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November 2009
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September 2009 ArchivesPenske Automotive Group is ending talks to buy Saturn from a struggling General Motors this week. This comes just as the deal was expected to be finalized. GM's President and CEO said in a statement: This is very disappointing news and comes after months of hard work by hundreds of dedicated employees and Saturn retailers who tried to make the new Saturn a reality. PAG's announcement explained that their decision was not b... I read an article in the New York Post the other day which quotes the Labor Department as saying the number of young Americans without a job is at a post-World War II high... around 53% (this is not the same as the unemployment rate). These "young" people are 16 to 24 years old. The older members of this group concern me most. After spending four (or more) years studying with the help of student loans or mom and dad's money, there's ... St Charles Police say they're offering a small reward for any information leading to an arrest and conviction in the mysterious case of the soda bottle bom Children's Hospital in St. Louis spokesperson says they are seeing a 30 percent increase in flu-like symptoms. The hospital says on any given day they will see 150 kids in the ER department. However lately the department has been seeing about 200 kids a day. The hospital has set up tents in the hospital's parking garage. Doctors will treat children there who don't need to be hospitalized but need medical attention for their symptoms. ... If ever there is a sign that the flu season is here it's on the second floor of St Louis Childrens Hospital parking garage. Two large military style tents are now up and will be operational by Wednesday morning, welcoming padiatric patients who are not feeling well, especially those with the flu. With a husband in the hospital and a hit and run driver on the loose Sandi Graham took to email to get the word out about her wreck. She sent us a note this morning, asking that we put out a description of the driver that sent the couple to the hospital on Saturday. Maryland Heights Police are still finishing up the report, but officers know that around 10:15 p.m. on Saturday night, a pickup truck ran the Graham's motorcycle off the r... The familiar phrase of, "if you see something, say something", was put into practice at a South St Louis County school.
The SSM health Care system is posting warnings at all entrances and elevators, beginning Friday. Some guidelines have already been posted at Cardinal Glennon Hospital for Children. Some people are just jerks. That's all I can say after seeing what someone did to several homes in Wood River. He (or she, or they) spray painted racist messages on homeowners' garages. The usual stupid stuff - KKK, swastikas, the "n" word. All the homeowners I spoke to were elderly. (They were white homeowners, by the way) I know in terms of horrific crime, this pales compared to murder or rape, but still, it would be nice if the culprit...
The North Face Vs. The South Butt.... will the case end up in court? Jimmy Winkelmann, founder of The South Butt clothing line, says he's up for a fight. The 18-year-old Mizzou college freshman says he stumbled onto the idea after he joked someone s... This may not come as a surprise to some who already have children in school on a full year schedule. But, Education Secretary Arne Duncan is making news by endorsing the proposal of year round school.
If you are looking for a job, the Executives with the Madison County Employment and Training Department may be able to help. I spent part of the afternoon with both Matt Jones and Connie Vick. They are the organizers of the 19th Annual Jobs Plus '09 Job Fair. With about 55 employers on site at the Gateway Convention Center in Collinsville, Morning Star church in O'Fallon, MO will hold a circus on the church grounds this Saturday October 3,2009. The circus is free to the public. We are told there will be games, food, prizes, and specials shows. If you would like more information log on to their website at the following. The circus runs from 10:00am-3pm
You probably heard the Rams lost today. We met some unhappy football fans after the game. Not because of the game. But what happened during the game. While they were inside the Edward Jones Dome somebody was breaking into their cars. We spoke with Cindy Winters tonight. She's the widow of Pastor Fred Winters. He was the pastor from First Baptist Church of Maryville who was gunned down in front of his congregation last March. Saturday morning there was a charity 10K run at the church. The wife of one of the pastors came up with the idea two months ago while she was jogging. She was listening to her husband's ipod. It contained a sermon from Pastor Fred. ... I grew up in St. Louis. Back in the days before cable TV when there were only a handful of local stations the television viewing was fairly limited. When you were in high school or college and you got home late on a weekend night the choice of shows on your TV was a few old movies or The Three Stooges. That's when I first came across Dave Sinclair. You remembered the man because it seemed he was always there. He was a c... A 29 year old, American-born man had a violent criminal history before his arrest by