Wednesday, May 16, 2012
Rush Limbaugh was inducted into the Hall of Famous Missourians this week. An honor well deserved? Or a mistake on the part of Missouri lawmakers?
Rush Limbaugh, the controversial conservative commentator, was enshrined into the Hall of Famous Missourians this week, sparking controversy across the state and country on whether Limbaugh should be worth of such an honor. Limbaugh's name now sits amongst such famous Missourians as Mark Twain, Dred Scott, Jack Buck and Stan Musial. According to the St. Louis Beacon, Missouri House Speaker Steve Tilley gave reporters less than a half-hour’s notice of the ceremony. From the Beacon: Tilley’s decision to honor Limbaugh, a Cape Girardeau native, has sparked opposition from Democrats and progressives because of Limbaugh’s often strong words when he talks about people with whom he disagrees. Limbaugh’s bust will be placed in the Capitol’s Hall …
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Local farmers’ market vendors say that the fruits and veggies they grow are superior to grocery store produce for many reasons.
Do you buy the freshest produce possible? According to many area farmers, the fruits and vegetables you buy at the grocery store may not be as fresh as you think. With farmers' markets open now (or about to open) around the St. Louis area, including Wentzville, Lake Saint Louis, Webster Groves, Kirkwood, Clayton, Ellisville, Wildwood, Arnold and elsewhere, we wanted to talk a little about what "fresh" means to you. Tim Hess, owner of Silent Oaks farm and a vendor at several area farmers’ markets, told Patch that most of the produce sold in local grocery stores comes from Calfornia or Florida, areas where many farms are staffed by migrant workers. “It’s a long trail and at the end of the trail you’ll find that migrant Mexican workers do …
Saturday, May 12, 2012
Electronic media means no one has to be alone.
We alternate which parks we walk the dogs in each night. The pair seem to enjoy the different scenery and scents, with their heads hanging out the window, and clearly enjoying the new spots to smell at the different parks. So last Saturday we went to Longview Park on Clayton Road, near Mason Road. When we pulled into the lot there was a “party bus” with kids from Lafayette High School in prom dresses and tuxes getting off the bus. Waiting for them were their parents. The kids then dutifully went to pose with their dates in front of some horses in a corral or by a pond. On the way back to our car, I mentioned to the bus driver how things have changed. When we used to pick up our dates, we both were anxious to get away from our parents …
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
Sendak has died at age 83. Tell us your memories of reading his books—especially "Where the Wild Things Are."
My two children are well above the age when they'd sit still for their mother and father reading a book to them. It won't be that many years before they have their own children. They'll be doing the reading. And I have no doubt that Maurice Sendak's "Where the Wild Things Are" will be among the books they crack open and recite. On Tuesday, we learned that the author of perhaps one of the most famous children's books of all time had died at the age of 83. The New York Times' report said the author had died from complications after a recent stroke. Writers have lauded Sendak's worth, but in particular his ability to craft children's stories out of what might have been considered "untraditional" — monsters "roaring their terrible roars" and "…
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
Who is behind some of the opposition to special sales tax for the developers of the outlet malls?
I've written several columns here opposing special sales tax schemes proposed for two outlet malls under development in Chesterfield Valley. Then Ed Rhode, a local public relations expert, sent me a link to a website: notooutletgiveaways.com The website waxes against giving tax increment funding by giving TIFs that defer property taxes and by allowing special sales tax districts for road construction known as TDDs or for simply paying for part of the costs for building the development know as a CID (Commercial Improvement District). Chesterfield Patch Editor Jean Whitney made a reference to this group on Election Day when she included a photo of a person collecting signatures on a petition against giving tax abatement or special …
Saturday, May 5, 2012
Plus: Curiosity about other things that should be cheaper but are more expensive.
It is getting harder and harder to save money grocery shopping. When I got to the big box stores that have food and grocery sections, I still often have to have a calculator to find out which product or which box is the best deal. But even when I’m trying to save money or find my favorite brands I get confused and ask questions, last week I even called those 800 numbers on the products to try and get some answers. Skippy is an example is how one store forced me to drive to a competitor. When Schnucks stopped carrying Skippy Peanut Butter, a national favorite I would drive to Dierbergs to buy my favorite peanut butter. Then Walmart opened food centers, I could get Skippy there at a cheaper price. Now Costco sells giant jars of Skippy …
Friday, May 4, 2012
The St. Louis County Municipal Parks Commission doesn’t want any input from the public.
In the past seven years, Chesterfield has gotten more money for parks from the St. Louis County Park Grants Commission than any other municipality, raking in $1.45 million. The next closest cites were Florissant, Kirkwood and Webster Groves. From 2003 to 2010, the nine members of the Park Grants Commission awarded $24.7 million in grants, total. Who administers the money? The staff of the St. Louis County Municipal League runs the administration of the Grants Commission. The Municipal League is a lobbying group to look out for the interest of municipalities in Jefferson City and with the County Council. If you live in a municipality you are paying for the staff through dues charged to member cities. Commission members are elected by mayors…
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
Parkway school district was doing a good job avoiding controversy until "Disney World" reservations for seven surfaced.
In 2011, I thought about how the Parkway School District had been doing a good job keeping out of the spotlight that can shine on all things negative. While the 2011 MAP (Missouri Assessment Program) test scores were not so kind to Parkway, the district still likes to claim it is one of the top districts in St. Louis County. However, for a number of years Lindbergh, Clayton, Ladue, Webster Groves, Kirkwood and Rockwood have all been ahead of Parkway in test results. The good news for Parkway was that Webster Groves fell behind it in math for 2011. Then, 2011 saw the neighboring Rockwood School District take a beating with stories about: This all led up to a school bond issue failing this April at the polls. However, with all this turmoil…
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
County Library headquarters was just remodeled, and now the library board wants higher taxes to tear it down, and build another one.
The St. Louis County Library Board recently voted to ask for a six-cent tax hike on the current 16-cent per $100 property valuation, for the purpose of tearing down and rebuilding the County library’s headquarters. I went to the library headquarters after that. The building is on Lindbergh Boulevard in Ladue. What did I find? They had just remodeled the place—the same building they now want to tear down. And I don’t mean they remodeled the place several years ago, I mean in the last nine months. An article in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch by Paul Hampel said the headquarters was built in 1960 and has been well maintained, but did have a leak in the roof. Well, fix the roof, don’t tear down the building. When my house had a leak in the roof, …
Monday, April 30, 2012
Local Tea Party members will be in town as part of a nationwide tour.
Tea Party Express is making three stops this week in Missouri; and one is in neighboring Valley Park on Wednesday. Another two are in Kansas City, also on Wednesday, and Springfield, MO on Thursday. U.S. Senate candidate Sarah Steelman, endorsed by Tea Party Express, will be helping to kick off the Missouri leg of a national tour from Valley Park. The Valley Park rally will be 6 p.m. at Victory Field House, 932A Meramec Station Rd. It will feature U.S. Congress candidates Ann Wagner and Martin Baker, Ed Martin, who is running for attorney general, and local Tea Party organizer Scott Boston. Finally, the tour will rally in Springfield with local activists including Super Dave Day of the Springfield Tea Party. Tea Party Express has hosted …
Geoff George
9:33 pm on Wednesday, May 16, 2012
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