Some Missourians could end up as part of the group of soldiers called up involuntarily for service in Iraq. They’re called Individual Ready Reservists – retired and separated military people who have to serve as inactive reservists for several years after they separate. They receive no pay or benefits while they’re inactive and are called into active duty when an emergency strikes, such as the first Gulf War. West central Missouri Congressman Ike Skelton, Missouri’s top man on military matters in Congress, says the situation in Iraq has become an emergency. Skelton says this has been a bit of the Pentagon’s own doing as it drew down the number of active-duty forces during the 1990s while the number of missions increased. He says calling up the IRR is no long-term fix. Skelton and Army officials say they don’t know how many of these reservists could come from Missouri.
Statute Requiring ID Tags On Kegs Sold By Retailers Takes Effect
As of Thursday, anyone buying kegs of alcohol at grocery stores or bars will probably notice an identification tag attached to the container. It’s a way of helping liquor control authorities keep tabs on who’s buying the booze and who’s drinking the contents. Steve Shimmens, the Chief of Enforcement for the State Division of Alcohol and Tobacco Control, says better keg control might cut down on underage drinking. Some 70,000 tags have been sent to retailers throughout the state. The tags will remain with the containers until they are returned to the retailer. The tags will then be kept for a period of 90 days.
Cardinals Hand-Cuffed By Pirates Again
For the second straight night, the Cardinals bats were silent and for the second straight night they suffered a loss to the Pirates—last night they fell 3-0. Tike Redman’s fielder’s choice RBI in the second inning proved to be the game-winner for Pittsburgh. Cardinal starter Chris Carpenter lasted six innings and gave up all three runs off five hits and three walks and fell to 8-3 on the season. Both teams were held to six hits apiece as 21-year old rookie Sean Burnett earned the first win of his career. St. Louis has scored just one run in their two losses to the Pirates this series. The Cardinals’ lead in the National League Central dropped to three-and-a-half games as the Cubs beat the Astros 7-5 on Tuesday.
Royals End Five-Game School
The Royals put a five-game losing streak to bed with a couple of firsts on Tuesday. Mike Wood, who came to Kansas City in the Carlos Beltran trade, earned his first win of the year and his first career win as a starter in a 4-3 victory over the Orioles. Wood lasted six innings and was tagged for three runs off seven his—he struck out three and walked none. Sean Camp pitched a perfect ninth inning to earn the first save of his career. Desi Relaford’s RBI single in the sixth inning broke a 3-3 tie and gave the Royals the win. Matt Stairs, Tony Graffanino and Mike Sweeney also drove in runs Tuesday night.
Levick Introduced As SLU AD
Saint Louis University introduced Cheryl Levick as its new Athletic Director Tuesday afternoon. Levick comes to SLU after a four-year run as the A.D. at UC-Santa Clara, where she was the school’s first female to hold the position. Before that, Levick was at Stanford University for 12 years; nine of those years she was the Senior Associate Athletic Director. Levick is not stranger to the state of Missouri. She played volleyball at and graduated from Mizzou and went on to coach gymnastics and volleyball at Pattonville High School in the St. Louis area from 1974-1976.
