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

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

Anna Nicole's bumbled will: a probate professor's dream.
March 1, 2007... Byline: Allison Retka The tragic death of Anna Nicole Smith on the floor of a South Florida casino last month unleashed a wave of paternity claims and legal fights over custody of Smith's infant daughter, her estate and her own bodily...

Gov. Blunt appoints St. Louisan to Appellate Judicial Commission.
March 1, 2007... Byline: Scott Lauck Gov. Matt Blunt on Wednesday announced the appointment of St. Louis resident Donald L. Ross to the Appellate Judicial Commission. "Mr. Ross is committed to protecting our constitution by selecting judges who understand...

Dr. Joseph Parks named director of Division of Comprehensive Psychiatric Services.
March 1, 2007... Byline: St. Charles Business Record Staff Dr. Joseph Parks, was named as the director of the Division of Comprehensive Psychiatric Services, within the Missouri Department of Mental Health. Parks is currently the medical director for the...

New hires announced at Citizens NationalBank.
March 1, 2007... Byline: St. Charles Business Record Staff Citizens NationalBank has appointed new community directors to two of its bank branches. David Nothum has been named the community director of the South County Banking Center. He is the owner of two...

Newsmakers: New hires at Citizens NationalBank.
March 1, 2007... Byline: Staff Report Citizens NationalBank has appointed new community directors to two of its bank branches. David Nothum has been named the community director of the South County Banking Center. He is the owner of two companies - Suntide...

Geotechnology Inc. wins design award.
March 1, 2007... Byline: St. Charles Business Record Staff Geotechnology Inc., a provider of consulting services in geotechnical and environmental engineering, materials testing and drilling, won a Grand Award from the American Council of Engineering...

St. Louis home builder relocates.
March 1, 2007... Byline: St. Charles Business Record Staff St. Louis home builder Rolwes Co. has relocated to new offices at 2705 Dougherty Ferry Road, Suite 101, in St. Louis, Mo. 63122. The telephone number remains (314) 821-9600.

Missouri Public Defender Commission could be nation's first to close system to new indigent clients.
March 2, 2007... Byline: Scott Lauck If the Missouri Public Defender Commission votes this morning to close its system to new indigent clients, it would be first in the nation to take such a drastic step. And what happens next is anyone's guess. According...

Missouri Supreme Court to no longer be in charge of state officials' impeachments.
March 2, 2007... Byline: Scott Lauck The Missouri Supreme Court would no longer be in charge of trying impeachments of state officials under a proposed constitutional amendment working its way through the Missouri House. The resolution, heard in a House...

St. Louis city attorney denies Valley Park mayor wants Hispanics out.
March 2, 2007... Byline: Allison Retka The city attorney for Valley Park denied the city's ordinances against hiring or renting to illegal aliens are a plan hatched by the mayor to keep Hispanic immigrants out of the town. The statements came Thursday...

Missouri attorney Michael Chivell takes the helm of Armstrong Teasdale after a year of major growth.
March 2, 2007... Byline: Heather Cole Corporate transactional attorney Michael Chivell is taking the helm of Armstrong Teasdale as the St. Louis firm comes off a year of major growth. Chivell, 53, succeeded Richard Scherrer as managing partner of the law...

Missouri legislators use big headline stories to capitalize on the public's outrage.
March 2, 2007... Byline: Will Connaghan Many times a big news story will inspire a state representative or senator to file a bill addressing some concern related to the story. These bills are quickly put together to capitalize on the public's outrage about...

The John R. Justice Prosecutors and Defenders Incentive Act of 2007 would aid public defender system.
March 2, 2007... Byline: Karen J. Mathis A bill introduced by Sen. Richard Durbin (D-IL) provides a winning solution for all of us concerned that low wages paid prosecutors and public defenders, along with the high cost of law school, are undermining...

Postal Service delivery slow, say chambers.
March 5, 2007... Byline: Mike Trask "Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds." So says the unofficial motto of the U.S. Postal Service. The problem, however, is the...

