St. Charles County Business Record, MO articles from May 2008

St. Charles County Business Record, MO archives from May 2008

Missouri Court of Appeals rules paid breaks count for workers' comp.
May 1, 2008... Byline: Kelly Wiese A man who hurt his knee while playing basketball during a break at work qualifies for workers' compensation benefits, a state appeals court has ruled. But the legislator who led the overhaul of the workers' comp law...

'Pants' defense lawyer seeks more Missouri tort law reform.
May 1, 2008... Byline: Scott Lauck The infamous $67 million lawsuit over a pair of lost pants could happen in Missouri, a group of business interests said Wednesday. And to prevent that from happening, the Missouri Justice Alliance is hoping that...

Park policy in St. Louis challenged.
May 2, 2008... Byline: Donna Walter A religious group is suing the city of St. Louis after a park ranger threatened to arrest two men who were distributing Gospel tracts at a 2006 gay pride festival. Apple of His Eye Mission Society founder Steve Cohen...

Former Missouri CPA with wire fraud conviction wants to own firm.
May 2, 2008... Byline: Scott Lauck The state can yank an accountant's license if he gets in trouble, but can it prevent an accounting firm from opening if one of the firm's owners has had a brush with the law? The Missouri Supreme Court considered such a...

Teacher groups in Missouri fight in court over district bargaining.
May 2, 2008... Byline: Kelly Wiese Missouri's two largest teachers' organizations are fighting in court over who gets to represent teachers in a west St. Charles County school district. Those involved believe it may be the first litigation stemming from...

Internet provider to hold wire-cutting ceremony.
May 3, 2008... Byline: St. Charles County Business Record Staff Network 1 Communications, a wireless Internet provider, will hold a wire-cutting ceremony to celebrate the build-out of its citywide wireless network in O'Fallon. The ceremony is scheduled to...

Grand openings.
May 3, 2008... Byline: St. Charles County Business Record Staff Vantive Partners celebrated the grand opening of its new office on April 16. The tax preparers are located at 3724 Monticello Plaza Drive in O'Fallon. The telephone number is 636-300-3587....

Assessor's office notifies taxpayers of changes.
May 3, 2008... Byline: St. Charles County Business Record Staff The St. Charles County Assessor's office is mailing out notices that inform taxpayers of changes to personal property assessments. Taxpayers who reported additional personal property, or...

Realtors association recognizes top agents.
May 3, 2008... Byline: St. Charles County Business Record Staff The St. Charles County Association of Realtors recently recognized the top-producing real estate agents in the county. J. Brad Smith of Coldwell Banker Gundaker was named Realtor of the Year....

New company offers tour of foreclosed properties in St. Charles County.
May 5, 2008... Byline: Mike Trask It was bound to happen in this area sooner or later. Two local real estate agents have started House To Home Tours, a service that takes investors and home buyers on a bus tour of St. Charles County properties that are...

Internet provider to hold wire-cutting ceremony in O'Fallon.
May 5, 2008... Byline: St. Charles County Business Record Staff Network 1 Communications, a wireless Internet provider, will hold a wire-cutting ceremony to celebrate the build-out of its citywide wireless network in O'Fallon. The ceremony is scheduled to...

O'Fallon's River City Rascals to team up with Operation Homefront.
May 5, 2008... Byline: St. Charles County Business Record Staff The River City Rascals minor-league baseball team in O'Fallon and Operation Homefront are teaming up to salute military members and their families this season. The team and its sponsors will...

Glantz & Associates Architects gets Benton contract for Laurel Hill.
May 5, 2008... Byline: St. Charles County Business Record Staff Glantz & Associates Architects Inc. has received a contract from Benton Homebuilders Inc. to provide final design and construction drawings for Laurel Glen, a new neighborhood off Weldon...

St. Charles County Assessor's office notifies taxpayers of changes.
May 5, 2008... Byline: St. Charles County Business Record Staff The St. Charles County Assessor's office is mailing out notices that inform taxpayers of changes to personal property assessments. Taxpayers who reported additional personal property, or...

