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St. Louis ‘always the place I wanted to play’

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ST. LOUIS – Nolan Arenado reassured the baseball world Sunday that he’s a St. Louis Cardinal for the long haul.

After a Top-3 MVP finish and his tenth consecutive Gold Glove award last year, Arenado faced a major decision: Whether to retain the rest of his current contract with the St. Louis Cardinals or explore a new deal via free agency.

It only took Arenado a few weeks after the season’s end to stick with the Cardinals. As he tells media members at Winter Warm-Up, he didn’t want it any other way.

“I never felt any other way towards this place. This is always the place I wanted to play,” said Arenado. “I’ve loved it ever since I’ve been here, and I love my teammates, so pretty easy decision.”

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Arenado delivered one of his strongest seasons ever in his second Cardinals campaign, hitting .293 with 30 homers, 103 RBIs and a career-low strikeout rate. His 7.9 WAR ranked best among National League position players last season.

It wasn’t all smooth sailing, as Arenado admitted to tough stretches in May, September and the postseason. The ups and downs shaped his perspective for the offseason.

“The main thing I focused on, is to not get complacent with that year,” said Arenado. “Just continue to find ways to get quicker, stay healthier, feel good, feel fresh. Last year was a great year, but I think I could’ve been better. I still want to drive the ball better. I feel like I did a fine job, but there’s more in there.”

That also includes his defense, even coming off six straight NL Platinum Glove honors as the league’s best defender.

“It’s not going to be easy as I’m getting older, but I’ve felt really good [on defense],” said Arenado. “What I did a good job last year of, probably Goldy showed me this the most, is that I don’t need to take as many ground balls before the game. I can conserve my energy, make sure I’m fresh for the game. … I think it’s more of a confidence thing and making sure I stay fresh. There’s no reason I feel like I can’t play just as good of defense as I did last year.”

St. Louis has secured the hot corner at a time that the position is starting to become a hot commodity.

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“Third base is a staple now,” said Arenado. “I always felt like back in the day, centerfield or shortstop [were more valuable], but I think people are starting to appreciate making sure they have a good third baseman nowadays. … Keeping those corners down, playing good defense and hitting homers is really valuable.”

While preparing for the upcoming season, Arenado has invited Tommy Edman, Lars Nootbaar and others to his warehouse in Orange County, California. Arenado also sets sights on the World Baseball Classic in March as one of a small few returning from Team USA’s champion squad in 2017.

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Man attacks Jeff Co. deputy with screwdriver during attempted arrest

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JEFFERSON COUNTY, Mo. – Two people are behind bars after a man reportedly attacked a Jefferson County deputy with a screwdriver during an attempted arrest over the weekend.

Prosecutors have charged Nicholas Davis, 47, and Amanda Davis, 45, of Dittmer, Missouri, with felonies in the investigation.

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The alleged attack followed a traffic stop of a driver in the 9500 block of Jones Creek Road on July 7, though the driver was not Nicholas or Amanda.

According to court documents obtained by FOX 2, Nicholas reportedly came out of his nearby home, yelled at a deputy and started approaching him while holding a screwdriver. The deputy initially ordered Nicholas to back away, then used pepper spray.

Per court documents, the deputy attempted to arrest Nicholas, who then struck him in the chest with the screwdriver. Amanda reportedly approached the deputy and pulled him away from Nicholas before both ran inside their home.

The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office says the situation prompted an hours-long standoff involving negotiators, a SWAT team and a K-9 deputy. The situation led to Nicholas refusing warnings and being bitten by a K-9.

Nicholas and Amanda are both jailed in the Jefferson County Jail without bond. Nicholas is charged with first-degree assault on a special victim and armed criminal action. Amanda is charged with resisting/interfering with arrest.

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St. Louis Public Schools superintendent to be sworn in

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ST. LOUIS — The new St. Louis schools superintendent will be officially sworn into office today. Dr. Keisha Scarlett took over the job in July after the retirement of Dr. Kelvin Adams. She was assistant superintendent in the Seattle Public School District. The installation ceremony is at 6:15 p.m. before the regular school board meeting.

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Gas tanker crashes into St. Louis Metro transit center

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ST. LOUIS — A gasoline tanker truck crashed into a Metro transit center near Riverview and Hall Streets early Tuesday morning and knocked over a power pole. The pole is leaning on other power lines. Police have the area blocked off here because there is a downed power line. Ameren and Metro crews are also on the scene.

The incident happened around 12:30 a.m. It’s still unclear exactly what caused the crash, but we do that there was a second vehicle somehow involved. The airbags on that second vehicle did deploy.

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Police at the scene have not been able to give us a lot of details. Metro officials tell FOX 2 that the transit center here is operating this morning for passengers and buses. Access to certain areas will be limited here as clean up unfolds.

A Metro spokesperson says half of the station isn’t being used right now because of safety issues. It isn’t impacting overall bus operations, everything is just happening on the other side of transit center.

The extent of the damage to the actual transit center is still unclear, but I’m told it does not appear to be extreme. A Metro spokesperson tells me there were no injuries to any metro workers or passengers. The tanker driver also was not injured.

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