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

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

Commentary: Lifting the veil.
May 1, 2007... Byline: Will Connaghan My father was an attorney, so growing up I had plenty of exposure to lawyers, judges and the legal system. Sometimes during the summer I would tag along with my dad when he had a court appearance or something to file...

A dozen wiretaps authorized in Missouri.
May 1, 2007... Byline: Donna Walter The number of wiretaps approved by state and federal courts in 2006 showed a 4 percent increase over those approved the year before, according to a report issued Monday by the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts....

Missouri Supreme Court upholds abortion law, right to offer counsel.
May 2, 2007... Byline: Charles Emerick The Missouri Supreme Court has clarified a law that Planned Parenthood claimed violated the First Amendment rights of teenage girls who seek abortions without parental consent. In a decision Tuesday, the court...

Donald P. Judge Lay dies, served 40 years on 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
May 2, 2007... Byline: Donna Walter Donald P. Lay, who served more than 40 years on the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, died Sunday at his home in North Oaks, Minn. He was 80. He was appointed to the 8th Circuit by President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1966...

Mound City Bar Association study finds poll prejudice.
May 3, 2007... Byline: Allison Retka Missouri lawyers rated white male judges significantly higher than black female judges in five judicial surveys over the last decade, according to a report released Wednesday by the Mound City Bar Association. In...

Missouri Legal Services fund caught in crossfire over court reporters.
May 3, 2007... Byline: Scott Lauck A state fund that helps pay for legal services for low-income individuals is being threatened by a fight over what to include in this year's omnibus judiciary bill. The bill, generally meant to include a large number...

Ex-executives sue Federated Department Stores in federal court for severance pay.
May 3, 2007... Byline: Donna Walter Three former executives of Federated Department Stores Inc. say the company owes them more than $775,000 in severance pay, and they've gone to court to try to get it. The money represents the wages the company agreed...

Commentary: Ethics CLEs aren't doing justice to a crucial topic.
May 4, 2007... Byline: Will Connaghan Lawyers must deal with ethical questions on a daily basis. Is there a conflict of interest in my representation of this client? Is my client lying? Does my new ad in the Yellow Pages comply with the new advertising...

St. Louis-based Thompson Coburn merging with 40-attorney Chicago firm.
May 4, 2007... Byline: Heather Cole Thompson Coburn is merging with a Chicago firm in a move that will create the law firm's largest office outside the St. Louis area. Thompson Coburn announced Thursday that the firm had signed a letter of intent to...

Stinson Morrison Hecker LLP names John Munich as partner in St. Louis office.
May 4, 2007... Byline: St. Charles County Business Record Staff Stinson Morrison Hecker LLP has added John Munich as a partner to its St. Louis office. Though a resident of St. Louis for the past eight years, John has been a partner in the Atlanta and...

Nick H. Varsam joins Armstrong Teasdale LLP as partner.
May 4, 2007... Byline: St. Charles County Business Record Staff Nick H. Varsam has joined the law firm of Armstrong Teasdale LLP. He joins the firm's Business Services Department as a partner. Varsam concentrates his practice in the areas of securities...

St. Louis attorneys will face off in genetically modified organism (GMO) class-action.
May 4, 2007... Byline: Allison Retka Dozens of transferred cases from Louisiana and Texas continue to pour into the St. Louis federal court for a class-action litigation that will pit rice farmers against biotechnology giant Bayer CropScience. Two St....

Breaking: Missouri Public Defender's budget appears set.
May 4, 2007... Byline: Scott Lauck Missouri State Public Defender Marty Robinson got an exercise in fractional math Thursday, as members of a legislative conference committee put the final touches on the fiscal year 2008 budget. The committee settled on...

Bar Assn. of Metro St. Louis Annual Law Day activities conclude with LaRussa, awards.
May 4, 2007... Byline: St. Charles County Business Record Staff St. Louis Cardinals Manager Tony LaRussa will deliver the luncheon address at the Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis' Annual Law Day Celebration on Friday, LaRussa, who received his...

