St Louis Post-Dispatch (MO) articles from December 2001

St Louis Post-Dispatch (MO) archives from December 2001

St. Louis Post-Dispatch David Nicklaus Column.
December 29, 2001... Byline: David Nicklaus Dec. 29--When you think about what makes a home-run investment, your mind may start churning out criteria: high profit margins, industry leadership, proprietary technology and so on. Then you might look at D&K...

St. Louis Airport Crush Eases Up a Bit.
December 28, 2001... Byline: Ken Leiser Dec. 28--Lambert Field ticket lines and gates were once again packed with holiday travelers Thursday, leading one airline official to dub it one of the busiest travel days since Sept. 11. But the post-Christmas...

St. Louis-Area Labs Tries to Quiet a Loud Market with Its Anti-Snoring Device.
December 28, 2001... Byline: Judith VandeWater Dec. 28--Snoring remedies range from a sharp poke in the ribs to surgical enlargement of airways. In between are nasal strips, throat sprays and herbal concoctions to still the snorts and whistles. The...

Small Banks Keep Popping Up in St. Louis.
December 28, 2001... Byline: Jim Gallagher Dec. 28--People passing through New Frontier Bank's lobby sometimes glance around, looking for the buzzing mosquito. Then, they realize that the buzz is coming from the ATM, where the screen is running an ad for...

Illinois Copper Smelter's Slag Piles Could Be Sold to Pay Off Creditors.
December 28, 2001... Byline: Gregory Cancelada Dec. 28--One person's trash is another person's treasure. At least, that is the hope of unsecured creditors of bankrupt copper smelter Chemetco Inc. Chemetco's bankruptcy trustee, Laura Grandy, said she...

St. Louis Judge Erases Back Property Texas on City Landmark.
December 28, 2001... Byline: Tim Bryant Dec. 28--A judge's ruling that wipes out delinquent property taxes on the Arcade Building could open the way toward redevelopment of the St. Louis landmark, which is seen as a key to downtown revitalization. In a...

Retailers Offer Post-Holiday Bargains in St. Louis.
December 27, 2001... Byline: Chern Yeh Kwok Dec. 27--Deanna Clements kept shopping in check during the holidays. But with retailers deeply discounting seasonal inventory for after-Christmas sales, she's not holding back anymore. "I'm trying to buy as...

St. Louis Supermarkets Install Anti-Theft Devices on Shopping Carts.
December 27, 2001... Byline: Thomas Lee Dec. 27--For supermarkets determined to keep tabs on their property, the cart stops here. St. Louis-based Schnuck Markets Inc. and Earth City-based Save-A-Lot Ltd. recently installed electronic locking devices at...

Creve Coeur, Ill.-Based Computer Consulting Firm Focuses on Aiding Businesses.
December 25, 2001... Byline: Jerri Stroud Dec. 25--Oakwood Systems Group's staying power stems from a focus on helping clients to get more out of their businesses with technology, says Robyn Feigenbaum, president of the computer consulting firm. "Our...

St. Louis, Mo., Hotel Gets $15 Million Renovation.
December 25, 2001... Byline: Charlene Prost Dec. 25--There's not much left of the old Bel Air East, a 38-year-old downtown hotel known for years for its Trader Vic's and Miss Hulling's Open Hearth restaurants. Behind the fenced site at Fourth Street and...

St. Louis Post-Dispatch David Nicklaus Column.
December 25, 2001... Byline: David Nicklaus Dec. 25--St. Louisans are used to seeing headquarters disappear. Big names like McDonnell Douglas and Boatmen's Bancshares have been leaving the local landscape for a decade, taking away a bit of local color and...

Thousands in Missouri Could Share in $8.3 Million Consumer Fraud Settlement.
December 22, 2001... Byline: Jerri Stroud Dec. 22--More than 5,200 Missouri residents could share in an $8.3 million settlement against a Florida-based discount buying service that rang up unauthorized charges on more than 275,000 credit-card accounts...

St. Louis Post-Dispatch David Nicklaus Column.
December 22, 2001... Byline: David Nicklaus Dec. 22--The last six months could provide the textbook example of a choppy stock market: The Standard & Poor's 500 index, down 21 percent between June and September, now is up 19 percent from its low. Of three...

