St. Charles County Business Record, MO articles from February 2007

St. Charles County Business Record, MO archives from February 2007

St. Louis to host Supreme visits this month.
February 1, 2007... Byline: Will Connaghan U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts and former Justice Sandra Day O'Connor will be paying visits to St. Louis over the next two weeks. Roberts is slated to serve on the panel of judges for the annual Wiley...

Franklin County Circuit Court: Paper fights gag order in Devlin case.
February 1, 2007... Byline: Allison Retka Media attorneys have stepped in to respond to a gag order against the New York Post and other media in the Michael Devlin case. A Tuesday filing in Franklin County Circuit Court asked Associate Circuit Judge David...

Study finds fewer blacks attending Missouri's law schools.
February 2, 2007... Byline: Donna Walter Most Missouri law schools have admitted fewer African-American law students in recent years and need to do more to recruit and retain them, the Mound City Bar Association concluded in a new diversity study. "Our theme...

Missouri laws do not hold Super Bowl party hosts liable for drunken guests.
February 2, 2007... Byline: Will Connaghan Super Bowl weekend is upon us and with that comes the invitations to a wide variety of Super Bowl parties. Many lawyers and law firms enjoy a good time, and this weekend will be no exception. A recent survey says it...

DeVoto & Benbenek move to new offices.
February 3, 2007... Byline: St. Charles Business Record Staff The law firm of DeVoto & Benbenek has moved to new offices. The new offices are on Watson Road in Shrewsbury, where the firm will be the sole tenant in a specially-designed building. Thomas C....

Law firm of Gallop, Johnson & Neuman elects new partners.
February 3, 2007... Byline: St. Charles Business Record Staff The law firm of Gallop, Johnson & Neuman announced that attorneys Jennifer R. Byrne, Angela N. Loehr and Francis X. "Butch" Miller have been elected partners of the firm. Jennifer R. Byrne, who...

HOK announces new hires.
February 3, 2007... Byline: St. Charles Business Record Staff Quinton Richardson has joined the St. Louis office of HOK (Hellmuth, Obata + Kassabaum) Inc. as a senior architectural technician. He will be responsible for technical development, modification and...

Polsinelli Shalton Welte Suelthaus gets new name.
February 3, 2007... Byline: St. Charles Business Record Staff The law firm of Polsinelli Shalton Welte Suelthaus PC announced that its new name is Polsinelli Shalton Flanigan Suelthaus PC. The new name reflects the addition of Daniel J. Flanigan to the firm's...

Blackwell Sanders elects five new partners to St. Louis office.
February 3, 2007... Byline: St. Charles Business Record Staff Blackwell Sanders has elected five new partners to the firm's St. Louis offices. Wendy Boldt Cohen joined the firm as an associate in 2000 as a member of the firm's Corporate Department. She...

Jeffrey H. Kass elected to serve on St. Louis Economic Council board.
February 3, 2007... Byline: St. Charles Business Record Staff Jeffrey H. Kass, partner at the law firm of Armstrong Teasdale LLP, has been elected to serve on the Board of Directors of the St. Louis Economic Council's St. Louis Enterprise Centers. The St....

Mark Counts joins RubinBrown.
February 3, 2007... Byline: St. Charles Business Record Staff Mark Counts has joined RubinBrown, an accounting and consulting firm, as director of internal technology. Counts brings to RubinBrown more than 12 years of experience in accounting and technology....

Redevelopment can be an iffy proposition.
February 5, 2007... Byline: Mike Trask Developers continue to turn fields and pastures into subdivisions and shopping centers. So why would anyone want to redevelop properties, considering all the political land mines that a developer could step on? "At...

Smarts screens advertise mall sales, events digitally.
February 5, 2007... Byline: Amy Armour It's the new technologically advanced way to advertise. And it's moved into Westfield Mid Rivers Mall in St. Peters. Shoppers may have noticed the 9-foot tall digital displays, called "smart screens," located throughout...

Law firm opens office on Mid Rivers Mall Drive.
February 5, 2007... Byline: Robin Seaton Jefferson A law office that has cultivated a reputation for shattering courtroom stereotypes about single dads opened an office Jan. 22 on Mid Rivers Mall Drive in St. Peters. Domestic litigation firm, Cordell &...