Agreement of city of St. Peters, St. Charles County moves Premier 370 forward.
May 7, 2007... Byline: Kathleen T. Brady Everybody can exhale now. The $750 million Premier 370 project in St. Peters is one step closer to becoming a reality after two newly elected officials reached an agreement. The agreement between St. Peters Mayor...

Davis Street starts project in Lake Saint Louis despite pending litigation.
May 7, 2007... Byline: Kathleen T. Brady O'Fallon's moratorium on new sewer hookups isn't stopping the Davis Street Land Co. from going forward with a groundbreaking ceremony for The Meadows luxury retail development in Lake Saint Louis. The Davis...

St. Charles second annual ArtWalk draws positive response from artists.
May 7, 2007... Byline: Amy Armour Artists' reaction to the St. Charles second annual ArtWalk was positive for the most part. Nearly all of the artists made at least one sale, said a spokesperson of the event. More than 80 local artists participated in...

Client Services once again eyes St. Charles tract.
May 7, 2007... Byline: Mike Trask A few years ago Client Services Inc. and the city of St. Charles were involved in a battle concerning a 26-acre tract of land, north of Highway 370 along the Little Hills Expressway near Boschertown Road. The city put...

Delegation, empowerment subjects of upcoming Alliance seminar in St. Louis.
May 7, 2007... Byline: Amy Armour Want to get people to do what you want? Learn the art of delegation. "Delegation gives you the opportunity to multiply your time," said Jonathan Jones, independent management consultant and certified Dale Carnegie...

Missouri home builders embrace green concept.
May 7, 2007... Byline: Michelle Kowalski Everybody wants to save the world, right? Now home builders are getting in on the act, and their numbers are growing. Green building, a multifaceted effort to create environmentally friendly and energy-efficient...

Ameristar Casinos has record first quarter.
May 7, 2007... Byline: Business Record Staff Ameristar Casinos Inc. last week reported earnings of $24 million, or 41 cents per share for the first quarter, a record amount. A year ago Ameristar reported earnings of $2.6 million, or 5 cents per share. The...

MEMC Electronic Materials's first-quarter profit doubles.(Financial report)
May 7, 2007... Byline: Business Record Staff MEMC Electronic Materials Inc. said its first-quarter profit increased to $134.7 million, compared to $67.3 million a year ago. The company reported first-quarter revenues of $440.4 million, compared to $341.5...

Openings, ribbon-cuttings held in St. Louis area.
May 7, 2007... Byline: Business Record Staff First Bank will hold a grand opening at its new branch at 7833 Highway N in Dardenne Prairie. The celebration will run 5-7 p.m. this Tuesday. A number of ribbon-cutting ceremonies are taking place in...

Clayton-based Heartland Bank debuts Discover Network card.
May 7, 2007... Byline: Business Record Staff Heartland Bank has begun offering its Discover Network credit card. The Clayton-based bank said it is the first bank in St. Louis to offer the card. The card has no annual fee, and allows cardholders to earn...

Big Boy's Restaurant in Wright City may become historic landmark.(Landmark overview)
May 7, 2007... Byline: Business Record Staff The shuttered Big Boy's Restaurant in Wright City has been nominated for designation as a national historic landmark. When the Missouri Advisory Council on Historic Preservation meets May 11 in Joplin, it will...

Frontenac Bank donates to Habitat for Humanity.
May 7, 2007... Byline: Business Record Staff Frontenac Bank has donated $5,000 to Habitat for Humanity, the not-for-profit that builds homes for low-income residents. The bank also said it had scheduled a "Build Day" for later this year, when employees...

Brian Bredensteiner to head United Way's area campaign.
May 7, 2007... Byline: Business Record Staff Brian Bredensteiner will serve as the 2007 campaign chairman for the Tri-County Division of United Way for the second consecutive year. The division covers St. Charles, Lincoln and Warren counties....

Dianna Graveman to receive St. Charles Community College Foundation alum award.
May 7, 2007... Byline: Business Record Staff The St. Charles Community College Foundation will present its 2007 Distinguished Alumni Award to Dianna Graveman of St. Charles. Graveman is a teacher, environmentalist and nationally recognized author. While...