Last-Minute Holiday Shoppers Might Be Key for Retailers.
December 22, 2001... Byline: Repps Hudson Dec. 22--This may be a slow holiday shopping season, but don't tell Dorothy Varner, whose calendar kiosk in St. Clair Square was enjoying a brisk business Friday, or Eric Roeder, whose kiosk for compact disc-holding...

Developer Proposes Mixed-Use Project for Downtown St. Louis.
December 20, 2001... Byline: Charlene Prost Dec. 20--The owner of the long-vacant Sporting News building is proposing something that downtown doesn't have yet: a mini neighborhood of renovated buildings with 264 apartments and possibly condominiums, shops,...

Average Price of Gallon of Gas Increases 15 Cents in St. Louis Area.
December 20, 2001... Byline: Repps Hudson Dec. 20--The average price of regular self-serve gasoline jumped 15 cents in the St. Louis area in the 48 hours between Monday and Wednesday mornings. Meanwhile, wholesale gasoline and crude oil prices remained...

May Department Stores Plans to Buy Atlanta-Based After Hours Formalwear.
December 20, 2001... Byline: Chern Yeh Kwok Dec. 20--May Department Stores Co. said Wednesday that it is buying After Hours Formalwear Inc., the nation's largest tuxedo rental and sales retailer, for about $100 million in cash. Combined with its David's...

`Hard Liquor' Ads on NBC to Present Challenges to Beer Industry.
December 19, 2001... Byline: Thomas Lee Dec. 19--NBC's decision last week to air "hard liquor" ads could represent the distilled spirits industry's first serious challenge to the market dominance and brand power of brewers -- including St. Louis-based...

St. Louis Post-Dispatch David Nicklaus Column.
December 19, 2001... Byline: David Nicklaus Dec. 19--There has been much debate over the details of the economic-stimulus bill in Congress but little discussion of the most basic question: Will the stimulus package stimulate? Democrats and Republicans...

Developers Optimistic about Putting Up Second St. Louis Office Building.
December 19, 2001... Byline: Charlene Prost Dec. 19--With another tenant lined up, developers of the old Arena property south of Forest Park say they're almost certain of moving forward with a second office building in the spring. Donald Land, a senior...

Ford Considers Reduction in Explorer Production.
December 18, 2001... Byline: Gregory Cancelada Dec. 18--In a bid to cut costs, Ford Motor Co. might reduce production of its Explorer sport utility vehicle, but such a decision would affect the plant in Louisville, Ky., rather than the Hazelwood plant, where...

Gas Prices Continue Decline in St. Louis Area.
December 18, 2001... Byline: Repps Hudson Dec. 18--St. Louis-area gasoline prices continued to drop Monday, reaching a recent average low of 93 cents a gallon for self-serve regular unleaded and tracking the decline of world crude-oil prices below $20 a...

Satellite-Mapping Agency to Privatize Work, Cutting Government Jobs.
December 18, 2001... Byline: Peter Shinkle Dec. 18--The National Imagery and Mapping Agency has approved a controversial plan to cut costs by privatizing work done by about 600 government employees, including 300 in the St. Louis area. NIMA, a federal...

Airline Trade Group Says More Than 40 Million to Travel by Air During Holidays.
December 15, 2001... Byline: Cynthia Wilson Dec. 15--Air travel overall may be down, but more than 40 million people are expected to fly during the three weeks surrounding the winter holiday period that began Friday. That figure exceeds the 39 million...

Online Retailers Escape Slump Suffered by Brick-and-Mortar Peers.
December 15, 2001... Byline: Chern Yeh Kwok Dec. 15--While brick-and-mortar retailers struggle and mall traffic declines in what could prove a bleak holiday shopping season, online retailers seem to have fewer problems drawing in crowds and dollars. ...

TWA Pilots' Union Wants to Model Seniority Rights after American's.
December 15, 2001... Byline: Cynthia Wilson Dec. 15--The union representing pilots at TWA Airlines LLC has asked an arbitrator to require American Airlines to do more to help them gain seniority rights on par with their peers at American. But the...

May Department Stores Rejects Proposal to Annually Elect Board of Directors.
December 14, 2001... Byline: Chern Yeh Kwok Dec. 14--May Department Stores Co. has rejected a proposal that would have allowed shareholders to elect the board of directors annually, according to a regulatory filing. The move comes more than six months after...

