Dangerous cold extends St. Louis’ ‘Code Blue’ emergency as shelters add beds and services. Also today: storefront grants boost Dutchtown, KMOX’s Megan Lynch keeps commuters informed, residents weigh in on NGA-area redevelopment, volunteers honor veterans at Jefferson Barracks, and Westland Acres families debate land, legacy, and growth.

MAIN STORY

City Extends ‘Code Blue’

St. Louis shelters saw a surge in demand this past weekend as a dangerous cold gripped the region under the city’s extended “Code Blue” emergency plan. Wind chills between minus 10 and minus 20 swept overnight Saturday.

The National Weather Service issued a Cold Weather Advisory through midnight Sunday, warning that frostbite and hypothermia could occur within minutes. The city’s Department of Human Services will keep 24-hour emergency shelter operations open through at least Wednesday, Dec. 17, adding beds, transportation, and relaxed intake rules. Officials report 285 emergency beds available, with capacity to expand to 345, and residents can call 211 for placement and rides, according to city shelter guidance.

Mayor Cara Spencer also announced a $10 million initiative to provide hotel stays and emergency rental assistance for tornado-affected families and seniors, aiming to sustain support through what officials expect to be a long winter.

AROUND TOWN

North St. Louis neighbors weighed in Saturday on long-term redevelopment tied to the new NGA campus. The Project Connect initiative focuses on six north St. Louis neighborhoods, channeling investment into historically disinvested areas and communities still recovering from the May 16 tornado. Residents, including planning committee members, provided input on housing, business development, and services. St. Louis Development Corporation staff said community goals will guide city projects. Learn more about Project Connect’s plans and timeline here.

Thousands of volunteers laid wreaths at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery on Saturday to honor veterans. The St. Louis event joined more than 2,000,000 participants at over 5,000 cemeteries nationwide for Wreaths Across America Day. Volunteers, including 20-year Air Force veteran Randy Frantz and military widow Dianna Myer, placed wreaths for hours on graves spanning conflicts from World War II to Vietnam. Coordinators said the annual effort teaches younger generations about military sacrifice. Residents can sponsor wreaths for 2025 through the program’s website.

Descendants of a historic Black community in Westland Acres are fighting to sell prized land. The West and Frazier families, whose roots date to post-Civil War settlement, want to sell acreage along Church Road near Chesterfield and Wildwood for new homes. St. Louis County’s zoning rules, infrastructure questions, and political debates over suburban growth complicate the deal. Family members say the sale would secure generational wealth; preservation advocates worry about losing one of the region’s last rural Black enclaves.

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Dutchtown Storefront Grants

Fourteen Dutchtown businesses will receive $81,000 in grants to repair storefronts and improve the neighborhood’s image through a city program funded by interest from American Rescue Plan Act dollars. The St. Louis Development Corporation administers the initiative.

Dutchtown Main Streets is the first of the city’s three designated Main Streets areas to secure storefront improvement funds, with Laclede’s Landing and Delmar Main Streets developing similar grants. Business owners plan to replace damaged doors, windows, and signage, complementing recent safety upgrades, including security cameras and emergency call badges, in the south St. Louis neighborhood.

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KMOX host keeps St. Louis informed

Megan Lynch hosted “Total Information AM,” KMOX’s weekday news, traffic, and weather show with sports, from the station’s downtown St. Louis studios on Friday, Dec. 12, 2025. The morning program airs on KMOX (1120 AM).

The long-running show delivers local headlines, commuter updates, and forecasts to St. Louis listeners during peak drive times. KMOX, a 50,000-watt legacy station, has anchored regional news coverage for decades and continues drawing large morning audiences across Missouri and Illinois. Listeners can stream the broadcast and find recent segments through the station’s online audio player.

QUICK HITS

St. Louis’ first Hanukkah pop-up bar will bring themed cocktails, live music, and Jewish holiday food to Wente’s in Chesterfield on Dec. 18 from 6 to 11 p.m., primarily for guests over 21.

St. Louis Blues assistant general manager Tim Taylor detailed high expectations for top defense prospect Adam Jiricek, praised the organization’s defensive depth and goaltending pipeline, and outlined the club’s development and scouting philosophies in a subscriber Q&A.

St. Louis’ top girls golfers headline the STLhighschoolsports.com All-Metro Girls Golf fall team, recognizing standout performances from the 2024 season across the region’s high school programs.

Granite City police Officer Tyler Timmons left St. Louis University Hospital on Friday, 1 week after being shot twice, as nearly a dozen law enforcement vehicles escorted him back to Granite City in a show of support.

St. Louis has installed two mobile tornado sirens and plans to repair or replace 10 still-broken units by April, seven months after a May 16 storm killed five people and exposed system failures.