an FBI-led task force on Wednesday. Michael Finton is accused of plotting to blow up the federal building in downtown Springfield, Illinois. The bomb was set to go off Wednesday, Sept. 23rd after Finton drove a van to the building, parked it, then walked away to detonate the bomb remotely via cell phone that was provided to him by an undercover... Clinical trials continue at St. Louis University's Doisy Research Center but there's still a slight shortage of volunteers from one of the key groups... pregnant women. I was at the research center Thursday to talk to Erin Mahoney who's 5 months pregnant. She told me despite some raised eyebrows from friends and family about her taking part in a clinical trial, she didn't believe participating would risk her health. Just the opposite... In late June, LeAnna Obermeyer was frustrated. Her father who had a history of health problems, badly needed a kidney, but because of his other health issues he could not be on the transplant list... The only way he'd get a kidney is if someone volunteered to give him one. After some close family members were not a match, his daughter vented on her facebook page about the situation. A friend from their Festus church, Jack-e Me...
Soldiers Memorial Museum VOIEF CONTACT: This latest school bus incident occured in the small district of Belle Valley. Only a few hundred students make up this district which has two schools that feed students to Belleville East HS. I won't rehash everything my colleague Laurie Waters blogged about a few hours ago. It's clear tonight, Asia Moore's mother Kim Conley is convinced the H1N1 flu played a big role in her 14-year old daughter's death. She says doctors told her Asia had the flu, but she also had a rare infection that reached her brain and ultimately caused her death. It all happened so fast to this teen with big plans. Her mom says she already p...
In a criminal complaint, filed in court today, authorities say Michael Finton (aka Talib Islam which is Arabic for "student of Islam") plotted to blow up the federal building in downtown Springfield, Illinois. The bomb was set to go off yesterday (Wednesday, Sept. 23rd) after Finton drove a van to the building, parked it, then walked away to detonate the explosives remotely. When he tried, twice, he would learn that there was no bomb ... The St. Louis County Health Department is investigating whether a student at Hazelwood Central High School died of the flu. It is too early to know. What is known is that her family is grieving and no matter the cause, they are no doubt filled with heartache. It is important to track infectious diseases in this pandemic, but it is also necessary to wait for correct information and not get carried away with innuendo. ...I reported Tuesday how people parking at meters outside City Hall along Tucker Boulevard were getting ticketed between the hours of 4pm and 6pm Monday through Friday even though the "no parking" signs were covered up with overgrown potted plants. After getting almost nowhere with one city official who wasn't the least bit sympathetic toward those who got tickets near the hidden signs, the official referred me to the Parks Recreation an... We came across this Post-Dispatch blog that caught our attention. Scottrade (the investment company), based in St. Louis for about three decades, expects to see Ame... It really wasn't that long ago when Cardinals fans would sleep in tents waiting for post season playoff tickets. I can remember the lines in 2004 that stretched for several blocks. Sachs Properties is developing the area just west of Chesterfield Mall - it will be a "downtown" for this surburban town that doesn't really have one. One centerpiece will be "The Awakening", a sculpture of a giant emerging from the earth. I saw it in person today and thought it was terrific. Just like City Garden is a huge hit downtown, its hoped "The Awakening" will be the same for Chesterfield. ...If you are looking for a job, the Executives with the Madison County Employment and Training Department may be able to help. I spent part of the afternoon with St. Louis County's Prosecuting Attorney's Office has charged 40-year old Orlando Hadley with six counts of recklessly risking infection of another with HIV. Police say he knew he had the virus which causes AIDS and purposely withheld that information from the woman police say he had "numerous sexual encounters with." This all came to their attention when the woman found out SHE had HIV. The folks at St. Louis Effort for... Shalom City of Peace Church will hold a free health fair this Saturday Sept. 26. The fair runs from 9am-1pm. The fair will be held at the church. Organizers say there will be fifteen free health screenings. The value of all of those screenings is 600 dollars per person. If you would like more information the address and phone number look below: 5491 N. Highway 67
