tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-78919979735284586482024-02-07T21:36:37.426-08:00The Rock Road ReporterThe Essential Online Magazine of Northwest St. Louis CountyThe Rock Road Reporterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11961203619767194085noreply@blogger.comBlogger45125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7891997973528458648.post-17107720543116439422017-02-27T05:19:00.002-08:002017-02-27T05:23:38.995-08:00Desecrating A Cemetery - Not Funny <div class="date-header">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">By Elizabeth Alexander</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This past weekend, a group of unknown individuals entered the Chesed Shel Emeth Cemetery and knocked over roughly 200 headstones. This beautiful cemetery, located at the corner of Hanley and Olive, has been around since the late 1890's.While the police are not yet calling this a hate crime, I have a hard time believing it is the act of a bunch of bored punks. I've heard of kids pulling this kind of thing on a few headstones, but not this many. The Jewish community is outraged. We should all be outraged.<br /><br />Within hours of the breaking news, the local Muslim community reached out to their Jewish neighbors and offered help. In a span of three hours, the Muslim community raised over $25,000 to help with repair and clean up costs. Local volunteers of all faiths gathered at the cemetery today to offer help with the clean up.<br /><br /> Now, I hope everyone is listening to this:<br /> <br /><strong>THIS IS WHAT COMMUNITY IS ALL ABOUT!!!</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><strong><br /> </strong> My co-worker and friend, Mrs. H, told me she has family buried in that cemetery. She doesn't yet know if their stones are damaged. Up until today, no one but cemetery employees were allowed in the cemetery to review the damage. Local rabbis are notifying families as soon as they know anything.<br /><br /> Neighbors helping one another through kindness and sharing. Why are we so engulfed in mistrust and vitriol? Bury the hate and come together as a community. This is not a difficult concept.<br /><br /> Mrs. H and I discussed this heinous act at length today. She wondered out loud if she should continue to wear her religious medals in public. I was stunned that she felt fearful for her safety. I told her to continue to wear them - they help define who she is. She is proud of her Jewish heritage and I believe it's disgraceful that some ignorant &*$%* would make her consider hiding the very thing that makes her who she is. So, in solidarity with my Jewish brothers and sisters, I have put on my crucifix and St. Gabriel medal. I haven't worn them lately because the chain broke. However, I found another chain (it doesn't match the pendants) and I'm wearing my own religious medals proudly.<br /><br /> I hope the police catch the people responsible for this and I truly hope the punishment fits the crime. Clean up the mess without mechanical help. What? You can't lift a 1,000 pound headstone? Too bad that didn't occur to you when you knocked it over!<br /><br /> The President's tepid and delayed response was and is inexcusable. It was nice that the Vice President stopped by since he was in town for something else anyway. He and our Governor rolled up their sleeves, put on gloves and helped with some of the clean up. <br /><br /> However, it will eventually be up to all of us to send the strong message that hate crimes will not be tolerated by anyone. Here or anywhere.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">May God Bless us all.</span> </div>
The Rock Road Reporterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11961203619767194085noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7891997973528458648.post-63956340164360209562015-12-18T09:42:00.000-08:002015-12-18T09:42:24.973-08:00Saving Face When the Rams Exit is Job One for St. Louis<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><em>Editorial Comment by Steve Erdelen</em></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAz7dBMCRGcvDAzD2PbkfrWF6rPS5dRbLA22AR-2MhZ9ucjA5Y96K5dtHanCVDoEaBbGjXD-H6r-6_hdrIXC64snQ0OQkZUti6abRyseajERnpVOZfkM96O4DwDzoMX_kLsu-sDaA1iX4/s1600/Rams+Story.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="279" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAz7dBMCRGcvDAzD2PbkfrWF6rPS5dRbLA22AR-2MhZ9ucjA5Y96K5dtHanCVDoEaBbGjXD-H6r-6_hdrIXC64snQ0OQkZUti6abRyseajERnpVOZfkM96O4DwDzoMX_kLsu-sDaA1iX4/s320/Rams+Story.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When the Rams move to Los Angeles
and there is no doubt in my mind that they will, St. Louis fans have NOTHING to
be ashamed of.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We’ve supported what has
been the worst team in the league for the past 10 years, with solid attendance,
high television and radio ratings and good team merchandise sales.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This city has been loyal to that team, but
that team has absolutely no loyalty to this city.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For several years now, Stan Kroenke has made
it abundantly clear that he wants to move the Rams to Los Angeles and has been
totally uninterested in working out any kind of compromise with the city to
stay here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With the help of the city and
private interests, Dave Peacock and his team have created a plan for an
impressive new $1 billion stadium on the riverfront and have also worked out
details for financing the project.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Stan’s
reaction?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Total silence.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Telephone calls unanswered, no sense of
cooperation and not one gesture of personal appreciation for the Rams’
extensive fan base.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Staying in St. Louis
is obviously not even on his radar.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Folks, he’s just not interested in staying here and it’s time for us to
let him go.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After all, this is the Show Me
State and what has Stan showed us?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What
has he shown us, besides bad football, minimal loyalty and zero appreciation
for our efforts to design, build and finance a brand new stadium for his
team?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He has shown that his deafening silence
is contempt for us and his objectives in Los Angeles are nothing more than the further
enrichment of himself and the further inflation of his already enormous ego.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All of this at the expense of his team’s most
rabid supporters.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You know… those little
guys who have been shelling out big bucks on the Rams for years.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Stan will leave us and in doing
so, he will create the impression that St. Louis cannot support an NFL
franchise, when nothing can be further from the truth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Across the country, St. Louis and Rams fans will
be blamed for not supporting the team.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The same city and fans who have showed up at the stadium and have continued
to tune-in and watch the worst team in football for the past 10 years.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The same city and fans who have laid a
beautiful stadium at the billionaire owner’s feet.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">That, my friends, is the story
that needs to be told.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The truthful
story.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Perception is everything in this
world and communicating the real story behind this betrayal is the only thing
that we can control.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All we have to do
is fight back with the honest-to-God truth about what really happened to our
team and we have to do it on a scale just as big as our efforts to keep the
team here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When the moving trucks
pull-up, we better be armed with press releases and video for every media
outlet in the country, so that they can hear the real story, the true story of
the blatant kidnapping of St. Louis’ NFL Franchise. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
The Rock Road Reporterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11961203619767194085noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7891997973528458648.post-61988984290654110342015-03-16T23:03:00.001-07:002015-03-16T23:04:14.240-07:0032 Landmark St. Louis Intersections in 1875<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">By Steve Erdelen</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"He's got a little coffee shop near Grand & Gravois and he's going to open up a new one near 9th and Soulard. His wife works at a law firm by Lindell & Taylor and they live in a loft near Washington & 10th Street." </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcpvktyq3p9SdfjwXYLri22gSQgfSxMOQK8wQXoA1xgLEdzKaMXXHqK67oD4SCSBA8QGEBrA91M5I39gN7Cpafm0nhuRFmh2e6hlcryLvNuPe_j4MKu0KtjFRyILFZ-SRhyFWPcRWnBsM/s1600/P3+cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcpvktyq3p9SdfjwXYLri22gSQgfSxMOQK8wQXoA1xgLEdzKaMXXHqK67oD4SCSBA8QGEBrA91M5I39gN7Cpafm0nhuRFmh2e6hlcryLvNuPe_j4MKu0KtjFRyILFZ-SRhyFWPcRWnBsM/s1600/P3+cover.jpg" height="281" width="400" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When a long time St. Louisan hears such a conversation, his mind immediately sees each intersection and the local landmarks around it. In the space of a couple sentences, he may have visualized over a hundred images during his mind travel around St. Louis. Following those words, he saw the White Castle, the old bank building and the Phillips 66 station at Grand & Gravois and remembered that it's really a crooked intersection. Then he recalled Llywelyn's Pub & the Soulard Soap Laundromat at 9th & Soulard and knew that they were real close to Trinity Lutheran Church. Next he envisioned the beautiful Cathedral Basilica and it's galaxy of mosaics at Lindell & Taylor and realized that he wasn't a big fan of the Optimist Building across the street. On to 10th and Washington, he thought about the garment district where his grandpa worked and saw clear images of pretty girls walking into boutiques, restaurants and night clubs while he imagined his friends sharing a bottle of red wine in their loft nearby. Okay, the guy may not have pictured any of that stuff, but hey, work with me here, I'm trying to set-up a pictorial feature.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In St. Louis, it seems that nobody ever gives anyone an address or tells them the block number of a street. In this town, they'll say "Meet us at that one Irish joint at Market and 20th, before the game. They've got good burgers." Let's call that method "Directions by intersections." I'm pretty sure that it's a long tradition here, because when I asked my Dad where Sportsman's Park was in 1962, he didn't miss a beat and said "Grand and Dodier." As if a 7 year old kid from Florissant, knew where the hell that was. About 5 or 6 years later, I heard my first St. Louis intersection joke and it goes like this: "Did you hear that Popeye got lost in St. Louis? He got on Olive and thought it was Grand." </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">On that note, it's time to get serious and show you what some very familiar St. Louis intersections looked like 140 years ago. All of the images are segments of larger plates that made up an incredible topographical survey of St. Louis, drawn in perspective, by Camille N. Dry in 1875 and published by Compton & Company, in 1876. Mr. Dry spent a considerable amount of time in a hot air balloon to capture the whole of St. Louis in over 100 distinct plates. All images are in the public domain and displayed through the courtesy of The Library of Congress. Click on photos for larger images.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7cY3xeeK8fRnOP_xUoVcPQjzDAZYLvwIlYfs87hZDf1gY9othMYaso1UsHA6ICMrEGYwmF9BgqWPW8AmeNWKvP9a4_lX_g-ZLyHqnM81HetOT-ueFMOfpylDR_9YL4mbZO4jW1ONguoA/s1600/P+7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7cY3xeeK8fRnOP_xUoVcPQjzDAZYLvwIlYfs87hZDf1gY9othMYaso1UsHA6ICMrEGYwmF9BgqWPW8AmeNWKvP9a4_lX_g-ZLyHqnM81HetOT-ueFMOfpylDR_9YL4mbZO4jW1ONguoA/s1600/P+7.jpg" height="436" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Full Plate Detail Example</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpD9_ie6lubWEFZoeTR-9yBo6Ew-ErIPmWtsNQINnQMX5SbpYEJBC0J-yyi3AOx6EBEdcqn3aOrHSmi9CkA-2hH1kPoJdjZ6luc-UztiLB68K5muPJ6ZYNEWbsh2IosktpmF9qU69BoqQ/s1600/8th+&+Olive+Plate+21.jpg" imageanchor="1"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpD9_ie6lubWEFZoeTR-9yBo6Ew-ErIPmWtsNQINnQMX5SbpYEJBC0J-yyi3AOx6EBEdcqn3aOrHSmi9CkA-2hH1kPoJdjZ6luc-UztiLB68K5muPJ6ZYNEWbsh2IosktpmF9qU69BoqQ/s1600/8th+&+Olive+Plate+21.jpg" height="516" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">8th & Olive </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIZWTyXO2vEXiN7ZyUI2-jmoXQeGlbgMya2e4ApdhmH6dq4wK2PlvO2vCuWH6uF-02rMV3IYM6-SDOioiu5EzgFU_x34qIzvFpOjy_ilpmtuDN8pluzdYIElX5dEGAtQrhAC36oZJfSeE/s1600/14th+&+Spruce+Plate+41.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIZWTyXO2vEXiN7ZyUI2-jmoXQeGlbgMya2e4ApdhmH6dq4wK2PlvO2vCuWH6uF-02rMV3IYM6-SDOioiu5EzgFU_x34qIzvFpOjy_ilpmtuDN8pluzdYIElX5dEGAtQrhAC36oZJfSeE/s1600/14th+&+Spruce+Plate+41.jpg" height="358" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> 14th & Spruce</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR-NlylIiSv6ggyoWIbBKbeO5jUj60V5t1tYXXOTBXPU0Kvu0so3POsnJwHaout8jDCVjTFsv96RNTfwYPDw-VZtv6wFHLOagwZ5e1C86Lb0vD5yMS1ypIZvHAymNLdTqJTrnaamyFBZE/s1600/7th+&+Park+Plate+6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR-NlylIiSv6ggyoWIbBKbeO5jUj60V5t1tYXXOTBXPU0Kvu0so3POsnJwHaout8jDCVjTFsv96RNTfwYPDw-VZtv6wFHLOagwZ5e1C86Lb0vD5yMS1ypIZvHAymNLdTqJTrnaamyFBZE/s1600/7th+&+Park+Plate+6.jpg" height="428" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> 7th & Park</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCl1wskSg5g3kZHn0jYzmCTcIBx_4Xbsi-GzyN5DMBJORFLrySKSNA6xsnaBF3y9-n-ECXuiqcvsSzOWYqQedVyOH_PCQH8lYdzifseeTCIEaRQ2c57Qt7NjGfzZxWnftb2G9LIgyi-To/s1600/Arsenal+&+Carondelet+Plate+10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCl1wskSg5g3kZHn0jYzmCTcIBx_4Xbsi-GzyN5DMBJORFLrySKSNA6xsnaBF3y9-n-ECXuiqcvsSzOWYqQedVyOH_PCQH8lYdzifseeTCIEaRQ2c57Qt7NjGfzZxWnftb2G9LIgyi-To/s1600/Arsenal+&+Carondelet+Plate+10.jpg" height="460" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Carondelet & Arsenal</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiltRIewEdHJ4PMaLpi0Vc3ZELJzC8mGnni9NjkLMoBo1eeRgoWGyUZx4C5e7Q-4cMcgGmkc2kN3rFnDjjb3hrBeoX2XEVmcsK8Kh8GccTiolCrF3aehyo9nEgXreEHc37tXi5E8seSAJU/s1600/Arsenal+&+Kingshwy+Tower+Grove+Parl+Plate+94.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiltRIewEdHJ4PMaLpi0Vc3ZELJzC8mGnni9NjkLMoBo1eeRgoWGyUZx4C5e7Q-4cMcgGmkc2kN3rFnDjjb3hrBeoX2XEVmcsK8Kh8GccTiolCrF3aehyo9nEgXreEHc37tXi5E8seSAJU/s1600/Arsenal+&+Kingshwy+Tower+Grove+Parl+Plate+94.jpg" height="414" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Magnolia & Tower Grove </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbR2eNcAB7n8ZvdIpmPr8L3A-93V-nTLnhlKy-2-IZPxn6_zDlvOSYBM_QZO_6Pp-uNLseCsv3kj72owWVrn75cdHdNe6WGS3OagxWldHBntZw5MovjgJb6W__qUge_LZzcpwGTfwra4c/s1600/Cherokee+&+Gravois+Plate+62.