Sunday News Clips: 1/17

• Have you ever considered running for public office? If so, and you’re a woman, UMSL’s Sue Shear Institute for Women in Public Life is hosting a two-day workshop designed for those interested in being an elected official or working on a campaign. Led by women who have held office and managed successful campaigns, the non-partisan “Pipeline to Public Office” seminar will provide instruction on how to raise money, communicate effectively and develop a winning plan. It will run from 6-9pm on January 26 and 28, and if you register by this coming Friday, the fee is $50. For more info, visit this site or call (314) 516-5974.

• High school seniors who live in Florissant, Hazelwood, Black Jack and unincorporated North County are eligible to receive one of five $1,000 scholarships from The Greater North County Chamber of Commerce. Since its inception, the scholarship program has awarded more than $30,000, with money going to students who demonstrate a commitment to North County and a record of community service. To apply or get more info, visit the chamber’s website. Applications are due February 26, 2010.

• The St. Louis County Economic Council recently announced BOOST, an innovative small business loan that offers fewer eligibility requirements than a traditional SBA 504 loan. The first of its kind in the United States, this alternative financing program, which does not factor in your income, net worth or personal liquidity limits, can be used to cover the costs of commercial real estate and/or equipment. The SLCEC is hoping that BOOST will spur new business development and expansion, and thereby create more jobs, in St. Louis County.

One of many images featured in the upcoming "Russian St. Louis" photography exhibit at UMSL

• More than 17,000 Russian immigrants now call St. Louis home, and a group of them recently met over the course of 10 weeks to learn digital photography and capture what being Russian in St. Louis means to them. UMSL’s Public Policy Research Center will soon feature an exhibit of those images, with a goal of encouraging people to take a closer look at their community and to celebrate the diversity within it. Running from January 26 through March 14, the show will be held in the PPRC Photography Project Gallery, 427 Social Sciences and Business Building, from 6am-11pm daily.

• A citizens’ group calling itself No Wal-Mart in Bridgeton is actively fighting against the city of Bridgeton’s proposed use of up to $8 million in tax increment financing (TIF) to help Wal-Mart build a Supercenter on the site of the former Value City/Grandpa Pigeon’s. Members of the group oppose the use of public financing to support the world’s largest retailer, while city officials and the developer argue that the new Wal-Mart could generate an estimated $7 million per year in sales and property tax revenue.

Meanwhile, city officials in St. Ann also oppose the proposed Supercenter, claiming that the closure of the current Wal-Mart on St. Charles Rock Road would devastate their community financially. Only ten-percent of the store actually sits in St. Ann, but it generates substantial tax revenue for the city, which is already set to lose $216,000 annually from the closure of Macy’s at Northwest Plaza.

• The 1 And Only Restaurant, which was featured on NOCO back in November, was recently spotlighted in a nice little video segment on KSDK. You can check out the clip, which discusses the St. Ann restaurant’s mostly organic offerings, right here.

• If you’re the parent of a young child (pre-K and under), the Ferguson-Florissant School District’s Parents as Teachers program (PAT) can offer you free education and family support, aimed to enrich your child’s development. On Saturday, January 30, PAT will host a free screening to check your child’s health, vision, hearing and general progress. Information about other community resources for parents and children will also be available. 10am-noon at the James J. Eagan Civic Center, #1 James J. Eagan Drive, 63033

The newly constructed Plaza at 501 in Ferguson

• Construction on Ferguson’s new outdoor gathering space, the Plaza at 501, is mostly complete. But in order for the city to receive an additional $50,000 toward the project, residents and other interested parties are being asked to match the grant by purchasing commemorative paver bricks that will be installed at the site.

Emerson and Great Rivers Greenway generously donated $250,000 to create the new facility, which covers roughly two acres at 501 S. Florissant Road and will be used for outdoor concerts and other events, but Emerson will only provide the extra $50,000 if Ferguson can raise $22,000 (or $1 per resident) on its own.

Bricks cost $100 each and can be engraved with any name or phrase you choose – three lines max, up to 18 letters each. So why not support this great new community asset and honor someone special at the same time? The deadline to order a brick is January 31.

• The city of Florissant will soon install solar panels on the roof of the ice rink at the James J. Eagan Civic Center, following the receipt of a $452,000 stimulus grant from the Department of Energy. The municipality also recently qualified for around $200,000 in community development grants, which will allow approximately 30 qualifying homeowners to make needed repairs to their homes and approximately 15 first-time homebuyers to receive assistance with their down payment. For more info, contact Florissant’s Community Development department or call (314) 839-7680.

(P.S. Like the newspaper dress in the opening photo? Go here for instructions on how to make it!)

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