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She will announce her candidacy for Mo. Lt. Gov. at 10 a.m., Monday.  Lampe is the ranking member of the budge committee in Missouri’s House of Representatives. In a statement, she said, “My experience in public education, running a small business and balancing the state budget have uniquely prepared me to take on this new challenge.”  A retired teacher, Lampe has devoted her career to fighting for children with special needs.

With as few as 6,000 hotel rooms in greater Indianapolis available for Sunday’s Big Game bookings, the rates have soared to historic figures. A downtown pillow is $1,900 for a single room at a Comfort Inn; $4,250 a night at the Marriott – both with a 4-night minimum plus a hospitality tax. An RV space goes for $50 a night including water, electric and sewer. For the upcoming Summer Olympics in London, the rate for a room at the Park Lane Hilton, one of the priciest in the world, goes for one-third of the Marriott’s rate.

The Office for International Students and Scholars has reported that 182 undergrad students from China have been accepted for admission to WashU in the class of 2015 -  from 29 a decade ago.

Chocolates for Valentine’s Day is traditionally a winning ingredient for romance. But Chocolate Ale!?! It’s a surprising hit from Kansas City’s Boulevard Brewing. Because of the overwhelming demand when Boulevard Chocolate Ale was rolled out last Valentine’s Day, production was more than tripled for 2012, to some 4,500 cases. Precious kegs were tapped this week across Missouri, but many are already running dry. From Boulevard’s own website’s “Sensory Profile” for the limited brew: “Chocolate Ale is full of surprises, beginning with a glowing amber hue. The aroma is given over to earthy, fruity cocoa, with just a hint of hops. Smooth layers of dark chocolate intertwine with threads of caramel, vanilla, and nutty malt as the flavor warms and rounds to a bittersweet finish.” So scarce is Boulevard Chocolate Ale that the brewery has an online “Beer Finder” by ZIP Code for its brands. A quick check this morning  suggested Boulevard Chocolate Ale MAY be available at St. Louis outlets including Vin De Set, Triumph Grill, Atomic Cowboy, Local Harvest Grocery, Krekeler Market, Starr’s Market, Friar Tuck Beverage and The Wine & Cheese Place.

While the head of the Milwaukee archdiocese, New York Archbishop (and St. Louis native) Tim Dolan moved $55 million in “a shell game” to keep the funds from clergy sex abuse victims. That’s the expert opinion of Dr. Jack Ruhl, a Western Michigan University accounting professor “who has done extensive research” on Catholic church finances. Dolan’s move and Ruhl’s critique are laid out in a new 2,700 word piece in the Kansas City-based National Catholic Reporter by award-winning Catholic writer Jason Berry,  who has his own book on how the church handles its funds:  “The Secret Life of Money in the Catholic Church.”

Residential segregation is down in St. Louis says the conservative Manhattan Institute in a new study.  But the declines  in New York and St. Louis “were not very profound,” according to the study’s authors, Prof. Jacob Vigdor of Duke.  “Among cities with the largest black population, Chicago, Cleveland and St. Louis ranked highest in the dissimilarity index.  Among metropolitan areas, Chicago, New York and Philadelphia did.”

No less than 32 wannabes have applied to replace former St. Louis County Circuit Judge John Ross.

Just as Lee Enterprises technically emerged from bankruptcy, its own rank-and-file newsroom jobs still shaky, pilfered from the pages of its flagship Gray Old Lady in a June, 2011 Post-Dispatch headline that opens Missouri Gov. candidate Dave Spence’s just unveiled TV ad: “Missouri ‘falling behind in the recovery’.” Spence, who is personally worth millions, will be spending millions over time to build positive name ID against the formidable fund-raising lead and public profile of incumbent Dem. Guv. Jay Nixon. Spence’s TV ad calls him “Job Creator” and “Businessman.” But no mention of Spence’s political party: “Republican.”