October 4, 2012

Low Mississippi River Reveals Sunken WWII Ship

ST. LOUIS, MO (KPLR) – Norman James has seen the USS Inaugural minesweeper sink and rise again. The first time, he was crossing the Poplar street bridge when he watched it go down.
“Actually I was driving across and I seen this big boat come across. We was trying to hurry up and get across the bridge. It was just like once we came across we saw it on the news that it had crashed and ended up here. This is where it’s been ever since.” said Breckenridge Material Driver Norman James.
It was during the flood of 1993 that the USS Inaugural broke free from it’s mooring under the arch and crashed into the Poplar street bridge. Eventually the ship sank South of the MacArther Bridge. About 700 ships that have been recorded as shipwrecked on the stretch of the Missisppi between Cairo and Hannibal.

More may surface as the water level drops into the winter from this summer’s drought.

http://kplr11.com/2012/10/04/low-mississippi-river-reveals-sunken-wwii-ship/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Inaugural_(AM-242)

October 4, 2012

Akin failed to report 10 years of Missouri state pension payments

Congressman Todd Akin failed to report almost $130,000 in Missouri legislative pension income over the past 10 years on his congressional financial disclosure report, his office acknowledged this morning.

“This was an unintentional oversight and I regret any inconvenience this may cause,” Akin wrote in a letter to the House Ethics committee this week.

The acknowledgment came after a Post-Dispatch inquiry into why Akin showed no Missouri pension payments on the congressional form.

Asked if the discovery came in response the newspaper’s questions, Akin spokesman Steve Taylor said only that it was the result “an inquiry.”

Akin, whose Republican Senate campaign has been rocked by his August comments about “legitimate rape” and pregnancy, has made personal financial issues a centerpiece in his challenge of Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo.

It's not the first time Akin has had to amend his congressional disclosure report after failing to disclose assets. Last year, he amended nearly a decade’s worth of personal financial disclosure forms, reporting previously undisclosed property assets for 2010 worth a minimum of $355,000 after a Post-Dispatch inquiry.

http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/fa34a66a-0e32-11e2-9c66-0019bb30f31a.html

October 4, 2012

McCaskill surges in polls as Akin’s abortion comments draw fire Read more here: http://www.kansasci

Two new polls Wednesday showed Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill leading Republican U.S. Rep. Todd Akin by six points as Akin faced a new round of questions about four-year-old comments about abortion providers.

In a 2008 speech on the House floor, Akin linked abortion providers to terrorists and suggested it was a “common practice” for those providers to give “abortions to women who are not actually pregnant.”

The remarks made the rounds on the Internet as Akin was in Washington raising money for his Missouri race against McCaskill. For Akin, the attention to the remarks was ill-timed as he struggles to emerge from the weeks-old shadow of his remarks about “legitimate rape” that were broadcast Aug. 19 on a St. Louis television station.

Akin, a six-term congressman from the St. Louis area, reacted to the new remarks by releasing a statement from Abby Johnson, whom the campaign identified as a former Planned Parenthood director in Bryan, Texas, from 2007 to 2009.

Read more here: http://www.kansascity.com/2012/10/03/3846620/mccaskill-surges-akin-abortion.html#storylink=omni_popular#storylink=cpy

October 4, 2012

Supervalu Attracts Buyout Barons

Amid exploration of strategic options for its future, struggling Minneapolis-based grocer Supervalu Inc. reportedly has attracted the interest of billionaire Ronald Burkle and buyout firms KKR & Co. and TPG Capital.

Burkle and the private-equity firms are looking at parts of Supervalu rather than the whole, reported Bloomberg.com, adding that Cerberus Capital Management LP also has looked at some of Supervalu’s assets. Grand Rapids, Mich.-based retailer and distributor Spartan Stores Inc. reportedly has also shown interest in some of Supervalu’s stores in the Midwest.

Supervalu reportedly would prefer a deal for the entire company and has extended its offer deadline past Oct. 15, according to Bloomberg.

