Today's the day we carve out in the greeting card culture to salute the Moms in the world. There should be more than one day for this kind of thing. If you'll pardon the indulgence, I'd like to brag a little bit about my Mom. I'm pretty sure that being Mary Ann Palermo's son is one of the reasons I ended up in journalism. A Boston University grad school degree in the subject led to work in marketing in New York City at what was Time-Life back then. I can definitely see where the "not afraid to ask questions" nature of being a reporter came from her. She's a lifelong Boston Red Sox fan--at …

I hope you had a chance to read what Jill Farmer posted in Patch Local Voices earlier this week about a rainy trip to the St. Louis Bread Company. "To the young woman working at St. Louis Bread Company who patiently encouraged the elderly customer to put his wallet away when he tried to pay you again for his dinner... and to the well-dressed woman who followed this gentleman around the parking lot with your umbrella in the cold rain while he searched for his car (your idea to use the key fob to make the horn honk was a winner): Thank you for reminding us that kindness is always the right …

Tonight, the St. Louis Cardinals will join all of Major League Baseball in paying homage to the man who broke the game's color barrier. Players will all wear the number 42 Jackie Robinson wore with the Brooklyn Dodgers when he came up in 1947. (Cardinals fans know Hall of Fame pitcher Bruce Sutter also wore the number during his playing days.) My hometown of Rochester, NY saw Robinson play before he made it to the big leagues. The city was home to the Cardinals' longtime AAA affiliate in the International League, and is where legends like Stan Musial, Red Schoendienst and Bob Gibson honed …

Welcome to 2013. I guess the Mayans were wrong, huh?  As we embark on a new year, here's a look at 10 storylines we'll be following. Think we've missed something? Tell us in the comment section. Development: Creve Coeur faces a tricky balance of how to handle business and development interests with nearby residential concerns. The poster-child for that in 2012, Delmar Gardens' plan for Ladue Road near Interstate 270 figures to make news on that front again in 2013. The proposal, which received a negative recommendation from Creve Coeur Planning and Zoning officials, will be back before City …

2012 was a busy year in sports for Creve Coeur. It saw prep athletes like Durron Neal, Brandon Sheperd, Donavin Newsom and DJ Johnson sign on the dotted line to play football or basketball at the next level for major Division I programs. It saw a Creve Coeur alum, Chaminade's Bradley Beal drafted third overall by the NBA's Washington Wizards. Andy Bauer, then only a sophomore, made headlines when he made a verbal pledge to play football at Missouri. He's since re-opened his recruitment and is still being sought out by some of the top schools in the country. At the team level, Whitfield Hockey…

Lots of news happened in Creve Coeur in 2012. There were big business openings, political events impacting the state and national stage, jaw dropping allegations in both civil and criminal courts. But when I really sat down and thought about it, it wasn't hard for me to decide that if we're really talking about 2012 in the hyperlocal sense, the choice for Creve Coeur Newsmaker of the Year should be Mayor Barry Glantz. Editor's Note: The following should not be construed as an endorsement. It is merely a set of observations gleaned over the past year. Glantz won a contentious race against …

We've reached that time of the year where we're in a reflective mood, and we're asking you to help us put 2012 in perspective. It is time to talk about who should be the Creve Coeur Newsmaker of the Year. Ah, but what does that mean? The beauty is, as they say, in the eye of the beholder. You get to help build the team picture, so to speak. Someone who did the most good? Parkway Northeast Middle Schooler Sam Klein could qualify for that. The young man was featured on NBC Nightly News and won a St. Louis Patch contest asking that very question. ALSO: What's the Creve Coeur Business Story Of …

We've reached December. A time when we all naturally look back, take stock, and reflect. Creve Coeur Patch is no different. During the last full week of the year, starting Wednesday December 26, we're going to do just that, from top photos, top newsmakers, biggest business stories, sports stories and the like, all the way into the new year. Today, we'll explain how the photo element works. Starting today, you're invited to check out our Pics & Clips Gallery, the place where you can share your own photos from events in the community, your Christmas tree, your Menorah, your scout troop's …

For almost the last year and a half, Creve Coeur Patch has provided a weekly roundup reporting on restaurant inspections done by the St. Louis County Health Department. Along with the police blotter, readers tell us this is one of their favorite regular features. I think that's because we've all been to so many of these places. We do all, after all, have to eat. And since these inspection reports are public record, they're easy to find and share with you. But Thursday, we ran a story on the most recent reports and used a headline that was unnecessarily hyperbolic. That headline was changed …

Political mail from candidates and issue advocates may have been clogging your mailbox lately, but this past weekend, did you get one from an organization called "Working America" that says it is your Voter Report Card? I received one, and it told me that I was a voter in one of the last five general elections, according to public records for my current address. It compared my participation in those elections to my neighbors and said I was "Below Average". Now, in my defense, this is the first general election at my current address, so I'm not sure that's a fair analysis. But as a reporter …

