Kirkwood Train Station Open House on National Train Day

Bring the family to the Kirkwood Amtrak Station Saturday learn more about history and train safety from the Kirkwood Police Department.

The following information was provided by the Kirkwood Police Department in a news release. Kirkwood Police will participate in "National Train Day" Saturday, May 11, 2013, at the Kirkwood Amtrak Station by having safety information and handouts for children and adults especially focusing on staying safe around railroad tracks and crossings. The event is Saturday May 11 from 9am to 2pm at the Kirkwood Amtrak Station 110 West Argonne Drive. Other displays at the Amtrak Station Open House will include Kirkwood Historical Society, Kirkwood Police and Fire Departments, Union Pacific Railroad Police Special Agents, Missouri Operation Lifesaver, an operating model train layout, Big Bend Model Railroad club, National Railway Historical Society, a…

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'Cam Jam' Will Memorialize Cameron Vennard, Killed by Train

The concert a week from today is a fundraiser for a Nipher Middle School scholarship.

This information is from the "Cam Jam" Facebook page advertising a memorial concert for Cameron Vennard, the Nipher Middle School student killed when he was struck by an Amtrak passenger train on May 30. A benefit concert called "Cam Jam" and is being coordinated by family and friends of Cam Vennard. The concert will feature The Sages Band with special appearances by Ben Vennard, Aaron Doerr, Ian Johnson and Owen Wilhelms. The "Cam Jam" will be Thursday, July 12, from 6:30 - 8:30 p.m. at Kirkwood Station Plaza. "Cam loved music so we thought a "Cam Jam" was a great way to honor Cam's memory. We will play songs by Cam's favorite artists," said Dillon Wilfong, Cam's friend, neighbor and member of The Sages Band. The concert is free and tax-…

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Kirkwood Police Blotter

The (Not So Great) Train Robbery Reported at Kirkwood Station

The theft occurred somewhere aboard Amtrak, but Kirkwood police got the call.

Direct from the Kirkwood Police Department police blotter: On Monday, June 25, at 12:56 p.m. officers were called to a eastbound Amtrak train stopped at the Kirkwood Train Station. The conductor told police an adult passenger reported a purse containing cash, credit cards, and an iPad stolen while the train was in transit. An investigation aboard the train by officers revealed another adult passenger stole the purse. The purse was recovered. The adult suspect was arrested and removed from the train. The suspect was also found in possession of another passenger’s property at the time of arrest.  The case was referred to the St Louis County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office for review. Warrants were issued on Janie Dibbon, 18, from Kansas City, …

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Teen Stole Purse Aboard Amtrak Train, Police Say

The 18-year-old also stole a pair of shoes while on the train, according to Kirkwood Police.

A teenager was charged with stealing a purse and shoes on an Amtrak train as it pulled into the Kirkwood station. Kirkwood Police said that a passenger reported her purse was stolen, and it was found in possession of Janie Dibben, 18, of Kansas City, MO, another Amtrak passenger. Police said she also had shoes that belonged to another victim. Dibben was charged Tuesday with two counts of receiving stolen property and unlawful use of drug paraphernalia. Police said she also had a marijuana pipe. Bond was set at $10,000. For more crime information on Kirkwood Patch, see the following articles:

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Editor's Notebook

Fallen Teen Lives on Through Facebook Page

A day after Cameron Vennard's tragic passing, an open Facebook group was created to celebrate his life. Now the group has 621 members and continues to grow.

Some say Cameron Vennard resembled a young David Gilmour of Pink Floyd; Father's Day was hard this year for Darryl this year; and a friend's thoughts wandered back to Cam and his family at a funeral. The reflections combine with YouTube videos, wrist bands, a tattoo and photos to form Cam Vennard 5-30, an open Facebook group for the teen whose life ended less than a month ago after being struck by an Amtrak train in Kirkwood.  The group that started a day after Cam's passing has 621 members and continues to grow. "We have been enjoying the different pics and stories about Cam. Please keep posting, it is very comforting," Father Darryl Vennard wrote on the page June 12. I didn't know Cam and I don't know his family other than a very brief …

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Letter to the Editor

Friend of Vennard Family: 'Thank You Kirkwood'

The following is a Letter to the Editor from Donna Eisenberg, a friend of Cameron Vennard's family.

Dear City of Kirkwood; No matter how many times I try to write this letter, it will never be eloquent enough, thankful enough, or heart felt enough. No matter what I write, it just won’t possibly be enough. Just over two short weeks ago, a member of your community was lost. As most all of you know, 14-year-old Cameron Herrin Vennard was in a tragic accident that ended his life on earth. Cameron was the son of two loving and amazing parents and the brother of two wonderful young men. All of which are fellow residents of Kirkwood. I am fortunate to call this family my very close friends, and to be considered “favorite Aunt Donna, ” three of my favorite words, by Cam, Ben and Nick. I have to tell you how grateful I am and how grateful we all …

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Chief on Cameron Vennard: 'Primary Obligation Is to Family of Deceased'

Kirkwood Police Chief Jack Plummer explains the department's decision about when to release the name of Cameron Vennard after concerns from the media.

Kirkwood Police Chief Jack Plummer sent the following letter to media outlets after the death of Cameron Vennard on May 30. The letter explains why the Kirkwood Police Department decided not to release Vennard's name the afternoon of his tragic passing. The 14 year old teenager who was struck and killed by an Amtrak train while walking on the railroad tracks yesterday afternoon has been identified as Cameron Herrin Vennard. He resided with family in Oakland Missouri. I have received a couple of inquiries from the media who felt that we should have released the young man’s name yesterday afternoon. I understand and respect the desire of the media to report information as soon as possible. However, the police department’s primary obligation …

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Kirkwood Des Peres Area Chamber of Commerce

9:13 am on Thursday, June 7, 2012

You did the right thing Chief!   more ›

VIDEO: Concert for Cameron Vennard

Youth rockers Lunar Levitation performed at Wydown Park on Thursday, one day after the death of Oakland resident Cameron Vennard.

A group of St. Louis youth rockers dedicated an end-of-the-school-year concert May 31 to a friend who died after being hit by a train. Lunar Levitation performed at Clayton's Wydown Park in honor of 14-year-old Oakland resident Cameron Vennard, who died one day earlier in Kirkwood. Chill Frozen Yogurt sponsored the event. The band is composed of 14-year-old guitarist and vocalist Dillon Wilfong, a close friend of Cameron; guitarist Liam Terrio, age 14; guitarist Henry Dieckhaus, age 13; bassist Sigmund Gusdorf, age 15; and drummer Dominic Anzalone, age 12. The members met at Camp Jam, a summer band camp. Wilfong and Terrio are part of another band called The Sages. More about Cameron Vennard:

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Letter to the Editor

Cameron Vennard: A Life, Not a 'Life Lesson'

The following is a Letter to the Editor from Annabel Dolan, who graduated with Cameron Vennard from Nipher Middle School.

On all the news sites, when you see articles about Cam's death, all the comments talk about lessons to be learned, and how kids should pay more attention, and that parents need to teach their kids to be smarter about electronics and common sense. Do you really think this is what we want to be hearing right now? Our community of peers and friends has lost someone extremely dear to our hearts, and instead of sharing in our grief, adults around us use this as a time to scold teenagers. No one is to blame for what happened. It was a tragic accident. Could it have been prevented? Possibly, but not in the sense that good life lessons should be learned. Just in his death, my friends and I were given a striking reminder of what we were taught in …

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Online Reactions to Cameron Vennard's Death

Here's what friends, neighbors—even strangers—had to say about the 14-year-old's death after being struck by a train.

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