Both the FBI and Homeland Security just wanted cities to be aware of the possible threats nationwide, against stadiums, hotels and even transit systems. It's true that it seems the most direct danger may have been in a city like New York. And while St Louis has no direct threats, from what we are being told, no one here is willing to take anything for granted. Patrick Stoll has a wife and four-year old and says they generate ZERO garbage. Patrick says everything down to their toothbrushes and clothes dryer lint is either recycled or reused. Wow. That is something. So Stoll is one of a very small percentage (way under 1%) of South St. Louis County taxpayers refusing to abide by an ordinance that requires them have a contract with a trash collector. He says he doesn't need it... Wow, talk about a rescue. A 16 year old girl was at a Florissant bus stop on her way to school this morning when a 39 year old man pulled up in his SUV, and tried to get her into the car. Florissant Officer Timothy Green was on routine patrol, asked her if she was OK and she said no! A high speed chase ensued and the suspect was finally arrested after crashing his sub near Jennings. I'll bet more parents will be at bus stops tomorrow after... It may be hard to believe, but it is legal in the City of St. Louis to keep a rooster as a pet. Late last week Alderwoman Phyllis Young introduced a bill that will add roosters to the list of animals that city residents are not allowed to have. This got us thinking in the newsroom, does someone in St. Louis actually have a rooster? As it turns out, at least in Soulard, not someone but a group of people look after a rooster they've named Lit...
Last Friday around 4:30pm I was standing on the Corner of Tucker and Clark getting ready to do a re... Florissant Police say a 39-year old man led them on a police chase early Tuesday morning. That chase happened after police say the man tried to force a 16-year old girl in a car. A officer spotted the suspect trying to take the girl, and confronted the suspect., When the officer approach we are told the suspect backed into the squad car and led police on chase down 367 in Florissant. The chase came to an end at the corner of Lucas & Hunt and ... The story of the accidental gun death in Jefferson County does raise some important points on owning a gun. The students caught on video in the Belleville school bus beating are facing criminal charges, they're also suspended from school and tonight they found out they will be expelled from school for not only this year but the next school year as well. The two-year expulsion is the maximum allowed under the law. The Board of Education members saying that a message has to be sent that this behavior won't be tolerated. Because of priv... Monday afternoon, the four person Financial Advisory Authority in East St. Louis (each person is appointed by the governor) voted unanimously to reject a plan that would have eliminated 13 firefighting positions in the city. Eleven full time firefighters would have been laid off and two currently vacant positions would be eliminated. Firefighters organized a picket Monday afternoon at city hall and aired ads to drum up suppor... An Uplands Park police officer is basically accused of contacting a prostitute for sex, and instead of arresting her like in a normal sting.... he ordered her to the police station and forced himself on her. At least that's what the federal affidavit says. The FBI is asking anyone else who may have been victimized to come forward. Some might say, she was a prostitute advertising her services.... what did she expect? Well, that is a dangerou... The soggy weather back east could mean a shortage of pumpkins. We learned today some growers are predicting a 50 percent loss in their pumpkin crop this year. So, we wanted to know if we're going to see an issue here. The easy answer, no. Darryl Thies with Thies Farm says the seemingly bizarre weather we've had this summer is actually perfect pumpkin growing weather. He says pumpkins like warm weather, but not above 90 degrees. ... Steve Baker, the Assistant Treasurer, for the City of St. Louis , makes it easy for News 4 to solve a problem for one of our 80 year viewers.He has cancer, is on oxygen, and claims he got a parking ticket that does *not* belong to him. So, what do you do, if you find yourself facing the same problem. Baker tells News 4 about a little known process, called the Adjudication Hearing. It is an administrative hearing. The request mus... New Life Community Church is located in East St. Louis. If you would like to find out more about the church's outreach ministries log onto our website Two men were shot "execution style" and their bodies left in the street in Washington Park, Illinois. It happened in the overnight hours. We spoke with some neighbors who tell us that they heard gunshots about 3:00 this mornng. But it's the kind of neighborhood where they frequently hear gunshots. The victims are young: 20-year-old Charles Black and 21-year-old Kevin McVay, jr. Both men are from East St. Louis. P... That murder-suicide in South St. Louis (Park and Ewing intersection) around 8:00 Friday morning comes a month after police say the murder victim got an order of protection against her estranged boyfriend and father of three of her four kids. Police say the suspect (37) shot and killed the woman (27) while she was in her van with their kids apparently about to take them to school. He then walked into the backyard they used to share and... The Blue Planet Live! Presented by Charter Communications and the St. Louis Post-Dispatch Ward Stare, conductor SLSO goes Blue! The SLSO dives into the depths of the sea and explore Blue Planet LIVE! Remarkable film sequences from the acclaimed BBC/Discovery Channel documentary series Blue Planet,breathtaking undersea fil...
