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

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

Missouri expecting large voter turnout for November election.
October 1, 2008... Byline: Donna Walter Expecting an 80 percent voter turnout for the November election, Missouri officials say they've been working long hours to ensure that the election runs smoothly. The hotly contested presidential race between...

Missouri Court of Appeals Western District sides with city in contract dispute.
October 1, 2008... Byline: Charles Emerick A panel of appellate judges affirmed the dismissal of a lawsuit challenging last year's employment contract to Kansas City's City Manager Wayne Cauthen. The Missouri Court of Appeals Western District agreed with a...

Missouri Supreme Court orders quick trial for St. Louis man.
October 1, 2008... Byline: Kelly Wiese The Missouri Supreme Court has ordered the St. Louis Circuit Court to give a man his trial within 30 days, or show a reason why he should not be released. The court on Tuesday ordered the lower court to proceed quickly...

St. Charles judge fined by Missouri Supreme Court for role in alleged bribe.
October 2, 2008... Byline: Allison Retka A former assistant prosecutor investigated for an alleged bribe involving an autographed baseball has been reprimanded by the Missouri Supreme Court and ordered to pay a $750 fine. A state disciplinary panel found...

Cyberbullying suit filed in St. Louis County Circuit Court.
October 2, 2008... Byline: Angela Riley Another case of cyberbullying has arisen out of St. Louis. A West County father alleges in a petition filed in St. Louis County Circuit Court that someone used a Facebook account to harass his daughter who struggles...

St. Louis Rams sued by Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
October 2, 2008... Byline: Donna Walter When the St. Louis Rams fired a long-time employee with a seizure disorder, it violated the Americans with Disabilities Act's prohibition of disability discrimination, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission said...

Independence law firm representing popcorn consumers suing for injuries.
October 2, 2008... Byline: Charles Emerick A disease once thought to have only sickened workers at popcorn factories is now becoming the subject of lawsuits filed by consumers of the buttery snack. Bronchiolitis obliterans, or popcorn lung, is being claimed...

Eastern District Court of Appeals rules DOC violated its own policies when it fired employee.
October 2, 2008... Byline: Angela Riley The Eastern District Court of Appeals affirmed a trial court's decision that determined the Department of Corrections' dismissal of an employee for failure to take a drug test was not supported by substantial evidence....

Alleged conflict spawns filing of lawsuit in St. Louis County Circuit Court.
October 3, 2008... Byline: Angela Riley A former director with St. John's Mercy Health System is suing the Lowenbaum Partnership for failing to provide adequate legal counsel when the law firm represented both the employee and employer in a sexual harassment...

Man wants Mo. Supreme Court to overturn his conviction over out-of-court statements.
October 3, 2008... Byline: Kelly Wiese Supreme Court judges reacted with skepticism to a man's argument that his conviction for child molestation should be tossed because the child's out-of-court statements were allowed. The man argued that a 2004 U.S....

U.S. Attorney's Office in Missouri indicts three for mortgage fraud.
October 3, 2008... Byline: Donna Walter The U.S. Attorney's Office indicted three people for mortgage fraud, including a father and son, involving the multimillion sales of 12 local properties. U.S. Attorney Catherine Hanaway made the announcement Thursday...

James E. Darst remembered as exceptional Missouri lawyer, judge.
October 3, 2008... Byline: Donna Walter James E. Darst Sr., a Social Security administrative law judge for many years, will be remembered as a brilliant man by the lawyers that knew him. Darst died Sept. 30. He was 78. Judge Joseph Simeone taught Darst at...

Alleged conflict spawns filing of lawsuit in St. Louis County Circuit Court.
October 3, 2008... Byline: Angela Riley A former director with St. John's Mercy Health System is suing the Lowenbaum Partnership for failing to provide adequate legal counsel when the law firm represented both the employee and employer in a sexual harassment...

St. Charles County-based Miljonaire Development focuses business on ultra-luxury market.
October 4, 2008... Byline: Sarah Wienke A St. Charles County-based developer and homebuilder has plans to capitalize on the one market he says has been unscathed by the economic downturn: ultra-luxury homes. Mark Moebius, CEO of Miljonaire Development, held...

