THE COUNTY, IN YOUR HANDS
FRESH FROM THE NEWSROOM
ST. CHARLES COUNTY, Mo. — A self-storage proposal near Duello Road would convert approximately three acres along East Highway N from agricultural to general commercial zoning, county application records show.
ST. CHARLES COUNTY, Mo. — A proposed 15-lot subdivision at 613 Jacobs Station Road would replace one-acre minimum zoning with a district allowing lots as small as 20,000 square feet, according to newly posted county application summaries.
ST. CHARLES COUNTY, Mo. — November 5 is the charter deadline for the county executive to submit the following year’s budget, beginning a process that requires public disclosure and a hearing before adoption.
ST. PETERS, Mo. — Voters have authorized Central County Fire & Rescue to borrow $25 million, shifting the next decisions from the ballot box to bond terms, equipment purchases and station projects.
ST. CHARLES, Mo. — St. Charles County’s proposed timetable for writing data-center rules now stretches beyond its existing construction pause, making another County Council vote the immediate decision facing officials.
ST. CHARLES, Mo. — Seniors already enrolled in St. Charles County’s property-tax relief program will not receive an annual renewal form with their 2026 bill because renewal is now automatic.
ST. CHARLES, Mo. — Population growth is masking a different problem in St. Charles County: fewer children, a larger senior population and new-home prices that officials say are making it harder for young families to settle here.
ST. PETERS, Mo. — A mother, bystanders and police officers went into a pond Thursday morning during the rescue of a 3-year-old inside an SUV that rolled into the water near The Reserve at the Mid Rivers Apartments.
ST. CHARLES COUNTY, Mo. — About 56 percent of registered St. Charles County voters participated in Tuesday’s midterm election, according to figures released Wednesday by the county Election Authority.
ST. CHARLES COUNTY, Mo. — The St. Charles County Ambulance District has won voter approval for a new three-eighths-of-one-percent sales tax, changing how emergency medical services will be funded and setting the stage for additional paramedic staffing.
YOUR COMMUNITY, INFORMED
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — St. Charles County Sen. Nick Schroer was selected Thursday as the Missouri Senate’s next Republican majority floor leader, giving the county a central role in shaping the chamber’s legislative agenda.
ST. CHARLES COUNTY, Mo. — A self-storage proposal near Duello Road would convert approximately three acres along East Highway N from agricultural to general commercial zoning, county application records show.
ST. CHARLES COUNTY, Mo. — A proposed 15-lot subdivision at 613 Jacobs Station Road would replace one-acre minimum zoning with a district allowing lots as small as 20,000 square feet, according to newly posted county application summaries.
ST. CHARLES COUNTY, Mo. — November 5 is the charter deadline for the county executive to submit the following year’s budget, beginning a process that requires public disclosure and a hearing before adoption.
ST. PETERS, Mo. — Voters have authorized Central County Fire & Rescue to borrow $25 million, shifting the next decisions from the ballot box to bond terms, equipment purchases and station projects.
ST. CHARLES, Mo. — St. Charles County’s proposed timetable for writing data-center rules now stretches beyond its existing construction pause, making another County Council vote the immediate decision facing officials.
ST. CHARLES, Mo. — Seniors already enrolled in St. Charles County’s property-tax relief program will not receive an annual renewal form with their 2026 bill because renewal is now automatic.
ST. CHARLES, Mo. — Population growth is masking a different problem in St. Charles County: fewer children, a larger senior population and new-home prices that officials say are making it harder for young families to settle here.
ST. PETERS, Mo. — A mother, bystanders and police officers went into a pond Thursday morning during the rescue of a 3-year-old inside an SUV that rolled into the water near The Reserve at the Mid Rivers Apartments.
ST. CHARLES COUNTY, Mo. — About 56 percent of registered St. Charles County voters participated in Tuesday’s midterm election, according to figures released Wednesday by the county Election Authority.
ST. CHARLES COUNTY, Mo. — The St. Charles County Ambulance District has won voter approval for a new three-eighths-of-one-percent sales tax, changing how emergency medical services will be funded and setting the stage for additional paramedic staffing.
CLASSROOMS TO COMMENCEMENT
ST. CHARLES COUNTY, Mo. — The current developmental-disability funding plan includes a school-to-work internship program connecting students in four public districts with community employers.
ST. CHARLES COUNTY, Mo. — Orchard Farm voters approved Proposition T with about 73 percent support, authorizing $23 million in school bonds that can include a construction-trades center and vocational-education facility.
O’FALLON, Mo. — Fort Zumwalt voters approved Proposition 1 with about 63 percent support, authorizing $90 million in school bonds and shifting the district’s next decisions from campaigning to borrowing, design and project delivery.
