Sunday News Clips: 2/14

Happy Valentine’s Day, NOCO fans! There’s a lot to report today…

• In case you haven’t seen it yet, the St. Louis Business Journal published a potentially explosive story this week, raising questions about possible conflicts of interest in the proposed Riverview Casino development in unincorporated North County. The entire article is only available online to subscribers, but you can find the Business Journal at libraries and newsstands.

Credit: St. Louis Business Journal

Essentially, the story reveals two sticky facts: One, that Pipefitters Local 562 owns a 365-acre recreational complex just north of the proposed casino site. And two, that St. Louis County Councilman Mike O’Mara, who voted in favor of rezoning the proposed site to allow the casino project to move forward, has been a member of that same local since 1984.

In fact, O’ Mara served as Local 562′s assistant business manager for 15 years, from 1992 to 2007, and is now an international representative of the United Association of Plumbers, Pipefitters and Sprinklerfitters.

So…let’s see here. You’ve got a union that, by its own admission, has 500 dues-paying members out of work, trying to maintain a massive recreational complex and golf course in a remote corner of North County, where there has been virtually no new development in many years. It’s no wonder the Pipefitters support the casino.

The question is, what (if anything) are they doing behind the scenes to ensure the development goes through? And why the heck hasn’t Mike O’Mara recused himself from the process? If the rumors and tips I’m hearing from dozens of local residents are any indication, you can expect this story to get MUCH more interesting. Stay tuned.

• If you saw the Grammy’s recently, chances are you saw a NoCo native in action! Drummer Kim Thompson, a 1999 Pattonville High School graduate, performed with Beyonce as a member of her all-female band. Thompson is a renowned jazz drummer who has played with many top musicians. She also received a 2006 Grammy nomination for jazz composition for her work on Mike Stern’s “Who Let the Cats Out?” Go, KIM!

• Got a pair of old eyeglasses that you’re not using anymore? UMSL’s Pre-Optometry Student Club is working with two other student organizations to hold an eyeglasses drive this week. Donations, which can be dropped off at the Millennium Student Center Bridge or Marillac Hall, will benefit needy people in Haiti and other developing countries. For more info, call (314) 516-6030. Donations must be received by February 19.

• Thanks to a nomination from Forest ReLeaf, an organization dedicated to preserving urban forests, Little Creek Nature Area and the Ferguson-Florissant School District are set to receive a 2010 Missouri Arbor Award of Excellence from the Missouri Department of Conservation. The award recognizes projects that show outstanding stewardship of trees. And Little Creek, of course, is a 97-acre outdoor classroom that boasts a farm, prairie and beautiful forest land.

Hazelwood North eighth-grader Tyler White has performed with the Black Rep Theatre for six years.

• Tyler and Alexis White, two sisters who attend Hazelwood schools, recently performed in the Black Rep‘s production of “Black Nativity” by Langston Hughes, marking their sixth year with the nation’s largest African-American theatre company. Tyler, an eighth-grader at Hazelwood North Middle School, and Alexis, a sophomore at Hazelwood Central, will also appear in the Rep’s summer production of “The Me Nobody Knows,” which runs from June 2 – July 2.

• If you’re looking for great way to meet some interesting people and learn a lot about organic gardening, make your way to the EarthDance Community Potluck on February 21. Open to all, this fun, casual event will let you share a delicious meal with the 2010 Freshman Farmies from EarthDance’s organic farming apprenticeship program.

Following the botanical theme of the meal, you’re encouraged to bring a potluck dish based on the letter of your last name. If your last name begins with the letters A, B, or C: bring a dish that contains at least 1 ingredient from the Ameryllidaceae family (Alliums). For other letters…

D, E, or F: Chenapodiaceae family.  G or H: Cruciferae family.  I or J: Compositae family.  K or L: Cucurbhaceae family.  M, N, O, or P: Solanaceae family.  Q, R, or S: Gramineae family.  T, U, or V: Umbelliferae family.  W, X, Y, or Z: Leguminosae family

The potluck will be held Sunday, February 21, from 4:30-6pm at St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church, 33 N. Clay, Ferguson, 63135. For questions, call EarthDance at (314) 521-1006.

IWA's varsity Knightline dance team

• For the second time in recent years, the Incarnate Word Academy Knightline squad qualified to participate in the National Dance Team championships in Orlando, Florida. Despite not advancing past the primaries, the girls were honored to be selected for this prestigious tournament, which features hundreds of teams from across the United States.

• Following a lengthy selection process, the city of Ferguson announced this week that it has hired St. Louis County Police Captain Tom Jackson to serve as its new police chief. Jackson, who replaces retired chief Tom Moonier, is a lifelong North County resident with 30 years in law enforcement. His lovely wife, Pat, was featured in my story on St. Stanislaus Museum, and I’m hoping to do a full feature on him very soon.

• Over in Hazelwood, it’s the fire department making news. Battalion Chief David Gulley announced on Thursday that the Hazelwood Fire Department EMS Division recently earned its Emergency Medical Services for Children (EMSC) state certification, meaning that crews have upgraded their equipment and training to better respond to emergencies involving children. Hazelwood joins 13 other ambulance services in the St. Louis area in achieving this distinction.

• Finally, I’m excited to report that NOCO will soon have its very own comic strip, created by talented NoCo artists Mary Nichols and Steve Lawson. The work of Mary and Steve is always a highlight at the NAC Gallery in Ferguson, so I hope you’ll enjoy the latest creative endeavor from this dynamic couple!

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