International Assn. of Business Communicators to recognize city of O'Fallon.
May 5, 2008... Byline: St. Charles County Business Record Staff The St. Louis chapter of the International Association of Business Communicators will honor the city of O'Fallon with the IABC's Bronze Quill Award at an awards ceremony May 22 at the...

Incentive programs available to recruit new workers into manufacturing in St. Charles.
May 5, 2008... Byline: Amy Armour Manufacturing is strong in St. Charles County and local officials want to keep it that way. One avenue is to increase training programs for its younger generation of workers. "St. Charles County manufacturers are...

St. Charles County Assn. of Realtors recognizes top agents.
May 5, 2008... Byline: St. Charles County Business Record Staff The St. Charles County Association of Realtors recently recognized the top-producing real estate agents in the county. J. Brad Smith of Coldwell Banker Gundaker was named Realtor of the Year....

Gov. Blunt appoints four St. Charles County residents to state panels.
May 5, 2008... Byline: St. Charles County Business Record Staff Gov. Matt Blunt recently appointed four St. Charles County residents to state commissions, committees and councils. They are: Joann M. Leykam, 52, of St. Charles, was named to the Mental...

Carol Felzien begins new job as communications coordinator for city of St. Charles.
May 5, 2008... Byline: Mike Trask Carol Felzien says she feels like she is coming home. Felzien starts her new job today as communications coordinator for the city of St. Charles. This marks her second stint in that job. St. Charles hired her early in...

Sunrise Rotary Club in St. Charles giving back portion of raffle winnings to not-for-profit.
May 5, 2008... Byline: Mike Trask It's often said that it is better to give than to receive. Thanks to a lucky streak the Sunrise Rotary Club in St. Charles is doing both. The club last month participated in a fundraiser for the not-for-profit Family...

Death penalty more frequent outside of Missouri, say law professors.
May 6, 2008... Byline: Donna Walter The death penalty should be reserved for those who commit the most serious crimes, but that's not happening in Missouri, say three law professors who studied how the death penalty is applied here. Where a trial is...

'Dead Man Walking' author to speak at first legal aid volunteering dinner in St. Louis.
May 6, 2008... Byline: St. Charles County Business Record Report The woman who wrote the book "Dead Man Walking" will be speaking in St. Louis later this month. Sister Helen Prejean, 69, will be the keynote speaker at a dinner to honor lawyers who...

Bottle chemical suits hit Missouri.
May 6, 2008... Byline: Aaron Bailey A controversial chemical in baby bottles has led to at least two class action federal lawsuits in Missouri seeking hundreds of millions of dollars in damages. The Kansas City-based firm Scharnhorst Ast & Kennard filed...

Bill would cut six judges from St. Louis.
May 7, 2008... Byline: Kelly Wiese Legislation moving toward House debate would slash six judges from the St. Louis Circuit Court, while adding new judges to courts in the St. Louis County, Kansas City and Springfield areas. The chances of passage remain...

Couple sues Wachovia over Missouri Higher Educational Loan Authority investment.
May 7, 2008... Byline: Donna Walter Clyde and Linda Jenkins wanted their money in a safe place where they'd have easy access to cash. So when an A.G. Edwards broker told them Missouri Higher Educational Loan Authority auction-rate securities were liquid,...

Panel selected by St. Louis County Judicial Circuit Commission for opening as county associate judge.
May 7, 2008... Byline: St. Charles County Business Staff The St. Louis County Judicial Circuit Commission named a panel of three nominees for associate circuit judge on the St. Louis County Circuit Court. They are St. Louis County Family Court...

Letter to the Editor.(Letter to the editor)
May 7, 2008... Byline: Mariano V. Favazza Editor: This letter is regarding a story published April 30 regarding Sunu-Oke v. Modern Moving Stystems Inc. It would appear from my quoted remarks that I was critical of attorney Jim Martin. My remarks coupled...

Handdowns begin for crack cases in Missouri's federal courts.
May 8, 2008... Byline: Donna Walter Federal courts are cranking out their judgments on prisoners' motions to reduce crack cocaine sentences - with some decisions already coming out of the appellate courts. An amendment of sentencing guidelines by the...