Rattled nerves: Financial advisers try to reassure investors in St. Charles area.
October 4, 2008... Byline: Mike Trask and Sarah Wienke Financial advisers have been kept busy during the past couple of weeks as their clients call seeking help in understanding what is happening on Wall Street and in Washington. Karen Schneider, an...

St. Charles County Business Record News Digest: October 4, 2008.
October 4, 2008... Byline: Business Record Staff Exit ramp at Research Park to open A ribbon-cutting ceremony this Thursday will mark the opening of a new exit ramp from eastbound Highway 40 at the Missouri Research Park in St. Charles County. The ceremony is...

Local eateries featured this week at Taste of Wentzville.
October 4, 2008... Byline: Sarah Wienke Wentzville residents and visitors will have the opportunity this week to get a taste of what the city's eateries have to offer. The fifth annual Taste of Wentzville will be held Thursday from 5 to 8 p.m. at the...

Commentary: Why Missouri gets an 'A' in manufacturing.
October 4, 2008... Byline: Governor Matt Blunt As governor, I have worked to cultivate economic growth and make Missouri a state of opportunity by enacting pro-jobs, pro-growth initiatives. By changing our state's business climate, we have encouraged...

St. Charles Countians in the News: October 4, 2008.
October 4, 2008... Byline: Business Record Staff Bridgins re-elected to NECAC board Mike Bridgins of St. Peters has been re-elected to the North East Community Action Corporation board's executive committee. Also re-elected to the executive committee are:...

St. Charles County Business Record Biz Bites: October 6, 2008.
October 6, 2008... Byline: Mike Trask As president and CEO of ShowMe Aquatics and Fitness, Lisa Drier did a number of dog-and-pony shows about the not-for-profit's proposal to partner with St. Charles City to build an aquatics facility that would not just...

Kansas City barber's family settles federal lawsuit with hairspray makers.
October 7, 2008... Byline: Charles Emerick A federal lawsuit claiming a barber's death was the result of a chemical found in hair products has nearly settled, according to court records. Loren Bates, of Raytown, had cut hair for about 50 years when he died...

ACLU wants federal court to declare new Missouri sex offender law unconstitutional.
October 7, 2008... Byline: Donna Walter The American Civil Liberties Union wants a federal court to declare unconstitutional a new Missouri law requiring registered sex offenders to avoid all Halloween-related contact with children. In addition, to avoiding...

Lethal injection challenge in Missouri may rest on definitions: Rule or policy?
October 8, 2008... Byline: Donna Walter Lawyers representing death-row inmate John C. Middleton and 16 others sentenced to death asked the Missouri Supreme Court on Tuesday to require the state Department of Corrections to submit its lethal injection policy...

Undertaker doctrine tested in St. Louis.
October 8, 2008... Byline: Angela Riley No law required St. Louis to install automatic external defibrillators throughout Lambert-St. Louis International Airport. But once it did, does the law make the city liable if the AEDs aren't used or aren't used...

8th Circuit affirms $20.7M award over stock price.
October 8, 2008... Byline: Donna Walter A federal appeals court affirmed a $20.7 million arbitration award in favor of a former Enterprise Rent-A-Car executive. The dispute arose after the Crawford Group, Enterprise's parent company, announced its intention...

Lawyer wins $100,000 in fees for campaign finance lawsuit in Missouri appellate court.
October 8, 2008... Byline: Scott Lauck More than 14 months after the Missouri Supreme Court ruled on the state's campaign finance laws, Chuck Hatfield is a step closer to getting paid for the case. The Missouri Court of Appeals Western District ruled Tuesday...

Missouri Court of Appeals Western District reinstates judgment against Allstate.
October 8, 2008... Byline: Charles Emerick The Missouri Court of Appeals Western District ordered a trial court judge to reinstate a $100,000 default judgment against Allstate Insurance Co. The court on Tuesday ruled Patricia Mathers was entitled to the...

Missouri Supreme Court rules BJC cases may clarify liability for 'integrated' systems.
October 9, 2008... Byline: Angela Riley The Missouri Supreme Court may make it easier for plaintiffs to sue parent corporations for conduct of their subsidiaries. Three cases, all involving the same issues, were heard before the court Tuesday concerning the...