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbR2eNcAB7n8ZvdIpmPr8L3A-93V-nTLnhlKy-2-IZPxn6_zDlvOSYBM_QZO_6Pp-uNLseCsv3kj72owWVrn75cdHdNe6WGS3OagxWldHBntZw5MovjgJb6W__qUge_LZzcpwGTfwra4c/s1600/Cherokee+&+Gravois+Plate+62.jpg" height="362" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Cherokee & Gravois </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMGjo0n10P46pHWctXgTHKLKwdgiiq8txIMubR1Qcyii5R_RWXWwSABNwOwpYcpWzDsz5K837ss6RTEXhUFD2zDdX5zTp3Waw_9vUoZqKgrz65OWLpnEohY_GMVKSWdH3iOIvOHt1BOBk/s1600/Chouteau+and+4th+Street.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMGjo0n10P46pHWctXgTHKLKwdgiiq8txIMubR1Qcyii5R_RWXWwSABNwOwpYcpWzDsz5K837ss6RTEXhUFD2zDdX5zTp3Waw_9vUoZqKgrz65OWLpnEohY_GMVKSWdH3iOIvOHt1BOBk/s1600/Chouteau+and+4th+Street.jpg" height="428" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> 5th & Chouteau</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEx7cx8rTGr1qPCl82x9-o_21FJ9sDxPL5Ve7ikfCzG2J6Xq2vUq7Xxj0ArCfnuBwNoJO-zJZ1_OT_3sXjOiFgcwJneVqCdtbP0plTDH9egHse1OSTVloanw7OKcWRvYgXdyHoT2RRfoM/s1600/Broadway+&+Bates+Plate+19.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEx7cx8rTGr1qPCl82x9-o_21FJ9sDxPL5Ve7ikfCzG2J6Xq2vUq7Xxj0ArCfnuBwNoJO-zJZ1_OT_3sXjOiFgcwJneVqCdtbP0plTDH9egHse1OSTVloanw7OKcWRvYgXdyHoT2RRfoM/s1600/Broadway+&+Bates+Plate+19.jpg" height="394" width="640" /></span></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Broadway & Bates </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbQ_BFudGXP5ATROWb6aahHzuJZ4fEzt0O-WT_V5sQ7WYehg0B2sMa4Xd48DERFeQ-cG1sgSM9l_NIhkjZHR7vMpEMBjA6GJ-GCUU_0A8ZWNgVl35H6v5B3qqDMWUUagnvqYCVvV56xCY/s1600/Easton+&+Franklin+RR+Begins+Plate+72.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbQ_BFudGXP5ATROWb6aahHzuJZ4fEzt0O-WT_V5sQ7WYehg0B2sMa4Xd48DERFeQ-cG1sgSM9l_NIhkjZHR7vMpEMBjA6GJ-GCUU_0A8ZWNgVl35H6v5B3qqDMWUUagnvqYCVvV56xCY/s1600/Easton+&+Franklin+RR+Begins+Plate+72.jpg" height="522" width="640" /></span></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Easton (MLK Blvd.) & Ewing </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL5hwfgTwh_9jC4yVv2cbH0wnk8ey7mwkujLsOR4x12P-BTk7Vuy6mWtp6chs4RnonkN3uLO_Ncx4qr2bbGWY4tDEs7Y3B1VkF1oitCPA2mtM_9JviTO8lei5-OWF4ZwcEFxHY55L9S1w/s1600/California+&+Laffayette+Plate+58.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL5hwfgTwh_9jC4yVv2cbH0wnk8ey7mwkujLsOR4x12P-BTk7Vuy6mWtp6chs4RnonkN3uLO_Ncx4qr2bbGWY4tDEs7Y3B1VkF1oitCPA2mtM_9JviTO8lei5-OWF4ZwcEFxHY55L9S1w/s1600/California+&+Laffayette+Plate+58.jpg" height="360" width="640" /></span></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">California & Lafayette </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT494fCR_k_rkLkNPLlkKcWokRfBRIHh5EeqHrp0O8It2sdgm4uFj2NR3NTeQRGgTCchwXxiTjqVrfSL5I2AMRATgRBdUnbbXNQwdqAKWuphPDfeM7rQVc-9mYCrimKGOSdER8dbKzR_E/s1600/Goodfellow+&+Bircher+Plate+107.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT494fCR_k_rkLkNPLlkKcWokRfBRIHh5EeqHrp0O8It2sdgm4uFj2NR3NTeQRGgTCchwXxiTjqVrfSL5I2AMRATgRBdUnbbXNQwdqAKWuphPDfeM7rQVc-9mYCrimKGOSdER8dbKzR_E/s1600/Goodfellow+&+Bircher+Plate+107.jpg" height="342" width="640" /></span></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Goodfellow & Bircher </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihcytKTeSTMGAPpQZCCzw5EmuXa8qN1CCySvrhnkGI1GvQ5ag8goTTB3u6YfePMKCWVHrXJQ8Igf8oRezxleKmQFNzOO3O-8igVmhXYX2-RVHVn1jCLuXvU6NRgSOLTnolSzFE5oK4Gs0/s1600/Grand+&+Arsenal+Plate+65.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihcytKTeSTMGAPpQZCCzw5EmuXa8qN1CCySvrhnkGI1GvQ5ag8goTTB3u6YfePMKCWVHrXJQ8Igf8oRezxleKmQFNzOO3O-8igVmhXYX2-RVHVn1jCLuXvU6NRgSOLTnolSzFE5oK4Gs0/s1600/Grand+&+Arsenal+Plate+65.jpg" height="368" width="640" /></span></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Grand & Arsenal </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeJsSXOTqSZYRqDGub36wFim7Tn7qMIhBLLXmtMf1PfMAfE9WG8zzoxqsg_KnTLziUUCxepR2HgLXilbVttgeErf7FpbCmBYMcwed11-l3BXxFt_2TdVPBUr-QlNydZJuLgtKBKkz5pME/s1600/Grand+&+Gravois+Plate+61.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeJsSXOTqSZYRqDGub36wFim7Tn7qMIhBLLXmtMf1PfMAfE9WG8zzoxqsg_KnTLziUUCxepR2HgLXilbVttgeErf7FpbCmBYMcwed11-l3BXxFt_2TdVPBUr-QlNydZJuLgtKBKkz5pME/s1600/Grand+&+Gravois+Plate+61.jpg" height="400" width="640" /></span></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Grand & Gravois </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQjWdDfmTmRtO55xuzTS49TF4vuwPOstQz5pjIIFwYo0KmQApsXLs5C93odOZhh0pRlY00H15xEJt4m5Ee65MyfAZGeRuq4CuSNEJljTpOAtCQvVQRaI8oUfvmGaFghCpJvo6k36932do/s1600/Grand+&+Natural+Bridge+STL+Fairgrounds+Plate+81.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQjWdDfmTmRtO55xuzTS49TF4vuwPOstQz5pjIIFwYo0KmQApsXLs5C93odOZhh0pRlY00H15xEJt4m5Ee65MyfAZGeRuq4CuSNEJljTpOAtCQvVQRaI8oUfvmGaFghCpJvo6k36932do/s1600/Grand+&+Natural+Bridge+STL+Fairgrounds+Plate+81.jpg" height="358" width="640" /></span></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Grand & Natural Bridge (St. Louis Fairgrounds)</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXCELppmDwsB9vejlI3Hl5OpinNGiAkwLby1yohIbz-nhstlYZovBJj84VrK4yIAc02d8WMS4YOLvFhy2DciLKv8GeS3nXdzTzZLJCJ8ruUZsNC3NaBX-CXWd7Sf1lPU2dphLK_-Gih7U/s1600/Clayton+&+Manchester+Plate+90.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXCELppmDwsB9vejlI3Hl5OpinNGiAkwLby1yohIbz-nhstlYZovBJj84VrK4yIAc02d8WMS4YOLvFhy2DciLKv8GeS3nXdzTzZLJCJ8ruUZsNC3NaBX-CXWd7Sf1lPU2dphLK_-Gih7U/s1600/Clayton+&+Manchester+Plate+90.jpg" height="492" width="640" /></span></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Clayton & Manchester </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivLy0z4GdI6Nh2CJU_91Nc44-O-lFXGKW4b2jbcu0c9Cq5ZWXw0VGiqij9luoWX3tqF-h1kp_Dv9IENEi8_Usb7apDuDTwp6PXZuGi1yTKHnZl7R4Dk4GIxkzGWTvgWWsA_BSDe60A5mk/s1600/Jefferson+&+Chouteau+Plate+55.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivLy0z4GdI6Nh2CJU_91Nc44-O-lFXGKW4b2jbcu0c9Cq5ZWXw0VGiqij9luoWX3tqF-h1kp_Dv9IENEi8_Usb7apDuDTwp6PXZuGi1yTKHnZl7R4Dk4GIxkzGWTvgWWsA_BSDe60A5mk/s1600/Jefferson+&+Chouteau+Plate+55.jpg" height="488" width="640" /></span></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Jefferson & Chouteau </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkDJ-YA-UuE_myc1GAzwl6JW-TUW_YBRV67zTDfe8k9nGSYzeOuNxuwSxfhd5dd48cUwjydaZzyj5xlSe4oQQCnat9xkw7dbLJnPfs2tl2UW0UsHDM3NaWHJvBvgCeO4v1_OMuiyNbJA4/s1600/Kingshighway+&+Virginia+Plate+105.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkDJ-YA-UuE_myc1GAzwl6JW-TUW_YBRV67zTDfe8k9nGSYzeOuNxuwSxfhd5dd48cUwjydaZzyj5xlSe4oQQCnat9xkw7dbLJnPfs2tl2UW0UsHDM3NaWHJvBvgCeO4v1_OMuiyNbJA4/s1600/Kingshighway+&+Virginia+Plate+105.jpg" height="510" width="640" /></span></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Kingshighway & Virginia</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE_X3behaAjTRNBYxpuYXzwgqjKQvqooIvZyET5_w8RpYT56wcBi3nY5dgrZMbRL5u6ugV5alUA5634SI3GedUKlyk0f5_G4l8WyPuN0COSUFHQT4f3McTitf3tL3QrvK6_v2wTiH0CYE/s1600/Kingshwy+and+Clayton+FP+Plate+99.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE_X3behaAjTRNBYxpuYXzwgqjKQvqooIvZyET5_w8RpYT56wcBi3nY5dgrZMbRL5u6ugV5alUA5634SI3GedUKlyk0f5_G4l8WyPuN0COSUFHQT4f3McTitf3tL3QrvK6_v2wTiH0CYE/s1600/Kingshwy+and+Clayton+FP+Plate+99.jpg" height="364" width="640" /></span></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Kingshighway & Clayton</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigiyV274i89F_ty1W5JYOJQ6OlkQe6RLW6m5OvrtGocDAP5c_LmLkKMwPHOnVs4M-1s-EilHDiyH1v_q_WJ-F2BySiVGI_ggJCYCaa9aLYj0G9mVLH3USgokftKPEEyiFXUKyAzlotmsI/s1600/Lindell+&+Taylor+Plate+101.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigiyV274i89F_ty1W5JYOJQ6OlkQe6RLW6m5OvrtGocDAP5c_LmLkKMwPHOnVs4M-1s-EilHDiyH1v_q_WJ-F2BySiVGI_ggJCYCaa9aLYj0G9mVLH3USgokftKPEEyiFXUKyAzlotmsI/s1600/Lindell+&+Taylor+Plate+101.jpg" height="456" width="640" /></span></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Lindell & Taylor</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOJVOgAd08_0wiy3QnPfEbhKJeYjhb1F7O4HVEef5h-uqcyK_DJ0z36rBZkzTLWzLK6lPNVxv_G1y0SPWPXqGaPjT2w-3OMMDoLA5x1ULmYlT-4rxIGsEKqxSESVhBqt6EihgKHo-JLFs/s1600/12th+&+washington+Plate+43.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOJVOgAd08_0wiy3QnPfEbhKJeYjhb1F7O4HVEef5h-uqcyK_DJ0z36rBZkzTLWzLK6lPNVxv_G1y0SPWPXqGaPjT2w-3OMMDoLA5x1ULmYlT-4rxIGsEKqxSESVhBqt6EihgKHo-JLFs/s1600/12th+&+washington+Plate+43.jpg" height="540" width="640" /></span></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Washington & 12th (Tucker)</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg04UUJiusu-zuYcGQcULZ9beJECPfh2KXBp58Op9oTPbO5_b4oVNsUJtovlchNoJBK-dHhEnPr_JwTbam8O4rDjSz88If-0aS1NU9f31fqR0p5ZkYkzauBKR3x-KhzA9EFK0dQQvj2eeg/s1600/Lafayette+&+Carondolet+Plate+5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg04UUJiusu-zuYcGQcULZ9beJECPfh2KXBp58Op9oTPbO5_b4oVNsUJtovlchNoJBK-dHhEnPr_JwTbam8O4rDjSz88If-0aS1NU9f31fqR0p5ZkYkzauBKR3x-KhzA9EFK0dQQvj2eeg/s1600/Lafayette+&+Carondolet+Plate+5.jpg" height="456" width="640" /></span></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Lafayette & Carondelet</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjObdc3gJb4JtbSrS96udHqbCEOFFJmOVK6kkBIZIxhRGzkme_gEVAIu3Hr3iFsAADzeLz0l-28D2XUCFAMrt4_DzuY1SyjreEvgubpYC7ajUn8c8leVrWgb6X6PUkyz0XwVEl8JtQBR3s/s1600/Manchester+&+Compton+Plate+70.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjObdc3gJb4JtbSrS96udHqbCEOFFJmOVK6kkBIZIxhRGzkme_gEVAIu3Hr3iFsAADzeLz0l-28D2XUCFAMrt4_DzuY1SyjreEvgubpYC7ajUn8c8leVrWgb6X6PUkyz0XwVEl8JtQBR3s/s1600/Manchester+&+Compton+Plate+70.jpg" height="444" width="640" /></span></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Manchester & Compton</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgck30f1vtN4kDS_J34lhatAyeK9hsqRbhNZjTQbV649aNgaOlCvFXu2GejasDNS0ayaegfgvHZ1eISeScf5Z4QOFrVsO-jdCguRAVjfuxcDt9pu4K7nfILUeY1QT_S39wJoHGoT4f5DHs/s1600/Market+&+Jefferson+Plate+53.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgck30f1vtN4kDS_J34lhatAyeK9hsqRbhNZjTQbV649aNgaOlCvFXu2GejasDNS0ayaegfgvHZ1eISeScf5Z4QOFrVsO-jdCguRAVjfuxcDt9pu4K7nfILUeY1QT_S39wJoHGoT4f5DHs/s1600/Market+&+Jefferson+Plate+53.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></span></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Market & Jefferson</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFdx3krU3FhHAHzoXZqDC6zanEja2jQq04xsW7GV0t9AgK_RptePWfzbzS2OP9NwoACkWkiq_BH_Ow6g_X_0o1cRkT1_ka4ihrf-NKq2jH2tp2uKZAjXbb5vKQGM3XtvPZJ2-7pErXthA/s1600/New+Manchester+&+Kingshwy+Plate+98.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFdx3krU3FhHAHzoXZqDC6zanEja2jQq04xsW7GV0t9AgK_RptePWfzbzS2OP9NwoACkWkiq_BH_Ow6g_X_0o1cRkT1_ka4ihrf-NKq2jH2tp2uKZAjXbb5vKQGM3XtvPZJ2-7pErXthA/s1600/New+Manchester+&+Kingshwy+Plate+98.jpg" height="422" width="640" /></span></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Kingshighway & Manchester</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdyWPV7fC9rsNL1yUGI0wtUACqN_fu5HH3X1nkr0bamaffzniXH62FP8c6tg8isfSTx4XUeLEj1W2GNIkUiEaQMTH0pFPYJEdvRfTr1lUlCFGCJviaKQuV-9cpCVswr46cFeLwZKkDGsc/s1600/Park+&+Mississippi+Laf+Prk+Plate+39.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdyWPV7fC9rsNL1yUGI0wtUACqN_fu5HH3X1nkr0bamaffzniXH62FP8c6tg8isfSTx4XUeLEj1W2GNIkUiEaQMTH0pFPYJEdvRfTr1lUlCFGCJviaKQuV-9cpCVswr46cFeLwZKkDGsc/s1600/Park+&+Mississippi+Laf+Prk+Plate+39.jpg" height="344" width="640" /></span></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Mississippi & Park (Lafayette Park)</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP0cH2CCLzGeWx0mE0sduObQV_sxagGBnj-XO8SNjdAylJFTSA9LUA1CV4ilzpa478zCgbXl5vLpEKn7vI5J8kL5qM3GiYBpJq9Ojeq-4AconHAzVIWb4bRI9HaYrB7nstR_yGvS6PcMU/s1600/Russell+&+Menard+Plate+28.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP0cH2CCLzGeWx0mE0sduObQV_sxagGBnj-XO8SNjdAylJFTSA9LUA1CV4ilzpa478zCgbXl5vLpEKn7vI5J8kL5qM3GiYBpJq9Ojeq-4AconHAzVIWb4bRI9HaYrB7nstR_yGvS6PcMU/s1600/Russell+&+Menard+Plate+28.jpg" height="564" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Russell & Menard</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmp-EBdNXWpgo4ASgCSQAo_eylZcvnB-GNEma4LfqggV5MwHnoY4nCFL1VB6W3M_9z0n5yNNbRGEEOBNnnbN1HCtHr77CPVw3JcJ9Ne4qkr8cc30FTanLnXFgyNmrjcY-OAjd_tufI_Zk/s1600/SCRR+&+Easton+Page+Plate+86.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmp-EBdNXWpgo4ASgCSQAo_eylZcvnB-GNEma4LfqggV5MwHnoY4nCFL1VB6W3M_9z0n5yNNbRGEEOBNnnbN1HCtHr77CPVw3JcJ9Ne4qkr8cc30FTanLnXFgyNmrjcY-OAjd_tufI_Zk/s1600/SCRR+&+Easton+Page+Plate+86.jpg" height="468" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> St. Charles Rock Road & Easton (Now MLK Blvd.)</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwMI94d1_PAQBwWpceVzGRPk0NNDArugi2bPGiSSS4ErT3xbwzzJLRjDF4jq5GWlc5AhKMc-QLUt2s_gHUnrH1pJhO4_yZBVw67ztvR8oMLx3rn7vG_CuKWYs3ZYaytFjJ2HCupBjzmno/s1600/Pestalozzi+&+carondolet+Plate+30.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwMI94d1_PAQBwWpceVzGRPk0NNDArugi2bPGiSSS4ErT3xbwzzJLRjDF4jq5GWlc5AhKMc-QLUt2s_gHUnrH1pJhO4_yZBVw67ztvR8oMLx3rn7vG_CuKWYs3ZYaytFjJ2HCupBjzmno/s1600/Pestalozzi+&+carondolet+Plate+30.jpg" height="510" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Pestalozzi & Carondelet</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRqmUSm-QFYXb7dH6VIzxIDeWDO8rWB0iL54T_qclRDQmbPmCl9jkTKvRKbnQsvxOr1Pl_1G8PPzh6t1iQajNczOLrO7OwH0HKLNWHkwUAZVnkAP2QAAA3qem09A-d7Luf18H4r5a2CKY/s1600/SCRR+crosses+union+&+Kingshwy+Plate+103.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRqmUSm-QFYXb7dH6VIzxIDeWDO8rWB0iL54T_qclRDQmbPmCl9jkTKvRKbnQsvxOr1Pl_1G8PPzh6t1iQajNczOLrO7OwH0HKLNWHkwUAZVnkAP2QAAA3qem09A-d7Luf18H4r5a2CKY/s1600/SCRR+crosses+union+&+Kingshwy+Plate+103.jpg" height="622" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> St. Charles Rock Road & Kingshighway</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKHQvtpb3RxsHIJv9xCXyzNAZBsE6Xwn2Tj5RnpgstiRCIbVxeiVTUHS4aWG5AxzLY1tgY8a3PTOT7VrwbKRVsHSE2jBE6Aj5BBCvcC1U9SQ_f76FIyAjSqOi2Czt2ANlYNyZYMfEr7K0/s1600/Scrr+&+Taylor+Plate+104.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKHQvtpb3RxsHIJv9xCXyzNAZBsE6Xwn2Tj5RnpgstiRCIbVxeiVTUHS4aWG5AxzLY1tgY8a3PTOT7VrwbKRVsHSE2jBE6Aj5BBCvcC1U9SQ_f76FIyAjSqOi2Czt2ANlYNyZYMfEr7K0/s1600/Scrr+&+Taylor+Plate+104.jpg" height="496" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">St. Charles Rock Road (MLK) & Taylor </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH8sR_ow-27KbdXsoYeHWU9VRtoTM7W1bJszVj3i9MVwDXzYUsVVW-p4bvw6RqBLjSOsmG_rfbNRzGJt7kIRotAxLHeeCdPQKJomYAgAChGbQiEFQ08S-N_xw02MfTCJRx6hAgESwoYJ0/s1600/Tower+Grove+at+Shaws+Park+Plate+91.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH8sR_ow-27KbdXsoYeHWU9VRtoTM7W1bJszVj3i9MVwDXzYUsVVW-p4bvw6RqBLjSOsmG_rfbNRzGJt7kIRotAxLHeeCdPQKJomYAgAChGbQiEFQ08S-N_xw02MfTCJRx6hAgESwoYJ0/s1600/Tower+Grove+at+Shaws+Park+Plate+91.jpg" height="338" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Tower Grove at Shaw's Park</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxRmoUEjDvUlnXiaAM4_GtlUoe5UixXRvpmTgz-qJ6Ou6dUvt0zXpBN-yr3xQvMRxBEJC-Qie3EMTAjbKjVwKplsKUWfLXpjvp2ano5x71O4mOXEJvZMzPMnoz1UdH6FqePH-XPrPnX7Y/s1600/Washington+&+Ewing+Plate+71.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxRmoUEjDvUlnXiaAM4_GtlUoe5UixXRvpmTgz-qJ6Ou6dUvt0zXpBN-yr3xQvMRxBEJC-Qie3EMTAjbKjVwKplsKUWfLXpjvp2ano5x71O4mOXEJvZMzPMnoz1UdH6FqePH-XPrPnX7Y/s1600/Washington+&+Ewing+Plate+71.jpg" height="476" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Washington & Ewing</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Thanks for stopping by and I hope you found us okay. We're not that far away from The Rock Road & Lindbergh if you'd like to meet for a beer some day.</span></div>
