February 22, 2012

You are here: Home / Archives for Travel

Gas prices on the rise

June 4, 2009 By

We say it every summer — "well, gas prices are going up for the summer travel season."

And they are on the rise, but it’s not all due to summer demand, which drives prices up, up, up.

Mike Right with AAA in St. Louis says the spike is also a result of an unexpected rise in crude oil prices. Still, motorists won’t feel the pinch at the pump as bad as last year.

The average gas price in Missouriis about $2.47 a gallon and rising. Right says the Department of Energyhad projected a peak of $2.30 a gallon, but that "their projections are wrong as they usually are" and that a more likely peak is about $2.70.

Last year’s peak, in July, was around $3.95 a gallon. Ouch. He says there is no indication that we’ll reach those kind of prices this year. He says AAA’s preliminary indications is that more motorists will be traveling this year, and farther distances, that people aren’t as fearful of the economic decline as last year and are taking that vacation.

Right says to get the most out ofyour gas tank, keep tires inflated, air filters changed, don’t carry extraweight and slow down. Dropping your speed on the highways by just 10 mph can cut back on gas consumption.

He also recommends being wary of e-mail myths or Internet "tips" that don’t really help save on gas. The best advice, he says, is to follow your car’s instruction manual on octane usage.

And Missourians are doing better than most, Right says. A look at national averages show Missouri in the top half with SouthCarolina having the cheapest gas at $2.37. Hawaii is at the bottom of the list; motorists there are paying about $2.91.

The AAA Web site offers a host of information on gas prices, calculating fuel expenses before hitting the road and more.

 

Filed Under: Economy, Transportation Tagged With: ,

Highway Patrol reminds motorists to be safe on congested roads this weekend

May 22, 2009 By

As Memorial Day kicks off the summer travel season, the Highway Patrol issues some safety reminders and sobering statistics.

Crash in Southwest Missouri Lieutenent John Hotz says troopers will be out in numbers this weekend in anticipation of heavy traffic statewide, both to enforce traffic laws and to assist motorists who might be having trouble on the roadside.

The Highway Patrol says inattention, speeding and failing to yield the right-of-way cause the majority of accidents. Last year, there were more than 1,000 crashes resulting in 11 deaths and 477 injuries.

The Highway Patrol reminds motorists to obey the sepeed limit, pay attention to extra traffic on the roadways, watch for construction zones, follow traffic laws, fasten seatbelts, and make sure kids are in a safety seat appropriate to the size of the child.

The patrol reports Missouri is currently experiencing an 18 percent reduction in traffic deaths compared to the same time period last year, but says there are many vacation days between now and the end of the year.

The patrol will be participating in Operation C.A.R.E. (Combined Accident Reduction Effort) during the long holiday weekend. This means every available officer will be on the road enforcing traffic laws and assisting motorists. In addition, the Patrol will assign troopers to 10-mile intervals along Interstates 29, 44, 55, and 70, and U.S. Highways 60 and 61 on May 22 and May 25.

Troopers taking part in this enforcement project will be alert for all traffic offenses, and be especially vigilant to aggressive driving violations.

Motorists in need of assistance or who want to report a crime should use the Highway Patrol’s Highway Emergency number (800) 525-5555 or dial *55 on a cellular phone. For road condition reports, travelers can call (800) 222-6400 to hear about road construction areas throughout the state.

Troopers will focus their attention on seat belt use, use of child safety seats, intoxicated drivers, and speeding.

Missouri is currently experiencing an 18 percent reduction in traffic deaths compared to the same time period last year, but, the patrol says there are several holiday periods and many vacation days between now and the end of the year. Motorists are encouraged to practice safe driving habits to help continue this trend.

Jessica Machetta reports [Download/listen MP3]

Filed Under: Miscellaneous Tagged With: , , ,

MU grad student lands in China with H1N1, that country’s first case

May 11, 2009 By

University of Missouri-Columbia health officials are being tight-lipped about the details surrounding the case, but have confirmed that an MU graduate student has fallen ill with H1N1 — swine flu — while traveling to China.

This is the first positive case of swine flu confirmed in China’s mainland.

They’re not releasing his name due to federal privacy laws, but international news sources say Xueyang Bao, 30, started experiencing flu-like symptoms while on his way to China, where he plans to get married. Chinese health officials are working to contact the other 130 passengers on that flight to quarantine them.

Bao reportedly flew through St. Paul, Tokyo and Beijing before reaching Chengdu. Airline officials are working to contact others who were on the same flights as him to let them know about the situation.

According to the MU student directory, Bao is a geology student and expects to graduate with a doctorate in 2010.

MU officials have released a statement, saying they "are working with campus and public health professionals to investigate the situation and determine what actions, if any, should be taken."

"We continue to recommend that individuals follow the health guidelines that have been publicized earlier to avoid the spread of respiratory illness," said Susan Even, director of the MU Student Health Center.

Those recommendations include:

– Practice good hand hygiene, including washing hands and using hand sanitizers.
– Cough or sneeze into a tissue and place it in the trash, or cough or sneeze into your sleeve.
– Avoid crowds and people with compromised immune systems, and stay home.
– Seek medical attention only as symptoms warrant.