St. Peters Chamber of Commerce honors teachers.
May 7, 2007... Byline: Business Record Staff The St. Peters Chamber of Commerce has named seven area teachers as recipients of the chamber's annual Golden Apple awards. The awards are the chamber's way of expressing appreciation to the teaching...

Coldwell Banker Gundaker agents in Mid Rivers get designations.
May 7, 2007... Byline: Business Record Staff Janine Scruton, Marsha Yuede and Crystal Lawson, sales and marketing specialists at the Coldwell Banker Gundaker Highway 94 at Mid Rivers office, recently received their Residential Real Estate Specialist...

Ellie Hawkins named SSM St. Joseph Hospital administrative director.
May 7, 2007... Byline: Business Record Staff SSM St. Joseph Hospital in Kirkwood announced that Ellis Hawkins has joined the hospital as administrative director of business development. Hawkins, a resident of Lake Saint Louis, will be responsible for...

THF Realty gives away 60,000 tulip bulbs.
May 7, 2007... Byline: Business Record Staff Gardeners and schools, charitable and other organizations snapped up 60,000 free tulip bulbs offered by THF Realty. The giveaway took place late last month at THF's Chesterfield Commons shopping center. This...

Walton Construction of St. Louis hires Andy Wood.
May 7, 2007... Byline: Business Record Staff Walton Construction of St. Louis has hired Andy Wood as a project engineer. The company said his responsibilities include planning, document control, quality control and assisting project management in the...

Vincent Bajardi joins Grubb & Ellis/Gundaker Commercial.
May 7, 2007... Byline: Business Record Staff Grubb & Ellis/Gundaker Commercial has hired Vincent Bajardi as a senior adviser specializing in industrial and investment sales and leasing. The company said Bajardi has more than eight years of experience in...

G. Rebecca O'Connor of O'Fallon joins Clayco.
May 7, 2007... Byline: Business Record Staff Clayco has hired G. Rebecca O'Connor of O'Fallon as a construction administrator to work in its Mission Control. The company said its Mission Control tracks all designs, documents and meetings, and serves as...

For women only.
May 7, 2007... Byline: Mike Trask This tidbit of financial data comes courtesy of Edward Jones financial advisor Karen Schneider in St. Charles. Kiplinger's Personal Finance magazine reports that only 25 percent of women are responsible for their...

Lindenwood University marketing students putting together plan for St. Charles Chamber of Commerce.
May 7, 2007... Byline: Mike Trask Lindenwood University marketing students are putting together a strategic plan for the St. Charles Chamber of Commerce. Chamber President Scott Tate said the chamber approached Lindenwood marketing professor David Arns...

Cuivre River Electric Cooperative relocates office to Lake Saint Louis.
May 7, 2007... Byline: Mike Trask Planned upgrades to Highway 40 in Wentzville have prompted Cuivre River Electric Cooperative Inc. to relocate its branch office to Lake Saint Louis. The Troy-based utility expects next month to move into a new facility...

St. Charles considers moving economic development department out of City Hall.
May 7, 2007... Byline: Mike Trask Just like death and taxes, another certainty in life is that government will get bigger. To accommodate new administrative personnel, St. Charles is looking at moving its economic development department out of City Hall...

ABA's Second Season program offers options for 'retired' lawyers.
May 9, 2007... Byline: Will Connaghan Lawyers are a different breed. While those in many other jobs dream of their retirement in terms of playing rounds of golf, taking fishing trips and reading some good books, many lawyers are reluctant to give up the...

Trial preparation, attorney discipline among items on Missouri Supreme Court docket.
May 9, 2007... Byline: Donna Walter The Missouri Supreme Court will hear arguments in six local cases this week, including one that weighs a public defender's ethical obligation to request additional time to prepare for trial against a criminal...