Lake Saint Louis-based Medical Transportation Management perseveres despite some tough times.
March 5, 2007... Byline: Kathleen T. Brady Lake Saint Louis-based Medical Transportation Management Inc. has not had the best of luck when it comes to public image, ever since Gov. Matt Blunt accused the company of overcharging the state's Medicaid system....

New urbanism appears to be catching on.
March 5, 2007... Byline: Mike Trask

New urbanism appears to be catching on.
March 5, 2007... Byline: Mike Trask RK Building Co. is teaming up with Vehlewald Construction Co. to create what Rick Egelhoff of RK Building calls a miniature version of Whittaker Homes' New Town, only without the commercial development. The 8-acre...

St. Charles-based American Railcar Industries completes note offering.
March 5, 2007... Byline: Business Record Staff St. Charles-based American Railcar Industries Inc. said last week that it had completed the sale of $275 million in 7.5 percent senior notes due in 2014. The public company said it increased its offering from...

State of Missouri forms mortgage fraud task force.
March 5, 2007... Byline: Business Record Staff The Missouri Department of Insurance, Financial Institutions and Professional Registration announced the formation of a mortgage fraud task force. The task force, which will consist of personnel from within...

SBA loans to small-business exporters exceeds $1 billion.
March 5, 2007... Byline: Business Record Staff The U.S. Small Business Administration made a record number of loans in fiscal year 2006 to exporters, and surpassed the $1 billion mark for the first time in the program's history. The agency said the...

Survey says IT positions take long time to fill.
March 5, 2007... Byline: Business Record Staff According to a recent survey of chief information officers, it takes an average of 56 days to fill a staff-level information technology position and 87 days to bring a new manager on board. The Robert Half...

State of Missouri offers small-business portal.
March 5, 2007... Byline: Business Record Staff Missouri launched a new Web site in late February that would make it easier for Missourians to start their own small business. The site, called the Missouri Business Portal, at www.business.mo.gov, allows...

All Mayors' Charity Ball to benefit three St. Charles charities.
March 5, 2007... Byline: Business Record Staff The upcoming All Mayors' Charity Ball will benefit three local charities: Cardinal Ritter Senior Services, HOPE Ministries and the St. Charles Boys & Girls Club. The ball will be held this Saturday, March 10,...

St. Charles Lions Club donates to eye research.
March 5, 2007... Byline: Business Record Staff The St. Charles Lions Club has donated $1,000 to the Missouri Lions Eye Research Foundation. The foundation funds a number of programs, including free glaucoma detection screening, vision screening for...

Kerin Abbey named marketing specialist for Economic Development Center of St. Charles.
March 5, 2007... Byline: Business Record Staff The Economic Development Center of St. Charles County has hired Kerin Abbey of O'Fallon as its marketing and events specialist. Her primary focus will be to promote and to expand the organization's Economic...

Citizens NationalBank adds to St. Peters branch.
March 5, 2007... Byline: Business Record Staff Citizens NationalBank has hired Denny M. Wiggim as vice president - commercial banking at its St. Peters facility. Citizens said Wiggim previously worked at a competing community bank as vice president of...

Ameristar Casinos names Karen J. Lynn to communications post.
March 5, 2007... Byline: Business Record Staff Las Vegas-based Ameristar Casinos Inc. has hired Karen J. Lynn to serve as the company's vice president of communications. Lynn will be in charge of corporate communications, including media relations, public...

Richard Langdon of St. Charles joins Byrne & Jones Construction.
March 5, 2007... Byline: Business Record Staff Richard Langdon of St. Charles has joined Byrne & Jones Construction, a commercial asphalt paving company in Maryland Heights, as a project manager/estimator. Langdon previously was president of...

O'Fallon-based Custom Design Fence and Deck promotes Jeff Shelburne.
March 5, 2007... Byline: Business Record Staff O'Fallon, Mo.-based Custom Design Fence and Deck promoted Jeff Shelburne to the position of general manager. Shelburne's responsibilities will include the supervising of commercial and residential sales as...

