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ATV crashes: people doing wrong things in wrong places

August 31, 2009 By

It’s been a bad summer for people on all-terrain vehicles and the people who ride them. Accident reports from throughout the state are stacking up: Two ATVs collide on a city street. The driver of one is arrested for drunk driving.The other driver is critically hurt. A man is killed when his ATV misses a curve and crashes into a tree. A boy riding an ATV in a street hits a curb, is thrown off,and dies. A man stops an ATV in the road and is hit by a car. A boy swerves to miss an animal in the road and is seriously hurt when the machine overturns and throws him off.

Personal injury lawyers point to Missouri’s ninth place national ranking for ATV-related deaths in 2006, a number from the Consumer Product Safety Commission. .

"These things are being operated on the highway and they’re not designed for highway use. The statutes actually say that the only time they should be operated on the highway is for agricultural uses only," says Highway Patrol spokesman John Hotz. He says the tires on ATVs are not designed for highway speeds.

Hotz says they’re allowed on roads only for agricultural purposes and must be operated and marked as slow-moving vehicles. The law says children have to be supervised even on the parents’ property.

But the accident reports are showing too many people are using them wrongly in the wrong places…

 

UPload BP interview with Lt. Hotz (6:29 mp3)

Filed Under: Human Interest

Some fairgoers left Sedalia with more money

August 31, 2009 By

Some State Fairgoers left with more money than they took to Sedalia.

State Treasurer Clint Zweifel has announced that his office returned nearly $46,761 of unclaimed property to 245 people attending the State Fair. More than the property returned, the increased visibility makes a difference says Zweifel.

"The number one thing we can do from a marketing perspective with this program right now is to build awareness about it. There are still so many Missourians who don’t know about it," Zweifel says. "We know that if more Missourians know about it, they’re going to be more likely to visit our Web site, put in their last name and they are going to be able to quickly find out if they have any unclaimed property."

The Unclaimed Property Division set up in the Mathewson Exhibition Center, offering fairgoers a chance to search its data base of abandoned assets from bank accounts, stocks, bonds, insurance policy proceeds, government refunds, utility deposits, past wages and safe deposit box contents. Fairgoers were able to use the service for free to search for property, file claims, even ask questions.

Zweifel says his office has a responsibility to promote its unclaimed property Web site.

"The reason why they may not visit the site is because they don’t even know about the program in the first place," Zweifel says. "The other reason why they may not do it is because they know about it, but they think the process is cumbersome. So, I think our job is to eliminate those barriers so that we can get that money back into Missourians hands."

In the past fiscal year, the Unclaimed Property Division a record 75,441 accounts totaling more than $26.6 million. To see if the Treasurer’s office is holding any unclaimed property that is yours, go to the Show Me Money Web site.

Download/listen Brent Martin reports (1:30 MP3)

Filed Under: Human Interest, Politics & Government

Republicans see opportunities for congressional gains in 2010

August 31, 2009 By

Midterm elections are usually difficult ones for the party that controls the White House – and Inside the Beltway pundits are predicting the 2010 elections could be tough for the Democrats. A couple of Missouri’s Members of Congress – Democrat Ike Skelton and Republican Blaine Luetkemeyer – have some thoughts on next year’s voting.

Congressman Blaine Luetkemeyer Northeast Missouri Congressman Luetkemeyer sees the possibility of this scenario playing out.

"The midterm elections are always a referendum on the party in power," said Luetkemeyer in an interview with the Missourinet. "Obviously, the Democrats are in power, right now, and I think that they’re going to have to earn the respect and earn the vote of the people. Right now they haven’t. The people are upset with them, they’re upset with the direction of the country."

West-central Missouri Congressman Skelton believes the economy will play a role in Democrats’ chances next year.

Congressman Ike Skelton "I’m concerned about the economy, about people getting work, getting jobs, and it looks like that is beginning – hopefully – to turn," Skelton told the Missourinet.

Skelton realizes there could be a lot of ups and downs before voters cast ballots next year.

"We’ll have to wait and see what the economy is like sometime next year," Skelton told the Missourinet. "The indicators are that it’s beginning to turn around. And frankly, if confidence returns, it’ll be a whole new ballgame."

Luetkemeyer says there had better be a turnaround or voters will hold Democrats accountable.

"The Democrats have the votes, they have both seats of government plus the President’s chair, and the result is they’re in charge, they’re responsible, they have to take full responsibility for what’s going on," said Luetkemeyer. "If the people like it they’ll get reelected. If they don’t it’s a great opportunity for us (Republicans) to show that we’ve got better ideas and can do a better job of leading."

While stopping far short of predicting a change in power, several political analysts expect losses for the Democrats in both the House and Senate in 2010.

Download/Listen: Steve Walsh report (:60 MP3)

Filed Under: Politics & Government Tagged With: , ,

McCaskill wraps up health care reform town hall tour

August 31, 2009 By

Senator Claire McCaskill (D-MO) has completed her health care town hall tour of Missouri with stops in West Plains and Springfield. As was the case at previous town halls, there was a good deal of shouting from some of the forum attendees.

Following the West Plains event, McCaskill made it clear she was pleased to have had the opportunity to meet with constituents – even though some of them have been a bit rowdy.

"People are very passionate – some are very angry," said McCaskill. "There are people on both sides of the issue in all of these town halls. I think it’s been terrific. I’m very lucky to have had the opportunity to stand in front of the people I work for and get their input, their comments, and try to answer all the questions I possibly can."

Later, in front of more than a thousand people in Springfield, McCaskill answered many of the concerns that had been expressed in prior meetings, including concerns about a government takeover of America’s health care system

"I am the first to tell you that I think we have to be very cautious and careful," said McCaskill. "I will be the first to tell you that I will not support a government takeover of the health care system. But that doesn’t mean that there is anything in the Constitution that prohibits it. If there was something in the Constitution that prohibits it Medicare would have been found unconstitutional a long time ago."

In all, McCaskill held ten town hall forums to discuss health care reform proposals.

Filed Under: Politics & Government Tagged With:

St. Louis contractor pleads guilty to fraud

August 31, 2009 By

A St. Louis contractor has pleaded guilty to four counts of unlawful merchandising for defrauding consumers.

The Attorney General’s office accused Patrick Rayburn of failing to complete home improvement work in which he took payment. Projects included new rooms, larger bathrooms and new garages. After a St. Louis grand jury indicted him, Rayburn was arrested on February 29th of last year.

Filed Under: Crime & Courts Tagged With: ,
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