Lender faces housing suit.
May 10, 2007... Byline: Staff and Bloomberg News NovaStar Financial Inc., the Kansas City, Mo.-based subprime lender that is seeking a buyer, denied mortgages to minorities for row houses and on tribal reservations, according to a civil rights group's...

Steven J. Foristal joins Armstrong Teasdale LLP as an associate.
May 10, 2007... Byline: St. Charles County Business Record Staff Steven J. Foristal has joined Armstrong Teasdale LLP as an associate. He is a member of the firm's Corporate Services Group, focusing his practice in the areas of securities, mergers and...

Greensfelder, Hemker & Gale PC adds new attorneys to St. Louis law office.
May 10, 2007... Byline: Staff report Greensfelder, Hemker & Gale PC has added several new attorneys to its St. Louis law office. Laura A. Krebs Al-Shathir joined the firm as an associate in the Corporate and Tax practice groups, assisting clients with...

In-house counsel at U.S. corporations call first-year salaries 'outrageous'.
May 10, 2007... Byline: Donna Walter and Carlyn Kolker Top in-house lawyers at U.S. corporations responded negatively to recent law firm salary increases, according to a survey by legal management consultant Altman Weil Inc. The median first-year associate...

In-house counsel call first-year salaries 'outrageous'.
May 10, 2007... Byline: Donna Walter and Carlyn Kolker Top in-house lawyers at U.S. corporations responded negatively to recent law firm salary increases, according to a survey by legal management consultant Altman Weil Inc. The median first-year associate...

Commentary: Missouri can cash in on Hilton-style jails.
May 11, 2007... Byline: Will Connaghan Every day, thousands of people are sentenced to spend some time in local jails across the country. Whether they have been sentenced to 30 days for driving under the influence or three days for not paying some traffic...

Missouri politics take center stage in U.S. attorney saga.
May 11, 2007... Byline: Trish Mehaffey Todd Graves left his post as U.S. attorney for Western Missouri because he felt he was not "part of the team" and not because of a controversy over the state's license fee office, he said in an interview with The...

Missouri school seeks to dismiss attorney's sexual-abuse claim for 1985 incident.
May 11, 2007... Byline: Allison Retka An attorney for St. John Vianney High School urged a St. Louis County judge Thursday to dismiss a suit brought against the school by a former student and current lawyer who claims a priest sexually abused in him in...

Child-pornography program lands Missouri man in prison.
May 11, 2007... Byline: St. Charles County Business Record Staff St. Peters resident Brian Buehrle was sentenced to 88 months in prison for possession of child pornography, U.S. Attorney Catherine L. Hanaway announced Thursday. On June 26, 2006, officers...

Missouri's manufacturing sector needs image makeover.
May 14, 2007... Byline: Mike Trask Makeovers are all the rage these days, and it appears the manufacturing sector of the economy is in need of one. To be precise, manufacturing's image is in need of a makeover. The perception that manufacturing workers...

Missouri continues efforts to keep open ContinentalAFA.
May 14, 2007... Byline: Mike Trask State officials continue to work with ContinentalAFA Dispensing Co. on an incentives package that would keep the company's St. Peters manufacturing plant open, according to Keener Tippin, a spokesman for the Missouri...

St. Charles businesses take precautions in light of flood warnings.
May 14, 2007... Byline: Kathleen T. Brady By the end of today, St. Charles businesses along the Missouri River will find out if their preparations for the predicted flood were reasonable or unnecessary. The Missouri River at St. Charles was expected to...

O'Fallon doctor gives talents to less fortunate.
May 14, 2007... Byline: Wm. Stage While his days are filled seeing adult patients at SSM St. Charles Clinic Medical Group on Highway K in O'Fallon, this energetic internist keeps a diagnostic eye on other needful patients halfway around the globe. Orissa...

St. Louis native creates exercise enhancing product.
May 14, 2007... Byline: Amy Armour A self-proclaimed "endorphin-junkie," Bob Kissel always had an interest in exercise and maximizing his fitness results. While his bachelor's degree was in psychology, with a minor in business, he turned his hobby into an...

