Sherman A1
Sherman A1's JournalMunicipal League of Metro St. Louis About To Launch Board of Freeholders Process
Better Together, the plan to merge St. Louis and St. Louis County through a statewide initiative, withdrew its proposal this past spring. In its place developed a plan to put together a Board of Freeholders, which would have the ability to either draft a plan that could merge the city and county, or drop the idea altogether.
The Municipal League of Metro St. Louis is in the process of submitting petitions to the election boards of the city and county that would begin the Board of Freeholders process.
According to Pat Kelly, the executive director of the Municipal League of Metro St. Louis, the final signatures have been collected and the petitions will be submitted on Sept. 16. Once they submit enough signatures, and those signatures are verified, then Mayor Lyda Krewson and County Executive Sam Page will appoint nine freeholders each to the board, with the governor having the final appointment.
On Friday’s St. Louis on the Air, Kelly, as well as St. Louis Public Radio political correspondent Jason Rosenbaum joined the show to explain how the Board of Freeholders process will work in the coming weeks and months.
https://news.stlpublicradio.org/post/municipal-league-metro-st-louis-about-launch-board-freeholders-process
Fort Leonard Wood Takes A New Approach To Suicide Prevention
FORT LEONARD WOOD — In 2007, Jason VanKleeck was a drill sergeant in the Army, moving up the ranks and taking on new jobs.
But depression led to suicidal thoughts and nearly ended his life.
He got help, and now is sharing his story with fellow soldiers at Fort Leonard Wood as part of a suicide prevention and mental health education program called “I Chose To Live.”
The focus of the effort is on soldiers who struggled with suicidal thoughts but got help. VanKleeck, now a sergeant major, said too often the focus is on those who did kill themselves.
https://news.stlpublicradio.org/post/fort-leonard-wood-takes-new-approach-suicide-prevention
Fort Leonard Wood Takes A New Approach To Suicide Prevention
FORT LEONARD WOOD — In 2007, Jason VanKleeck was a drill sergeant in the Army, moving up the ranks and taking on new jobs.
But depression led to suicidal thoughts and nearly ended his life.
He got help, and now is sharing his story with fellow soldiers at Fort Leonard Wood as part of a suicide prevention and mental health education program called “I Chose To Live.”
The focus of the effort is on soldiers who struggled with suicidal thoughts but got help. VanKleeck, now a sergeant major, said too often the focus is on those who did kill themselves.
https://news.stlpublicradio.org/post/fort-leonard-wood-takes-new-approach-suicide-prevention
Fort Leonard Wood Takes A New Approach To Suicide Prevention
FORT LEONARD WOOD — In 2007, Jason VanKleeck was a drill sergeant in the Army, moving up the ranks and taking on new jobs.
But depression led to suicidal thoughts and nearly ended his life.
He got help, and now is sharing his story with fellow soldiers at Fort Leonard Wood as part of a suicide prevention and mental health education program called “I Chose To Live.”
The focus of the effort is on soldiers who struggled with suicidal thoughts but got help. VanKleeck, now a sergeant major, said too often the focus is on those who did kill themselves.
https://news.stlpublicradio.org/post/fort-leonard-wood-takes-new-approach-suicide-prevention
Missouri Attorney General To Refer Dozen Clergy Sex-Abuse Cases To Prosecutors
Attorney General Eric Schmitt will refer 12 cases of Catholic Church sexual abuse allegations to local prosecutors after reviewing 2,300 personnel records of priests, deacons, seminarians and nuns provided by Missouri’s four Catholic dioceses over the past year.
Overall, Schmitt said his office found 163 priests and other clergy members had been accused of sexual misconduct involving minors in Missouri since 1945. In some cases, they were accused of abuse multiple times and by multiple people.
"Well, there's no question this was a long-sustained and far-reaching cover-up — to cover up the abuse. ... The focus was more on protecting priests than looking out for the victims," Schmitt said Friday at a press conference.
He said his civil investigation of Catholic clergy sexual abuse allegations is the most comprehensive to ever take place in Missouri, though it did not encompass all Catholic clergy who have worked in the state over the past 74 years.
https://news.stlpublicradio.org/post/missouri-attorney-general-refer-dozen-clergy-sex-abuse-cases-prosecutors
Missouri Attorney General To Refer Dozen Clergy Sex-Abuse Cases To Prosecutors
Attorney General Eric Schmitt will refer 12 cases of Catholic Church sexual abuse allegations to local prosecutors after reviewing 2,300 personnel records of priests, deacons, seminarians and nuns provided by Missouri’s four Catholic dioceses over the past year.