<br />The Rock Road Reporterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11961203619767194085noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7891997973528458648.post-75592051090195415172015-02-24T12:45:00.001-08:002015-02-24T22:20:57.590-08:00St. Louis. It's all in the details.<div style="text-align: right;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs5LSp0K96xxkGpE-kbDSYvnUkNv86CTli4_eFmhx5qvFYCmw-FVJG8bMhmXlxV0-XPf03gl1sLJAQSgHKZd5KnaYMbwM4-AgsQkEqiRneXk4dK1ljGbD6Aj9meKzY18IrQ08rLjY8zYU/s1600/Carol_M._Highsmith_self_portrait_in_Willard_Hotel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs5LSp0K96xxkGpE-kbDSYvnUkNv86CTli4_eFmhx5qvFYCmw-FVJG8bMhmXlxV0-XPf03gl1sLJAQSgHKZd5KnaYMbwM4-AgsQkEqiRneXk4dK1ljGbD6Aj9meKzY18IrQ08rLjY8zYU/s1600/Carol_M._Highsmith_self_portrait_in_Willard_Hotel.jpg" height="400" width="302" /></a></div>
Over the past few years, our country has been given one of the biggest treasure troves of great photography that anyone has ever contributed. The renowned photographer Carol M. Highsmith, has toured the world and the United States, and has captured stunning images of our people, our places, our art and our architecture. Her recent donation of her entire collection of photographs to The Library of Congress, is mind boggling in it's generosity. Her collection of over 30,000 photographs is now in the public domain, which means that reproduction and publication of her photographs are now unrestricted.<br />
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In appreciation of Carol's art, I will always attribute her name to any of her photographs that I reproduce and that's what I'll do right now: <em> Photographs in the Carol M. Highsmith Archive, Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division. </em> Carol made a visit to St. Louis in 2009 and took a number of architectural detail shots and some unique images of The Gateway Arch. In fact, I believe her photo of the full Arch, in all its' glory, is the best I've seen. Let's take a walk with Carol through St. Louis and stop every once in a while to admire some of our City's most impressive architectural details. Be sure to click on the photos for larger images.</div>
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<h4 style="text-align: justify;">
Keil Opera House details:</h4>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisbT2Bl1M0ulQy22FCU_6WFE5R9SQ_tAw07MAmx6PS_vt_KVxncvd4U-9J7AwkzOKCaFvBQiwOfpIhRCvAV7dNiZ7Z2aGb2ToBelR92jZT2J3aG758gXIbh96abhNUCRG-qaEzjsFPWuU/s1600/Keil+detail+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisbT2Bl1M0ulQy22FCU_6WFE5R9SQ_tAw07MAmx6PS_vt_KVxncvd4U-9J7AwkzOKCaFvBQiwOfpIhRCvAV7dNiZ7Z2aGb2ToBelR92jZT2J3aG758gXIbh96abhNUCRG-qaEzjsFPWuU/s1600/Keil+detail+4.jpg" height="236" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhThMOOqs-WLb9hX-auTzXuNfGTn9YTqgrBZRrPGbjEpwGvMrXms74uZRrXeNjA4FccSS__h70lL15cxhzJ83XkKmpKi9infa6pfFbqg_mTQ7C3pLHUQRgVi2ClyBFO2XXF8H4tYGsVNOo/s1600/Keil+detail+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhThMOOqs-WLb9hX-auTzXuNfGTn9YTqgrBZRrPGbjEpwGvMrXms74uZRrXeNjA4FccSS__h70lL15cxhzJ83XkKmpKi9infa6pfFbqg_mTQ7C3pLHUQRgVi2ClyBFO2XXF8H4tYGsVNOo/s1600/Keil+detail+3.jpg" height="342" width="640" /></a></div>
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National Archives Building detail:</h4>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZVIzVmrDpIVMtJrkq5GY_NnEhDyCEbD3YpKGw3Q9OAw713qzgeCsfbdNH8RbJ4v0SAG7k49qGlkKG_kyK1jf-50QEU1IIF12heVcjqYIHvLWBz169_NeKlAKrM2wA8pOlnKvCN-ynckI/s1600/Rooftop+detail+NA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZVIzVmrDpIVMtJrkq5GY_NnEhDyCEbD3YpKGw3Q9OAw713qzgeCsfbdNH8RbJ4v0SAG7k49qGlkKG_kyK1jf-50QEU1IIF12heVcjqYIHvLWBz169_NeKlAKrM2wA8pOlnKvCN-ynckI/s1600/Rooftop+detail+NA.jpg" height="436" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rooftop detail</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqeiUZdWUeC7xh9fT_bLH-sM2mrHyUVVr8unP8aaya6vvG3wjdQXFIoex3H9P3QFYxU7bxmdzRzcte8Z9u3HRNOuOqTcqSTJwhLuJ8tN6s74JpGuuK3jnV1rtRDh_61T_NDQnl4IIoTIA/s1600/door+detail+National+Archives.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqeiUZdWUeC7xh9fT_bLH-sM2mrHyUVVr8unP8aaya6vvG3wjdQXFIoex3H9P3QFYxU7bxmdzRzcte8Z9u3HRNOuOqTcqSTJwhLuJ8tN6s74JpGuuK3jnV1rtRDh_61T_NDQnl4IIoTIA/s1600/door+detail+National+Archives.jpg" height="300" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Door detail</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4jbXSOjN1F9KWlJWl2dKYZNn0MUlV5HoOXhIfehtT-EY8rEREblJvjf2G-yI4TOGXNub91T3FGMGk5hCsw7mNF3vadLPABt_HdgKGmuKHP_lzZ98llOtCjQIT1q7EI9AC_WlnXDgb-LA/s1600/Staircase+Nat+Archives.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4jbXSOjN1F9KWlJWl2dKYZNn0MUlV5HoOXhIfehtT-EY8rEREblJvjf2G-yI4TOGXNub91T3FGMGk5hCsw7mNF3vadLPABt_HdgKGmuKHP_lzZ98llOtCjQIT1q7EI9AC_WlnXDgb-LA/s1600/Staircase+Nat+Archives.jpg" height="640" width="490" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Staircase</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkNeKNXnzRy6fGRLAYp_YlDJLWHZ-zg17HwqpCH8iAhrMtaWEjSrH3tYGEACX4kzNnxsjuxAdvQI-A2iShtyK1Do6eoIXHd6rAoH-MFKmUNUhbsuYr9Y4-gc0W_09brIZhzyFuaCKQNNc/s1600/mail+box+NA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkNeKNXnzRy6fGRLAYp_YlDJLWHZ-zg17HwqpCH8iAhrMtaWEjSrH3tYGEACX4kzNnxsjuxAdvQI-A2iShtyK1Do6eoIXHd6rAoH-MFKmUNUhbsuYr9Y4-gc0W_09brIZhzyFuaCKQNNc/s1600/mail+box+NA.jpg" height="640" width="470" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One fancy mailbox </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk8I_-RMT_kjQtqJELhOp1BtLXVruAQFWEX7zEgDmUDrWuZdHKRuAEeHDo2xSkIOx65ArXq1X8qx01ZuQlIasghlvPlkQNwHi_cejPjU-kcZMktMeJXFUav14B7_z2K6HaThRiWdpCJsE/s1600/Nat+Archives+bldg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk8I_-RMT_kjQtqJELhOp1BtLXVruAQFWEX7zEgDmUDrWuZdHKRuAEeHDo2xSkIOx65ArXq1X8qx01ZuQlIasghlvPlkQNwHi_cejPjU-kcZMktMeJXFUav14B7_z2K6HaThRiWdpCJsE/s1600/Nat+Archives+bldg.jpg" height="640" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">National Archives Building close-up</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw-DeE4BoL9c9s9eN2VWTXKtWXhz3Z-7R7Yzxbf3Uo2oFvH2VVVR3l1jGGvhg5BSYXKYvF3yej08mZYxIb2Vjqwu3Y9rdI7rQ2YUfvYTn7Jf4Bvpe-XZH0O-2MPJaauuYDXsAzrF__FQs/s1600/Drinking+Ftn.+Natl+Archives.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw-DeE4BoL9c9s9eN2VWTXKtWXhz3Z-7R7Yzxbf3Uo2oFvH2VVVR3l1jGGvhg5BSYXKYvF3yej08mZYxIb2Vjqwu3Y9rdI7rQ2YUfvYTn7Jf4Bvpe-XZH0O-2MPJaauuYDXsAzrF__FQs/s1600/Drinking+Ftn.+Natl+Archives.jpg" height="640" width="486" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Thirsty?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEEOXkes0szFss0gqfx3MegDfjD14ZkXN29VHUFvrWueCj-krsJRZLoWYDkd-lv1YunZ0uxAq3x9yGOtbGqeR7qtUa0EmKISJPC7-dyYFtQKjtAJLG-DRtY6mpFdWqX28py5acLSGzLjQ/s1600/Building+detail+Nat+Archives.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEEOXkes0szFss0gqfx3MegDfjD14ZkXN29VHUFvrWueCj-krsJRZLoWYDkd-lv1YunZ0uxAq3x9yGOtbGqeR7qtUa0EmKISJPC7-dyYFtQKjtAJLG-DRtY6mpFdWqX28py5acLSGzLjQ/s1600/Building+detail+Nat+Archives.jpg" height="640" width="498" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Building detail<br />
<br />
<h4 align="left">
Soldier's Memorial details:</h4>
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</div>
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</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9iTStTQPpGv9kEA0HpEJVUpJ7s7ifClaVCjbhlGNdJAKQ7YqaOmao3izOgJpiCawtSutU7gSNyPjg2emud61cmTBPaHwtCGoVr6nys-8KsUwWUL6FtFsz7Pv2Ux7MD07qkpWVZsPmosw/s1600/Soldiers+mem+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9iTStTQPpGv9kEA0HpEJVUpJ7s7ifClaVCjbhlGNdJAKQ7YqaOmao3izOgJpiCawtSutU7gSNyPjg2emud61cmTBPaHwtCGoVr6nys-8KsUwWUL6FtFsz7Pv2Ux7MD07qkpWVZsPmosw/s1600/Soldiers+mem+4.jpg" height="640" width="546" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyDESADNt3j5mSjPbC3DN2CeHY73YOYdsMh4um3XCIooigx2koH2ImqjrPjErHaXrAD7LlJ6BoM7Xk3HryfRVbzWtbSxlHnmkoPDmHxXaxlqwsw-PsHYombku7TqBs0bgyDoFqZAIBYl4/s1600/soldiers+mem2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyDESADNt3j5mSjPbC3DN2CeHY73YOYdsMh4um3XCIooigx2koH2ImqjrPjErHaXrAD7LlJ6BoM7Xk3HryfRVbzWtbSxlHnmkoPDmHxXaxlqwsw-PsHYombku7TqBs0bgyDoFqZAIBYl4/s1600/soldiers+mem2.jpg" height="640" width="588" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7uAjUBgAihGHWprr9U1PDSonfHptS8ZcJ5DU_iNHz6KSPFhxta8fOVH2m0UWE12gQKp4wX7wEG5UcYhyphenhyphenvtVOcxxpe3vyRJzAOlvmlmJBCAM3cl3HWhSItN8llMBTveFKRkhca-10Llv8/s1600/Soldiers+mem+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7uAjUBgAihGHWprr9U1PDSonfHptS8ZcJ5DU_iNHz6KSPFhxta8fOVH2m0UWE12gQKp4wX7wEG5UcYhyphenhyphenvtVOcxxpe3vyRJzAOlvmlmJBCAM3cl3HWhSItN8llMBTveFKRkhca-10Llv8/s1600/Soldiers+mem+3.jpg" height="640" width="546" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheyK4pywPcPKWdkBfuO2g_p43eANEj7cjG9HMXoa-kyMUb9jGB-0OIq3FwTHrUGpmxSqmma_2FVglx8dR0mWUYjOzPDk7YuzY_dTU2zIByGAYF6OVSdoJbvVToQNvDdm1llwN4lvPI0R8/s1600/Soldiers+Memorial.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheyK4pywPcPKWdkBfuO2g_p43eANEj7cjG9HMXoa-kyMUb9jGB-0OIq3FwTHrUGpmxSqmma_2FVglx8dR0mWUYjOzPDk7YuzY_dTU2zIByGAYF6OVSdoJbvVToQNvDdm1llwN4lvPI0R8/s1600/Soldiers+Memorial.jpg" height="430" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWnXww_fB9tp4NPi0TPJAZqgPAoDGlkMaoUuStY_9Aj_Jgofd2cTkAfRas9hgZWyI9wUWFq8Z0RBksqCuVIpBiUyGQC3hsD5Y5VZas4x68Z8NRv1bKw4B_2x95wDCiOK6xUNDkxW0uaCU/s1600/Sol+mem+5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWnXww_fB9tp4NPi0TPJAZqgPAoDGlkMaoUuStY_9Aj_Jgofd2cTkAfRas9hgZWyI9wUWFq8Z0RBksqCuVIpBiUyGQC3hsD5Y5VZas4x68Z8NRv1bKw4B_2x95wDCiOK6xUNDkxW0uaCU/s1600/Sol+mem+5.jpg" height="602" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMsZoHQbPs9Z-zNRzRqdkw7DGn0rvPxY6LB_Kys06Y-mRTk8jt3MxJwxK1FJ8wU6TouxTzm9wFwrYjQcPBoTwUdmTrjpsVNHsvzq0EYShWKXIPn3qpVOVkuYvjufCXZ-NLW-jJLehgCSw/s1600/Sol+mem+6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMsZoHQbPs9Z-zNRzRqdkw7DGn0rvPxY6LB_Kys06Y-mRTk8jt3MxJwxK1FJ8wU6TouxTzm9wFwrYjQcPBoTwUdmTrjpsVNHsvzq0EYShWKXIPn3qpVOVkuYvjufCXZ-NLW-jJLehgCSw/s1600/Sol+mem+6.jpg" height="600" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW_P5zGnvs-KTpoYgAVHAK1Ja99m2g_xC2pvIjBhaZWRoai4N54Puuk-BsClWgWsKhmKEYfsUPSLZHXDQLGdHkvBE3qqoehDHndSeNrRwcfCuGfiQd2Mz6g-2yWtDy2S9MS90pTnTY_F0/s1600/Sol+mem+7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW_P5zGnvs-KTpoYgAVHAK1Ja99m2g_xC2pvIjBhaZWRoai4N54Puuk-BsClWgWsKhmKEYfsUPSLZHXDQLGdHkvBE3qqoehDHndSeNrRwcfCuGfiQd2Mz6g-2yWtDy2S9MS90pTnTY_F0/s1600/Sol+mem+7.jpg" height="540" width="640" /></a></div>
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<h4 align="left">
St. Louis Gateway Arch detail:</h4>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdcBHIwGKQPllUeS4ees-M99DsIq_38ggtw4kiM6pjPIFeQZiTC4s_6KGYAacqkj5_5i-Fsw-ig-9wThTWL8jiIacXX-WVa5T-sYfrLjpR9MBGEjcrVLOWkcRZVlyD3AdvVoYPg90vT70/s1600/Arch+7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdcBHIwGKQPllUeS4ees-M99DsIq_38ggtw4kiM6pjPIFeQZiTC4s_6KGYAacqkj5_5i-Fsw-ig-9wThTWL8jiIacXX-WVa5T-sYfrLjpR9MBGEjcrVLOWkcRZVlyD3AdvVoYPg90vT70/s1600/Arch+7.jpg" height="640" width="468" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbTDf4EWDlKVgladlaoOCs2vdni6yPpv8_LdjA2AL2BHaTULIF50F7soNcdg3h_Mv8nlNwn9Pu4dVoFIXBSfqMpt3rJ37RfYfPQhlvwcTQK3IHtHuNZcYg-1zAe_FbkpPSyk66aAZlNu4/s1600/Arch+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbTDf4EWDlKVgladlaoOCs2vdni6yPpv8_LdjA2AL2BHaTULIF50F7soNcdg3h_Mv8nlNwn9Pu4dVoFIXBSfqMpt3rJ37RfYfPQhlvwcTQK3IHtHuNZcYg-1zAe_FbkpPSyk66aAZlNu4/s1600/Arch+2.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga5uzSs2b4BnXZImB5fc-GKMZl_eKM6f-hoArKF9lOXBP3FABYUpM8331FajJQ9KqOauuF0kT04OC5BLjz-0nEJuU42AaWe3P7vHdn7HuusokUbmurTpTtkiJ_FTqv74_mjSFg0ystEKE/s1600/Old+Court+House.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga5uzSs2b4BnXZImB5fc-GKMZl_eKM6f-hoArKF9lOXBP3FABYUpM8331FajJQ9KqOauuF0kT04OC5BLjz-0nEJuU42AaWe3P7vHdn7HuusokUbmurTpTtkiJ_FTqv74_mjSFg0ystEKE/s1600/Old+Court+House.jpg" height="640" width="456" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhGhhzvLGlfaatrXv1mVqFSxvF2fSLrRYUjONkdr9sxo2Lhg7Ns7IX0DebSovEmEHT0cKnuIBQh71MAjU1KK2hstd5dycR9iwqHOUFz-xrUqehqy_wIdjH4rGUUWN1CmZEvbXrlNeXMwc/s1600/Arch+0.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhGhhzvLGlfaatrXv1mVqFSxvF2fSLrRYUjONkdr9sxo2Lhg7Ns7IX0DebSovEmEHT0cKnuIBQh71MAjU1KK2hstd5dycR9iwqHOUFz-xrUqehqy_wIdjH4rGUUWN1CmZEvbXrlNeXMwc/s1600/Arch+0.jpg" height="640" width="476" /></a></div>
<br />
^ I believe that's the best photo of the Arch I've seen</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Thanks to Carol M. Highsmith for her incredible gift to our country.</div>
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Steve Erdelen</div>
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The Rock Road Reporterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11961203619767194085noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7891997973528458648.post-29087321587526630102014-12-29T09:26:00.001-08:002016-09-24T12:31:05.194-07:00A Tardy Pardon and Other Buried Treasures<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQg6UTKKmZhWw0sQ9JFOcY1HBXX4ppS3ASHevB_WpGGb41xq33TpmftctH49WhVQxIUsHj6h2hPBh_fgRP06u9Khbv56HgzKiS2hSd9hXTE2dfMh3YyiHWnhPDN3P0PIjUyD1Fh2IgnC4/s1600/Confederate+soldier+pardon+story.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQg6UTKKmZhWw0sQ9JFOcY1HBXX4ppS3ASHevB_WpGGb41xq33TpmftctH49WhVQxIUsHj6h2hPBh_fgRP06u9Khbv56HgzKiS2hSd9hXTE2dfMh3YyiHWnhPDN3P0PIjUyD1Fh2IgnC4/s1600/Confederate+soldier+pardon+story.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 16pt;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">By Kyle
Schrader</span><span style="font-size: 16pt;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<u1:p></u1:p>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">As he picks up flowers spilled by April showers, Kenneth
“Ken” Cox points to a grave etched as being shared by Benjamin, George, and
Dennis Lackland and explains, “When there was a flu epidemic, it was not
unusual to have two children buried together, or a mother and child.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
Cox, chairman of trustees of the Fee Fee Cemetery
Association, is perusing the grounds, located on Old Saint Charles Road in
Bridgeton. He notes the poor readability of the Lacklands’ grave marker: “It’s
worn limestone. Limestone just doesn’t stand up to the weather.” Lastly, he
points out that the monument, like many others there, is an obelisk (think
Washington Monument).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A man with appreciation for the details and history of Fee
Fee Cemetery, Cox has held his position as chairman for approximately a decade.
Before that, he “joined the church in 1986 and got on the board of trustees,
gosh, probably 20 years ago, give or take.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
Cox verifies the historical significance, stating, “It is
the first and oldest active cemetery west of the Mississippi.” That distinction
“used to belong to one down around Ste. Genevieve, but they closed it and the
church around 100 years ago.” He continues, “You’ve got old cemeteries out in
the woods somewhere, but we don’t know that.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Besides the Lackland family name, one scanning headstones
might also see the locally recognizable Adie, Hickman, Hanley, Averill, and
Branneky surnames, just to name a few. Regarding family plots, Cox asserts,
“People bought lots back on the 1930s and are just now using the rest of them.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
But perhaps the most interesting resident in the cemetery is
Confederate soldier James Morgan Utz, who died in 1864. “He was caught as a spy
here in St. Louis,” Cox relates. “He didn’t claim innocence, but somehow
somebody got ahold of Lincoln for a pardon. He was hung the day after Christmas
in downtown St. Louis, wherever the Union headquarters was, because the pardon
was not in time.”</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span></o:p> </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
The original Fee Fee Baptist Church, the oldest Baptist
church west of the Mississippi, was organized in 1807, and the original church
structure was built when land was deeded for a church and cemetery in 1815.
