Laura Marlow

Life Story for Fred Dietrich, a longtime funeral director in De Soto.

Two readers from Hillsboro and one from Imperial came up winners in the annual “Way Back When” photo contest, sponsored by Leader Publications and Grand Times, its publication for seniors. Readers were asked to submit photos from more than 25 years ago for the contest.

Alexandria Lammert of Exit Elite Realty in Arnold is living both sides of the real estate business these days.

Their family has spent 180 years struggling to come to terms with the terrible tragedy and its equally horrifying aftermath: the lynching of a suspect, an enslaved Black man, by a group of angry citizens.

The Jefferson R-7 School District community was shocked by the sudden death of Andrea Hammock, a longtime administrative assistant on the high school counseling staff.Hammock, 44, of Bonne Terre, who also was secretary to the R-7 Board of Education, died June 7 of complications from a knee injury she sustained in May.

I’m a proud, self-confessed nerd. On any given day, I’m typically the only one in a group who knows when Feynman Day is, who subscribes to several NASA podcasts and who owns a signed copy of a Ray Bradbury novel.

The community has rallied around her family, collecting donations through the district’s Blue Jay Foundation.

Laverne Friedman Ehlmann was a perfect example of one person making a big difference in a community, her friends and family say.

The annual Festus Senior Expo, set for 8 a.m. to noon Wednesday, June 26, will be held in a new location this year – the Festus High School’s Performing Arts Center, 1540 St. Mary’s Lane.

The 78th annual Jefferson County Fair will offer tons of music, motorsports and more fun.