• Ballwin Gives Allied 10 Year, No-Bid ContractA divided Board of Aldermen decided late Monday not to put Ballwin's trash contract up for bid, instead giving Allied Waste a 10-year deal with taxpayers. • Ballwin Residents, Schnucks Agree to Privacy MeasuresThe agreement approved by the Ballwin Board of Aldermen late Monday includes plans to allow a 10-foot fence meant to obscure parts of the new building at Clarkson and Kehrs Mill roads. • Ballwin Commercial Strip Fetches $21.5 MillionThe plaza that once was home to Borders sold for $21.5 million, according to Retail Traffic magazine. • West …

Our readers are busy people—it's their hard work and energy, after all, that make Ellisville and Ballwin work. In case you didn't get to do a daily check-in at Ballwin Ellisville Patch this week, here's what you may have missed. Ellisville Baseball Player Drafted by MLB's Toronto Blue JaysWill DuPont is said to have a nasty left-handed swing, but that's only part of the recent Lafayette High School grad's artillery that's landed him an offer from Major League Baseball's Toronto Blue Jays. And the Ellisville teen may not be the only local baseballer heading to the majors: Parkway South High …

Ballwin-Ellisville Patch strives to keep our readers engaged in a variety of ways. Yes, we like it when you view our site, but arguably more than every before, your voices are the defining one in our news coverage. Gone are the days when disconnected publishers and editors opine on issues from afar in an attempt to set the tone and focus of news and developments in our community. Instead, we find it's the things residents write in our Local Voices blog pages, the comments people who live and work around Ballwin and Ellisville make on Facebook and Twitter, and the thoughts you leave us with …

Who knew 90s pop songs could be so prophetic? Marshalls department store in Ballwin had part of one of its signs taken down Tuesday, thanks to plans to install a new one in the coming weeks that will reflect the company's new logo. The gesture was reminiscent of the classic Ace of Base song "The Sign," which featured the apropos lyric, "I saw the sign and it opened up my mind / and I am happy now living without you." Not since Janis Joplin's "Mercedes Benz" has America heard a wiser commentary on commercialism. Workers with Bill Yount Signs and Electric who were removing the faces of the old …

Summer has all but officially arrived, and readers from Ellisville and Ballwin are happy to let it show. As longtime fans of the site know, Ballwin-Ellisville Patch is help facilitate a bustling social media scene, which readers can tap into via our official Facebook page and our Twitter account. For those of you just joining us, Twitter may be the best bet to keep loose tabs on some of the quirkier findings around Ellisville and Ballwin, while Facebook will keep readers up to date with photos, big stories and a platform to discuss the day's latest news in the cities you actually spend …

When I hear the name Maurice Sendak, I am immediately transported. Not to the steamy jungles from Where the Wild Things Are, or the “upside down” house of Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle, but to my childhood bedroom in the suburbs of Chicago, where I first learned to read. It was there I was introduced to several children’s authors, each of whom made a dent in my literary subconscious. The Tale of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter told me not to steal and to be aware of theft’s repercussions. The stories of Judy Blume helped me appreciate that I was not alone in feeling inferior to and often annoyed with my …

Haven't had the chance to do your daily check-in at Ballwin-Ellisville Patch this past week? We understand. Check out the biggest news from around our two cities this past week, and be sure to let us know what you think in the comments section below. • Ballwin Mother Sentenced For Violating Infant DaughterTessa Vanverlah, a 22 year-old woman from Ballwin, was sentenced to two consecutive life sentences on Monday for sexually assaulting her infant daughter with a man from California. • Ellisville Council Approves Tax Incentives for WalmartAfter months of deliberation as well as protest from …

Ballwin-Ellisville Patch does not decide what the talk of the town is. You do. In a day and age when there are so many different mediums for people to talk to their neighbors (including word of mouth—something Patch editors have read about on Facebook), we at Ballwin-Ellisville Patch like to highlight some of the conversations that happen on our site and its accessories: Many readers follow Ballwin-Ellisville Patch through our official Twitter account, which is an excellent tool for learning about breaking news. We also have hundreds of readers who follow us every day on Facebook. As of early…

Join hundreds of other folks from Ballwin and Ellisville who 'Like' us on Facebook! Please visit the Ballwin-Ellisville Patch page on Facebook. Already a fan? Then please help spread the word! 1) Real-time Updates About News Remember when we learned that Adam Paul was elected Mayor of Ellisville? That was posted through our Facebook page, where hundreds of readers first learned who the new mayor was as soon as Paul was elected. We regularly update the page with news and notes from the community that don't always make it to the Patch website. Stay in the know!2) You Help Create the …

We certainly still accept Letters to the Editor here at Ballwin-Ellisville Patch, but with an active, engaged community that makes up our readership, we embrace the great number of other ways our readers have to let their voices be heard. In addition to users who interact with our official Twitter account, which is an excellent tool for getting tidbits of breaking news as it happens, we also have hundreds of readers who follow us every day on Facebook. In fact, as of now, we have 285 fans on our Facebook page; we're pushing to get to 300 by month's end. Although Ballwin-Ellisville Patch lives…