Aerospace Group President Says Sales Could Decline 4.3 Percent in 2002.
December 13, 2001... Byline: Philip Dine Dec. 13--WASHINGTON -- The aerospace industry faces trouble next year because of a sharp downturn in commercial aviation, the president of the Aerospace Industries Association warned Wednesday. Aerospace sales are...

Federal Communications Commission Could Allow Technology-Specific Area Codes.
December 13, 2001... Byline: Jerri Stroud Dec. 13--Each time regulators suggested adding a new area code in the St. Louis area, consumers asked why cell phones, pagers and computer modems couldn't be put in their own, separate area code. Until Wednesday,...

Workers Laid Off from Berkeley, Mo., Genomics Facility Plan New Business.
December 13, 2001... Byline: Virginia Baldwin Gilbert Dec. 13--Several scientists and engineers being laid off at the Incyte Genomics Inc. facility in Berkeley plan to build new businesses from its remains. At its busiest, the facility employed 250...

Study Says St. Louis Fails to Retain Many Skilled High-Tech Workers.
December 13, 2001... Byline: David Nicklaus Dec. 13--St. Louis has more of an information technology industry than most people think, but a new study says the region remains an exporter of skilled technology workers. The Regional Chamber & Growth...

Creve Coeur, Mo.-Based News Distributor Files Bankruptcy Liquidation Plan.
December 12, 2001... Byline: Peter Shinkle Dec. 12--Welsh Carson Anderson & Stowe, an investment firm in New York that led Bridge Information Systems Inc. on an acquisition spree, would get nothing for the $398.1 million owed by Bridge, under a bankruptcy...

St. Louis Post-Dispatch David Nicklaus Column.
December 12, 2001... Byline: David Nicklaus Dec. 12--Five years ago this week, John McDonnell and Harry Stonecipher delivered a Sunday morning shocker: The largest company in St. Louis was being sold. They characterized it as a merger, not a sale, but it...

Agency Decision Moves Nestle Closer to Ralston-Purina Acquisition.
December 12, 2001... Byline: Thomas Lee Dec. 12--Nestle S.A.'s purchase of Ralston Purina Co., a St. Louis-based maker of pet foods, cleared a big regulatory hurdle Tuesday as the Federal Trade Commission gave preliminary approval to the $11.2 billion deal....

St. Louis Mayor Pushes Development Projects to Boost Tourism.
December 11, 2001... Byline: Charlene Prost Dec. 11--Mayor Francis Slay pushed plans for a new ballpark, a 1,050-car parking garage near the Old Post Office and a variety of other downtown development projects Monday as a way of boosting tourism and the...

GM to Exit Luxury Full-Size Van Market.
December 11, 2001... Byline: Gregory Cancelada Dec. 11--Because of declining demand, General Motors Corp. has decided to get out of the luxury full-size van business. It won't produce the GMC Savana SLT and the Chevrolet Express LT next year. As a...

Adam's Mark Chain to Sell Six Hotels to Kentucky Company.
December 11, 2001... Byline: Peter Shinkle Dec. 11--Stung by falling room-occupancy rates and by allegations of racial discrimination, the Adam's Mark hotel chain has agreed to sell six of its 24 hotels to a Kentucky company. Bill Yung III, president of...

Automakers Face Uncertain Market in 2002; Industry Sales Could Tumble.
December 9, 2001... Byline: Gregory Cancelada Dec. 9--General Motors Corp., Ford Motor Co. and the Chrysler unit of German automaker DaimlerChrysler will face a tough time next year, despite the fact that 2001 is expected to be one of the strongest years...

St. Louis Post-Dispatch Executive Focus Column.
December 9, 2001... Byline: Elizabeth Freeman Dec. 9--Name: Karen Crank Age: 59 Job: Owner of A Floral Expression, 111 Main Street, Columbia, Ill. Her business phone number is 618-281-3288. Columbia is about 18 miles southeast of downtown St....

St. Louis Post-Dispatch Your Money Column.
December 9, 2001... Byline: Jim Gallagher Dec. 9--Let's hear from readers today. You wrote that we should use $800 as an rough guide on closing costs when we consider refinancing our mortgage. I received an offer for a loan with no points but $3,063 in...

