Hello and welcome! I'm Candace Jarrett, local editor for Hazelwood Patch, your avenue for all things Hazelwood. The best way to explain patch is to say it's an online-community news source. Our charge is to deliver breaking news, events and features to the community.

We're going to bring hard-hitting journalism to Hazelwood, and we want to tell your compelling stories. You'll see our reporters at local city council and planning meetings, as well as at festivals and events around town. This is the place to go if you want to read about the big game at West or stories on local businesses. 

We also have a robust business directory—which we constantly update—that can help you pick a family-friendly restaurant or plan a date night. Our events calendar is chocked full of ideas for things to do around town. If you're looking for volunteer opportunities, head here to find local organizations that need your help. If you've got great news you want your neighbors to know about—whether it's an engagement or an birth announcement—you can post it on our announcement board.

Hazelwood's public gathering places have become my primary office. You can find me at the Elm Grove Starbucks on Lindbergh just about every day — and if I'm not there, I'm usually sitting in a large comfy seat at St. Louis Mills or at Prairie Commons Library.

I grew up in Hazelwood, attended Armstrong Elementary and graduated from Hazelwood West. I am a Mizzou graduate with a degree in Journalism. Since that time I've worked in New York, South Carolina and in Florida for televisions stations and newspapers as a local government and health reporter. 

I'm excited to cover all of the things that occur in Hazelwood and hope that you enjoy this local site. You will only find information on Hazelwood and that's what makes us Patch. 

If you see me, or my team of reporters out in the streets, don't be shy, say hi! We hope you'll come to our site to interact with your neighbors directly. We have a great Q&A Feature, where you can post questions about Hazelwood you want answered and we'll do our best to find the answers.

You can contact me at Candace.jarrett@patch.com. Or give me a call at 314-341-5417. We're also on Facebook and Twitter, so we can stay connected that way.

I look forward to meeting you. Maybe we can have a cup of coffee.