Visitors to St. Louis can tour downtown and Forest Park from the comfort of original English Double-decker buses through October.
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Double-Decker Buses Roll Into St. Louis
ST. LOUIS, (SLFP.com) July 23, 2004 - City Sightseeing, a tourist service operating in 60 cities around the world, including Stockholm, Sweden, Oslo, Norway and others, has brought original English Double-decker buses to St. Louis.
The company chose St. Louis as their first American city to roll out brightly painted red buses that are a familiar element of most European cities. The panoramic tours will provide live guides or recorded information for riders about the sights throughout downtown St. Louis and Forest Park.
Passengers can hop on and off buses at all stops including the Gateway Arch, Old Courthouse, Laclede's Landing, Kiener Plaza, Westin Hotel, City Hall/Savvis Center, St. Louis Union Station, City Museum, Christ Church Cathedral, Renaissance Grand Hotel, Anheuser-Busch Brewery, Missouri Botanical Garden and in Forest Park at the St. Louis Zoo, Saint Louis Art Museum, Missouri History Museum and St. Louis Science Center.
Tickets are $25 for adults; children, 4 - 16 years are $12.50. The fares are valid for two days from time of boarding the bus.
Telemarketing Scam Uses Government-Grant Offers
JEFFERSON CITY, (SLFP.com) July 23, 2004 - Attorney General Jay Nixon has issued a warning to Missourians to beware of a new telemarketing scam designed to steal a person's financial information.
Several consumers from around the state have contacted his office about calls telling them they have received or are eligible to receive a government grant. The caller asks consumers to give their bank account information to secure the grant.
"Consumer should never reveal their bank account number or other personal information over the phone," Nixon said. "If you get a call asking for this type of information, hang up."
Consumers who have reported this scam to the Attorney General say the telemarketers have used several business names, including Free U.S. Government Grants, Federal Government Grant Information Center, New Federal Government Grant Information, or another similar name. The telemarketer tells consumers the business is located in Florida.
"There is no legitimate government program that employs people to call consumers to offer grants. Government grants, including student financial aid, are available through an application process, not through telemarketers," Nixon stated.
Consumers who receive suspicious calls are encouraged to call the Attorney General's Consumer Protection Hotline at 1-800-392-8222.
Survey Ranks St. Louis 10th For
Most Passionate Sports Fans
EL SEGUNDO, CA, (SLFP.com) July 18, 2004 - Denver has the most passionate sports fans in the 40 U.S. cities with an NFL, MLB, NBA or NHL franchise, followed by Boston, San Francisco, Philadelphia and New York.
Rounding out the top 10 were Green Bay, Wis., and Chicago (tied for sixth), Baltimore (eighth), Cleveland (ninth) and Los Angeles/Anaheim, Buffalo, N.Y. and St. Louis (three-way tie for tenth).
After analyzing sporting event attendance and sales of DIRECTV sports subscriptions as well as surveying sports reporters and sports fans nationwide, DIRECTV, Inc., the nation's largest digital multichannel television provider and a leading sports programmer, has released for the first time the Sports Fan Passion Index, a ranking of the most passionate sports fan markets in the United States.
The Index is a joint effort between the Center for Sports Psychology, a Philadelphia-based network of professionals that work with athletes, coaches, parents, and fans nationwide, and DIRECTV.
Cities were evaluated on the basis of attendance at professional sporting events, sales of DIRECTV sports subscription packages and interactive surveys of sports reporters and sports fans nationwide. To balance the inherent advantage large markets have over smaller markets, sporting event attendance and sales of DIRECTV sports subscriptions were weighted against population size.
Denver's top ranking is attributed to the fact that among the four Index variables, it led in sports event attendance and finished among the top 10 markets in DIRECTV sports subscription sales and the perceptions of sports media nationwide.
"Sports fans are an amazing group that display never-ending loyalty, perseverance and zest for their beloved teams and contribute significantly to the unique personality and character of each city," stated Joel Fish, Ph.D., director of the Center for Sports Psychology in Philadelphia and a noted fan behavioral expert. "This ranking recognizes those cities that have the most rabid, sports fanatics - not just of one league or the most winning teams, but across the board."
Since its launch in 1994, DIRECTV has broadcast more than 30,000 separate sporting events covering professional, college and amateur sports. DIRECTV was the first national pay TV platform to offer a wide range of sports subscription packages allowing sports fans around the country to view out-of-market games. DIRECTV is the only multichannel television service to offer the NFL Sunday Ticket(TM) package, which allows viewers to catch nearly every NFL game on Sundays during the regular season.
Bubel/Aiken Foundation Announces New Partnership With Krispy Kreme Doughnuts
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C., (PRNewswire) July 18, 2004 - Clay Aiken's foundation for children with developmental disabilities has announced a new partnership with Krispy Kreme Doughnuts, Inc.
The new program will utilize Krispy Kreme fundraising programs across the United States to raise important funds for the Bubel/Aiken Foundation, which serves to bridge the gap that exists for young people with developmental disabilities.
