By ERIC X. VICCARO [email protected] Levee District No. 3 set its budget for the 2022 Fiscal Year during Tuesday’s regularly scheduled board meeting. The levee district proposed $322,455 in expenditures, with nearly half of the total coming in the line item for repairs, maintenance and improvements ($150,000). Levee superintendent Norman Gallup said one of the…

By MARK EVANS [email protected] With last minute help of Lee Lottes of Lakenan Insurance, the benefit go kart race to aid Pete Unverferth was able to be held at the Ste. Genevieve County Fairgrounds Sunday night. The fate of racing in general was up in the air Thursday morning, with more insurance policy discussions taking…

By ERIC X. VICCARO [email protected] The city of Ste. Genevieve Board of Aldermen had an extensive work session on May 27 covering a myriad of topics. The session featured talks on the city’s sidewalk assistance program, new street repair specifications moving forward and additional talks on expected future American Rescue Plan federal relief funds. Ste.…

Many have suggested that extended COVID-19 unemployment benefits only exacerbated an increasing problem in finding younger people to work today. “Prior to COVID, I think we all knew there were issues with the trades, finding workers or kids going into the trades,” First District Commissioner Karen Stuppy said. “There was already an issue there. COVID…

From Staff Reports There will be a work session following this Thursday’s regularly scheduled Ste. Genevieve Board of Aldermenmeeting. The session will cover a pair of requests from local businessman Greg Hilbert, which were originally on the agenda for the previous meeting. Hilbert recently purchased the former Lucent/Bilt Best property – a factory that manufactured…

FROM STAFF REPORTS Deputy sheriff Jeff Dorenkamp was one of a handful of people injured  in accidents in Ste. Genevieve County between May 30 and June 1. At 10:50 a.m. on June 1, Dorenkamp was westbound on Route Y, west of Dietfelbinger Drive in a Sheriff’s Department vehicle, a 2016 Dodge Charger, when a 2004…

By ERIC X. VICCARO [email protected] Ste. Genevieve Board of Aldermen approved a couple of purchases during its regularly scheduled meeting on May 27. However, there are still some contingencies to work through for one of those purchases – a bid for painting the Ste. Genevieve Volunteer Fire Department on Pine Street. City administrator Happy Welch…

By MARK EVANS STE. GENEVIEVE HERALD Kyla Parker, one of three concerned Ste. Genevieve County citizens who had brought fears to the county commission about the proposed 19-mile Wabash Valley 69,000-volt power line, returned to the commission last Thursday. Parker  reported that she had spoken with the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO), which Wabash Valley…

By MARK EVANS [email protected] Dr. Mikel Stewart, who served as superintendent of  Ste. Genevieve R-II Schools 1990-2012, died on May 26 at age 71. Stewart came to Ste Genevieve in 1983 as high school assistant principal, then served as principal 1986-1990. He took over as superintendent during dire financial times. “At the time we hired…

By ERIC X. VICCARO [email protected] Fundraising continues to be on the front burner at Ste. Genevieve Parks and Recreation board meetings. That’s after Wendy Dyer, a funding development consultant based in St. Louis, backed out of possibly providing her services. There originally was to have been a Zoom teleconference between Dyer and park board members…

By MARK EVANS [email protected] Ste. Genevieve’s unique colonial history will once again come to life June 12, when the annual French Heritage Festival returns after a one-year hiatus. The festival had to be cancelled in 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Now the festival is back with a flourish and co-organizer Cathy Grusling believes it…

By ERIC X. VICCARO [email protected] The 13th Annual Ste. Genevieve Chamber of Commerce Summer Music Series begins this coming Friday at 8 p.m. at the renovated Orris Theater. Chamber of Commerce executive director Dena Kreitler has encouraged by early ticket sales. “We’ve been very successful so far,” Kreitler said. “Our ticket sales have been wonderful.…

By MARK EVANS STE. GENEVIEVE HERALD Parking issues on Dorlac Road near the Pickle Springs Conservation Area may be alleviated in the near future. Last Thursday the Ste. Genevieve County Commission voted to authorize a  proposed addition to the parking area at the conservation area. Residents on Dorlac Road have long complained about cars parking…

By MARK EVANS [email protected] Only one of four requests for certificates of appropriateness drew much debate during the April 19 Ste. Genevieve Heritage Commission meeting. Three of the four passed by unanimous 5-0 votes. The one that generated some disagreement was Larry Wilson’s request to install vinyl siding and metal soffit and fascia on the…

