News

By Adam Allington, St. Louis Public Radio

St. Louis, MO – A group of students at Washington University are accusing the school of getting "too cozy" with the coal industry.

Last year the university created a research group called the "Consortium for Clean Coal Utilization", funded in part through $12 million from Peabody Energy, Arch Coal and Ameren.

"Clean coal" is a conceptual industry term given to power plants that may eventually store carbon dioxide emissions underground, rather than releasing the greenhouse gas into the atmosphere.

By Bill Raack, St. Louis Public Radio

St. Louis, MO – Voters in St. Louis County will go to the polls Tuesday and decide whether most bars and restaurants should go smoke-free.

The indoor smoking ban measure - Proposition N - would cover most public venues with the exception of casinos. Jon Rand, an owner of Discount Smoke Shop based in St. Louis, says if it is approved, money usually spent in St. Louis County will go elsewhere.

By St. Louis Public Radio

St. Louis – Record rainfall last month has led to spring-like flooding here in the St. Louis area, though there has been no major damage reported.

Downtown, the Mississippi River has covered Sullivan Boulevard by the Arch.
Floodwall gates have been closed. The President Casino on the Admiral riverboat has closed temporarily because of high water.

The Mississippi is expected to crest at 3.3 feet above flood stage by Tuesday morning.

By Rachel Lippmann

St. Louis – The scene at 7440 Zephyr Place in Maplewood was total chaos when fire Chief Terry Merrell showed up on the morning of July 21, 2008.

A sniper had shot and killed a rookie firefighter and trapped four others, turning a simple truck fire into a major emergency with dozens of first responders. But World War II-era radio technology meant police, fire and EMS couldn't talk to one another, even if they were standing next to each other.

By Marshall Griffin, St. Louis Public Radio

Jefferson City, Mo. – The Missouri Air Conservation Commission and the Department of Natural Resources are seeking sanctions against three businesses for demolishing buildings without properly inspecting for asbestos.

Two of the businesses are in the Kansas City area and the third in Perry County. The DNR's Travis Ford says they've contacted the business owners multiple times, but haven't gotten adequate responses.