St. Louis Post-Dispatch (St. Louis, MO) articles from September 2007

St. Louis Post-Dispatch (St. Louis, MO) archives from September 2007

Looper, Ankiel lift Cards past Reds.
September 2, 2007... Byline: Joe Strauss ST. LOUIS _ The St. Louis Cardinals are six games above .500 when Braden Looper pitches. Once nine games below break even (20-29), they are eight games over when Rick Ankiel starts in the outfield. Sunday...

Samurai's workout falls short.
September 3, 2007... Byline: Amy Bertrand "A Samurai Workout" (DVD, $16.95) With fantastic scenery, artistic camera work and soothing, original music, you might expect a lot from this DVD. Unfortunately, you will be disappointed. The video spends...

`Bankers' hours' now include evenings and Sundays.
September 4, 2007... Byline: Jerri Stroud ST. LOUIS, Mo. _ When Fifth Third Bank opens a branch next month in St. Louis, it will take an even bigger, bolder step and open all 11 branches seven days a week. The plan flies in the face of banking traditions...

Bell tolls through history.
September 4, 2007... Byline: Angie Leventis LEBANON, Ill. _ A rich tone sounds on the hour at McKendree University, emanating from a bell that school historians claim is the oldest in the United States, perhaps the Western Hemisphere. The campus chapel has...

Taiwan looms over Chinese-American diplomacy.
September 4, 2007... Byline: Philip Dine WASHINGTON _ Rep. Ike Skelton, the top House member on military affairs, has returned from a visit to China alarmed about the prospect of a U.S.-Chinese armed conflict over Taiwan. The Missouri Democrat led a...

News Quiz: Recent studies link a hole in the heart with what condition?
September 4, 2007... Byline: Dale Singer 1. Recent studies link a hole in the heart with what condition? A. Acid reflux B. Asthma C. Migraines D. Elevated cholesterol 2. What state had the lowest obesity rate in the latest statistics? ...

Walk a mile in their shoes.
September 4, 2007... Byline: Karen Deer Menswear styles are showing up on women's fall heels and flats. Wing tips, oxfords and lace-up booties may be masculine, but women are falling in love with the feminine design. Pair the flat with jeans, work ensembles...

Duncan delivers as Cards stop Pirates.
September 4, 2007... Byline: Joe Strauss ST. LOUIS _ If not for Chris Duncan, the St. Louis Cardinals may not have survived May and June. Tuesday night, it was the Cardinals left fielder who escaped a summer's crypt. Duncan's bases-loaded,...

Device takes human error out of potential crane collisions.
September 5, 2007... Byline: Repps Hudson ST. LOUIS _ Kevin Maitland, a safety director at McCarthy Building Companies Inc., was understandably nervous about the usual way tower crane operators avoid collisions. "The old system used to be, `Hey, you're...

In 1970 study, the roots of Sen. Craig's misadventure.
September 5, 2007... Byline: Todd C. Frankel ST. LOUIS _ Back in the 1960s, long before a U.S. senator got busted for lewd behavior in an airport bathroom, it was called "the tearoom trade." But social researchers knew almost nothing about it. So a...

Crow-quet, anyone?
September 5, 2007... Byline: Jamila Robinson This Halloween, after the kiddies recite their riddles and get their goodies, they can challenge each other to a game of six-wicket crow-quet in the yard. Crow-quet is a little spookier than the English game,...

Capsule for NFL's Thursday night game.
September 5, 2007... Byline: Dan Caesar Dan Caesar's NFL capsule SAINTS at COLTS When: 7:35 p.m. CDT on Thursday. TV: NBC. Line: Colts by 6. The fluff: The NFL again kicks off its season with a Thursday night extravaganza, with music...

Rethinking care for patients with Alzheimer's.
September 5, 2007... Byline: Mary Jo Feldstein Sep. 5--After Gail Aylward was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, she moved into a condo with her brother and daughter. A few years later, she started to wander. Ron Aylward, her brother, realized she needed...

Duncan delivers.
September 5, 2007... Byline: Joe Strauss Sep. 5--If not for Chris Duncan, the Cardinals may not have survived May and June. Tuesday night, it was the Cardinals left fielder who escaped a summer's crypt. Duncan's bases-loaded, opposite-field double against...