Harry S. Truman a 'judge' but not a lawyer.
May 8, 2008... Byline: Aaron Bailey He may have been known as "Judge," but Harry S. Truman never presided over a courtroom -- or graduated from law school for that matter. As state courthouses close their doors today in recognition of Truman Day, the...

Jackson County jury awards $4.5M over delayed diagnosis.
May 8, 2008... Byline: Charles Emerick Breast cancer will ultimately claim the life of Linda Reynolds -- possibly within the next year or two. And if she had received timely treatment, a Jackson County jury ruled, Reynolds could have been a survivor....

Critics in Missouri question voter ID law.
May 9, 2008... Byline: Kelly Wiese Opponents are questioning a last-minute effort to resurrect a photo voter identification requirement, saying the latest Missouri proposal might not stand up to a federal court challenge. They say the recent ruling over...

SIF overhaul defeated in Missouri House vote.
May 9, 2008... Byline: Scott Lauck An attempt to overhaul the state's Second Injury Fund was defeated Thursday in the Missouri House. By a 65-87 vote, representatives refused to adopt the bill, despite having approved a number of amendments during a...

Suit in St. Louis alleges bank reneged on agreement.
May 9, 2008... Byline: Donna Walter While one bank attempts to collect a $1.1 million judgment against them, Christopher Kersten and his company, Battlefield Center, are trying to recoup the judgment from another bank. In a lawsuit that's now in federal...

Commentary: Counties, not cities, should determine TIFs.
May 9, 2008... Byline: David Stokes A 2007 change to state law granting more authority to county tax increment financing (TIF) commissions within the St. Louis area, at the expense of municipal TIF commissions, has led cities within St. Louis County to...

Commentary: Mediators: Avoid the temptation to give directive advice.
May 9, 2008... Byline: Louise Phipps Senft Transformative mediators have a strong belief against directing parties during mediation. But directive advice given in mediation or elsewhere can often be good advice, so why discard it? For a mediator, there...

St. Charles law firms announce staffing changes: May 9, 2008.
May 9, 2008... Byline: St. Charles County Business Record Staff Edward Hejlek has joined Bryan Cave as a partner in the firm's Intellectual Property Client Service Group. Hejlek prepares and prosecutes patent applications and trademarks and licenses trade...

Receipts still show too much, lawsuit in fed court in Kansas City says.
May 9, 2008... Byline: Aaron Bailey A warning to businesses: More digits, more problems. A Liberty, Mo.-based law firm filed a string of federal class action suits this week against a hodgepodge of businesses for printing receipts containing too much...

St. Charles County's assessments outstrip overall residential worth.
May 12, 2008... Byline: Mike Trask The overall market value of St. Charles County homes has fallen below their assessed valuation for the first time in 17 years. Even though the home price drop has been fairly slight, the St. Charles County Assessor's...

Family Arena in St. Charles changes way it collects parking fee.
May 12, 2008... Byline: Mike Trask The parking fees patrons of the Family Arena now pay will be incorporated into ticket prices for all events beginning Aug. 1. Currently, patrons pay $5 per vehicle as they enter the arena's lot. Beginning with August...

St. Charles-based LMI Aerospace has record profit for quarter.(Financial report)
May 12, 2008... Byline: St. Charles County Business Record Staff St. Charles-based LMI Aerospace Inc. says it achieved record sales and earnings for the first quarter of 2008. Net sales were $60.4 million for the quarter, compared to $32.2 million in...

St. Charles-based American Railcar Industries sees earnings fall.
May 12, 2008... Byline: St. Charles County Business Record Staff American Railcar Industries Inc. saw its revenues and earnings fall slightly during the first quarter of 2008. The manufacturer, headquartered in St. Charles, had revenues of $184 million in...

St. Charles County Real Estate Transactions: May 12, 2008.
May 12, 2008... Byline: St. Charles County Business Record Staff Coldwell Banker Commercial recently represented Lewis & Clark Village Inc. in the purchase of a 9,185-square-foot retail building at 8621 Mexico Road in O'Fallon, from Clean N Cruise LLC,...