Brothers want to turn part of old Wentzville mall into family entertainment center.
February 5, 2007... Byline: Kathleen T. Brady It started out as a place to meet a growing company's needs. Now, the developer wants to throw some family fun into the mix. National Auto Warranty, a company that sells extended auto warranties, purchased the old...

Embassy Suites St. Charles among top in company.
February 5, 2007... Byline: Business Record Staff Embassy Suites Hotels recognized its top hotels during an awards ceremony at a sales conference in La Quinta, Calif., Jan. 16-18. The Embassy Suites St. Charles Hotel and Spa won first place in the company's...

Brown Smith Wallace offers manufacturing software guide.(Buyers guide)
February 5, 2007... Byline: Business Record Staff Brown Smith Wallace Consulting Group announced its newly released first edition of the Manufacturing Software Guide. The guide includes detailed vendor pages, company demographics, product information and a...

St. Charles Community College Foundation pledges $50,000 for online technology.
February 5, 2007... Byline: Business Record Staff The St. Charles Community College Foundation recently pledged $50,000 to help implement and improve online services for students at the college. The funds will provide seed money toward the estimated $250,000...

Heartland Bank opens regional HQ in Denver.
February 5, 2007... Byline: Business Record Staff St. Louis-based Heartland Bank announced plans to open a new regional headquarters in Denver in the second quarter of 2007. The bank will move its banking service center, Heartland Mortgage and Heartland...

St. Charles welcomes two businesses.
February 5, 2007... Byline: Business Record Staff St. Charles Chamber of Commerce held ribbon-cutting ceremonies for two businesses in January: New Frontier Bank opened a branch at 3773 Elm St., and Edward Jones opened branch at 1506 Elm St.

St. Peters welcomes three new businesses.
February 5, 2007... Byline: Business Record Staff The St. Peters Chamber of Commerce held ribbon-cutting ceremonies for three businesses in January: St. Peters Dental, located at 7421 Mexico Road; Enterprise Rent-A-Car, located at 4 Plaza 94 at Jungermann and...

Fete de Glace winners are announced.
February 5, 2007... Byline: Business Record Staff Spectators walked North Main Street in St. Charles on Jan. 27 to witness the annual Fete de Glace, also known as the Festival of Ice. Area ice carvers took part in a daylong contest, exhibiting their skills...

Cuivre River Electric Cooperative honors employees for years of service.
February 5, 2007... Byline: Business Record Staff Cuivre River Electric Cooperative honored the following 22 current employees for their 320 combined years of service to Cuivre River and its membership: Lou Hoelscher and Dan L. Brown, 35 years of service;...

Local Manpower employee among top in nation.
February 5, 2007... Byline: Business Record Staff Ronda Wunderlich-Mwangi, direct hire consultant for Manpower in O'Fallon, was recently named to Manpower's Circle of Stars, a national recognition program that identifies top performers in sales and customer...

Baumruk asks St. Charles Circuit Court for death sentence.
February 6, 2007... Byline: Kathleen T. Brady After 15 years of legal maneuvers designed to keep him off death row, Kenneth Baumruk leaned over to his defense counsel Monday morning and said he wanted to die. Baumruk told his attorney that life in prison was...

St. Charles Circuit Court says Baumruk should die.
February 7, 2007... Byline: Kathleen T. Brady Kenneth Baumruk has received what he wanted, a recommendation from the jury for the death penalty. The recommendation was announced Tuesday afternoon in St. Charles Circuit Court. Judge Lucy D. Rauch will take...

Franklin County judge denies gag order on Devlin's interviews.
February 7, 2007... Byline: Allison Retka In a tense preliminary hearing Tuesday morning in Union, a Franklin County judge refused to issue a gag order on the New York Post reporter who interviewed suspected kidnapper Michael Devlin last month at Franklin...

O'Connor will hear Missouri voting discrimination case.
February 7, 2007... Byline: Donna Walter An 8th Circuit panel, including former U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, will hear a challenge to Missouri's voting law on Monday morning. In Missouri Protection and Advocacy Services et al. v. Robin...

