Historic Moolah Temple Reopens with Bowling and Movies
JANUARY 21, 2005 - Following opening ceremonies for the newly renovated Moolah Temple on Lindell Boulevard, Arlene Rosengarten, from St. Louis, bowled a strike on one of 8 lanes in the bowling alley which features murals of St. Louis attractions.
Hundreds of guests turned out for grand opening festivities including bowling and tours of the newly renovated Moolah Temple across from Saint Louis University. Developers Amrit and Amy Gill creatively restored the Moorish and Arabic style building, which was built in 1912. The Moolah now includes a 500-seat, first-run movie theatre with a balcony, leather couches and bar, upscale apartments and a new three-story parking garage.
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Governor Blunt Announces New Department of Revenue Fee Office Plan
ST. LOUIS, (SLFP.com) January 16, 2005 - Missouri Governor Matt Blunt announced Friday that the Missouri Department of Revenue will be requiring new fee agents to implement a "Fee Agent's Plan for Success," developed to ensure fee agents are being held accountable for the services they provide to Missourians.
New fee agents selected will be required to complete the plan and submit it to the director of revenue. The fee agents will also be required to:
- Hold regular office hours and in some instances extended office hours
- Inventory tracking
- Improve cash management and revenue reporting practices
- Improve employees training
In order to hold fee offices accountable, the plan will enforce stringent penalties and newly established consequences for fee offices that fail to meet their financial obligation for rejected applications.
Blunt also announced that Director of Revenue Trish Vincent is working to implement an automated licensing, titling, and registration system called the Field Automated System for Titling and Registration (FASTR). The system, developed in 1995 but never fully implemented, will create immediate efficiencies and long-term budget savings for the department. Vincent was informed in early December that more than $17 million in Missouri tax dollars have been spent on the program, but previous department directors have provided little oversight over the implementation process.
The state purchased $1.8 million worth of computer equipment in late 2000 or early 2001 and then began making monthly storage payments of approximately $2,000 per month. A state audit conducted in 2002 did not mention any of the purchases and expenses or give a status update on the project. No other audits mentioned the problem either.
Blunt directed Vincent to begin developing an implementation plan before either of them were sworn into office. The project will be fully implemented within the year.
"The fact that this egregious waste of taxpayer dollars was perpetuated by the Department of Revenue for the past nine years and overlooked by the state auditor for the last six provides more incentive to change the way state government operates," Blunt said. "Missouri taxpayers deserve better from their government and my administration will be constantly focused on identifying waste and abuse and enhancing state services."
Growing Life Expectancy Is
Driving Up Nursing Home Costs
ST. LOUIS, (SLFP.com) January 16, 2005 - The average cost of long term care in the United States across all services categories was $72,240 in 2004, according to research released by Genworth Financial.
The insurance holding company, modified its annual Cost of Care Survey to provide the industry's first single-study, comprehensive view of expenses associated with all three major categories: nursing homes, assisted living facilities and home care. The research was conducted among 6,000 providers nationally.
With more and more Americans expressing a desire for in-home care, Genworth says the ability to compare and contrast services have increased in importance.
"As 77 million people approach retirement, growing life expectancy is stimulating demand for long term care and, consequently, driving up costs for nursing homes, assisted living, and home care," stated Buck Stinson, president of Genworth Financial Long Term Care. "Taking the right steps to develop a feasible financial plan is becoming increasingly critical."
According to the study, costs in urban areas were 20 percent higher than non-urban areas. In certain markets, such as urban areas of New York, California and Minnesota, the cost of care was more than 40 percent higher than non-urban areas in those states.
Following are key findings from the Genworth survey, broken out by major category.
- Nursing Homes: The average annual national cost of a private room in a nursing home is $65,200, or $179 per day. This remains the most costly care option. It also reflects a 13 percent increase over the 2003 daily rate of $158 per day. The average annual cost of a semi-private room within a nursing home is $57,700, which translates to a $158 daily rate.
Alaska continues to have the highest average annual cost in the nation at $191,400 for a private room, followed by New York City at $127,900 (14.8% and 21.2% increases, respectively, over 2003). Missouri's non-urban areas had the lowest average annual cost in the nation, at $41,600.
- Assisted Living: A private room in an assisted living facility has an average annual cost of $28,800; this includes room and board only and excludes entrance, community fees and additional health care services. New York City has the highest monthly cost for a single bedroom unit at $5,000; non-urban areas of Florida check in with the lowest costs at $1,587 per month.