Overall, Schmitt said his office found 163 priests and other clergy members had been accused of sexual misconduct involving minors in Missouri since 1945. In some cases, they were accused of abuse multiple times and by multiple people.
"Well, there's no question this was a long-sustained and far-reaching cover-up — to cover up the abuse. ... The focus was more on protecting priests than looking out for the victims," Schmitt said Friday at a press conference.
He said his civil investigation of Catholic clergy sexual abuse allegations is the most comprehensive to ever take place in Missouri, though it did not encompass all Catholic clergy who have worked in the state over the past 74 years.
https://news.stlpublicradio.org/post/missouri-attorney-general-refer-dozen-clergy-sex-abuse-cases-prosecutors
Car Tax Legislation Passes House, Heads To Senate
The Missouri House approved a measure Wednesday to allow car buyers to trade in multiple vehicles to reduce sales tax responsibility when buying a newer model.
Gov. Mike Parson decided to call a special legislative session on the sales tax issue after a Supreme Court decision in June. He’s received repeated criticism from Democrats for calling the session for what some consider a minor issue.
“It makes no sense to prioritize tax breaks for few, over the lives of Missourians who die nearly every day due to gun violence,” said Minority Leader Crystal Quade, D-Springfield. “It makes no sense for the administration to continue to insist everything is fine with the state’s medicaid system when we continue to hear story after story from working Missourians with life threatening conditions who, without any explanation, lost their healthcare coverage.”
Parson has repeatedly saidthose issues are better suited for the regular session that begins in January.
https://news.stlpublicradio.org/post/car-tax-legislation-passes-house-heads-senate
Nurses Union Continues To Protest 'Unsafe' Staffing Levels At SLU Hospital
For the second time in three years, union nurses at SSM Health-St. Louis University Hospital are protesting what they call unsafe staffing levels at the Midtown hospital.
There aren’t enough employees at the facility, said representatives of the National Nurses Organizing Committee, which represents the nurses at the hospital. Nurses constantly have to care for more patients than they can handle. Long wait times mean patients can become agitated and violent, putting employees at risk, representatives say.
“Nowadays, patients are sicker and needing more assistance and medications, and just having that little extra monitoring, an extra set of hands [can help],” said Sarah Dewilde, a trauma nurse and member of the collective bargaining committee, during an informational picket Monday morning. “We want more of a say in what is safer for the patients.”
The nurses’ latest contract expired in June. The 2016 agreement was the first between the union and SSM Health, which bought St. Louis University Hospital in 2015. Staffing levels were a sticking point in those negotiations as well.
https://news.stlpublicradio.org/post/nurses-union-continues-protest-unsafe-staffing-levels-slu-hospital
Danforth Center, Wash U Scientists Study Increasing Carbon Dioxide Levels On Plants
Scientists at the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center and Washington University are studying the long-term consequences of exposing plants to high levels of carbon dioxide.
Carbon dioxide levels in the earth’s atmosphere are the highest they’ve been in 800,000 years, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Scientists expect levels of the greenhouse gas to continue to rise and worsen the effects of climate change over the next several decades if people do not reduce their use of fossil fuels and other natural resources.
Some studies have shown that higher levels of carbon dioxide could change the times when plants flower or the size of leaves. But not a lot is known about how that could affect plants and their offspring, said Keith Slotkin, an associate member of the Danforth Center.
“We’re now breaking 400 parts per million of carbon dioxide, and we don’t know how our crops are going to respond, and that’s critically important for energy, fuel, fiber,” Slotkin said. “We don’t know what we’re going to expect, and that’s what’s so exciting about this project.”
https://news.stlpublicradio.org/post/danforth-center-wash-u-scientists-study-increasing-carbon-dioxide-levels-plants
Danforth Center, Wash U Scientists Study Increasing Carbon Dioxide Levels On Plants
Scientists at the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center and Washington University are studying the long-term consequences of exposing plants to high levels of carbon dioxide.
Carbon dioxide levels in the earth’s atmosphere are the highest they’ve been in 800,000 years, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Scientists expect levels of the greenhouse gas to continue to rise and worsen the effects of climate change over the next several decades if people do not reduce their use of fossil fuels and other natural resources.
Some studies have shown that higher levels of carbon dioxide could change the times when plants flower or the size of leaves. But not a lot is known about how that could affect plants and their offspring, said Keith Slotkin, an associate member of the Danforth Center.
“We’re now breaking 400 parts per million of carbon dioxide, and we don’t know how our crops are going to respond, and that’s critically important for energy, fuel, fiber,” Slotkin said. “We don’t know what we’re going to expect, and that’s what’s so exciting about this project.”
https://news.stlpublicradio.org/post/danforth-center-wash-u-scientists-study-increasing-carbon-dioxide-levels-plants
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