St. Louis Post-Dispatch (St. Louis, MO) articles from July 2006

St. Louis Post-Dispatch (St. Louis, MO) archives from July 2006

France knocks out the early favorite.
July 1, 2006... Byline: Tom Timmermann FRANKFURT, Germany _ One way or another, the career of French midfield star Zinedine Zidane is coming to an end in the next week, and it now looks as if he's going to go out looking as sharp as ever on the field. ...

Boeing says it can meet budget for defense system.
July 1, 2006... Byline: Tim McLaughlin Jul. 1--Boeing Co. said late Thursday that its $21 billion contract to oversee development of a digital network that connects U.S. troops to a new array of robotic and manned weapons systems is in no danger of...

Solutia refinances debt of European subsidiary.
July 1, 2006... Jul. 1--Bankrupt chemical maker Solutia Inc., based in Town and Country, said Friday that it is refinancing about $255.7 million in debt held by its European subsidiary. Solutia Europe SA/NV anticipates closing the deal on Aug. 1. It will...

St. Louis Post-Dispatch local earnings column.
July 1, 2006... Jul. 1--The Marketing Alliance Inc., which provides support to independent insurance agencies, saw its profit more than triple to $1.06 million in the year ended March 31 despite a 4 percent drop in sales to $16 million. The company announced...

St. Louis Post-Dispatch David Nicklaus column.
July 2, 2006... Byline: David Nicklaus Jul. 2--THEORY BEHIND BANKRUPTCY LAW DOESN'T SEEM TO HOLD WATER: The image of the deadbeat borrower, defaulting on a debt out of sheer laziness, is a powerful one in the American psyche. Certainly the nation's...

Crane choreography.
July 2, 2006... Byline: Repps Hudson Jul. 2--As he considered how to cover Pinnacle Entertainment's casino site on Laclede's Landing with tower cranes, Fred Kern had a critical task: making sure the booms wouldn't crash into each other, which could hurt...

Facility could fund research.
July 2, 2006... Byline: Rachel Melcer Jul. 2--Chancellor Thomas George says the time is right for creating a thriving information-technology industry and research center at the University of Missouri at St. Louis. He and Nasser Arshadi, vice provost...

Nothing less than transformational.
July 3, 2006... The following editorial appeared in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch on Friday, June 30: X X X When your net worth is somewhere north of $40 billion, it buys the freedom you need to say anything you want. So when Charlie Rose asked Warren...

Many gay teens are coming out at earlier ages.
July 3, 2006... Byline: Eun Kyung Kim Chris Krug had thought she was a lesbian from the time she was 8, but she felt certain after developing a serious crush on her best friend. She was in the fifth grade at the time. Krug formally came out a...

Buck might get double duties.
July 3, 2006... Byline: Dan Caesar ST. LOUIS _ Joe Buck wears many hats at Fox. He's the lead play-by-play announcer for its Major League Baseball and NFL telecasts, he has filled in as a studio host and he even has broadcast fishing and horse racing for...

Death-penalty debate rages on; critics question legality of injections.
July 3, 2006... Byline: Jeremy Kohler ST. LOUIS _ For those opposed to the death penalty, a humane execution might be a contradiction of terms. For those who don't care if a condemned man suffers in his last moments, it might be a pointless concern....

Funding for Alzheimer's research is key, scientists say.
July 4, 2006... Byline: Molly McElroy ST. LOUIS _ Scientists who study Alzheimer's disease say they are on the brink of finding treatments to slow or stop it. Projections are that by 2050, 16 million Americans will have the disease. Already 4.5...

Bird extinction pace worries scientists.
July 4, 2006... Byline: Molly McElroy ST. LOUIS _ Birds are becoming extinct faster than scientists have thought. Conservationists now estimate that a species of birds vanishes every year. Previously, they believed the rate to be one species every...

Carpenter nails down 1st victory over Braves.
July 4, 2006... Byline: Joe Strauss ATLANTA _ Chris Carpenter accomplished something Tuesday night at Turner Field that took him longer than winning a Cy Young Award. He beat the Atlanta Braves. Carpenter had helped the Cardinals to a 5-2 lead when...

A lotta gelato.
July 4, 2006... Byline: Gail Appleson Jul. 4--When Chris Shearman, his wife, Dana, and their pal David Koepke were buddies in high school, they figured they'd always be friends, but it never crossed their minds that they'd own a company together. But...