Kansas City activist Alvin Sykes: A mission to perform.
October 9, 2008... Byline: Scott Lauck Emmett Till's violent death more than half a century ago continues to reverberate in the law. On Tuesday, President George W. Bush signed the Emmett Till Unsolved Civil Rights Crime Act, which provides money for...

U.S. Supreme Court lets stand ruling allowing inmate abortions.
October 9, 2008... Byline: Kelly Wiese The U.S. Supreme Court has refused to consider the state of Missouri's appeal over its policy to deny transportation for inmates seeking an abortion. The state changed its policy in fall of 2005 and began refusing to...

8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upholds $21M verdict.
October 9, 2008... Byline: Donna Walter The 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed a $21 million verdict against a St. Louis-based carbon-fiber manufacturer in a breach-of-contract lawsuit. A federal jury in St. Louis awarded Structural Polymer Group and...

16th Circuit mourns 'great loss' of Judge Kelly Moorhouse.
October 9, 2008... Byline: Charles Emerick Judge Kelly Moorhouse, a member of the Jackson County Circuit bench for more than eight years, died Tuesday night following a private fight with cancer. She was 49. Judge Ann Mesle was Moorhouse's suitemate on the...

Missouri gubernatorial candidates split on litigation, business climate.
October 10, 2008... Byline: Scott Lauck Missouri gubernatorial candidates Kenny Hulshof and Jay Nixon squared off Thursday over climate change. Not the kind that melts ice caps, but the type that helps or hurts businesses, depending on whom you ask. Hulshof,...

Southwest Airlines sued for detaining St. Louis woman.
October 10, 2008... Byline: Donna Walter A St. Louis woman says she was hospitalized and sedated against her will after Southwest Airlines officials told Las Vegas police the woman was suicidal when she only having a panic attack. The woman, Joung Hwa Levy,...

Suit filed in St. Louis County claims doctor on probation performed unnecessary surgery.
October 10, 2008... Byline: Angela Riley A second lawsuit has been filed against a doctor with a history of drug and alcohol abuse. In the lawsuit against Dr. Michael Impey, Des Peres Hospital and Des Peres Medical Specialists, plaintiffs George and Deborah...

Economist offers locals some hope, some fears.
October 11, 2008... Byline: Mike Trask Some 250 area business people gathered in Chesterfield Thursday hoping to get some answers about where the nation's economy is headed. What they heard from nationally known economist Joel Prakken was some very cautious...

Pediatrician's life includes heartbreak, rewards.
October 11, 2008... Byline: Wm. Stage If Dr. Doug Barton relates to his young patients it's because he's a big kid at heart. After all, how many other physicians would describe their exam rooms as a fun place? A board-certified pediatrician with SSM St....

Frenchtown entrepreneurs doing well with new haunted house.
October 13, 2008... Byline: Mike Trask Brad Livers' venture into the haunted house business wasn't that scary, even though there was no business plan and those behind the enterprise had only about two months to turn an idea into a going concern. Perhaps...

St. Charles still in running for German-based Schattdecor plant.
October 13, 2008... Byline: Mike Trask Contrary to some media reports, St. Charles is apparently still in the running to land a manufacturing plant to be built by German-based Schattdecor. The company makes printed decor paper and related products. Reports...

Economist offers Chesterfield residents some hope, some fears.
October 13, 2008... Byline: Mike Trask Some 250 area business people gathered in Chesterfield Thursday hoping to get some answers about where the nation's economy is headed. What they heard from nationally known economist Joel Prakken was some very cautious...

Main Street Books in St. Charles celebrates 15 years.
October 13, 2008... Byline: Sarah Wienke With so many doom-and-gloom stories saturating the news these days, it's refreshing to hear that a local business is doing well despite the faltering economy. Main Street Books, an independently owned book store in...

Q&A with St. Charles pediatrician Dr. Doug Barton.
October 13, 2008... Byline: Wm. Stage If Dr. Doug Barton relates to his young patients it's because he's a big kid at heart. After all, how many other physicians would describe their exam rooms as a fun place? A board-certified pediatrician with SSM St....

