the State of Missouri considers the St. Charles School District a “wealthy” district, which has resulted in lower funding levels. In fact, if the district were not a hold-harmless district, Oetting pointed out that school-funding levels would be lower still. Oetting commented that he never felt that St. Charles was a wealthy district, but rather an average district. Apparently, the state disagrees.
The St. Charles City R-VI School District plans on moving its main offices to Benton after the current school year. Benton is the oldest operational school in St. Charles and has been educating our youth since 1896. Its closing means that school children in the northern parts of the City will have greater distance between their homes and their “local” school.
Councilwoman Greer voiced her opinion that closing schools was premature because our city is aging and in the coming years many young families will be buying homes previously occupied by older residents. Councilman Riddler pointed out that entry-level priced homes in the county are right here in St. Charles and that young families will turn to St. Charles City for their first home if we can provide neighborhood schools that offer smaller class sizes close to home.
Councilman Koester commented to the First Capitol News, “Missourians were first told that the lottery would save our schools. Then casinos would be such a great boon. In reality, every gaming dollar that came into the front door for our schools was taken out through the back door by state legislators.”
Nomination Forms Available To File For Mayor of St. Charles
By Tony Brockmeyer
Have you ever wanted to be Mayor of St. Charles? If that is something you have been wanting to do Certificate of Nomination forms are available to any person desiring to be nominated for the office of Mayor at the City Clerk’s office in City Hall at 200 North Second Street. Not less than 100 signatures of qualified registered voters of the City of St Charles are required on the nomination petitions in ordo to have your name placed on the ballot. Once you have obtained the signatures filing for the office will be open from 8:00 a.m., Tuesday November 14, 2006 until 5:00 p.m., Tuesday, November 21, 2006.
To qualify to run for Mayor you must be a registered voter of the City of St. Charles; A resident of the City for the two years immediately preceding the election; and at least 30 years of age at the time the mayor assumes office.
SPECULATION ABOUNDS ON CANDIDATES FOR THE OFFICE
When the winner of the Mayoral election in April of 2007 takes office a new day will dawn in St. Charles. A charter amendment passed by the voters last year does away with the City Administrator and gives all the power to the Mayor. Up to that point the Mayor is more or less a figure head. No one knows for sure who the candidates will be until they file,. A primary election will be held on February 6, 2007. The two candidates with the highest number of votes will face off against each other in the April 3, 2007 municipal elections. All ten council seats are also up in the April election.
SENATOR CHUCK GROSS
Senator Gross’s name has been mentioned as a candidate. Gross could make the race and if he lost would still have two years left on his term in the senate. Some say, that although he has not filed for the position, he is already acting like he is the Mayor. He recently passed a bill in the senate restricting the authority of the St. Charles City Council’s use of gaming funds. St. Charles is the only City in Missouri to face such restrictions. Other senators with casinos in their districts refused to allow their cities to be handicapped by such a law.
Those in the know seem to think that once Steve Ehlmann is elected County Executive, Gross will move into Ehlmann's old office, that of County Administrator.
ST. CHARLES COUNTY
COUNCILMAN DAN FOUST
Dan Foust is a perennial candidate. In the last mayoral election he was able to beat Councilman Bob Hoepfner and Councilman Rory Riddler in the primary to face Patti York in the municipal elections. Some say he lost the election to York because he would not debate her. Dan says he was told by his advisors not to debate her because he was too tall. There is also the possibility Dan can move into the position of Chairman of the County Council. Dan says if the salary is high enough he will probably be a candidate but is not yet ready to commit.
COUNCILMAN JOHN GIESEKE
There appears to be a movement afoot to draft St. Charles Ward 8 Councilman John Gieseke to run for the office of mayor. John says he is considering all his options but has not made a decision. John is completing his second term as a councilman. If he decides to run for Mayor he will be giving up his chance to run for a third term as councilman. John’s ward has grown tremendously during his tenure. The New town at St. Charles is in his ward and is projected to have 5,700 new homes. A large number of new retail businesses and industrial companies have opened in John’s ward. At a recent ground breaking for a retail center in Ward 8, Tim Sansone of the Sansone Company remarked,”We would not be building in st. Charles if not for the efforts and hard work of Councilman John Gieseke.” those behind the draft Gieseke movement believe he has shown great vision and leadership and that he is the type of leader St. Charles has been lacking.
PATTI YORK
Mayor York has already announced her intentions to try for a third term. Prior to being elected Mayor she served as a councilwoman. Although she is carrying a lot of baggage she evidently believes she can mount a stiff challenge. Some of her baggage includes; The sale of the old police headquarters at less than value; the apparent illegal signing of a contract with Express Scripts who are now making demands for $200,000 to the city; Her letters of recommendation for her “Top Cop” while he had a $101 million dollar law suit pending against the City, City Administrator and Council; Her high profile involvement in the recall efforts to remove Councilwoman Dottie Greer and Councilman Mark Brown from office and her alleged use of taxpayer dollars to fund the recall attempts which were plagued with fraud and forgeries; Her appointment of people to city boards and commissions who are not even residents of the city, just to mention a few.
OTHER CANDIDATES?
Other possible candidates include Kevin Kast and Rory Riddler. Kast headed SSM St. Joseph Health Center until his sudden resignation. It was reported he wanted to retire. He then got involved in the recall attempts to oust Councilwoman Dottie Greer and Councilman Mark Brown. Both recall attempts were filled with fraud, forgeries and misinformation. The recall attempts were funded by Kast and TR Hughes. After the recalls failed Kast went to work for a hospital in Decatur, Illinois and he and Hughes are building a senior development in O’Fallon.
Don’t count out Councilman Rory Riddler. Riddler is also a perennial candidate. Although he says he is not running for the office of mayor he is a very smart politician. You never know what he is going to do.
Who would you like to see as mayor? let us know at firstcapitolnews@aol.com or write us 336 A S. Main St. 63301.
Have you ever wanted to be Mayor of St. Charles? If that is something you have been wanting to do Certificate of Nomination forms are available to any person desiring to be nominated for the office of Mayor at the City Clerk’s office in City Hall at 200 North Second Street. Not less than 100 signatures of qualified registered voters of the City of St Charles are required on the nomination petitions in ordo to have your name placed on the ballot. Once you have obtained the signatures filing for the office will be open from 8:00 a.m., Tuesday November 14, 2006 until 5:00 p.m., Tuesday, November 21, 2006.
To qualify to run for Mayor you must be a registered voter of the City of St. Charles; A resident of the City for the two years immediately preceding the election; and at least 30 years of age at the time the mayor assumes office.
