Ozark hellbender listed as an endangered species

ST. LOUIS, MO (ST. LOUIS PUBLIC RADIO) - The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has listed the Ozark hellbender as a federally endangered species that cannot be harmed, killed, or bought and sold as a pet. The new legal protections should improve the chances of survival for this unusual aquatic salamander.

The now officially endangered Ozark hellbender is found only in the streams of the White River system in southern Missouri and northern Arkansas.

Ozark hellbender populations have dropped by 75 percent since the 1980s, with fewer than 600 remaining in the wild.

The main threats facing hellbenders are water pollution, habitat loss from mining, dams, and erosion, and collection for the pet trade.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has also listed both the Ozark and eastern hellbenders as protected under CITES, an international agreement to prevent rare and endangered species from being commercially bought and sold.

At up to two feet in length, the hellbender is one of the largest salamanders in the world.

Véronique LaCapra, St. Louis Public Radio

Read More

Franklin County completes draft of coal ash landfill regulation; meeting this Friday

LABADIE, MO (ST. LOUIS PUBLIC RADIO) - The Franklin County Board of Commissioners has completed a draft zoning regulation that would open the door for Ameren to build a coal ash landfill in the small Franklin County town of Labadie.

Opportunities for the public to comment on the draft regulation are limited.

As written, the regulation would allow coal ash landfills to be built in Franklin County, with some restrictions.

Patricia Schuba of the Labadie Environmental Organization says she has a number of concerns about the draft.

"There are many questions that are still out there about these regulations, some new things that were added, some things that were deleted, and what we would like is that the public have a chance to comment on this, and that we have a little more time to review it," Schuba said.

Franklin county commissioner Ann Schroeder says the commission will discuss the draft regulation this Friday at 10 a.m. The session will be open to the public.

"But it’s not an open mic session, it’s for us to go through what we have now, and talk about it, and our concerns and likes, dislikes, everything like that. Because we’ve already had the public sessions before this," Schroader said

Schroeder expects the commission to vote on a final regulation within a week or two.

Schuba says people should still express their concerns to the commission by fax, phone or e-mail.

Véronique LaCapra, St. Louis Public Radio

Read More

Missouri immunization rate improves

ST. LOUIS, MO (ST. LOUIS PUBLIC RADIO) - Missouri is doing a better job of getting toddlers vaccinated for childhood diseases.

Results of the CDC’s National Immunization Survey show Missouri rose from last in the rankings in 2009 up to 39th last year.

About 68 percent of children under age 3 are getting all the required vaccinations. Neighboring Illinois remained at just above the national average, with 75 percent.

Missouri health department director Margaret Donnelly attributes the improvement to stricter legislation and increased efforts to help parents keep track of vaccination schedules.

And she says cost should not keep parents from getting their children vaccinated.

"Even if you do not have insurance that covers immunizations, there are programs available where your child can get the vaccine at little or no cost," Donnelly says.

Donnelly urges parents to contact their healthcare provider or local public health agency to schedule an immunization appointment.

Véronique LaCapra, St. Louis Public Radio

Read More

MICDS gets $21.5 million gift

ST. LOUIS, MO (ST. LOUIS PUBLIC RADIO) - A St. Louis County private school has received a $21.5 million donation from the James S. McDonnell family.

Mary Institute and St. Louis Country Day School, or MICDS, will use the money to build a new, 52,000 square-foot science and math facility.

MICDS head of school, Lisa Lyle, says the goal is to involve students in the process of scientific research.

"These new lab facilities – the normal classroom/lab environment which is large and well-equipped, as well as the two research spaces – will give every child in the school the opportunity to engage deeply with hands-on, inquiry-based learning," Lyle said.

Lyle says having a research facility on campus will allow students to work with St. Louis-area professionals on long-term research projects.

"It will give us a chance to partner with local bench scientists, and it will give our kids exposure to the kinds of thinking and the habits of mind required to do sustained research," Lyle said.

Lyle believes plant science and medical research will continue to play an important role in the St. Louis economy in the future and wants MICDS students to be prepared.

The school hopes to begin construction on its new facility in the summer of 2012.

The McDonnell family's donation is the largest in the school’s history and the second largest ever to any grade or high school in the region.

James S. McDonnell III graduated from St. Louis Country Day School in 1954. His wife, Elizabeth Hall McDonnell, graduated from Mary Institute in 1958.

