Daily Record (St. Louis, MO/St. Louis Countian) articles from April 2003

Daily Record (St. Louis, MO/St. Louis Countian) archives from April 2003

Termination of mother's parental rights reversed by court.
April 2, 2003... Byline: Donna Walter A Springfield woman could have a second chance to be a mother to her two children - if an appellate court's decision to reverse a termination of parental rights order stands. In a 2-1 decision last week, the...

Mound City Bar holds vigil in support of affirmative action.
April 2, 2003... Byline: Rebecca Weisser On Tuesday, the U.S. Supreme Court began hearing arguments on the University of Michigan's use of racial preferences in college admissions. In recognition of the event, the Mound City Bar Association -- the oldest...

Denial of insurance coverage under COBRA reversed by court.
April 3, 2003... Byline: Rebecca Weisser The 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Monday reversed a decision that denied a mental health patient coverage for her monthlong hospitalization. The refusal of coverage stemmed from discrepancies that arose when...

Court reverses plaintiff's verdict in defamation case: Woman didn't prove damage to reputation.
April 3, 2003... Byline: Donna Walter The Missouri Supreme Court on Tuesday reversed a $425,833 defamation verdict entered against Wal-Mart Stores Inc. for posting, and not removing, a missing person flier that said a missing 1-year-old was last seen with...

Construction begins on `green' office building.
April 3, 2003... Byline: Erin Piel "It's not easy being green" might not be the case any longer. Dan Wind, owner of his own engineering firm, Wind Engineering, broke ground this past February on the site for a new company headquarters that will utilize...

Legislature considers homeowners' insurance legislation.
April 3, 2003... Byline: Erin Piel After a rising number of complaints from homeowners who received nonrenewal or cancellation notices from their insurance companies after filing claims for damages suffered during the hailstorm that hit the St. Louis area...

Program explores environmental issues in older neighborhoods.
April 3, 2003... Byline: Erin Piel Maxine Lipeles, the director of the Interdisciplinary Environmental Clinic at Washington University, and Katie Fusco, a staff scientist with SCI Engineering Inc., were the main presenters at the Professional Housing...

Home sales vary among markets.
April 4, 2003... Byline: Mike Nixon Why do home sales in the Midwest tend to buck national trends? "That's a good question," said Dan Kendrick, president of the St. Louis Association of Realtors, as reports of decreasing new and existing home sales on the...

Tax help advised as more homes become offices.
April 4, 2003... Byline: Mike Nixon Since 1990 the number of people working from their homes, either as self-employed contractors or telecommuters, has increased at a rate of 15 percent per year. So with a tax deadline looming, many taxpayers who have...

Down payment bill applauded for new approach.
April 4, 2003... Byline: Mike Nixon A bill working its way through the U.S. House of Representatives designed to help low-income first-time home buyers with downpayment and closing costs is generating praise among housing advocates and financial...

2003 Daily Record Woman of the Year seeks social justice for those in need.
April 8, 2003... Byline: Donna Walter Good teachers can impact lives. Susan Rowe, the 2003 Daily Record Woman of the Year, learned this as a senior in college when a piece of advice from one of her teachers led her to law school and ultimately to where she...

Seeking justice is Ann Carter Stith's passion.
April 8, 2003... Byline: Erin Piel Ann Carter Stith, this year's recipient of the Daily Record Citizenship Award, has a passion for justice within the criminal justice system. Stith, 82, hardly expected her life to take the direction of an advocate for the...

Surratt-States takes the bench as newest bankruptcy judge.
April 8, 2003... Byline: Rebecca Weisser Kathy Ann Surratt-States took the oath of office to become a U.S. Bankruptcy Court judge on March 17. The swearing-in was delayed from March 3 to allow Surratt-States to culminate her work at the law firm of Husch &...

Karen Tokarz an advocate for the legal rights of individuals.
April 8, 2003... Byline: Rebecca Weisser Karen L. Tokarz, the recipient of this year's Daily Record Justice Award, is professor of law and the director of the Clinical Education program at Washington University School of Law. Tokarz built that program, now...

Expert's opinion not based on evidence in dispute over land.
April 9, 2003... Byline: Rebecca Weisser A ruling that awarded $300,000 for damages to a parcel of land in St. Charles County that measures two-tenths of an acre was reversed and remanded by the Missouri Court of Appeals, Eastern District, on Tuesday. The...