SPECULATION ABOUNDS ON CANDIDATES FOR THE OFFICE
When the winner of the Mayoral election in April of 2007 takes office a new day will dawn in St. Charles. A charter amendment passed by the voters last year does away with the City Administrator and gives all the power to the Mayor. Up to that point the Mayor is more or less a figure head. No one knows for sure who the candidates will be until they file,. A primary election will be held on February 6, 2007. The two candidates with the highest number of votes will face off against each other in the April 3, 2007 municipal elections. All ten council seats are also up in the April election.
SENATOR CHUCK GROSS
Senator Gross’s name has been mentioned as a candidate. Gross could make the race and if he lost would still have two years left on his term in the senate. Some say, that although he has not filed for the position, he is already acting like he is the Mayor. He recently passed a bill in the senate restricting the authority of the St. Charles City Council’s use of gaming funds. St. Charles is the only City in Missouri to face such restrictions. Other senators with casinos in their districts refused to allow their cities to be handicapped by such a law.
Those in the know seem to think that once Steve Ehlmann is elected County Executive, Gross will move into Ehlmann's old office, that of County Administrator.
ST. CHARLES COUNTY
COUNCILMAN DAN FOUST
Dan Foust is a perennial candidate. In the last mayoral election he was able to beat Councilman Bob Hoepfner and Councilman Rory Riddler in the primary to face Patti York in the municipal elections. Some say he lost the election to York because he would not debate her. Dan says he was told by his advisors not to debate her because he was too tall. There is also the possibility Dan can move into the position of Chairman of the County Council. Dan says if the salary is high enough he will probably be a candidate but is not yet ready to commit.
COUNCILMAN JOHN GIESEKE
There appears to be a movement afoot to draft St. Charles Ward 8 Councilman John Gieseke to run for the office of mayor. John says he is considering all his options but has not made a decision. John is completing his second term as a councilman. If he decides to run for Mayor he will be giving up his chance to run for a third term as councilman. John’s ward has grown tremendously during his tenure. The New town at St. Charles is in his ward and is projected to have 5,700 new homes. A large number of new retail businesses and industrial companies have opened in John’s ward. At a recent ground breaking for a retail center in Ward 8, Tim Sansone of the Sansone Company remarked,”We would not be building in st. Charles if not for the efforts and hard work of Councilman John Gieseke.” those behind the draft Gieseke movement believe he has shown great vision and leadership and that he is the type of leader St. Charles has been lacking.
PATTI YORK
Mayor York has already announced her intentions to try for a third term. Prior to being elected Mayor she served as a councilwoman. Although she is carrying a lot of baggage she evidently believes she can mount a stiff challenge. Some of her baggage includes; The sale of the old police headquarters at less than value; the apparent illegal signing of a contract with Express Scripts who are now making demands for $200,000 to the city; Her letters of recommendation for her “Top Cop” while he had a $101 million dollar law suit pending against the City, City Administrator and Council; Her high profile involvement in the recall efforts to remove Councilwoman Dottie Greer and Councilman Mark Brown from office and her alleged use of taxpayer dollars to fund the recall attempts which were plagued with fraud and forgeries; Her appointment of people to city boards and commissions who are not even residents of the city, just to mention a few.
OTHER CANDIDATES?
Other possible candidates include Kevin Kast and Rory Riddler. Kast headed SSM St. Joseph Health Center until his sudden resignation. It was reported he wanted to retire. He then got involved in the recall attempts to oust Councilwoman Dottie Greer and Councilman Mark Brown. Both recall attempts were filled with fraud, forgeries and misinformation. The recall attempts were funded by Kast and TR Hughes. After the recalls failed Kast went to work for a hospital in Decatur, Illinois and he and Hughes are building a senior development in O’Fallon.
Don’t count out Councilman Rory Riddler. Riddler is also a perennial candidate. Although he says he is not running for the office of mayor he is a very smart politician. You never know what he is going to do.
Who would you like to see as mayor? let us know at firstcapitolnews@aol.com or write us 336 A S. Main St. 63301.
RAMBLING WITH THE EDITOR - Tony Brockmeyer
CONDOLENCES
Our condolences to Bill Goellner of Goellner Printing and his family on the passing of his mother.
NOT A PART TIME JOB
We had a reader call the other day who said he is sending us a piece of campaign literature from Mike Weller. The literature Weller distributed said “he would not treat the job of a City Councilman as a part time job.” It appears he has kept his promise. Weller now has the worst attendance record for City Council meetings. He has made only one of the last three meetings. The residents of Ward 5 have little representation on the Council. Do you think that Weller is foregoing his monthly paycheck and expense account or do you you think he is collecting the money?
MUENCH BACKTRACKING
Brightstar development has a proposal coming before the City Council to build a 5 story building on South Main just south of Boones Lick in Ward 2. The Planning and Zoning Commission and the Landmarks Commission voted to deny the project. It now comes before the Council. Muench, who was a big supporter of the project when it was first presented has now changed his mind and is against it. He was overheard telling someone he had enough votes to kill the project. Muench has a history of waffling. A rumor on the street says Venetia McEntyre is planning on challenging him for his seat on the Council. She has the backing of the Mayor and her pal, Steve Powell, the former head of the Convention and Visitors Bureau.
MONEY LAUNDERING OR SMART
POLITICS
After our investigative series that began on May 13, “Money Laundering or Smart Politics”, the subject of our stories, Thomas W. Smith Jr., has resigned as treasurer of TEN back door funding legislative committees he operated out of his home at 320 Monroe Street in St. Charles. Smith, as treasurer of the committees formed to circumvent political contribution limits, dolled out millions of dollars he had received from those who were trying to hide their political contributions. The money he collected was then funneled through backdoors making it almost impossible for the public to know who is giving and who is receiving.
According to records received from the office of Missouri Secretary of State, Robin Carnahan, Smith is a state employee and legislative aide to State Representative Tom Dempsey (R) St. Charles and is paid $53,530 a year in taxpayer dollars by the State of Missouri. It would seem to me that as a state employee it is unethical and perhaps illegal for Smith to be the treasurer of the money laundering committees. Perhaps there should be an investigation into whether he is breaking any laws. Wasn’t Attorney General Bill Webster sentenced to prison for less?
Our condolences to Bill Goellner of Goellner Printing and his family on the passing of his mother.
NOT A PART TIME JOB
We had a reader call the other day who said he is sending us a piece of campaign literature from Mike Weller. The literature Weller distributed said “he would not treat the job of a City Councilman as a part time job.” It appears he has kept his promise. Weller now has the worst attendance record for City Council meetings. He has made only one of the last three meetings. The residents of Ward 5 have little representation on the Council. Do you think that Weller is foregoing his monthly paycheck and expense account or do you you think he is collecting the money?
