🌱 Record-Setting Heat Wave + SLMPD Scheduling Concerns

Welcome back, St. Louis! Let's get you started this Friday with everything you need to know going on today in town.

First, today's weather:

Warm with a strong t-storm. High: 88 Low: 67.

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Here are the top 3 stories in St. Louis today:

1. St. Louis City Board of Aldermen has raised concerns over the number of hours projected to be worked by the St. Louis Metro Police Department. Due to difficulty with staffing and retention, the SLMPD has decided to begin 12-hour shifts on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. The department is reportedly about 100 patrolmen short. (KSDK.com)
2. Gary Valerio made a commitment to take a 3,000-mile bike ride across the country to raise awareness and money for cystic fibrosis. His niece, Libby, has cystic fibrosis, and Valerio says that he's doing this ride for her and other kids suffering. Most recently, Valerio passed right through St. Louis and you can listen to his interview here. (KMOV4)
3. If you've stepped outside recently, you might be more inclined to think that it's the middle of July, not the beginning of May. St. Louis has been experiencing record-setting heat waves in what is an extremely unusual sequence of hot days. Wednesday's temperatures hit 94 degrees. (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)

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Today in St. Louis:

• Sauce Magazine Food Truck Friday At Tower Grove Park (4:00 PM)
• Soulard Farmers Market (7:00 AM)

From my notebook:

• Downtown St. Louis's Microtransit service, Downtown Link, is the newest transportation resource for the community. Downtown Link is powered by electric shuttles providing free transportation across all of Downtown. Check it out here. (Facebook)
• More than 200,000 children nationwide lost a parent or caregiver to COVID-19. This St. Louis nonprofit is helping kids process their grief (Stlmag.com)
• The Missouri Botanical Garden is excited to share photos from the Japanese Garden, featuring the cast of The Karate Kid – The Musical. The world premiere of The Karate Kid – The Musical takes place at STAGES ST. LOUIS later this month—the show will run May 25-June 26 here in St. Louis before heading to Broadway. Get your tickets today at Stagesstlouis.org! (Facebook)

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Thanks for following along and staying informed! See you all 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.