Defendant waived right to testify in penalty phase of murder trial.
April 9, 2003... Byline: Donna Walter By a 2-1 decision, the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals reinstated the death penalty of a man convicted of first-degree murder and armed criminal action arising out of a 1988 shooting incident. The majority's...

Lawsuit charges DeSoto police officer with wrongful death from car accident:.
April 11, 2003... Byline: Donna Walter A wrongful death lawsuit against a DeSoto police officer, whose police cruiser hit another car and killed the passengers, has been transferred to the Jefferson County Circuit Court from the city of St. Louis. The...

New urbanism community coming to St. Charles.
April 11, 2003... Byline: Erin Piel Frustrating traffic delays and jammed interstates, rising gas prices and time-consuming errands might not be the headache they now are for future residents of New Town at St. Charles. New Town is a proposed 3,000-home...

Koch Development Co. acquires Clayton building.
April 11, 2003... Byline: Erin Piel The city of Clayton will soon have a new tenant. Koch Development Co. Inc. has purchased the building at 222 S. Central from TA Properties Inc. The building is located in the southwest corridor of downtown Clayton and is...

Annual Women's Justice Awards dinner honors three.
April 11, 2003... Byline: Erin Piel Ann Carter Stith, Karen Tokarz and Susan Rowe were this year's recipients of the fifth annual St. Louis Daily Record Women's Justice Awards. Dinner was held in their honor at the Chase Park Plaza Hotel Starlight Roof on...

Foreign judgment entitled to full faith and credit.
April 11, 2003... Byline: Rebecca Weisser The Southern District of the Missouri Court of Appeals Tuesday upheld the precedent that issues of personal and subject matter jurisdiction cannot be litigated in Missouri if they have been previously litigated in...

Evans & Dixon law firm adds associate.
April 12, 2003... Byline: staff Evans & Dixon, L.L.C. has added Stephen A. Brueggemann as an associate in the firm's Workers' Compensation Practice. Most recently, Brueggemann was an associate with Korte and Smallwood, L.L.C. Prior to that position, he was...

Atty. joins Suelthaus & Walsh law firm.
April 12, 2003... Byline: staff Jeffery N. Brooks, former general counsel and vice presdient of Erlang Technology Inc. has joined the Corporate, Business and Securities Law Department of Suelthaus & Walsh, P.C. Brooks was responsible for the legal work...

New partner joins Armstrong Teasdale LLP.
April 12, 2003... Byline: staff Dean D. Small has joined Armstrong Teasdale LLP as a partner in its Intellectual Property Department. Small specialized in evaluating intellectual property for mergers and acquisitions, as well as divestitures. Prior to...

Coldwell Banker Commercial names Property Mgr. of the Year.
April 12, 2003... Byline: staff Anita F. Iahn, vice president-management, Coldwell Banker Commericial CRA LLC, was named Property Manager of the Year by Coldwell Banker Commercial(r). Iahn received the award at Coldwell Banker Commercial's 2003 Global...

Cass Information Systems promotes three.
April 12, 2003... Byline: staff Cass Information Systems announces the promotion of three company executives. Kenneth A. Witbrodt Jr. was named president of Cass Commercial Bank, the banking subsidiary of Cass Information Systems. He was previously...

Missouri attorney tells new citizens to celebrate America.
April 15, 2003... Byline: Rebecca Weisser U.S. District Court Judge Rodney W. Sippel of the Eastern District of Missouri and guest speaker Shirley Padmore, a member of the Husch & Eppenberger law firm, welcomed more than 285 people as new American citizens...

Court to hear class certification arguments in auto repair lawsuit.
April 15, 2003... Byline: Donna Walter On Wednesday, the Missouri Supreme Court will hear arguments regarding certification of a class of plaintiffs in their lawsuit against an insurance company for its use of aftermarket parts to repair older vehicles...

Benefits hearing needed to be rescheduled, not dismissed.
April 16, 2003... Byline: Rebecca Weisser The Missouri Court of Appeals, Eastern District, ruled Tuesday to reverse and remand a case in which an employer had been excluded from discussions on a former employee's eligibility for unemployment benefits. ...

Dismissal of lawsuit was an abuse of court's discretion.
April 17, 2003... Byline: Rebecca Weisser The Missouri Court of Appeals, Eastern District, on Tuesday found that though a trial court retained jurisdiction over a plaintiff, that it abused its discretion in dismissing his case. The ruling was sufficient to...