MUENCH BACKTRACKING
Brightstar development has a proposal coming before the City Council to build a 5 story building on South Main just south of Boones Lick in Ward 2. The Planning and Zoning Commission and the Landmarks Commission voted to deny the project. It now comes before the Council. Muench, who was a big supporter of the project when it was first presented has now changed his mind and is against it. He was overheard telling someone he had enough votes to kill the project. Muench has a history of waffling. A rumor on the street says Venetia McEntyre is planning on challenging him for his seat on the Council. She has the backing of the Mayor and her pal, Steve Powell, the former head of the Convention and Visitors Bureau.
MONEY LAUNDERING OR SMART
POLITICS
After our investigative series that began on May 13, “Money Laundering or Smart Politics”, the subject of our stories, Thomas W. Smith Jr., has resigned as treasurer of TEN back door funding legislative committees he operated out of his home at 320 Monroe Street in St. Charles. Smith, as treasurer of the committees formed to circumvent political contribution limits, dolled out millions of dollars he had received from those who were trying to hide their political contributions. The money he collected was then funneled through backdoors making it almost impossible for the public to know who is giving and who is receiving.
According to records received from the office of Missouri Secretary of State, Robin Carnahan, Smith is a state employee and legislative aide to State Representative Tom Dempsey (R) St. Charles and is paid $53,530 a year in taxpayer dollars by the State of Missouri. It would seem to me that as a state employee it is unethical and perhaps illegal for Smith to be the treasurer of the money laundering committees. Perhaps there should be an investigation into whether he is breaking any laws. Wasn’t Attorney General Bill Webster sentenced to prison for less?
THE CITY DESK - Rory Riddler, Councilman Ward 1
Children’s Museum: The Spark
To Light A Thousand Dreams
Growing up my brother and I were fortunate to have parents who felt strongly about inspiring us both to learn. They made learning fun. That’s a notion that, unfortunately, too many kids today can’t relate to. For them learning is simply drudgery.
One of the lessons our parents were able to instill was that learning had no boundaries. It wasn’t confined to the brick walls or front steps of the grade school we attended. It didn’t end when our homework was done.
It seemed like almost every weekend we climbed into that old Chevy and went somewhere fun and educational. Shaw’s Garden, the Jefferson Memorial in Forrest Park, the Jewel Box, the Art Museum, the Zoo, Planetarium, the Old Court House in St. Louis, Grant’s Farm, the Museum of Transportation, the Campbell House, the old Pioneer Museum in St. Peters (sadly gone now for many years), and the Boone Home to name a few. We also would visit Mr. Frank who built the log cabins on West Clay. He would take the time to show my brother and I how to carve those wonderful sculptures of Honest Abe out of wood and regaled us with stories of his favorite President.
One of my favorite destinations was the old Science Museum in Oak Knoll Park. Occupying a wonderful old stone house and grounds at Clayton and Big Bend, the museum was one of my windows to the larger world before the internet. The visible (or was it invisible) woman display, introduced us to the functions of the human body, though the clear plastic mannequin was a lot less titillating than young minds had imagined. It taught me that beauty is only skin deep and that no woman looks good without an epidermis.
The museum had a lot of traveling exhibits. One of my favorites was about the shipwreck Vasa (pronounced Wasa) in Sweden, where underwater archaeologist managed to find and salvage a Royal Swedish war ship from the 16th Century. I still have the framed print of that ship I purchased in the modest gift shop that day.
In some respects the old Science Museum was better than the new one near the Planetarium. I think it mainly comes down to a matter of scale. The drive to serve so many more patrons has taken some of the edge off the experience.
Fortunately there are a few places that retain the qualities of the old Science Museum. The Children’s Museum in Quincy Illinois is located in a beautiful Victorian mansion, whose second and third floors are a labyrinth of fun and interactive things for kids to do. Edwardsville has also put together a wonderful Children’s Museum as an amenity of that community.
Which brings me to the topic of why a Children’s Museum could be a good thing for our community. Early childhood development has proven to be essential to establishing a firm foundation for a lifetime of learning. It certainly was for me. I further believe our community would benefit from an educational facility that could offer a variety of creative tactile learning experiences, stimulating changeable exhibits, exposure to cutting edge technology and interesting programs for a variety of ages.
The New City Museum, Magic House and Science Center are great facilities, but are a bit far away for families in St. Charles to visit as often as they might like. St. Charles City alone has over 2,200 pre-school children and 4,600 elementary school children. St. Charles County has over 13,300 pre-school children and 28,500 elementary school children…nearly 42,000 kids that could be served by a more convenient facility. I envision a museum on the scale of the old Science Center, one that could provide parents and teachers a place for preschool and K-5 fun and learning that is both convenient and affordable.
There is within our community a large reserve of professional educators, current and retired school administrators, design and technical experts in a variety of fields, a supportive business and corporate community, as well as many enthusiastic and dedicated parents willing to give of their time and energy. To tap that wellspring of talent and volunteerism, I sponsored a resolution this week to create a Children’s Museum Commission.
I tried to set the bar high in the wording of the resolution:
“Now Therefore Be It Resolved By The City Council Of The City Of St. Charles that there is hereby established the Children’s Museum Commission Of St. Charles, dedicated to the spirit inspired by the late Melvin Washington, whose mission shall be to assess the feasibility and design a fun and creative public learning facility to lift the spirit, expand the mind and excite the imagination of our children and generations yet unborn.”
The Commission will be comprised of thirteen members, one each from the ten wards appointed by the Councilman from each ward, or in the absence of an appointment from a Councilman the Mayor, and two at-large representatives appointed by the Mayor. The thirteenth member will be a Council liaison appointed by the Mayor with the consent of the Council. Already there have been several people volunteer.
The Commission is charged with the study of existing facilities in other communities, research on facilities nationwide, the latest in hands-on equipment and displays in the fields of math, science, astronomy, space exploration, history, archeology, geology, biology, health, medicine, engineering, architecture and computer science (to name a few) museum design and space needs, staffing, annual budget, safety, insurance concerns, volunteerism programs, potential partnerships, funding, giving programs, grants and potential locations.
There is some money is the 2008 Capital Budget for a professional feasibility study. That will cap off the first year of the Commission’s work, which must issue a report to the Council within 24 months. That seems like a long time from now, but these will be citizen volunteers and there is much to do. I hope the path we have started down is one that will result in a quality place of learning and inspiration for today’s children. It could be the spark that lights a thousand dreams.
SIGNS AVAILABLE FOR SUPPORT OF CIVIC CENTER BOND ISSUE
(Click on image to enlarge)If you would like a yard sign like the one displayed on the left please call our office at 724-1955 or e-mail us at firstcapitolnews@aol.com and we will have the supporters provide you with one.
Case In Point By Joe Koester, Councilman Ward 9
I love America more than any other country in this world, and, exactly for this reason, I insist on the right to criticize her perpetually.