That small wooden structure (the exact whereabouts of which remain unknown and
the subject of rumor and speculation) was replaced in 1828-1829 by the brick
Old Fee Fee Meeting House, which still stands today and is the oldest house of
worship in St. Louis County. In 1870, a new church building was erected at Fee
Fee and St. Charles Rock Road (then replaced by another church, the current
one, built at the same location in 1975), and the Meeting House was converted
into a cemetery office and caretaker home. It remains so to this day, with
caretakers Pat and Brenda Moutray residing there with son Chris.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Just behind the Meeting House is the “Preachers’ Area,” where
only past preachers of the church are buried. And as one drives up to the
Meeting House, to the right is “Cremation Garden,” where the ashes of the
deceased are laid to rest. There is also a gate still standing in the middle of
the yard, a gate to nowhere, as it were, that was put up in 1914. “It’s too
narrow now,” Cox clarifies. “A car or truck would tear it up,” as it was made
for buggies. He indicates a particularly large slab of a headstone, weighing
several tons, and marvels at how it must have been brought in via horse and
buggy.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Referring to some of the older burials in the cemetery, Cox
attests, “We do have some Revolutionary War burials in here, but they were
moved from other unknown cemeteries.” He adds that he has “no idea” about the
number of graves, because “there are a lot of unmarked graves.” He can,
however, often tell if the ground has been disturbed. “If the ground’s real
dry, sometimes I can tell whether it’s been disturbed or not.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
In addition to pointing out the popularity of obelisks on
the property, Cox comments that there are a number of headstones with Masonic
symbols, indicating the numerous Freemasons. And finally, he shares a story
about why Civil War-era Union headstones tend to be flat or curved at the top,
while their Confederate counterparts are often pointed like a rooftop: “So no
damn Yankee can sit on them,” or so the saying goes.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Occasionally, Pattonville High School brings its history
students to the cemetery for field trips. In 1957, Ruth E. Abraham wrote As
a Tree Planted, about the history of Fee Fee Cemetery, and as the rebuilding of
Fee Free Road afforded more space to be used for future burials, there is
undoubtedly more history left to be written.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<o:p> </o:p></div>
The Rock Road Reporterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11961203619767194085noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7891997973528458648.post-75650011084532877082014-11-21T11:01:00.001-08:002014-11-21T12:48:58.157-08:00The Bear Wrestling, Pulitzer Prize Winning, Ex-Marine from Ritenour<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibZIdqg0f8pGpj1PbP3R7BbzAS4vvUp9qv-fpk468XQwJkW-FdnC9fROp1bQxdDLdmyYHAYhzVKLsCM7xYFykmbzlyx3oUm3rX-E34d-gWrU8dVbP0T3c2Y6f_tZPszuWFESyLg0sb8DA/s1600/keefemugNIE.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibZIdqg0f8pGpj1PbP3R7BbzAS4vvUp9qv-fpk468XQwJkW-FdnC9fROp1bQxdDLdmyYHAYhzVKLsCM7xYFykmbzlyx3oUm3rX-E34d-gWrU8dVbP0T3c2Y6f_tZPszuWFESyLg0sb8DA/s1600/keefemugNIE.jpg" height="320" width="227" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1964 Ritenour graduate, Mike Keefe</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The list of accomplished people who graduated from Ritenour High School is very impressive, but the name Mike Keefe, Class of 1964, really sparked my attention when I recently read through a list of notable alumni on the School District’s Web Site. Could this be the same Mike Keefe whose work I’ve always admired on Cagle.com? The same Mike Keefe that won a Pulitzer Prize for his editorial cartoons, while working at The Denver Post? I double-checked and yes, as it turns out, he’s the same guy.<br /><br /> "Mike Keefe was the editorial cartoonist for The Denver Post from 1975 through late 2011. His work continues in syndication. Throughout the nineties he was a weekly contributor to USA Today and a regular on America Online. Nationally syndicated, his cartoons have appeared in Europe, Asia and in most major U.S. news magazines and hundreds of newspapers across the country. </span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Keefe’s animations have appeared on broadcast TV, the internet and CD-ROM magazines.<br /><br />He has won top honors in the Fischetti, National Headliners Club, Society of Professional Journalists and Best of the West contests. He was a John S. Knight Fellow at Stanford University and is a past president of the Association of American Editorial Cartoonists. He was a juror for the 1997 and 1998 Pulitzer Prizes in Journalism. He won the Pulitzer himself in 2011.” *</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /> </span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqlpF_XSVQ83aiwUf0fjggf-UZNDTpw0gHlIoNiJ8XOtGlS-ue0VLrcw7sNs3wxa07CkfXh54hUjcfsQKdhaKE9IAonOD90He0wDsnsFaWbbu6i-WHMW6fB5EMwgFxfBfXbsNtbpDv1OY/s1600/KeefeM20140620.jpg"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqlpF_XSVQ83aiwUf0fjggf-UZNDTpw0gHlIoNiJ8XOtGlS-ue0VLrcw7sNs3wxa07CkfXh54hUjcfsQKdhaKE9IAonOD90He0wDsnsFaWbbu6i-WHMW6fB5EMwgFxfBfXbsNtbpDv1OY/s1600/KeefeM20140620.jpg" width="640" /></span></a><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A very impressive resume to say the least, but Mike didn't spend his youth in a privileged environment and his career path was never guided by affluent parents with high-level business connections. In fact, he had to work very hard to overcome tragic family circumstances and create opportunities for himself. His talent and insight were shaped by overcoming hardship and putting his sense of adventure to practice. His incredible self-reliance is briefly explained in two excerpts from a profile written about Mike, by Charles McNamara: <br /><br />"His brother died at age two and a half, devastating his mom and forcing his father, Ray Keefe, to find ways to care for her while earning a living. Running out of resources, he took the family back to California to be closer to other family. It didn’t work. The Keefe family fell apart. Mike, at age 17, was on his own and started wandering. Mike’s two sisters were put in foster homes. He lost contact with his family for years. His father cared for his wife until she died in 1971. Ray died in 1980.<br /><br />Keefe hitchhiked across America for a couple of years, worked for a year at the Chevrolet plant in Leeds, a suburb of Kansas City and then was drafted into the Marine Corps. After his discharge, using the GI Bill, he went to the Univ. of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC) and earned a Bachelor’s, Master’s and completed the coursework for a PhD in mathematics."<br /><br />"While studying at UMKC, Keefe started drawing cartoons for the University News. He became friends with Bill Sanders, cartoonist at The Milwaukee Journal. Sanders heard that Pat Oliphant, editorial cartoonist for The Denver Post, had taken a new job. He wrote a referral letter about Keefe to the Post who hired him in 1975. At that point he had drawn about 50 cartoons." **<br /><br />One would think that being a world renowned editorial cartoonist would be enough for one man, but after contacting Mike, I learned that he’s also an award winning author, a husband, father, guitarist, harmonica player and a bear wrestler. We’ll get to the bear wrestling a little later, but let me first take the liberty to explain why I’m fascinated with folks who do what Mike Keefe does, so well. <br /><br />As a career marketing person, I’m a bit envious of every good editorial cartoonist, because not only do they have eye-catching graphics ability and a strong, persuasive message, they also have the credibility of an entire news organization behind them. That’s impact and power that you just can’t buy for the price of an ad. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /> </span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmBeqkKVZP3zV8xcJyDf6z3xW1L-ssPkKaKBsG_MAaAfURkhqsSwkcdnviIoZzDDmhkG2R6Y5uQXajvtlaNX4MFya6fPgoW5e5JecwGiDE0tRGmEBeBG9rYira9BwJBKaaAPHEQ7Y27Ws/s1600/ColorSwatchToon+copy.jpg"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmBeqkKVZP3zV8xcJyDf6z3xW1L-ssPkKaKBsG_MAaAfURkhqsSwkcdnviIoZzDDmhkG2R6Y5uQXajvtlaNX4MFya6fPgoW5e5JecwGiDE0tRGmEBeBG9rYira9BwJBKaaAPHEQ7Y27Ws/s1600/ColorSwatchToon+copy.jpg" width="640" /></span></a><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Nothing can better personify the phrase “A picture is worth a thousand words,” than the work of a great editorial cartoonist. The best ones get directly to the heart of the matter and leave a powerful impression on us without reading paragraph after paragraph of political commentary. . They can reach the real essence of any crisis very quickly, whether that crisis is the economy, government corruption, political folly, or a man-made or natural disaster. Editorial cartoons can illuminate ridiculous policies, address important issues that are being ignored and call out inept leaders, greedy billionaires, warmongers and egomaniacs, to put them in their rightful place. <br /><br />Remarkably, they can do all that with just one picture and a few words and sometimes, no words at all. The best editorial cartoonists can make an immediate and sometimes incredibly persuasive impact on a mind that was previously made up. Trust me, that’s every marketers dream.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj87rrcTlPRvEIR1WVcxMq6VvVLtPB2KI-igWkwnymxP37jLxhHUzG5prMSTDS-5pSkpGRR9K2QcwVVDW-LLUV8gv_gX7ENvjuvWZuRwI0tsukNAPQRDjoTc_XBv2zsYRpFBuIkYGNKsQI/s1600/KeefeM20140904.jpg"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj87rrcTlPRvEIR1WVcxMq6VvVLtPB2KI-igWkwnymxP37jLxhHUzG5prMSTDS-5pSkpGRR9K2QcwVVDW-LLUV8gv_gX7ENvjuvWZuRwI0tsukNAPQRDjoTc_XBv2zsYRpFBuIkYGNKsQI/s1600/KeefeM20140904.jpg" width="640" /></span></a><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Mike’s cartoons tend to lean to the Democratic, or more liberal side of the issues and I asked him how his opinions were originally formed:<br /><br /> “Regarding politics, even though I didn’t understand the issues well, I was swept up in the JFK campaign in 1960. He was a charming candidate and, like me at the time, Catholic. Parishioners at St. Gregory’s were energized and the feeling was contagious. My political views were not really shaped until later, especially during the Vietnam War. By then, I’d been away from St. Ann for a couple of years.”<br /><br />Well, it all makes sense now. Mike hails from an area that grows Catholics, Democrats, Marines and folks with a healthy sense of humor. I’m happy that he’s taken a good bit of that heritage with him to help shape world opinion for a living. <br /><br />I hope you've enjoyed our feature, but I know what you've really been waiting for... here's Mike's bear wrestling story, from his own pen: </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><u>VICTOR</u></span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><u><br /></u><br />I was on the wrestling team at Ritenour in 1964 when I read a story in the Post Dispatch (or one of the county newspapers) about a wrestling bear. The owner was offering a cash prize to anyone who could pin this bear whose name, as I recall, was Victor. <br /><br />So far, Victor was undefeated.<br /><br />I decided to take the challenge. When I told my young sister, Teri, what I planned to do, she pleaded with me: “Don’t do it! You’ll get killed!” <br /><br />She always had a flare for drama.<br /><br />While she couldn’t dissuade me, she insisted on coming along in case she had to leap in and pull me away from a mauling. <br /><br />The event was held in the parking lot of a car dealership in St. Charles. We drove out on the Rock Road and when we arrived there was already a crowd surrounding Victor and his owner. The bear was muzzled and on a leash. <br /><br />I wanted to wait and watch someone else enter the circle first and grapple with the bear so that I could get an idea of what I was up against. But there were no takers. <br /><br />Finally, I stepped up. I was assured that the animal had been declawed and his fearsome teeth were safely out of the way behind the leather muzzle. There was some sort of time limit to the match, probably a minute or two. <br /><br />The owner raised his hand then brought it down sharply. “Wrestle!”<br /><br />I circled Victor, out of reach, for ten seconds, looking for an opening, The bear, still on his leash, turned with me. At first he stayed on all fours like a friendly dog, but then he reared up on his hind legs. He had six inches on me, at least. Intimidating. Oh well, I thought, this is what I came to do. I plunged in and wrapped my arms around him in, yes, a bear hug.<br /><br />At that point, you wouldn’t call it wrestling exactly. It was more like dancing. Round and round we went in a fox trot.<br /><br />Then somehow we ended up on the asphalt, rolling around playfully. I tried for something resembling a half nelson and got a powerful whiff of Victor’s breath. Holy smoke! The fumes were toxic. I was afraid the skin on my face might curdle. Then he poked his tongue out from the muzzle and licked my cheek.<br /><br />Still, I hung in there and, remarkably, I found that I had Victor on his back.<br /><br />That’s when I discovered why the animal was undefeated. It was impossible, anatomically, to put both his shoulders on the ground at once. Bears aren’t built that way. Victor seemed to smile and easily pushed me to the side.<br /><br />Soon, time was up, and I skulked away, defeated.<br /><br />On the way home, Teri admitted that the whole thing was terrific fun and she was grateful that I had not been eaten.<br /><br />After a moment, though, she leaned toward me.<br /><br />“Ewwww! What’s that smell?”<br /><br /> _____________________<br /><br />Before we go, let me play a couple more toons from Mike Keefe:<br /><br /> </span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirx_gaobCdHCKV6_ahdN3sW2uLC6C4v2pb-gQoUryb2qOWlV3e6vO21r8iPyiRnx2Kiy4PlLECWM7vAUMUrbpyNj1u-cP_bIf8zVU6_SKjkq9TcmAagESCVxJ25YcjBcKRpMGgady2g9A/s1600/10_16_14c.jpg"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirx_gaobCdHCKV6_ahdN3sW2uLC6C4v2pb-gQoUryb2qOWlV3e6vO21r8iPyiRnx2Kiy4PlLECWM7vAUMUrbpyNj1u-cP_bIf8zVU6_SKjkq9TcmAagESCVxJ25YcjBcKRpMGgady2g9A/s1600/10_16_14c.jpg" width="640" /></span></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbreI1kuk1WJ0qpwsqgvnXDqHTEMva4t8WF8XWmIBXXSJeuaZW5dDsIEEGOxdNYE2xPcFmkuSLi9s2wdLmjFw44CoPpSE6pa8S8ojibgJGP_bjEoMDgUN7ISMFBkh0aZJo2knrIlEkUP4/s1600/KeefeM20140814.jpg"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbreI1kuk1WJ0qpwsqgvnXDqHTEMva4t8WF8XWmIBXXSJeuaZW5dDsIEEGOxdNYE2xPcFmkuSLi9s2wdLmjFw44CoPpSE6pa8S8ojibgJGP_bjEoMDgUN7ISMFBkh0aZJo2knrIlEkUP4/s1600/KeefeM20140814.jpg" width="640" /></span></a><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> * Quote from San Miguel Writers Conference, where Mike won top prize for his nonfiction story, "The Blue Grenade," in 2014. You can read the story here: </span><a href="http://sanmiguelwritersconferenceblog.org/blue-grenade-by-mike-keefe/"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">http://sanmiguelwritersconferenceblog.org/blue-grenade-by-mike-keefe/</span></a><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> ** Profile of Mike Keefe, by Charles McNamara</span><a href="http://justaroundhere.com/index.php/all-sections/names-faces/famous-infamous-with-a-link-to-evergreen/109-mike-keefe-editorial-cartoonist"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">http://justaroundhere.com/index.php/all-sections/names-faces/famous-infamous-with-a-link-to-evergreen/109-mike-keefe-editorial-cartoonist</span></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBfx-IB93mXNo2TbVQNN3s_XSR_SCvXakfDfxe0RLu-ySzP1uR_ZsEiW5LCrp-fttz1QB4TW-QZ5aZ1NOPyJYftLR7pfo1IBIM21Ld3UrGZDf-JSMgwdu7XoPWEuJ9LeLhqt3GGmLjmmk/s1600/Traffic+Stops+Revised.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBfx-IB93mXNo2TbVQNN3s_XSR_SCvXakfDfxe0RLu-ySzP1uR_ZsEiW5LCrp-fttz1QB4TW-QZ5aZ1NOPyJYftLR7pfo1IBIM21Ld3UrGZDf-JSMgwdu7XoPWEuJ9LeLhqt3GGmLjmmk/s1600/Traffic+Stops+Revised.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<br />The Rock Road Reporterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11961203619767194085noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7891997973528458648.post-23581608363467667952014-09-22T08:51:00.000-07:002014-09-23T22:15:21.890-07:00Emerson’s public donation hides the real problem in Ferguson<br />
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</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Emerson Electric (Headquartered in Ferguson, Missouri) generated $25
billion in sales in the past year and is projected to have over $3.5 billion in cash
on hand, next year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Their recent
corporate donation of $4.4 million to fund scholarships and job training in the
Ferguson area is very admirable, but that donation will also serve as a quick
fix for a nightmarish public relations problem and of course, the donation is
tax deductible.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Considering the circumstances, I’m confident that there were
some very high-level meetings recently at Emerson’s headquarters and it was
decided to attack the “Ferguson problem”, with a generous donation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Again, I believe that was a noble gesture,
but it doesn’t begin to address what the real problem for Ferguson and its’
surrounding cities really is.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Namely, a
lack of good paying manufacturing jobs for people who are willing to work hard
and provide for their families.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Minimum
wage jobs and social assistance programs have <i>never </i>revived any cities
that I’m aware of.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>None.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ferguson was built primarily from the success
of nearby manufacturing plants like McDonnell-Douglas (Boeing) Ford, GM and
Emerson itself. </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">It was those companies’ movements elsewhere and their
downsizing that have decimated Ferguson.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">In today’s world, stockholder pressure and senior executive
profit incentives, force companies to ignore the communities that helped to
build their company in the first place.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Companies are now run by accountants who are constantly searching the
world for the cheapest labor and lowest taxes available, to show higher profits
on a short-term basis.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Investors and
executives demand it.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Consequently, some simple research on Emerson’s own Web Site
reveals that the company operates more than 150 manufacturing plants <i>outside
of the United States</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sure, many of
those plants may have existed previously through Emerson’s worldwide
acquisitions, but the question remains, how many new plants are planned to be
built in the United States?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Or, better
yet, in Ferguson?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How many?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Ferguson’s demise directly correlates with the demise of the
middle class in America and more specifically, North St. Louis County.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Corporate profits are at an all-time high,
but workers’ wages have actually dropped when you figure inflation into the
equation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If things need to change and
we all know they do, why not start in Ferguson?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It has the focus of the world on it right now and Emerson is a worldwide
company.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Emerson, please build a plant
in Ferguson.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Build a big one.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Be an example to the thousands of
corporations who forgot where their roots were and become a pioneer in helping
to rebuild the American Middle-Class. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Steve Erdelen</span></span></div>
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The Rock Road Reporterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11961203619767194085noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7891997973528458648.post-34488845466554727792014-03-13T09:49:00.000-07:002014-03-13T09:49:00.490-07:00We're Number One! Walking and talking in St. Ann.<div abp="1755" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I never thought I'd be writing a partisan political story on the Rock Road Reporter blog, but one can never say never. I'm a candidate for Alderman in St. Ann's Ward One and I'm having a great time talking to everyone in the Ward about the city. Well, not everyone, because many people haven't been at home when I dropped by and some people probably think that I'm a salesperson and won't answer the door anyway. I've already encountered so many dogs that I'm pretty sure I can tell you what breed the dog is, just by the sound of its' bark.<br /><br />As of February 28th, a couple friends and I have covered about two thirds of Ward One, with campaign materials, but so far, I've only been able to knock on about one quarter of the doors myself. I figured we should get the campaign information out right away and I'll catch up on personal visits as soon as I can. (Some people really have a whole lot to say and by God, I'm gonna listen).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">By election day, I will have personally knocked on every one of the estimated 1,500 doors in St. Ann's beautiful Ward One and I'll be a better man for it. So far, the reception from the people has been very good. I feel very welcome at people's homes and I've gathered a lot of information about what Ward One residents really think... both positive and negative. I'll certainly use all that information to better represent Ward One residents, if I'm fortunate enough to get elected.<br /><br />Let's start with the negatives I've been hearing:<br /><br />People are genuinely concerned about decreasing home values in St. Ann. The home equity that they have counted on for retirement is quickly crumbling right before their eyes.<br /><br />There is concern about decaying sidewalks and pothole filled roads.<br /><br />The recent prevalence of vacant homes and the negligence of absentee landlords is a very strong concern and probably the number one source of complaints.<br /><br />Business vacancies are another major source of concern and the lack of good shopping options in St. Ann is very frustrating for Ward One residents. "When you turn east on the Rock Road from Lindbergh, it looks like a Ghost Town, it looks like a bomb went off around here," said one Ward One resident. "I can't even buy a pair of pants around here anymore."<br /><br />Apathy. Many people complained that there is a general sense of apathy among the residents and the officials at City Hall. "It almost seems like we've just given up," said one very spirited grandmother.<br /><br />Several complaints were also heard about the speed traps and speed cameras throughout the city. One resident said "You're constantly looking over your shoulder around here and you get paranoid just driving to the store. I'm always afraid that I'm going to get ticketed, even when I know I'm going the speed limit. That's not right." There were also many concerns that the city is being kept afloat by writing tickets and that people were staying away from St. Ann, because they believe we have turned into "one big speed trap."<br /><br />Other complaints regarded everything from trash and yard waste removal to unruly neighbors, but most of the complaints regarded items listed above.<br /><br />Okay, now it's time to talk about the good stuff:<br /><br />I didn't hear any complaints about such city services as snow removal and street cleaning, etc. Many people said that they think that St. Ann has "the best Street Department around."<br /><br />I've heard very few complaints about crime in the city, or at least the part of the city that I've been walking in. The statement of "I feel very safe here," was echoed by several residents. "I like that they snuff out little gang problems before they become big problems," said a World War 2 Veteran. There was also general agreement that response times from the Police Department were extremely quick.<br /><br />"We have the best park system around and everyone knows that," said a woman who plays golf in Saint Ann, uses the indoor pool quite a bit and likes to take long walks through Tiemeyer Park. 'I just hope we can keep them up,' she added.<br /><br />For the most part, elected city officials were given a free pass. There were not too many complaints about the Mayor, Aldermen, or the Chief of Police, who seems to be very popular. It was also evident that people don't like to drop names and complain, because they either don't know who I'm friends with, or they just thought that it would be impolite to do so. Don't get me wrong... a few people complained loud and long, but on the whole, there was not a lot of vitriol directed at elected officials in St. Ann.<br /><br />There also seems to be some new hope over here in Ward One. Several people commented about how happy they were that progress is occurring at Northwest Plaza and elsewhere around town. "It's about damned time," said a close neighbor of mine.<br /><br />I agree. It is about time and I believe that it's about time that we took the momentum and ran with it. The City of Saint Ann has a lot of work to do, but if the residents of all the other Wards are as honest and expressive as the folks here in Ward One, I think we'll be just fine. Most residents can tell you exactly what the city needs: "We need more businesses!"<br /><br />That's what I heard while I was walking and that's the platform I'm running on. More business and more businesses. That's what's going to increase St. Ann's tax base, decrease property taxes, improve our home values and improve our standard of living once again. Our great parks and city services were built on sales taxes from businesses in this city and I believe that City Hall lost the focus over the years on bringing new businesses here and on keeping the ones we have. Simply put, getting more business in St. Ann will be my business if I'm elected. New business, new ideas and responding quickly to all of the great people I have met and will meet in Ward One.<br /><br />To all of those I've met, please call me if you have any more questions. To those of you I haven't met, please jot down a few questions, because I'll be glad to answer them for you. If you see me out walking, it will probably be in the best Ward the city has to offer. We're number One!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Thanks for spending some time at the Rock Road Reporter today. Check in often.</span></div>