James S. McDonnell III is the son of James S. McDonnell, Jr., founder of the McDonnell Aircraft Corporation.

Véronique LaCapra, St. Louis Public Radio

Read More

Missouri Foundation for Health names new president and CEO

ST. LOUIS, MO (ST. LOUIS PUBLIC RADIO) - The Missouri Foundation for Health has named a new president and CEO.

Robert Hughes will assume his new post on November 1st, taking over from founding president James Kimmey who is retiring at the end of this year.

Hughes is an Illinois native but has spent the past 20 years in New Jersey. There, he worked for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the largest health philanthropy in the U.S.

He says his first priority will be getting to know Missouri.

"I really want to get out and understand what the health issues are across the region, and I think any subsequent decisions about where the Foundation goes will be influenced by what I learn, and the kind of feedback that I get from community leaders and health leaders across the area," Hughes says.

Hughes says under his leadership the Missouri Foundation for Health will continue to serve as a source of information on federal healthcare policy.

Véronique LaCapra, St. Louis Public Radio

Read More

Public meeting to discuss north St. Louis riverfront development

ST. LOUIS, MO (ST. LOUIS PUBLIC RADIO) - The St. Louis Development Corporation is holding a public meeting on Tuesday afternoon to discuss plans to develop the north St. Louis riverfront.

The engineering firm HNTB has been studying the 3,000-acre area for the city, to figure out what’s needed to turn it into a freight transportation hub. The city also wants to attract new businesses and jobs.

HNTB north riverfront project manager Brian Comer says the area has problems with storm water flooding, and lacks supporting businesses like restaurants.

It’s also difficult for trucks to get freight in and out of the port.

"There’s a number of areas right now...where the rail lines cross a number of the major streets, such as Hall Street," Comer said. "Trains actually block the road."

The HNTB study has been funded by a $600,000 grant from the Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration, along with $200,000 in city funds.

Jennifer Allen of Trailnet, a local non-profit that promotes biking and walking, says her organization’s priority is for St. Louisans to be able to access the river.

"We think it’s important that we have people living there, that we have these recreational activities happening there, that it’s really a district, a destination, that can connect people to the river," Allen said. "And at the same time provide the jobs that everyone knows that we so need."

Both Allen and Comer say Tuesday’s meeting is an opportunity for people to ask questions and voice their priorities for the north riverfront area.

Véronique LaCapra, St. Louis Public Radio

Read More

EPA issues decision on Mo. water quality standards

ST. LOUIS, MO (ST. LOUIS PUBLIC RADIO) - The EPA today issued its decision on Missouri's water quality standards,approving how the state categorized 244 streams, rivers and lakes.

That decision means water bodies newly designated for high contact uses like swimming will need more protection.

Some sewage treatment plants, municipalities and others will need to start treating their wastewater discharges.

EPA water quality manager John DeLashmit says the agency didn't agree with the state's categorization of 23 waterways, including the lower River Des Peres near St. Louis.

"The state proposed protecting it only for boating, canoeing, and wading," DeLashmit said. "And because of the public comments that we've received and reviewed, we are disapproving that decision and asking the state to protect it at a higher level."

Those public comments said people are using the River Des Peres for swimming. The same is true for the Mississippi River near St. Louis.

DeLashmit says the EPA will work with the Missouri Department of Natural Resources to set new, more protective standards for both rivers.

Véronique LaCapra, KRCU

Read More

Nitrate pollution in Mississippi River Basin remains at 1980s levels, despite reduction efforts

ST. LOUIS, MO (ST. LOUIS PUBLIC RADIO) - A new study shows that despite decades of effort to reduce nitrate pollution in the Mississippi River Basin, concentrations remain as high today as they were in the 1980s.

The U.S. Geological Survey conducted the study, which looked at nitrate levels at eight sites on the Mississippi, Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, and Ohio rivers.

USGS hydrologist and study lead Lori Sprague said the next step will be to figure out where the pollution is coming from.

"The largest sources of nitrates are fertilizer, livestock, wastewater treatment plants, and industrial emissions," Sprague said. "We can't say for sure which of those are causing the trends that we're seeing and in fact it's probably some combination of all of them."

Nitrates flowing from the Mississippi River into the Gulf of Mexico contribute to the formation of areas known as dead zones, where there is too little oxygen in the water to support marine life.