ST. CHARLES COUNTY, Mo. — Francis Howell voters approved both funding measures Tuesday, but the two approvals solve different financial problems and cannot be treated as one interchangeable pot of money.
ST. CHARLES COUNTY, Mo. — Voters in three local school districts approved a combined $263 million in borrowing for school facilities Tuesday, authorizing construction, repairs and safety improvements in Francis Howell, Fort Zumwalt and Orchard Farm.
PUBLIC SAFETY · POLICE · COURTS
O'FALLON, Mo. — Police say a drone helped officers locate three juveniles who had been throwing candy from the Sonderen Street overpass onto Interstate 70.
ST. CHARLES COUNTY, Mo. — St. Charles County police departments carried out a Halloween-night compliance operation aimed at checking whether registered sex offenders were following restrictions while families w
Missouri's highest court removed Wentzville Municipal Judge Michael “Mike” Carter on Friday, October 30, after ruling his social media conduct violated judicial ethical standards.
FROM THE FIELD TO THE GYM
ST. LOUIS — Saint Louis defeated Missouri 90–84 Friday at Enterprise Center in the schools’ first men’s basketball meeting since 2001. Amari McCottry and Ishan Sharma scored 17 points apiece for the Billikens, who made 14 three-pointers.
ST. LOUIS, Mo. — The Cardinals promoted Rob Cerfolio to general manager Friday, elevating the 34-year-old executive who has overseen player development and performance.
ST. CHARLES COUNTY, Mo. — Francis Howell hosts Fort Zumwalt West at 6:30 p.m. Friday, November 6, as area high school teams continue postseason football.
ST. CHARLES, Mo. — Lindenwood evened its men’s basketball record at 1–1 Thursday with a 120–46 victory over Central Bible University at Hyland Arena.
NEWARK, N.J. — The Blues recovered from a 4–1 deficit to earn a standings point Thursday, but Jesper Bratt’s overtime breakaway gave the New Jersey Devils a 5–4 victory.
COLUMBIA, Mo. — Missouri returns to Faurot Field Saturday for a matchup with Texas that pits two 6–2 teams with identical 3–2 Southeastern Conference records against one another. Kickoff is set for 11 a.m. Central on ESPN.
THE LOCAL ECONOMY
Local companies, entrepreneurs, major employers, new investments and the changing business landscape across St. Charles County.
BRENTWOOD, Mo. — Ice Cream Specialties’ planned Brentwood closing affects 107 jobs, according to a Missouri workforce notice received October 27.
ST. CHARLES, Mo. — A Missouri workforce notice lists 69 affected Aramark positions associated with St. Charles and Berkeley, with a November 16 effective date and loss of contract identified as the reason.
O’FALLON, Mo. — The former municipal public-works property on Industry Drive has sold to Earthworks Inc. for $4,400,500, moving a city-owned industrial site into private ownership after operations relocated.
ST. CHARLES, Mo. — A new independent bookshop on West Clay Street is combining bookselling with an evening gathering space, adding another business model to the city’s retail mix.
ST. CHARLES, Mo. — Jerry Kelly’s move to a larger St. Charles location accompanies an expansion beyond heating and air conditioning into electrical and plumbing work, according to the St. Charles Regional Chamber.
GOOD TIMES, CLOSE TO HOME
O’FALLON, Mo. — Lee’s Famous Recipe Chicken is opening a new restaurant at 988 Bryan Road on Monday, November 2, with a grand opening celebration scheduled for Wednesday, November 4.
A longtime St. Charles neighborhood restaurant offers homestyle breakfasts, specialty burgers, car shows and casual family dining on South Duchesne Drive.
ST. CHARLES — One of historic Main Street's best-known sweet stops is celebrating a milestone in 2026. Grandma's Cookies traces its story back to 1976, when Charlotte Thompson began handing homemade cookies to children visiting her dress shop.
THE FUN SIDE OF ST. CHARLES COUNTY
LOS ANGELES — Godzilla Minus Zero led the North American box office Friday with about $14.5 million, including $6.7 million from previews and early screenings, according to The Numbers. The Cat in the Hat was second at about $6 million.
ST. LOUIS, Mo. — The Muny and Jazz St. Louis are beginning a shared-services partnership that brings together parts of their behind-the-scenes operations while preserving separate governance and artistic missions.
ST. LOUIS — The 35th St. Louis International Film Festival begins November 5 with a significant free-program strand, making the price of admission only part of the access question.
ST. LOUIS — Joe Edwards has sold the Moonrise Hotel as he reduces his business holdings, but the Delmar Loop property is expected to remain a hotel rather than undergo a major change in use.