Home Builders Assn. of St. Louis and Eastern Missouri elects Dan Barnard president.
October 13, 2008... Byline: Business Record Staff Members of the Home Builders Association of St. Louis and Eastern Missouri have elected Dan Barnard as their president. Barnard is president of Greater Missouri Builders Inc., a residential and commercial...

Barnes-Jewish St. Peters Hospital promotes Judy Wolf.
October 13, 2008... Byline: Business Record Staff Barnes-Jewish St. Peters Hospital has named Judy Wolf as its business manager for therapy services, located in the 70 Jungermann Circle professional building on the hospital's campus. Wolf earned her masters...

St. Charles County Assn. of Realtors elect officers.
October 13, 2008... Byline: Business Record Staff The St. Charles County Association of Realtors has elected several officers and directors for 2009. Karen Vennard was elected president and Sue Kleeschulte was elected treasurer. Ken Hill and Laura Bieker each...

North East Community Action Corp. hires Tara Rhodes as St. Charles County service coordinator.
October 13, 2008... Byline: Business Record Staff North East Community Action Corporation has hired Tara Rhodes of Wentzville as the not-for-profit's St. Charles County service coordinator. The agency said Rhodes would coordinate and oversee the...

North East Community Action Corp. hires Keacha Murray of Wentzville.
October 13, 2008... Byline: Business Record Staff NECAC also has hired Keacha Murray of Wentzville as a housing assistance counselor. Murray will be responsible for completing annual recertification of the agency's housing clients in St. Charles County, and...

St. Charles County Collector of Revenue: Tax notices to be mailed; don't expect lower bills.
October 13, 2008... Byline: Business Record Staff The St. Charles County Collector of Revenue plans to mail out approximately 300,000 tax bills later this month. The 2008 personal property tax bills are scheduled to go out about Oct. 20, and real estate tax...

Beckerle Preferred Properties in St. Charles launches Web site.
October 13, 2008... Byline: Business Record Staff Beckerle Preferred Properties has launched a Web site that allows visitors to view the commercial real estate company's current listings, and provides data about staff, services and contact information. The...

City of St. Peters to break ground on Justice Center.
October 13, 2008... Byline: Business Record Staff The city of St. Peters has scheduled a groundbreaking ceremony for its Justice Center to begin at 3 p.m. this Wednesday. The 65,000-square-foot facility will be located at the corner of Suemandy Drive and...

Ameristar Care Foundation helps fight paralysis in St. Charles.
October 13, 2008... Byline: Business Record Staff Ameristar Cares Foundation's annual National Charity Golf Classic raised more than $1.1 million this year to benefit The Buoniconti Fund to Cure Paralysis and The Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation. The...

Benefit gala at St. Charles Convention Center helps fund dental work for kids.
October 13, 2008... Byline: Business Record Staff A recent benefit gala at the St. Charles Convention Center raised $19,000 that will provide free dental care to local, underserved children. The event was hosted by Give Kids A Smile, a local organization that...

8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals: Fine doesn't lengthen sentence.
October 14, 2008... Byline: Donna Walter The U.S. Sentencing Guidelines do not allow federal judges to add points for a defendant's criminal history when, in the prior crime, the defendant only had to pay a fine, a federal appeals court said. On Friday, the...

St. Louis County Circuit Court's Case.net, like court staff, takes holiday.
October 14, 2008... Byline: Angela Riley While the state and federal courts were scheduled off for Columbus Day, Case.net decided to take the day off too. The Web site was down on Monday due to a technical error. The Information Technology Department at the...

Missouri Court of Appeals Eastern District calls suit against trash facility frivolous.
October 15, 2008... Byline: Angela Riley A decision from the Missouri Court of Appeals Eastern District has moved forward the construction of a controversial Fred Weber Inc. trash facility in South County. The decision in effect affirmed an agreement between...

Man stuck with worthless Kansas City homes while economy declines.
October 15, 2008... Byline: Charles Emerick Jason Aytes thought he was making an investment when he purchased 21 Kansas City homes in 2004. Instead, Aytes claimed in a lawsuit filed in Jackson County on Friday, he soon ended up broke and bankrupt -- the...