James A. Baldwin
The First Capitol News has been working on a crossword puzzle. Everything was moving along smoothly until they realized that the hints given for each answer were quite confusing due to their similarities. Take a look at some of the hints; maybe you can see what they meant:
DOWN
1. Republican politician sentenced to 6 years in prison.
2. Republican politician involved in scandal steps down from office.
3. Republican politician involved in scandal drops out of campaign.
4. Money Laundering cost this Republican his seat in Congress.
5. Republican lobbyist involved in money laundering.
6. Impeachable offense committed by current administration.
ACROSS
1. Republican cover up of scandal may cost him his seat.
2. Republican cover up of scandal may cost him his seat.
3. Republican Congressman sentenced to prison for taking bribes amounting to more than $2.4 Million.
4. Republican charged with conspiring to corrupt public officials.
5. Electronic voting machine company whose allegiance has been linked to the GOP resulting in questionable election returns.
6. GOP supportive electronic voting machine company that has caused concern among fair election groups due to bias.
Personally, I think the public could definitely figure out this puzzle. Anyone who has kept up with the news (I know that can be difficult given the current state of our national news sources) would breeze right through this crossword, but the publisher and editor of the FCN said, “NO” so we’ll have to somehow simplify the clues if we want to see this puzzle in print.
For the record, the Republican Party has a grand old history. I mean, think about it, the Party of Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt, and Eisenhower! I believe if these men were here today, they wouldn’t recognize their old Party. These three men were part of a progressive Party that believed in good government, not the emaciation of all government. Each of these three Presidents increased the role of the federal government by creating federal income taxes, by creating a national park system, and by creating an interstate highway system respectively.
The corruption that has tainted the Republican Party so completely after such a short time in power would sadden any past Party leaders.
I believe a culture of corruption has resulted from the Right wanting to rule rather than govern.
Just in case you need the answers to the puzzle:
DOWN:
Governor George Ryan
Mark Foley
Bob Ney
Tom Delay
Jack Abramoff
Illegal wiretapping of American citizens first believed to be only performed on international calls, later it was uncovered that Americans within our own boarders were being tapped.
ACROSS:
Dennis Hastert
John Shimkus
Duke Cunningham
Michael Scanton
ES&S
Diebold
The Conservative Factor - Alex Spencer
Wow. I mean really, wow. Here’s the problem with writing a political column, sometimes the political climate is a bit slow or uneventful and you find yourself rehashing old news. Then, the Mayor of St. Peters gets indicted by the United States Government. Yup, that’s the latest and greatest political news out of St. Charles County. One more time, for anyone who might be living under a rock and might have missed the news: MAYOR SHAWN BROWN WAS INDICTED ON FEDERAL BRIBERY CHARGES.
Let’s recap, shall we? On Thursday, August 17, 2006, a Federal Grand Jury indicted St. Peters Mayor Shawn Brown on charges of federal bribery. Basically, they decided there was enough proof to proceed against Shawn on charges of bribery. This idiot (there really is no other word for it) shook down a red light camera company. On Friday, August 18, Shawn was arrested near his home. He was arrested, handcuffed, and taken downtown for processing. Wow.
From all the press accounts, it looks like it went down something like this: The St. Peters Board of Aldermen voted to sign a contract with Redflex, a red light camera company based in Arizona, to install and monitor several red light cameras in St. Peters. Shawn, as Mayor, would sign that bill and the process for installing the cameras would move forward. Bingo, bango: less people run red lights, and the City of St. Peters has a new stream of revenue (which of course, is not the reason for installing the cameras). Well, that’s not exactly what happened. Apparently, it looks like Shawn interacted with Redflex and said something like: “I’m going to veto the bill and you won’t get the contract unless you pay me $2750.00.” The press reports are somewhat contradictory, so I’m not certain, but it sure sounds like that person from Redflex might have been wearing a wire. So, the Feds have Shawn on tape shaking down the business. That’s what you call a career-ender. Memo to the “innocent until proven guilty” Shawn fan club (Sandy Waters, Pathetic Brandy Pedersen, and other people suing the City of St. Peters.: this is a federal indictment, they have him cold – you might ix-nay on the defending Shawn-ay because you are a bunch of orons-may.
I digress, let’s get back to the basics. So, every other time Shawn was accused of inappropriate or criminal behavior, he would spout off several silly defenses. Remember when he was faxing out campaign reports from city hall? First he had reimbursed the city for use of the fax machine; then he was entitled to do it because he pays taxes; then he didn’t know it was inappropriate (duh!); finally, he proclaims: they are out to get me.
Then, there was the haunted house fiasco: first, it was a paperwork mix-up and he didn’t know you can’t use an out of town address to avoid paying taxes; then it was his lawyer told him to do it that way; finally, he proclaims: they are out to get me.
And maybe “they” are out to get him. But apparently, “they” have a point. Former Mayor Tom Brown was right when he said that Shawn broke a sacred trust with the people. So, you’d think the guy would defend himself right? Where are Shawn’s protestations of innocence this time? Where are the stupid excuses. When is he going to put that dopey look on his face and stare into the camera and do the whole simpleton routine where he claims not to understand that you can’t actually bribe a city vendor? Hmmmm, curiously missing. Instead, he’s giving excuses that would make Former President Clinton proud. What’s next: “In my heart, it was a campaign contribution” or maybe “it depends on what your definition of bribery is?” Shawn is a crook, plain and simple. He’s embarrassing and he should leave. So then, the idiot is walking out of the Federal Courthouse where he was arraigned that next week, and he tells the TV cameras that of course he will be at the meeting that Thursday. It’s business as usual. Well, let’s hope that’s not the case.
In the next installment of this drama, Alderman David Hayes announces that he will be asking for Shawn’s resignation at that next Board meeting. What exactly was Hayes supposed to do? There was a giant elephant in the room, and in the right light, it looked like the elephant might be wearing prison stripes. Meeting time came and proceeded rather slowly and uneventfully. Then, it was time for citizen comment at the end of the meeting. After that, it was time for the elected officials to give their comments. Lo and behold, Shawn bolted. Shawn didn’t excuse himself in a professional manner. Shawn bolted. Shawn ran out of that chamber like a scared little rabbit. He didn’t stay and let Hayes say his piece and then respond or ignore him. Shawn ran away. In the words of one local editorial board, Shawn was a coward.
Hayes gave an impassioned speech about why Shawn should resign. Even though I’ve called out him and others for speechifying in the past, he was right. It’s time for the people to realize they elected a crook, plain and simple. All the rumors of other shakedowns are probably true. It just took a company from out of state to do the right thing. Maybe the local builders will take notice and step up to the plate.