- Home Care: Across all 3 home care provider types, home health aide and homemaker services averaged $18.65 and $16.67 per hour, respectively. Providers were classified into 3 categories because of the significant variation in certification and licensing: certified home care providers, licensed home care providers who are not Medicare certified, and non-licensed home care providers who are also not Medicare certified.
Other Findings
In 2003, the cost of a private room in a nursing home in Louisiana had the lowest average annual cost, but increased 21.6% to $43,658 in 2004. The highest average cost increase for a private room in a nursing home was 30%, in Delaware. Average costs declined in three regions: North Dakota at -31%; Nebraska at -8%; and Maine at -2%.
Nixon Pulls Plug on Porn Web Scheme
JEFFERSON CITY, (SLFP.com) January 16, 2005 - Two Internet billing companies that billed at least 150 Missourians for adult Web site content the consumers did not access or agree to purchase will provide restitution to the consumers and also change their business practices.
Attorney General Jay Nixon sued the two companies in 2003 over the bills and the companies' attempts to collect them from Missourians.
The Attorney General filed a settlement agreement Thursday, January 13, in Jackson County Circuit Court that requires Alyon Technologies Inc., of Secaucus, N.J., and Telcollect Inc., of Norcross, Ga., to ensure that adult authorization is obtained before connecting a computer user to the adult material. The agreement also was filed in state court in 22 other states working in conjunction with Missouri.
The companies will pay the state of Missouri a total of $15,000 as part of the settlement, out of a total of $285,000 being paid to the states that were a part of the multi-state action. Stephane Touboul, the CEO and sole shareholder of Alyon, also was a defendant in the lawsuit.
"Consumers were hit with bills of $4.99 a minute for accessing porn sites they knew they hadn't visited," Nixon said in a statement. "This settlement will make certain Alyon and Telcollect don't try to collect on bills that aren't owed."
Nixon said in many instances, consumers reported the billing occurred after a pop-up ad for a Web site appeared on their screens. The customers closed the ads but still received a bill from the defendants, apparently after modem dialer software was automatically downloaded to their computers. The software could then be used to dial up the Alyon billing gateway to access adult material. Alyon captured the phone number, matched it with a name and address, and then bill consumers $4.99 per minute.
Consumers who called a toll-free telephone number provided on the bill reported great difficulty in reaching a customer service representative. Those that did often were told they would have to prove they did not order the service.
Most consumers who were billed did not pay it, but could have been subjected to collection attempts by the defendants. At least one Missourian paid a bill of more than $600 to Alyon.
"Adults should always supervise the computer activities of their young children to decrease the likelihood that inappropriate Web sites and services will be accessed," Nixon continued.
Any consumers who were billed for charges incurred before June 15, 2003, but who do not automatically qualify for an automatic bill credit or cash refund will have an opportunity to request a credit of disputed charges. They must follow a specific procedure for making such a request, including completing and returning an affidavit to Alyon within 45 days of any collection attempt.
Pinnacle Entertainment Receives Key Approvals From Missouri Gaming Commission
ST. LOUIS, (SLFP.com) January 16, 2005 - Pinnacle Entertainment, Inc. has obtained several key approvals from the Missouri Gaming Commission regarding the Company's Laclede's Landing casino project.
The Commission unanimously approved the location of the casino portion of the Laclede's Landing project, finding the site to be within 1,000 feet of the main channel of the Mississippi River, as required by Missouri statute. Also approved were Pinnacle's request for continuous docking at this site and the Company's exterior design for the casino portion of the project, which by Missouri law must reflect the state's riverboat history.
The action on January 12 follows the Commission's September 2004 selection of Pinnacle for priority investigation in connection with the Company's two casino and related development proposals for St. Louis City and County. The Commission has the ultimate authority to issue gaming licenses in Missouri, and these approvals are important steps toward potential licensure.
"These approvals are important milestones for our downtown St. Louis project," said Daniel R. Lee, Chairman and CEO of Pinnacle Entertainment. "We can now move ahead and finalize our design plans for Laclede's Landing, and we will continue to work with the Commission and the City of St. Louis as our plans develop. We will move forward with all deliberate speed, pursuant to our redevelopment agreement with the City of St. Louis, to create a dynamic entertainment center in the heart of the City in early 2007."
Pinnacle Entertainment was selected for two St. Louis area projects in 2004 by the City and County of St. Louis in a competitive bid process which included applications from four gaming companies.
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