Today’s newsletter covers a tax freeze email mix-up affecting St. Louis County seniors, fixes to news site subscription issues, and Missouri’s new foster benefits contract. Plus, see how rare northern lights dazzled the region, school reopening plans after tornadoes, and central City Hall leadership changes.

MAIN STORY

Tax Freeze Email Glitch

Dozens of St. Louis County seniors applying for property tax freezes have received confirmation emails about liquor licenses from Kane County, Illinois, after a software glitch surfaced this month. The issue began when the county opened its updated system on November 1.

Residents, including Florissant’s Theresa Adams, reported unexpected emails referencing applications for liquor licenses in a county nearly five hours away. St. Louis County switched to a new software vendor for its second year of the tax freeze program. A county spokesperson said the revenue department is working with the vendor to address the problem.

The property tax freeze program has faced issues since its launch, including long wait times and confusion on third-party sites. Seniors can check or renew applications through the county’s portal as officials work to resolve the latest technical problems.

AROUND TOWN

A rare geomagnetic storm brought the northern lights to the St. Louis region Tuesday night. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) issued a Severe (G4) Geomagnetic Storm Watch, predicting the aurora borealis would be visible across northern Missouri after solar activity increased. While only residents near the state's northern border could see the lights unaided, long-exposure cameras helped others capture the event. NOAA warned the storm could impact infrastructure, though mitigation is limited. The Space Weather Prediction Center offers updates as similar rare storms occur.

St. Louis Public Schools officials plan to reopen three tornado-damaged schools by January 2025. At Monday’s board meeting, leaders proposed reopening Washington Montessori, Yeatman-Liddell, and Beaumont High School, relying on temporary repairs set for completion by Dec. 10. The final plan will be presented Dec. 9, while Ashland, Soldan, and Sumner need lengthier repairs due to severe damage and material delays of up to eight months. Revised repair costs range $5 million to $15 million, mostly funded by FEMA. Read more on reopening plans.

St. Louis CITY SC Academy director Dale Schilly highlights rapid player development and expanded youth pathways. Schilly returned to assist CITY2’s training in 2024, observing firsthand professionalism among older academy members and emphasizing the importance of exposing younger squads to higher-level play. Recent milestones include four international youth call-ups and first-team selections for talents like Jaziel Orozco and Mykhi Joyner. Club leadership, including new sporting director Corey Wray, plans to prioritize development over results for emerging groups detailed in Schilly’s interview.

ALSO READ

Account Issues Hit St. Louis News Site

St. Louis news subscribers faced account processing problems as of Thursday, with some emails already tied to existing accounts. Users reported issues with logging in, password resets, and duplicate email addresses on the site.

The service assured customers their accounts remain secure and that automated billing will continue as subscriptions renew. Support teams are working to resolve login and registration errors. For step-by-step updates or troubleshooting, readers can visit the site's subscription support page.

ALSO READ

Missouri Seeks Foster Benefits Contractor

Missouri is seeking to hire a private contractor to manage financial benefits for foster children, state officials announced this week. The move comes as leaders acknowledge gaps in oversight of funds collected for children in state care.

Rep. Hannah Kelly, R-Mountain Grove, emphasized that these funds belong to children who are wards of the state. Missouri’s child welfare agency director admitted additional work is necessary to ensure proper use and tracking of the benefits. Nearly two dozen other states have implemented similar outsourcing strategies. Read more about the contracting plan and its implications.

QUICK HITS

Marvin Teer, a former municipal court judge and Circuit Attorney’s Office veteran, has been named head of the Office of Violence Prevention. At the same time, Bryan Barroqueiro becomes deputy chief of operations, and Nahuel Fefer exits the Community Development Administration, marking major leadership shifts at St. Louis City Hall in mid-2024.

Affinia Healthcare has completed a $600,000 green infrastructure project at Biddle Health Center, introducing rain gardens and pervious pavement to manage stormwater and benefit the St. Louis community’s environmental health.

FEMA will cover the cost of crisis counseling for Missouri residents impacted by tornadoes, expanding support for affected individuals in the aftermath of recent severe storms.

SLUH defeated Ladue 2-1 in a tightly contested Class 4 District 2 soccer championship on Monday, advancing to face Vianney in the state quarterfinal despite poor field lighting and regional bracket controversy.

4 Hands Brewing Co. president Kevin Lemp discusses the brewery's 14-year journey, expansion to four locations, beverage innovation, and community roots on this week's episode of The Sauce podcast.