A.G. Edwards to face trial in St. Louis County Circuit Court over Saigh trust.
February 7, 2007... Byline: Heather Cole A.G. Edwards Trust Co. will be heading back to St. Louis County Circuit Court over the company's approval of $1.3 million in renovations to nonagenarian Rose Saigh's home, but the company won't face a claim of...

Commentary: Love or money? Courts could decide.
February 7, 2007... Byline: Will Connaghan Valentine's Day is just a week away, but a Missouri Senate committee got a jump on all things romantic last week when it held a hearing on SB246. If state Sen. Jack Goodman -- a Republican from District 29 in...

Missouri professor vouches for bill to restrict illegal immigrants.
February 7, 2007... Byline: Scott Lauck An immigration bill introduced in the Missouri legislature is on solid legal ground, even though one major provision has yet to be tested in state court, a prominent University of Missouri-Kansas City law professor said...

St. Louis-based Gallop, Johnson & Neuman hires three new associates.
February 7, 2007... Byline: St. Louis Daily Record Staff Robert J. Droney, Gary R. Long and Robert B. Preston have joined the law firm of Gallop, Johnson & Neuman as associates. Droney is a member of the firm's Real Estate & Construction Law and Governmental...

Swacker elected to La Clinica Latino Community Health Centers board.
February 7, 2007... Byline: St. Louis Daily Record Staff Carmody MacDonald's Suzanne S. Swacker was elected to the Board of Directors for the La Clinica Latino Community Health Centers. La Clinica is a multicultural proficient Health Care Center for the...

St. Louis office of Husch & Eppenberger hires new associates.
February 7, 2007... Byline: St. Louis Daily Record Staff Report Matthew D. Guymon has joined Husch & Eppenberger LLC as an associate attorney in the firm's Land Use Development and Financing Practice Group. Guymon concentrates his practice in the areas of real...

New, but thinner, shield law drafted.
February 8, 2007... Byline: Allison Retka Jefferson City legislators are taking another crack at legally protecting journalists from having to testify about information or confidential sources should they be subpoenaed in court cases. A House bill filed...

Shield law: National debate.
February 8, 2007... Byline: St. Charles Business Record Staff The question of whether journalists should be required to testify about the sources of their reporting has been high profile in recent months. Among the current cases: * The Libby trial. New York...

Commentary: Supreme opportunity for moot court competitors.
February 8, 2007... Byline: Will Connaghan I have never been to a U.S. Supreme Court hearing, but Tuesday's moot court competition at Washington University School of Law may have been the next best thing. U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr....

Supreme Court selects local attorney to oversee state disciplinary counsel.
February 8, 2007... Byline: St. Charles Business Record Staff The Missouri Supreme Court has selected St. Louis attorney Alan D. Pratzel to serve as the state's chief disciplinary counsel, the court said in a news release Wednesday. Pratzel is expected to...

Movie debuted at Sundance Festival furthers legacy for gamer-turned-attorney.
February 9, 2007... Byline: Bridget Heos Present-day lawyer Steve Sanders spent the summer of 1981 playing Pac-Man. A 16-year-old growing up in Clinton, he wasn't a jock. And he wasn't in the cool crowd. "Because I was a geek and a nerd and awkward, I spent...

Unmarried couple settles housing suit against city of Black Jack.
February 9, 2007... Byline: Allison Retka A federal judge gave final approval Thursday morning for a $28,000 settlement to a Black Jack family who sued the city for denying an occupancy permit because the heads of household were unmarried. Half the amount...

Federal lawsuit accuses attorneys of malpractice.
February 9, 2007... Byline: Donna Walter Two longtime attorneys will soon find themselves in federal court -- this time as defendants. Hrant Norsigian Jr. of the Castle Law Office of St. Louis and Joseph A. Bartholomew of Cook, Shevlin, Ysursa, Brauer &...

Correction: Wrong URL listed.(Correction notice)
February 9, 2007... Byline: Staff Report In Will Connaghan's column published on Wednesday, Feb. 7, the URL for a gay rights information Web site was incorrect. The site should have read www.actwin.com/eatonohio/gay/GAY.htm.