Eye injuries can affect careers of two players.
September 5, 2007... Byline: Rick Hummel Sep. 5--The unfortunate accident Friday night that cut short Juan Encarnacion's season brings to mind a handful of like occurrences in baseball, none of which had a particularly happy ending professionally for either...

On-deck circles moved for safety.
September 5, 2007... Byline: Joe Strauss Sep. 5--The Cardinals have relocated the on-deck circles farther from the dugouts in the aftermath of Juan Encarnacion being struck. The circle is actually closer to the plate but is more behind it than to the side....

Encarnacion released from hospital.
September 5, 2007... Byline: Joe Strauss Sep. 5--Cardinals right fielder Juan Encarnacion was discharged Tuesday from Missouri Baptist Medical Center, but doctors have yet to decide when surgery will take place to repair Encarnacion's fractured left eye...

St. Louis Post-Dispatch Bill McClellan column.(Column)
September 5, 2007... Byline: Bill McClellan Sep. 5--"Here comes a raging rush of people with torches, and an awful whooping and yelling and banging tin pans and blowing horns; and we jumped to one side to let them go by, and as they went by I see they had the...

BRIEF: Ticket notices sent for postseason.
September 5, 2007... Byline: Joe Strauss Sep. 5--Season ticket holders have received order forms for postseason tickets, but no official announcement has been made when tickets will be made available to the rest of the fan base. The Cardinals, who have a...

St. Louis Post-Dispatch Bryan Burwell column.(Column)
September 5, 2007... Byline: Bryan Burwell Sep. 5--Baseball is supposed to be the ultimate numbers game. Cold, hard facts and exotic figures always have provided the game with certain rock-solid, numerological certainties. If you hit over .350 for a stretch of...

Barat Academy opens.
September 5, 2007... Byline: Jessica Bock Sep. 5--DARDENNE PRAIRIE -- More than 80 students in the founding freshman class at Barat Academy began their first day on Tuesday with a blessing from Archbishop Raymond Burke and a round of applause. The new...

Grieving mom calls for closing cliff-diving site.
September 5, 2007... Byline: Christine Byersand Robert Kelly Sep. 5--FREDERICKTOWN, Mo. -- The grieving mother of a young man from Mehlville has joined the call to close a popular private swimming and diving spot about 70 miles south of St. Louis. It's a call...

Juice Williams looks good in return to practice.
September 5, 2007... Byline: Stu Durando Sep. 5--Juice Williams might have been groggy Saturday afternoon at the Edward Jones Dome, but he was as sharp as ever in practice Monday. Coach Ron Zook said the sophomore quarterback threw the ball as well as he...

Arrest ends 'one-man crime spree,' says Randolph County police.
September 5, 2007... Byline: Nicholas J.C. Pistor Sep. 5--SPARTA, Ill. -- A string of home invasions, one leaving an elderly man beaten with his unloaded shotgun, has led to the arrest of a paroled convict. On Tuesday, the Randolph County Sheriff's Department...

St. Louis Post-Dispatch Dan O'Neill column.(Column)
September 5, 2007... Byline: Dan O'Neill Sep. 5--In the recent issue of Sports Illustrated, football scribe Peter King ranks his top 500 NFL players. More power to King and/or staffers for attempting such a thing. Many of us would be hard-pressed to name...

St. Louis Post-Dispatch David Nicklaus column.(Column)
September 5, 2007... Byline: David Nicklaus Sep. 5--Robert Guller wants everyone to know that flipping properties is not his style. He has, though, shown an amazing sense of timing with two aging, nondescript downtown office buildings. Guller and his...

Developer unveils plan for Lafayette Square.
September 5, 2007... Byline: Joel Currier Sep. 5--ST. LOUIS -- A developer on Tuesday night presented plans for a $41.6 million residential and commercial development in St. Louis on a site that encompasses the former Praxair plant in Lafayette Square. The...

EDITORIAL: On to Plan D.(Editorial)
September 5, 2007... Sep. 5--Plan A for Iraq was "shock and awe," followed by the "Thunder Run" into Baghdad to knock off Saddam Hussein, followed by "Mission Accomplished." Plan B was the Coalition Provisional Authority, disbanding that messy Iraqi army and...