Sony’s latest results show why the entertainment business cannot be measured by console sales alone: operating profit climbed sharply while PlayStation 5 hardware shipments fell.
THE PLACES AND FACES WE REMEMBER
The neon sign, the quarters and the high scores: 102.1 The River remembers the Tilt Arcade days at Mid Rivers Mall.
Remember Rosenblum's at 339 North Main? From its Lithuanian immigrant roots and free tailoring to first suits and the memorable men behind the counter, here's a piece of St. Charles history.
ST. CHARLES — One of historic Main Street's best-known sweet stops is celebrating a milestone in 2026. Grandma's Cookies traces its story back to 1976, when Charlotte Thompson began handing homemade cookies to children visiting her dress shop.
THINGS THAT BRING US TOGETHER
ST. CHARLES COUNTY, Mo. — Seniors comparing 2027 Medicare coverage face a gap between national premium averages and the cost of the plan they will actually use.
ST. CHARLES COUNTY, Mo. — Families seeking developmental-disability support face more than one eligibility test: recognition of a disability, access to case management and acceptance into an individual funded program are separate steps.
ST. CHARLES COUNTY, Mo. — Missouri’s heating-assistance season has opened to additional households, but accepting an application and issuing payment follow different timetables.
ST. CHARLES COUNTY, Mo. — Nearly $10 million in local youth-services funding supports 55 programs this fiscal year, but the public funding rules leave important limits on what that money can buy.
ST. CHARLES COUNTY, Mo. — The library’s approved fiscal 2027 budget reduces spending on books and digital materials while planning to use approximately $1.27 million in reserves after capital and special projects.
ACROSS THE ST. LOUIS REGION
Major developments across the St. Louis area that matter to St. Charles County.
ST. LOUIS, Mo. — BJC Health and Aetna have agreed to a one-year transition period for Illinois state retirees enrolled in the TRAIL Aetna Medicare Advantage plan, according to a November 6 letter reported by First Alert 4.
ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. — A fatal truck collision shut northbound Interstate 270 near Route 21 early Thursday, followed hours later by another crash across the interstate.
FRONTENAC, Mo. — Two people died in a wrong-way collision on Interstate 64 Wednesday night, a three-vehicle crash that closed westbound lanes for several hours.
ST. LOUIS — Police launched their first drone response Wednesday, hours after a 4–1 board vote, bringing questions about video retention, public access and incidental surveillance into the program’s first days.
CLAYTON, Mo. — St. Louis County’s property-tax problems extend beyond its senior freeze program, with errors affecting rates for multiple taxing districts and the county taking its online bill-lookup system offline while corrections are made.
BEYOND ST. CHARLES COUNTY
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Missouri voters narrowly approved Amendment 8 on Tuesday, according to unofficial totals. The measure puts existing requirements for elected county sheriffs into the Missouri Constitution and changes who can start a court proceeding to remove one.
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Missouri’s Cold Weather Rule is in effect through March 31, giving households behind on heat-related utility bills protections against certain shutoffs and a way to request a payment arrangement.
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Missouri has filed civil lawsuits against four retailers, alleging that products marketed as legal hemp exceeded THC limits and were sold outside the state’s licensed marijuana system.
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Missouri’s childcare subsidy waiting list reached 11,618 children as of October 5, leaving some providers with empty classrooms while eligible families cannot afford to take those places.
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Missouri voters rejected Constitutional Amendment 7, a proposal to establish a public endowment fund intended eventually to phase out state taxes.
ST. CHARLES COUNTY, Mo. — Democrats will represent three St. Charles County districts in the Missouri House beginning in 2027, marking the first time in more than a decade that the county delegation has included Democrats.
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Missouri voters approved Constitutional Amendment 6 in Tuesday’s election, adopting additional protections for the state’s citizen initiative and referendum process.
ACROSS THE UNITED STATES
LOS ANGELES — The U.S. Justice Department asked Friday to dismiss its lawsuit seeking to stop California from counting mail ballots linked to roughly 20,000 voters whose citizenship it questioned, The Associated Press reported.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — President Donald Trump announced Friday that Stephen Miller will become White House chief of staff Monday, November 9, replacing Susie Wiles.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. employers added 165,000 jobs in October, while the unemployment rate measured 4.1 percent, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Friday.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — OpenAI announced a community compact Thursday promising greater disclosure about future computing campuses, as opposition to data-center growth becomes a larger political and economic issue.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Google, Meta and TikTok have sued to block California’s new restrictions on social-media features for children younger than 16, opening another legal fight over online safety and speech.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — New unemployment benefit applications declined last week, but the number of people continuing to receive assistance increased, offering two different signals about the labor market ahead of Friday’s monthly jobs report.