Nelson D. Nolte of Polster, Lieder, Woodruff & Lucchesi LC made member of the firm.
February 9, 2007... Byline: St. Charles County Business Record Staff Nelson D. Nolte of Polster, Lieder, Woodruff & Lucchesi LC, was recently made a member of the firm. His practice areas include patents, trademarks, copyrights, unfair competition, Internet...

David L. Howard joins Polster, Lieder, Woodruff & Lucchesi LC as senior associate attorney.
February 9, 2007... Byline: Staff Report Polster, Lieder, Woodruff & Lucchesi LC also announced that David L. Howard has joined the firm as a senior associate attorney. Howard's practice areas include patents, trademarks, copyrights, trade secrets,...

Steven M. Tripi, CPA, promoted to audit supervisor by Huber, Ring, Helm & Co. PC.
February 9, 2007... Byline: Staff Report Steven M. Tripi, CPA, has been promoted to audit supervisor at the accounting and consulting firm Huber, Ring, Helm & Co. PC. Tripi has 10 years of professional experience, providing specialized audit, tax and...

Michael D. Basler, CPA, promoted to audit manager at Huber, Ring, Helm & Co. PC.
February 9, 2007... Byline: St. Charles County Business Record Staff Michael D. Basler, CPA, was promoted to audit manager at HRH. Basler has eight years of professional experience. He provides specialized audit and tax services, consulting, accounting...

Michael C. Joy promoted to BankCentre leader at Midwest BankCentre's Fenton location.
February 9, 2007... Byline: St. Charles County Business Record Staff Michael C. Joy has been promoted to BankCentre leader at Midwest BankCentre's Fenton location. Joy oversees bank operations and service to retail and business customers. He joined Midwest...

St. Charles County realtors say real estate about to take off.
February 12, 2007... Byline: Mike Trask There are definite signs of a slowdown in St. Charles County's real estate market. While there still is a robust demand for starter homes, one agent has been telling his clients who want to sell their $350,000 homes to...

Home-building activity in St. Charles County slows.
February 12, 2007... Byline: Mike Trask Home-building activity in St. Charles County in 2006 declined for the second consecutive year. County and municipal governments issued 2,709 building permits last year for the construction of single-family and...

Tour of Missouri expected to grow cities' economies.
February 12, 2007... Byline: Kathleen T. Brady The Tour of Missouri will bring "folks spending cash in our larger cities and our rural communities." That comment came from Steve Brunner, the tour's marketing director, during a press conference announcing the...

Jan Dunham with US Bank in St. Charles shares passion for charity, people.
February 12, 2007... Byline: Wm. Stage As private banking relationship manager, Jan Dunham provides personalized banking services to optimize every stage of building wealth and managing assets. For the bank's more affluent clients, she handles personal loans...

Masterclock Inc. services some of the biggest names in entertainment, utilities and technology.
February 12, 2007... Byline: Robin Seaton Jefferson The shop is located on the westernmost corner of the St. Charles Plaza shopping center on West Clay. There's no sign out front and no indication of what goes on inside. But Masterclock Inc. is servicing some...

BJC HealthCare set to open O'Fallon hospital.
February 12, 2007... Byline: Mike Trask The four-story structure has been built, equipped and staffed. Now all that it needs is some sick people. BJC HealthCare will open its $75 million Progress West HealthCare Center in O'Fallon on Feb. 20. Already two...

Builder hopes "free food" promotion will draw even more buyers to St. Charles mixed-use development.
February 12, 2007... Byline: Robin Seaton Jefferson Free groceries? Who doesn't want free food? It's a new concept home builder Greg Whittaker is hoping will draw even more buyers to his already successful New Town mixed-use residential development in St....

Barnes-Jewish St. Peters Hospital announces 2007 executive committee.
February 12, 2007... Byline: St. Charles County Business Record Staff Barnes-Jewish St. Peters Hospital recently announced its 2007 Medical Executive Committee, which consists of various physicians, each leaders in their own field. The committee meets on a...

Premier Bank promotes Simpson to VP, hires Lafata as president.
February 12, 2007... Byline: St. Charles County Business Record Staff Premier Bank announced the promotion of Daniel R. Simpson to senior vice president, mortgage operations and the addition of Mark C. Lafata as president of the St. Peters branch. Simpson...

