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You are here: Home / Archives for Travel

Army urges teens to talk to a recruiter (AUDIO)

June 17, 2013 By Jessica Machetta

Missouri has about 51 thousand men and women in the military. Sgt. Matthew Gardea of Kansas City is one of them. He says the military is a good option for young people who might not know what they want to do in life.

Gardea“If you’re considering the armed services, the best way to do it is go talk to a recruiter,” he says. “We’re here to give you a lot of information, a lot of people might think that we’re here to kidnap you in the middle of the night and ship you off to war, it’s not like that at all. We just want people to understand there’s a lot of choices out there. we have a lot benefits out there that can help you not only better yourself as a person, but better your station in life.”

Gardea, who has been active duty for eight years, says until he went and talked to a recruiter, he didn’t know about what the Army has to offer.

“I was unaware about all the benefits we receive,” he says. “Not just medical and dental, but being able to fly for free from to base to base — I’ve done that before. There’s also a lot of benefits in terms of credit applications, low interest loans for homes, businesses, for cars.”

And he says for him, its provided an opportunity to see the world.

“For the Army specifically, I’ve deployed three times to Iraq,” he says. “During my time, I’ve gone to several bases here in the U.S. I’ve also gone to Mexico, Germany, Ireland, I’ve been to Canada. The Army’s offered me a lot of opportunities to go places I never would have gone on my own.”

The latest numbers from the Department of Defense shows there are about 1.4 million members of the military throughout the U.S. A little more than half a million of them are in the Army. About 17 thousand Missourians are active duty in the Army. A total of 51,510 Missourians are enlisted in the four branches of the armed services, active and reserve, and the National Guard.

For those who might not see active duty in their future, the Army says the reserve might be more fitting, especially those who want to go to college with their peers.

“In the Army Reserve, you may qualify for up to a $15,000 enlistment bonus, get money for college and repayment of your student loan,” the Army says.

Getting in

The Pentagon reports it’s tougher to enlist than ever before, due to higher standards put in place by the military. A high-school diploma, good scores on entrance exams and a clean record are preferred, and because of the economic slump in recent years, there’s a lot more competition to get into the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marines. Pulling back our military forces in the Middle East has also meant Uncle Sam can afford to be more selective than before.

Reports show that nearly 50 percent of today’s youth are considered unfit for military service because either they failed to graduate high school, have previous drug or alcohol charges or other criminal offenses on their records. More than 35 percent of the candidates are disqualified because of medical conditions including obesity.

Government records indicate that in fiscal 2012, the military enlisted about 155,000 new recruits, the lowest on record since World War II.

For more, visit www.GoArmy.com

AUDIO: Jessica Machetta reports (1:07)

 

Filed Under: Featured, Military, News Tagged With: Army, enlist, Gardea, Hubbard, Iraq, Kansas City, military, recruit, Travel

Gas prices on the rise

June 4, 2009 By admin

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: Highways, Travel

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

May 22, 2009 By admin

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: Fires/Accidents/Disasters, Highways, Missouri State Highway Patrol, Travel

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

May 11, 2009 By admin

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: Columbia, Travel, University of Missouri

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

April 28, 2009 By admin

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: Department of Health, Travel

Transportation commission building relationships, overcoming challenges

April 27, 2009 By admin

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: Amtrak, Department of Transportation, Travel

Missouri weather dangerously cold tonight

January 14, 2009 By admin

Steve Beusterien, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Kansas City, says weather conditions are rapidly deteriorating across the state as a cold front moves in.

"The cold front has moved through much of northern and central Missouri and temperatures have already fallen into the single digits and teens north of Interstate 70, and temperatures are right now 5 to 10 along the Iowa border and 15 to 20 near Interstate 70 and a little warmer to the south," Beusterien says. "Cold air will continue to rush into Missouri this afternoon with strong northwest winds at 15 to 25 miles per hour. The wind chill has already fallen to about 15 below at the Iowa border."

Temperatures are expected to fall to about 5 degrees to 10 degrees below zero across Missouri tonight, Beusterien says, with wind chills falling to about 25 below.

"Naturally … you’ll need to bundle up, reduce your exposure to outdoors," he says, "and if you’re traveling, make sure you have your winter safety kit with you … a little bit of food, extra blankets, flashlights."

"If you get out there and get stranded you’ll get cold quite quickly," he says.

In the case that residents do get stranded on the road, or find themselves without heat in their homes tonight, it’s recommended they call their local emergency personnel or law enforcement agency for help, he says.

Though the weather outside is frightful, Beusterien says there are warmer days in the near forecast and by early next week, the state will see weather that’s "quite nice for this time of year."

Filed Under: Weather Tagged With: Highways, Travel

Christmas Eve travel could be hazardous

December 24, 2008 By admin

Christmas Eve travel could be hazardous today.  The weather service says it’s raining in southern Missouri, with temperatures above freezing as the day starts. But a cold front is right behind that front and the rain will turn into snow as the storm moves southwest to northeast. An inch or so of snow is expected.

Northwest and western Missouri will see more snow. A winter weather advisory is in effect until mid-morning for northwest and western Missouri, with two or three inches of snow expected with falling temperatures during the day.

The winter weather advisory lasts until the middle of the day in northeast and central Missouri, with three to five inches of snow expected in the northeast; an inch or two in the central.

At least three traffic fatalities are blamed on icy roads.  Two people have been killed on Interstate 35 in a two-vehicle crash. A third person has died in a three-vehicle crash north of Houston. Road conditions are blamed in those two crashes as well as in dozens of less serious crashes yesterday and last night.

The Missouri Department of Transportation has road conditions on its Web site.

Filed Under: Weather Tagged With: Department of Transportation, Travel

Floodwaters have closed roads in northeast and north-central Missouri

June 27, 2008 By admin

Tractor underwater Floodwaters have covered roads up and down the Mississippi River, with highways north of St. Louis to the Iowa line at Alexandria especially affected. Mississippi floodwaters have also closed a number of highways south of St. Louis.

Now, flash flooding has wreaked havoc in north-central Missouri. Up to nine inches of rain fell in portions of north-central Missouri, closing many of the so-called "lettered" roads and even making passage on Highways 36 and 24 uncertain. The Missouri Department of Transportation has an informational map on its Web page that displays the latest road closings due to high water. Motorists can also call 1-800-ASK-MODOT to get the latest information on road conditions.

Jeff Briggs, a spokesman for MoDOT, cautions motorists against trying to drive through high water. He says motorists can never be sure how much water is over the road and whether it can be safely driven through.

Download/listen Brent Martin interviews Jeff Briggs of MoDOT on road conditions (7:20 MP3)

Filed Under: Transportation Tagged With: Fires/Accidents/Disasters, Travel

Big Drop in Fatalities

April 2, 2007 By admin

Missouri has come through the first quarter of the year with a dramatic drop in traffic fatalities. Traffic crashes in the first 90 days of the year have killed 195 people – 27 percent fewer than at this time last year. Highway Patrol Captain Tim Hull has never seen that kind of a drop.

After the first quarter of 2006, Missouri had recorded 268 traffic deaths.  In the first three months of 2007, the total was 195.

Hull says Missouri motirists seem to be more aware of what is happening around them. He also says traffic checkpoints and improved education programs are contributing to the decrease. But he points out the only major travel holiday during that period was New Year’s Day.  He says the major travel holidays and the major travel season are yet to come.

Nonetheless, the trend is pointing to Missouri’s first sub-1,000-fatality year since 1993. 

 

Filed Under: Transportation Tagged With: Missouri State Highway Patrol, Travel

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