Tagged: St. Louis County

• St. Louis county will begin it's anti-smoking campaign next week, just as the the countywide smoking ban is about to take effect Jan. 2. The Post-Dispatch says in March the county was awarded a $7.6 million federal stimulus grant to fight smoking. The county's first effort will be a 15 month, $2 million media campaign urging people to stop smoking and to explain the ins and outs of the forthcoming ban. Dr. Delores Gunn, director of the St. Louis County health department says that until now, Missouri has been 48th in the nation on spending for smoking prevention and cessation programs.

"We spend $400 million a year in Medicaid in Missouri to treat illnesses related to smoking and secondhand smoke." -Dr. Delores Gunn in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

• Express Scripts is planning to announce today that it will build a third office building at its headquarters complex in north St. Louis county. The company says the project will increase its economic impact in the region, which was more than $986 million in 2010. Express Scripts says it will also release an independent academic study on its economic impact in Missouri.
• The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that nearly $190 dollars in safeguards have been installed at the Lincoln County jail. This after two federal prisoners escaped last month. Among the new safeguards is a new camera system. The Sheriff's department hopes the changes will allow them to resume housing federal prisoners. John Wesley Jones, a suspect in the multimillion-dollar ATM Solutions robbery in St. Louis, and Corey Durand Cross escaped through a drop ceiling. They were recaptured within days of the jail break.

Good morning! Here's a look at the headlines:

• Beer mad at baseball? It hardly seems possible. But Anheuser-Busch sued Major League Baseball last month on the grounds that the sports organization violated a sponsorship contract. Today, MLB responded and made some of it's own claims against Anheuser-Busch.
• Smoking and gambling can continue to coexist at the Harrah's casino in Maryland Heights. By a 4-3 vote the St. Louis County council tentatively agreed last night to give two lounges in the casino an exemption from the county's smoking ban that takes effect Jan. 2. Harrah's serves only drinks in its VooDoo Lounge and a piano bar. They would qualify for an exemption under the ban, but the Missouri Gaming Commission licenses alcohol sales in the casino, not the county. The ban says only bars licensed by the county can get an exemption. A final vote will be held at a later date.
• Another person involved in the ongoing St. Louis towing scandal will be sentenced today. Kevin Shade is a former St. Louis detective who pleaded guilty to one count of mail fraud. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that Shade accepted bribes as a police officer to falsify inspection records for vehicles that were impounded by St. Louis Metropolitan Towing, so they could fetch a higher price when resold through the company's affiliated businesses.

Authorities say 19-year-old William Mack Sapp of south St. Louis County is charged with second-degree assault and leaving the scene of an accident. He is jailed on $500,000 bond following his arrest on Wednesday. It wasn't immediately clear if Sapp had an attorney.

The other alleged racer, 19-year-old Trenton Pinckard of Glen Carbon, Ill., was charged earlier this week with leaving the scene of an accident.