Story: Dorothy, an impressionable and idealistic girl growing up with her Aunt Em and Uncle Henry on a farm in Kansas, finds her life turned upside down, literally, when she is swept away by a tornado. She ends up in a magical kingdom where her house has landed on and killed the Wicked Witch of the East.

Parents make lots of sacrifices for their kids: soccer games, recitals, braces and the family truckster. Fortunately, family vehicles have progressed since Chevy Chase's Vacation in a Ford station wagon.

In celebration of Earth Day this month, we focus on electric/hybrid automobiles. Though some may think electric cars are something new, from about 1900 to the late 1920s, there were a number of electric cars built and sold in America, including Milburns, Bakers and Detroit Electrics. They were mainly driven around town by women who didn’t want to deal with the oil, gas, fumes and shifting of an internal combustion engine.

April

Kim Eberlein (Volunteer Leadership)

I don’t know about you, but I’m ready for some higher temps and warm sunshine. Of course, the best way to enjoy all spring has to offer is in a convertible automobile. Convertibles come in all shapes, sizes and prices these days, with attractive options for just about anyone seeking some open-air fun.

March

Aerodynamics seems to be shaping most cars these days. And for sedans and coupes, that means a sharply raked rear window, which, in turn, translates to a relatively small trunk opening, making it hard to insert and remove large objects. An easy solution to this problem is the hatchback. Long popular in Europe, this extremely functional body style is under-appreciated here in the U.S.

Across

The Tenderloin Room was the latest stop on our tour of local steakhouses. Ensconced in the elegance of The Chase Park Plaza, the restaurant has long been a destination for visiting celebrities like Frank Sinatra and George Clooney, as well as dignitaries of all types. Though it's been around a good long while, this classy eatery has lost none of its luster.

The father-and-son team of Bob and Steve O’Loughlin is going non-stop, working to create or redesign the next the next big St. Louis hotel ‘experience.’ In the past couple of years, the tandem has been even more successful than usual. The highlights include opening the hugely popular Three Sixty atop their Hilton St. Louis at the Ballpark and re-energizing the storied Cheshire Inn. At the same time, they made major purchases: Among them, the Marriott St. Louis Airport, Westport Plaza and one of the crown jewels of St. Louis, Union Station—yes, Union Station!

Across

Families these days come in many shapes and sizes. Similarly, cars for families come in a variety of shapes, sizes, trim levels and prices. If your family doesn’t require the space of a minivan or SUV, a sedan can be a great way to get the family around in style and comfort at a price commensurate with your desired level of performance and luxury.

Helping older adults transition from drivers to passengers can be a sensitive topic. “The loss of independence is what they fear most,” notes Mark Blum of BrightStar Care.

The biggest automotive trend in the last 20 years or so has to be the sport utility vehicle, or SUV. They have all but replaced the family station wagon, and then some. Even business types often choose to drive SUVs for the extra space and for the reassurance of four-wheel-drive surefootedness in wet or snowy weather.

Story: It’s time again for Margie to look for a job. After repeated warnings about being late to work, she’s just been fired from her job at the Dollar Store in South Boston. Ironically, the man sent to terminate her employment is young Stevie, a fellow resident of this gritty, hardscrabble sector of Boston. Despite her pleas for still another chance, Margie must deal with the reality of finding employment to pay the bills for her and her mentally challenged adult daughter, Joyce.

The past year has been a busy one for the St. Louis culinary scene. Here are a few of the highlights from 2012:

You know what? I get it. Well, I mean I’m starting to get it. Kids grow up. They walk, they talk. They learn to add and subtract; and eventually, they reach a level of algebra that surpasses my diminished capacity. They learn how to play a sport or a musical instrument. They may even pick up a second language. However, here’s something you might not know: They drive. And we’re not talking Big Wheels or those little imitation things that buzz up and down the driveway—actual cars.

Story: Mother Superior desperately needs funds to improve St. Veronica’s school, a middle-class Roman Catholic facility in Pittsburgh teeming with Baby Boomers circa 1966. “It’s a period of vast social change,” she tells another nun, “and we must do everything in our power to stop it.” In dire straits, she visits a local Jewish widow known for her beneficence, only to learn that Mrs. Levinson is a confirmed atheist.

Across

Unless you’re pushing 100 years old, you probably don’t remember the first wave of electric cars that rolled along America’s roads in the early 1900s. Fast-forward, and what’s old is new again, as a number of automakers are building cars that run on electricity alone.

The Baldwin report

They’re still swinging at the ST. LOUIS SYMPHONY over a successful Red Velvet Ball Swings! gala that featured WYNTON MARSALIS and the JAZZ AT LINCOLN CENTER ORCHESTRA.

For most automotive enthusiasts, a sports car is the ultimate object of desire. Power, handling and great looks are a hard combination to beat.