(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.
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.
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