During the week of July 19th - 25th, Krispy Kreme stores nationwide will also host a special Bubel/Aiken Foundation week. The week is designed to build awareness and raise funds for this important cause.
In an announcement, Clay Aiken stated, "I am proud to announce this special partnership with Krispy Kreme to build awareness for an important cause that is near to my heart. I am blessed with passionate fans who support me in so many ways, so I am issuing a challenge and will reward the fan who raises the most funds through the program with a great trip for two to one of my upcoming shows."
As a native of Krispy Kreme's home state of North Carolina, Aiken has long been a fan of Krispy Kreme and has issued a challenge to other fans. The individual who raises the most money through Krispy Kreme fundraising programs will win an all-expense paid, exclusive trip for two to attend a Clay Aiken concert or taping.
Long before he became an internationally known musical artist, Clay Aiken's life ambition was to help individuals living with disabilities. "I fell in love with working with individuals with autism and I planned my life out. I was going to teach for six years and then I wanted to go to William & Mary to get my Masters in administration. I still would love to. I could still see myself as a school principal at the age of 50," says Clay. Although Clay's time and energy has turned toward the music industry, he remains passionate about assisting mentally disabled individuals, specifically children, to live full lives in the real world.
Clay, a Raleigh, NC native, intended to pursue a career in special education and was in the process of completing his degree at UNC-Charlotte when he met Diane Bubel and her then 13-year-old son, Mike. Clay cared for Mike, who had been diagnosed with autism, for over a year. During this time, Clay grew close to the Bubel family and came to appreciate their relationship with Mike: "Working with a number of families over the span of five years, I have never seen a family make raising a child with a mental disability look so easy as the Bubel family did. While often the task can be daunting, the Bubels go about their family life with an eternally positive attitude."
Restraining Order Issued Against RMT Travel & Cruises
ST. LOUIS, MO. July 18, 2004 - Dozens of members of the Soldan High School class of 1974 who paid more than $27,000 to a St. Louis travel agent to arrange a class reunion trip to Cancun, Mexico, received neither trips nor refunds of the money they paid.
Attorney General Jay Nixon sued travel agent Tina Marie Flenoy in order to obtain restitution for more than 30 class members, and on Wednesday (July 14) obtained a temporary restraining order prohibiting her from operating as a travel agent.
The temporary restraining order was issued by the St. Louis County Circuit Court, where Nixon filed his lawsuit against Flenoy. Flenoy does business as RMT Travel & Cruises.
"Class members were looking forward to seeing old friends at an exciting travel destination," Nixon said. "Unfortunately, the only thing they got for their money was disappointment. Even if the reunion in Cancun can't take place, we are working to get them refunds for what they paid."
Nixon said the class reunion committee signed an agreement with Flenoy in January 2004 to provide travel plans for the trip to Cancun. The committee advised class members to send Flenoy a $300 deposit to secure a reservation; some class members paid in full for the trip in advance. Committee members found out in late April that Flenoy had not made reservations for the trip. Flenoy advised one of the coordinators of the reunion that Flenoy was canceling the trip. To date, Flenoy has provided 10 refunds and owes approximately $22,580 to other class members.
Nixon is asking the court to issue preliminary and permanent injunctions that require Flenoy to pay full restitution to the consumers who lost money, as well as any appropriate penalties to be paid to the state. He also is seeking a court order permanently banning Flenoy from owning, managing or operating a travel planning and reservation business.
Boeing Launches Teachers into SPACE CAMP®
ST. LOUIS, MO. July 18, 2004 - Thirty-four elementary and high school teachers from around the world enhanced their knowledge of math, science and space at the 13th Annual Boeing Educators to SPACE CAMP® July 12-18 at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville, Ala.
Through interactive classroom assignments, special tours and lectures, and hands-on team activities, the Boeing program provided educators with many of the resources they may need to inspire and motivate their students to learn more about math, science and space.
While in Huntsville, teachers from 15 states including Hawaii and Alaska took part in a week-long series of exercises that include simulated space missions, astronaut training and lectures by experts in rocketry and space exploration. Graduation ceremonies were held July 18, in recognition of the 35th anniversary of the first moon landing during Apollo 11 in 1969.
"Great teachers will tell you that you can't fully understand something until you experience it first-hand," stated Harry Stonecipher, President and Chief Executive Officer of The Boeing Company. "This is true for understanding how it feels to stand on the moon or understanding the complexities of teaching inquiry-based science lessons, like those taught at SPACE CAMP®. Boeing is proud to give teachers from across the U.S. and around the world this exciting opportunity to learn what it is like to go through astronaut training and to perform hands-on science experiments that they can then teach their students. We know that these teachers will be more effective in the classroom for having been a part of this program," said Stonecipher.
Since 1992, more than 300 teachers have taken part in the program, reaching more than 23,000 students.
"SPACE CAMP® provides a learning environment where science, math, and technology are explored and practiced through the mysteries and wonders of space," stated Julie Ferriss, director of education at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center and graduate of the Space Academy for Educators. "For educators, SPACE CAMP® provides a place to become a learner again and to join with other educators who share the same passions for teaching and learning."
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