Missouri Supreme Court says PSC exceeded mandate.
October 15, 2008... Byline: Donna Walter A Missouri Supreme Court decision paves the way for consumers in southwestern Missouri to challenge electricity rates collected during 2007. The Public Service Commission approved Empire District Electric Co.'s request...

Missouri Gov. Matt Blunt taps Fischer for Supreme Court.
October 16, 2008... Byline: Kelly Wiese With little fanfare, Gov. Matt Blunt has tapped Associate Circuit Judge Zel Fischer for the Missouri Supreme Court. Blunt's office made the announcement with a news release Wednesday afternoon, amid a slew of releases...

Big donations flow into AG race in Missouri.
October 16, 2008... Byline: Scott Lauck In the waning weeks of the race for Missouri attorney general, Republican Michael Gibbons and Democrat Chris Koster both showed liberal use of the state's new laws allowing contributions of unlimited size. In his...

Missouri Gov. Matt Blunt won't charge media for old e-mails.
October 16, 2008... Byline: Donna Walter Missouri Gov. Matt Blunt has agreed to turn over old e-mails at no cost to three news organizations that requested them. The Associated Press, Kansas City Star and St. Louis Post-Dispatch intervened in a lawsuit filed...

Suit in Jackson County Circuit Court challenges light rail on procedural grounds.
October 16, 2008... Byline: Charles Emerick A Kansas City man is seeking judicial review of the enactment that put the light rail initiative on the Nov. 4 ballot. In an effort to stop the vote, Patrick Tuohey sued the city and the Kansas City Board of...

Polsinelli, Shughart agree to merge, creating fourth largest law firm in Missouri.
October 17, 2008... Byline: Heather Cole A merger of two Kansas City firms that will create Polsinelli Shughart is set for January. Polsinelli Shalton Flanigan Suelthaus and Shughart Thomson & Kilroy announced late Thursday that they were planning to merge....

One injured in Clayton high-rise bombing.
October 17, 2008... Byline: Heather Cole and Angela Riley A bomb exploded Thursday morning in a Clayton parking garage under an office building that houses several law firms. Steve Murphy, a partner at law firm Devereux Murphy, a tenant of the Plaza in...

Groups raise thousands pushing to adopt court plan in southwest Missouri.
October 17, 2008... Byline: Kelly Wiese Groups formed to support and oppose an effort to add southwest Missouri's Greene County to the areas that use the Nonpartisan Court Plan to select its judges have raised tens of thousands of dollars toward the effort....

KC woman sues McCain-Palin over threats made by crowds.
October 17, 2008... Byline: Charles Emerick Are John McCain and Sarah Palin inciting their supporters to a point that could lead to an assassination attempt on Barack Obama? They are, according to one Kansas City woman, who sued the Republican presidential...

St. Charles County Business Record Biz Bites: October 20, 2008.
October 20, 2008... Byline: Mike Trask Tom Drazen, North American sales manager for German-based Schattdecor, said company management still has not decided whether to locate its office and manufacturing facility in St. Charles or Maryland Heights. This drama...

Forget the romance, Missouri's Proposition A on gambling is about money.
October 20, 2008... Byline: Mike Trask Proponents of riverboat gambling presented a romantic picture of the industry when the idea of allowing floating casinos to operate in Missouri was first proposed in the early 1990s. Boats would cruise the Missouri and...

St. Charles Realtor looks to lease purchases during housing slump.
October 20, 2008... Byline: Sarah Wienke A local Realtor has focused her business on rentals and lease purchases and as a result says she is having the best year of her career. Carolyn Carpenter, broker sales associate with Coldwell Banker Gundaker, St....

St. Charles County Business Record News Digest: October 20, 2008.
October 20, 2008... Byline: Business Record Staff Synergetics has increased earnings O'Fallon-based Synergetics USA Inc. reported a profit of $1.2 million, or 5 cents a share, for its fourth quarter, ending July 31. That compares to a profit of $379,000, or 2...