Boeing receives award for Small Diameter Bomb program at St. Charles plant.
February 12, 2007... Byline: St. Charles County Business Record Staff The Boeing Co. received the Precision Strike Association's 2007 William J. Perry Award for its work on the Small Diameter Bomb program, made at its St. Charles County plant. The award is...

MERS Goodwill receives grant from state of Missouri.
February 12, 2007... Byline: St. Charles County Business Record Staff MERS Goodwill has been awarded state grants totaling $114,000 to partner with local Missouri career centers in helping people with disabilities find work. The grants come from the state's new...

SBA releases study findings, announces anticipated 2008 budget.
February 12, 2007... Byline: St. Charles County Business Record Staff The Office of Advocacy of the U.S. Small Business Administration released the finding of a study on the relationship between small-business growth and a state's economy on Feb. 5. The study,...

St. Louis-based CB Richard Ellis acquires Trammel Crow Krombach.
February 12, 2007... Byline: Business Record Staff St. Louis-based commercial real estate firm CB Richard Ellis Group Inc. announced Feb. 2 the acquisition of Trammell Crow Krombach, a former Trammell Crow Co. partner in St. Louis. CB Richard Ellis will...

Eichelberger promoted to manager-refrigeration at St. Louis-based Murphy.
February 12, 2007... Byline: St. Charles County Business Record Staff Robert Eichelberger has been promoted to manager-refrigeration solutions within the 24-hour service operation at Murphy Co. The St. Louis-based mechanical contractor operates a service fleet...

McBride & Son staff donates time to complete Hornbeck family's new home.
February 12, 2007... Byline: St. Charles County Business Record Staff More than 100 volunteer carpenters and McBride & Son staff donated a Saturday of work to complete the Hornbeck family's new home, which is being donated to them by McBride & Son Homes. On...

McDonnell Pointe Business Centre to be completed in April.
February 12, 2007... Byline: St. Charles County Business Record Staff ARCO Construction is targeting an April completion of the $5.2 million McDonnell Pointe Business Centre at 519 McDonnell Blvd. in Hazelwood, Mo. The eight-acre development features two...

Vantage Homes accepting contracts for Talbridge residential community in St. Charles.
February 12, 2007... Byline: St. Charles County Business Record Staff Vantage Homes will hold its grand opening and begin to accept building contracts for the Talbridge residential community in St. Charles on Feb. 10. Vantage Homes has 63 home sites in...

DESCO Group opens more shops in Loughborough Commons in St. Louis.
February 12, 2007... Byline: St. Charles County Business Record Staff The first Lowe's Home Improvement Warehouse in the city of St. Louis has opened in the $40 million Loughborough Commons center, developed by The DESCO Group. The retail center, at Interstate...

Taylor-Morley Homes promotes Breckenridge residential community.
February 12, 2007... Byline: St. Charles County Business Record Staff Taylor-Morley Homes is promoting its 51-site Breckenridge residential community with starting prices in the $370s. The homes range in size from 2,477 to 3,022 square feet and come with $3,000...

Dean Homes debuts in St. Charles.
February 12, 2007... Byline: St. Charles County Business Record Staff Dean Homes made a debut in St. Charles with the construction of The Celtic, a luxury condominium development at the intersection of highways 364 and 94. The condominium complex features...

ADA called no bar to limiting voting rights.
February 13, 2007... Byline: Donna Walter Is voting a type of personal care? The answer to that question may be the answer to whether a Missouri law denying the right to vote to individuals under full guardianship care violates the U.S. Constitution and the...

KC woman claims she bit into burger with live worm.
February 13, 2007... Byline: Charles Emerick Charleatha Rhodes wriggled and writhed after taking a bite out her McDonald's burger. And so did the worm that she claimed to have bit into. The Kansas City woman accused the restaurant of negligence after she ate...

Keith Weber with St. Louis-based Merrill Marine Services Inc. receives accreditation.
February 14, 2007... Byline: St. Charles County Business Record Staff Keith John Weber, with Merrill Marine Services Inc. of St. Louis, is a machinery and technical specialties appraiser who has achieved Accredited Member status with the American Society of...

