Easter Show Draws Hundreds of Car Enthusiasts to Forest Park
March 27, 2005 - Threats of rain and cold weather may have kept many car enthusiasts home, but it did little to dappen the enthusiasm of those who came to Forest Park to enjoy the 42nd Easter Concours d'Elegance on the upper Muny parking lot. Pictured above is a 1926 Franklin 11a, which was one of the most innovative motor cars of its time. It was notable for nimble handling, durability and speed. This vehicle is one of only eighty-five 1926 Franklins left today. It took three years to restore by friends, family and the owners, Glen and Janice Pykiet. Behind the Franklin is an elegant 1939 Jaguar Salon, shown by Philip Taxman.
|
Thousands of hot rod fans spent the afternoon in the lower parking lot of Muny viewing cool custom cars, trucks and motorcycles on display as part of the annual Easter Car Show.
|
Missouri Medicaid Program Receives $1.8 Million From Pfizer Settlement
ST. LOUIS, (PRNewswire), April 1, 2005 - Attorney General Jay Nixon today presented the Missouri Medicaid program with a check for $1,841,774 from a settlement with Pfizer Inc., the largest pharmaceutical manufacturer in the world. The nationwide settlement, announced last May, resolved concerns that a Pfizer subsidiary improperly marketed the epilepsy drug Neurontin for other uses.
Nixon, whose Medicaid Fraud Control Unit and Consumer Protection Division helped negotiate the settlement, said Missouri received a total of almost $4.4 million in the settlement, with $2,557,394 going to reimburse the federal government for its share of the state's Medicaid funding.
In addition to the settlement with all 50 state Attorneys General, Pfizer subsidiary Warner-Lambert pleaded guilty in federal court in Boston in May 2004 to violating the Food, Drug and Cosmetics Act and agreed to pay a fine of $240 million to the federal government.
"I am pleased that we recovered this money for the Missouri Medicaid program, and that cooperation between state and federal agencies brought Pfizer to the negotiating table," Nixon said. "We will continue our vigilance in going after those who are costing Medicaid millions through their actions."
Consumers Are Changing the Way They Access Media
ST. LOUIS, (PRNewswire), March 27, 2005 - Consumer media habits are changing as people watch video-on-demand services through their cable or satellite provider (10 percent in the past month), access news online (11 percent in the past month) and listen to Internet radio (37 million in the past month), according to a new study by Arbitron Inc. and Edison Media Research.
The study, Internet and Multimedia 2005: The On-Demand Media Consumer, finds that an estimated 27 million Americans own one or more on-demand media devices -- such as a TiVo(R)/DVR, iPod(R) or other portable MP3 player -- and also exhibit multiple behaviors that show a heavy tendency toward an on-demand media lifestyle.
The study focuses on devices and services that allow Americans to exercise more control over the media they consume:
- Twenty-seven percent of 12- to 17- year olds own an iPod or other
portable MP3 player.
- An estimated 43 million Americans choose to record TV programming to
watch at a different time (using technology such as a VCR or TiVo/DVR).
- Seventy-six percent of consumers own at least one DVD. Thirty-nine
percent own 20 or more DVDs in their personal collection.
- Awareness of XM Satellite Radio has tripled since 2002, from 17 percent
to 50 percent, while awareness of SIRIUS Satellite Radio has increased
even more significantly, from eight percent to 54 percent.
"The study shows that consumers, while still using traditional media, have great enthusiasm and passion for on-demand media," said Bill Rose, senior vice president of Marketing, U.S. Media Services, Arbitron Inc. "Traditional and Internet broadcasters need to adjust their approaches to accommodate this increasingly important consumer segment."
"Consumers are taking more control over the media that they use, how they use them and when they use them," said Joe Lenski, executive vice president, Edison Media Research.
Additional findings from the study include
- Those who use on-demand audio devices/services spend only slightly less
time listening to traditional radio compared to the average. The average
consumer spends approximately 2 hours 48 minutes per day listening to
traditional radio, compared with 2 hours 33 minutes per day among those
who owned iPods/portable MP3 devices, subscribed to satellite radio or
listened to Internet radio during the past week.
- Broadband connections are just as common as dial-up connections in
American households. Forty-eight percent of people with home Internet
access have broadband and 48 percent have dial-up service.
- The monthly Internet video audience is estimated to be approximately
35 million people; the weekly online video audience is nearly
20 million.
- The number of Americans who made a purchase from a Web site in the past
week has more than tripled, with four percent having purchased online in
the past week in 2001 compared to 14 percent in 2005.