Cards acquire Angels' Weaver after loss to Braves.
July 5, 2006... Byline: Rick Hummel ATLANTA _ The Cardinals' pitching staff, which had given up 10 or more runs in five of the club's last 15 games, received a potential transfusion after the Cardinals' 14-4 drubbing by the Atlanta Braves on Wednesday....

Spinks fights to rescue his name and his honor.
July 5, 2006... Byline: Bernie Miklasz During his methodical rise to the undisputed world welterweight championship, Cory Spinks proudly carried the nickname "The Next Generation" into the boxing ring. The slogan was partly an homage to his family...

Buck might get double duties.
July 5, 2006... Byline: Dan Caesar Joe Buck wears many hats at Fox. He's the lead play-by-play announcer for its Major League Baseball and NFL telecasts, he has filled in as a studio host and he even has broadcast fishing and horse racing for the network....

Looking beyond the plant.
July 5, 2006... Byline: Gregory Cancelada Jul. 5--Kyle Friederich, 29, is no stranger to a college campus. A recipient of a baseball scholarship, he attended McKendree College in Lebanon, Ill., for a year before giving up academics and center field to...

Relocating a relocator: Helping businesses.
July 5, 2006... Byline: Christopher Boyce Jul. 5--When Mary Quigg started planning to move her company's headquarters, she knew the transition would need to be seamless. Adding pressure was that her firm, Vandover, assists in employee job relocations. ...

Dream homes for every generation.
July 6, 2006... Byline: Jamila Robinson What makes a dream home? A South Beach villa? Stick-style Victorian? The one Barbie had? Images of fantasy mansions may come to mind, but for 25- to 40-year-olds, the amenities that a house offers can make it a...

Peabody will mine down under.
July 6, 2006... Byline: Jeffrey Tomich Jul. 6--Peabody Energy Corp. said Wednesday that it has agreed to purchase one of Australia's largest coal producers for about $1.5 billion in cash and assumed debt to help meet soaring energy demand in Asia. ...

Albany-Colonie chamber seeks to add Cohoes.
July 7, 2006... Byline: Kevin Harlin Jul. 7--ALBANY -- The Albany-Colonie Regional Chamber of Commerce is looking to absorb its much smaller counterpart in the city of Cohoes. The Albany chamber sent notices Thursday to its 2,600 members calling for...

Astros' relievers implode in loss to Cards.
July 8, 2006... Byline: Joe Strauss HOUSTON _ A team typically deems it a successful series against the Houston Astros if it can beat either Roger Clemens or Roy Oswalt. Saturday, the St. Louis Cardinals overcame both. One strike away from...

Spinks earns redemption in gritty fight.
July 8, 2006... Byline: Bernie Miklasz ST. LOUIS _ In the middle of the ring, in the center of his hometown, Cory Spinks refused to run away, refused to hide. He squared up to Roman Karmazin, the rugged Russian. If this was to be the last stand for...

All-Star Game suffers from major league ambiguity.
July 9, 2006... Byline: Dan O'Neill Baseball's All-Star Game ain't what it used to be, plain and simple. That's not to say the game is without redeeming qualities. It's still a spectacle, a summer tradition, a star-studded event, a genuine baseball game....

Hammerin' Howard: Timely shots rally Phillies slugger.
July 10, 2006... Byline: Rick Hummel PITTSBURGH _ Ryan Howard said he really had not tried to hit home runs in batting practice since he was playing at Southwest Missouri State a half dozen years ago. But in the ultimate batting practice, the All-Star Game...

Decision nears for Rams' Faulk.
July 10, 2006... Byline: Bill Coats ST. LOUIS _ The status of running back Marshall Faulk's football future probably will be determined in the next week to 10 days, according to his agent, St. Louis-based Rocky Arceneaux. "He's going to be evaluated...

EDITORIAL: UMSL moves ahead.(Editorial)
July 10, 2006... Jul. 10--"A public institution is expected to feed economic development," says Chancellor Thomas George of the University of Missouri-St. Louis. He's absolutely right, and UMSL is about to take a significant step toward stimulating...

Senator says Guantanamo is a `negative symbol of America'.
July 11, 2006... Byline: Deirdre Shesgreen WASHINGTON _ Sen. Dick Durbin said Tuesday that the United States should move immediately to close the Guantanamo Bay military prison, calling the controversial jail "bleak, barren and hotter than the hinges of...