St. Charles-based EPC Inc. opens facility in South Carolina.
May 12, 2008... Byline: St. Charles County Business Record Staff Electronics recycler EPC Inc. has opened a 15,000-square-foot warehouse in Columbia, S.C. The St. Charles-based company said the leased warehouse, which had a $225,000 upgrade, opened on...

Armed Forces Day to include Veterans Benefits Fair at St. Peters City Hall.
May 12, 2008... Byline: St. Charles County Business Record Staff Area veterans seeking information about their benefits can at the 2008 Veterans Benefits Fair on May 17 at St. Peters City Hall, One St. Peters Centre Drive. The fair, which will run from 11...

St. Charles Chamber of Commerce to honor Dale Poslosky, Mitch Stern.
May 12, 2008... Byline: St. Charles County Business Record Staff The St. Charles Chamber of Commerce has chosen Dale Poslosky and Mitch Stern of Modern Business Interiors as its 2008 Small-Business Persons of the Year. The two business owners will be...

Gary N. Shaw, Joseph S. Reding join Midwest BankCentre board.
May 12, 2008... Byline: St. Charles County Business Record Staff Gary N. Shaw and Joseph S. Reding have been appointed to the St. Charles County Regional Board of Midwest BankCentre. Shaw is managing director-investments for Wachovia Securities in St....

Mark J. Dean, Eddie B. Collier II join St. Charles law firm.
May 12, 2008... Byline: St. Charles County Business Record Staff Mark J. Dean and Eddie B. Collier II have joined the St. Charles law firm of Barklage, Brett, Wibbenmeyer & Hamill, P.C. Dean was admitted to the bar in Missouri in 1995, and was admitted to...

U.S. Cellular promotes Matt Rankey of Wentzville.
May 12, 2008... Byline: St. Charles County Business Record Staff U.S. Cellular has promoted Matt Rankey of Wentzville to area sales manager. His responsibilities include managing day-to-day sales operations at the company's 48 area retail stores and...

Vision St. Charles County Leadership graduates class.
May 12, 2008... Byline: St. Charles County Business Record Staff Vision St. Charles County Leadership has announced the graduates of its 2008 class. They are: Page Adams, Beckerle Preferred Properties; Scott Avery, O'Fallon Fire Protection District; Patty...

Robert Kocher, Ryan Sanders appointments confirmed by Missouri Senate.
May 12, 2008... Byline: St. Charles County Business Record Staff The Missouri Senate has confirmed Gov. Matt Blunt's appointments of Robert Kocher to the 11-member Elevator Safety Board and Ryan Sanders to the board of governors of the University of...

St. Charles lyricist wins award.
May 12, 2008... Byline: St. Charles County Business Record Staff St. Charles resident Sue Smith recently won her fourth Dove Award at the 39th annual Gospel Association Awards program in Nashville, Tenn. Smith won for her children's musical, "Praise...

Ameristar workers give $105,000 to Disabled Athlete Sport Assn.
May 12, 2008... Byline: St. Charles County Business Record Staff Ameristar Cares, the workplace giving campaign at Ameristar Casino St. Charles, has donated $105,000 to the Disabled Athlete Sport Association. DASA is a local chapter of Disabled Sports USA,...

Kevin Armour named principal of Daniel Boone Elementary School.
May 12, 2008... Byline: St. Charles County Business Record Staff The Francis Howell Board of Education has named Kevin Armour as principal of Daniel Boone Elementary School. He previously served as assistant principal of John Weldon Elementary School in...

St. Charles homebuilder Marlin Homes adds to sales team.
May 12, 2008... Byline: St. Charles County Business Record Staff St. Charles homebuilder Marlin Homes has added three sales consultants. They are Sharon Griffith, Jessica Prost and Jessie Smith. The consultants' responsibilities include assisting buyers in...

St. Louis County jury awards record $21 million.
May 13, 2008... Byline: Kelly Wiese A man paralyzed in a 2004 car wreck won what lawyers believe is the largest personal injury verdict ever in St. Louis County: $21 million. The case was one of the many lawsuits filed in the final days before Missouri...

