🌱 STL Is A Top Mardi Gras City + Human Ladder Saves Fire Victims

Welcome back, St. Louis! Here's everything you need to know to get this Friday started off right.

First, today's weather:

Mostly cloudy and cold. High: 33 Low: 19.

Here are the top three stories in St. Louis today:

1. Outside of New Orleans, St. Louis has ranked first in celebrating Mardi Gras. According to a list from Lawn Love, STL is the No. 1 city in the U.S. for celebrating Fat Tuesday, edging out Baton Rouge and Metairie, Louisiana, which were Nos. 2 and 3, respectively. Two hundred of the largest cities were judged on the number of: Mardi-Gras labeled events; bars and Cajun/Creole restaurants; party supply stores, occult stores, and community interest, determined by Google searches in the last year. (STLtoday.com)
2. St. Louis Metropolitan Police officers formed a human ladder to rescue a mom and 9-year-old girl from a burning home on Tuesday. Fifth district officers Torre Dyson and Samuel Stewart tried entering a fire at a four-family building on Kensington Street; however, due to the smoke, they had to enter through the second-story window. The St. Louis Police Department will be accepting donations to help the family, who lost everything in the blaze. (KTVI Fox 2 St. Louis)
3. An emergency room suicide at the St. Louis VA Medical Center last year has prompted a national investigation. 61-year-old Kenneth Hagans was reportedly forgotten about after he walked into the hospital at about 5:20 a.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 29, complaining of medical issues, including depression. An investigation by the VA, along with the U.S. Inspector General and the U.S. Office of Special Counsel, is ongoing. (KTVI Fox 2 St. Louis)

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Today in St. Louis:

• Speaker Series: The Story Of The Château De Bagatelle, At The Field House Museum (1:00 PM)

From my notebook:

• The St. Louis Police Officers Association voted Wednesday against renewing a contract with its controversial business manager Jeff Roorda, but he remains employed by the union. (Twitter)
• Do you recognize these suspects? They're wanted for a home invasion that occurred on Feb. 18, 2022 in the 5700 block of Amelia. (Twitter)

More from our sponsors — thanks for supporting local news!

Events:

• Lowered Costs for 2022, Get Your Cannabis Card from Home! (February 26)
• Learn How To Reduce Your Risk For Heart Disease During American Heart Month (February 28)
• Taxes in Retirement Webinar (March 8)
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That's it for today! See you tomorrow morning for another update.

— Helen Eckhard

About me: Helen Eckhard is a marketing assistant at Lightning Media Partners. She is a self-professed logophile who is currently pursuing her master’s degree in library science. Outside of work, you can find Helen constructing crossword puzzles, knitting, or devising increasingly crafty ways to kill off characters in her mystery novels.