Both 9th District congressional candidates in Missouri support tax cuts.
October 20, 2008... Byline: Mike Trask In a year where many voters hold incumbent office holders in low regard, the two candidates for the 9th District Congressional seat in Missouri are running as outsiders. Democrat Judy Baker says everywhere she goes she...

Propositions designed to raise money for St. Charles County area communities.
October 20, 2008... Byline: Business Record Staff Three local propositions on the Nov. 4 ballot are designed to respond to continued growth of communities in the St. Charles County area. Voters living in Wentzville will be asked how the city should finance a...

Ground breaks on new St. Peters Justice Center.
October 20, 2008... Byline: Amy Armour Ground was officially broken on Oct. 15 for the construction of the new St. Peters Justice Center to be located on a five-acre site at the corner of Suemandy Drive and Kimberly Lane. The 65,000-square-foot facility will...

Missouri voters concerned about future of national judiciary.
October 20, 2008... Byline: Allison Retka Even with the floundering economy heavy on the minds of voters, a recent poll by the Federalist Society indicates Missourians are still concerned about the future of the national judiciary. In a survey of 500 likely...

Class action against Centene rebuffed by 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
October 20, 2008... Byline: Donna Walter A federal appeals court upheld the dismissal of a securities fraud class action against Centene Corp. and its officers, saying the pleadings weren't specific enough for the case to move forward. It's very difficult in...

Missourians in the News: October 20, 2008.
October 20, 2008... Byline: Business Record Staff NISC's Wolf wins entrepreneur award The Information Technology Council of North Dakota has presented Brian Wolf with its 2008 Entrepreneur Award. Wolf, vice president of utility solutions and COO of National...

National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys holds conference in Kansas City.
October 21, 2008... Byline: David Knopf Kansas City attorney Craig Reaves didn't set out to practice elder law, a specialty that didn't even have a name in 1980. It was by accident that Reaves, now president of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys,...

U.S. Supreme Court refuses appeal from Missouri death-row inmate.
October 21, 2008... Byline: Donna Walter The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday refused to take up the latest appeal by death-row inmate Dennis Skillicorn. I don't think he's in any immediate danger of being executed because of the lethal-injection case before the...

Companies appeal $99M verdict by Jackson County jury.
October 21, 2008... Byline: Charles Emerick The largest verdict returned by a Jackson County jury in the past four years is facing an appellate challenge. Three mortgage companies are fighting a $99 million verdict from January for their alleged role in a...

Missouri Supreme Court building's centennial ends with open house.
October 21, 2008... Byline: Angela Riley The celebration of the end of the Supreme Court Building's centennial year will kick off with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 11:30 a.m. Thursday in the lobby as a rededication in honor of the historic building. Beth...

Cole County Circuit Judge Richard Callahan clears casino measure for ballot.
October 21, 2008... Byline: Staff report A judge has cleared the way for Missouri voters to decide whether to eliminate loss limits at Missouri casinos. Cole County Circuit Judge Richard Callahan on Monday rejected the claims of two lawsuits filed against a...

Former Republican U.S. Sen. John Danforth targets ACORN, voter fraud.
October 22, 2008... Byline: Charles Emerick Election Day fraud, including its potential in Missouri, could lead to a national nightmare if it's not addressed, said one of the state's well-known political figures. During a press conference in Independence on...

Bombing in St. Louis parking garage places focus on emergency planning.
October 22, 2008... Byline: Angela Riley In an instant, everyone's day changed. After the explosion in the parking garage of 190 Carondelet last Thursday, all floors of the 16-story building had to be evacuated. Many employees in hurry to get out left keys,...

Opponents of trash districting program win in Eastern District Missouri Court of Appeals.
October 22, 2008... Byline: Angela Riley Opponents of the trash districting program implemented in unincorporated parts of St. Louis County won a victory on Tuesday when the Eastern District Missouri Court of Appeals ruled that St. Louis County had violated a...

St. Louis lawyer Roger Hemker dies at 75.(Obituary)
October 22, 2008... Byline: St. Charles County Business Record Staff Report St. Louis lawyer F. Roger Hemker died Monday. He was 75. Hemker was a longtime partner of Greensfelder, Hemker & Gale, the law firm that bears his father's name. He joined in 1958 and...