I am a St. Louis native, grew up here during the days of TWA. I have watched Lambert Airport's "world" status dwindle over the years. Today American Airlines dealt the city a major blow, they are eliminating all but 36 flights to 9 airports. It's unbelievable when you think about how many flights American used to have at Lambert. I realize American acquired TWA in 2001, and the attacks on September 11th of that same year crushed the airline in... Budget woes in Illinois led to cuts in scholarships and grants for college students across the state. The funds for the Monetary Assistance Program were slashed and students, who were promised grant funding this school year, are learning that the money won't be available starting next semester. Southern Illinois University Edwardsville says one out of four students at the school will lose $500 to $2,200 in tuition help each semester.<...
The Hazelwood School District won't share it with us, but the principal of Hazelwood West Middle School did share it with 12-year old Corey Branam's mother, Amy. Amy Branam says the principal warned her it was bad. Amy says the principal told her Corey was attacked and assaulted. Here's what Amy says she saw. There was no audio on the tape but it looked like one kid was verbally harrassing Corey. He appeared to be telling the kid t... Americans' at it again. Today the company announced deep cuts in the St. Louis market. As of Summer 2010 the airline will only fly to 9 different locations from St. Louis. These cuts also mean a cut in direct service from our area to other cities. Here's a list of the 20 areas American will no longer service as of next year: Atlanta, GA This was a funny story I came across while looking into how local auto dealers are still coping withe clunker program. In September of 2007, the city shut down three blocks of N. Tucker Blvd. from Cole to O'Fallon in downtown St. Louis for fear the street would collapse. Since then, various lanes of Tucker from Washington to O'Fallon have been blocked to limit traffic on the street. That section of street is actually a bridge over an old, decaying underground railroad tunnel. The city has said the bridge is in such disrepair, it has to be ... I talked to a 12-year old boy and his family tonight... Corey Branam is a 7th-grader at Hazelwood West Middle School. His family invited me over to talk about what happened to him on his bus coming home from school Tuesday... the same day the world got a look at the bus camera video from Belleville. Corey is a quiet kid... a little kid (weighs about 60 pounds)... in other words he's a "bully magnet." "He's been bullied for a l... In July, a guy brought a gun to the Walgreens pharmacy in Festus around 3am on a Sunday morning, demanded and received a stash of Oxycontin. In August, the same thing happened around the same time on a Sunday at the Walgreens in Des Peres. Then this morning back at the Des Peres Walgreens around 3am the guy allegedly shows back up this time with his wife. Workers notice the guy suspiciously walking up and down an aisle with ... St. Louis County Police are investigating a murder on the 3900 block of Max Wych. Police say intruders entered the home and shot and killed a 23-year old man. Investigators say there were two women in the home, but they were not physically harmed in the attack. Investigators believe the suspects took off on foot. Police have blocked off the entrance to the subdivision in search for the suspects.