Husch & Eppenberger first law firm to commit funds to St. Louis Bar Foundation fund-raising campaign.
February 14, 2007... Byline: St. Charles County Business Record Staff Husch & Eppenberger is the first law firm to commit funds to the St. Louis Bar Foundation's "Strengthening the Foundation of Justice" fund-raising campaign. The firm donated $10,000 to the...

St. Louis-based Murphy Co. promotes Robert Eichelberger.
February 14, 2007... Byline: St. Charles County Business Record Staff Robert Eichelberger has been promoted to manager-refrigeration solutions within the 24-hour service operation at Murphy Co. The firm is the St. Louis area's largest mechanical contractor and...

Jeremiah King joins Chesterfield-based Brinkmann Constructors.
February 14, 2007... Byline: St. Charles County Business Record Staff Jeremiah King of St. Charles has joined Brinkmann Constructors as a project engineer, providing estimating, design and construction coordination services on the firm's design/build projects....

Cole joins St. Louis-based Geotechnology Inc.
February 14, 2007... Byline: St. Charles County Business Record Staff Geotechnology Inc., a provider of consulting services in applied earth and environmental sciences, hired Pamela S. Cole to join the company's business development team. Cole's...

Cell tax litigation in Missouri balloons as Sprint comes onboard.
February 14, 2007... Byline: Allison Retka Sprint Nextel Corp. heaped dozens of boxes of filings on the St. Louis County Circuit clerk last Thursday, suing 49 county municipalities. The company also sued the city of St. Louis and cities in 50 other counties...

Parent company of St. Louis-based General American Life liquidators want billions from Goldman Sachs.
February 14, 2007... Byline: Heather Cole Fresh off a $95 million settlement with Morgan Stanley, the liquidators of General American are adding Goldman Sachs to the list of defendants. The liquidators filed an amended lawsuit Tuesday, seeking $3 billion in...

St. Louis housing enforcement system called unconstitutional.
February 14, 2007... Byline: Scott Lauck Kansas City wants to get noncriminal housing violations out of its municipal court and into an administrative system. But the municipal judge whose cases would be reduced by the effort said the whole scheme is probably...

Letter: Local laws are threatening rural livelihoods.
February 14, 2007... Byline: Don Nikodim Dear Editor: Missouri's pork producers are facing challenges that threaten their livelihood. They are already regulated by strict, science-based standards at both the state and federal level. Now, their very existence...

St. Louis office of Clayco promotes David R. Molamphy.
February 14, 2007... Byline: St. Charles County Business Record Staff Design and construction firm Clayco has promoted David R. Molamphy to project manager in its St. Louis office. In his new position, Molamphy oversees design coordination, preconstruction and...

St. Louis County Circuit jury hikes eminent domain price tag on hotels project.
February 15, 2007... Byline: Allison Retka In a reverse of the last eminent domain dispute in St. Louis County, a jury has sided with a property owner over a private developer who would like to plant two major hotels in the Brentwood Boulevard corridor of...

Missouri's underpaid public defenders get stuck paying for parking.
February 15, 2007... Byline: Scott Lauck To the indignity of being overworked and underpaid, add another daily problem for state public defenders: parking. Members of the Missouri Senate's Budget Committee on Wednesday lamented that public defenders in the...

Final Twist: Suit settled for $5 million in favor of St. Louis Blues hockey player.
February 16, 2007... Byline: Donna Walter After nine years of litigation and jury verdicts of $24.5 million and $15 million, former St. Louis Blues hockey player Tony Twist has settled his right of publicity claim against Todd McFarlane Productions Inc. for $5...

St. Paul's new developments bring resources to better serve community.
February 19, 2007... Byline: Kathleen T. Brady The small municipality of St. Paul is at a crossroads. It needs some commercial development to generate tax revenue but wants to maintain its rural nature. "It's a rural area," said Lynn Holloway, city...

Agreement would allow St. Joseph Health Center to expand -- if it wants to.
February 19, 2007... Byline: Mike Trask A news conference last week about SSM St. Joseph Health Center's expansion plans generated more questions than answers. Is SSM St. Joseph Health Center going to expand its campus in St. Charles during the next...