To the other aldermen, are you seriously that dense? Just in case you missed it, your mayor is under federal indictment. Hey Alderman Pagano – we get it. You want to keep Shawn there, so that Alderman Holt doesn’t take over and pose you any greater competition in the next Mayoral campaign. Just in case you are planning to do the doddering old fool routine again, you are very transparent, and it’s kind of pathetic – you might as well announce your candidacy. And Alderman Hollingsworth – before you start out on another campaign of compromise where you emerge as some sort of lesser of two evils, “trust me I’m an insurance guy” candidate, I’m not sure the people of St. Peters want a Mayor who abstains all the time because a bunch of the local builders and city contractors are clients of his insurance business. The city might not be ready for an insurance salesman Mayor, since the electrical salesman Mayor was kind of a bust. It will certainly be interesting to watch the members of the Board of Aldermen as they jockey for even the slightest electoral advantage.
To Shawn, I bid you a fond farewell. Whether you choose to do the right thing and resign your post to spare the people of your city (and the rest of us in this county from embarrassment, or you stick it out until the Feds put you in the can, your days as an elected official are numbered. Hey Shawn: Na, na, na, na. Na, na, na, na. Hey, hey, hey. Goodbye.
Let’s recap, shall we? On Thursday, August 17, 2006, a Federal Grand Jury indicted St. Peters Mayor Shawn Brown on charges of federal bribery. Basically, they decided there was enough proof to proceed against Shawn on charges of bribery. This idiot (there really is no other word for it) shook down a red light camera company. On Friday, August 18, Shawn was arrested near his home. He was arrested, handcuffed, and taken downtown for processing. Wow.
From all the press accounts, it looks like it went down something like this: The St. Peters Board of Aldermen voted to sign a contract with Redflex, a red light camera company based in Arizona, to install and monitor several red light cameras in St. Peters. Shawn, as Mayor, would sign that bill and the process for installing the cameras would move forward. Bingo, bango: less people run red lights, and the City of St. Peters has a new stream of revenue (which of course, is not the reason for installing the cameras). Well, that’s not exactly what happened. Apparently, it looks like Shawn interacted with Redflex and said something like: “I’m going to veto the bill and you won’t get the contract unless you pay me $2750.00.” The press reports are somewhat contradictory, so I’m not certain, but it sure sounds like that person from Redflex might have been wearing a wire. So, the Feds have Shawn on tape shaking down the business. That’s what you call a career-ender. Memo to the “innocent until proven guilty” Shawn fan club (Sandy Waters, Pathetic Brandy Pedersen, and other people suing the City of St. Peters.: this is a federal indictment, they have him cold – you might ix-nay on the defending Shawn-ay because you are a bunch of orons-may.
I digress, let’s get back to the basics. So, every other time Shawn was accused of inappropriate or criminal behavior, he would spout off several silly defenses. Remember when he was faxing out campaign reports from city hall? First he had reimbursed the city for use of the fax machine; then he was entitled to do it because he pays taxes; then he didn’t know it was inappropriate (duh!); finally, he proclaims: they are out to get me.
Then, there was the haunted house fiasco: first, it was a paperwork mix-up and he didn’t know you can’t use an out of town address to avoid paying taxes; then it was his lawyer told him to do it that way; finally, he proclaims: they are out to get me.
And maybe “they” are out to get him. But apparently, “they” have a point. Former Mayor Tom Brown was right when he said that Shawn broke a sacred trust with the people. So, you’d think the guy would defend himself right? Where are Shawn’s protestations of innocence this time? Where are the stupid excuses. When is he going to put that dopey look on his face and stare into the camera and do the whole simpleton routine where he claims not to understand that you can’t actually bribe a city vendor? Hmmmm, curiously missing. Instead, he’s giving excuses that would make Former President Clinton proud. What’s next: “In my heart, it was a campaign contribution” or maybe “it depends on what your definition of bribery is?” Shawn is a crook, plain and simple. He’s embarrassing and he should leave. So then, the idiot is walking out of the Federal Courthouse where he was arraigned that next week, and he tells the TV cameras that of course he will be at the meeting that Thursday. It’s business as usual. Well, let’s hope that’s not the case.
In the next installment of this drama, Alderman David Hayes announces that he will be asking for Shawn’s resignation at that next Board meeting. What exactly was Hayes supposed to do? There was a giant elephant in the room, and in the right light, it looked like the elephant might be wearing prison stripes. Meeting time came and proceeded rather slowly and uneventfully. Then, it was time for citizen comment at the end of the meeting. After that, it was time for the elected officials to give their comments. Lo and behold, Shawn bolted. Shawn didn’t excuse himself in a professional manner. Shawn bolted. Shawn ran out of that chamber like a scared little rabbit. He didn’t stay and let Hayes say his piece and then respond or ignore him. Shawn ran away. In the words of one local editorial board, Shawn was a coward.
Hayes gave an impassioned speech about why Shawn should resign. Even though I’ve called out him and others for speechifying in the past, he was right. It’s time for the people to realize they elected a crook, plain and simple. All the rumors of other shakedowns are probably true. It just took a company from out of state to do the right thing. Maybe the local builders will take notice and step up to the plate.
To the other aldermen, are you seriously that dense? Just in case you missed it, your mayor is under federal indictment. Hey Alderman Pagano – we get it. You want to keep Shawn there, so that Alderman Holt doesn’t take over and pose you any greater competition in the next Mayoral campaign. Just in case you are planning to do the doddering old fool routine again, you are very transparent, and it’s kind of pathetic – you might as well announce your candidacy. And Alderman Hollingsworth – before you start out on another campaign of compromise where you emerge as some sort of lesser of two evils, “trust me I’m an insurance guy” candidate, I’m not sure the people of St. Peters want a Mayor who abstains all the time because a bunch of the local builders and city contractors are clients of his insurance business. The city might not be ready for an insurance salesman Mayor, since the electrical salesman Mayor was kind of a bust. It will certainly be interesting to watch the members of the Board of Aldermen as they jockey for even the slightest electoral advantage.
To Shawn, I bid you a fond farewell. Whether you choose to do the right thing and resign your post to spare the people of your city (and the rest of us in this county from embarrassment, or you stick it out until the Feds put you in the can, your days as an elected official are numbered. Hey Shawn: Na, na, na, na. Na, na, na, na. Hey, hey, hey. Goodbye.
THE VIEW FROM THE CHEAP SEATS By Jerry Haferkamp
The View From The Cheap Seats
By Jerry Haferkamp
In my last column I noted that a particular park board member hasn’t stepped down at the expiration of his term. I later received information that members are generally allowed to remain in the position until a successor is approved.
However, therein lies the rub. The mayor is apparently not going to bring forth a candidate until she has the proper “stacking” of the city council. That brings politics into a board that has been better left outside the political infighting. We have benefited in St. Charles from the way our parks are administered, and politicizing the board would be a big mistake. It makes you wonder if the mayor is still stinging from the incident when the park board voted to not place the Veterans’ Memorial where the mayor wanted it, in the middle of the cross-country running course where it would be an obstruction to runners.