Nancy Stuenkel joins board of New Frontier Bank.
March 5, 2007... Byline: Business Record Staff Nancy Stuenkel has joined New Frontier Bank's executive advisory board. Stuenkel is executive director of the Lake Saint Louis-Dardenne Prairie Area Chamber of Commerce. She previously served as the president...

St. Charles Community College Foundation selects Billy Collier for award.
March 5, 2007... Byline: Business Record Staff The St. Charles Community College Foundation has named Billy Collier as its recipient of the Professional Excellence Achievement Recognition award. Collier is the executive director of United Services, a...

Schneider Real Estate recognizes agents in St. Charles.
March 5, 2007... Byline: Business Record Staff During its annual awards banquet in St. Charles, Schneider Real Estate recognized 18 agents for their accomplishments in 2006. Grant Hickman was recognized as the company's top-selling agent; Ryan Wagner was...

Cabela's set to open in St. Louis.
March 5, 2007... Byline: Business Record Staff A Cabela's outfitters store will open its newest destination retail store in Hazelwood on April 13. This will be Cabela's first location in Missouri. The 130,000-square-foot superstore will be part of the St....

McGowan Brothers Development to open St. Louis Fitness Factory.
March 5, 2007... Byline: Business Record Staff McGowan Brothers Development announced plans to open an 18,000-square-foot St. Louis Fitness Factory in the heart of the Washington Avenue loft district in early March. The fitness factory will be located in...

Jenny Morgan joins ARCO Construction as HR coordinator.
March 5, 2007... Byline: Business Record Staff Jenny Morgan has joined ARCO Construction Co. as human resources coordinator. Her responsibilities include assisting with employee recruitment, employee orientation, benefits administration, payroll and...

St. Louis-based Highland Homes donates $1,700 to United Services.
March 5, 2007... Byline: Business Record Staff St. Louis-based Highland Homes donated $1,700 to United Services at the ground-breaking event for Highland Park, St. Charles County's first "green" residential community. The donation will be used to sponsor...

Lindenwood University president makes five appointments, dean of campus life steps down.
March 5, 2007... Byline: Mike Trask Regime change: Lindenwood University President James D. Evans' recent appointments of five vice presidents got some media coverage in the county. What went unreported was Sheryl Guffey's departure from the private...

Wentzville approves plans to brings Christian music club to mall.
March 5, 2007... Byline: Mike Trask Praise the Lord! For decades the youth of St. Charles County have complained about having no place to go and congregate. They may soon have one in Wentzville now that city officials have approved plans by Darain and Cory...

Carol Rosse victim of Lake Saint Louis-based Medical Transportation Management's downsizing.
March 5, 2007... Byline: Mike Trask Blame the messenger: Having worked in the past for two Fortune 500 companies, I know from experience that when businesses downsize, it's almost always the communications professionals who are the first to be let go....

U.S. Sen. Thomas Eagleton from Missouri remembered through stories of friends, allies.
March 6, 2007... Byline: Donna Walter Former Missouri Supreme Court Judge Joseph J. Simeone met Thomas Eagleton, who died Sunday, in the mid-1950s when Eagleton was a candidate for St. Louis circuit attorney and Simeone was a law professor at Saint Louis...

As activism increases, pro bono attorneys defend the protesters.
March 6, 2007... Byline: Will Connaghan Attorney William T. Quick became active in his assistance to the anti-war movement on Good Friday in 2002. His wife was among his first clients. Diane Lee asked her husband to come along as a legal observer to a...

St. Louis judge grants class action certification against hospitals.
March 6, 2007... Byline: St. Charles County Business Record Staff Thousands of uninsured patients could potentially join a lawsuit against Barnes Jewish Christian HealthCare after a St. Louis judge approved class certification in the matter on Monday. The...

Federalist Society finds Missouri voters want more say on judges.
March 7, 2007... Byline: Scott Lauck A poll sponsored by a conservative legal group finds that Missouri voters, while knowing little about the state's court system, would like to have more say in the selection of judges. According to the poll, released...