Fox to keep baseball deal as TBS gets a bigger piece of the action.
July 11, 2006... Byline: Dan Caesar ST. LOUIS _ Fox will remain the television home of the World Series through at least the next eight seasons. And TBS will begin airing Sunday afternoon games and some playoff contests _ but a much smaller number of...

Three area law firms make pro bono list.
July 11, 2006... Byline: Gail Appleson Jul. 11--Three St. Louis area law firms have made it onto a list of the nation's largest grossing firms that are meeting minimal pro bono public service goals set by a leading trade magazine. The list, published...

U-turn at the helm of GM?
July 12, 2006... The following editorial appeared in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch on Tuesday, July 11: X X X Talk of a friendly "alliance" between General Motors, Nissan and Renault is a bunch of hooey. The dustup in Detroit is really a fight over who...

Animal behavior: Going to the dogs.
July 12, 2006... Byline: Kevin Horrigan At some point during President Bush's first term, it was reported that the president liked to relax by taking his dog, Spot, out to the South Lawn of the White House. The Leader of the Free World would take a tennis...

A tough season gets tougher for Cardinals in second half.
July 12, 2006... Byline: Joe Strauss ST. LOUIS _ Calling himself exhausted, Tony La Russa had the time but not the energy for reflection after the Cardinals ended the first half with a 12-inning win over the Houston Astros on Sunday night. It was that...

Utah's MediConnect acquires rival ZEROP.
July 12, 2006... Byline: Bob Mims Jul. 12--It was double-barreled good news for Utah's MediConnect Inc. on Tuesday. The company completed efforts to raise nearly $15 million, and it acquired rival ZEROP Medical. Terms of the purchase were not released...

CleanFlicks stores plan for the worst.
July 12, 2006... Byline: Vince Horiuchi Jul. 12--Every week, Aaron Campbell and his family stop by the CleanFlicks video store in Orem to rent movies such as "The Pink Panther" or "The Matrix." But these videos have been scrubbed clean of foul language and...

Pilots' vote puts airline on notice.
July 12, 2006... Byline: Paul Beebe Jul. 12--Pilots of Atlantic Southeast Airlines, the subsidiary of SkyWest Inc., have voted overwhelmingly to authorize their union leaders to call a strike if long-stalled negotiations fail to produce a labor contract....

Faith and fear in the war on terrorism.
July 13, 2006... Byline: Eric Mink The U.S. Supreme Court's most recent slap-down of Bush administration policies turned on issues of legal structure and procedure, accountability and authority. But the true heart of the Hamdan v. Rumsfeld decision beats...

Powered by Pujols: 14th-inning blast gives Cardinals 4th win in row.
July 13, 2006... Byline: Joe Strauss ST. LOUIS _ It took 14 innings for a game that began most frustratingly to end most predictably on its 424th pitch. Given a whack at his personal pinata, first baseman Albert Pujols provided the Cardinals a sudden...

Citgo pulls brand from Missouri.
July 13, 2006... Byline: Jeffrey Tomich Jul. 13--The Citgo fuel brand will disappear from Missouri and all or parts of 13 other states next spring after the company decided to focus its operations in the eastern U.S. and the Gulf Coast. Citgo, the...

4 Schnucks stores will open health clinics.
July 13, 2006... Byline: Mary Jo Feldstein Jul. 13--Schnuck Markets Inc. will add health clinics to four of its stores this fall, joining a growing number of retailers nationwide offering medical diagnosis and treatment. Walgreen Co., of Chicago, has...

St. Louis Post-Dispatch local earnings column.
July 13, 2006... Jul. 13--COST CONTROLS GIVE BOOST TO COMMERCE BANCSHARES: Commerce Bancshares Inc. said good expense control and lower loan losses helped push profit per share up 6 percent in the second quarter. Growth in noninterest income offset a slight...

Pole dancing and cardio strip classes let women of all sizes exercise with attitude.
July 14, 2006... Byline: Amy Bertraind ST. LOUIS _ Teri Hatcher is doing it. So is Carmen Electra. But your accountant, your doctor and even _ gasp! _ your mom? We're talking about classes in which everyday women release their inner vixen by learning...

Carpenter crafts a two-hitter as Cardinals blank the Dodgers.
July 14, 2006... Byline: Derrick Goold ST. LOUIS _ Ace Chris Carpenter's impeccable and expedient evening set the tone Friday night, and the rest of the Cardinals fell in sync for what was perhaps the club's most complete game of the summer. Carpenter...

