Walking between two sections of moving walkways at the Lumière Link: (L - R, Front Row) Mack A. Bradley, Apogee Communications; Daniel R. Lee, Chairman & CEO, Pinnacle Entertainment; Alderwoman Phyllis Young, 5th Ward; Rodney Crim, Executive Director, St. Louis Development Corporation; (Back Row) Kitty Ratcliffe, President, St. Louis Convention & Visitors Commission; Barbara A. Geisman. Executive Director for Development, representing St. Louis Mayor Francis G. Slay; and Jim Cloar, President, Downtown St. Louis Partnership.
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Lumière Place Unveils Lumière Link from Downtown St. Louis to the Riverfront
ST. LOUIS, (SLFP.com), May 27, 2008 - Lumière Place today unveiled Lumière Link, a workable 400-foot pedestrian link between St. Louis' central business district and the Mississippi Riverfront.
Built by Pinnacle Entertainment at their expense, with no public subsidy, it represents an $8 million investment in a more walkable city.
"This link is an important part of Lumière Place, but we also think it is an important part for the future of downtown St. Louis," stated Daniel R. Lee, Chairman & CEO, Pinnacle Entertainment, in remarks during the special ceremony.
Lumière Place and city officials toured the well-lit tunnel, which will be manned by Lumière Place personnel 24-hours. The pedestrian-friendly link runs end-to-end from the new vestibule in Baer Plaza across from Edward Jones Dome on the west, underneath I-70 and 3rd St., to Lumière Place on the east end, where it enters near SLeeK and Asia restaurants. Pedestrials can then walk to the Landing and river front area.
HEART Act to Reduce the Tax Burden and Expand Homeownership Opportunities for Veterans
ST. LOUIS, (SLFP.com), May 25, 2008 - The House recently passed the Heroes Earning Assistance and Tax Relief Act (HEART Act), which provides permanent tax relief for military families, expands the availability of Recovery Rebates for military families, and expands homeownership opportunities for veterans.
In a statement, Speaker Pelosi said, "The New Direction Congress is second to none when it comes to meeting the needs of our troops, from ensuring that they have the tools and training they need in battle to caring for them and to delivering the quality health care they need when they return home.
"Today, the House passed $1.3 billion in tax relief for military families facing significant financial hardships due to extended deployments. The bill represents a robust effort to reduce the tax burden on military families -- including helping more military families to access the Earned Income Tax Credit, offering small businesses a tax incentive to pay their National Guard and Reserve employees called up for active duty, making thousands of veterans eligible for low-interest home loans and ensuring that more military families are able to receive Recovery Rebates.
"This tax relief for military families is the least Congress can do for our troops who are putting their lives on the line every day. I look forward to the Senate passing the HEART Act and the President signing this critical legislation into law," stated Pelosi.
Similar to the earlier House-passed bill, which passed 410-0, the HEART Act's $1.3 billion in tax relief for military families is a modest response to the extended military deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan that have created significant economic hardships for many of our military families. This measure represents the final agreement with the Senate that may be sent to the President by Memorial Day.
The House will also consider a legislative package of bills to address the health care needs of veterans, authorize major medical facility construction projects, and provide a cost-of-living adjustment for service-connected disability compensation rates for veterans, among others.
St. Louis Not Very Heart Friendly for Women
ST. LOUIS, (SLFP.com), May 18, 2008 - The American Heart Association's Go Red For Women movement has released a study, conducted by Sperling's BestPlaces, revealing the nation's 10 most - and least - heart friendly cities for women. Minneapolis-St. Paul took the title of Most Heart Friendly City For Women with the lowest cardiac mortality rate for women, low hypertension rates and highest exercise rates. Nashville and St. Louis, on the other hand, finished at the bottom of the rankings with high obesity and smoking rates.
Based on the heart friendly benefits cities have to offer their residents and the personal lifestyle choices of its residents, Go Red For Women and BestPlaces found the following Heart Friendly rankings:
Most Heart friendly Cities for Women
1. Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN
2. Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC
3. San Francisco-San Jose-Oakland, CA
4. Denver-Aurora, CO
5. Boston-Cambridge-Quincy, MA
6. Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA
7. Portland-Vancouver-Beaverton, OR
8. San Diego-Carlsbad-San Marcos, CA
9. Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana, CA
10. Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ
Least Heart friendly Cities for Women
1. Nashville-Davidson-Murfreesboro, TN
2. St. Louis, MO
3. Detroit-Warren-Livonia, MI
4. Pittsburgh, PA
5. Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX
6. Columbus, OH
7. Cincinnati-Middletown, OH
8. Las Vegas-Paradise, NV
9. Cleveland-Elyria-Mentor, OH
10. Indianapolis, IN
"Go Red For Women engaged in this study to help women better understand how personal health and environmental risk factors influence heart disease," said Mary Ann Bauman, MD, American Heart Association national spokesperson. She is also Medical Director for Women's Health and Community Relations, INTEGRIS health, INC. "Our goal is that individual residents, communities at large and government officials can use this information to help create socio-political change at the grassroots level as well as educate women on their personal risk for heart disease."
The study focused on the 200 largest metro areas in the United States, which are home to nearly 75% of the nation's population. The research analyzed 22 factors for each location including smoking, obesity, cardiac mortality rate and regular exercise amongst women.
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