The Boxing Gym is offering specials for anyone who would like to box to get in shape check out their website: ... The incident in Belleville has certainly stirred many emotions in people who have watched it and stirred up feelings about race. Police in St. Peters and O'Fallon, MO are looking for a suspect in a fraud case. This is what St. Peters says about the case: St. Peters and O'Fallon Police Department needs help from the public in identifying a forgery suspect who has stolen just over $12,000 from the victim's bank account. The victim's wallet, which included her driver's license and bank account information, was stolen from her vehicle in the west St. Lo... As school let out at University City High School my colleague with the camera and I waited across the street to ask students if they'd seen the Belleville bus beating video. I'd say of the approximately 10 kids I approached, 5 had seen it. We also went by Clayton High School and stood across the from the school as kids got out. One parent whose daughter hadn't seen the video showed it to her on his phone and then she gave us her thoughts.<...
RAID LOCATION + RESCUE: Working in cooperation with the Phelps County Sheriffs Department and the Missouri Departme... On the way to Belleville West High School on Monday morning, a 17 year old student was beaten twice by two other students. The school bus was equipped with surveillance video that Belleville police released to us. The video is difficult to watch. You can see a student boarding the bus and within a minute he is beaten by one student. I counted at least 13 direct punches to his face. Within five minutes, another student gets u... Opponents to the proposed casino in north St Louis county say they have several reasons to be against this project. But among the most interesting is the concern they have for the wildlife in the area. This is a crazy story, and it's a good one. On Saturday afternoon Sam Lakey took his family to Columbia for the Mizzou game, but because the hotels in Columbia were sold out they ended up at the Super 8 in Kingdom City. Lakey was sitting at breakfast on Saturday morning when he spotted Chad Schaffner in the lobby for breakfast. Schaffner was wanted by the FBI for robbing at least 10 banks, including the UMB bank in Caseyville, Illinois last we... The Guardian Angels are back in St. Louis. If you've been around St. Louis long enough you remember when they were here in the 1980's. They patrolled the Vaughn public housing projects but their presence in St. Louis never clicked with the local powers-that-be. Curtis Sliwa, the founder of the Guardian Angels, says that City Hall didn't want to work with him, the aldermen didn't back him, there was not much support. But this t... Today the Mayor of East St. Louis announced major cuts to the city's staff. The bulk of the cuts, 13, will be to the city's fire department. A question that arose in the press conference and later here in the newsroom is the decision to rely heavily on mutual aid. Traditionally, mutual aid is a practice reserved for extreme fires and cities like St. Louis, Washington Park and Centreville respond. Currently East St. Louis has 12 fire figh... We were on Wilson Avenue in University City today. One year ago the neighborhood was under waist-deep floodwaters. Several residents are hoping for buy-outs and one neighbor said she believes they'll start in the next few weeks. But right now, residents aren't sure just what they'll be offered for their homes. There is also a "dividing line" on which homes will be eligible. The homes along Wilson Avenue with yards that back... If you've been around St. Louis for awhile then you know the name Arlin Henderson. He was 11-years-old when he disappeared while riding his bike in 1991 in Moscow Mills. The Dugard case in California has given renewed hope to families across the country who have missing loved ones. Henderson's family is still holding out hope 18 years later. A race team is helping them keep Arlin's case in the public eye. At a race today at G... A group of more than 50 people wrapped up a day-long march to the Arch tonight. They were walking to remember those killed on 9-11. The group started with a couple dozen marchers and others joined along the way. They were a memorable sight as they walked through downtown St. Louis tonight making their way to the Arch. Most held American flags. Some parents pulled their kids in wagons. The march was organized by B... Inevitably, this question comes up every anniversary. You've probably had this conversation with your neighbors, coworkers, acquaintances all day long. It's a question that every one of us can easily answer because although it's been eight years.... it still feels like yesterday. I was a senior in college at the University of Texas at Austin. I was in class when the terrorists struck. My professor's cell phone kept ringing (she's o... It's just one of those weeks. So much of the stories this week have revolved around the President and this incident with Cong Shimkus is just the latest.