By Pamela Rensing Better Newspapers, Inc. Greg Hoskins, publisher of Better Newspapers, Inc., is proud to announce the acquisition of two Illinois newspapers: The Breeze Courier and The Shopping Spree, both located in Taylorville, Illinois. Based in Mascoutah, Illinois, Better Newspapers, Inc. is a family-owned company now operating  26 publications in Illinois and Missouri. The…

By MARK EVANS [email protected] Alan Wells, 911 director in St. Francois County since 1993, addressed the Ste. Genevieve County Ambulance District Board during the board’s monthly meeting last Thursday. Wells updated the board on operations at the state-of-the-art joint communication and EOC center in Park Hills, which handles both counties’ emergency calls. Ste. Genevieve and…

Nine years ago Thursday, on March 11, 2012, Ted Coalter lost a battle with cancer at age 58. A 1971 Ste. Genevieve High School graduate, who edited the school newspaper, the Mike, he then served in the military in Vietnam. Coalter stayed in Cape Girardeau after getting a BS in business administration at Southeast Missouri…

FROM STAFF REPORTS Longtime Ste. Genevieve Parks and Recreation Board member Gerard “Gerry” Schwent died at his home at age 70, March 3. Schwent was also a member of National Wild Turkey Federation, a past alderman for Ste. Genevieve and had been president of Ste. Gen. Eagles Club, Knights of Columbus 1037. He was chairman…

By MARK EVANS [email protected] PERRYVILLE – With only two voting members present at the start and three by the end, the New Bourbon Regional Port Authority Board of Commissioners lacked a quorum on Feb. 24. Initially, only board president Ron Inman and member Mark Gremaud were there, in addition to the Southeast Missouri Regional Planning…

By MARK EVANS [email protected] After denying an LED sign to the Church of Ste. Genevieve on Jan. 25, the Ste. Genevieve Heritage Commission approved a pair of requests for certificates of appropriateness for one property owner and tabled another request. The commission was also updated on a State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) grant to put…

By ERIC X. VICCARO [email protected] City of Ste. Genevieve Board of Aldermen officially approved an agreement with the Community Foundation of the Ozarks during its regular meeting this past Thursday. The agreement allows the foundation to serve as the nerve center for all fundraising efforts for Pere Marquette Park improvements. It also allows contributions from…

By ERIC X. VICCARO [email protected] Ste. Genevieve County Levee District No. 3 board of directors approved a raise for superintendent Norman Gallup at its Jan. 12 regular meeting. The hour-long meeting covered a wide variety of topics. Gallup performs a highly technical and specialized functions on the levee, and he brought up the matter of…

There will be two items on the agenda for a work session following this Thursday’s board of aldermen meeting. Discussions are set to cover utility terrain vehicle permits and walkers along Pine and Park Streets. The work session will be aired on SGTV Spectrum Channel 991, and also will be available through the Zoom teleconferencing…

By MARK EVANS [email protected] Mayor Paul Monia and Bloomsdale aldermen are eager to get started on the city’s big water line replacement project. They conferred with David Van Leer of Cochran Engineering during the city’s Jan. 12 meeting. “The biggest thing on moving forward is moving forward,” Monia said, after the contract was signed. Monia…

By MARK EVANS [email protected] During last Thursday night’s St. Mary Board of Aldermen meeting, Alderman Dr. Zenon Duda offered to plant trees to spruce up the city appearance. He addressed previous concerns about trees being killed by flood waters and about the difficulty of mowing in between large trees. He said Cyprus trees would be…

Due to the coronavirus, Ste. Genevieve Project Pioneer is cancelling all activities until Fall. The usual August event would have had meetings with families in crowded rooms, a risk the committee doesn’t want to take during the pandemic. By October, it is hoped the virus will be tamped down enough so the group can continue…

By mark Evans [email protected] Dena Kreilter, executive director of the Ste. Genevieve Chamber of Commerce, reported to the Ste. Genevieve County Commission last Thursday that business was booming at the newly-reopened county license office. Kreitler since the office had been “swamped” since reopening on Jan. 4, after being closed more than nine months. The first…

By MARK EVANS [email protected] After nearly a decade on the job, First District Commissioner Randy Bahr and Second District Commissioner Joe Getting were honored at their final meeting last Thursday. Presiding Commissioner Garry Nelson presented each with a plaque and the courthouse staff provided a farewell cake and ice cream. Gettinger, who took office in…