By Dianne Sudbrock

Francis Howell High School Junior, Donnie McCloud, was presented with a “Superintendent’s Certificate” from the Francis Howell School Board on January 20, 2022, for the role that he and the New Melle 411 Facebook page played in the December 2021 Defiance, MO tornado response and relief efforts.

Good news on the housing front continues to come out of St. Charles County. Despite the ongoing pandemic, the County reports year-end totals for housing and commercial construction permits for 2021 remain ahead of the pre-pandemic numbers of 2019 and rival those of 2020. 

Our Lady's Inn in Defiance has part-time openings available.  To apply, please submit a cover letter and resume to Human Resources Manager: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

St. Charles County Executive Steve Ehlmann has appointed John Lyons as the County Engineer for the St. Charles County Highway Department. Lyons was confirmed by the St. Charles County Council at the Monday, Jan. 10, meeting, and will begin his duties immediately. He replaces Craig Tajkowski who is retiring after 26 years working for the County. 

By Dan Zarlenga, Missouri Department of Conservation

Green leaves growing in the middle of January? Impossible, right? Not so in the unusual world of nature. Take a hike this winter through the wooded slopes of rich bottomlands, or perhaps along a stream, or explore the bottom of a ravine. Turn your gaze downward, and you might just see a peculiar green leaf growing from the forest floor. And yes, right in the middle of winter even!

By Gay Eskew

In 2022 the “Best of Augusta” Photo Contest will scale down to only one contest this year for the kids 12 and under category. This year's contest will coincide with the start of school in September; this is a fascinating time for taking thoughtful, inspiring pictures by our younger photographers.

St. Charles County, Missouri - For approximately 16,000 adults in St. Charles County without a high school diploma, a library card just became much more valuable. The St. Charles City-County Library is now accepting adult applicants to complete high school through a tuition-free accredited online program. 

The City of New Melle Planning & Zoning Commission will meet for a Regular Meeting on Wednesday, January 19, 2022, at 7 p.m. at New Melle City Hall, 1445 Almeling St. The following is the posted tentative agenda:

We hope that you had a Great Holiday season. Even though we are in the middle of the coldest part of winter, baseball and softball season is right around the corner. The Dutzow Community Club will be holding our 2022 signups over the next few months and we hope your family can join us for the upcoming season.

The Missouri State Fair and the Youth in Agriculture Committee are accepting applications for Youth in Agriculture scholarships for Missouri high school seniors graduating in 2022. The application form can be found at https://www.mostatefair.com/youth-in-agriculturer’s.

By Kathy Miller

Eliana Garvey and Alyssa Schneider were honored on December 16, 2021, as scholarship essay winners by the VFW Post 5651 in New Melle. The Veterans of Foreign Wars of the U.S. sponsors two scholarship essay contests each year:

On December 9, 2021, the Community Associations Institute Heartland Chapter was honored to present Jerry Thornton, Lake Sherwood Estates Association, with this year’s chapter award in the community association industry, as Volunteer Leader of the Year, 2021. Jerry received the award at the CAI Heartland Annual Meeting/Holiday Party.