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ST. LOUIS NEWS TODAY - Sunday, November 23, 2008
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Metro Board of Commissioners Approves Fare Increase
ST. LOUIS, MO, (SLFP.com), November 23, 2008 - The Metro Board of Commissioners has approved a proposal to implement a two-part fare increase for the region's transit system.
The first fare increase raises base fares by twenty-five cents, and goes into effect on January 1, 2009. The weekday MetroLink ride-free zone in downtown St. Louis will also be eliminated. The second fare increase raises base fares by an additional twenty-five cents, and is scheduled for July 2010.
Also during the monthly meeting, November 21, Metro's Board of Commissioners discussed plans to reduce service provided by the transit system. Further discussion will take place at the December 11, 2008 Metro Operations & Strategic Planning Committee Meeting, when a recommendation for a new service plan is expected.
"This is not something we wanted to do," said Robert Baer, President & CEO of Metro. "Without an additional source of revenue that keeps pace with inflation, fare increases and service reductions have become necessary to create a transit system that operates within the Agency's financial resources."
Missouri Is in Forefront of New Madrid Earthquake Planning Activities
ST. LOUIS, MO, (SLFP.com), November 23, 2008 - Missouri is in the forefront of New Madrid earthquake planning activities at the state level and continues to work closely with county and regional federal partners to make sure all earthquake response and recovery plans are integrated. All of Missouris catastrophic planning and exercise activities will culminate in a national exercise targeted for May 2011 for the 200th anniversary of the 1811-1812 New Madrid earthquakes.
"Immediately following Hurricane Katrina in 2005, I tasked Department of Public Safety Director Mark James, SEMA and other state agencies to enhance the existing State Emergency Operations Plan and add a catastrophic event section to the plan to ensure our state was proactively preparing for future disasters," said Gov. Matt Blunt. "We have made catastrophic earthquake preparedness a priority and have enhanced our emergency planning, training and other initiatives to help ensure the safety of all Missourians who could be at risk in such an event."
The Catastrophic Event Annex calls for state agency responses including:
- At a 4.5 magnitude or greater earthquake, the National Earthquake Information Center (U.S. Geological Survey), Golden, Colorado will notify SEMA of the seismic event. SEMA will go to a Level 1 emergency status. Verifications will come from other sources such as St. Louis University or University of Memphis.
- At a 5.0 magnitude MoDOT will conduct land based damage assessment of bridges and roadways in the impacted area. MoDOT successfully inspected all bridges and roads in the St Louis and Southeast Missouri districts in response to the Mt. Carmel, IL 5.2 earthquake April 18, 2008.
- At a 6.5 magnitude the Civil Air Patrol will begin aerial damage assessment of roadway infrastructure in the impact area.
- At a 6.5 magnitude or greater key state departments/agencies will activate their plans for an earthquake response (i.e. aerial assessment of bridges and roads) and report to the SEOC.
- Two State Area Coordination Centers will be established to enhance state respond to impacted counties. Those centers will be in Region C for St. Louis and Region E for Southeast Missouri.
- The state will be divided into response tiers. The 47 counties are primarily located in Regions B, C, and E on the Eastern side of Missouri. Federal, State, Local agency and non-governmental disaster organization responders will come from the Central and Western third of Missouri to assist the 47 counties.
- A Resource and Logistics plan has been approved. Missouri is in the process of updating its gap analysis, identifying shortfalls in all local and state equipment and other resources, and contractual support necessary to resolve these requirements. This allows Missouri to accurately request needed federal resources for the earthquake response.
The Central United States Earthquake Consortium secured federal funds specifically to write regional plans and conduct regional exercises testing for the eight New Madrid Seismic states: Missouri, Arkansas, Alabama, Mississippi, Kentucky, Tennessee, Indiana and Illinois.
During 2006, SEMA conducted a series of 5 regional earthquake tabletop exercises. The St. Louis, Hannibal, Cape Girardeau, Sikeston exercises focused on response. The Willow Springs exercise focused on sheltering and staging activities for Southeast Missouri.
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You Better Not Drink, You Better Not Drive You Better Watch Out, We;re Telling You Why
ST. LOUIS, MO, (SLFP.com), November 23, 2008 - If you want to arrive alive this holiday season, don't drink and drive. A drunk driving arrest could cost you thousands of dollars in fines, court costs and lawyers fees that can really cut into your holiday budget. If you're convicted of a DWI you could also lose your license, lose your job and even spend time behind bars. You drink and drive, you lose.
This holiday season law enforcement officers across Missouri will be cracking down on drunk drivers to save lives on our roads. In 2007, 74 people died from the Thanksgiving holiday through Christmas; 14 were killed in a crash that involved an impaired driver.
"Holiday traffic is always heavier than normal, and there are many festivities. Drivers should be extra cautious and never drive after they've been drinking," said Leanna Depue, Missouri Coalition for Roadway Safety executive committee chair. "Make a plan before you go and stick with it."
To further cut down on impaired driving fatalities, law enforcement units are adding emphasis to nabbing DWI offenders. One example is the Joplin Police Department, which recently added a full-time DWI unit with two officers devoted to catching impaired drivers and two new vehicles clearly marked with their mission. This is just one of the many examples of work the coalition supports to increase DWI enforcement this holiday season and decrease impaired driving fatalities and injuries.
The coalition will be running a radio and Internet ad campaign across the state Nov. 24 - Dec. 21 to urge drivers not to drink and drive this holiday season. Each message portrays the consequences of an impaired driving conviction.
If you suspect a drunk driver or have a roadside emergency, call 1-800-525-5555 or *55 on a cell phone for assistance from the Missouri State Highway Patrol.
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