Meadows Elementary Recognize... The St Louis County NAACP plans in the next few days to send letters to area school districts that did not show President Obama's speech to children, accusing them of racism. Sheriff Glenn Boyer isn't looking for recognition, but he's getting it. An email he got from a woman frustrated being stuck in traffic during the funeral procession for a soldier a couple of weeks ago is what started the whole thing. She complained she was yelled at and felt threatened by the Patriot Guard motorcycle guys who were escorting the casket of Sgt. Brian Woods. Sheriff Boyer says he investigated her complain... The East-West Gateway Council is considering making drastic changes to S. Grand Blvd. between Arsenal and Utah. The council has looked at nine different proposals to make S. Grand a "destination point" and has narrowed the ideas down to three concepts. One of the concepts would mean reducing the number of lanes on Grand from 4 to 2 (plus a 3rd center turn lane) and adding curb extensions at the intersections. This month, the council ... It was eye opening to see how a political blogger charts along with a Presidential speech.
Mike Fielder was laid off from the steel plant in Granite City back in March. Since he'd worked there less than three years, he lost his health insurance almost immediately. His wife JoAnn stays at home raising two little ones. Thanks to Illinois law, their children are insured, but thanks to a down economy, Mike and JoAnn are not. They said COBRA was way to expensive so they are doing without until Mike gets called back to work. H... After reporting on a handful of counterfeit money cases this month, I asked the Assistant Special Agent in Charge at the U.S. Secret Service office St. Louis for some perspective. Jim Bohnert says the office is not seeing an unusual increase in the number of counterfeit bills circulating in our economy. The office does see pockets of counterfeit bill production, made easier by advances in computer, scanner, and printing technology. >> Continue reading: Can You Spot Counterfeit Money? Last Thursday I reported on how The Governor French Academy in Belleville is considering filling for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection after being victimized by a years-long scam they just realized a few months ago. They leased copy machines from a guy who was apparently keeping much of the money for himself. Once the guy ran out of money the prep school started getting the bills... bills from copy machine leasing companies in seven st... On Wednesday the United Steelworkers will hold a rally to show support for the health care plan. That rally will be held at : Where: Labor Temple 20th and State Street Granite City, Illinois
Sheila Morris had just put lunch on the stove for her eight-year old grandson in late July. She was tired, having just finished working the third shift at her job. She went to sit down... ended up laying down and falling asleep. You see where this is going. Next thing you know the home is filled with smoke. Grandson Dylan calls to his grandmother but can't find her. He runs out of the house to a neighbors who calls 9-1-1. ... Tonight I interviewed Ryan Haines, and his story should be enough reason for all drivers to avoid texting while driving regardless of age. Last month Haines heard a boom outside his home in south city, he ran outside and saw a green sedan on its side. Four teens ranging in age from 14 to 16 were outside the car walking around - the teenagers had just smashed into several parked cars before rolling their vehicle on its side. Haines called polic... Organizers for the Greek Festival in St. Louis say fifteen counterfeit $20 bills were passed during the festival. Organizers have no way of knowing who passed the phony money or when. The bad bills weren't discovered until Sunday, when all of the money was lumped together to be counted. The festival will likely be out the $300. A Dairy Queen in Columbia, Illinois says that it... You could say people who own gold have now struck gold. The price per ounce topped at a thousand dollars, and while it drew back slightly it seems, some believe, this high price will stick around for a while.
