NoCo Sunday News Clips: 1/3

• Looking to improve your finances in 2010? PROUD (People Reaching Out for Unity and Diversity) is teaming with First Baptist Church of Ferguson to offer a free money management seminar on Saturday, January 9 from 9am to noon. Experts from St. Louis Community Credit Union will speak on topics including checking and savings accounts, credit ratings, credit cards, identity theft prevention, and the real costs of payday lending. If you register by January 5, free childcare is even available. For more info, call (314) 521-1515. 333 N. Florissant Rd, 63135

• The Common Sense Coalition, an alliance of groups objecting to the proposed Riverview Casino near Spanish Lake is ramping up its efforts to protect the pristine natural beauty of the project site, which is directly adjacent to the Columbia Bottom Conservation Area. Volunteers are needed to help research the potential impact of the casino, prepare for legal challenges, increase visibility and spread the word. If you’d like to lend a hand, visit the coalition site for more info or email Kathleen Logan Smith at klogansmith@moenviron.org.

Local chess champ Isaiah Gadson

• Isaiah Gadson, a freshman at Pattonville High School, recently finished seventh out of 116 competitors at the 2009 National Youth Action Chess Tournament in Chicago. Gadson’s team, the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of St. Louis, beat out chess clubs from Minnesota and New York to take the first place title in the K-9 division. They also finished second in the K-12 blitz competition.

• Why not spend the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday doing something good for the community? On Monday, January 18, UMSL’s Office of Student Life is sponsoring an MLK Day of Service, with 18 projects involving painting, cleaning, teaching, fundraising and more throughout the NoCo area. All volunteers get free food and a t-shirt, and families can work as a team. To register by January 15, complete the sign-up form here.

Kristina Nguyen, NoCo ice skater extraordinaire

• Kristina Nguyen, an eighth-grader at Hazelwood West Middle School, recently earned a spot in the Junior Nationals figure skating competition, placing fifth out of more than 100 skaters at the Upper Great Lakes Regional meet. Skating since she was four years old, Nguyen is one of three competitive ice skaters in the Hazelwood School District to recently compete on a national level. Middle-schoolers Morgan Reichert and Gabbie Linehan both competed in the 2009 U.S. Synchronized Skating Championships in Portland, Maine.

• Members of the Woodson Terrace Veterans Committee are engaged in an ongoing effort to send “care packages” to active military personnel. Their latest collection, which runs through January 15, will benefit 36 members of an Army platoon in Afghanistan. Items requested for donation include travel-sized toothpaste and Tylenol, toothbrushes, dental floss, black and blue ballpoint pens, men’s white crew socks, dice, and used magazines and paperback books. Donations can be dropped off at Woodson Terrace city hall: 9351 Guthrie Ave, 63134.

• Ferguson resident Mary Haux has created a delightful 2010 calendar for the Ferguson Citywalk District, with beautiful black and white images showcasing numerous locations around town. In fact, if you buy a calendar and can correctly identify all 36 photos featured in it, you’ll have a chance to win a $50 gift certificate for Ray Hill’s soon-to-open BrewHouse. Entries must be received by February 10, 2010, and you can email them to citywalk1@sbcglobal.net. Calendars are $12 each or two for $20 and they’re available at Ferguson City Hall, 110 Church St, or the Corner Coffee House, 100 N. Florissant. For more info on the calendars or the contest, call Mary at (314) 332-5546.

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