Construction organizations support apprenticeship effort in Congress.
April 18, 2003... Byline: Mike Nixon Various construction agencies have come forward in supporting what has become a continued effort to get Congress to adopt the Apprenticeship Enhancement Act. Repeatedly authored and introduced by Rep. Roger Wicker,...

Historic tax credit bills face opposition.
April 18, 2003... Byline: Erin Piel This session the Missouri General Assembly has had a number of proposed bills concerning the historic tax credit program make their way across the House and Senate floors. Some of the bills have been more successful than...

Society for Industrial and Office Realtors forecast presents news on local market.
April 18, 2003... Byline: Erin Piel The St. Louis chapter of the Society for Industrial and Office Realtors presented its 19th annual St. Louis metro market forecast of the local commercial real estate market to an audience of more than 800 people at the...

Fannie Mae to present new pooling option for mortgages.
April 18, 2003... Byline: Mike Nixon A key to the ongoing movement of residential real estate, and stability of that industry, has been an overwhelming increase in the availability of products and services for both the primary and secondary mortgage...

Court en banc discusses courthouse security budget issue.
April 18, 2003... Byline: Donna Walter Courthouse security and budget concerns weighed heavily on the Jefferson County Circuit Court at its en banc meeting on Monday. Most of the discussion focused on the County Commission's decision to stop paying for...

Court to hear class certification arguments in auto repair lawsuit.
April 18, 2003... Byline: Donna Walter On Wednesday, the Missouri Supreme Court will hear arguments regarding certification of a class of plaintiffs in their lawsuit against an insurance company for its use of aftermarket parts to repair older vehicles...

Summary judgment inappropriate in lawsuit over injured boiler repairman.
April 19, 2003... Byline: Rebecca Weisser A boiler repairman who was severely scalded in the course of his work will have another chance to recover damages from the school district and the city that owned and maintained the equipment, according to the 8th...

U.S. District Court gets closer to paperless court conversion.
April 19, 2003... Byline: Donna Walter The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri is getting closer to converting to a paperless court. The court announced on Friday that it will go live with its new case management and electronic case...

PayBack Inc. to celebrate 20th anniversary.
April 22, 2003... Byline: Rebecca Weisser PayBack Inc., a nonprofit juvenile restitution/community service program, will celebrate its 20th anniversary with a benefit art auction on Saturday, May 10. Since 1983, PayBack has been providing community...

Putative father allowed to pursue wrongful death claim.
April 23, 2003... Byline: Donna Walter The Missouri Supreme Court cleared the way for a putative father to pursue a wrongful death claim for the death of his unborn child. This decision is a reversal of the conclusions arrived at by both the St. Louis City...

Outside counsel in Missouri tobacco case not considered officers of state.
April 24, 2003... Byline: Rebecca Weisser In June 1998, Missouri Attorney General Jay Nixon appointed Thomas Strong as lead special assistant attorney for his suit on behalf of the state seeking damages, restitution, civil penalties, punitive damages,...

Insurance company cannot deny client access to own file.
April 24, 2003... Byline: Donna Walter An insurance company's claims file belongs to the insured, and the insurance company may not deny the insured access to it, said the Missouri Supreme Court on Tuesday. The issue arose as a result of a car accident...

Steelworkers credited with influencing buyout plan.
April 25, 2003... Byline: Mike Nixon Leaders in construction and construction-related industries confirmed late last week that an increasing number of skilled workers are taking the fates of securing their futures in their own hands. According to Dave...

Parade of Homes comes to St. Louis for first time.
April 25, 2003... Byline: Erin Piel The Parade of Homes will make its first-ever appearance in St. Louis this May. The Parade offers new homebuyers the opportunity to experience the latest in interior design, new home products, landscape design and family...

South African professionals visit Jefferson County.
April 25, 2003... Byline: Donna Walter Making their way down the eastern part of Missouri this month are four visitors from South Africa who aim to learn how their American counterparts do their jobs. The team spent the end of last week in Jefferson County....

Fair housing progress noted on anniversary.
April 25, 2003... Byline: Mike Nixon April marked the 35th anniversary of the federal Fair Housing Act becoming law. And while the Department of Urban and Housing Development marked it with proclamations and official statements among real estate...

Tarlton Corp. wins 2003 Build America Merit Award.
April 25, 2003... Byline: Erin Piel Tarlton Corp., a general contracting and construction management firm based in St. Louis, was selected as one of the recipients of a 2003 Aon Build America Merit Award. The awards, considered to be the construction...

