The state agriculture department hopes Missouri can avoid an economic and ecological disaster caused by a beetle that likes certain kinds of wood. The Walnut Twig Beetle carries a fungus as it bores into walnut trees. The fungus kills the living tissue in places where the beetle has been. In time the Thousand Canker fungus kills enough of the living tissue that the tree dies. [Read more...]
Four years after disaster, Ameren says Taum Sauk is “as fail safe as you can get” (AUDIO)
May 27, 2010 By
The scour on the side of the mountain caused by more than a billion gallons of rushing water is still distinct
More than four years after the Taum Sauk breach, a re-built Upper Reservoir has the hydroelectric plant fully operational.
Standing on top of the new $490 million reservoir, which sits in almost the exact footprint of the one that breached in 2005, Bob Meiners with Ameren says a major change is that there are now safeguards for the safeguards.
“There’s a lot more redundancy in the level of control protection than there was before. In addition, there are nine cameras. We didn’t have those cameras before. Also, the plant will be staffed 24/7, someone here monitoring it,” Meiners said. [Read more...]
3rd Grader’s doodle wins national recognition
May 27, 2010 By
A third grader from El Dorado Springs will receive a $15,000 college scholarship for winning her division of the national Doodle 4 Google competition. MaKenzie Melton also gets a laptop computer, a digital design tablet and a t-shirt with her doodle on it. Her school will get a $25,000grant to be used to establish or improve a computer lab.
Her doodle is on the Google homepage today.
MaKenzie has gone to New York City to accept her award. Part of the trip includes sessions with the jurors who picked her entry, including animators from Disney, the Sesame Street Workshop, and others. Her doodle isjoiningother finalists for a special exhibit at the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum in New York City. The exhibit opens today and continues through July 8.
Hariston Dooms Cards Again
May 27, 2010 By
Jerry Hairston Jr. hit a two-out solo homer in the bottom of the 13th to lift the San Diego Padres to a 2-1 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals.
Facing Mitchell Boggs (0-2), Hairston took a first-pitch fastball over the left-center field fence, providing the deciding run for a second consecutive game. Hairston hit a second-inning homer Tuesday in the opener of this three-game series to give the Padres a 1-0 win.
Edward Mujica (2-0) held the Cardinals scoreless over the final two innings to take the win.
Royals Snap Skid
May 27, 2010 By
Billy Butler went 2-for-4 with a solo homer, and Luke Hochevar tossed eight strong innings, as the Kansas City Royals earned a 5-2 win over the Texas Rangers in the finale of a two- game set at Kauffman Stadium.
Willie Bloomquist added a double and knocked in two for the Royals, who snapped three-game slide. The Royals also halted a six-game losing skid against Texas, but are still only 5-15 in the last 20 matchups.
Hochevar (5-2) allowed two runs on six hits with four strikeouts and didn’t issue a walk. It was the right-hander’s second consecutive strong start, as he threw a complete game in the Royals’ 9-3 win over Cleveland on Thursday. Joakim Soria pitched a perfect ninth to record his 11th save of the season and the 100th for his career.
Michael Young had an RBI triple, and Justin Smoak knocked in a run for Texas, which has dropped three of its last four since winning the previous five. Scott Feldman (2-5) was charged with the loss for allowing four runs on seven hits with one walk over 6 2/3 innings. He did not record a strikeout.