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The Rock Road Reporterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11961203619767194085noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7891997973528458648.post-21943600878239126482014-02-04T11:53:00.000-08:002014-02-04T11:53:53.023-08:00Ritenour Student-Athletes Signing with Division I Colleges on National Signing Day<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Feb. 4, 2014 – Ritenour High School’s (RHS) Devin Alexander and Adewale Adeyoe, two of the top prep football players in the St. Louis region, will sign a letters of intent to play Division I college football on Wednesday, National Signing Day. Alexander has made the decision to play for the Toledo Rockets next fall, while Adeyoe will sign with the Utah State Aggies. Both will officially sign letters of intent at 9:30 a.m. on Wednesday (Feb. 5, 2012). <em> (Note: If Ritenour schools are not in session due to inclement weather on Feb. 5, the event will take place on Monday, Feb. 10 at 9:30 a.m.)</em> Media are invited to the event, which takes place in the lobby of the auditorium at Ritenour High School, 9100 St. Charles Rock Road. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> <br />Alexander and Adeyoe will be joined by RHS head football coach Hoyt Gregory, athletic director Drew Lohnes and teammates. In addition, three other RHS football players will sign letters of intent – including Le’juan Berry (Culver Stockton), Marvin Millet (Quincy University) and Nate Rifkin (Missouri Baptist).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> <br />Alexander, a quarterback and defensive back, was named the Suburban North Conference (SNC) Player of the Year on offense as he passed for 1,783 yards, with 13 touchdowns and rushed for 1,415 yards and 20 touchdowns this past season. The 6-4, 235 pound Adeyoe was named the 2013 SNC Player of the Year at defensive end after recording 81 tackles, 12 sacks and two fumble recoveries. </span> The Rock Road Reporterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11961203619767194085noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7891997973528458648.post-86809824856705691722013-12-30T14:18:00.001-08:002013-12-30T14:18:21.261-08:00Pattonville residents invited to swim over winter break<div align="left" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Pattonville residents are invited to participate in community swims at the Pattonville Aquatic Complex during the winter break. Events on Dec. 28 include a lap swim from <span class="aBn" data-term="goog_1279140939" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ"><span style="color: #222222;">1 to 2 p.m.</span></span></span> and an open swim from <span class="aBn" data-term="goog_1279140940" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ"><span style="color: #222222;">2 to 3:30 p.m. On Jan. 3</span></span></span>, a lap swim will be from <span class="aBn" data-term="goog_1279140941" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ"><span style="color: #222222;">11 a.m. to noon</span></span></span>, and an open swim from <span class="aBn" data-term="goog_1279140942" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ"><span style="color: #222222;">noon to 2 p.m.</span></span></span> Fee is $2 for adults and $1 for students and seniors aged 55 and older. All students must be accompanied by a parent while swimming.</span></div>
The Rock Road Reporterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11961203619767194085noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7891997973528458648.post-52386237161891734682013-08-29T13:24:00.000-07:002013-08-29T13:24:47.173-07:00United We Stand, Divided We Kneel<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><em>By Steve Erdelen (Reprinted from Summer 2011 hardcopy edition)</em></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4wcOgAb407LO_VMIF_a9ixBjlxsKL788Sk93e0ffX41P8dp6OFfib_atohr1AthH-NA96le1728g5lOwcjqoMppe1RcLFDDwN_wJXsvS1t0FX_X8IGpfR3qdmijuwaWFtKSe4ZbnVDKQ/s1600/Austrian+Miners.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4wcOgAb407LO_VMIF_a9ixBjlxsKL788Sk93e0ffX41P8dp6OFfib_atohr1AthH-NA96le1728g5lOwcjqoMppe1RcLFDDwN_wJXsvS1t0FX_X8IGpfR3qdmijuwaWFtKSe4ZbnVDKQ/s320/Austrian+Miners.png" width="285" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Iron mine workers in Minnesota, circa 1910</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If you turn back a page, you’ll notice a bug on page three. Not a real bug, but what is known as a union printer’s bug. That in itself is no big deal, but I happen to be very proud that our magazine is now being printed at a union printing shop. There was never any kind of protest against our magazine by any union member, or any pressure applied by anyone, whatsoever, to print at a union shop. It was my decision to go that direction and a very competitive bid helped me along. Decisions like that are made everyday by millions of small businesses around this country and our business is no different. The only thing that sets us apart from the vast majority of small businesses in this country is that our product is a direct reflection of the communities we are circulated in.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In other words, if you pick up a copy of The Springfield News-Leader on your way to visit your child at Missouri State University, or on your way to Branson, the chances are pretty good that your future perceptions of Springfield, Missouri will be influenced by that newspaper you just bought. My first job in the advertising business was in 1984 and since that time the biggest lesson I’ve learned, is that perception is everything. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">One of our contributors told me that she intentionally drops off copies of our magazine in trendy little coffee shops around the St. Louis area. She apparently does so, because she is proud of the magazine and she wants to help stop the perception that our area is on the decline and that we have very little to offer in terms of culture and commerce. As most of our readers realize, Northwest St. Louis County is brimming with great history, tremendous talent, fine businesses, beautiful homes and very friendly people. Region wide perceptions about this area however, could be dramatically improved. <br /><br />Combine the devastating decline of Lambert St. Louis International Airport, the destruction of 2,000 homes and nearly 100 businesses in Bridgeton for a seldom used runway and the effective abandonment of Northwest Plaza in St. Ann and what do you have? What you have my friend is a perception problem. Pile on top of that the nationwide trend in the 1980’s and 1990’s to migrate out of inner cities and their original suburbs (or exurbs) and then what kind of community are you left with? I guess the answer depends on your perspective and your insight. It depends on whether your perceptions are formed by the influence of your peer group, people you aspire to be like or pure, deductive reasoning. It’s sometimes easier to look down your nose at a person, or a geographic area than it is to look down your nose to study the real facts about someone or somewhere.<br /><br />The bottom line is that no matter where a person now resides, they are generally very proud of that place, but where they “grew up” is almost always sacred to them. I’ve seen it with my own eyes and heard it with my own ears. On the local Facebook Groups I’ve organized, I’ve read thousands of fond remembrances from area Baby Boomers about Northwest Plaza, St. Charles Rock Road, Pattonville and Ritenour High Schools and virtually every neighborhood around here. When I announced online that we were launching the Rock Road Reporter, I was immediately flooded (and still am) by request for copies of the magazine, by former local residents who now live in St. Charles County, Lincoln County, Warren County, Phoenix, Los Angeles, Detroit, Chicago, Los Angeles, Seattle, Washington D.C. and Bradenton, Florida, to name just a few. Did they think that our magazine was going to be the second coming of TIME, or NEWSWEEK, or ROLLING STONE? Nope. They just missed the area they grew up in and they thought that our magazine could bring a little piece of home back to them. <br /><br />The area that they grew up in was and is still considered to be a “working class” and “middle class” area. Their parents might have worked at McDonnell-Douglas (Boeing) or at the Ford or GM plant. They may have been in “the trades” as a machinist, pipe fitter, equipment operator, electrician, welder, plumber, carpenter, painter, bricklayer or laborer. Just like today, local people sold clothing and shoes and furniture and waited tables and tended bar and swept and mopped the floors at schools and at businesses. They worked hard and they took pride in what they accomplished. They put food on the table and they sent their freshly scrubbed kids to school everyday. America was booming and it was the working class and middle class paychecks that kept it booming. Families would buy that new Ford or Chevy or Dodge every three to five years and the new Zenith color television and the new Frigidaire as well. It made sense that one job here created another job here.<br /><br />Things have changed quite a bit since then for the working class. Lifetime jobs with the same company are now extremely rare, as are retirement pensions. Loyalty to workers is a thing of the past and the dignity and honor of an honest day’s work is often overlooked and underappreciated. Greed is rampant and the divide between rich and poor is much worse than it has ever been. A good friend and top salesman that I worked with in the early 1990’s told me back then: “It used to be that sales and marketing people ran companies and now it’s the bean counters that run companies.”<br /><br />His point at the time was that instead of investing in new markets and new products to create more profits, companies were beating down vendors and cutting jobs to prop up the bottom line. Very little has changed from his statement of 18 years ago, in fact it has gotten far worse. Corporations, with the tacit approval of Congress have basically declared war on the working people of this country. In the name of the bottom line, unions have been targeted and broken up, pension plans eliminated, insurance premiums increased and job security abolished. “Increased productivity” typically means that one person is doing the job of two or three people and by God, they better not complain about it. Most people know exactly what will happen to them if they do. Even if a worker keeps his or her mouth shut, the possibility of their job being shipped off to a foreign country remains a very real possibility. Speaking of foreign countries, American corporations are allowed to defer taxes from overseas profits to the tune of over $100 billion a year.<br /><br />Hundreds of billions of hard working taxpayer dollars have been used to save banks and financial institutions that were “too big to fail.” The very same banks and financial institutions who helped to create the sub prime mortgage lending crisis that ultimately wiped out trillions of dollars in middle class home equity all over this country. Thousands of middle class people hear a statement similar to the following every day: “We’re sorry Mr. and Mrs. Jones, but your house that was valued at $160,000 in 2007 is now worth $100,000. The $60,000 in equity that you thought you had has now disappeared; therefore we cannot issue you a line of credit to capitalize your new business, because you don’t have enough collateral.” <br /><br />When that happens and I can personally attest to the fact that it does happen, new jobs are not created and small businesses are not allowed to start-up or expand. The middle class is rapidly getting squeezed out of the American dream while billionaires are using millions of dollars of our tax money in the form of TIF’s (Tax Increment Financing) to “assist” them in the development of box stores that sell mostly foreign made merchandise. (For reference, see the new Wal-Mart Super Center being built on St. Charles Rock Road, in Bridgeton) Also, remember that the Wal-Mart atCypress and the Rock Road will be completely abandoned and presumably left for dead. <br /><br />Not to rub it in, but two wars are being fought overseas and we have found within us the generosity to grant the wealthiest among us a $700 billion tax break. Add to that the $700 billion bailout of Wall Street and you’ll come up with enough money to send 20 million of our citizens through four years of college. <br /><br />The GI Bill after World War II proved that educating Americans was a very smart thing to do. The bill helped to create the most innovative and skilled work force in the history of the world. It seems that, these days however, our tax money is better spent on subsidizing the wealthy in the hope that some of that money will “trickle down” to all of us peasants and “create jobs.” Job creation is a concept that politicians love to talk about, but have no idea of how to really make it happen. Rebuilding our infrastructure and investing in exurban redevelopment doesn’t seem to be a viable option for them. It’s much easier to just hand over money to corporations. <br /><br />How can ordinary working class or middle class people (or whatever sociologists like to call us) fight back against raging greed and self serving politicians? I believe the way our parents did it and the way their parents did it before them, was first to get off their rear ends and go to the polls and secondly, to form and join unions. They teamed up to bargain collectively and to strike with work stoppages against unlivable wages and unnecessary greed. They boycotted companies who mistreated workers and marketed shoddy products. They practiced the old lesson of vigorously protecting their own interest. The same lesson any rich person would teach their son or daughter. <br /><br />By the way, did I mention that there was a bug on page three?</span></div>
The Rock Road Reporterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11961203619767194085noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7891997973528458648.post-9297053154226752112013-08-27T14:39:00.000-07:002013-08-27T14:39:41.864-07:00Rock Road Brewer Gives Police and Firefighters Their Best Case Ever<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMNVF-G4JKQft9ueD0ytbH7Q7-xZmm__DXtKFOAl1ZGJFCuD9LQkDvapPujBw3fMwsUt9FVbJ8p-N7FYjiuEstcdbyGFOvxZzRBvqfnGEUrdp1TWh3zqCOW-Cx5Q0m0B-JiXJFUNmteqU/s1600/American+Patriot+Beer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMNVF-G4JKQft9ueD0ytbH7Q7-xZmm__DXtKFOAl1ZGJFCuD9LQkDvapPujBw3fMwsUt9FVbJ8p-N7FYjiuEstcdbyGFOvxZzRBvqfnGEUrdp1TWh3zqCOW-Cx5Q0m0B-JiXJFUNmteqU/s320/American+Patriot+Beer.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Just in time for Labor Day celebrations with family and friends, St. Louis Police Officers and Firefighters will be receiving a full semi-truckload of American Patriot Beer.<br /> <br />John Beal, President of American Patriot Beer and CEO of John Beal Roofing laughed, "I considered giving the Officers and Firefighters a case of shingles, but my VP of Marketing, Sam Maiden Jr., convinced me that they would rather have a case of American-owned and American-Brewed American Patriot Beer!"<br /> <br />Beal continued, "Seriously I love these folks, over the years my company has put a lot of roofs on the homes of these incredibly brave people, who put it all on the line for all of us every day. I can't begin to imagine what kind of courage it takes to face down a bad guy or run into a burning building."<br /> <br />"Life has been good to me and this is just a small way of honoring the bonds of courage and fidelity to duty that these folks share. I hope that this Labor Day, as they gather with friends and family that everyone will let them know how much we appreciate the risks they take to keep all of us safe," Beal concluded.<br /> <br />The American Patriot Beer will be available for pick-up at the St. Louis Police Officers Association Hall at 3710 Hampton Avenue just in time for the Labor Day Weekend.<br /> <br />Sgt. David Bonenberger, President of the St. Louis Police Officers Association and Demetrius Alfred, President of the St. Louis Firefighters Association said, "We are absolutely delighted and totally surprised by this generous action and we know our men and women will enjoy the FREE cases of American Patriot Beer woleheartedly and responsibly as all good citizens do! <br /> <br />"On behalf of all our brothers and sisters in the law enforcement and firefighting<br />professions, and like all those people on TV say, 'Thank you! John Beal."<br /> </span>The Rock Road Reporterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11961203619767194085noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7891997973528458648.post-20232311845272486362013-08-15T08:25:00.000-07:002013-08-15T08:25:17.310-07:00Local FM Radio is Coming To Your Smartphone<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">INDIANAPOLIS, Aug. 15, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Unprecedented coordination by radio broadcasters led to today's announcement that Sprint will begin installing the NextRadio® application in a broad array of FM-enabled wireless devices over the coming years, allowing consumers to listen to their local radio stations on their smartphones.<br /><br />"Today we set a new course as an industry, one that will bring exciting audience and advertiser engagement opportunities," Emmis Chairman & CEO Jeff Smulyan said. "This announcement is a credit to the entire radio industry, which has unified to make this happen."<br /><br />The announcement by Sprint also marks the official launch of NextRadio®, the smartphone app that delivers a highly interactive artist and ad experience to FM-enabled smartphones. <br /><br />Data for the NextRadio® app is supplied by TagStation®, the cloud-based engine that offers stations the ability to upload branding images that will display as default artwork in the NextRadio® app, as well as call letters, format, station name and slogan. This basic, free level of station integration is open to all radio stations and creates a compelling experience within the app as the user is able to quickly associate their local stations with familiar visuals while browsing. <br /><br />If a station does not register at TagStation®, listeners using the NextRadio® app will still be able to hear the radio station but may not see the station's logo displayed.<br /><br /> "Whether the station is large market, medium market, small market, commercial or non-commercial, this free service will provide listeners with a visual radio listening experience on the FM-enabled smartphone. Radio stations no longer have to add the cost of Internet Streaming to get local FM radio on a mobile device," said Paul Brenner, Emmis' Chief Technology Officer and President, NextRadio, LLC. "Adding full TagStation® capabilities allows radio stations to offer listeners features like album art and artist information, listener feedback, song tagging capabilities, enhanced advertising options and social integration, which dramatically enhance the listening experience."<br /><br />Smulyan noted that more than 1,500 stations signed up for the free services offered by TagStation® and thousands more are expected following today's product launch. Additionally, industry leaders like Beasley, CBS Radio, Entercom, Greater Media and Hubbard registered for the additional services through TagStation®.<br /><br />The Radio Advertising Bureau and National Association of Broadcasters enthusiastically endorse the idea of FM receivers in smartphones. The NextRadio® system brings that feature to select Sprint smartphones and includes every radio station in America on the service. To see a demonstration of the NextRadio® app, go to </span><a href="http://tagstation.com/nextradio/"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">http://tagstation.com/NextRadio/</span></a><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">. To sign your station up for this free service, visit </span><a href="http://www.tagstation.com/signup"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">http://www.tagstation.com/signup</span></a> </div>
The Rock Road Reporterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11961203619767194085noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7891997973528458648.post-73661647432780353202013-04-26T20:34:00.000-07:002013-04-26T20:58:24.307-07:00Pattonville High ranked No. 19 in Missouri, in Top 10 percent in nation<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifldFU-xKBI6zJn8mMA4OqW1VrxUE4i0qJVG3AF01XJTjgGjfVkvDLWlo1uCKet_yXsXb8Cp-UtSnGIGKt7wkaRoJt5bsi61GG5BT5XO0d1rC0UYLqA89sL7GK5P3Rg16SoqZAILlPAHI/s1600/Pattonville_High_School_Girls634637773950308910.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" lwa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifldFU-xKBI6zJn8mMA4OqW1VrxUE4i0qJVG3AF01XJTjgGjfVkvDLWlo1uCKet_yXsXb8Cp-UtSnGIGKt7wkaRoJt5bsi61GG5BT5XO0d1rC0UYLqA89sL7GK5P3Rg16SoqZAILlPAHI/s400/Pattonville_High_School_Girls634637773950308910.jpg" width="372" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Pattonville High School was ranked in the Top 20 high schools in Missouri and the Top 10 percent of high schools in the nation on U.S. News and World Report's 2013 Best High Schools Ranking List. Pattonville was ranked No. 19 out of 560 high schools in Missouri and No. 1,914 out of more than 21,000 public high schools in the U.S.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"This recognition is a testament to the hard work and dedication of our students and our teaching staff as well as further proof that Pattonville High School is an exemplary high school that fosters the social and academic development of each student," said Dr. Joe Dobrinic, Pattonville High School principal.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">U.S. News evaluated 21,035 public high schools in 49 states and the District of Columbia. Schools were awarded gold, silver or bronze medals based on state proficiency standards and how well they prepare students for college. Pattonville was one of 7 percent of schools that earned a silver medal. The Top 500 high schools in the nation (or Top 2 percent) earned the gold medal. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">U.S. News used a three-step screening process in order to select the Best High Schools. The first two steps were designed to ensure that the schools serve all of their students well, using performance on state standardized tests as the benchmarks. During the first step, schools had to demonstrate that their students performed better than statistically expected for the average student in the state based on reading and math test results. Schools which made it past the first step were evaluated based on whether the school's least-advantaged students were performing better than average for similar students in the state.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Schools which made it past the first two steps became eligible to be judged nationally on the final step - college readiness performance. This criteria used advanced placement (AP) or international baccalaureate test data as benchmarks for success, depending which was the largest at the school. Pattonville was evaluated based on its AP data, including participation rate and AP test data. AP is a College Board program that offers college-level courses at high schools across the country.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">To see Missouri's Best High Schools Ranking list, go to:</span><a href="http://www.usnews.com/education/best-high-schools/missouri/rankings?int=c0b4c1"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">http://www.usnews.com/education/best-high-schools/missouri/rankings?int=c0b4c1</span></a>The Rock Road Reporterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11961203619767194085noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7891997973528458648.post-82017509706491453572013-01-15T09:06:00.003-08:002013-01-15T09:06:40.282-08:00He's got a problem and a gun. Now what?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6e/Short-Recoil_pistols_1896-1911.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="484" jea="true" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6e/Short-Recoil_pistols_1896-1911.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Solving gun violence is not a more or less proposition.<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">By Steve Erdelen <o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I’d like to begin this piece by mentioning that I’ve been a hunter for over 20 years and I’ve never seen anyone actually hunt with a pistol or an assault rifle.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Never.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not to kill a deer, a turkey, a rabbit, or a squirrel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I assume the rationale behind that is that a pistol is just not a very effective hunting tool and assault rifles wouldn’t be considered “sporting,” by any of the hunters that I know of, or have ever heard of.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Let’s face it… the overwhelming majority of murders and firearms accidents are committed with pistols and the majority of mass killings are committed with assault weapons.