While advisors to Supervalu are reportedly asking potential buyers to bid for the entire business, Supervalu’s new CEO Wayne Sales has expressed his commitment to rebuilding the company after being appointed in July to replace Craig Herkert, who was ousted after 18 consecutive quarters of negative growth and a billion-dollar loss in fiscal year 2012.

http://www.progressivegrocer.com/top-stories/headlines/industry-intelligence/id36375/supervalu-attracts-buyout-barons/

October 4, 2012

Meijer to Hire 12,000 for Holidays

Some good news......

Midwestern superstore chain Meijer is preparing to hire thousands of new employees for its stores as it prepares for this year's holiday season and continued growth throughout the Midwest.

“Customer service is one of the things that truly sets Meijer apart from our competition,” said Janet Emerson, executive VP of operations. “Our goal is to deliver the best customer experience and the lowest prices, and as we continue to grow, it’s so important that we have the right levels of staff and the right people in those roles.”

Meijer stores are open 24 hours, and close only on Christmas Day. Interested candidates can apply online either at home or at the employment kiosks located at the front of most Meijer stores. The local store management will then follow up with qualified candidates.

“While most of the seasonal opportunities are part-time, these jobs can provide a gateway to a full-time career at Meijer,” said Jenny Hawat, VP of talent recruitment and retention.

Meijer is preparing to open six new stores in 2013, including the first Meijer in the city of Detroit.

http://www.progressivegrocer.com/top-stories/headlines/industry-intelligence/id36364/meijer-to-hire-12-000-for-holidays/

October 4, 2012

Fry’s, Smith’s Ratify Union Agreement

The Kroger Co. associates working at Fry’s Food Stores and Smith’s Food and Drug in Arizona have ratified a new labor agreement with United Food and Commercial Workers Local 99.

The contract covers more than 15,000 Fry’s associates working in 121 stores in Phoenix, Tucson and throughout the state of Arizona. It also covers 427 Smith’s associates working in Kingman, Bullhead City, Fort Mohave and Lake Havasu.

“We are pleased to reach an agreement that is good for our associates and also allows us to be competitive in the very competitive Arizona marketplace,” said Jon Flora, president of Fry’s. “I want to thank our associates for supporting this agreement, as well as for the excellent service they provide every day to our customers and company.”

Smith’s President Mark Tuffin added: “This is good news for everyone. I want to thank our associates for their teamwork and the outstanding service they provide our customers every day.”

http://www.progressivegrocer.com/top-stories/headlines/industry-intelligence/id36376/frys-smiths-ratify-union-agreement/

October 3, 2012

Long before `legitimate rape,' Akin alleged abortions on non-pregnant women

Todd Akin, who nearly derailed his U.S. Senate campaign in August by claiming that rape usually can't cause pregnancy, made another claim four years ago that was arguably as strange: That doctors at abortion clinics perform abortions on women who aren't actually pregnant.

The comment, made in a House floor speech in January 2008, wasn't fully explained at the time, but was apparently an allegation that abortion doctors were ripping off women who erroneously thought they were pregnant. It was part of a litany if alleged illegalities—tax fraud, medical lapses—that Akin claimed were happening in abortion clinics.

“And what sort of places do these bottom-of-the-food-chain doctors work in? Places that are really a pit,” Akin says in a C-Span clip unearthed by Slate.com. “You find that along with the culture of death go all kinds of other law-breaking: not following good sanitary procedure, giving abortions to women who are not actually pregnant, cheating on taxes, all these kinds of things, misuse of anesthetics so that people die or almost die. . . . All of these things are common practice."


http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/f5f0c752-0d72-11e2-b591-0019bb30f31a.html

October 3, 2012

Judge Declines To Block Missouri Disturbing Worship Law

ST. LOUIS (AP) – A federal judge has refused to issue a preliminary injunction against a Missouri law making it a crime to disturb worship services.
The law makes it a misdemeanor to intentionally disturb or interrupt a “house of worship” with profane language, rude or indecent behavior or noise. It carries a penalty of up to six months in jail and a $500 fine.
Attorneys for the American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit on behalf of two individuals and two groups that picket outside churches. They contend the law is vague and infringes upon free speech rights.
Senior U.S. District Judge E. Richard Webber last week denied the request for preliminary injunction. Critics of the law said Tuesday they will move forward with the case. A full hearing is not yet scheduled.

http://fox2now.com/2012/10/02/judge-declines-to-block-missouri-disturbing-worship-law/