Véronique LaCapra, St. Louis Public Radio

Image: A map showing each of the sites involved in the U.S. Geological Survey's study on nitrate pollution in the Mississippi River Basin.

(Courtesy U.S. Geological Survey)

Read More

Public asked to comment on proposal to replace hundreds of trees near Gateway Arch

ST. LOUIS, MO (ST. LOUIS PUBLIC RADIO) - The National Park Service is bracing for the possible loss of more than 900 trees near the Gateway Arch. That’s what could happen if the emerald ash borer makes it to the St. Louis area.

The emerald ash borer has killed millions of ash trees since it was accidentally introduced to the U.S. in the early 1990s.

The small, bright green insect has already made its way to southeastern Missouri and northeastern Illinois.

Rob Lawrence, a forest entomologist with the Missouri Department of Conservation, says it’s just a matter of time until the emerald ash borer spreads to St. Louis.

“It moves on its own slowly, but the problem is that emerald ash borer hitchhikes on firewood real easily so when folks are moving firewood around, it can jump several states in just a matter of a few days.”

The superintendent of the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial, Tom Bradley, says the Park Service is seeking public input on a proposal for replacing the ash trees on the arch grounds.

"Ultimately we’d like to chose the species or cultivar that’s the replacement tree, and then decide how we’re going to take this on — replacing these 900 trees," Bradley said. "Are we going to do it all at once, or break it into zones? That’s just a big question."

The public has until August 24th to provide comments.

Véronique LaCapra, St. Louis Public Radio
Photo: An adult emerald ash borer. Photo by David Cappert, Michigan State University.

Read More

SLU conference investigates criminal deaths, forensic science

ST. LOUIS, MO (ST. LOUIS PUBLIC RADIO) - Saint Louis University is hosting a conference this week on advances in criminal death investigation and forensic science.

Conference organizer and SLU pathologist Dr. Mary Case is the chief medical examiner for St. Charles, Jefferson, and Franklin counties. Case says that this year, the biennial event has drawn about 200 participants from across the country.

She says they’re here to learn about the latest methods for investigating homicides and other suspicious deaths. “These are people primarily that work in medical examiner and coroner offices, as what we call death investigators. We have some doctors, we have some lawyers, we have some nurses…”

The four-day conference will cover how to carry out death investigations in a wide range of circumstances, including cases of child abuse, drug overdose, and battlefield fatalities.

Case says one popular conference speaker is poison expert John Trestrail. She says these days, cases are of criminal poisoning are rare, but they do happen.

“And he’s going to talk to us about what kinds of poisons are used, how those cases are detected, and how they’ve been handled in the court. Sometimes he actually brings along a little sample box that has a bunch of very deadly kinds of poisons and he kind of passes it around.”

Case adds that those poisons are safely contained in small, tightly-sealed vials.

Véronique LaCapra, St. Louis Public Radio

Read More

SLU to study effects of air pollution on pregnant women in China

ST. LOUIS, MO (ST. LOUIS PUBLIC RADIO) - The Saint Louis University School of Public Health is launching a study to look at the effects of urban air pollution on pregnant women in China.

SLU epidemiologist Zhengmin Qian says the research will track the pregnancies of 100,000 women in Wuhan, a city of nine million people in central China.

“We are going to look at the health effects at different pollution levels, from no pollution [to] high pollution,” Qian said.

The goal is to find out whether women exposed to high levels of ozone, particulate matter and other air pollutants during pregnancy are more likely to have babies born prematurely or underweight.

Qian says most research on the health effects of air pollution has been done in the U.S. or Europe, not in developing countries where urban air pollution levels are typically much higher.

The study is being funded by the Chinese government and by the Health Effects Institute, a U.S. non-profit.

Locally, SLU is also participating in the National Children’s Study, which is investigating the effects of pollution on the health of children in the United States.

Véronique LaCapra, St. Louis Public Radio

Read More

New project aims to decrease breast cancer deaths in north St. Louis

ST. LOUIS, MO (ST. LOUIS PUBLIC RADIO) - A new project in north St. Louis aims to lower breast cancer death rates for women of color.

Washington University sociologist Sarah Gehlert says even though nationwide, white women are more likely to get breast cancer, black women are about 35 percent more likely to die of the disease.

She says in St. Louis, that number is closer to 60 percent.