With Consumer Confidence Low, Selling Technologies Tough in Recession.
December 9, 2001... Byline: Jerri Stroud Dec. 9--Cable modems have a commanding lead in the broadband battle, but some analysts say digital subscriber lines will win the war. But the war won't be over soon. The recession and low consumer confidence are...

Sigma-Aldrich Corp. Center in St. Louis Brings Scientists Together.
December 9, 2001... Byline: Virginia Baldwin Gilbert Dec. 9--Sigma-Aldrich Corp. built its business of supplying the world's research labs by responding to a common scientist lament: "There has to be a better way to do this." Whether it's a cell-growing...

Broadband, High-Tech Devices Expected to Make Holiday Wish Lists.
December 9, 2001... Byline: Jerri Stroud Dec. 9--Joel and Carolyn Wommack got a cable modem so they could enjoy digital pictures of their new granddaughter, who lives in Virginia. Kyle Thomson got a digital subscriber line to play "Return to Castle...

Chairman of Missouri Public Service Commission Draws Praise, Criticism.
December 9, 2001... Byline: Repps Hudson Dec. 9--Kelvin L. Simmons, the new chairman of the Missouri Public Service Commission, is a quick study -- of maddeningly complicated issues, such as utility-rate cases. He's in touch with less-fortunate people,...

Landlord Files Suit against Missouri Internet-Service Provider over Rent.
December 7, 2001... Byline: Peter Shinkle Dec. 7--Savvis Communications Corp., an Internet-service provider with headquarters in Creve Coeur, is being sued by a landlord claiming $880,000 in rent for an office in Boston. The legal action comes at a time...

SBC Southwestern Bell Offers Long-Distance Service in Missouri.
December 7, 2001... Byline: Jerri Stroud Dec. 7--Nearly 18 years after the federal government split AT&T into eight companies, consumers and businesses in Missouri can buy local and long-distance telephone service again from one company. SBC...

St. Louis-Based Furniture Brands International to Purchase Three Operations.
December 6, 2001... Byline: Gregory Cancelada Dec. 6--Furniture Brands International Inc. announced Wednesday that it will buy three furniture-business units from competitor LifeStyle Furnishings international Ltd. for $275 million in cash and common stock....

Nine-Property Mall Deal Gives Australian Firm Six St. Louis Holdings.
December 6, 2001... Byline: Chern Yeh Kwok Dec. 6--Westfield America Trust, a real estate investment group, will buy Chesterfield Mall and eight other shopping malls nationwide from the Richard E. Jacobs Group. Westfield will pay $756 million to the...

Commerce Group Pitches Plan to Avoid Area Code Changes in Southern Illinois.
December 5, 2001... Byline: Jerri Stroud Dec. 5--Southern Illinois telephone customers could keep dialing local calls with seven digits for years to come under a plan proposed Tuesday by the Illinois Commerce Commission at a meeting in Chicago. The...

St. Louis Post-Dispatch David Nicklaus Column.
December 5, 2001... Byline: David Nicklaus Dec. 5--You could call this an Oz economy. The world might seem like a strange place, but Americans still can click their heels together and repeat, "There's no place like home." Homes have been a major source...

St. Louis Leaders Discuss High-Skill Workers at Conference.
December 5, 2001... Byline: Repps Hudson Dec. 5--Participants in a local work-force development conference in St. Louis on Tuesday agreed that industry and business should work closely with schools before students begin to make up their minds about lifelong...

Webster Groves, Mo., Company Installs Security Systems at Airports.
December 4, 2001... Byline: Peter Shinkle Dec. 4--Cernium Inc. of Webster Groves has installed its security systems at 16 airports in North America. Combining digital cameras, a computer and proprietary software, the ExitSentry system monitors pedestrians...

Monsanto Quietly Observes Centennial.
December 1, 2001... Byline: Virginia Baldwin Gilbert Dec. 1--On Nov. 29, 1901, when John F. Queeny incorporated his chemical works in St. Louis, he sought to honor his wife, the former Olga Mendez Monsanto, by using her maiden name for the company. ...

St. Louis Post-Dispatch David Nicklaus Column.
December 1, 2001... Byline: David Nicklaus Dec. 1--Employees of Enron Corp. no doubt wish they'd heeded the adage about eggs and baskets. Sixty percent of the money in Enron's 401(k) plan is invested in the company's shares, which have fallen to 26 cents...