Itching and scratching are bad enough. But did you know that fleas also can lead to tape worms or carry diseases like bartonella, and even the plague?

MAY

Maxine Clark grew up in the decade of big dreams realized. Today, the Build-A-Bear Workshop founder is affectionately gazing back on the journey of her own realized dream.

TAYLOR ROBINSON, a senior at Ladue Horton-Watkins High School, is one of 814 high school athletes nationwide who have been nominated to play in the 2013 McDonald’s All American Games. The 2013 nominees include high school basketball players from across the country who have been selected by coaches, athletic directors, principals and members of the McDonald’s All American Games Selection Committee. Pictured: Taylor Robinson with Colleen Schoendienst, local McDonald's owner/operator

Story: Sam and Dinah are a young married couple living the good life in suburbia. Sam is a businessman who commutes by day to his job in the city, while homemaker Dinah tends to chores around the house and caring for their son, Junior.

Dr. Rajiv Patel is an enthusiast. Yet, though he enjoys a nice glass of red wine, Patel is careful to emphasize that any advice he has to offer is based solely on the data.

My Master's Thesis Animation, which I completed while I was at The School of Visual Arts, MFA Computer Art, in New York City. Created using Maya, After Effects, and rigged using The Setup Machine by Anzovin studios. If you would like to download there is a small version at my website: www.donysanimation.comThe music is orginal and is by Tim Cassell, someone I went to highschool with. The music is available here:http://donysanimation.com/01KiwiThemeA.mp3http://donysanimation.com/02KiwiThemeB.mp3Alot of people have been emailing me asking a whole lot of questions. Maybe you can find some answers here:http://www.isfat.com/happyjunk/kiwi.phpEveryone thank you so much for your compliments and kind words!http://www.savethekiwi.org.nzRate Kiwi! on IMDB!http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1051713/

I have been a pet owner for many years—sometimes successfully; other times, not so much. I have had a towheaded 3-year-old come to me with a goldfish in his hand, and ask with utter sincerity why Gil doesn’t seem to like playing in the yard. I have had a guinea pig give birth not once, not twice, but three times on my watch. We had an albino gecko. Why, you ask? I wonder the same thing every day. I think it may have taken its own life, but the official cause of death is ‘accidental.’ Apparently, it accidentally stopped eating and drinking. I have had a puppy sit on my lap while I scratched her head and rubbed her back as she—unbeknownst to me—devoured a bird. But now, I fear my patience may have run its course. It appears our puppy—our adorable, precious, impossible-not-to-love puppy—has discovered a nest. Or a herd. Or a pack—of voles.

Spring is here, and your best friend is sitting by the door, ready to play. We scoured the shops for the best toys to get you—and your pet—outdoors.

Classical music has officially made its return to the St. Louis airwaves. The station's opening week also unveiled the debut of the Ladue News Minute, which can be heard on RAF-STL.

Eight-year-old Katelyn Vaser is proof of the difference the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Gateway Chapter (LLS) has made in St. Louis. Three years ago, when she was diagnosed with a typically adult form of cancer—B cell lymphoma—her parents were blindsided. “When we took her to the hospital, my wife and I had no idea she had cancer,” says Katelyn’s dad, Dan Vaser. “So we were scrambling for information.” That’s when they found LLS. “At the time Katelyn was diagnosed, it had spread to most of her major organs and her nervous system,” he explains. “We relied on the LLS website, where there was a lot of informational support. And the more information I had, the better I felt.” 

Story: Ted Narracott, the town drunk in Devon, England, puts up his rent money in order to outbid his well-to-do brother Arthur at a local auction for a foal whom he brings home to his wife Rose and son Albert. Rose is distraught over her husband’s reckless spending spree, but Albert is delighted. He quickly names the foal Joey and goes about caring for him daily.

Across

We now have the names for the upcoming Maryville University St. Louis Speakers Series. The 2013-2014 season at Powell Hall begins Oct. 8 with former Greek Prime Minister GEORGE PAPANDREOU. The rest of the lineup includes: A Walk in the Woods author BILL BRYSON, Former U.S. Defense Secretary ROBERT GATES, Apple co-founder STEVE WOZNIAK, historian/author DORIS KEARNS GOODWIN and journalist DAN RATHER, whose March 25, 2014, appearance will be sponsored by LN. For subscription information, visit stlouisspeakersseries.org.

Rock and Roll Hall-of-Famer JOHN MELLENCAMP will headline next month’s 25th Annual Bob Costas Benefit for SSM Cardinal Glennon Children’s Medical Center. The April 20 event at the Fox Theatre signals Mellencamp’s return to the Costas Benefit stage. His 35 years of music has spawned iconic hits like Jack and Diane and Small Town. The event’s opening act will be announced shortly. For tickets, call 577-5605 or visit glennon.org. More information about the Bob Costas Cancer Center will appear in LN’s March 15 issue.

Does your pet have a case of bad breath? If so, don’t blame Fluffy or Fido, area vets say. Good oral hygiene is an important part of your pet’s grooming, and this often-overlooked aspect of their care should start early.

For those facing illnesses or disabilities, ‘alternative’ therapies—such as laughter, music or animal therapy—can offer a range of benefits. These local programs are doing their parts to make a difference.

The Baldwin Report

I’m on Facebook. I’m not proud. Admittedly, I really only check the site to monitor Cranky’s postings—what boys she’s posing with, scanning a photo for a stray can of beer in the background—but a problem has emerged. Facebook no longer is the cool college social networking hub it was in 2005. Now it’s the 21st century equivalent of a slide carousel of your neighbor’s family vacation. It’s the digital version of cropping, and worst of all, it apparently is the world’s most unproductive cure for boredom. I’ve realized something: Facebook isn’t cool anymore.

When people talk about voyaging to the ends of the earth, Madagascar is one of those mythical, exotic, far-flung places that qualifies as an ‘end.’ It almost seems to fall off the globe, hanging as it does near the edge of southeastern Africa.

Across

Congratulations to Villa Duchesne senior Sarah Sutherlin, who has been selected as one of Missouri’s top youth volunteers of 2013.

Patty and Tim Ivey and their two children, Lucas, 13, and Emma, 11, have enjoyed living in Ballwin for nine years. Wally, a mixed breed dog adopted from St. Louis County Animal Control, and Cosmo, a guinea pig adopted from Petco, also are part of the family. Patty, originally from Edwardsville, Ill., works at Rodgers Townsend;, and Tim, a Clayton native, is part of Wells Fargo Advisors. Patty told us more about what she and her family like about living in Ballwin.

When Amanda and Jeffrey Mullen were preparing for their wedding in 2010, Amanda Mullen knew that she wanted her pets to play a big part. After all, she is the director of the Humane Society’s Longmeadow Rescue Ranch.