Gehlert says she and her project partners want to find out why low-income women in north St. Louis aren't getting the treatment they need - and then do something about it.

"So we're going to first present our findings at town hall meetings on the north side with open microphones for community feedback, and with our partners, try to turn our findings into improvements in the system, so that we can reduce the excess deaths among black women in St. Louis," Gehlert said.

Washington University will work with community organizations and healthcare providers in north St. Louis to develop and implement the project.

Mark Sanford is the executive vice president of the People’s Health Center, one of the north St. Louis healthcare providers working with Wash U on the breast cancer project.

He says researchers will ask women what happened after they were diagnosed with breast cancer, and whether they were able to get treatment.

"It brings the women into it themselves, so the women themselves will let us know that this works, this does not work," Sanford said. "Then we will be able to take that information and roll it up into a cohesive plan that says OK, this is what women are telling us, and this is where change needs to be done."

Sanford believes the project will make it easier for women of color in St. Louis to get the treatment they need.

Véronique LaCapra, St. Louis Public Radio

Read More

St. Louis plumber sues Ameren

A St. Louis County plumber is taking the utility company Ameren to court. Bob Bishop alleges Ameren terminated his contract after he told the company it was violating environmental laws.

Ken Chackes, a lawyer for the plaintiff, says Bishop has worked as a contractor for Ameren since 2003.

“His contract was terminated because he was reporting to the high officials in the company that Ameren was violating environmental laws and not using licensed plumbers to perform a lot of jobs and essentially was causing dangerous pollutants to get into the environment, endangering Ameren employees and the public” Chackes said.

Chackes says Bishop was working almost exclusively for Ameren when his contract was terminated, and that he is seeking financial compensation.

An Ameren spokesperson said the company cannot comment on pending litigation.

Véronique LaCapra, St. Louis Public Radio

Read More

ST. LOUIS, MO (ST. LOUIS PUBLIC RADIO) - The Missouri River Working Group is holding its first meeting on Wednesday to come up with a policy on flood control.

Missouri Senators Roy Blunt and Claire McCaskill launched the group with senators from North Dakota to look for ways to improve flood control along the Missouri River.

Senator Blunt says in the past, states in the upper Missouri River basin like North Dakota haven't had much flooding, but after this year, he expects all states along the river to make flood control a top priority.

"I would expect a good attendance from the Senators from Montana right down to Missouri, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa, Nebraska and Kansas, all of whom have been impacted this year by the flooding conditions of the river," Blunt said.

Senators Blunt and McCaskill have also joined Senator John Thune of South Dakota and others to request a hearing on Missouri River flood management with the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee.

Paul Johnston of the Corps' Omaha District says the Corps is open to working with the senators, but that this year's need for flood water storage was unprecedented.

"We got an extraordinary amount of rain in the end of May, followed by the highest runoff in a hundred years, in June," Johnston said. "And that essentially filled the reservoirs and took away our flexibility."

Johnston says to get reservoir levels back down the Corps has had to release record amounts of water down the Missouri River, leading to flooding.

Véronique LaCapra, St. Louis Public Radio

Read More

EPA announces new air pollution limits for coal-fired plants

ST. LOUIS, MO (ST. LOUIS PUBLIC RADIO) - The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced new limits on air pollution from coal-fired power plants.

The rule aims to lower emissions from power plants in 27 states including Missouri and Illinois.

The new rule requires states to reduce power plant emissions that produce soot and smog leading to asthma, heart attacks, and other health problems and improve air quality downwind.

Ameren spokesperson Susan Gallagher says the company is still figuring out what the new regulation means for its eleven coal-fired power plants in Missouri and Illinois.

But she says some Ameren plants have already installed air pollution controls.

"We would believe that we’re at a good baseline to minimize the impact of this rule, but it’s a little different from the proposed rule in that it appears that the EPA has made the final rule more difficult for power plants to comply," Gallagher said.

Missouri Coalition for the Environment director Kathleen Logan Smith says the regulation will keep power plants from exporting their air pollution out of state.

"Because the approach for power plants for decades was if you wanted your pollution to go away you just made your stack taller, so it went further away to the next guy downwind, Logan Smith said. "This is going to address that issue, this is going to help stop that."

According to the EPA, air pollution from Missouri and Illinois can travel as far as Pennsylvania and Texas.