Planned Parenthood of Kansas and Missouri says loss in court aids federal case.
May 13, 2008... Byline: Scott Lauck Planned Parenthood of Kansas and Missouri lost an effort on Friday to strike down what they say is a burdensome state law. Then again, maybe they didn't lose at all. As the organization wages a two-pronged effort to...

Commentary: Be a savvy attorney through effective online strategies.
May 13, 2008... Byline: Andrew Wetzler For most legal professionals, marketing through the Internet is a bit of a mystery. There was a time when just being listed in the yellow pages was enough for the phone to ring. But in today's highly competitive...

Should experts in Missouri testify in common knowledge cases?
May 14, 2008... Byline: Donna Walter Lawyers for a medical malpractice plaintiff asked the Missouri Supreme Court to overturn a 46-year-old precedent and allow expert testimony in cases that are supposed to be based on common knowledge. At issue is the...

McCaskill decries funding snub for court arts program in Missouri.
May 14, 2008... Byline: Aaron Bailey Try telling Dave Sullivan that writing a politician with a concern is useless. Sullivan contacted U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill after his $1 million federal grant application was passed up. Sullivan is executive director...

Stinson Morrison Hecker combines St. Louis offices.
May 14, 2008... Byline: Heather Cole It's official - Stinson Morrison Hecker attorneys in St. Louis combined offices and are hunkering down in the building of the firm's merger partner in Clayton until the lease is up in 2012. The 49,000 square feet at...

Former St. Charles publisher Regina Rickey passes away.
May 15, 2008... Byline: St. Charles County Business Record Staff Regina P. Rickey, who headed the public notice section for Missouri Lawyers Media, died of cancer Tuesday at SSM St. Joseph Hospital West in Lake Saint Louis. She was 41. "I can't begin to...

Missouri governor's administration, state attorney general clash over prescription drug settlement.
May 15, 2008... Byline: Kelly Wiese Gov. Matt Blunt's administration is investigating the attorney general's creation of a grant program to spend Missouri's share of a pharmacy company settlement. The offices already have been battling over an outside...

Missouri Court of Appeals Eastern District limits impact of SIF decision.
May 15, 2008... Byline: Donna Walter Missouri courts appear willing to limit the effect of a year-old state Supreme Court decision permitting Second Injury Fund benefits to transfer to a worker's dependents upon death. On Tuesday, the Missouri Court of...

Correction.(Correction notice)
May 15, 2008... A headline appearing on Craig Napier's May 12 column incorrectly indicated that his daughter had been born. The Napier family has learned the sex of their child but has not yet given birth. We regret the error.

St. Louis County settles suit over stolen money.
May 16, 2008... Byline: Donna Walter National Union Fire Insurance Co. of Pittsburgh has agreed to pay St. Louis County $81,000 to settle a federal lawsuit the county filed to recover money stolen by a former employee. Margaret King, 51, an employee in...

5th District of Missouri senatorial candidate not a resident of district.
May 16, 2008... Byline: Donna Walter State Rep. Connie Johnson is off the ballot for the 5th District senatorial race. Special Judge Douglas E. Long Jr., sitting in the St. Louis Circuit Court, said Wednesday that Johnson isn't qualified to be a candidate...

That's all, folks: In Missouri end-of-session lawmaking, anything goes - and much gets done.
May 19, 2008... Byline: Kelly Wiese The final days of a legislative session can be frantic, as lawmakers combine several pieces of legislation into one, and meet until the wee hours of the morning. This year, despite expectations that few major laws would...

Commentary: Saying farewell to a friend and colleague.
May 19, 2008... Byline: Mike Trask There are many outstanding women in this world, but some just leave a greater impression than others. I have known a number of such women, the ones who had it all: intelligence, charisma and beauty. Unfortunately, a few...

SSM Medical Park in St. Peters opens pediatric suite.
May 19, 2008... Byline: St. Charles County Business Record Staff SSM St. Joseph Medical Park in St. Peters has opened a 3,000-square-foot pediatric suite. SSM Cardinal Glennon Children's Medical Center physicians now offer pediatric subspecialty services,...

St. Charles business licenses.
May 19, 2008... Byline: St. Charles County Business Record Staff The following businesses applied in April for licenses to operate in St. Charles. They are: A V Nails, under new ownership, located at 1936 Zumbehl Road. Telephone: 636-724-9110; Alice's Tea...

