Celebrating Blog’s 19th Anniversary

 

  Nineteen year ago I started this blog as a distraction from my father’s heart attack and slow recovery. It was late 2004 and social media & video streaming apps didn’t exist yet — or at least not widely available to the general public. Blogs were the newest means of …

Thoughts on NGA West’s Upcoming $10 Million Dollar Landscaping Project

 

  The new NGA West campus , Jefferson & Cass, has been under construction for a few years now. Next NGA West is a large-scale construction project that will build a new facility for the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency in St. Louis, Missouri.This $1.7B project is managed by the U.S. Army …

Four Recent Books From Island Press

 

  Book publisher Island Press always impresses me with thoughtful new books written by people working to solve current problems — the subjects are important ones for urbanists and policy makers to be familiar and actively discussing. These four books are presented in the order I received them. ‘Justice and …

New Siteman Cancer Center, Update on my Cancer

 

  This post is about two indirectly related topics: the new Siteman Cancer Center building under construction on the Washington University School of Medicine/BJC campus and an update on my stage 4 kidney cancer. Let’s deal with the latter first. You may have noticed I’ve not posted in three months, …

Recent Articles:

Sunday Poll: Tomorrow is Memorial Day, have the day off work?

May 24, 2015 Featured, Sunday Poll Comments Off on Sunday Poll: Tomorrow is Memorial Day, have the day off work?
 

Please vote in the poll, located in the right sidebar
Please vote in the poll, located in the right sidebar

Tomorrow is a national holiday — Memorial Day. This holiday has a long history, but not everyone gets the day off.

Today’s poll seeks to see if readers have to work tomorrow or have the day off. All options should be covered, but if not, you can add your answer to the poll (upper right sidebar). The poll closes at 8pm.

— Steve Patterson

 

 

Four Years Since Joplin Tornado, New Hospital Opened in March

May 22, 2015 Featured Comments Off on Four Years Since Joplin Tornado, New Hospital Opened in March
 

Last Sunday St. Louis’ new Shriner’s Hospital for Children was dedicated, it’ll open for patients on June 1st. In March another hospital opened in Missouri. I didn’t get a tour but I did drive by the day after it opened.

Almost four years after the Joplin tornado destroyed St. Johns Medical Center, Mercy Hospital Joplin is opening its doors.
Early Sunday morning, personnel began transferring dozens of patients from its temporary facilities. 

Mercy Hospital moved dozens of patients more than two miles, from the old temporary facility to the new facility. They say it was an incredible undertaking, but one that means so much to this Joplin community”
For the last three years, Mercy has operated out of a smaller temporary hospital after St. John’s Medical Center was destroyed by the Joplin Tornado in 2011.
Dozens of volunteers, doctors and nurses who had the day off, and the Joplin Police Department all pitched in to help get the hospital ready and move all of the patients. (Source)

The tornado was on May 22, 2011 — four years ago today. Here are a few photos I took on November 8, 2011.

Many neighborhoods were completely wiped clean, the hospital can be seen on the left horizon
Many neighborhoods were completely wiped clean, the hospital can be seen on the left horizon

The hospital, though still standing, was devastated.
The hospital, though still standing, was devastated.

By the time I visited 6 months later they'd set up portable buildings across the street for a temporary hospital.
By the time I visited 6 months later they’d set up portable buildings across the street for a temporary hospital.

In the years since I didn’t have to even exit I-44 to see the new hospital being built — they picked a new site on the opposite side of the highway. I think this was an unfortunate decision — it’ll make Joplin sprawl out even more — making public transit, walking, & bicycling more difficult.

The new hospital in Joplin MO as seen from the shoulder of I-44. Most of the town is on the opposite side of the highway
The new hospital in Joplin MO as seen from the shoulder of I-44. Most of the town is on the opposite side of the highway on March 23rd

I’m glad Joplin has a new hospital, I just feel for the low-wage workers who need a car to get to their jobs.

— Steve Patterson

‘Bridge Bash’ To Start Removal Of St. Louis Centre Bridge Was 5 Years Ago Today

 

Five years ago today work began on reversing a mistake that had been in place for 25 years. The “Bridge Bash” event started with comments from numerous white men, followed by Mayor Slay operation the wrecking ball, pyrotechnics made breaking glass a little more exciting.  Here’s the video I uploaded from the scene — the action starts at 8:45.