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Pistols and assault weapons may be a fun hobby at the local shooting range, but their only <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">true purpose</i> is to kill human beings and they do that very efficiently.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Firearm deaths have now surpassed automobile accident deaths in 10 of our states with 31,672 firearm related deaths reported overall in the <st1:country-region><st1:place>United States</st1:place></st1:country-region> in 2010.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>More than one third of those deaths (11,098) were reported as homicides.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Suicides using firearms were reported at 18,735 in 2009.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not surprisingly, gun owners are much more likely to commit suicide than non-owners, because of the easy availability and lethality of their respective firearms.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Accidental discharges from firearms killed 600 Americans in 2009.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For unknown reasons, statistics for intruders and attackers who died at the hands of armed self-defenders are lumped into the “homicide” category of firearm statistics and are extremely difficult to accurately obtain.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, one important study noted that 1,209 women were murdered in 1998 and only 12 women used handguns to kill their attackers in that particular year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Statistically speaking, that’s less than 1% on the self-defense side.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For the sake of argument, let’s double that statistic and say that 2% of all homicides are in self-defense.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In other words, for every 50 people who are killed by a handgun, one person kills an attacker with a handgun.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Those are not very good odds for the “I bought a gun for self-protection,” folks, but statistics don’t seem to hinder the recent, unprecedented, rush to buy firearms and ammunition.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This trend began in earnest after the <st1:place><st1:city>Newtown</st1:city>, <st1:state>Connecticut</st1:state></st1:place> school shootings and is wholly supported by the National Rifle Association, or the NRA.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That organization has a stated mission to defend our constitution’s Second Amendment (the right to bear arms) and they do a very good job of it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In fact, they are considered the largest and most effective lobbying group in the <st1:country-region><st1:place>United States</st1:place></st1:country-region>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The NRA runs a very well-oiled propaganda machine that is very adept at creating patriotic frenzy among the general citizenry.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They are also well versed in the art of intimidating politicians.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When the NRA speaks, many people listen, but most politicians listen very intently.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Armed with a massive war chest, the NRA has “gone after” politicians who have publicly disagreed with their <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">no gun restrictions at all</i> policies and helped to drum many of them them out of office.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Whether people agree or disagree with their policies, the NRA certainly deserves credit for their ability to organize and mobilize their membership, which is made up of made up of more than 4 million gun owners and growing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With that said, I think it is very unfortunate that in the NRA’s zeal to defend one constitutional right, they are perfectly willing to stomp on several other constitutional rights.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For example, what was the NRA’s solution to end mass killings at elementary schools?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Arm all of the teachers.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That’s right, arm kindergarten teachers and right on up the line to the colleges.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The venerated NRA, a huge and important lobbying entity, deliberated in silence for a couple of weeks after the <st1:city><st1:place>Newtown</st1:place></st1:city> killings and then announced to the public that all we had to do was arm anyone who could possibly come in contact with a mass killer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As if all of those McDonald’s employees should have been armed in <st1:city><st1:place>San Diego</st1:place></st1:city> and all of the movie ushers should have been armed in <st1:place><st1:city>Aurora</st1:city>, <st1:state>Colorado</st1:state></st1:place> and, I suppose, every employee who had ever worked with a murderous disgruntled employee, should have been armed as well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Consider this concept for a moment:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our right to assemble; our right to free movement, our right to free speech and our right to petition the government with our grievances would all be negatively effected if guns were everywhere we looked.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Trust me, as an enlisted Navy man on liberty with my shipmates, I saw Spanish dictator Franco’s Civil Guardia with automatic weapons on practically every street corner of <st1:city><st1:place>Barcelona</st1:place></st1:city>, in 1973.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Although they posed no threat to me personally, I can only imagine the daily fear and intimidation that the Spanish people lived under, virtually surrounded by guns and the “authorities,” who were “protecting,” them from themselves.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">More guns displayed in public areas are surely not a sensible solution in a free society like ours.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So what <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">is </i>the solution?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Fewer guns?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Let’s start with the fact that over 180,000,000 guns are already owned in the <st1:country-region><st1:place>United States</st1:place></st1:country-region>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How many of those guns would need to be destroyed in order to bring down the murder, suicide and accident rates for firearms? Conversely, using the NRA’s logic, how many <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">more</i> guns would we need to purchase to bring down those same rates?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It’s my personal opinion that neither side of the gun quantity argument is very convincing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The solution to gun violence has little to do with the guns themselves.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Most firearm deaths are the result of mental instability in whatever form that it may take.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mental health issues such as severe depression, lack of self-esteem, extreme jealousy, mania, drug/alcohol addiction, schizophrenia and anti-social behavior, all combine to make up the vast majority of firearm deaths.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The real question is… what are we doing right now to treat those dangerous building blocks of firearm fatalities?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Regrettably, very little has been done recently to address mental instability in the <st1:country-region><st1:place>United States</st1:place></st1:country-region>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If <st1:state><st1:place>Missouri</st1:place></st1:state> is any indication, our country is rapidly spiraling downhill in regard to treating mental health problems.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To better illuminate the beginning of our state’s huge spending cuts for mental health services, here are two excerpts from an editorial published by the Joplin Independent in 2005:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“Governor Matt Blunt’s Fiscal Year 2006 budget recommendations would slash nearly $41 million from the Missouri Department of Mental Health’s general revenue for community treatment and rehabilitation services. Psychiatric services and alcohol and drug treatment programs would lose an additional $20 million in federal funds because of the reduction in state matching funds. An additional $24 million in federal funds for mental retardation and developmental disability services would be lost. Thousands of </i><st1:state><st1:place><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Missouri</i></st1:place></st1:state><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">’s citizens would be affected by this $85 million loss in funding.”</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And there’s more:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“Loss of federal funds will eliminate suicide prevention programs which have been instrumental in reducing </i><st1:state><st1:place><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Missouri</i></st1:place></st1:state><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">’s suicide rate. Persons with a serious mental illness who are unable to access care and medications will suffer recurrent episodes of acute symptoms. Emergency room visits, hospitalizations, and law enforcement involvement will increase. </i></span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Nearly half of Missourians receiving substance abuse treatment services are referred from the criminal justice system. With the proposed budget cuts, community-based psychiatric services will no longer be available to half of the court-referred clients, who have committed crimes and are on conditional release.”</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ironically, former Missouri Governor Matt Blunt now sits on the Board of Directors of the National Rifle Association and has vigorously encouraged the unrestricted sale of assault weapons, both as Missouri Governor and during his tenure on the NRA’s Board.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It would, of course, be unfair to say that there was any direct correlation between Mr. Blunt’s cuts in mental health programs and his promotion of assault weapons, but, as they say, “Policies have consequences.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His positions as Missouri Governor and NRA Board Director, can be weighed together, or separately, but the net result of his policies are the tragic facts that severely disturbed people have been thrown out into the streets and their access to assault weapons continue to be unhindered by our laws.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Cutting mental health programs is a pretty simple political undertaking, because the people who are served by those programs can’t, won’t and don’t fight back.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is no widely organized constituency that I know of that can launch an effective counter-campaign to retain, or regain, mental health services.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The mentally ill don’t have an organization like the AARP to back them up and once the government abandons them, they are on their own.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our most fragile citizens can be our most dangerous citizens and they have mostly been left to fight their demons all alone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As the argument concerning more guns, or fewer guns, continues, consider the notion that it may not matter at all. As long as our insurance companies and our government continue to deny treatment for the mentally unstable, the violence will surely continue unabated.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The current consensus that most of our politicians have reached, regarding extensive background checks for everyone who purchases a gun, is decidedly not what the framers of the constitution had in mind.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Aren’t freedom and privacy the very things that all of those guns are supposed to be protecting in the first place?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Instead of losing focus on the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">real</i> firearms problem and spending tens of billions to implement even more freedom and privacy restrictions, why not spend that money on assisting the mentally ill to more actively participate in the most fundamental constitutional right of them all?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Namely, the “<em>pursuit of happiness</em>.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sources; USA Today, VPC.org, The Joplin Independent, nra.org.</span></div>
The Rock Road Reporterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11961203619767194085noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7891997973528458648.post-44707236945161409502012-04-23T08:09:00.000-07:002012-04-23T08:09:30.643-07:00AMERICAN DREAM IN NORTH COUNTY?<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 11px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px;"><b><i>By Steve Stranghoener</i></b></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">In today’s economy, the American Dream seems to have gone up in smoke. With high unemployment, stratospheric gasoline prices, home values in the tank and so many people struggling just to make ends meet, the dream seems to have turned sour. But, I suspect, like most of you, I’m an optimist and a patriot. Can I lift your spirits with clichés like, never say die, don’t give up the ship or it’s always darkest before the dawn? No, well how about an inspiring rags to riches story? Nah you say, those things only happen once in a lifetime in places like Hollywood or the Big Apple? C’mon, lift your chin up because this breath of fresh air comes from right here in your own neck of the woods. How about a Horatio Alger story from right here in North County. Here we go … damn the torpedoes and full speed ahead!</span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8D4-azqCqmXvOrkOQoONkhBAjKdC3_G7JY4noE_vnfcNlL2qE_NieCeF4XZcPlRCFDO89S8rWg6ctgVi9V6jn47AYqTbLe_URNkyQro3HA22EmTMwWHNAnF_Uu4WYUn0JYstenQJfMPk/s1600/FacesandCrane.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8D4-azqCqmXvOrkOQoONkhBAjKdC3_G7JY4noE_vnfcNlL2qE_NieCeF4XZcPlRCFDO89S8rWg6ctgVi9V6jn47AYqTbLe_URNkyQro3HA22EmTMwWHNAnF_Uu4WYUn0JYstenQJfMPk/s320/FacesandCrane.jpg" width="256" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jim Crane, Steve Stranghoener & Jim Pleimann, in the late 1970's.</td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Back in the 1970s, there was a kid named Jimmy Crane who lived in North County and had dreams of being a major league baseball player. It may have been a little far-fetched but the pitcher from Lutheran North High School had a pretty good arm; good enough to get him into Central Missouri State. As he plied his trade on the mound, Jimbo had enough talent to attract some major league scouts. Then the bottom fell out when he blew out his elbow. From there, Crane-o led a typical NoCo life. It was so average that he spent a lot of time hanging out with bums like me playing touch football, wiffle ball and drinking beer. The dream seemed laid to rest by the time Jim was in his late twenties, divorced and stuck in a dead end job without two nickels to rub together. But he had something special. He never gave up the dream. And he buoyed his hopes with a willingness to work hard and take risks that the average Joe might never chance. He figured, what do I have to lose?</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Some thirty years ago, young Crane-o picked up stakes, moved to Houston, borrowed the then enormous sum of ten thousand dollars and started his own business on a hope and a prayer. It wasn’t much of business. All he really had was a small apartment with a phone and one of those new-fangled personal computers. Oh, there was something else. He had a dream and a burning desire to succeed. Crane’s angle was you didn’t need millions of dollars in trucks and airplanes to be a freight forwarder. All you had to do was sell people on the fact that you could make things happen and arrange to get their goods from point a to point b by the allotted time. A funny thing happened. Crane-o never gave up on the dream and kept plugging away and growing the business based on his simple plan. Do you know what? Persistence paid off and that tiny, little business grew into Eagle Global Logistics with some nine thousand employees and offices in a dozen countries before he sold it for hundreds of millions of dollars.</span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ8t352ffi4J0a92S-DwoNxDYAWUDMGOWvs-gFKndlsZIVfapimxmKyitqxlEEHH1s_trUuu1R4cGpJ2oco_dH3IfbRu9Po_FjdmnvQFklAFHqd4mcf6ySuAGYghZe7O0b5IJT0FYGL8Y/s1600/craneastros.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ8t352ffi4J0a92S-DwoNxDYAWUDMGOWvs-gFKndlsZIVfapimxmKyitqxlEEHH1s_trUuu1R4cGpJ2oco_dH3IfbRu9Po_FjdmnvQFklAFHqd4mcf6ySuAGYghZe7O0b5IJT0FYGL8Y/s1600/craneastros.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jim Crane introduced as the <br />owner of the Houston Astros.</td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Is that all there is? Crane-o made a bunch of money and then cashed in his chips? No, this kid from North County didn’t stop there. What’s the one thing that could possibly be better than playing major league baseball? How about buying your own team? Yep, that’s right! Our own little Jimmy Crane from North County is the guy who bought the Houston Astros a few months back. Rocky Balboa is alive and well in America and it can happen anywhere, even right here in North County. So this one goes out to all of you young guys and gals around here who may be stuck in a ditch wondering if things will ever turn around and get better again. I say yes, of course they will. And it will be because of young dreamers like you who work hard, take chances and don’t let anything get them down.</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Hey, there’s one more thing. Even old guys like me still have dreams. That’s why I’m trying to build a second career as a writer. Please go to amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com or westbowpress.com and check out my books: Murder By Chance, The Last Prophet, Asunder: The Tale of the Renaissance Killer and Tracts In Time. Or better yet, come out to Krieger’s in Chesterfield (1684 Clarkson) this Wednesday, April 25</span></span><sup><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">th</span></span></sup><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> from 3:00 to 6:00 pm and meet me. I’d be happy to sign your book and will have copies for sale if you haven’t picked one up yet. I’ll be appearing with Kevin Slaten who will be broadcasting his King’s Court show live from Krieger’s. Hope to see you there!</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>The Rock Road Reporterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11961203619767194085noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7891997973528458648.post-15659559427141690952012-04-05T14:47:00.001-07:002012-04-06T06:43:28.391-07:00Ritenour Announces 2012 Teacher, Employee of the Year<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRFfmmFbTRamhmQcN9fAdSzTLMpSqB-bCxipa5a6ayC3zVJivi4d4gXvoJmg1KDcvHZ0-Mlgy9y8GmOWdxcpFFsAqTnDFV-JEkmgcyPKZf26a6wC1-Na7-P5W8ftctZETkk4LccPVYPO4/s1600/Group+Photo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRFfmmFbTRamhmQcN9fAdSzTLMpSqB-bCxipa5a6ayC3zVJivi4d4gXvoJmg1KDcvHZ0-Mlgy9y8GmOWdxcpFFsAqTnDFV-JEkmgcyPKZf26a6wC1-Na7-P5W8ftctZETkk4LccPVYPO4/s640/Group+Photo.jpg" width="536" /></a></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">April 4, 2012 – The Ritenour School District has selected <b>Lisa Watkins</b> of Ritenour Middle School as the district Diamond Circle Teacher of the Year and <b>Harlon Williams</b> from Iveland Elementary School as the Diamond Circle Employee of the Year. The district also named nine other teachers as Diamond Circle recipients for their respective schools. Diamond Circle Awards are given to teachers and staff that best exemplify the district’s commitment to quality education and service. Awardees are chosen each year by colleagues at their buildings. <br />
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Watkins is a reading specialist at Ritenour Middle. Now in her fifth year with the district, Watkins is known as a highly-skilled teacher, committed to helping every student she works with succeed every day. <br />
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“Lisa is a dedicated, student centered teacher,” said Ritenour Middle Principal Ken Roumpos. “She has an incredible desire to see all of her students be successful. She is committed to student growth academically and socially. Every one of her students knows that Mrs. Watkins cares about them and their success. She is one of the most gifted educators I have ever known.” <br />
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Williams joined the Ritenour School District in 1997 and serves as lead custodian at Iveland Elementary. Honored for his dependability, enthusiasm and positive attitude, Williams is known as a staff member who is always there when needed. “Harlon always has a bright smile on his face and does his work with enthusiasm,” said Iveland Principal Dr. Sandy Wiley. “He has a positive attitude and a tremendous work ethic. He greets students with a smile every day and always makes sure students and staff have what they need to do their best work. Harlon is a wonderful ambassador for Iveland and an integral part of our school family.”<br />
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The following teachers are honored as their school’s 2012 Diamond Circle Awardees: <br />
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<ul><li><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Janice DiLorenzo</b>, School for Early Childood Education </span></li>
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<li><b>Aaron Winkler</b>, Buder Elementary </li>
<li><b>Tracy Raphael</b>, Iveland Elementary </li>
<li><b>Genevieve Erker</b>, Kratz Elementary </li>
<li><b>Marcy McDowell</b>, Marion Elementary </li>
<li><b>Shiela Youngblood</b>, Marvin Elementary </li>
<li><b>Laura Lewis</b>, Wyland Elementary </li>
<li><b>Wilma Higgins</b>, Hoech Middle </li>
<li><b>Lisa Watkins</b>, Ritenour Middle* </li>
<li><b>Ashley Gregory</b>, Ritenour High School</li>
</span></ul><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">*Teacher of the year<br />
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The Ritenour School District is also recognizing two teachers with special awards: <br />
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<b> Gisela Macias</b>, a kindergarten teacher at Kratz Elementary, was selected for the First Class Teacher Award. This award recognizes the district’s most outstanding first-year elementary or secondary educator. <br />
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<b> Jennifer Love</b>, a Special School District school psychologist, was selected for the Make A Difference Award. This award acknowledges a staff member for their excellence in working with Ritenour students with diverse needs.<br />
