Blanchette Bridge Blast Planned for Sunday

Interstate 70 will be closed Sunday from 10 to 11 a.m. Vehicles will be detoured to Interstate 364 and Interstate 270.

Interstate 70 will shut down entirely near the Blanchette Bridge on Sunday around 10 a.m. while crews blast part of the truss on the westbound span, according to the Missouri Department of Transportation. Traffic will close for about an hour to allow crews time to clear the area, remove the debris and inspect the eastbound span of the bridge for safety. In addition, the KATY Trail near the bridge, Bangert Island Conservation Area and parts of Riverwoods Trail will be closed near the bridge. A portion of Ameristar Casino will be evacuated near the trail and the casino plans to restrict portions of the parking garage close to the bridge. Eastbound traffic on I-70 will be detoured off of the highway at 94 to 364. Drivers can then head back …

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Casino-Backed Smoking Ban Won't Be On November Ballot

Several thousand signatures on petition were found to be invalid, Election Authority said. Organizer Carl Bearden says he'll sue to keep other smoking ban proposed by County Councilman Joe Cronin off the November ballot.

The St. Charles County smoking ban petition backed by Ameristar Casino will not appear on the Nov. 6 ballot because the petitioners did not obtain enough valid signatures, according to the St. Charles Election Authority. Petitioners needed at least 18,535 valid signatures and the Election Authority found that just 14,801 signatures were valid, said Rich Chrismer, director of the election authority.  Many of the signatures turned in either were not registered voters, included a wrong address or were duplicates, Chrismer said.  The petition drive was organized by Carl Bearden, a former state Representative for St. Charles County. It would have offered exemptions to businesses that cater to people over age 21, to the casino, and to businesses…

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Two County Smoking Bans Could Be On November Ballot

Councilman Joe Cronin, District 1, introduces a bill to place smoking ban before voters. Another smoking ban amendment has been proposed by a political action committee funded by Ameristar Casino.

St. Charles County voters may get the chance to vote on two different proposed smoking bans this fall, one of which is backed by Ameristar Casino, another proposed by a councilman. County Councilman Joe Cronin, R-district 1, introduced a bill on Monday that puts the smoking ban before voters on the Nov. 6 ballot. His bill includes exemptions for casinos, private residences, private clubs with no employees and retail tobacco stores. This is his third time trying to place a smoking ban on a ballot. (Read about his earlier efforts here and here). Cronin said the bill is modeled after an earlier bill that was vetoed by County Executive Steve Ehlmann, with a few changes. He said he was prompted to propose it again to give voters a choice in …

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Community Weighs in on the Smoking Ban Issue

Residents took definite sides on the smoking ban issue. The effort to put the smoking ban on the ballot was defeated, but it is likely to resurface through St. Charles County Council action or a citizen initiative petition.

Before the St. Charles County Council voted on the smoke-free ballot issue on Monday, several people addressed the council regarding the proposal. St. Charles County Council members defeated the proposal to put the smoke-free issue on the November 2012 ballot. Following are some excerpts from what residents said. Sharon Lee, manager of Siteman Cancer Center in BJC St. Peters Hospital “Tobacco use has a direct relationship to causing cancer. “I don’t think this is about public rights as much as it is ‘Let the public speak.’ So once again, we would ask you to let the public make this decision. Let them vote in the November 2012 election, and let their vote be heard.” Jerry Haferkamp of St. Charles Haferkamp said the American Legion in St. …

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John Durajczyk

12:18 pm on Thursday, December 22, 2011

Considering drinking is the state pastime of Minnesota (what else is there during 8 months of winter) it means there's only 1 bar per block now...500 establishments is a drop in the beer barrel. Probably saved some innocent lives getting drunks off the roads, too!   more ›

Smoking Ban Measure Appears Deadlocked After St. Charles County Council Meeting

Countywide smoking ban opponents may have scored a tactical victory during the St. Charles County Council meeting Monday.

Supporters and opponents of two smoking ban-related bills took turns addressing the council, including Ameristar Casino Senior Vice President and General Manager Jim Franke and Siteman Cancer Center Manager Sharon Lee. One bill would place a countywide smoking ban on the November 2012 ballot. A second would grant an exemption to the casinos and also would be decided by voters if the county council approves it. However, after each council member weighed in on the ban, the measure appeared to be one vote short. The council won’t vote on the ordinance until its Nov. 28 meeting. But unless votes change, the smoking ban issue is likely to end in a 3-3 tie that would defeat the measure. Councilman Joe Cronin, R-District 1 This is Cronin’s second…

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'Hullabaloo' is Back: Countywide Smoking Ban Proposal to be Reintroduced

Two ordinances would allow voters to vote separately on banning smoking in public places and allowing an exemption for casinos.

St. Charles County Councilman Joe Cronin (R-1st District) will introduce two bills on a countywide smoking ban. One would place a countywide smoking ban on the ballot. If passed by voters, it would ban smoking in all public places with a few exemptions. The ordinances will be introduced at the county council meeting at 7 p.m. Monday at the St. Charles County Executive Building. “It’s a simple issue really,” said Cronin. “All it does is let the voters decide whether or not people have to step outside to smoke in a bar or restaurant.” The second bill would allow voters to choose if they want to exempt casinos from the smoking ban. Ameristar Casino is the only casino in St. Charles County, thus the only one affected. Last spring, Cronin …

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Jeff Violet

5:00 am on Monday, November 14, 2011

The sword cuts two ways... as a VFW life member when I attend my club events the smoke is unbelievable! I would love to go to the club and be able to breath clean air. Smoking bans should have NO exemptions!   more ›

Smoking Ban: St. Charles County Council Wants Voters to Decide Issue in November 2012 Election

The St. Charles County Council placed a countywide smoking ban measure on the November 2012 ballot over objections from a standing room only crowd.

There were impassioned pleas against placing a countywide smoking ban on the ballot in St. Charles County, including one by state Rep. Kathie Conway, R-District 14. “A smoking ban would not mean St. Charles is smoke-free, it would mean it is less free,” Conway told the council. But the St. Charles County Council Tuesday night voted 4-2 to place a smoking ban bill on the November 2012 ballot. Councilmen Joe Brazil, R-District 2, of Defiance, and Councilman Jerry Daugherty, D-District 6, of Portage de Sioux, voted against the issue. Councilman Paul Wynn, R-District 4, of O'Fallon, who has opposed the ban, was absent. Daugherty said he objects to the exemption for casinos. Councilman Terry Hollander, R-District 5, of St. Charles, amended the …

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Great Escape

Great Escape To The Ameristar Casino

If you're looking for a romantic get-away for Valentine's Day, look no further than your own backyard.

Welcome to the Great Escape. Each week, we’ll tell you about one great idea to give you a much deserved break, and make your life a little easier, maybe a whole lot easier. *** Before MJ and I got married, the pastor sat us down to talk about what we should expect from one another. He said we should be each other’s biggest cheerleaders, to always put one another first, and to always keep in mind that MJ was like a microwave and I was like a crockpot—while all I was going to have to do was push a few of MJ’s buttons, MJ was going to have to wait a while for me to warm up. A man sees romance very differently than a woman. Where a man may think presenting himself au naturale in Captain Morgan pose is an invite for romance, a woman needs a …

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