EDITORIAL: Confounded by a street lamp.(Editorial)
September 5, 2007... Sep. 5--It's tempting to laugh at the predicament of AT&T and the city of St. Louis in their efforts to make wireless, high-speed Internet access available everywhere in town. Here, after all, is the nation's biggest communications company,...

Plan to allow St. Charles vote on fireworks dies.
September 5, 2007... Byline: Tim Bryant Sep. 5--ST. CHARLES -- A split City Council Tuesday killed a proposal that would have allowed voters to decide whether to ban the use and sale of fireworks. The council had been considering a proposal to put the...

Phone rings, and that's good news for Culberson.
September 5, 2007... Byline: Bill Coats Sep. 5--The Rams' on-the-bubble players spent Saturday -- the day final NFL rosters had to be set -- hoping that their phones wouldn't ring. Players who are released get calls from team officials; those who make the...

Man admits fraud in home-buying scheme.
September 5, 2007... Byline: Robert Patrick Sep. 5--ST. LOUIS -- A man from St. Louis pleaded guilty Tuesday to federal bank fraud conspiracy and money laundering charges, admitting his role in a scheme that used lax lending standards and motivated sellers to...

Fleeced investors upset that key figure isn't prosecuted.
September 5, 2007... Byline: Robert Patrick Sep. 5--ST. LOUIS -- Investors bilked out of more than $4 million in a fraud scheme were left unhappy Tuesday when the scheme's originator avoided charges and his shell company was ordered to pay money that may never...

Local owner of Krispy Kreme franchises files for bankruptcy.
September 5, 2007... Byline: Jeremiah McWilliams Sep. 5--The franchise operator of five Krispy Kreme doughnut shops in the St. Louis area has filed for bankruptcy, but the company doesn't expect any impact on local daily operations. Des Peres-based Sweet...

St. Louis Post-Dispatch Mary Jo Feldstein column.(Column)
September 5, 2007... Byline: Mary Jo Feldstein Sep. 5--About a year and a half ago, my doctor told me I needed to lose weight. I knew I had put on a few pounds after college. But when she said I was 25 or 30 pounds over my ideal weight, I brushed her off...

CORRECTION: Steve Fossett's plane is missing.
September 5, 2007... Byline: Bill Smith and Stephen Deere Sep. 5--The St. Louis Post-Dispatch story slugged SL-MISSING-PLANE-20070905, moved by McClatchy-Tribune Regional News for Sept. 5, incorrectly identified John Glenn's Freedom 7 as the first manned...

Are 4 NFL exhibition games too many?
September 5, 2007... Byline: Jim Thomas Sep. 5--Decades ago, long before the days when television money turned the National Football League into a billion-dollar business, players spent the offseason working in banks or selling insurance to supplement their...

Wells may lose job as starter.
September 5, 2007... Byline: Joe Strauss Sep. 5--Kip Wells' standing in the Cardinals rotation came into serious question Tuesday, and with it the viability of manager Tony La Russa's projected six-man rotation. La Russa refused to give Wells a vote of...

Infielder gets to play first season in a league in Israel.
September 5, 2007... Byline: Brian Sumers Sep. 5--David Kramer will probably never play major-league baseball, but for one summer, far away from St. Louis, he was someone special. Kramer, a Parkway North and Washington University graduate, played in the...

Chicago-area officer will lead Edwardsville police.
September 5, 2007... Byline: Terry Hillig Sep. 5--EDWARDSVILLE -- A veteran police officer with the Naperville, Ill., police department will be Edwardsville's next police chief. The Edwardsville City Council Tuesday unanimously approved Mayor Gary...

Talkin' baseball, football at the Police Foundation.
September 5, 2007... Byline: Bill Bryan Sep. 5--ST. LOUIS -- The Police Department got a $260,000 boost from a crowd that turned out Tuesday to hear shop talk from sportscasters Joe Buck and Dan Dierdorf at the St. Louis Police Foundation's inaugural luncheon....

Gov. Blunt stands by education nominees.
September 5, 2007... Byline: Jo Mannies Sep. 5--As Gov. Matt Blunt sees it, Rick Sullivan still holds his interim appointment as chief executive officer of the St. Louis Public Schools. The same holds for Derio Gambaro, nominated by the governor to sit on...

