Tim Lloyd

Michelle Smith is transgender.

She came out early Tuesday night and was the first of 92 people who signed up to give public testimony. 

She had a steadfast delivery for the first part of her comments in favor of the ordinance.  Then Smith started thinking about her friends and her voice got a little shaky.

“I know a lot of transgender people who are scared every time they go to their job, I have a transgender friend who was fired,” Smith said.    

Over the weekend, shoppers crowded area malls, big box stores and local businesses in search of holiday deals.

Saint Louis University Marketing Professor, James Fisher, says because the region is relatively unchallenged by another large retail market, its set up to benefit greatly from a strong holiday shopping season.

“Our isolated situation as a major metro area means that we have drawing power,” Fisher says.  “The magnitude of this consumption ritual allows us to draw people into the St. Louis market.” 

The Third Degree Glass Factory is loaded this weekend with everything from quirky t-shirts to handmade jewelry.

Jessi Cerutti is an organizer for the Rock n’ Roll Craft Show and stands in the back of the room while a band tunes up before serenading shoppers. 

She says they felt the impact of the sluggish economy for a couple of years, but attendance for the annual event, now in its ninth year, has steadily grown.   

Monday night in Granite City the Illinois Board of Education held its final public hearing on the state’s education budget.

Among those speaking at the meeting was Granite City Police Chief, Rich Miller, who stopped by to make a case for early childhood education. 

“So, that then they move forward  toward a normal life that most of us would like to see our kids lead, not crime and jail and violence,” Miller said.  

Chelsea Marti came out to advocate for funding agriculture education. 

Missouri Department of Transportation Engineer for St. Charles County, Tom Evers, stood in a parking lot overlooking the Blanchette Bridge on Sunday morning.

For a guy who builds stuff for a living, he was pretty excited to help blow something up.  

“It is very cool to blow things up, I must admit,” Evers said, laughing.  “I’m excited about putting it back to together, but this is definitely a cool event.”