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All awardees will be recognized during the district’s annual Honors Dinner on April 25, 2012 at the new Auditorium at Ritenour High School, 9100 St. Charles Rock Road. </span>The Rock Road Reporterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11961203619767194085noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7891997973528458648.post-60246656620775010352012-03-20T21:16:00.007-07:002012-03-21T13:08:53.207-07:00The Greatest Game Ever?<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAF0GI7dhWJLcbeJFw8AMsUrtDI4hyN8qrUVeLd4t4WyjV77qQAISTv6Ql5mhsBWgMNDUq71JaPDI1Pxjw2MSOBnshl6gy9HZ0gkNTI0HGOHwOYZAfe_4BNwiknKYY9nLvN9XYqHelbro/s1600/Kewpie+Final+Revised.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="418" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAF0GI7dhWJLcbeJFw8AMsUrtDI4hyN8qrUVeLd4t4WyjV77qQAISTv6Ql5mhsBWgMNDUq71JaPDI1Pxjw2MSOBnshl6gy9HZ0gkNTI0HGOHwOYZAfe_4BNwiknKYY9nLvN9XYqHelbro/s640/Kewpie+Final+Revised.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 19px; line-height: 21px;">By Steve Stranghoener</span></div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I’ve been following Suburban North Conference sports for a long time, even before I had a chance to participate myself as a Hazelwood Hawk back in the early 1970s. Someone asked me recently what I thought was the greatest single game of all time. Under furrowed brow, I massaged my chin as my brain engaged and lurched through a process of elimination. So many sports to choose from! How about those great Ritenour baseball teams; perhaps a game featuring Jerry Reuss who later played for the Cards? Or how could I overlook the Huskie’s grapplers with that amazing string of state wrestling championships back in the day? Why not basketball, track & field, volleyball, hockey or cross country? Well, I thought, football is my favorite sport so let’s start there. </span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Next I had to zero in on one local school. McCluer won two state titles under Steve Pisarkiewicz before he left for Mizzou and was later drafted in the first round by the St. Louis Football Cardinals. St. Charles High, a former SNC member, terrorized opponents with running back extraordinaire Curtis Brown who also went on to Mizzou before replacing infamous NFL legend OJ Simpson in Buffalo. Hazelwood Central won it all in 1985 with one of the best players ever to come out of this area, Tony Van Zant. As the Parade All-America Player of the Year this galloping gazelle was destined to boost Mizzou’s sagging fortunes before his ill-fated knee injury in his final high school all-star game. Has anyone had more success than Coach Rick Gorzynski at Hazelwood East in developing players for NCAA Division I and NFL careers? Selfishly, I wanted to peg my Hazelwood team’s 1972 trip to the state championship against Kansas City Southwest. We still own the distinction of the only state championship game to end in a tie. And a young Rick Gorzynski was an assistant coach on that team. Nah, come to think of it, that was one of the most depressing games of all times. To come that far, for the first time in school history, and have to settle for a tie because of the horrendously sloppy field conditions at Washington University’s Francis Field still leaves a sour taste in our Hawk beaks. It would not be fair to single out one school on the basis of accomplishments, statistics, excitement or sheer entertainment value. These things are all open to debate among reasonable people so I’ll just have to go with my heart. </span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Although I was a Hawk through and through, I have adopted Pattonville since all my kids attended there. You’d be right in branding me as biased but at least I’m honest about it … my heart bleeds Pirate green. Whew … with that settled we still have quite a task ahead. PHS has a rich gridiron tradition, especially under legendary Coach Don Greco who grew up in the SNC patrolling the trenches at Riverview Gardens before starring at Western Illinois and carving out a stellar NFL career clearing the way for Billy Sims with the Detroit Lions. Under Coach Greco, the Pirates had many memorable seasons, outstanding records, conference championships and a long string of playoff appearances. They pulled off some stunning upsets along the way too against powerhouse teams. But one season stands out for the simple reason that it was the only time in Pattonville’s storied past that they made it all the way to the state finals in 2000. Are you ready to move on? Well, not so fast! We still need the winnowing fork. Unfortunately, PHS lost in the final to a very talented Rockhurst team led by freshman phenomenon, Tony Temple, in a competitive effort. Is there another game that stands out in this most special season? Unfortunately, there are two that stick out in my mind so, with tongue firmly in cheek; I’ll have to recount the two “greatest games” if you’ll afford me that discretion. </span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The first game was actually a loss. What, you say … how can a Pirate defeat be deemed “greatest”? Bear with me sports fans and I think you’ll understand. There was electricity in the air as the juggernaut from Columbia Hickman invaded Pirate Nation on Friday night, September 29th, 2000. Fireworks erupted early and often in this epic shootout as the two titans traded touchdowns like two heavyweights exchanging haymakers toe-to-toe in the middle of the ring. On more than one occasion the Kewpies led the home town heroes by two touchdowns only to see the boys in green come roaring back. The stands were packed with delirious fans who cheered wildly as one magical moment after another crashed all around like relentless waves pounding the seashore. As the clock wound down on this marathon thrill-fest, the score stood at an incredible Hickman 63, Pattonville 56. There was less than a minute left and Hickman had the ball near mid-field. It was time for the fans to catch their breath since the end was inevitable with Hickman holding the ball near mid-field and the Pirates without a timeout remaining. But, against all odds and reason, hearts were still pounding with the faint hope that one more miracle would occur. Then on fourth down with just a few seconds left, the unthinkable happened. Hickman’s QB dropped back and scurried out of the pocket to run out the clock and a Pattonville defender swooped in and knocked the ball loose. It bounded away like a jack rabbit only to be scooped up by an opportunistic Pirate. As the gun sounded, he sprinted toward the end zone to tie the game and send it into overtime. The Kewpie QB had the angle and met the sprinting Pirate inside the five yard line and barely knocked him out of bounds to preserve Columbia Hickman’s victory. Yes, it was a Pirate loss but the game was a masterpiece of guts, determination, iron will and thrills. Many records were set that night. At 119 points it still stands as the fifth highest combined score in state history and, as far as I know, the highest in the large school record books. Losing such a hard fought nail biter could have been devastating to the team but it brought out the best in them. They made it through the fire and were refined as gold, preparing them to make history in the season ahead. </span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There’s only one way to top such an iconic game … and that, of course, is with a victory. With a tip of the cap to all of the other great Pirate victories, I must contend that there was never as much on the line as there was on Saturday November 18, 2000. Both teams were seeking their first trip to the state finals. When the mighty Patriots of Parkway South (10-0) rolled into Pattonville Stadium to square off with the Pirates (10-2), the stands were jammed with nearly 5,000 fans including temporary bleachers and standing room only. The buzz was palpable as we gazed upon what I’ll call a three chopper game. There were three television news helicopters and a phalanx of media in place. There was some recent history and a cross-town rivalry that the media used to stoke the anticipation for this showdown. For me, this one was personal. One of my colleagues at work had a son on the opposing squad, a tight end named Tom Marsden who would score a go-ahead touchdown for the Patriots. South’s coach, Tom Dailey, was the son of a close business associate of mine, the late Ron Dailey. Most importantly, my son, Eric, was at the helm as QB for Pattonville. </span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Parkway South was still smarting from Pattonville derailing their previous unbeaten season and they were on a mission to get payback. They were loaded with talent like linebacker Emmitt Morris, QB Josh Broeker and 262 pound fullback Andre Malone. Bridgeton’s local media treasure, Rich Gould, smelled a story and dispatched a KPLR crew to dredge the details. First they visited the Patriots who were practicing inside due to the bitter cold that week. There were taunts aplenty from players and even Coach Dailey who boldly threw down the gauntlet promising to reverse their fortunes against the Pirates this time. When Channel 11 visited Pattonville they found the Pirates outside braced against the frigid winds. Coach Greco knew better than to pamper his eager charges. The news team interviewed one player, old number 12, Eric Stranghoener. Most of the talking was done by the reporter who relayed the challenges issued by South. He hoped to bait the QB into a war of words. Eric was no fool and calmly offered this short reply, “Bring it on.” When Rich Gould ran the piece on Channel 11 the night before the game he chuckled and exclaimed, “That’s my neighbor Eric and he says, bring it on.” </span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Both teams held up their end of the bargain. South’s stout defense stymied Pattonville’s potent running attack featuring Mizzou-bound Tyrone Roberson and SEMO-bound Chaun Tate. The Pirates offered strong resistance too, led by Illinois-bound middle linebacker Antonio Mason and Martin Nance. The future Minnesota Viking receiver, Nance, went both ways that day. The defensive struggle resulted in an 8-6 half-time lead for Parkway South. Both offensives came out ready in the second half. South put up two touchdowns and missed a two point conversion. Pattonville went to the air and Stranghoener threw a strike to Nance and added a two point conversion. After settling for a field goal, Stranghoener teamed up with Mike Montgomery for mind blowing 56 yard TD bomb to make the score 24-20 Pattonville. South was not done and was marching toward the end zone and a go-ahead score when Nance, now on defense, intercepted his second pass of the day to preserve the victory. The Patriots did bring it on that day but the Pirates were up to the challenge and would not be denied their first trip to the Dome. I think it’s safe to say it was the happiest day in the history of PHS football. </span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I offer my apologies to all of the other local schools with the many other “greatest” games that I overlooked. As I admitted, this one was from the heart. My fondest wish is for the next generation of grid iron greats to regale us with fresh grist for the legend mill. Only time will tell but perhaps Coach Greco will return someday to lead Pattonville to the Promised Land again and take that last step in securing their first state title. It would only be fitting. This I know … old number 12 is doing his best to help the Pirates reload for glory. Watch out for Cooper and Luke come 2028! I hope you’ll tuck this away and share it with your little Pirates when their time comes.</span></div>The Rock Road Reporterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11961203619767194085noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7891997973528458648.post-53791443878323731042012-03-15T07:21:00.001-07:002012-03-15T07:28:52.722-07:00Budweiser Renews Olympic Sponsorship<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqn_wdWq0_dE1bfnpwOqo3Z9S-lCKO9tuKjv-cSEhNY5cIC4WQOG0sBadTLG_1LQHC-wocx4ue6lp0IPgPrTy-wZQoHm0ZAWUWearqdaSDSEMnhYaEdtTmit5gm_Vh84W5Fa5WfZRlXy4/s1600/BudweiserLogo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqn_wdWq0_dE1bfnpwOqo3Z9S-lCKO9tuKjv-cSEhNY5cIC4WQOG0sBadTLG_1LQHC-wocx4ue6lp0IPgPrTy-wZQoHm0ZAWUWearqdaSDSEMnhYaEdtTmit5gm_Vh84W5Fa5WfZRlXy4/s320/BudweiserLogo.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>King of Beers Continues Decades of Partnership with Extension through 2016</b><br />
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COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. and ST. LOUIS, March 14, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Budweiser and the U.S. Olympic Committee today announced that the iconic beer brand is extending its exclusive malt beverage sponsorship and renewing its commitment to the USOC and Team USA through 2016.<br />
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Budweiser's partnership with the USOC spans nearly three decades and includes 14 Olympic Games and Olympic Winter Games. Budweiser has been an Olympic supporter since 1984 when the brand served as the official beer sponsor of the Los Angeles 1984 Olympic Games.<br />
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"This is great news for Team USA," said <b>Scott Blackmun</b> , chief executive officer of the USOC. "Budweiser has a long history with us, and we are grateful for their continued support of our U.S. Olympic and Paralympic athletes. Budweiser's commitment will allow our athletes to compete to the very best of their ability, and that is what the Olympic Movement is all about."<br />
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In line with previous commitments, Budweiser will continue to support its USOC sponsorship with significant media buys on NBC and affiliated networks during the Olympic Games. Additionally, Budweiser will receive entitlement of the Bud Deck at the London USA House, a private facility that hosts members of the USOC, the U.S. Olympic Team, corporate partners, sponsors, suppliers and licensees.<br />
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"Team USA athletes define commitment to excellence and we are proud to show our support for them as they represent the United States in competition." said Rob McCarthy , vice president, Budweiser. "With the London 2012 Games only months away, Budweiser will join all Americans in celebrating the success of Team USA."<br />
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Budweiser will also be featuring five U.S. Olympic hopefuls – Tony Azevedo, water polo; Jordan Burroughs, wrestling; Hyleas Fountain and Leo Manzano, track & field; and Sarah Groff, triathlon – on point-of-sale retail materials and will introduce a limited edition Olympic-themed 16 oz. aluminum bottle in June.<br />
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In addition to the USOC partnership, Budweiser is the official beer sponsor of the U.S. Soccer Federation and the U.S. Ski and Snowboarding teams. The beer brand will also sponsor the U.S. Olympic Team Trials for diving in Federal Way, Wash., from June 17-24; swimming in Omaha, Neb., from June 25-July 2, and gymnastics in San Jose, Calif., from June 28-July 1.<br />
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<b>About the USOC</b><br />
Founded in 1894 and headquartered in Colorado Springs, Colo., the U.S. Olympic Committee serves as both the National Olympic Committee and National Paralympic Committee for the United States. As such, the USOC is responsible for the training, entering and funding of U.S. teams for the Olympic, Paralympic, Youth Olympic, Pan American and Parapan American Games, while serving as a steward of the Olympic and Paralympic Movements throughout the country. For more information, visit TeamUSA.org.<br />
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<b>About Anheuser-Busch</b><br />
Based in St. Louis, Anheuser-Busch is the leading American brewer, holding a 47.7 percent share of U.S. beer sales to retailers. The company brews Budweiser and Bud Light, two of the world's largest-selling beers. Anheuser-Busch also owns a 50 percent share in Grupo Modelo, Mexico's leading brewer. Anheuser-Busch is a major manufacturer of aluminum cans and has been a leading aluminum recycler for more than 30 years. The company is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Anheuser-Busch InBev, the leading global brewer, and continues to operate under the Anheuser-Busch name and logo. For more information, visit <a href="http://www.anheuser-busch.com/">www.anheuser-busch.com</a>.<br />
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SOURCE Anheuser-Busch</span>The Rock Road Reporterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11961203619767194085noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7891997973528458648.post-10817743706578590222012-03-14T21:25:00.003-07:002013-01-29T08:00:26.804-08:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />The Rock Road Reporterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11961203619767194085noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7891997973528458648.post-64605048662307430922012-03-02T11:42:00.003-08:002012-03-02T15:57:18.073-08:00March 2012 Artist of the Month<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>With corporate success as his springboard, Bridgeton man fulfills his dream of writing novels with suspenseful themes and inspirational messages.</b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWOsBnjN5tGaOtnRyHHMXrafmxzJq7jsd-AlgUFfetkGnPcgYzxNyk6tZBv3jfhsau_K1zDbSE6qeMClap_Yz7oQFMR4WxXtBTfKNl7Y9_Ywbzomd5hln6T6rvjwNzKeu0_pEazjfM48M/s1600/SAS+Photo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="318" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWOsBnjN5tGaOtnRyHHMXrafmxzJq7jsd-AlgUFfetkGnPcgYzxNyk6tZBv3jfhsau_K1zDbSE6qeMClap_Yz7oQFMR4WxXtBTfKNl7Y9_Ywbzomd5hln6T6rvjwNzKeu0_pEazjfM48M/s320/SAS+Photo.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Steve Stranghoener was born in St. Louis, raised in Florissant, graduated from Hazelwood High School and earned a B.S. in education with a major in history from the University of Missouri.</span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">He taught history and coached football and track at McCluer High School and social studies at Hazelwood West High School before embarking on a business career at McDonnell Douglas Corporation.</span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Steve and his wife, Bonnie, moved their family to Bridgeton in 1986, the same year he joined Anheuser-Busch Companies, Inc.</span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Stranghoeners are members of Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church in Bridgeton where Steve serves as chairman of the board of elders.</span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">He earned his master’s degree in business management from Maryville University in 1987.</span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Steve and Bonnie’s three children graduated from Pattonville High School and the University of Missouri.</span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Steve is an avid sports fan and enjoys local athletics.</span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">He helped to form the inaugural edition of the Pattonville Pirates Football Booster Club and served as the first president.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Steve left Anheuser-Busch in December 2009 to pursue his adolescent dream of becoming an author. In the past two years he has penned four books. He likes to bridge the gap between the secular and spiritual worlds writing fantasies, thrillers and murder mysteries from a Christian perspective. Steve’s aim is to write tales of suspense and intrigue that can stand up to anything available in the commercial realm while delivering a thought-provoking and inspirational message based on rock solid theology. He delights in St. Louis settings that highlight local landmarks such as St. Ann’s very own treasure, Northwest Plaza (see Tracts In Time). Steve and Bonnie have three, soon to be four, young grandchildren that they are certain will aspire to be proud PHS Pirates someday and part of the fabric of our Rock Road Community. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Brief overviews of Steve's novels:</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In <b>Murder By Chance</b>, a baffling rampage by what appears to be a bloodthirsty beast serves as an unlikely backdrop for an exploration of man's origin. This whodunit takes the form of a whatdidit as forensic evidence leads to a werewolf panic and raises the question of whether we are the product of random chance or a creator God.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Asunder:</b> The Tale of the Renaissance Killer brings to mind what might happen if you folded The Silence of the Lambs into The Shack. It's a bizarre amalgam that is repugnant while uplifting; repulsive while instilling hope with its astounding visions of heaven and hell. Asunder is a study in good versus evil and the stunning transformations that can occur as our old and new natures battle tooth and nail within our hearts, minds and souls.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In </span><b style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Last Prophet: Imminent End</b><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">, JD Uticus is torn from his mundane lifestyle by a miraculous occurrence, his tragic death witnessed by millions of people and astounding resurrection that thrusts him into the public eye, dubbed as the Last Prophet with a message from God about the end of the world as we know it. Its an apocalyptic thriller whose fabric is woven with an erudite treatment of the most compelling questions facing mankind ... when will this world meet its imminent end and then, what lies beyond in the eternity that stretches out ahead?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In Tracts In Time, Baker Paulson must experience a precarious journey through time to save the life of his grandson Ike. In an ironic twist, Baker and Ike encounter a time twisting memory portal in of all places, a dead shopping mall, Northwest Plaza, that holds so many fond memories from Baker's youth. In a literal race against time, Baker finds the true meaning of life in struggling to save his beloved grandson.</span></div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
Steve Stranghoener's books are available at Amazon.com and BarnesandNoble.com. For more information about Steve and his links to social media, please visit : <a href="http://stevestranghoener.authorsxpress.com/">http://stevestranghoener.authorsxpress.com/</a> </span>The Rock Road Reporterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11961203619767194085noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7891997973528458648.post-45336319847039640632012-02-19T00:18:00.002-08:002012-02-22T14:57:28.811-08:00Down on Main Street<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">St. Charles Rock Road is where we got our name, so I thought that it was only fitting to share a few of my pictures of historic Main Street in St. Charles. You might also consider this an invitation to explore a little local history, take a long bike ride, support local businesses and enjoy some old fashioned real architecture, instead of the franchised box stores we sometimes find ourselves at. Spring's coming soon and North St. Louis County, is right across the river from Main Street, so why not visit when you get a chance? </span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Steve Erdelen</i> </span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJVG-0RRq9lPvp9Ufvqp-DLXn-x5X3jJk7oQDSoJI1uNjEKEqeU8VHkhokxLKTmd-gzaCzSGj_KrPBL7g3zwOeNxaXthvZaOAXR1VK5YsE86FzdfgYJUtZCxDUh6i6s-EpcExa8ZTGUTE/s1600/Flags.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJVG-0RRq9lPvp9Ufvqp-DLXn-x5X3jJk7oQDSoJI1uNjEKEqeU8VHkhokxLKTmd-gzaCzSGj_KrPBL7g3zwOeNxaXthvZaOAXR1VK5YsE86FzdfgYJUtZCxDUh6i6s-EpcExa8ZTGUTE/s640/Flags.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Enter the tourism office between the flags and let your day trip begin.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi74PcOwE_d9qBKMAd2X4ioKf8XmRO9YPtVAB7336i7LFaaoEMNs1huFxZtDaIzoLPCzwaTTh1Fy7Cpeurwm6tx-ytgsu32QdZg3oiCeqIF2of_JijQrXrtrx2S7Q_ROcU3TmPPt_WKjik/s1600/Patina.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi74PcOwE_d9qBKMAd2X4ioKf8XmRO9YPtVAB7336i7LFaaoEMNs1huFxZtDaIzoLPCzwaTTh1Fy7Cpeurwm6tx-ytgsu32QdZg3oiCeqIF2of_JijQrXrtrx2S7Q_ROcU3TmPPt_WKjik/s640/Patina.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Now that's what I call patina.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNGu9phs7Ku1uDmQ3lolpyGElPh7FcIW9jE_-rl2Ha0Rwus7E1w6mo2_fzt67dlP6Jc6PT-O8KrQK5mydeT1kxsWudpycA6VK4mQAuIxAsi_woh740Tf65bbgXpX4UHG1lQICumrcABCY/s1600/Bikes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNGu9phs7Ku1uDmQ3lolpyGElPh7FcIW9jE_-rl2Ha0Rwus7E1w6mo2_fzt67dlP6Jc6PT-O8KrQK5mydeT1kxsWudpycA6VK4mQAuIxAsi_woh740Tf65bbgXpX4UHG1lQICumrcABCY/s640/Bikes.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A lotta bikers hang out around here.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRuCH4yRMtnreBiskYOlHUFT65m3iy7o913P7w5mXiJnGx8PRxAsyV7GyJ9OGCoT5gyYdlgZpaaAV2JzHSA8TN2GThk2pPiBWc1u74KKIP9YLVTBmxqwpykAcpR5O6cB4GUfn9O7PdQjk/s1600/Row+Houses.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRuCH4yRMtnreBiskYOlHUFT65m3iy7o913P7w5mXiJnGx8PRxAsyV7GyJ9OGCoT5gyYdlgZpaaAV2JzHSA8TN2GThk2pPiBWc1u74KKIP9YLVTBmxqwpykAcpR5O6cB4GUfn9O7PdQjk/s640/Row+Houses.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">People left here to go to Kansas? Really?</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirRplL_kgsE-lwanScBoQQH85NK6Ol3Rbx5VtaRhU_fHeDJ0EAcAneM05Ah-OOSovpccUelzuCcr3hmiP-3lnz_SDBi7kW1JsSSCCuY8c9xIRDWWv9gvnvhYKfi4pZWtPbGqfE_lNsqoI/s1600/Cherry+Blossoms.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="448" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirRplL_kgsE-lwanScBoQQH85NK6Ol3Rbx5VtaRhU_fHeDJ0EAcAneM05Ah-OOSovpccUelzuCcr3hmiP-3lnz_SDBi7kW1JsSSCCuY8c9xIRDWWv9gvnvhYKfi4pZWtPbGqfE_lNsqoI/s640/Cherry+Blossoms.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Cherry blossoms I believe. Any botanists visit this blog?</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY5MX7vckH-nPSID521bzL-C2peBGfLBS8sU0CQTtAhDsebNC8iGN-3_1_kk7OPQNkXN7DSHMJOXTlmNI1FQzVdFk2PlDlN4yGfXQ6-GUmcd08pVw14jACKyRBcNlGG-QFW-zYIXAP7ks/s1600/The+Street.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY5MX7vckH-nPSID521bzL-C2peBGfLBS8sU0CQTtAhDsebNC8iGN-3_1_kk7OPQNkXN7DSHMJOXTlmNI1FQzVdFk2PlDlN4yGfXQ6-GUmcd08pVw14jACKyRBcNlGG-QFW-zYIXAP7ks/s640/The+Street.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Makes you wonder why there isn't a movie shot here everyday.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi21Ffg-X_VlJnMB8lRgAMtPqLCDF1Q8vbYxB_oAwyUPZ2f_qsKR6PhnL-Gi5AcE9DwhzgJ-HGGAvV7_CrBMM4Zc6oPOJT3tQ_6cb04yv_gkWqMh7jkk7BWeJIRe3E4pzncf7z8iir9tTs/s1600/Odd+Fellows+Building1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="556" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi21Ffg-X_VlJnMB8lRgAMtPqLCDF1Q8vbYxB_oAwyUPZ2f_qsKR6PhnL-Gi5AcE9DwhzgJ-HGGAvV7_CrBMM4Zc6oPOJT3tQ_6cb04yv_gkWqMh7jkk7BWeJIRe3E4pzncf7z8iir9tTs/s640/Odd+Fellows+Building1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I worked at an ad agency on the second floor of the "Odd Fellows" building from 1989 to 1992. The River Star Cafe was below street level. A place for old wine and new ideas.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglfNOpPJCYrhN-1jImBFaG4v8GlQfQKz2Agv3JYv_dXWDd2JSVqwVsWVVNrVeFr_cN8Y5ew_B27Lbj1XkzBHOsiA9ZzNwN9wlEp32r5h0LnOq62IhgiTcwIurl8O7ncN8_dKspFxak8fo/s1600/Lewis+and+Clarks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglfNOpPJCYrhN-1jImBFaG4v8GlQfQKz2Agv3JYv_dXWDd2JSVqwVsWVVNrVeFr_cN8Y5ew_B27Lbj1XkzBHOsiA9ZzNwN9wlEp32r5h0LnOq62IhgiTcwIurl8O7ncN8_dKspFxak8fo/s640/Lewis+and+Clarks.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Follow the red brick road.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDN-JUCmdxXOo3ySMSZF5K4toy8dOL4rWwxX7DdNHl1v7cscz6MNm2D5udynlGa5QCMbvIrv8Jmpi2JkPIzLIBTiAoo_HiljRLZYDzJfzf-sNiTXiTwdyEcoWm9J9G-1LHBEmIEIbR-u4/s1600/Joe+6+Rock+Road+Bridge.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="422" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDN-JUCmdxXOo3ySMSZF5K4toy8dOL4rWwxX7DdNHl1v7cscz6MNm2D5udynlGa5QCMbvIrv8Jmpi2JkPIzLIBTiAoo_HiljRLZYDzJfzf-sNiTXiTwdyEcoWm9J9G-1LHBEmIEIbR-u4/s640/Joe+6+Rock+Road+Bridge.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Where the old Rock Road ended. Take a left and then another left and you were soon on Main Street. (Photo courtesy of Joe Sonderman) </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><b>This post is dedicated to the late Martha "Jimmie" Heusler... a friend of St. Charles and the dear lady who kept all of us advertising types in line at the William Thomas Agency.</b></i></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><b><br />