I occasionally receive comments on this column, but that is not the reaction I am looking for. This column does nothing but voice the view that a great number of our residents have. It is based on common sense, something that is sorely lacking in our power structure. My comments won’t change anything. The power you have can only be realized if you call or write your councilman and the administration. Writing letters to the editor will get people to rally to your side, but unless they act, it is a futile activity. Waiting until an election is a slow way to make change.
I find myself agreeing with members of the council that believe that the utility tax rebates should have limits based on income. If the council makes the program income based, there will be more money available to those who really could use a lift. I know of people who would qualify under the present program whose net worth would be well over a million dollars. Let’s keep the rebates for those who need it
.
Let’s keep the park board non-political. There’s only one way to do it. YOU! Get involved. YOU! Call your council member. YOU! Voice your opinion. YOU! Be informed and vote when the time comes.
You nearly regained control of your city at the last council election. You put enough of the right people on the council to at least slow a runaway city, but there is still a long way to go. You still have an administration and a few council seats to return to the citizens. Now is not the time to get lazy.
As always, that’s just the view from the cheap seats.
By Jerry Haferkamp
In my last column I noted that a particular park board member hasn’t stepped down at the expiration of his term. I later received information that members are generally allowed to remain in the position until a successor is approved.
However, therein lies the rub. The mayor is apparently not going to bring forth a candidate until she has the proper “stacking” of the city council. That brings politics into a board that has been better left outside the political infighting. We have benefited in St. Charles from the way our parks are administered, and politicizing the board would be a big mistake. It makes you wonder if the mayor is still stinging from the incident when the park board voted to not place the Veterans’ Memorial where the mayor wanted it, in the middle of the cross-country running course where it would be an obstruction to runners.
I occasionally receive comments on this column, but that is not the reaction I am looking for. This column does nothing but voice the view that a great number of our residents have. It is based on common sense, something that is sorely lacking in our power structure. My comments won’t change anything. The power you have can only be realized if you call or write your councilman and the administration. Writing letters to the editor will get people to rally to your side, but unless they act, it is a futile activity. Waiting until an election is a slow way to make change.
I find myself agreeing with members of the council that believe that the utility tax rebates should have limits based on income. If the council makes the program income based, there will be more money available to those who really could use a lift. I know of people who would qualify under the present program whose net worth would be well over a million dollars. Let’s keep the rebates for those who need it
.
Let’s keep the park board non-political. There’s only one way to do it. YOU! Get involved. YOU! Call your council member. YOU! Voice your opinion. YOU! Be informed and vote when the time comes.
You nearly regained control of your city at the last council election. You put enough of the right people on the council to at least slow a runaway city, but there is still a long way to go. You still have an administration and a few council seats to return to the citizens. Now is not the time to get lazy.
As always, that’s just the view from the cheap seats.
SPORTS - First Capitol News Sports Section - MIKE MCMURRAN Sports Editor
MY COLUMN by Mike McMurran
Lately I have been suggesting “Everything is relative.” And I truly believe it is. Well as true as that statement may be, “timing is everything,” is equally true, as well as important. Allow me to explain – have a couple of examples.
For three or so years now, I have gathered a group of buddies to play in the annual Patt Holt Singers golf tournament. The original group was Henry Kruse, Mike Lemke, Mark Francis and yours truly. Once or twice, for whatever reason Henry couldn’t make it, so we added Doug Medley to our foursome. We never won the tournament, nor did we really expect to, but boy did we have fun. So we pretty much decided we would make it an annual outing. Well, for whatever reason, and there is some speculation as to the real reason, Francis couldn’t make it this year. He said his daughter had a soccer game, and maybe she did, but this was an annual outing of guys – true male bondage type stuff. (Kruse has suggested that Francis’ frugality simply wouldn’t allow it) Anyway, we found a replacement, or Lemke found a replacement I should say, John Janschutz. John was picked for his personality more than his golf game. Everyone knows four men scrambles are about getting along more than anything else. So to answer any questions, No, John was not a ringer, he is just an average guy.
Timing, remember where I started? Timing was everything – or in Francis’ case it was not everything. The foursome of Kruse, Lemke, Janschutz and McMurran took control of Warrenton Golf Course like, well, we played far, far over our heads. So much so, we shot 11 under par and won the 1st place prize money. Oh sure, most of the shots used came from Janschutz and Kruse, but Lemke and I truly contributed at the most opportunistic times. The point is this: Francis messed up by not being there. To add insult to injury, since we are the defending champions, we have vowed to return to the scene of the crime next year. Therefore, Francis is out!
Ah yes, timing. For me it got even better. On Sunday I made arrangements to go to the Rams’ game with an old buddy of mine, Anthony “Anferney” Carimatti. Tony and I met at the Holiday Inn Select at noon or so and began our day by having a few adult beverages. For some reason or another, at around 2:00 or so, we decided to walk to Busch Stadium. You see we knew Family Almus would be sitting in Section 135, because he traded me fireworks for the tickets (how should I know, in July, that on October 1st the game would have any meaning?). Tony and I approached the usher at the gate and told her we only wanted to go in for a minute. We showed her our Rams’ tickets and explained we were going to the football game, which was to start in less than 30 minutes, so we would only be there for 5 minutes at most. She responded, “what did you just say?” I really didn’t want to repeat everything I had just explained to her, so I simply asked, “can you let us in for a minute, please?” She said sure, go right on in! I’m not kidding. If I knew it was that easy I would have been doing it all season.
Anyway, the first thing Tony did was buy two of those $8.50 beers. Our priorities were intact. We found Family Almus, sat down (timing is on our side) and for some reason the famous Atlanta Tomahawk Chop song began playing. We were there for no more than 5 minutes but they were the most exciting 5 minutes of the entire game: the Cardinals had won the Central Division while Tony and I sat there. Ask Almus.
As we were leaving another usher told us we couldn’t leave the stadium with our newly purchased $8.50 beers. We explained to him that we had just bought them and were going to the Rams’ game, and could we please take them with us. After all we had just spent $17 and were only in the stadium for 5 minutes. “Ah, go ahead fellas. You don’t look like you are going to cause any trouble.” Man oh man, was timing on our side!
So now we are walking at a rather brisk pace trying to make it to the Dome before kick-off. It became obvious we were going to be late for the kickoff…but wait. As we were walking down the street, two young ladies asked us if we knew where the Dome was. Of course they were driving in their automobile. Now you have to understand that neither Tony or I are what you would call “lookers,” so these ladies, who were in fact “lookers,” really needed directions to the Dome. Tony and I could have simply said continue straight for another 7 blocks or so, but our luck was going so good we couldn’t help but try and get a ride. We did. Did our luck run out? Not a chance – they had cold beer in the car and offered us some for our help. We really didn’t have time to wait with them as they maneuvered their way thru the parking lot, so we simply excused ourselves at the Broadway entrance.