Dempsey nabs seat once held by Gross.
September 5, 2007... Byline: Mark Schlinkmann Sep. 5--ST. CHARLES COUNTY -- State Rep. Tom Dempsey captured on Tuesday the state Senate seat that opened when fellow Republican Chuck Gross resigned for a high-level job in St. Charles County government. ...

HARD/EASY: Bratwurst kicks off tailgating season.
September 5, 2007... Byline: Babette Morgan Sep. 5--While the St. Louis Rams have been getting ready for the start of their regular football season, which opens Sunday at the Edward Jones Dome against the Carolina Panthers, I've been doing a little practicing...

SLUH's Zandstra dies.
September 5, 2007... Byline: Brian Sumers Sep. 5--Chris Zandstra's arm rose in David Callon's sophomore English class two weeks ago, his face showing sickness but his mind still sharp. "The second question I asked in class, he raised his hand to answer...

Women's league delays its debut.
September 5, 2007... Byline: Tom Timmermann Sep. 5--The new women's professional soccer league, which includes a team in St. Louis, has pushed its debut back from 2008 to 2009 to allow for the league to be fully ready and to avoid a conflict with the 2008...

Cardinals treading water in playoff race.
September 5, 2007... Byline: Joe Strauss ST. LOUIS _ Looking for a storybook finish, the Cardinals on Wednesday night happened upon a cautionary tale. Mark Mulder resurfaced in a pennant race feeling like it's still spring training. Only four minor-league...

Woman tells of beating with Bible.
September 5, 2007... Byline: Heather Ratcliffe Sep. 5--An elementary school teacher wept today as she told a St. Louis jury how a man who followed her into a downtown parking garage beat her with a Bible and then took her purse last year. Elyse McNett, 27,...

Fire candidates did poorly on test.
September 5, 2007... Byline: Jake Wagman Sep. 5--ST. LOUIS -- Scores of aspiring city firefighters could not answer basic math and reading questions on an entrance exam given this summer. More than 70 percent of about 1,350 applicants failed the test,...

Critic's TV Picks for Wednesday: 'Lords of the Gourd'.
September 5, 2007... Byline: Gail Pennington Sep. 5--One summer during college, as an intern at my hometown newspaper, I was assigned to the giant-vegetables beat. That meant sifting through snapshots of people showing off bloated watermelons, oversize...

Heart repair may give migraine relief.
September 6, 2007... Byline: Tina Hesman Saey ST. LOUIS _ Doctors soon will know whether sealing a small hole in the heart can cure a big pain in the head. In worldwide clinical trials, researchers are closing a passageway through the heart in migraine...

Maroth gets key start.
September 6, 2007... Byline: Derrick Goold Sep. 6--Back from a rehab assignment that had to be rushed, Mike Maroth rejoins the Cardinals starting staff this afternoon with the chance to influence more than just his place in the rotation. For a second...

St. Louis Post-Dispatch Bernie Miklasz column.(Column)
September 6, 2007... Byline: Bernie Miklasz Sep. 6--In his first meaningful start in more than a year, Mark Mulder couldn't summon the magic from his fingertips. There would be no dramatic comeback, no triumphant return, no instant September solution. ...

Teacher testifies against man she says beat her with a Bible in robbery.
September 6, 2007... Byline: Heather Ratcliffe Sep. 6--ST. LOUIS -- An elementary school teacher wept Wednesday as she told a St. Louis jury how a man who followed her into a downtown parking garage beat her with a Bible and then took her purse last year. ...

BRIEF: NL Central: Cards fall back a step.
September 6, 2007... Sep. 6--CUBS -- 1st (71-67) Up next -- Final game of four with LA Dodgers What to watch -- Jason Marquis (left) will start opposite Derek Lowe this afternoon at Wrigley Field. Marquis (11-8) is 6-2 in day games. Wednesday -- Won 8-2 over...

BRIEF: Clemente nominees.
September 6, 2007... Byline: Derrick Goold Sep. 6--CLEMENTE NOMINEES ANNOUNCED: As part of Roberto Clemente Day celebrations around baseball Wednesday, each club announced its local winner and nominee for the national Roberto Clemente Award. The Cardinals'...