AROUND THE GLOBE
U.S. forces disabled a commercial cargo ship in the Gulf of Oman on Saturday after it left an Iranian port and ignored repeated warnings, U.S. Central Command said. An aircraft fired at the stern of the St. Kitts-flagged M/V Huda after U.S. forces directed its crew to clear the area being targeted.
DOHA, Qatar — Qatar’s emir and President Donald Trump discussed efforts to ease Middle East tensions in a telephone call Friday, according to the Qatari ruler’s office.
BRASÍLIA, Brazil — Brazil is emphasizing domestic processing and industrial development as it writes rules for critical minerals, complicating expectations of rapid preferential access for foreign buyers after President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s reelection.
LONDON, United Kingdom — The Bank of England raised its benchmark interest rate Thursday, judging that rising energy costs and stronger economic activity required tighter policy despite limited evidence so far of broader wage and price spillovers.
MOSCOW — President Vladimir Putin met Iranian security official Mohsen Rezaei at the Kremlin on November 5, Reuters reported, citing the Russian presidency.
Russia’s military said November 5 that its overnight attacks targeted logistics, rail and energy infrastructure in Ukraine. The account was not independently verified in the Reuters report.
REMEMBERING OUR NEIGHBORS
Verified memorial notices and upcoming services from St. Charles County funeral homes. Notices are published with care and updated through the final announced service.
WELDON SPRING, Mo. — Lisa L. Kaiser died October 23, 2026, at age 67, according to Hutchens Funeral Homes.
ST. PETERS, Mo. — Susan “Suzy” Risch died November 1, 2026, at age 76. She was born October 23, 1950.
COTTLEVILLE, Mo. — Sandra C. Nash, née Walsch, died November 3, 2026, at age 83. She was born August 20, 1943.
ST. CHARLES COUNTY, Mo. — Mary Ann Shumate, née Wirkus, died November 5, 2026, at age 100. She was born October 20, 1926.
ST. CHARLES COUNTY, Mo. — Diane Jean Giambalvo died November 5, 2026, at age 74, according to Newcomer Funeral Home.
ST. CHARLES, Mo. — Kathy King died November 4, 2026, at age 78.
John J. Shanahan, of St. Charles, died October 22, 2026, at age 64. Funeral arrangements were pending in the notice from Paul Funeral Home.
Cynthia “Cindy” M. Stage, of New Melle, died November 3, 2026, at age 65. She owned and operated Flowers with Pride in Wentzville, creating floral arrangements that included work for Pitman Funeral Home.
Dan Nuske, of Cottleville, died November 1, 2026, at age 64. A chemist, he enjoyed hunting, fishing, gardening, rock music and Kansas City Chiefs football.
Peter “Pete” Gallagher, of Wentzville, died October 23, 2026, at age 55 after living with ALS for six years. Born August 21, 1971, in New Jersey, he graduated from Auburn University with a business degree.
JOSEPHVILLE, Mo. — John Wilmes died November 3, 2026, at age 87. He was born February 4, 1939.
ST. CHARLES, Mo. — John W. Moran died November 1, 2026.
O’FALLON, Mo. — Jerome “Jerry” P. Hillner died November 1, 2026, at age 86. He was born December 29, 1939.
O’FALLON, Mo. — Jacqueline “Jackie” Theresa Mueller, née Kruse, died November 1, 2026, at age 89. She was born March 7, 1937.
O’FALLON, Mo. — Judith Ann Dreisewerd, née Bishop, died October 31, 2026, at age 81. She was born August 25, 1945, to Egbert and Agnes Bishop.
O’FALLON, Mo. — Dr. Theodore “Ted” S. Rummel died November 1, 2026, at age 67. He was born April 3, 1959.
O’FALLON, Mo. — Richard “Rick” Randall Etling died November 2, 2026, at age 60. He was born April 24, 1966.
ST. CHARLES, Mo. — Gary Dale Rodenberg died November 1, 2026, at age 71. He was born August 27, 1955.
ST. PETERS, Mo. — Polly Ann Schulte, née Ell, died November 1, 2026, at age 94. She was born November 6, 1931.
Retired Navy submarine command master chief James Lee Moss will be remembered November 8 and 9 in Wentzville.
O’Fallon resident and Air Force veteran Michael J. Beck has a November 9 graveside service at Jefferson Barracks.
Family and friends will gather November 9 in St. Peters to remember Virginia Pohlmann.
O’Fallon woman remembered for her love of family; November 21 celebration of life in St. Peters.
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