Did we make the kickoff? Nope, but the moment we sat in our seats Detroit fumbled the ball and the Rams recovered. Ah yes my friends, timing is everything.
High School Football
Eagles Are Soaring
Orchard Farm is 4-1 Overall and Undefeated in Conference
By Louis J. Launer
One team opening up some eyes among the high school football fans this season is the Orchard Farm Eagles. This is a team that has had its shares of struggle over the years. But this year, their 3-0 Eastern Missouri Conference start has been their best start in the past decade. Their only loss was in a non-conference game against Crystal City back in early September.
They have quite an offense led by junior quarterback Zach Pugh, who has scored one touchdown by himself, along with completing 73 out of 117 pass attempts for 876 yards halfway through this season. He has 7 touchdown passes to his credit and 5 interceptions. Receiving many of those passes is Zach Trudo, who caught 30 passes for 449 yards. He is also quite a rusher with 9 rushes for 25 yards. He has 6 touchdowns at the halfway mark of the season.
Zach Pugh performs his leadership every week on the field. Last week’s 41-18 win over Winfield placed Pugh in the record books by breaking the schools’ single game passing record. According to the school, “Zach has been a solid performer both on the field and off. He has developed into a team leader with his attitude during games and practices and is determined in making himself better each day.”
The Eagles’ top running back is Ricky Eiting, who has 66 rushes for 426 yards and 8 touchdowns. The Eagles have quite a well-balanced offensive line and can run and pass the ball.
Defensively, Zach Trudo also shows he’s quite the defender as well as a receiver in the offensive line. On defense, Trudo has intercepted two passes, recovered one fumble and made 32 tackles. Sam Kline is another big man on defense with 29 tackles. Richard Wunderlich can throw any offensive player for a loss. Midway through this season, he has 25 tackles, 4 of them were losses of 18 yards.
Their schedule still has some tough teams, including Lutheran-St. Charles, Bowling Green, Wright City and Hermann. The big rivalry lately with Orchard Farm has been against Lutheran-St. Charles. It is a district game and the last game of the season. But this year will be the first time that both teams will play as non-conference rivals.
APOLOGY TO BRANNON CHAMPAGNE –
Two weeks ago, this reporter was a little too hard on St. Charles West quarterback Brannon Champagne. It was written that Brannon was the reason that West lost a football game. This reporter was wrong and made a bad judgment in words. High school football is a team sport and St. Charles West does have a good team that works hard and does their best week after week. All high school football teams try their best. Sometimes the fan comes out of the reporter and either gets a little excited or becomes too quick to judge a player or find a microscopic reason why a team either wins or loses. Brannon is only a sophomore. His performance against Timberland was very good, with 15 rushes for 48 yards. He was also quite good in passing the ball being 4 of 10 for 76 yards. Brannon is adjusting to the game and a sophomore quarterback playing on the varsity level is quite a difficult task. It takes a lot of growing and coach Gary Strauss knows that. Brannon will probably be a great quarterback and each and every game, he does his best that he can do.
Sometimes reporters have to remember that high school sports is the most purest form of sport. The players who play any sport are participating in it during what should be the best time of their lives. Many fans in urban areas, suburbia and small town America, including St. Charles enjoy a good high school game. It becomes to easy and tempting to make comparisons of high school sports to that of their college or professional counterparts. High school sports expresses unity, where student-athletes, student fans, alumni can root for their favorite teams and when the game is over, win or lose, everyone on the team gave it their best.
Tickets on Sale for 19th Annual Budweiser “Guns ‘N Hoses,” Proceeds to Benefit St. Louis Backstoppers; Features Police, Firefighters from Illinois and Missouri
Tickets are on sale for the 19th annual Budweiser “Guns ‘N Hoses” boxing matches between police officers and firefighters on Thanksgiving Eve, November 22, at 7:30 p.m. at Scottrade Center (formerly Savvis Center). Proceeds will go to the St. Louis Backstoppers who assist families of firefighters and police officers who die in the line of duty.
Budweiser “Guns ‘N Hoses” features three-round matches between teams of Missouri and Illinois police officers and firefighters. Boxers are paired by age, weight and ability. Firefighters won last year bouts, 10 matches to 7.
Last year’s event raised more than $198,000 bringing the total since 1987 to $1.6 million for the families of firefighters and police officers who die in the line of duty.
The 2,000-member Backstoppers cover St. Louis City, the Missouri counties of St. Louis, St. Charles, Lincoln, Jefferson, Franklin, St. Francois and Warren and the Illinois counties of Madison, Monroe and St. Clair. In addition, Backstoppers cover members of Troop C of the Missouri Highway Patrol.
Budweiser “Guns ‘N Hoses” tickets are $30, $25 and $20 and are available by calling (314) 444-5832 in St. Louis City, (314) 713-6031 in St. Louis County or (618) 622-1507 in Illinois.
Lately I have been suggesting “Everything is relative.” And I truly believe it is. Well as true as that statement may be, “timing is everything,” is equally true, as well as important. Allow me to explain – have a couple of examples.
For three or so years now, I have gathered a group of buddies to play in the annual Patt Holt Singers golf tournament. The original group was Henry Kruse, Mike Lemke, Mark Francis and yours truly. Once or twice, for whatever reason Henry couldn’t make it, so we added Doug Medley to our foursome. We never won the tournament, nor did we really expect to, but boy did we have fun. So we pretty much decided we would make it an annual outing. Well, for whatever reason, and there is some speculation as to the real reason, Francis couldn’t make it this year. He said his daughter had a soccer game, and maybe she did, but this was an annual outing of guys – true male bondage type stuff. (Kruse has suggested that Francis’ frugality simply wouldn’t allow it) Anyway, we found a replacement, or Lemke found a replacement I should say, John Janschutz. John was picked for his personality more than his golf game. Everyone knows four men scrambles are about getting along more than anything else. So to answer any questions, No, John was not a ringer, he is just an average guy.
Timing, remember where I started? Timing was everything – or in Francis’ case it was not everything. The foursome of Kruse, Lemke, Janschutz and McMurran took control of Warrenton Golf Course like, well, we played far, far over our heads. So much so, we shot 11 under par and won the 1st place prize money. Oh sure, most of the shots used came from Janschutz and Kruse, but Lemke and I truly contributed at the most opportunistic times. The point is this: Francis messed up by not being there. To add insult to injury, since we are the defending champions, we have vowed to return to the scene of the crime next year. Therefore, Francis is out!
