Sunday News Clips: 1/31

I slept through most of Sunday with a bad cold, but no worries, the news clips are here! A day late but still fresh…

• Recent fundraisers all across North County have generated thousands of dollars for good causes. To help Haitian earthquake victims, students at Jana Elementary School raised $1,600 for the American Red Cross, while Saturday’s NoCo for Haiti benefit concert at the Savoy in Ferguson raised $3,000 for Doctors Without Borders. Employees of the Hazelwood School District have also been quite generous, raising more than $35,000 for the United Way of Greater St. Louis, bringing their total donations since 1975 to $825,000. Wow!

• Astronaut Robert Behnken, a 1988 Pattonville High School graduate and U.S. Air Force Lt. Colonel, will soon make his second trip on the space shuttle Endeavor, serving as a NASA mission specialist as his crew docks with the International Space Station. Launching at 4:39pm EST on February 7, Behnken, who still has family in St. Ann and Hazelwood, will perform three space walks during the 13-day mission. His first trip to space was in March 2008, and let me tell you, if you want to read an inspiring biography, read his! This NoCo native is an extremely accomplished man who we should all be very proud of. [Lt. Col. Behnken, if you want to broadcast your North County pride from outer space, I will gladly send you a NoCo sticker!]

Storyteller Bobby Norfolk

• As part of the Black History Month celebration at St. Louis Community College, the Flo Valley campus will host a free performance by Emmy award-winning storyteller Bobby Norfolk. At 11am on Thursday, February 4, Norfolk (who is very entertaining!) will present “Drums and Music of Africa,” a vibrant, interactive musical experience featuring drumming, dance and living history. Take the kids to see this show – inside the Student Center Multipurpose Room.

• The battle over Bridgeton’s proposed Wal-Mart Supercenter has made national news. This weekend, the Huffington Post ran an article questioning why the country’s 117th richest person, billionaire Stan Kroenke, needs to request nearly $8 million in tax increment financing (TIF) to fund his new development. “Given the foul mood the public is in regarding bail outs for the rich, it’s a wonder this proposal has any legs left,” wrote the article’s author.

Catch a screening of the St. Louis roller-skating documentary, The Rink, on February 10.

• If you missed seeing The Rink at last year’s St. Louis International Film Festival, you’ll soon have a chance to watch this great local documentary with its director, DJ Ron “G-Whiz” Butts. At 11am on Wednesday, February 10, Flo Valley will host a free screening of this fun film, which showcases the African-American roller-skating tradition in St. Louis and East St. Louis during the disco era. What an interesting and enjoyable slice of local history! The film will be shown in Private Dining Room B inside the Student Center.

• If you’ve always wanted to see an opera at the Touhill but couldn’t afford the tickets, it’s your lucky day! This weekend, UMSL’s Opera Theatre will host two free performances, each featuring some of the opera world’s most celebrated love songs. Come hear pieces from Carmen, La Traviata, Manon and more, all in the beauty of the Touhill’s Lee Theater. For more info about “L’Amour,” which runs Friday and Saturday at 7:30pm, call (314) 516-4949.

• Bridgeton Parks & Rec is hosting two fun events for kids and their parents in February. On Friday the 12th, girls ages 5-12 can bring their favorite adult male to the Sweetheart Ball, an evening of dinner and dancing for just $25 per couple ($30 for non-residents). Then, on February 20, boys ages 3-8 and their favorite adult can participate in the Dinosaur Dig, an afternoon of crafts, snacks and swimming. Registration is $20 ($25 for non-residents). For more info about either event, call (314) 739-5599.

Pi Day returns to the Metamo4ic Math Center on March 13.

• Scout troops, home-school groups and other nonprofit organizations looking to raise funds are invited to host a booth at the Metamo4ic Math Center‘s annual Pi Day festival on March 13. This year’s theme is “Pi Minus 1/100″ (in honor of the 3.13 date that doesn’t quite equal Pi), and some of the day’s activities will include Pi trivia, face painting, a kite decorating and flying contest, a puppet show, a pie eating contest and Ping-Pong Pandemonium. If you want to register for a booth or sign up for the kite contest, the deadlines are February 20 and 26, respectively. All are welcome at this family-friendly math celebration, so don’t miss it!

• Finally, it’s not really news, but I just wanted to take a brief moment to thank the generous local businesses that have stepped up as NOCO sponsors: CORK Wine Bar, Vincenzo’s Italian Ristorante, Hendel’s Market Cafe and Farmers Insurance agent Martin Menke. CORK and Vincenzo’s are both owned by my friend Mike Lonero, who has been supporting revitalization and new ideas in Ferguson for many years. Hendel’s, of course, is a North County classic, renowned for its fine cuisine and now its cozy new piano bar, which hosts live music every Thursday through Saturday. And Martin Menke is not only my personal insurance agent (and a classically trained trumpet maestro), he’s also my neighbor and dear friend. I am proud to support all of these great businesses and to have them as advertisers!

Because NOCO is all original content, not just verbatim press releases like some local newspapers, it demands a lot of time. So I truly appreciate the small monthly investment that these sponsors make to support my mission and North County in general. If your business would like to sponsor NOCO and reach the nearly 20,000 people who visit this site multiple times every month, ads start at just $65. Please email me for more info: shannon@nocostl.com. Thank you!!

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