  By now, you've probably heard the news. Microsoft this week unveiled the Windows 8 operating system and Surface, the PC giant's entry into the tablet market. There was the requisite showbiz style opening event in New York City that we've come to expect from the latest must-haves in the tech world. And, just in time for the holidays, there will be Microsoft retail outlets around the country, and here in St. Louis where we can purchase them. If only that was the story I wanted to tell.  You see, Microsoft has a rather high-profile office space in Creve Couer, located at CityPlace. I thought …

On my desk, underneath a pile of books and other items, sits a Rolodex. My father-in-law gave it to me roughly 15 years ago. I've kept it with me, even though I haven't put new information in it for years. And truth be told, the contacts in there have probably changed their phone numbers and email addresses more than once since. I got out of practice with that old reliable, thanks to the onslaught of computers, and in my Patch experience, an iPhone that was full of pictures, phone numbers and other data. I wish I hadn't. Just last week, I used it to take this photo, of my father-in-law, …

As many of you who have followed me on this Patch journey in Creve Coeur, and now Olivette as well know, the majority of my journalism career prior to Patch came in the world of local television news, as a reporter, producer, anchor and news manager in cities around the country. Right now, with Isaac roaring in the Gulf Coast, with computer models split on a landfall mark between the Florida Panhandle and Texas, I'm most mindful of the time I spent as a news manager in Ft. Myers, FL. Mindful because I was there the last time a hurricane made landfall in Florida.  That area in Southwest …

We can't wait! Tonight opens the first week of the high school football season. De Smet travels to Rock Bridge in Columbia for a battle of top 10 preseason ranked teams in the post-Durron Neal era. Parkway Central hosts Ladue in a matchup of teams also looking to replace receivers who are now playing at the Division I level. Parkway North travels to SLUH in a rematch of one of the 2011 season's most exciting games. On the soccer pitch, Priory begins defense of the Rebels' state championship against Chaminade. And so it goes. But here's the thing. I can't be everywhere at once. That's where …

Ordinarily, the death of a former shortstop on an American League baseball team wouldn't garner much, if any, attention in this space, deep in the heart of Cardinal nation. But on Monday, Johnny Pesky, a key member of the Boston Red Sox World Series team that lost to St. Louis in 1946, passed away at the age of 92. More importantly for me personally, he was my mother's favorite player. My mom grew up in Milton, MA. Red. Sox. Nation. For my 37 years and in plenty more before that, Mom has bemoaned the notion that Pesky has been saddled with the blame for Enos Slaughter's ability to cross home …

The Summer Olympics are off and running, and like many of us, I'm keeping a close eye on what happens with St. Louis area athletes like Ladue High School graduate Becky Sauerbrunn. But the opening weekend has already provided lots of excitement for this editor from Rochester, NY.  Jason Turner, who I graduated with from McQuaid Jesuit in 1993, made his second Olympic squad this year in the air pistol competition, but failed to qualify for the finals in London. The leader of Sauerbrunn's Team USA Soccer team is Abby Wambach, a Rochester native who went to my sisters' high school alma mater. …

A few weeks ago, I shared a photo and some links asking if Creve Coeur was going to the birds. I saw this group yesterday and couldn't resist taking a photo.

Creve Coeur Patch is more than just editors from around the St. Louis area covering news stories as they unfold in communities from Creve Coeur to Wentzville and plenty in between. Patch thrives because people like you who not only read us, but who USE our platform, either by adding photos, contributing blogs, or posting announcements, and events on our calendar. Here are some recent examples that stand out, starting with the woman seen in this picture on the set of Jeopardy! with host Alex Trebek. BLOGS  (Start Yours) End Discrimination in Creve Coeur American Idol Is Down To The Final Four…

As I was driving around Creve Coeur Friday afternoon, I stopped by to see how construction was doing at La Bonne Bouchee. The french bakery is opening additional space next door to the current location on the east side of the city and we've been told that a May opening was possible.  I found workers doing their thing outside, and as I parked the car, I saw this fellow in a prime parking space. Maybe it was filling in for the crew foreman or a parking lot meter maid. Who knows? The bird looked comfortable right where it was. In case you haven't heard, not far from that location, another goose …

Creve Coeur Patch is more than just editors from around the St. Louis area covering news stories as they unfold in communities from Creve Coeur to Wentzville and plenty in between. Patch thrives because people like you who not only read us, but who USE our platform, either by adding photos, contributing blogs, or posting announcements, and events on our calendar. Here are some recent examples that stand out. BLOGS De Smet's Head Football Coach Congratulates former Player Wes Kemp on getting a shot in the NFL The Ladue Schools Foundation's Allison Collinger writes about an upcoming heroin …