Ah yes, timing. For me it got even better. On Sunday I made arrangements to go to the Rams’ game with an old buddy of mine, Anthony “Anferney” Carimatti. Tony and I met at the Holiday Inn Select at noon or so and began our day by having a few adult beverages. For some reason or another, at around 2:00 or so, we decided to walk to Busch Stadium. You see we knew Family Almus would be sitting in Section 135, because he traded me fireworks for the tickets (how should I know, in July, that on October 1st the game would have any meaning?). Tony and I approached the usher at the gate and told her we only wanted to go in for a minute. We showed her our Rams’ tickets and explained we were going to the football game, which was to start in less than 30 minutes, so we would only be there for 5 minutes at most. She responded, “what did you just say?” I really didn’t want to repeat everything I had just explained to her, so I simply asked, “can you let us in for a minute, please?” She said sure, go right on in! I’m not kidding. If I knew it was that easy I would have been doing it all season.
Anyway, the first thing Tony did was buy two of those $8.50 beers. Our priorities were intact. We found Family Almus, sat down (timing is on our side) and for some reason the famous Atlanta Tomahawk Chop song began playing. We were there for no more than 5 minutes but they were the most exciting 5 minutes of the entire game: the Cardinals had won the Central Division while Tony and I sat there. Ask Almus.
As we were leaving another usher told us we couldn’t leave the stadium with our newly purchased $8.50 beers. We explained to him that we had just bought them and were going to the Rams’ game, and could we please take them with us. After all we had just spent $17 and were only in the stadium for 5 minutes. “Ah, go ahead fellas. You don’t look like you are going to cause any trouble.” Man oh man, was timing on our side!
So now we are walking at a rather brisk pace trying to make it to the Dome before kick-off. It became obvious we were going to be late for the kickoff…but wait. As we were walking down the street, two young ladies asked us if we knew where the Dome was. Of course they were driving in their automobile. Now you have to understand that neither Tony or I are what you would call “lookers,” so these ladies, who were in fact “lookers,” really needed directions to the Dome. Tony and I could have simply said continue straight for another 7 blocks or so, but our luck was going so good we couldn’t help but try and get a ride. We did. Did our luck run out? Not a chance – they had cold beer in the car and offered us some for our help. We really didn’t have time to wait with them as they maneuvered their way thru the parking lot, so we simply excused ourselves at the Broadway entrance.
Did we make the kickoff? Nope, but the moment we sat in our seats Detroit fumbled the ball and the Rams recovered. Ah yes my friends, timing is everything.
High School Football
Eagles Are Soaring
Orchard Farm is 4-1 Overall and Undefeated in Conference
By Louis J. Launer
One team opening up some eyes among the high school football fans this season is the Orchard Farm Eagles. This is a team that has had its shares of struggle over the years. But this year, their 3-0 Eastern Missouri Conference start has been their best start in the past decade. Their only loss was in a non-conference game against Crystal City back in early September.
They have quite an offense led by junior quarterback Zach Pugh, who has scored one touchdown by himself, along with completing 73 out of 117 pass attempts for 876 yards halfway through this season. He has 7 touchdown passes to his credit and 5 interceptions. Receiving many of those passes is Zach Trudo, who caught 30 passes for 449 yards. He is also quite a rusher with 9 rushes for 25 yards. He has 6 touchdowns at the halfway mark of the season.
Zach Pugh performs his leadership every week on the field. Last week’s 41-18 win over Winfield placed Pugh in the record books by breaking the schools’ single game passing record. According to the school, “Zach has been a solid performer both on the field and off. He has developed into a team leader with his attitude during games and practices and is determined in making himself better each day.”
The Eagles’ top running back is Ricky Eiting, who has 66 rushes for 426 yards and 8 touchdowns. The Eagles have quite a well-balanced offensive line and can run and pass the ball.
Defensively, Zach Trudo also shows he’s quite the defender as well as a receiver in the offensive line. On defense, Trudo has intercepted two passes, recovered one fumble and made 32 tackles. Sam Kline is another big man on defense with 29 tackles. Richard Wunderlich can throw any offensive player for a loss. Midway through this season, he has 25 tackles, 4 of them were losses of 18 yards.
Their schedule still has some tough teams, including Lutheran-St. Charles, Bowling Green, Wright City and Hermann. The big rivalry lately with Orchard Farm has been against Lutheran-St. Charles. It is a district game and the last game of the season. But this year will be the first time that both teams will play as non-conference rivals.
APOLOGY TO BRANNON CHAMPAGNE –
Two weeks ago, this reporter was a little too hard on St. Charles West quarterback Brannon Champagne. It was written that Brannon was the reason that West lost a football game. This reporter was wrong and made a bad judgment in words. High school football is a team sport and St. Charles West does have a good team that works hard and does their best week after week. All high school football teams try their best. Sometimes the fan comes out of the reporter and either gets a little excited or becomes too quick to judge a player or find a microscopic reason why a team either wins or loses. Brannon is only a sophomore. His performance against Timberland was very good, with 15 rushes for 48 yards. He was also quite good in passing the ball being 4 of 10 for 76 yards. Brannon is adjusting to the game and a sophomore quarterback playing on the varsity level is quite a difficult task. It takes a lot of growing and coach Gary Strauss knows that. Brannon will probably be a great quarterback and each and every game, he does his best that he can do.
Sometimes reporters have to remember that high school sports is the most purest form of sport. The players who play any sport are participating in it during what should be the best time of their lives. Many fans in urban areas, suburbia and small town America, including St. Charles enjoy a good high school game. It becomes to easy and tempting to make comparisons of high school sports to that of their college or professional counterparts. High school sports expresses unity, where student-athletes, student fans, alumni can root for their favorite teams and when the game is over, win or lose, everyone on the team gave it their best.
Tickets on Sale for 19th Annual Budweiser “Guns ‘N Hoses,” Proceeds to Benefit St. Louis Backstoppers; Features Police, Firefighters from Illinois and Missouri
Tickets are on sale for the 19th annual Budweiser “Guns ‘N Hoses” boxing matches between police officers and firefighters on Thanksgiving Eve, November 22, at 7:30 p.m. at Scottrade Center (formerly Savvis Center). Proceeds will go to the St. Louis Backstoppers who assist families of firefighters and police officers who die in the line of duty.
Budweiser “Guns ‘N Hoses” features three-round matches between teams of Missouri and Illinois police officers and firefighters. Boxers are paired by age, weight and ability. Firefighters won last year bouts, 10 matches to 7.
Last year’s event raised more than $198,000 bringing the total since 1987 to $1.6 million for the families of firefighters and police officers who die in the line of duty.
The 2,000-member Backstoppers cover St. Louis City, the Missouri counties of St. Louis, St. Charles, Lincoln, Jefferson, Franklin, St. Francois and Warren and the Illinois counties of Madison, Monroe and St. Clair. In addition, Backstoppers cover members of Troop C of the Missouri Highway Patrol.
Budweiser “Guns ‘N Hoses” tickets are $30, $25 and $20 and are available by calling (314) 444-5832 in St. Louis City, (314) 713-6031 in St. Louis County or (618) 622-1507 in Illinois.
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