Power plants will need to comply with the new pollution limits starting in January.

Véronique LaCapra, St. Louis Public Radio

Read More

No flooding expected in eastern Missouri

How much the Missouri River floods in the eastern part of the state will depend on summer rainfall.

That’s what Colonel Tom O’Hara of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers told reporters at press conference in downtown St. Louis Thursday morning.

The commander of the Corp’s St. Louis District says if we get average rainfall spread throughout the summer, we can expect only minor flooding.

“That could change based on additional rainfall, if we get higher than normal rainfall, or we get concentrated rainfall in various areas,” O'Hara said.

O’Hara says heavy rainfall would cause the Missouri River to overtop most of the agricultural levees between Washington, Missouri and the confluence.

Record high flows at upstream Missouri River dams will keep river levels above flood stage in our area through the end of August.

Véronique LaCapra, St. Louis Public Radio

Read More

USDA to promote biomass energy crops in Missouri

The USDA has chosen two new areas in Missouri to participate in a program promoting biomass energy crops.

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack says the program will pay farmers to plant giant miscanthus, a perennial grass that can be used for energy production.

Vilsack says the project hopes to enroll more than 8,000 acres around existing biomass conversion facilities in Columbia and Aurora.

“The biomass conversion facilities will essentially pelletize the miscanthus and then use it for agricultural heating, for power generation, for residential heating and potentially for export opportunities as well,” Vilsack said.

An area of up to 50,000 acres in western Missouri and eastern Kansas was approved for participation in May.

The USDA has also announced the selection of new biomass program areas in Arkansas, Ohio, and Pennsylvania.

Véronique LaCapra, St. Louis Public Radio

Read More

Chinese lantern festival coming to Missouri Botanical Garden

ST. LOUIS, MO (ST. LOUIS PUBLIC RADIO) - The Missouri Botanical Garden will host a Chinese lantern festival next year.

The exhibition - the first of its kind in the United States - will feature 26 large, brightly-colored lantern displays from China's Zigong province.

At a press conference Thursday, St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay said next year's exhibition will help attract tourism and showcase St. Louis as a global destination.

“People when they come to our city and they experience it, they like it. And that can only help us long-term, in terms of just promoting ourselves not only nationally but internationally,” Slay said.

The exhibition will run for three months starting at the end of May, 2012.

Véronique LaCapra, St. Louis Public Radio

Read More

Racial disparities persist in stroke care

ST. LOUIS, MO (ST. LOUIS PUBLIC RADIO) - A new analysis suggests racial and ethnic minorities are not getting equal treatment when it comes to strokes.


At the request of the American Heart Association, a group of stroke experts led by Saint Louis University neurologist Dr. Salvador Cruz-Flores examined the scientific literature for racial and ethnic disparities in stroke care.


Cruz-Flores says they found that minorities have more risk factors for stroke, like high blood pressure and diabetes, and are less aware of their health status. They also have less access to healthcare.


“There are some studies actually that may allude to possibility of perceived or true presence of even of bias within the system,” Cruz-Flores said.


Cruz-Flores says that among other factors, low income, lack of health insurance, and concern about immigration status may also limit minorities' access to stroke care.


Véronique LaCapra, St. Louis Public Radio

Read More

Agriculture Innovation Showcase opens in St. Louis

ST. LOUIS, MO (ST. LOUIS PUBLIC RADIO) - An event starting today at the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center is looking to match up investors with emerging agricultural technology companies from across the globe.

The third annual Ag Innovation Showcase will draw international venture capitalists and corporate agricultural investors like Monsanto and Dupont.

Showcase organizer Mark Gorski says sixteen agricultural start-ups will be vying for their attention.

"We’re really trying to foster innovation and the funding of innovation through this conference by providing a stage for these high quality young companies to these potential investors," Gorski said. "They’re presenting their business plans, and we hope that deals and investments will result from the conference."

The young companies will present business plans for producing everything from genetically modified biofuels to high tech agricultural sensors.

"It’s all about feeding the world more effectively and utilizing renewable sources of energy, versus the fossil fuels types of energy we currently utilize primarily," Gorski said.

Gorski says the event will bring together sixteen emerging agricultural technology companies and potential investors – from venture capital firms to corporate giants like Monsanto and Syngenta.

Véronique LaCapra, St. Louis Public Radio

Read More