Chris Nicastro, Missouri's education commissioner, also talked about student transfers, the public schools in Kansas City and “more conversation about quality education than I have seen in my entire career.”

Meeting in St. Louis next week, the Leadership Conference of Women Religious will have its first opportunity as an assembled group to consider what to do after the Vatican issued a mandate for change this spring. It calls on the conference to reorganize and more strictly observe church teachings.

When a family of four goes to the St. Louis Zoo, they can be forgiven for not knowing it will cost them $60, $72 if they park. If they can't pay, the alternative is to tell the kids they can't do what kids do at the zoo.

Missouri Lt. Governor Peter Kinder issued a statement Friday afternoon announcing that he is dropping plans to run next year for the 8th Congressional District seat now held by fellow Republican Jason Smith of Salem, Mo. Kinder’s decision marks at least the third time he’s publicly declared plans to run for office and then backed off.

As several groups begin a lively discussion about changes in Missouri classrooms, superintendents would like to see more money directed to struggling schools so that students could learn where they live rather than having to travel elsewhere. 

We at the Beacon hope that you take a look at us every day, but we also know that's not always possible. So, once a week, on Friday, we highlight some of the top stories of the week. Here are Beacon must-reads from the week of Oct. 28, including a look at the politics of redistricting.

Chiwetel Ejiofor gives a brilliant, heartbreaking performance as a free black man in mid-19th century America who was dragooned into slavery. The film can be brutal but is not exploitive. It has no false emotion.

Halloween may be over but tricks and treats still lurk in Sightly Askew Theatre Ensemble’s “The Woman in Black," the tale of a London attorney sent to settle the affairs of a deceased client.

Jennifer Steinkamp’s projection, Orbit 11, is not complicated or challenging. It is quite lovely. Computer animated graphics of luscious plant life are seen through a bug’s eye-view. Wiry vines of green leaves change to brown, flower and shift again, the gleaming tendrils constantly swirling in motion, slow enough to hypnotize.

Surveys of area companies indicate that communication and other so-called "soft skills" are lacking among today's crop of job applicants and workers. Many trace the problem to an increasingly wired, informal, internet-driven culture. The problem is making it difficult for managers to find the right employees.

T-REx has purchased the Lammert Building downtown, a move that could help the fast-growing business incubator raise more money and further its mission. The business incubator plans to begin renovations soon with the goal of moving in early next year. At this point, the future of T-REx's current home, the Railway Exchange Building, is unknown.

The STL Mural Project, a community arts group, has a Kickstarter campaign going to raise money for a wall mural on the west façade of Lab1500, an entrepreneurial workspace on Washington Avenue at 15th St. As the organizers see it, reviving St. Louis’s mural culture isn’t simply a matter of beautifying the urban environment; it’s also about St. Louis’ growth and reinvention.

Most native bees in natural habitats are doing well for themselves and for the plants that depend upon them. Unlike the honeybee, originally imported from Europe, native bees have not been afflicted by colony collapse syndrome. The bumblebee, which is critical to the pollination of tomatoes and blueberries, is an exception to the overall healthy status of native bees.

As was the case with other states, Missouri had a reputation 50 years ago of locking up its mentally ill in inferior psychiatric facilities. Much has changed for the better but the state still copes with too many needs and too little funding.

ConnectCare has closed most of its specialty clinics. Local health-care providers have filled the gap and provided transportation to patients who need it. Most of the care is being reimbursed through funds from Gateway to Better Health.  However, some patients needing specialty care fall into a coverage gap because Missouri has decided not to expand its Medicaid program.

When anybody can publish anything and reach everyone, then all of us are inundated all the time with a lot of nothing. Finding what's trustworthy and meaningful is a constant challenge. At the Beacon, we're increasingly mindful that your time and attention are precious. Before asking for either, we ask some questions of ourselves.

The problem with our collective Peter Pan pledge to never grow up is that we’re fast running out of adults to provide the treats. This, I suspect, is the emergent problem with Obamacare. Plus, not everyone is happy with the treats they’ll get.

Welcome to "Popcorn." Every week, Beacon staffers will share little kernels of what they've been reading -- books, articles, blogs, whatever -- that have gotten them thinking. This week's selections take us from Calcutta to Busch Stadium, with stops in Dallas and San Francisco, too.