Lawyers for man convicted of killing wife in St. Louis County court asks for acquittal, new trial.
March 7, 2007... Byline: Scott Lauck Lawyers for a man convicted last month of shooting his wife to death inside the St. Louis County Circuit Court have filed a motion for an acquittal or a new trial. A jury on Feb. 6 recommended that Kenneth Baumruk, 67,...

Kionka joins St. Louis-based Evans & Dixon LLC.
March 7, 2007... Byline: St. Louis Daily Record Staff Debra A. Kionka has joined the workers' compensation practice group of Evans & Dixon LLC as a senior associate. Kionka is licensed to practice in Illinois. Prior to joining Evans & Dixon, she worked as...

Johnson joins St. Louis-based Spencer Fane Britt & Browne LLP.
March 7, 2007... Byline: St. Louis Daily Record Staff Reginald C. Johnson has joined the Labor and Employment department of Spencer Fane Britt & Browne LLP as of counsel. He exclusively represents management and employers. Johnson has successfully defended...

Lutheran Family and Children's Services of Missouri honors Banks.
March 7, 2007... Byline: St. Louis Daily Record Staff Eric Kendall Banks was recently awarded the Reverend Arnold and Mildred Bringewatt Social Justice Award by Lutheran Family and Children's Services of Missouri. The Bringewatt Award honors individuals...

Grand jury indicts officers of Islamic charity in Missouri.
March 8, 2007... Byline: St. Louis Daily Record Staff Report A federal grand jury on Wednesday indicted a former Columbia-based organization and five of its officers for illegally transferring money to Iraq. The Islamic American Relief Agency, formerly...

Missouri Supreme Court hears child support debate.
March 8, 2007... Byline: Allison Retka Lawyers on both sides of the child support modification issue battled for leverage Wednesday morning in the state Supreme Court. At issue is whether the current system puts too much power in the hands of the...

Religion, law intersect at St. Louis seminar.
March 8, 2007... Byline: St. Louis Daily Record Staff Report The legal aspects of religious life will be the focus of a three-day seminar this week in St. Louis. Sponsored by the Legal Resource Center for Religious, a Silver Spring, Md.-based group that...

City or county? St. Louis judges debate proper venue.
March 8, 2007... Byline: Allison Retka One element of 2005's tort reform statutes was argued Wednesday in the state Supreme Court for a St. Louis man who brought a personal injury lawsuit against a dozen makers of chemicals he was exposed to on the job....

Critics say Linda Greenhouse is the poster girl for the media.
March 9, 2007... Byline: Will Connaghan Linda Greenhouse may know the inner workings of the U.S. Supreme Court better than most of the current justices. Since 1978, she has been the Supreme Court correspondent for The New York Times for all but two years...

Missouri bar officials say proposed constitutional amendment goes too far.
March 9, 2007... Byline: Scott Lauck A proposed constitutional amendment goes too far in defending the Legislature's power of the purse, bar officials said Thursday. The Missouri Bar held a press conference at its headquarters in Jefferson City a few days...

Daniel T. Rabbitt chosen for Award of Honor.
March 9, 2007... Byline: Allison Retka A still-busy trial attorney with more than three decades of legal experience was selected to receive the Award of Honor by the Lawyers Association of St. Louis. Daniel T. Rabbitt, founding principal of Rabbitt, Pitzer...

Missouri Governor Blunt makes appointment to local judicial commission.
March 9, 2007... Byline: St. Charles County Business Record Staff Missouri Gov. Matt Blunt earlier this week announced the appointments of several members who will serve on state circuit judicial commissions. Blunt selected Robert P. Dudley, 59 of Eureka,...

Blunt makes appointment to local judicial commission.
March 9, 2007... Byline: Staff Report Missouri Gov. Matt Blunt earlier this week announced the appointments of several members who will serve on state circuit judicial commissions. Blunt selected Robert P. Dudley, 59 of Eureka, president of C-12V...