BRIEF: Spiezio's status.
September 6, 2007... Byline: Derrick Goold Sep. 6--SPIEZIO'S RETURN "POSSIBLE": Nearly a month after utility infielder Scott Spiezio entered a rehabilitation program for substance abuse, Cardinals manager Tony La Russa said "it's still possible we'll see him...

BRIEF: SAINTS at COLTS.
September 6, 2007... Sep. 6--When: 7:35 tonight (St. Louis time) TV: KSDK (Channel 5) Line: Colts by 6 The fluff: The NFL again kicks off its season with a Thursday night extravaganza, with music blaring from John Mellencamp, Faith Hill and Kelly Clarkson between 7...

BRIEF: Hagans, Bennett: Studying up.
September 6, 2007... Byline: Bill Coats Sep. 6--Wide receiver Marques Hagans took some snaps at quarterback during team drills Wednesday. Hagans, a quarterback at the University of Virginia, and Drew Bennett, who called signals at UCLA, will be tutored as...

BRIEF: Rule change on injuries.
September 6, 2007... Byline: Bill Coats Sep. 6--The NFL has changed its injury report procedure. On Wednesdays and Thursdays, teams have to list only players who are out, didn't practice or were limited. Only on Fridays do injured players have to be...

BRIEF: Postseason tickets.
September 6, 2007... Byline: Derrick Goold Sep. 6--POSTSEASON TICKETS, ETC.: For fans who don't have season tickets and would like a chance to purchase playoff tickets, registration for postseason tickets began Wednesday at StlCardinals.com and will continue...

BRIEF: Ram-blings.
September 6, 2007... Byline: Bill Coats Sep. 6--Exercising a provision of the injured reserve rules, the Rams reached an injury settlement Wednesday with offensive tackle Todd Steussie. As a result, Steussie becomes a free agent and can rejoin the team in...

BRIEF: Reyes in relief.
September 6, 2007... Byline: Derrick Goold Sep. 6--REYES IN RELIEF: Righthander Anthony Reyes has been available in relief for two games, but the situations the Cardinals plan to use the second-year starter out of the bullpen appear limited. Reyes has started...

St. Louis Post-Dispatch Dan O'Neill column.
September 6, 2007... Byline: Dan O'Neill Sep. 6--If you're a baseball fan, you know there is nothing quite like September, nothing like the thrill of a pennant drive. And make no mistake, won-loss records notwithstanding, we find ourselves smack dab in the...

Developer sues over Columbia, Ill., project.
September 6, 2007... Byline: Nicholas J.C. Pistor Sep. 6--COLUMBIA, Ill. -- A St. Louis development firm has sued this city for breach of contact involving the massive Columbia Crossing retail project. In the lawsuit filed on Wednesday, developer G.J....

O'Fallon, Mo., mayor cleared in ethics inquiry.
September 6, 2007... Byline: Nancy Cambria Sep. 6--O'FALLON, Mo. -- For well over a year, Mayor Donna Morrow has been under the shadow of a state ethics commission investigation into a loan of nearly $3,000 from two Main Street area businessmen for her health...

City drops firefighters' entry test.
September 6, 2007... Byline: Jake Wagman Sep. 6--ST. LOUIS -- Hundreds of aspiring firefighters failed an entrance exam this summer because they could not answer basic math and reading questions, according to the city's personnel chief. More than 70...

BRIEF: Rams, Steussie reach settlement.
September 6, 2007... Byline: Jim Thomas Sep. 6--In an interesting move, the Rams have reached an injury settlement with offensive tackle Todd Steussie. As a result, Steussie could be eligible to re-join the team some time over the second half of the season....

Grocery workers vote to accept contract.
September 6, 2007... Byline: Mary Jo Feldstein and Jeffrey To Sep. 6--Workers at the St. Louis area's three largest grocery store chains voted overwhelmingly to ratify a new three-year contract on Wednesday, averting the kind of bitter strike and lockout that...

Blues' high-scoring Kariya is focused on a single goal.
September 6, 2007... Byline: Jeremy Rutherford Sep. 6--There was Pavol Demitra in 1997, Dale Hawerchuk and Shayne Corson in 1995 and Brendan Shanahan in 1991. The Blues have signed some notable free agents in the past two decades, but in terms of name...

