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.

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. 

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.

By Diane Cannon Piwowarczyk

The 39th Annual Augusta Candlelight Walk was held December 3rd and 10th. Shops, galleries, wineries and vineyards were open throughout the evening as thousands of candle-lit luminaries lined the streets, all with the goal of highlighting Augusta's history, architecture and businesses. The Hoffmann Family of Companies offered free shuttles that took visitors throughout the town. Activities this year included a scavenger hunt, a gingerbread house contest, strolling carolers, a bonfire in the Town Square, carriage rides, pictures with Santa and much more.

Editor's Note:

The NTSB Preliminary Report is available on the NTSB website: 

https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-main-public/query-builder?month=1&year=2022 then look for the January 8 incident.

 

By Dianne Sudbrock

On Tuesday, January 11, 2021, a press conference regarding the January 8 plane crash near New Melle, MO, was held at the St. Charles County Police Headquarters in O’Fallon.

Updated 01/11/22 with corrected incident date (Saturday, January 8, 2022)

For those who have not been following the New Melle 411 Facebook page, here is a post from the New Melle Fire Protection District and the Plane Helicopter Crash Accidents Incidents regarding the plane crash near New Melle on Friday night.

EDITOR'S NOTE:  Additional information will be provided in the coming days.

Kristie and Dan Todd, long-time residents of the Defiance area, are struggling with medical expenses and could use some help. Dan Todd, a 69-year-old Army veteran, has been diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. Since last August, he has spent all but about 20 days in the hospital.