Reinventing Main Street.
March 12, 2007... Byline: Mike Trask

St. Charles Main Street trying to attract younger crowd.
March 12, 2007... Byline: Mike Trask History may be passe -- at least as a marketing theme used to attract visitors to St. Charles' South Main Street. Since the 1970s, when an influx of federal funds helped to renovate and revitalize South Main, the area...

Missouri Dept. of Natural Resources to host public hearing for demolition landfill.
March 12, 2007... Byline: Kathleen T. Brady The Missouri Department of Natural Resources will host a public hearing about a proposed demolition landfill in St. Charles County on March 15. The hearing, which will take place at 7 p.m. at Barnwell Middle...

Elliot Freeman, martial arts instructor, also teaches Maplewood law enforcement officers.
March 12, 2007... Byline: Wm. Stage Elliot Freeman became involved in the martial arts at an early age. After receiving his bachelor's degree from the University of Northern Colorado-Greeley and a master's degree from the University of Southern...

Former home builder opens Breathe Easy Hypnotherapy in Lake Saint Louis.
March 12, 2007... Byline: Amy Armour After losing a close friend to emphysema, Dennis May began volunteering at the American Lung Association to save others from an awful fate. His volunteering efforts inadvertently led him into a new career. May,...

New bowling center in St. Peters will also offer video games, bumper cars, laser tag.
March 12, 2007... Byline: Amy Armour This is not your father's bowling alley. When Brunswick Zone XL opens this fall in St. Peters, patrons will find themselves in an entertainment center where they can bowl, play video games, take a bumper car ride, play a...

Dardenne Prairie's Barat Academy gets $1M-plus from anonymous donor.
March 12, 2007... Byline: Business Record Staff Barat Academy in Dardenne Prairie doesn't have a track record, but that didn't prevent an anonymous donor from giving more than $1 million to the Catholic high school, scheduled to open its doors to students...

Barnes-Jewish St. Peters Hospital Auxiliary offers scholarships.
March 12, 2007... Byline: Business Record Staff Barnes-Jewish St. Peters Hospital Auxiliary will accept applications through May 1 for five $1,000 scholarships for nursing students, and five $1,000 scholarships for college students seeking careers in other...

Economic Development Center of St. Charles, chambers to offer Incubator Plus.
March 12, 2007... Byline: Business Record Staff The Economic Development Center of St. Charles County and the St. Charles and O'Fallon chambers of commerce will offer a program designed to help new businesses succeed. Incubator Plus is a program designed by...

The Charles County League of Chambers to host legislative breakfast.
March 12, 2007... Byline: Business Record Staff The Charles County League of Chambers will hold a breakfast at which state legislators from the county will speak and answer questions. The event is scheduled to run from 7:30 a.m. to 9 a.m., March 30, at...

Missouri sets export record.
March 12, 2007... Byline: Business Record Staff Missouri set a record in 2006 with $12.8 billion in sales to 191 countries, according to data compiled by the World Institute for Strategic Economic Research. International sales by Missouri companies in 2006...

Gov. Blunt cites job growth in Missouri.
March 12, 2007... Byline: Business Record Staff Gov. Matt Blunt said almost 80,000 jobs have been created in Missouri since January 2005, in part because of his policies. The governor cited legislative reform regarding litigation, workers' compensation and...

Openings, ribbon-cuttings.
March 12, 2007... Byline: Business Record Staff Cole & Associates will host a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 1:30 p.m. this Thursday at its new O'Fallon office, 1243 Tom Ginnever Drive. A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held last week for AV Nails & Spa, 7853...

SSM St. Joseph Hospital West in Lake Saint Louis names Bernstein interim COO.
March 12, 2007... Byline: Business Record Staff SSM St. Joseph Hospital West in Lake Saint Louis has selected Lee Bernstein as interim chief operating officer. Bernstein is the president of Bernstein Consulting Edge LLC, a company that specializes in...

Midwest BankCentre taps Michael Clynch for St. Charles region.
March 12, 2007... Byline: Business Record Staff Midwest BankCentre has hired Michael Clynch to fill its newly created position of senior mortgage planner for the St. Charles region. The bank said Clynch is responsible for generating residential loans,...

