All Entries in the "Community" Category
Financial Talk with Thomas: home loan modification
With North County in the midst of a foreclosure crisis and much of the country treading water during this dismal economy, I thought it might be empowering to start exploring possible solutions. A few months back, I happened to meet financial counselor Thomas Nitzsche through UMSL’s Neighborhood Leadership Academy, and he has graciously offered to [...]
Local homes needed for foreign exchange students
If you can’t travel the world, why not bring to the world to you? The Council on International Educational Exchange (CIEE) is looking to find North County host families for foreign exchange students…but you only have until the end of August to sign up! Two students, one from Mexico and one from Germany, have already [...]
News Clips: 8/4/2010
It’s all about the money in today’s News Clips… • What began as a quiet fundraising effort in 2005 has turned into a $100 million windfall for the University of Missouri – St. Louis. Campus officials announced last week that their Gateway for Greatness campaign has reached its goal two years ahead of schedule, drawing [...]
Where is North County: redefining the NOCO coverage area
A few years ago, a local company drummed up tons of faux controversy when it printed t-shirts that read, “North County is Dangerous.” Hands were wrung. Fingers were wagged. Politicians made the news. But for those of us who actually know North County (unlike the shirt printers), the whole thing was really pretty silly. Because [...]
Introducing “My NoCo Neighborhood”
As the bad news about foreclosures continues to roll in, and I watch helplessly as my own neighborhood fills up with vacant houses, I can’t help but wonder, “Isn’t there something we can do?” Most of us played no role in creating this mortgage mess, but that doesn’t mean we have to sit by and [...]
Music legend Michael McDonald helps launch Ferguson’s Wall of Fame
by Beth von Behren Members of the Ferguson Historical Society and Ferguson Special Business District (FSBD) got a special treat Thursday night, July 22, when favorite son Michael McDonald stopped by for a quick photo shoot in Caboose Park, home of the under-construction Ferguson Wall of Fame. McDonald is one of the first 10 inductees [...]
News Clips: 7/22/10
• Looking to beat the heat at a local community pool? Season passes for Ferguson’s Splash at Wabash and Hazelwood’s White Birch Bay Aquatic Center are now bargain priced! In Hazelwood, the cost of resident passes has dropped to $50 for individuals and $110 for families of four. Non-residents pay just $95 and $180. In [...]
Guest Commentary: Vote YES on Prop A
It’s editorial policy at NOCO to avoid politics and remain neutral on ballot issues. But as a community service, I’ve decided to publish this guest commentary on the Ferguson-Florissant School District’s proposed bond issue. If you have an opposing viewpoint, please contact me and I will consider publishing your commentary as well. Thank you. Keep [...]
Women’s Clothing Boutique opens in Ferguson
After years of working for other retailers, NyQuesha Thomas dreamed of running her own boutique. So earlier this month, with the help of her fiance, Charles Butler, she opened the Fitting Room, a women’s clothing store with a fun, youthful vibe. Located in downtown Ferguson, right next to Cose Dolci bakery, the boutique doesn’t have [...]
Chamber sponsors Scholarship Bowling Tournament
Whip up some “pin action” while raising money for local students at the fifth annual Scholarship Bowling Tournament sponsored by the Greater North County Chamber of Commerce. Scheduled for August 11 at Dick Weber Lanes in Florissant, the event costs $25 per bowler and is open to both individuals and teams. Proceeds benefit the chamber’s [...]
NoCo News Clips: 7/8
From here on out, Sunday News Clips will be just plain ol’ News Clips. Each post will be shorter but I’ll be writing more frequently and you should wind up with more news overall. As usual, if you have news to share, please send any press releases to me at shannon@NOCOstl.com. Comments and suggestions are [...]
A Tale of Two Parades: July 4th in North County
If there’s one sure-fire way to boost community spirit, it’s a parade. Bright colors, creative floats, smiles all around… And this weekend in NoCo, we actually had double the fun! Both Bridgeton and Ferguson held their annual parades on July 4th, each offering a little something special. If you hit the 1.5-mile noon parade in [...]
Overland hosting Market Center Festival on July 10
If you haven’t patronized the Overland Farmers Market yet, you might want to pay a visit on July 10. That’s when most of downtown Overland is coming together to host the family-friendly Market Center Festival – all day long in the 2500 block of Woodson. The event kicks off with the farmers market at 8am, [...]
Ferguson hosting public workshop on walking & biking
If you’d like to see Ferguson become a more walkable and bikeable community, mark your calendar for July 8. That’s when the local nonprofit Trailnet is teaming with Live Well Ferguson to host its first public workshop, with a long-term goal of developing a walkable/bikeable master plan for Ferguson. Topics of discussion will include bike [...]
July 4th Fever heats up in North County
Independence Day falls on a Sunday this year, so if you’re looking for a fun, leisurely way to spend the holiday, the good news is you can stay close to home! Multiple North County cities are hosting July 4th events, offering a delightful mix of festivals, parades and fireworks. Here’s the local lineup: FERGUSON The [...]
Ferguson falls short in the All-America City competition
Back in April, when the city of Ferguson was named a finalist in the 2010 All-America City Awards, I really had no idea what the competition involved. A few weeks later, when I was asked to serve as captain of Team Ferguson, I started learning more about the awards and my first thought was, “What [...]
Live Blogging: All-America City Awards
NOCO will be on hiatus the next few days as I compete with Team Ferguson in the All-America City Awards, but I will be doing some live-blogging over at the Team Ferguson site. Follow our progress in Kansas City as we vie against 25 other communities from across the country. The awards will be announced [...]
Sunday News Clips: 6/13
• A big NoCo high-five to Nate Bennett and his staff at Hendel’s Market Cafe in Old Town Florissant! Not only has business been booming lately, but St. Louis radio legend Ron Elz, aka Johnny Rabbitt, just named Hendel’s one of his top ten favorite restaurants in St. Louis! In a lengthy history and review [...]
Florissant welcomes Thistle and Clover Irish gift shop
French, German and Spanish roots may run very deep in Old Town Florissant, but it’s people of Irish and Celtic ancestry who now have a shop there to call their own. Thistle and Clover Irish Gifts & Heraldry opened its second location recently in Florissant’s historic train depot, following more than six successful years in [...]
NOCO: Growing & Hiring!
So you may have noticed that I’m short a few articles recently. On top of some general computer issues, I’ve also been up to my eyeballs with work on two other projects, and I’ve been taking a bit of time to catch up on paperwork and think about NOCO’s future. What I’ve figured out is [...]
Locations in Florissant,
Chesterfield & West Port
Sept 4 "R" Pizza Farm Grilled Pizza Demo 10am, Buy a Bag For the Hungry Day 8am - 12pm, to benefit Operation Food Search, a St. Louis food bank that distributes food to poor & hungry. While you're shopping, buy an extra bag for this worthy cause. Live Music - Dixie Rhythm Kings 9-11am. ALSO 45+ vendors!
Saturdays 8am-2pm in the 2500 block of Woodson Road