Ask the Patch Pro: Local Experts Answer Questions About Planning Your Vacation

Our panel of experts are waiting in the comments to answer all your questions about planning your vacation in the latest installment of Ask the Patch Pro.

It's time for another edition of Ask the Patch Pro, where each week we tackle a different topic and open up the comments section for questions. Our team of experts stop in to help you out and answer your questions. This week we're talking about vacation planning. We still have a few months before it's time to get out the flip-flops and beach towels, but it's not too early to start planning your spring and summer vacations. Patch wants to help you get your questions answered. But we needed some help. We've compiled a team of experts to help us out. Meet the experts: Have a question for our experts? Ask below!

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Ken Curfman

8:50 am on Friday, February 8, 2013

here is a website to check out and see what's out there.. http://www.funjet.com/default.aspx?pLCode=71753630C3   more ›

Ask the Patch Pro: Seeking Local Vacation Planning, Travel Experts

Patch is looking for experts who can offer their expertise and advice about planning spring and summer get-aways this week.

We still have a few months before it's time to get out the flip-flops and beach towels, but it's not too early to start planning your spring and summer vacations.  Patch wants to help find the answers to questions about planning your great escape, but we need a little help. In the latest edition of "Ask the Patch Pro" we need local experts who can answer readers' questions and offer advice about vacation planning and travel.  If you are a local expert and can answer these questions and more, let us know two ways. One: You can leave a comment along with your email address on this post. Two: You can send an email to jordan.lanham@patch.com. We need experts to answer questions on Thursday, Feb. 7.   Curious as to what we are looking for? Take…

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Lambert-St. Louis International Airport Expects Increased Holiday Traffic

Officials urge Thanksgiving travelers to come early and be prepared.

Lambert-St. Louis International Airport (Lambert) officials said they expect a 10-15 percent daily increase in passengers each day through the Thanksgiving holiday. In its annual Thanksgiving travel forecast, AAA predicts 43.6 million Americans will travel at least 50 miles from home over the holiday, up just 0.7 percent from last year. The biggest single travel day of the holiday weekend for Lambert is projected to be the Sunday following Thanksgiving. Officials at Lambert-St. Louis International Airport are urging passengers traveling through the airport to show up early, be patient and prepared. Officials add that people picking up guests should consider parking away at designated lots. “The busy holiday travel season will mean more …

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Lambert-St. Louis International Airport Safety Tips for Thanksgiving Travel

Avoid having to throw out personal items or missing your flight due to a longer screening process at Lambert with these tips.

Thanksgiving is one of the busiest travel times for U.S. airports, according to AAA. Lambert- St. Louis International Airport (Lambert) is no exception. In fact, Lambert expects to see a 10 to 15 percent daily increase in passengers each day through the holiday. What will be the busiest day at the airport? Nov. 25, the Sunday after Thanksgiving. Sundays are typically the busiest travel day of the week. Lambert, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and the airlines have offered these travel tips to help make traveling easier during this busy time:

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Moms Talk Q&A

Moms Talk: Travels with Pet Allergies?

What can be done to ensure that children with pet allergies get to visit out-of-town friends who have cats or dogs?

School will be out soon, and your out-of-town friends have invited you to bring the kids for a visit. The only problem? Your friends have cats, and your children are extremely allergic. So onto this week's question: Do you get your dander up? Just decline? Or try to strike a compromise?

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Moms Talk Q&A

Moms Talk: Your Summer Vacation Plans

We want you to tell us where you hope to take your family this year after school gets out.

The end of the school year is quickly approaching, so we're asking St. Louisans this week to tell us about their summer plans. Whether you intend to staycation in the suburbs or travel overseas, we want to hear from you. So onto this week's question: Where are some places you'd like to take your family this year for a summer vacation? Why? What is the best summer month for traveling?

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James Baer

7:19 am on Wednesday, April 11, 2012

I'd settle for a week anywhere!   more ›

Icy Weather Closes Schools in Clayton, RIchmond Heights

Two community centers were expected to open later than normal.

Classes are canceled Tuesday in the Maplewood Richmond Heights School District and the School District of Clayton, the districts' respective Web sites state. A major winter storm is expected to continue bringing ice and, later, snow. The Center of Clayton closed at 5 p.m. Monday because of the storm. The announcement came by e-mail. The Center is tentatively scheduled to reopen at noon Tuesday, though that time could be pushed back if conditions get worse. Participants who will miss class as a result of the change in hours will receive credit, the e-mail states. The Heights community center in Richmond Heights was scheduled to open at 9 a.m. Tuesday, according to an e-mail alert. Child-care facilities were to stay closed during the morning…

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Show Me the Future

Census Data and King's 'Dream' Speech Reveal Need to Address Poverty

It's an issue we should care about because our fates as Americans are inextricably tied to one another.

I have made it a personal tradition to watch the “I Have a Dream” speech during Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s day. A great draw for me to listen to or read older speeches is being able to better understand how the past compares to our present. Most of the time, the differences between our times and those of the speaker are more apparent than the similarities. Read William Jennings Bryan’s “Cross of Gold” speech, or watch the speech President John F. Kennedy gave at Rice University letting the world know that the U.S. had chosen to go to the moon, and you’re bound to not only notice the contemporary implications of the spoken words but also how far we have come today. Watching King’s speech, the generational progress seems to be anything but…

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Missouri Partnership Seeks European Investors for Renewable-Energy Businesses

Dennis Pruitt, vice president of international business recruitment for the Clayton-based company, recently traveled overseas as part of the effort.

As the market for renewable energy grows, Missouri Partnership is setting its eyes on overseas investors to aid in new job opportunities and capital investments for Missouri communities. Dennis Pruitt, vice president of international business recruitment for the Clayton-based company, said Missouri Partnership was formed three years ago to do two things. "One of the primary functions of the Missouri Partnership was to recruit new companies to the state that currently have no presence here, and second, to market the state of Missouri," Pruitt said. Some European companies have expressed interest in investing in renewable energy businesses, Pruitt said. Some of the state's utility companies will be required to increase their usage of …

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Top 10 Ways Winter Drivers Are Protected

Here's how officials in Clayton, Richmond Heights and St. Louis County help safeguard your commute during bad weather and business holiday traffic.

During the winter holidays, snow and ice can pose hazards to people who live in Clayton, Richmond Heights and elsewhere in St. Louis County. So how do government employees make sure those threats are minimized? Here are 10 examples. Sources: Bruce Murray, public works director for Richmond Heights; Gary Scheipeter, public works superintendent for Clayton; Dave Wrone, spokesman for the St. Louis County Department of Highways and Traffic.

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