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</b></span></div></div>The Rock Road Reporterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11961203619767194085noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7891997973528458648.post-2862415834346058022012-02-14T09:14:00.000-08:002012-02-14T09:14:18.731-08:00See New Ritenour Auditorium This Saturday at 2PM<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Dedication of New Ritenour Auditorium Scheduled for Feb. 18</span></b></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh37nC9Ikx556VRBnnlMC1V7AbwNrOXCSkDzENR3pwHdBTFl1Jt3XHTwBn4WLySMXm-jg2sDfczN0cmBqkKixkYRiuDpo9mucIDXzsqSl03oeVLP5CrxD59N9QcodrUWRhjPo1oaYmMgqs/s1600/Rit+Blog+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="color: #015782; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-decoration: none;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh37nC9Ikx556VRBnnlMC1V7AbwNrOXCSkDzENR3pwHdBTFl1Jt3XHTwBn4WLySMXm-jg2sDfczN0cmBqkKixkYRiuDpo9mucIDXzsqSl03oeVLP5CrxD59N9QcodrUWRhjPo1oaYmMgqs/s640/Rit+Blog+1.jpg" style="-webkit-box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.199219) 0px 0px 20px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-left-radius: 0px; border-bottom-right-radius: 0px; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; border-top-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-top-left-radius: 0px; border-top-right-radius: 0px; border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; border-width: initial; box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.199219) 0px 0px 20px; padding-bottom: 8px; padding-left: 8px; padding-right: 8px; padding-top: 8px; position: relative;" width="640" /></a></div><div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Feb. 2, 2012 – Join the Ritenour School District to celebrate the dedication of the new Auditorium and Classroom Addition at Ritenour High School. The official dedication ceremony and celebration is scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 18, 2012, from 1:30 – 4 p.m. </span></div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A ribbon cutting ceremony takes place at 1:30 p.m. in the lobby. Immediately following, all are invited inside the theater for the community dedication ceremony at 2 p.m. An open house will follow. The Ritenour community is invited to attend. We hope to see you there! </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The new addition is located on the west side of Ritenour High School, 9100 St. Charles Rock Road. The 81,000 square foot addition features a 791-seat auditorium; classrooms for band, choir, drama and orchestra use; a student art exhibit area; and much more. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Construction of the new Auditorium and Classroom Addition at Ritenour High School is funded by Proposition K, a $50 million bond issue Ritenour voters approved in November of 2008. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div></div><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRJI0vrpc6PDhP2b3DAT92rrkyoZQnR3dnTsOG66YEctVAdrtUtdVu4ygRWyPekLbRTdcfwBx36hXpfhitcQjLeME8k2R2wHYKXgYe02yqKkpoC_jM2GhyphenhyphenvieVYt5RLdpMW48zAreo9aY/s1600/Rit+Blog+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="color: #015782; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-decoration: none;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRJI0vrpc6PDhP2b3DAT92rrkyoZQnR3dnTsOG66YEctVAdrtUtdVu4ygRWyPekLbRTdcfwBx36hXpfhitcQjLeME8k2R2wHYKXgYe02yqKkpoC_jM2GhyphenhyphenvieVYt5RLdpMW48zAreo9aY/s640/Rit+Blog+2.jpg" style="-webkit-box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.199219) 0px 0px 20px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-left-radius: 0px; border-bottom-right-radius: 0px; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; border-top-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-top-left-radius: 0px; border-top-right-radius: 0px; border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; border-width: initial; box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.199219) 0px 0px 20px; padding-bottom: 8px; padding-left: 8px; padding-right: 8px; padding-top: 8px; position: relative;" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1iuz4dHny9bMVsc7L-Fod7GB8IrbqaAbcKWr6St8wGN8KC88aG_v17mPpYJr_EosApbVay7gJEY7S9MdoYb2UCeWw_kzJo4g-aouxqtzohwAmQuGpfjF4DCBDtHrxEejSMCNhECGJkGE/s1600/Choir+Final.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="color: #015782; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-decoration: none;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1iuz4dHny9bMVsc7L-Fod7GB8IrbqaAbcKWr6St8wGN8KC88aG_v17mPpYJr_EosApbVay7gJEY7S9MdoYb2UCeWw_kzJo4g-aouxqtzohwAmQuGpfjF4DCBDtHrxEejSMCNhECGJkGE/s640/Choir+Final.jpg" style="-webkit-box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.199219) 0px 0px 20px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-left-radius: 0px; border-bottom-right-radius: 0px; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; border-top-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-top-left-radius: 0px; border-top-right-radius: 0px; border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; border-width: initial; box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.199219) 0px 0px 20px; padding-bottom: 8px; padding-left: 8px; padding-right: 8px; padding-top: 8px; position: relative;" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpX7Do-aeWY3uTyBRqZbJrINB7BjYk38OSem8b5QmlcYUVddrvhspuosHfSlN9DcxGL_t4eMmlUwI2okNFcX1z7I-ndIJhZnQRCHK8Y-faAf7N9E4GGI_-w7VGSWR48S1aeyohCh24rbg/s1600/Rit+Blog+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="color: #015782; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-decoration: none;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpX7Do-aeWY3uTyBRqZbJrINB7BjYk38OSem8b5QmlcYUVddrvhspuosHfSlN9DcxGL_t4eMmlUwI2okNFcX1z7I-ndIJhZnQRCHK8Y-faAf7N9E4GGI_-w7VGSWR48S1aeyohCh24rbg/s640/Rit+Blog+3.jpg" style="-webkit-box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.199219) 0px 0px 20px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-left-radius: 0px; border-bottom-right-radius: 0px; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; border-top-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-top-left-radius: 0px; border-top-right-radius: 0px; border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; border-width: initial; box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.199219) 0px 0px 20px; padding-bottom: 8px; padding-left: 8px; padding-right: 8px; padding-top: 8px; position: relative;" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: center;"><br />
</div></div>The Rock Road Reporterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11961203619767194085noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7891997973528458648.post-41125715252293317212012-01-31T20:47:00.000-08:002012-02-23T07:16:56.340-08:00How we roll. Images from the Auto Show.<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Photos by Steve Erdelen</b></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Thanks to the Social Media Club of St. Louis and Ford Motor Company, for inviting me to attend the online press conference and reception at the 2012 St. Louis Auto Show. I'm not exactly sure why they invited me, since I don't know the first thing about automotive technology, but hey, I do own a camera, so I took several shots of automobiles that caught my eye. Over 500 vehicles were on display from 25 different manufacturers and the general consensus from dealers regarding the state of the auto industry was very positive. From what I saw, the most popular trends in the car business can easily be summed up with one phrase: <b> "Meaner and greener." </b></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikJ-lVTkP7L6XkmRztxYFM2aAqRGG9zhsCS4ixnUVqPXE5yYS3EQSmC67w6v2ap4-L5J68G4u_i-XVD6yNpJpSYDqEOwMv-OxZZboykcLxJ49_XZ4naEMoUt-UlFkYuyY0gvNtU-TD9qs/s1600/Rolls+Front.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="color: #015782; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center; text-decoration: none;"><br />
<img border="0" height="492" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikJ-lVTkP7L6XkmRztxYFM2aAqRGG9zhsCS4ixnUVqPXE5yYS3EQSmC67w6v2ap4-L5J68G4u_i-XVD6yNpJpSYDqEOwMv-OxZZboykcLxJ49_XZ4naEMoUt-UlFkYuyY0gvNtU-TD9qs/s640/Rolls+Front.jpg" style="-webkit-box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.199219) 0px 0px 20px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-left-radius: 0px; border-bottom-right-radius: 0px; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; border-top-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-top-left-radius: 0px; border-top-right-radius: 0px; border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; border-width: initial; box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.199219) 0px 0px 20px; padding-bottom: 8px; padding-left: 8px; padding-right: 8px; padding-top: 8px; position: relative;" width="640" /></a></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">That's how we Rolls... Royce!</span></div><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW1tuznbl_WX5G9KbCb6yB7gW_3-BzyO-uI67XkjfGi91ajPe3T4nFnKer6wu90ryqwhWaj0jfcIK8PrGRyCmuu56FfhqZC2eDgnZPXHch1LFUC9hVxQK1HFvC_MAl_IajH5G-czpRTHY/s1600/Fusion.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="color: #015782; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-decoration: none;"><img border="0" height="328" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW1tuznbl_WX5G9KbCb6yB7gW_3-BzyO-uI67XkjfGi91ajPe3T4nFnKer6wu90ryqwhWaj0jfcIK8PrGRyCmuu56FfhqZC2eDgnZPXHch1LFUC9hVxQK1HFvC_MAl_IajH5G-czpRTHY/s640/Fusion.jpg" style="-webkit-box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.199219) 0px 0px 20px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-left-radius: 0px; border-bottom-right-radius: 0px; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; border-top-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-top-left-radius: 0px; border-top-right-radius: 0px; border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; border-width: initial; box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.199219) 0px 0px 20px; padding-bottom: 8px; padding-left: 8px; padding-right: 8px; padding-top: 8px; position: relative;" width="640" /></a></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ford Fusion. Mine just turned 6, last Sunday.</span></div><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGK0gq_w7WiSnWLR92WTiVYQSjk3Emwg_gS0oXpXdVYQ7A9SEJ4GwAe7xKOsvut88ypNcptxpqRKgfEgxC9065oXXxyhUEfBaX0afI_71kDJClCrFVFGFLwr05qhnTlTQ2_K-Imu8KMO0/s1600/Cadillac+Hot+Rod.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="color: #015782; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-decoration: none;"><img border="0" height="364" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGK0gq_w7WiSnWLR92WTiVYQSjk3Emwg_gS0oXpXdVYQ7A9SEJ4GwAe7xKOsvut88ypNcptxpqRKgfEgxC9065oXXxyhUEfBaX0afI_71kDJClCrFVFGFLwr05qhnTlTQ2_K-Imu8KMO0/s640/Cadillac+Hot+Rod.jpg" style="-webkit-box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.199219) 0px 0px 20px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-left-radius: 0px; border-bottom-right-radius: 0px; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; border-top-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-top-left-radius: 0px; border-top-right-radius: 0px; border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; border-width: initial; box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.199219) 0px 0px 20px; padding-bottom: 8px; padding-left: 8px; padding-right: 8px; padding-top: 8px; position: relative;" width="640" /></a></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Zero to 60 in <i>less</i> than 4 seconds. One quick Cadillac.</span></div><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_pBdfYV4UqGe2JvAPLYpWJtpd7F8QN98-Y3cDPWeoSR-yvOQhlF1rJ02ZfTe1g_swPFwHvodQ67Fr5OmOFO83NsbvvFMELFCwSOR39fSWhc0zmJJ3-cv8QsPFJXYNDAVKDIT1lV5vZ0A/s1600/Lincoln.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="color: #015782; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-decoration: none;"><img border="0" height="416" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_pBdfYV4UqGe2JvAPLYpWJtpd7F8QN98-Y3cDPWeoSR-yvOQhlF1rJ02ZfTe1g_swPFwHvodQ67Fr5OmOFO83NsbvvFMELFCwSOR39fSWhc0zmJJ3-cv8QsPFJXYNDAVKDIT1lV5vZ0A/s640/Lincoln.jpg" style="-webkit-box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.199219) 0px 0px 20px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-left-radius: 0px; border-bottom-right-radius: 0px; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; border-top-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-top-left-radius: 0px; border-top-right-radius: 0px; border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; border-width: initial; box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.199219) 0px 0px 20px; padding-bottom: 8px; padding-left: 8px; padding-right: 8px; padding-top: 8px; position: relative;" width="640" /></a></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I was thinkin'... you cant show a Cadillac and not a Lincoln. Sweet.</span></div><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfuKoSg-MpdxJpSxcKiOKys5jWK9RgXpgcanA4jGoLDhXNUpLe3dtcEY6_kb4T7PCqH6zX87_kP8onNKMHPtH_H2QN_2NBcpIrUt48ZhrNo3cB4ISbQVXelO3Oi06pXsg68IpyKmsVi5I/s1600/VW+Beetle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="color: #015782; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-decoration: none;"><img border="0" height="390" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfuKoSg-MpdxJpSxcKiOKys5jWK9RgXpgcanA4jGoLDhXNUpLe3dtcEY6_kb4T7PCqH6zX87_kP8onNKMHPtH_H2QN_2NBcpIrUt48ZhrNo3cB4ISbQVXelO3Oi06pXsg68IpyKmsVi5I/s640/VW+Beetle.jpg" style="-webkit-box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.199219) 0px 0px 20px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-left-radius: 0px; border-bottom-right-radius: 0px; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; border-top-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-top-left-radius: 0px; border-top-right-radius: 0px; border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; border-width: initial; box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.199219) 0px 0px 20px; padding-bottom: 8px; padding-left: 8px; padding-right: 8px; padding-top: 8px; position: relative;" width="640" /></a></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Maybe a little Porsche influence on this new Beetle?</span></div><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw6OP8WWLuEwBBgOQXDtU1F-lSx7dK6J8eAOCToPpF-6lbYm8cZAvfp0omNHzuqCXBYyIZRAUHF4q0Wfw3A77Qjy_9pt27NltoadRg2MLQLRa0OHqlaZLXq0mIrHmlNUEbvGg5I5-MRWI/s1600/Camaro.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="color: #015782; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-decoration: none;"><img border="0" height="378" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw6OP8WWLuEwBBgOQXDtU1F-lSx7dK6J8eAOCToPpF-6lbYm8cZAvfp0omNHzuqCXBYyIZRAUHF4q0Wfw3A77Qjy_9pt27NltoadRg2MLQLRa0OHqlaZLXq0mIrHmlNUEbvGg5I5-MRWI/s640/Camaro.jpg" style="-webkit-box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.199219) 0px 0px 20px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-left-radius: 0px; border-bottom-right-radius: 0px; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; border-top-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-top-left-radius: 0px; border-top-right-radius: 0px; border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; border-width: initial; box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.199219) 0px 0px 20px; padding-bottom: 8px; padding-left: 8px; padding-right: 8px; padding-top: 8px; position: relative;" width="640" /></a></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My wife likes the color. I like the whole Camaro.</span></div><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjKzJfRxN2ezIaGqpIL8Xg5ZC2-Z9ZQFKbiBoocuap4ZO6MrZfSD3eDup19bP9SRtIcr-ChGjQ56bhIF2QtxdvUd-NMRWO-IiY8aZwITHBXgt3DaKXfWas71jYpTu8tutmc69FWMAgBwI/s1600/Ferrari+Front.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="color: #015782; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-decoration: none;"><img border="0" height="514" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjKzJfRxN2ezIaGqpIL8Xg5ZC2-Z9ZQFKbiBoocuap4ZO6MrZfSD3eDup19bP9SRtIcr-ChGjQ56bhIF2QtxdvUd-NMRWO-IiY8aZwITHBXgt3DaKXfWas71jYpTu8tutmc69FWMAgBwI/s640/Ferrari+Front.jpg" style="-webkit-box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.199219) 0px 0px 20px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-left-radius: 0px; border-bottom-right-radius: 0px; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; border-top-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-top-left-radius: 0px; border-top-right-radius: 0px; border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; border-width: initial; box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.199219) 0px 0px 20px; padding-bottom: 8px; padding-left: 8px; padding-right: 8px; padding-top: 8px; position: relative;" width="640" /></a></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Normally, you'll only see the back of a Ferrari.</span></div><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDJva-g-ZJA4bzAhFc12NYziLwAUK1G_i-MChKDTqHZ90j2dwXlP01qIvJjVTiAUg3X-lBaS2fuNldHhx907kHMYdxauRAEtLRcIrR1X5lzZFIbkbQm_If8Cf_qTJBrsRPtXtBxppW2Dw/s1600/Mustang+Pool+table1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="color: #015782; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-decoration: none;"><img border="0" height="422" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDJva-g-ZJA4bzAhFc12NYziLwAUK1G_i-MChKDTqHZ90j2dwXlP01qIvJjVTiAUg3X-lBaS2fuNldHhx907kHMYdxauRAEtLRcIrR1X5lzZFIbkbQm_If8Cf_qTJBrsRPtXtBxppW2Dw/s640/Mustang+Pool+table1.jpg" style="-webkit-box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.199219) 0px 0px 20px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-left-radius: 0px; border-bottom-right-radius: 0px; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; border-top-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-top-left-radius: 0px; border-top-right-radius: 0px; border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; border-width: initial; box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.199219) 0px 0px 20px; padding-bottom: 8px; padding-left: 8px; padding-right: 8px; padding-top: 8px; position: relative;" width="640" /></a></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The 289 Mustang always had a great hole shot. You could bank on it.</span></div><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvE0YNvU4DKPeKTbz5UKK9NJbxS_dbbwu-cxMHS5j8oHct1X72pCs7AIgZg2QDDYPGT4lAi2jYkn22Cx0Z4MF4vrHWUvwQIlpCyJ1_IszzYjzjmMbyCs4QRtoGL8Jq4pPt_ttRAMO-SiQ/s1600/Lotus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="color: #015782; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-decoration: none;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvE0YNvU4DKPeKTbz5UKK9NJbxS_dbbwu-cxMHS5j8oHct1X72pCs7AIgZg2QDDYPGT4lAi2jYkn22Cx0Z4MF4vrHWUvwQIlpCyJ1_IszzYjzjmMbyCs4QRtoGL8Jq4pPt_ttRAMO-SiQ/s640/Lotus.jpg" style="-webkit-box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.199219) 0px 0px 20px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-left-radius: 0px; border-bottom-right-radius: 0px; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; border-top-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-top-left-radius: 0px; border-top-right-radius: 0px; border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; border-width: initial; box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.199219) 0px 0px 20px; padding-bottom: 8px; padding-left: 8px; padding-right: 8px; padding-top: 8px; position: relative;" width="640" /></a></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Lotus. Mere words unnecessary.</span></div><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUD0Z8fSuj3fUxiPHQCweBmzA-F2mUP9DyN6Axl4mjIGq_1SzySUvZyIZoGeHsRTTFiDYcSlXJuJov6E5dwTOQIQcFa-Jcivrc2zpdOKxH-8LjPTW0dF66xFWbXqsS8oGpqyhK6NfTRb8/s1600/Bently+Interior.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="color: #015782; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-decoration: none;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUD0Z8fSuj3fUxiPHQCweBmzA-F2mUP9DyN6Axl4mjIGq_1SzySUvZyIZoGeHsRTTFiDYcSlXJuJov6E5dwTOQIQcFa-Jcivrc2zpdOKxH-8LjPTW0dF66xFWbXqsS8oGpqyhK6NfTRb8/s640/Bently+Interior.jpg" style="-webkit-box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.199219) 0px 0px 20px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-left-radius: 0px; border-bottom-right-radius: 0px; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; border-top-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-top-left-radius: 0px; border-top-right-radius: 0px; border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; border-width: initial; box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.199219) 0px 0px 20px; padding-bottom: 8px; padding-left: 8px; padding-right: 8px; padding-top: 8px; position: relative;" width="640" /></a></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sorry kids, no Kool-Aid in the Bentley.</span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmv6RFk5O2qMoHdG1Cef7FYJDZ1CLhHBdUHP3bJoj_qbAvzbwZazUmtGFTfikC5CuqSFaUqc4wcz4zBue6k6QB5fLhEFguCupsmo5zPmRpN7uYdmr_9_dowXWchrtiUcWJH6HVMtk-90I/s1600/Rolls++Interior.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="color: #015782; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-decoration: none;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmv6RFk5O2qMoHdG1Cef7FYJDZ1CLhHBdUHP3bJoj_qbAvzbwZazUmtGFTfikC5CuqSFaUqc4wcz4zBue6k6QB5fLhEFguCupsmo5zPmRpN7uYdmr_9_dowXWchrtiUcWJH6HVMtk-90I/s640/Rolls++Interior.jpg" style="-webkit-box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.199219) 0px 0px 20px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-left-radius: 0px; border-bottom-right-radius: 0px; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; border-top-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-top-left-radius: 0px; border-top-right-radius: 0px; border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; border-width: initial; box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.199219) 0px 0px 20px; padding-bottom: 8px; padding-left: 8px; padding-right: 8px; padding-top: 8px; position: relative;" width="640" /></a></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Rolls on into this beauty.</span></div><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtzggOW49OH4hJSPiK_cHZO7tDaHdvlHaQ46KVAABUx6L9ogs_0P0lJRXGAvAvlSVYUc2LmNQo1jFC-SM1b_ra3y3PqpVKTyt7ZYkVlmEs8M2957UnTr60g18TEFTf1mOy14DHvRv2eY8/s1600/Corvette.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="color: #015782; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-decoration: none;"><img border="0" height="292" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtzggOW49OH4hJSPiK_cHZO7tDaHdvlHaQ46KVAABUx6L9ogs_0P0lJRXGAvAvlSVYUc2LmNQo1jFC-SM1b_ra3y3PqpVKTyt7ZYkVlmEs8M2957UnTr60g18TEFTf1mOy14DHvRv2eY8/s640/Corvette.jpg" style="-webkit-box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.199219) 0px 0px 20px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-left-radius: 0px; border-bottom-right-radius: 0px; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; border-top-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-top-left-radius: 0px; border-top-right-radius: 0px; border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; border-width: initial; box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.199219) 0px 0px 20px; padding-bottom: 8px; padding-left: 8px; padding-right: 8px; padding-top: 8px; position: relative;" width="640" /></a></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Corvette. The great American sports car.</span></div><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWY3yidUWw7ygstFYcjyjdxNwgvGQZAaZ2WUoYy_igqdFdJhOCebFYiwDN_46N_JDii0VSWeTPPLjFyZF4tR8Yx26L9zyYJhyphenhypheno8av2bKBZorpcopg5FrY9n_UKFD2cI4WUzGQ4mGoUPgQ/s1600/Rolls+Sedan+B&W.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="color: #015782; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-decoration: none;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWY3yidUWw7ygstFYcjyjdxNwgvGQZAaZ2WUoYy_igqdFdJhOCebFYiwDN_46N_JDii0VSWeTPPLjFyZF4tR8Yx26L9zyYJhyphenhypheno8av2bKBZorpcopg5FrY9n_UKFD2cI4WUzGQ4mGoUPgQ/s640/Rolls+Sedan+B&W.jpg" style="-webkit-box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.199219) 0px 0px 20px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-left-radius: 0px; border-bottom-right-radius: 0px; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; border-top-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-top-left-radius: 0px; border-top-right-radius: 0px; border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; border-width: initial; box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.199219) 0px 0px 20px; padding-bottom: 8px; padding-left: 8px; padding-right: 8px; padding-top: 8px; position: relative;" width="640" /></a></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 18px; text-align: center;"><div style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'm dreaming of an RRRRR. (Rock Road Reporter Rolls Royce).</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: medium;">Thanks for the invite! See ya next year.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgylivACjNGLyaB3YL7tyWy1CsMSR_r6SUgkvNWYfbMTaPwp0Y1-TeQHUuosSaHjohR-aTMGj8WhG6KXtaQ-JtW1ReYKVxxyQZDW99wPMuxRNfMb8LTGfuBKJLmFVXpC4OhypdjrUnwazY/s1600/Freds+Revised2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgylivACjNGLyaB3YL7tyWy1CsMSR_r6SUgkvNWYfbMTaPwp0Y1-TeQHUuosSaHjohR-aTMGj8WhG6KXtaQ-JtW1ReYKVxxyQZDW99wPMuxRNfMb8LTGfuBKJLmFVXpC4OhypdjrUnwazY/s640/Freds+Revised2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><a href="http://www.fredsmuffler.com/">www.fredsmuffler.com</a></span></div></div><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: center;"></div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" />The Rock Road Reporterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11961203619767194085noreply@blogger.com0