LMI Aerospace reports increased sales, income decline in Q1.(Financial report)
May 14, 2007... Byline: Business Staff Record LMI Aerospace Inc., a leading provider of components, kits and assemblies to the aerospace industry, reported its sales in the first quarter of 2007 increased compared to the same period last year, but its net...

PayneCrest Electric wins subcontractor award.
May 14, 2007... Byline: Business Record Staff PayneCrest Electric and Communications has won two awards from American Subcontractors Association Midwest Council. The firm earned a Best Mechanical, Electrical and Plumbing Subcontractor award and received...

Brinkmann Constructors advances St. Louis site work.
May 14, 2007... Byline: Business Record Staff Brinkmann Constructors continues work on a $9 million land development project for Town & Country Crossing, a 75-acre mixed-use development located at Clayton and Woods Mill roads. By September, Brinkmann is...

St. Charles realtors address on-the-job safety issues.
May 14, 2007... Byline: Michelle Kowalski When you think about people who have to worry about safety on the job, you may think about firemen, policemen or construction workers. Real estate agents are probably the furthest from your mind. But when you dig...

O'Fallon-based Hansen's Tree Service expands to Reed Springs.
May 14, 2007... Byline: Business Staff Record O'Fallon-based Hansen's Tree Service recently opened a new office in Reed Springs, Mo., where it will provide services such as pruning, tree and stump removal, and insect and disease control. This is the...

Community Living Inc. breaks ground on new site.
May 14, 2007... Byline: Business Staff Record Community Living Inc., a nonprofit agency that helps people with disabilities, plans to break ground on a new 12,000-square-foot Support Services for Adults Center on Thursday, May 24, on Rondale Court in...

Missouri Public Service Commission to hold public hearing on water rate.
May 14, 2007... Byline: Business Staff Record The Missouri Public Service Commission will hold a local public hearing in St. Charles at 5:30 p.m. on June 12 at the St. Charles Administration Building, room 116, 201 N. Second St. The hearing will allow...

St. Charles welcomes new businesses.
May 14, 2007... Byline: Business Staff Record The following are companies that have applied for new business licenses in the city of St. Charles in April: 185 F Coffee House, 12107 Beckford Estates Drive; BK Retail, 2513 Westport Lane; Blodgett Lighthouse...

St. Peters hospital adds new MRI.
May 14, 2007... Byline: Business Staff Record Barnes-Jewish St. Peters Hospital just added a new $2.5 million open bore magnetic resonance imaging machine. The open bore MRI has a larger opening and allows for feet-first or head-first scanning. It...

SBA launches free online course.
May 14, 2007... Byline: Business Staff Record The U.S. Small Business Administration recently introduced a new online training resource for budding entrepreneurs called the Small Business Primer Strategies for Success. The course is a self-paced...

GM helps Wentzville students study water quality.
May 14, 2007... Byline: Business Staff Record For the past 20 years, General Motors has been participating in the Global Rivers Environmental Education Network to help students nationwide understand environmental conservation. Twenty-eight eigtht-graders...

St. Charles resident Sherry Gerke named executive director of SSM foundation.
May 14, 2007... Byline: Business Record Staff St. Charles resident Sherry Gerke recently accepted the position of SSM St. Joseph Foundation executive director. Her responsibilities include strategy planning and implementation of all fundraising programs...

Angie Russell named event manager at St. Charles Convention Center.
May 14, 2007... Byline: Business Record Staff Global Spectrum, management firm of the St. Charles Convention Center, named Angie Russell as event manager. Russell will manage all of the day-to-day event planning, coordination and management of events at...

Francis Howell Board of Education selects new principals.
May 14, 2007... Byline: Business Record Staff The Francis Howell Board of Education selected Shelley Kelley as the new principal and Todd Berck as the new assistant principal of Union High School effective July 1, 2007. The board also named Krista...

St. Louis-based Space Architecture adds new architects.
May 14, 2007... Byline: Business Record Staff St. Louis-based Space Architecture + Design Studio has added architects Neil Chace, Charlie Closser and Amy Huff to its staff. Chace received his bachelor's degree from Drury University and brings four years...