St. Charles-based Corporate Group hires Marilyn Brownlee.
March 12, 2007... Byline: Business Record Staff Corporate Group Inc., a St. Charles commercial real estate, management and development firm, has hired Marilyn Brownlee as a leasing agent. Brownlee has 15 years of residential leasing experience and will be...

Missouri's VNA-TIP HomeCare hires Sandy Lerzck.
March 12, 2007... Byline: Business Record Staff VNA-TIP HomeCare recently announced that it had hired Sandy Lerzck as its physician relations executive. VNA-TIP is an independent home-health agency with offices in St. Peters and other area communities in...

SSM St. Joseph Health Center in St. Charles promotes Patti Frasca.
March 12, 2007... Byline: Business Record Staff Patti Frasca has accepted the position of cardiology service line manager at SSM St. Joseph Health Center in St. Charles. She most recently served as the hospital's Care Team Coordinator in the cardiac...

The Crisis Nursery St. Charles adds Sen. Chuck Gross to board.
March 12, 2007... Byline: Business Record Staff The Crisis Nursery St. Charles has added Republican state Sen. Chuck Gross to its advisory board. The Crisis Nursery is committed to the prevention of child abuse and neglect and provides shelter for children...

St. Louis Regional Chamber & Growth Assn. recognizes Lawrence Group.
March 12, 2007... Byline: Business Record Staff The St. Louis Regional Chamber & Growth Association has selected The Lawrence Group Architects Inc. of St. Louis as one of the "Greater St. Louis Top 50-Businesses Shaping Our Future" for 2006. Sponsors of the...

Todd Waalkes, Angie Harper join Walton Construction of St. Charles.
March 12, 2007... Byline: Business Record Staff Todd Waalkes of Chesterfield has joined Walton Construction as a project engineer, and Angie Harper of Cedar Hill has joined the company as administrative assistant. Waalkes has previous experience as an...

MoDOT selects PRIDE of St. Louis for work-force development diversity program.
March 12, 2007... Byline: Business Record Staff The Missouri Department of Transportation announced a new program to grow a diverse work force for the $420 million rebuild of Highway 40. MoDOT selected PRIDE of St. Louis Inc., the region's construction...

Budget plan omits public defender relief in Missouri.
March 13, 2007... Byline: Scott Lauck Despite unusually intense legislative interest on the need for caseload relief in the Missouri State Public Defender's Office, the House's first draft of next year's state budget includes no extra money to hire more...

St. Louis-based Greensfelder Hemker & Gale bolsters staff with six attorneys.
March 13, 2007... Byline: Heather Cole Greensfelder Hemker & Gale made immediate progress on its goal of growing by 55 attorneys in the next five years with the addition of half a dozen lawyers. The six were hired from two Clayton firms with fewer than 50...

Valley Park plaintiffs seek new court battle.
March 14, 2007... Byline: Allison Retka The legal team that took Valley Park's city ordinances to court and won a favorable ruling Tuesday afternoon is not leaving any legal ambiguities to chance. There are already plans to file an entirely new lawsuit in...

Missouri Legal Obituaries: March 14, 2007.(Obituary)
March 14, 2007... Byline: Will Connaghan Last week, the St. Louis legal community lost two memorable gentlemen named Tom. One you knew of. Sen. Thomas Eagleton's death made headlines around the nation. He was eulogized on Saturday as a great statesman,...

Sen. Bartle vows vote on revised court measure in Missouri.
March 14, 2007... Byline: Scott Lauck A Senate committee on Monday expressed grave concerns about a proposed constitutional amendment that would restrict state courts' jurisdiction over taxation and spending. However, the committee's chairman said a revised...

J. Bennett Clark joins St. Louis office of Bryan Cave LLP.
March 14, 2007... Byline: St. Charles County Business Record Staff Bryan Cave LLP has announced J. Bennett Clark has joined the firm as a partner in its St. Louis office. Clark, an intellectual property litigator, joins Bryan Cave from a St. Louis...