I watched the President's speech with several hundred middle school students. They had to listen closely, because the sound wasn't the best in the gym and the internet connection kept locking up as it buffered. After, I asked five students their opinions. All thought he was inspiring in the message of stay in school and you can achieve your goals. The following is a release is from Cardinal Glennon Cautions Against Book Sales Scam
SSM Cardinal Glennon Children's Medical Center is warning St. Louisans of an fraudulent book sales scheme. Several area residents contacted the Cardinal Glennon Foundation office this week, advising that they had agreed to buy books from door-to-door sales people. In each case, the victims were told that the b... President Obama will address students in the classroom on Tuesday morning across the country. What do you think about President addressing students? You can see the President's speech at http://www.whitehouse.gov/ ...
Were you downtown Monday? Did you get a chance to meet any of the cyclists? Are you one of the die hea... I filled in for Julian Grace this morning and got to see the fourth stage of the Gateway Cup race. Of course later today the Tour of Missouri will kick off at the same location downtown. The "Tour of Missouri" bike race starts Monday. For the past two years the race has started in Kansas City and ended in St. Louis. This year the schedule is flip-flopped and it starts here and ends on the western side of the state. Word is that the folks in Kansas City weren't happy with the schedule before. That's because the race would start in Kansas City on a Monday (a weekday, heaven forbid!) and end up in St. Louis on a weekend wh... A couple of sports notes tied into the economy---we keep hearing about the need for the economy to get rolling again, how people need to spend money and get the wheels rolling on the economic engine that drives this country. That's why it was good to see a couple things today. First, the Mizzou / Illinois Arch Rivalry game at the Edward Jones Dome today. It was good to see people out around the downtown area, giving it energy, ... A south St. Louis man had his Pit Bull puppy stolen out of his backyard. Animal Rescue groups will tell you that Pit Bulls are often used for fighting, breeding or as "bait dogs." What's somewhat surprising, or perhaps, disappointing would be a better word, is that something like this happens when the St. Louis area is still dealing with the aftermath of the largest dog-fighting ring raid in US history. The Humane Society of Mi... Roy Mobley emailed the other day to let me know about something his family was doing to honor his daughter who died three years ago in a head-on collision caused by a drunk driver who swerved into her lane on Old Highway 21 in Hillsboro. This happened three years ago... a month after Krystle Mobley-Ward (23) got married. Each year on the anniversary of her death (September 7th, 2006) friends and family gather at the crash site ... According to AAA's survey of 2,000 people this year, AAA expects that a little over 12% of people in the United States will stay close to home this labor day weekend (compared to last year's travel projections). There is plenty to do in and around Saint Louis and some of the events listed below are free. >> Continue reading: Staying Home for Labor Day Weekend? Plenty to Do in Town A couple of things triggered the Court appointing two new attorneys, John O'Gara and Jim Stern. First, once the death penalty was sought, he was entitled to attorneys certified to handle capital cases. (You have to be certified to handle capital cases in Illinois. You don't in Missouri.) Dr. Don Francis, the superintendent of the Affton School District, may have come up with a way to please almost all of the parents, all of the time. While some school districts are caught squarely in the center of a controversy over whether to show students the speech by President Obama, on Tuesday September 8th, 2009 at 11am St.Louis time, Dr. Francis has an alternative. He plans to "record and review" the President's speech... "H1N1 Bowl" is how one of my colleagues has been sarcastically referring to the Arch Rivalry game between Mizzou and Illinois all week. He's calling it that becausce both college campuses have had dozens of student cases of the highly contagious flu virus. I checked with the Edward Jones Dome to see if they're doing anything different to try to keep fans who may have contracted the virus from spreading it (i.e. hand sanitizer througho... Accused murder Chris Coleman is asking the state of Illinois to pay for his attorney. Coleman as you remember is accused of killing his wife and their two sons. He could have a public defender represent him, but he doesn't want one at this point. Coleman can ask for the state to pay his lawyer's fees because he is facing the death penalty. Documents show that Coleman owes 240-thousand dollars on a home that is worth 190-thousand dollars. Accor...
If you were the judge, what would you do; grant Coleman the money or not? The All Star Game may now just a baseball memory for St Louis, but what it has left behind downtown is something worth building on. A column by Susan Weich caught my attention this week. I confirmed the information through US Bank who said the customer was later credited the amount on his account. Last night, I got two calls from viewers who say something similar happened to them. One of the callers lives in Fenton and got the money fr...