Ameristar St. Charles Casino sees more patrons, fewer admissions.
May 19, 2008... Byline: St. Charles County Business Record Staff Ameristar St. Charles Casino saw its number of patrons climb 5 percent in April compared to a year ago, according to figures compiled by the Missouri Gaming Commission. The casino drew...

United Way of Greater St. Louis gives grants.
May 19, 2008... Byline: St. Charles County Business Record Staff The Tri-County Division of United Way of Greater St. Louis has awarded six one-time grants, totaling $15,000, to not-for-profit agencies that will improve their services or facilities in...

Brenda D. Newberry to head St. Louis-area charity campaign.
May 19, 2008... Byline: St. Charles County Business Record Staff The Tri-County Division of United Way said local businesswoman Brenda D. Newberry will serve as its chairwoman of the 2008 fundraising campaign that begins in September. Newberry is...

Wentzville chamber elects officers.
May 19, 2008... Byline: St. Charles County Business Record Staff The board of directors of the Wentzville Chamber of Commerce has elected new officers. They are: Annie Schulte of Crider Health Center, president; Jon Parmentier, owner of I-70 Auto Body,...

Athena Leadership Foundation of St. Charles County honors Michele Berra.
May 19, 2008... Byline: St. Charles County Business Record Staff The Athena Leadership Foundation of St. Charles County has named Michele Berra as winner of its 2008 Athena Award. Berra has worked as a financial advisor for 25 years, and is president of...

Community Council of St. Charles County bestows awards.
May 19, 2008... Byline: St. Charles County Business Record Staff The not-for-profit Community Council of St. Charles County presented its 2008 Community Builder awards during its annual membership luncheon on May 1. The council presented awards to the St....

Two from O'Fallon to serve on state panels.
May 19, 2008... Byline: St. Charles County Business Record Staff The Missouri Senate recently approved the nomination of Robert Derickson to the Missouri Emergency Response Commission, and the nomination of Janet Bandera to the Missouri Women's Council....

Fake federal agent is among a litany of legal worries in small city of Gerald.
May 20, 2008... Byline: Donna Walter Federal lawsuits filed over the past week paint a picture of law enforcement in the small city of Gerald that's straight out of the old "Dirty Harry" movies -- warrentless searches, police brutality and one officer who...

Missouri legislative session's end notable for what wasn't done.
May 20, 2008... Byline: Kelly Wiese Like many public-interest topics this year, the just-concluded legislative session is more notable to the legal community for what failed as for what passed. In some cases, that means The Missouri Bar can breathe a sigh...

Show-Me Institute Study: State of Missouri's court plan as good as any.
May 21, 2008... Byline: Kelly Wiese A new study being released today by the Show-Me Institute finds Missouri's plan for selecting judges to the state's highest court is as good as any other in the country, giving fresh support to staunch backers who say...

Taylor loses state challenge in Missouri, but federal appeal remains.
May 21, 2008... Byline: Donna Walter Death row inmate Michael Taylor lost another appeal on Tuesday when the Missouri Supreme Court refused to order a circuit judge to reopen Taylor's post-conviction case. The appeal was Taylor's last chance in state...

Thousands of drug court pros coming to St. Louis.
May 22, 2008... Byline: Donna Walter The National Association of Drug Court Professionals will honor Sen. Claire McCaskill for her support of drug courts when the group hosts its annual training conference next week in St. Louis. McCaskill began the drug...

Veterans court awards $906,000 to Missouri.
May 22, 2008... Byline: Scott Lauck Missouri's veterans homes will get an additional $900,000 after an appeals court ruled last week on a seven-year-old lawsuit. Missouri Attorney General Jay Nixon, touting the decision at a press conference in Kansas...

Memorial proposed to mark Kansas City skywalk tragedy of 1981.
May 22, 2008... Byline: Aaron Bailey When the Hyatt Regency skywalk collapsed 27 years ago, 114 lives were lost and hundreds others were forever altered. Not only did Kansas City's physical landscape change, but so did the template for mass tort...