In Ballwin-Ellisville Patch's constant search to find readers information that will help make their day easier, inform them about their cities and tell interesting stories from within their community, we use a variety of platforms to find news people are interested in. Sometimes that news comes from a city council meeting or local office holder. Other times it comes directly from a business owner or concerned resident. And occasionally, Ballwin-Ellisville Patch's Facebook page and Twitter account help us connect with readers to identify what's happening in the community. One such instance …

News outlets across the country recently were alerted of an upcoming special being offered by International House of Pancakes: Free pancakes at your local IHOP Tuesday in honor of "National Pancake Day." But wait, hold the syrup. Like many Americans who was raised Catholic, I had a mother who lovingly filled her children's plates growing up with sweet, buttery pancakes every year on "Fat Tuesday," the day before Lent, which started last week. It's a tradition that reaches countless households, as MSNBC confirms. In fact, the practice is so common that other nations even dubbed that day as "…

Patch editors from West. St. Louis County will offer up free tips on using our site and free coffee Tuesday night courtesy of 6 North Cafe in Ballwin. Patch is dedicated to sharing important stories, news as well as fun and helpful information to our readers. But our sites are not a one-way street the way so many news outlets are. We encourage readers to post their own events happening around town, share exciting announcements about their family or friends, or blog about anything they feel passionate about.Tuesday night at 7 p.m., our editors will be available to introduce themselves, show …

Everyone knows the dollar's buying power has decreased lately. On a personal level, this reality became clear around 2005, when it appeared that Wendy's 99 cent junior-bacon cheeseburger had been downsized. Those were dark days. But fast food restaurants are far from the only merchants slowly snubbing the paper face of our esteemed first U.S. President. Any shopper who's been inside the Dollar Tree in Ballwin or Ellisville, Family Dollar or a similar retailer lately has likely seen more than just a few items costing more than a buck. A minority of items exceeding $1 used to be relegated to …

It was one year ago today that Ballwin-Ellisville Patch officially launched. Since that time, our site has covered a lot of ground. We've seen several technical revisions to make the site more accessible, sure. But the additions I’m most proud of are the ones created by our own residents. Around this time last year, Jimmy Feeney shared why Ballwin was a place he was thankful to live in. For Jimmy and many others, be it Ballwin, Ellisville or elsewhere, the people always are what really make or break a community. I’m proud to have been the very first to report on almost countless news stories …

Having a network that connects you to your local community is invaluable. It's easy to overlook when online "social networks" keep us abreast of the daily minutiae of old friends, acquaintances and family members. And while Twitter, Facebook, Craigslist and others are fantastic for reaching friends and their associates, it's rare that they help develop a particular city or area. At Ballwin-Ellisville Patch, our Events Calendar and Announcements page both provide users with the chance to announce things not just to their friends, but to the people who live in the very community that matters …

Ellisville Police Seek Possible Credit-Card ThiefThe Ellisville Police Department announced early last week that a man was being sought in connection to a stolen credit card being used in Ballwin and Ellisville. For details on the card's use and a description of the suspect, check out the complete story. Civics In Action at Ellisville LibraryStaff for Democratic U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill were at the Daniel Boone Branch Library in Ellisville as part of the senator's "Kitchen Table Talks" series. Staff said the senator this summer has been touring manufacturers in Missouri, but that didn't …

Cunningham to Help Ballwin Appeal to Election AuthoritiesState Sen. Jane Cunningham, a Republican from Chesterfield, may be able to help the Ballwin Board of Aldermen settle a dispute about two of its chair-holders. Complaints from multiple parties have been levied in recent months against Aldermen James Terbrock and James Leahy, who both owed taxes to St. Louis County at the time of filing for candidacy prior to the April municipal elections – an action that may have run contrary to affidavits signed as part of the candidate declaration process. Cunningham said at the board's last meeting …

Ballwin Goes SolarBefore the end of 2011, the City of Ballwin is scheduled to get just a little "greener." The Ballwin Board of Aldermen approved the purchase of solar panels for the city's Government Center. The panels are predicted to reduce the city's electric utility costs by as much as 50 percent, and are being paid for in part through a grant provided by the state. Ballwinite Holds Pizza Delivery Driver at GunpointA 28 year-old named Issac Bernstein was arrested by Chesterfield police on Tuesday. He was charged with robbery, attempted robbery and two felony counts of armed criminal …

Born on the Fourth of JulyLast week began where the country started on Monday, July 4 (albeit a brief 235 years later) as folks in Ellisville and throughout the area watched an impressive fireworks display at Bluebird Park. If you missed the photos, or worse, Ellisvile's show, check out our gallery and bask in the glow of independence one last time for 2011. Miss Missouri Teen Reps for BallwinBallwin officially fell for Samantha Holmes last week, but with humor, poise and intelligence, it's not hard to see why. The 18-year-old who graduated from John F. Kennedy Catholic High School will head …