- Ten percent of Americans with household income of $100,000 or more own a
hand-held wireless e-mail device such as a BlackBerry(R), compared to
three percent of Americans 12+.
The findings reported here are based on a January 2005 survey consisting of 1,855 telephone interviews with a randomly selected national sample of Arbitron's Fall 2004 radio diarykeepers.
Missourians Should Beware of Spring
Home Repair Scams
JEFFERSON CITY, MO, (PRNewswire) March 27, 2005 - Many homeowners consider springtime to mean the start of home repair and remodeling season. Unfortunately, some unscrupulous contractors see spring as the start of home repair ripoff season. Spring also brings the severe storm season, and damage from wind, rain or hail puts home repair in even higher demand.
Attorney General Jay Nixon issued a statement reminding consumers to be careful when they hire contractors to do work on their homes. Nixon's office in 2004 fielded nearly 1,400 consumer complaints relating to home repairs, many of which coincided with warmer weather or storm aftermath.
"This is the busiest time of the year for home repair scams, but there are some simple things Missourians can do to avoid problems with contractors doing repair or remodeling on their homes," Nixon stated.
Nixon suggested homeowners do the following:
- Get all estimates, guarantees and work dates in writing.
- Get a second opinion whenever possible.
- Avoid large payments up front.
- Be suspicious of door-to-door solicitors, especially those offering free inspections.
- Check ID before letting any worker into your home.
- Check the credentials of companies: check their references; verify their number and address in the phone book; check for county or other local permits; check for complaints with the Attorney General or the Better Business Bureau; check for business registration with the Missouri Secretary of State.
- Walk away from offers that are good "now or never."
- Make payment only when the work meets the terms of your contract.
Nixon says unfortunately con artists often target the elderly, who often own their own homes. Many of these homes are older and do need repairs. There are plenty of good companies out there who can provide those repairs, Nixon said, and Missourians just need to follow these suggestions to find them.
Consumers who have questions or problems with a particular business can contact the Attorney General's Consumer Protection Hotline by calling 1-800-392-8222 or visiting www.ago.mo.gov
Education Funding Protected, No Tax Increases on Missouri Families
JEFFERSON CITY, MO, (SLFP.com) March 27, 2005 - The proposed Fiscal Year (FY) 2006 budget, released Thursday by Governor Matt Blunt, has more than $239 million dollars in specific budget reductions and program eliminations across the board from state general revenue funds.
These are in addition to the $1.1 billion dollars in state and federal funds reductions he announced shortly after taking office. The actions taken by Blunt will keep the state's $19.1 billion FY 2006 budget balanced.
Blunt's proposal increases his previously recommended permanent reductions to state general revenue to $601 million. In honor of the commitments he has made to Missourians, there are no funding reductions for Missouri's public schools, no new taxes or increases on existing taxes on working families.
The governor spread the reductions across several state agencies. Blunt's proposed $170.6 million funding increase for Missouri schools for FY 2006 remains unchanged as are budgeted appropriations this year for all Missouri colleges and universities.
"Our state continues to suffer from past poor spending decisions and anemic general revenue growth," Blunt said. "The actions I am taking today were made with careful thought and analysis and compliment the priorities of mainstream Missourians to increase funding for our classrooms, hold the line on job-killing taxes and to ask state government to do more with less before we ask taxpayers to do more with less."
Here is a list of the $239 million in detailed budget reductions Blunt has made by department for FY 2006:
Elementary and Secondary Education: $709,000. No reductions in dollars budgeted for Missouri classrooms.
Higher Education: $4.6 million. No reductions in funds budgeted for the operation of Missouri's colleges and universities.
Revenue: $5.9 million MODOT: $6.5 million
Office of Administration: $5.8 million Agriculture: $1.9 million
Natural Resources: $2.3 million Economic Development: $10.5 million
Labor and Industrial Relations: $686,000 Public Safety: $3.4 million
Corrections: $16.5 million Mental Health: $16.7 million
Health: $15.1 million Social Services: $94.2 million
Information Technology Consolidation: $2.6 million
Statewide leasing: $1.8 million
Other budget actions include a projected $30 million rebate in the State Pharmacy Assistance Program and $20 million in FY 2005 lapse resulting from the early implementation of these budget reductions.
Blunt's reductions will result in the elimination of 1,274 full-time state funded positions in addition to the 1,456 called for when his budget was initially submitted. 1,064 of these positions are currently filled, 210 are vacant however, many state employees whose positions are eliminated will be eligible for vacancies in other departments that remain open. To increase funds available for FY 2006 many of these program reductions, including job eliminations, will be implemented in the next 30 days.
|
