Saturday marks the 25th anniversary of the decision in Hazelwood School District v. Kuhlmeier. It is still widely taught with lesson plans and tutorials on how to teach about all over the Internet. The Court found the Hazelwood School District (HSD) had the right to censor its school-sponsored newspaper because it contained stories about teen pregnancy and divorce -- two topics that might be "inappropriate" for younger teens.  Remember you can get instant news updates. Like Hazelwood Patch on Facebook and follow us on Twitter. The Hazelwood case set a precedent for heavy censorship of free …

Do you live, work, play, or go to school in Hazelwood? Did you grow up in Hazelwood? Are you passionate about something, and like to write? Start blogging about it on Patch. For free. Food, family, schools, government, business, social issues, shopping, training techniques, whatever— if it's your thing, we'd like you to consider blogging for Patch. Anyone can do it. If you are more visual and prefer a photo blog. Have at it and signup for a photo blog. Teens, students, parents, crafters, train enthusiasts, non-profit organizers, lawyers, grandparents, favorite aunties, shopkeepers, baristas, …

I must say that I'm very excited to know that one of my favorite comedians of all time would be 100-years-old this week. That's right Lucille Ball, my all time favorite female comedian would have celebrated her centennial birthday Aug. 6. I will start my tribute to the great red-head by saying that I didn't grow up during or even near the time of her show airing. I learned of Lucille ball as a a 4-year-old in the late '80s watching re-runs of "I Love Lucy" on KPLR. I was allowed only a certain amount of television consumption during the week and my choices at that time were simple: "I Love …

Hazelwood Patch looking for even more people to utilize its blogging platform. This is you chance. If you enjoy creatively expressing yourself or feel you have something important to say, sign up for a blog on Hazelwood Patch. Blogs are open to residents, business owners, teachers, principals and most importantly, you! We are looking for bloggers, new or established, that can be themselves, sharing their personality and engaging our readers in discussions. Choose your own topics. Patch is more than a news site, it's an online conversation about your community be it one where you currently …

At the end of April, Hazelwood Patch announced a new iPhone app so you can get your news on-the-go. Well, the IT people at Patch HQ in New York are at it again, have just announced a new Patch Android app called 'Patch Places.' It allows you to navigate every place in every Patch town in the country. So awesome, right? Select any Patch community, like Hazelwood, MO for example, and tap into a mobile directory of every place in the city with Patch Places for Android. Every place in town? Oh yes, we mean it – from local businesses and organizations to government offices and public parks. There …

With the bought of severe weather that has hit the area, Hazelwood Patch has taken the time to show some area organizations, businesses, government entities and agencies out to help those the victim of the Joplin and Good Friday tornadoes. If you'd like to help--be it with your time, monetarily or through giving items, below are some outlets through which to do so. American Red Cross: You can donate $10 by texting JOPLIN to 90999 from your cell phone. Visit the website of the St. Louis Chapter of the American Red Cross to learn more ways to donate financially or other ways to help.The website…

When my sister Breanna, a Hazelwood West sophomore, invited me to attend her journalism banquet Monday night, I felt two things: pride and a bit nostalgic. I was very much proud of the fact that she was following in my high school foot print by actively participating in the school's journalism program. At the same time, the memories from my days as an editor of the Hazelwood West Gazette and staff writer for the Focus yearbook began playing in my head. Back in 2001, I felt pretty cool with my reporter's notebook and editor's pass being able to walk around the school and pull students out of …

There's been a few changes at Hazelwood Patch lately. You might have noticed it by glancing at our home page—there's suddenly a whole new column of blog posts in the center! Wondering what's up with that? Here's the scoop: Local Voices: More Ideas, Topics and Thoughts to ShareYou might have noticed a new section on our site recently. "Local Voices," a space for community members to blog about whatever they fancy, launched last week. It's been great to get the blogs up and running, and I've really enjoyed reading all our bloggers' posts.  If you haven't checked them out yet, here's who is …

Starting  tomorrow, May 4, Hazelwood Patch is giving residents, business owners, teachers, principals and most importantly, you, a platform to express yourself. We're looking for bloggers, new or established, that can be themselves, sharing their personality and engaging our readers in discussions. Choose your own topics. Patch is more than a news site, it's an online conversation about your community be it one where you currently live, or one in which you grew up. Do you have strong thoughts on our local government? Are you an expert craftsman or hobbyist who can share do-it-yourself tips? …

Osama bin Laden has been killed, according to reports late Sunday night. "I can report to the American people and the world that the United States has conducted an operation that has killed Osama bin Laden," President Obama said in an address to the nation Sunday night. Bin Laden, the mastermind behind the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center in New York and the Pentagon near Washington, D.C., was said to have been killed while in a remote region of Pakistan and his body is reported to be in U.S. hands, according to CBS News.  CNN quoted a senior U.S. official as saying that U.S. forces …

Apple released the Patch app for iPhone users recently for on-the-go news accessibility. For those craving instant news, and for those that want to keep up with their communities with just the click of a button can begin rejoicing. Apple released the Patch app for iPhone users on Thursday, April 14.  The app is live in Apple’s App Store and features a variety of ways for you to stay connected and keep up-to-date about what’s going on in the City of Hazelwood and neighboring communities.  Although you’re able to read the most recent news articles posted on the site, there’s much more available…

I just learned from a fellow Patch editor, Jean Whitney of Sunset Hills-Crestwood Patch that our sites recently launched FREE classified ads.  No, I'm not kidding. Free classified ads for Hazelwood. The advantage I see, beside  it being free of course, is our site's entire advantage...locality. That means whether your are looking for items, services or people--the responses will be drawn from Hazelwood and nearby. So you as a Hazelwood resident can post a for sale ad for an old car you no longer desire, while I as editor of this site can post an ad for great new writers living in Hazelwood--…

I am a writer. I do it as my profession and as a love. I write creatively and intertwine my thoughts and imagination with my real existence to create works of art that, although I don't share with anyone, I am quite proud of. I have to say that my parents pressed upon me a love of writing and the literary world. At younger ages other girls wanted Cabbage Patch's and Barbie dolls. I wanted books, and lots of them, specifically about history and geography. I loved to read about American history and my mother says that even at four-years old—when I was able to read proficiently on my own—I had …

As the Hazelwood Patch editor, I'd like to thank each individual that has taken time in the past month that the site has been live, to stop by and read about what's going on in this city. Hazelwood Patch has brought a number of stories that cover things affecting where we live and archiving the town's memorable events in history. As I reflect on the year that has passed and the new one that is our current, I am making my New Year's resolution a dedication to the City of Hazelwood: to provide comprehensive and sincere coverage. Throughout 2011, we plan to continue our extensive coverage and go…