St. Louis Post-Dispatch Joe Whittington column.(Column)
September 6, 2007... Byline: Joe Whittington Sep. 6--That collective rumble deep in the stomach of burgerdom created by the absence of Wendy's hamburger restaurants is about to be quieted. The Dublin, Ohio, chain that reportedly is up for sale says it...

St. Louis Post-Dispatch Mandy St. Amand column.(Column)
September 6, 2007... Byline: Amanda St. Amand Sep. 6--ALTON -- When Kirk and Ellen Myers bought a very old building in downtown Alton two years ago, they made big plans for the future of the building as well as their own. Parts of the building, on the...

Former teacher's dream of a math learning center is set to open.
September 6, 2007... Byline: Tim O'Neil Sep. 6--Ferguson -- Many teachers strive to make mathematics fun. Vicki Adams may have pulled it off. Adams quit her classroom job with the Orchard Farm School District in June to create a hands-on learning center, a...

St. Louis Post-Dispatch Pat Gauen column.(Column)
September 6, 2007... Byline: Pat Gauen Sep. 6--People in car wrecks tell of an immediate sense of bewilderment, in which it is difficult to grasp just what has happened. People in electric-rate wrecks may experience the same sensation. Lots of you were in...

Women police officers taking to soccer field.
September 6, 2007... Byline: Patrick M. O'Connell Sep. 6--FENTON -- Talk among the women standing in the weedy grass of a soccer practice field melds from arrest and proper use of the Taser to kicks and the pitfalls of overstepping the ball. Cops all, and...

Kenny Wallace will fill in for Rudd on Saturday.
September 6, 2007... Byline: Ken Roberts Sep. 6--St. Louisan Kenny Wallace, known for his highly recognizable laugh and easy-going manner, will put his game face on when he replaces Ricky Rudd Saturday night in the Nextel Cup Series Chevy Rock & Roll 400 at...

U. City woman finalist for NPR theme song lyrics.
September 6, 2007... Byline: Todd C. Frankel Sep. 6--She has written a theme song for 'All Things Considered' radio show. A University City woman is one of four finalists in a contest to pen lyrics for the theme song of National Public Radio's afternoon...

CORRECTION: Ruling has changed the stakes.
September 6, 2007... Byline: Tim Townsend Sep. 6--The St. Louis Post-Dispatch story slugged SL-STATUTE-OF-LIMITATIONS-20070906, moved by McClatchy-Tribune Regional News for Sept. 6, incorrectly stated that St. Louis County Circuit Judge Barbara Wallace had...

St. Louis Post-Dispatch Sylvester Brown Jr. column.
September 6, 2007... Byline: Sylvester Brown Jr. Sep. 6--"Ahh... I found something." Ruth Ann Abels Hager, a reference specialist at the St. Louis County Library, grew more excited with each discovery. About a week ago, Hager, the genealogist who...

St. Louis Post-Dispatch Talk of Charleytown column.(Column)
September 6, 2007... Byline: John Sonderegger Sep. 6--Now, Charleytown isn't going to be a sore loser about the failure by the St. Charles City Council to put the issue of fireworks on the ballot. Yes, I agreed with Council Prez Bob Kneemiller that voters...

Troy couple help get tortoise back home.
September 6, 2007... Byline: Patrick M. O'Connell Sep. 6--CHESTERFIELD -- Back in the cozy confines of his "tortoise sanctuary" on Wednesday, Charlie munched on a piece of lettuce in between photo flashes and welcome home wishes. "It's Charlie!" kids and...

Fairview wants no adult businesses, but the one here plans to stay.
September 6, 2007... Byline: Nicholas J.C. Pistor Sep. 6--FAIRVIEW HEIGHTS -- The only adult pleasure store in this city doesn't draw much attention to itself. The Pure Pleasure Megacenter sits in a nondescript strip mall, shielded from view by a Burger...

Auto research group sees dire outlook for St. Louis auto industry.
September 6, 2007... Byline: Christopher Boyce Sep. 6--Experts from a prominent auto research group painted a grim picture of the U.S. and local auto industry Wednesday at a meeting of Missouri and local economic development officials and politicians. Sean...

Cardinals tread water.
September 6, 2007... Byline: Joe Strauss Sep. 6--Looking for a storybook finish, the Cardinals on Wednesday night happened upon a cautionary tale. Mark Mulder resurfaced in a pennant race feeling like it's still spring training. Only four minor-league...