Steven Manos joins Ascent as senior solutions architect.
May 14, 2007... Byline: Business Record Staff Steven Manos has joined Ascent as senior solutions architect. Ascent designs and builds technical facilities nationwide. Manos is currently involved with the assessment and planning of enterprise-class data...

Professional women in Mo. finding alternative ways to network.
May 15, 2007... Byline: Trish Mehaffey When it comes to networking, good ol' boy activities --such as heading to the golf course -- are out, and wine tasting, shopping and hand treatments are in. Carol Clark, attorney with Black & Vetch, said she didn't...

Missouri Bar Assn. may bump up dues and fees.
May 15, 2007... Byline: Allison Retka Members of the Missouri bar may be asked to hand over at least $70 more in annual dues if a fee hike is approved by the bar and the state Supreme Court later this year. The increase, which would be effective Nov. 1,...

Linkage holding down pay for federal judges.
May 16, 2007... Byline: Donna Walter Twenty years ago Congress linked its members salaries to those of federal district judges with the hope that the public wouldn't mind so much when Congress approved salary increases. But faced with voter hostility,...

City of Berkeley wins suit with its former attorney.
May 16, 2007... Byline: Donna Walter The former city attorney of Berkeley lost the latest - and final? - round in his battle with the city over its decision to fire him in 1999. On Tuesday, the Missouri Supreme Court, 7-1, reversed a lower court's...

Nonprofit organization reports that Missouri is neglecting courthouses.
May 16, 2007... Byline: Allison Retka Historic courthouses across Missouri were declared "endangered," for the second year in a row by the Missouri Alliance for Historic Preservation, a nonprofit that advocates for the preservation of historic structures...

Missouri House passes backup abortion law.
May 16, 2007... Byline: Scott Lauck The 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals is expected to deal soon with a 1998 Missouri law banning so-called partial-birth abortions. But just in case that decision takes a while, the state may put a backup version on the...

Margrabe joins Spoeneman, Watkins, Waltrip & Harvell in St. Louis.
May 16, 2007... Byline: Staff report Andrew Margrabe has joined Spoeneman, Watkins, Waltrip & Harvell as an associate. Margrabe, who started at the firm in January, will focus on litigation in the areas of real estate and criminal defense law. Prior to...

Westmoreland joins St. Louis law office of Husch & Eppenberger LLC.
May 16, 2007... Byline: St. Charles County Business Record Staff Husch & Eppenberger LLC has hired John W. Westmoreland as a member of the firm's Business Transactions Practice Group. Westmoreland specializes in tax matters involving the federal, state and...

St Louis attorney earns Accredited Estate Planner designation.
May 16, 2007... Byline: St. Charles County Business Record Staff Nancy J. Dilley, a partner at the law firm of Gallop, Johnson & Neuman and pro bono president of the Estate Planning Council of St. Louis, has earned an Accredited Estate Planner designation,...

Web site created for potential plaintiffs in lawsuit against Ameristar Casino in St. Charles.
May 16, 2007... Byline: St. Charles County Business Record Staff Seven disgruntled gamblers who filed suit in March against Ameristar Casino in St. Charles announced Monday a Web site potential claimants can use to sign up for the $150 million in damages...

Commentary: Legislators: Read first, then vote.
May 16, 2007... Byline: Will Connaghan The closing weeks of the legislative session can be a wild ride. Groups and individuals attempt to influence legislators to add something to a bill or take something away. Senate and House members come together to...

Missouri voter fraud cases proceed along with attorney probe.
May 17, 2007... Byline: Tom Herrmann Many of the cases of alleged voter fraud in Missouri -- which have become entangled in the congressional investigation into the firing of U.S. attorneys -- are still working their way through the court system. The...

Missouri AG office dodges contempt claim in child-support case.
May 17, 2007... Byline: Allison Retka Attorney Sherrie Hansen was startled earlier this month to get a notice from the Missouri Department of Social Services announcing an upcoming hearing date for a change in her child support. The May 2 letter was a...