Politicians forcing a showdown on stem cell issues.
July 14, 2006... Byline: Deirdre Shesgreen WASHINGTON _ The Senate is headed for a volatile showdown with the White House over the issue of stem cell research in a debate that could also put Missouri's tight U.S. Senate race in the spotlight. Under...

Cardinals continue to thrive against the Dodgers.
July 15, 2006... Byline: Joe Strauss ST. LOUIS _ The Cardinals have opened the season's second half with a retro look. Pitching is chic again. Extending a run of quality starts to three and their string of shutout relief innings to 17, the Cardinals...

A-B's Rolling Rock acquisition.
July 15, 2006... Byline: Gregory Cancelada Jul. 15--Anheuser-Busch Cos. on Friday vowed to preserve the taste and history of Rolling Rock beer as it prepares to move production from Latrobe, Pa., where the beer has been made since 1939. Anheuser-Busch,...

You don't have to dig deep to know it's dry.
July 15, 2006... Byline: Repps Hudson Jul. 15--Jay Schutte was in a good mood Thursday. The day before, a little more than an inch of rain had watered his 1,000-acre corn crop in Audrain County in north central Missouri. Like farmers throughout...

Ethanol plant will rise in Sauget.
July 15, 2006... Byline: Jeffrey Tomich Jul. 15--A Missouri company is planning to build a $100 million ethanol plant in St. Clair County amid soaring demand and prices for corn-based fuel. Center Ethanol Co., which is majority owned by Center Oil Co....

First Clover Leaf sells $42 million in new shares.
July 15, 2006... Jul. 15--First Clover Leaf Financial Corp. this week completed a $42 million stock offering, selling 4.2 million shares Monday as part of First Federal Financial Services' acquisition of Clover Leaf Financial Corp. In addition, each share...

UAW will consider strike at Chrysler's Fenton South plant.
July 15, 2006... Byline: Gregory Cancelada Jul. 15--Frustrated by contract disputes, the United Auto Workers union is considering a strike at DaimlerChrysler AG's South plant in Fenton, a source of the automaker's popular line of minivans. The minivan...

Ringleader of immigrant worker scheme betrays Wal-Mart.
July 16, 2006... Byline: Peter Shinkle A St. Louis-area businessman masterminded a scheme in the late 1990s to bring illegal immigrants to clean floors at Wal-Mart stores across the country. Wal-Mart paid at least $82.2 million over three years to...

Maritzes near settlement of fight over company.
July 16, 2006... Byline: William C. Lhotka Jul. 16--Four years of litigation among siblings for control of Fenton-based Maritz Inc. could be coming to an end, with a tentative settlement this week of the family feud. The tentative agreement was worked...

St. Louis Post-Dispatch David Nicklaus column.
July 16, 2006... Byline: David Nicklaus Jul. 16--The name Stifel Nicolaus used to be notable mainly for being mispronounced, even in its hometown of St. Louis. Chances were, if you heard about the brokerage firm at all, it was called "Stifle" or...

Taking business underground.
July 16, 2006... Byline: Rebecca Roussell Jul. 16--Imagine going to work every day about 100 feet underground. The last bit of sunlight you see before you enter the workspace is replaced by huge floodlights attached to the 20-foot-high rock ceilings....

Think you're too small.
July 16, 2006... Byline: Rebekah Tsadik Jul. 16--When Betsy Ibur started her home-based child-care service 12 years ago, she relied on newspaper advertisements, fliers and referrals to attract new customers to her small business in Webster Groves. But as...

Is less bad the same as good?
July 17, 2006... The following editorial appeared in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch on Friday, July 14: X X X President Bush last week celebrated the news that Uncle Sam will plunge only $296 billion deeper in debt this year, as opposed to $319 billion...

Dollywood: Rides and attractions but no Dolly.
July 17, 2006... Byline: Tom Uhlenbrock PIGEON FORGE, Tenn. _ With my hair slicked back and a fresh shirt on, I pondered how to address the reigning queen of country while riding the parking-lot tram toward Dollywood. Would it be Dolly? Miss Parton?...

Where there're Smokies, there's fun.
July 17, 2006... Byline: Tom Uhlenbrock GREAT SMOKY MOUNTAINS NATIONAL PARK, Tenn. _ The driver of the SUV stopped and jumped out, leaving the door open and blocking the one-lane road as he chased with his camera after the black furry figure ambling...