"At this time, as we’ve observed the H1N1 influenza in this country, the illness does not appear to be any more serious than the seasonal flu," Even said. 

Filed Under: Health & Medicine Tagged With: , ,

Health officials: if swine flu hits Missouri, we’re prepared

April 28, 2009 By

The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services is working with the health and medicalcommunity throughout Missouri and the U.S. to monitor the swine flu.

Spokesman Brian Quinn says rightnow, everyone is in the preparedness stage, and that "While we’re prepared for the worst, we’re hoping for the best."

Thus far, those in Missouri tested for the H1N1 virus — a strain that is a combination of swine flu, bird flu and other common influenza strains — have tested negative.

When comparing symptoms of other common ailments this time of year — seasonal allergies, influenza and a head cold — one stands out, Quinn says, which is a high fever. Other swine flu symptoms presenting in cases in other states and other countries include a sore throat, severe fatigue, aches and pains and a runny nose.

Quinn says the regularflu that comes around each season is still running its course, meaning some people could become easily alarmed. He’s urging those with flu symptoms, while it’s not an emergency situation, to see a physician. A doctor will first determine whether a person is infected with the swine flu, and if they are, will forward the information to the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services as well as the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Quinn says people can implement good health habits to help preventthe spread of the disease, such as frequent hand-washing with warm, soapy water, using hand sanitizer, eatingnutritional foods, covering your mouth when you cough or sneeze and don’t share drinks or utensils with others.

The swine flu outbreak has not hit pandemic proportions yet, but the warnings are in place in preparation for the worst. Quinn says the health department has been working on pandemic flu plan for a few years, so that planis in place already.

"We are not facing that yet, but we’re treating itlike this could turn into that," he said.

Department officials remind folks the swine flu can only betransmitted from humans to humans; and eating pork or being aroundpigs cannot spread the disease.

Quinn says this disease could do one of three things: it could decrease from this point and fizzle out, stay at current steady levels for a while with a few more cases and then eventually drop off, or turn into an outbreak and spread rapidly.

The CDC is currently reporting around cases in the U.S. in Kansas, Ohio, New York, Texas, Illinois and California. A toddler in Texas has died from the illness. For more information from the CDC on the swine flu, visit http://www.cdc.gov/swineflu/ .

Jessica Machetta reports [Download/listen MP3]

Filed Under: Health & Medicine Tagged With: ,

Transportation commission building relationships, overcoming challenges

April 27, 2009 By

As the chairman of the Missouri Highways and TransportationCommission completes his second month on the job, he reflects on thedepartments successes and challenges. 

KehoeMike3.jpg Mike Kehoe, after serving four years on the commission, took the lead as chairman at the beginning of March. (He was appointed to the commission in 2004 by then Gov. Matt Blunt.)

He says the department’s been working to strengthen its relationshipwith other entities, a part of working with MoDOT he really enjoys. Those partnerships were made evident Monday as MoDOT, key transportation legislators and officials from Union Pacific and Amtrak came together to break ground on a rail expansion project in California, Mo.

A study by the University of Missouri Engineering Department identified a 25-mile stretch in California as a major bottleneck along the St. Louis to Kansas City corridor, putting Amtrak passenger trains behind schedule.

There are no sidings long enough for Union Pacific cargo trains to pull off the main track, allowing Amtrak to speed through. Therefore, Amtrak has to pull off instead, resulting in late arrivals.

Kehoe says this is one of many projects where MoDOT and other agencies are working together to solve problems and improve Missouri transportation.

Kehoe says the department’s learned valuable lessons when looking atrough patches its encountered in the past, like the failed 15-yearhighway plan of the 90s. The five-year rolling plan now used means heightened accountability for MoDOT, which reviews and updates the plan annually to better track projects and spending.

He says MoDOT projects are always going to be controversial becausethere’s never enough funding to complete all of the projects peoplewant finished, but with everyone thinking outside the box and aiming at a common goal, more gets accomplished with each passing year.

In 1998, accountability legislation passed, requiring MoDOT to submit anannual report to the legislature by Nov. 10 each year. The same legislation created theposition of MoDOT director.

MoDOT adopted its rolling five-year plan for highway and bridgeimprovements in the state in 1999. That’s when the 15-Year Plan was scrapped as the financial blueprint for construction projects.

Serving with Kehoe, who lives in Jefferson City, on the commission is David Gach, St. Joseph, vice-chairman. Kehoe andGach have both served since 2005, with terms endingin 2011.

They replaced Duane Michie, Hayti, and Jim Anderson, Springfield,whose terms ended March 1, but both will remain on thecommission until Gov. Jay Nixon names their replacements. Other commission members are Rudy Farber, Neosho, and Grace Nichols, St. Charles. The six-member bipartisan commission governs the Missouri Departmentof Transportation.

Jessica Machetta reports [Download/listen MP3]

Filed Under: Transportation Tagged With: , ,
« Older Posts