Professional Housing Resources Inc. hosts discussion with U.S. Deputy Secretary of HUD.
April 25, 2003... Byline: Erin Piel U.S. Deputy Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Alphonso Jackson led a discussion last week on current housing and community development issues. Professional Housing Resources Inc. sponsored the event, which was...

St. Louis Bar Assn. to honor MO Supreme Court Justice Ronnie White.
April 26, 2003... Byline: staff In keeping with the tradition of Law Day, the 6,500-member Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis will honor its 2003 Distinguished Lawyer Award recipient Missouri Supreme Court Justice Ronnie L. White at the Annual Law...

Two Women Lawyers' Assn. officers attend Bar Leadership Institute.
April 26, 2003... Byline: Rebecca Weisser The president and president-elect of the Women Lawyers' Association of Greater St. Louis joined 300 other emerging leaders in the legal profession at the American Bar Association's Bar Leadership Institute in...

Two attorneys for new St. Louis County law firm.
April 26, 2003... Byline: staff Daniel T. Ryan has joined Jill S. Bollwerk to form their new firm Bollwerk & Ryan LLC in the Concord Village/Sunset Hills area of St. Louis County. Both attorneys are 1991 graduates of Saint Louis University School of Law....

Architectural technician joins St. Louis office of Hellmuth, Obata.
April 26, 2003... Byline: staff Jason Chiu has joined the St. Louis office of HOK (Hellmuth, Obata + Kassabam) Inc. as an architectural technician in the firm's Science + Technology Group. Chiu obtained a bachelor of technology degree from Ryerson...

Law firm of Kramer & Frank moves into new building.
April 26, 2003... Byline: staff The law firm of Kramer & Frank P.C. now has an address in Olivette. The firm moved into former tennis facilities at 9300 Dielman Industrial Drive on April 18. The new building allows the collection firm to expand its St....

Ascent Corp. hires systems engineer.
April 26, 2003... Byline: staff Mike Elliott has joined Ascent Corp. as a systems engineer. As part of Ascent's information technology group, Elliott will help manage client networks and infrastructure and will provide both internal and external support....

Vi-Jon Laboratories appoints new president.
April 26, 2003... Byline: Colleen Dilthey Gary Watson has been appointed president of Vi-Jon Laboratories Inc. With over 15 years of experience in the private label industry, Watson has spent his entire career with the firm. Since joining Vi-Jon in 1984, he...

Cass Commercial Bank names new president.
April 26, 2003... Byline: staff Kenneth A. Witbrodt Jr. has been promoted to president of Cass Commercial Bank, the bank subsidiary of Cass Information Systems Inc. Witbrodt previously was executive vice president for commercial lending and operations for...

Midwest BankCentre names new VP of commercial services.
April 26, 2003... Byline: staff Julie Pensel Woodruff has joined Midwest BankCentre as vice president of commercial services. Woodruff's experience blends three years as a commercial real estate broker with 14 years in banking, including seven years in...

Millennium joint effort wins double recognition in Communicator Awards.
April 26, 2003... Byline: staff Millennium paired its copywriting, editing and project coordination with Sandbox Creative Inc.'s creative direction, design, production and print supervision to win double recognition in the Communicator Awards 2003 Print...

Diversity celebrated at third annual unity dinner.
April 29, 2003... Byline: Rebecca Weisser The Missouri Asian-American Bar Association and the Mound City Bar Association hosted their third annual Unity Dinner with a meal at Hunan Garden Restaurant on Thursday, April 24. Ida Goodwin Woolfolk served as...

Dispute over car lease can be heard in court.
April 29, 2003... Byline: Donna Walter A woman who leased a car with St. Charles Nissan will have a second chance to pursue her fraudulent inducement claims against the dealership. Marcia S. Clement entered into a five-year lease agreement with St....

Slander of title suit remanded for further proceedings.
April 30, 2003... Byline: Rebecca Weisser The doctrines of collateral estoppel and res judicata do not apply when issues in a judgment are still pending, held the Missouri Court of Appeals, Eastern District, on Tuesday. The court reversed and remanded some...

St. Louis atty. recognized by peers with Award of Honor.
April 30, 2003... Byline: Donna Walter It's a "wonderful night for a wonderful guy," declared Stephen Ringkamp on Saturday night as he and a host of others celebrated the professional career and the life of St. Louis attorney Robert F. Ritter, who was...