It was a simple business relationship. We're talking about leasing copy machines. Most businesses do this. But what the headmaster at The Governor French Academy discovered a few months ago has turned into a huge mess for the school and put its future in some doubt. "Starting last April, we started getting bills for copy machines we don't have," explained Phillip Paeltz, the founder and headmaster of the academy. They discov... The NWA song, "F The Police," is 20 years old and it still is making news. This is the second night in a row I covered an aspect of the health care debate. Last night it was those against universal health care. Tonight, hundreds gathered in Tower Grove Park for a candlelight vigil in support of universal health care. I haven't covered any town hall meetings but based on much of what I saw, I wasn't sure large numbers of partisans on either side could be entirely civil throughout an entire event. But... I'd known pregnant women were at higher risk for getting sicker with H1N1, but I didn't know how serious the consequences could be - not only the mother's health, but long term for the baby, even to the point of miscarriage. That's why health care providers are urging pregnant women to go to their providers and get anti-viral medications like tamiflu at the first sign of symptoms. Those meds are most effective when taken in the first 48 hou...
Around 1:30 p.m. on Tuesday, a school resource officer at Washington Middle School in the Mehlville School District in south St. Louis County stopped to question a man on school campus. The man was sitting on a set of bleachers on the sports field, behind the school. While people do come onto the campus to use the sports field and track for excercise, the school says that the man did not appear to be doing either. The school r...
The Madison County Probation Department knew cuts were coming but they just found out the cuts are deeper than they anticipated. Their budget for salaries is being cut one-point-six million dollars (57%) and 30 people are scheduled to be let go on September 21st. Those involved in running the county's criminal justice system says they'll be affected big-time by this and they're going to spend the next few weeks trying to convince the ... I'm out here on the city's northside at the Lift for Life gym located at 14th and Cass. Overnight someone broke into the gym and stole a camcorder, movie passes, bus passes, and dvds from the office. Although that sounds bad, the situation is much worse than that. Over the weekend someone stole a few dollars worth of copper from the AC units located on the roof, that's going to cost several thousand dollars to repair. I just talked with Linda ... This is where you can catch the Red Cross this month passing out Germ X Germ-X® Hand Sanitizer Distribution Locations: Thursday - September 3, 2009: from 5:30 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. There is a very real fear tonight all across the NFL tonight that teams will be forced to blackout games due to declining sales. So far, at least 12 teams say games this season maybe blacked out; including the Rams. In 2008, the Rams blacked out two games. Late this evening I spoke with a sports economist, a Rams executive and fans to get their take on this news. Interestingly, all three groups came up with the same conclusion; the only wa... Despite reports that flu cases are popping up at colleges around the country in dramatic numbers (Mizzou reported dozens of students with flu-like symptoms), schools I talked to in and around St. Louis say they are faring much better. University of Missouri Saint Louis, Saint Louis University, Washington University, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, and Fontbonne University all report no flu cases. Webster University said one... St. Louis' conservative activist group the Tea Party Coalition drew a crowd Tuesday night. Not for a rally or town hall meeting but a shopping spree at Whole Foods in Town and Country. Conservatives across the country are rallying to the side of Whole Foods CEO John Mackey who wrote a critical piece against President Obama's health care plan. Mackey's taking a lot of heat from the left and getting an equal dose of praise from ... I called around several school districts today, and just about all had at least one case to report. Again, not a surprise... the CDC warned it would spread this fall. What the districts don't know, is how severe it will be, whether or not any schools will have to close down like we saw in the spring. They're hoping increased hygiene and precautions will minimize the impact. ...The National Drug Control Policy Director is in St. Louis on Tuesday morning. He will be sharing an advertising plan that will use newspaper, radio, and television to curb meth labs in the state. What do you think about this policy? Check out their website at www.MethResources.gov. ... |
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