St. Louis Centre was part of the ‘bring the suburbs to the city’ movement. The inwardly focused mall was a killer to the sidewalks downtown — especially under the Washington & Locust wide bridges connecting to Dillard’s & Famous-Barr, respectively.

Looking west from 6th Street on May 22, 2010
Looking west from 6th Street May 2010

Looking east along Washington Ave from 7th, February 2006
Looking east along Washington Ave from 7th, February 2006

Same view yesterday
Same view after the bridge was removed

Removal of this oppressive bridge and facing the ground level retail of the MX (formerly St. Louis Centre) has done wonders for this part of downtown. If only we hadn’t wasted decades trying to be like the burbs.

— Steve Patterson

Readers on Crowded 2016 GOP Race

May 20, 2015 Politics/Policy Comments Off on Readers on Crowded 2016 GOP Race
 

Sunday’s poll was a bust — too many choices, national political topic. Fewer than usual responses, here are the results:

Q: 12+ months prior to the convention, who do you THINK will be the five (5) final candidates for the 2016 GOP presidential nomination? (PICK UP TO 5)

  1. Jeb Bush 7 [18.42%]
  2. TIE 5 [13.16%]
    1. Rand Paul
    2. Marco Rubio
  3. TIE  3 [7.89%]
    1. Dr. Ben Carson
    2. Chris Christy
    3. Rick Perry
    4. Mike Huckabee 2 5.26% 5.26%
    5. TIE  1 [2.63%]
    6. Herman Cain
    7. Lindsey Graham
    8. Bobby Jindal
    9. John Kasich
    10. Ron Paul
    11. Mitt Romney
    12. Rick Santorum
    13. Donald Trump
    14. Scott Walker
    15. Unsure/no answer
  4. TIE   0 [0%]
    1. Skip Andrews
    2. Kelly Ayotte
    3. Haley Barbour
    4. John Bolton
    5. Kerry Bowers
    6. Dale Christensen
    7. Mitch Daniels
    8. John Dummit Jr.
    9. Bob Ehrlich
    10. Mark Everson
    11. Carly Fiorina
    12. Newt Gingrich
    13. Nikki Haley
    14. Chris Hill
    15. Peter King
    16. Michael Kinlaw
    17. Dennis Michael Lynch
    18. Susana Martinez
    19. Sarah Palin
    20. George Pataki
    21. Tim Pawlenty
    22. Mike Pence
    23. Michael Petyo
    24. Condoleezza Rice
    25. Brian Russell
    26. Brian Sandoval
    27. Tim Scott
    28. Rick Snyder
    29. John Thune
    30. Allen West
    31. Someone not listed here

Still, it’ll be interesting to look back at this list 12-15 months from now.

— Steve Patterson

 

First Time All 28 Aldermen Are Democrats

 

St. Louis City Hall
St. Louis City Hall

History was made last month — for the first time in the history of St. Louis every alderman is a Democrat.  Yes, we all know the City of St. Louis is a Democrat city — to get elected you need to be a Democrat — at least a DINO. But up until last month at least one member wasn’t a Democrat.

In 1949 Democrats took majority control of the Board of Aldermen but Republicans continued to have multiple members, dropping to one in 1977 but up again to two in 1979 when Fred Heitert was sworn in. The number was back to one after Jim Shrewsbury defeated the GOP incumbent in the 16th Ward.  Republican Fred Heitert was an alderman from April 17, 1979 t0 April 19, 2011 — when his successor Larry Arnowitz, a Democrat, was sworn in. But that same day in 2011 an Independent, Scott Ogilvie, was sworn in representing the 24th Ward. Last month Ogilvie was sworn in to a 2nd term — this time as a Democrat.

So last month, on April 21, 2015, became the first time in St. Louis’ history that every Alderman was a Democrat. UPDATE 5/19 7:45am: Current seniority list.

How long will this last? If this is broken will it be by a Republican, an Independent, or a Green?

— Steve Patterson

 

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