Squeezing diesel from coal.
July 17, 2006... Byline: Jeffrey Tomich Jul. 17--With the price of crude oil hovering above $70 for the last month, St. Louis-based Peabody Energy Corp. and Denver-based Rentech Inc. announced plans Tuesday to build two plants that would produce diesel and...

Surrogates help couples build dream of a family.
July 18, 2006... Byline: Aisha Sultan and Molly McElroy ST. LOUIS _ The three women who picnicked together on a recent Saturday all need each other to a create a single baby. Katy Melo, 31, from Houston, has the genetic DNA _ her unfertilized egg....

Loneliness: Reach out and grunt at someone.
July 18, 2006... Byline: Kevin Horrigan Last week, a colleague who knows of my deep affection for France and my keen interest in the World Cup e-mailed me a correction that appeared in the British tabloid The Daily Star. The Star, upset that England's...

Pinnacle says it has deal to buy President's debt load.
July 18, 2006... Byline: Tim McLaughlin Jul. 18--Pinnacle Entertainment Inc. said Monday it has a $63 million deal to buy debt claims from the top creditors in the long-running bankruptcy case of President Casinos Inc. The deal would clear the way for...

Thermadyne has more bad news, auditing firm resigns.
July 18, 2006... Byline: Gregory Cancelada Jul. 18--Struggling to straighten its accounting and soothe creditor worries, Thermadyne Holdings Corp. announced more bad news on Monday. Accounting firm Ernst & Young LLP will resign as the company's auditor as...

Braves score in double digits for the fifth consecutive game.
July 18, 2006... Byline: Derrick Goold ST. LOUIS _ Left out of his team's offensive glee Monday night, Atlanta's Andruw Jones swung into the fun Tuesday with a couple of home runs as the Braves lambasted the Cardinals 14-5. The Cardinals' 10th loss...

Effectiveness of flu vaccine for older adults questioned.
July 18, 2006... Byline: Tina Hesman Saey ST. LOUIS _ Flu shots may be less effective at keeping the elderly healthy than previously thought. Researchers led by Dr. Daniela Rivetti of the public health department in Asti, Italy, examined data collected...

Prosecutorial wimp-out on Wal-Mart's illegals.
July 19, 2006... The following editorial appeared in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch on Tuesday, July 18: X X X Three years ago, immigration agents arrested nearly 300 illegal immigrants in a single night of raids at Wal-Mart stores across the nation,...

Cardinals weather a major storm, gain a win.
July 19, 2006... Byline: Derrick Goold ST. LOUIS _ After two nights of the team's pitching staff being battered and two hours of the team's new ballpark being whipped and ripped by high wind, Chris Carpenter showed just how to keep an offensive gust down....

DNA evidence frees man after 23 years in prison.
July 19, 2006... Byline: William C. Lhotka ST. LOUIS _ Authorities on Wednesday released Johnny Briscoe from a prison in Charleston, Mo., where he had been serving a life sentence for the past 23 years for crimes the state now says he didn't commit. ...

Storms cut power, snap trees, topple trucks in St. Louis area.
July 19, 2006... A powerful storm system pounded the St. Louis area early Wednesday evening, packing wind gusts that pelted people in cars with debris, toppled street lights and snapped branches. At least 385,000 households lost power. Meteorologists with...

St. Louis scores well in health insurance study.
July 19, 2006... Byline: Mary Jo Feldstein Jul. 19--A study released today found that St. Louis offered the most affordable health insurance for children and ranked ninth in affordable health coverage for families. But the report, by eHealthInsurance,...

New gas at gas stations: Grab a bottle of oxygen.
July 20, 2006

Big profit increase puts American in rare air.
July 20, 2006

Biotech startup looks to future after graduation.
July 20, 2006

Express Scripts Company moves more people off Lipitor.
July 20, 2006

Graham steps down as Fleishman-Hillard CEO.
July 20, 2006

Fly balls, not flying cows, at scary Busch Stadium.
July 20, 2006

Thousands without power after severe storm.
July 20, 2006

The paper chase.
July 21, 2006

Lee reports a 2 percent drop in operating profit.
July 21, 2006

St. Louis Post-Dispatch David Nicklaus column.
July 21, 2006

New program opens doors to housing for the needy.
July 21, 2006

Power outages could last 5 days, AmerenUE warns.
July 21, 2006