Up next, millions of dollars are at stake. Those for and against a proposed Olivette
shopping mall make their positions known tonight. A live report is coming up.
Cell phones are not only popular with adults but also teenagers and some
parents think it's a good idea. I'll look at that issue in tonight's Focus 11.
The Mark McGuire show rolls on in Montreal. We'll show you the latest Mac blast.
And find out why the Billy Graham crusade is reaching out to the youngest generation.
The White House answers allegations that President Clinton used cocaine.
And the Titanic sails into St. Louis. Good evening, I'm Sandy Miller.
And I'm Dave Eriksson. The news starts now.
A big stink could force 300 Jefferson County families out of their homes.
It's our top story tonight. Good evening everyone. We'll have that story in just a moment.
But we begin with some breaking news. A St. Louis County police officer is
hit by a white truck. It just happened about 20 minutes ago at the corner of
Halls Ferry and Lucas Hunt. The officer pulled over a pickup truck and when he
started walking toward the vehicle the truck took off, striking the officer and
fleeing the scene. A massive manhunt is now underway for the vehicle. The
condition of the officer is unknown at this time. We'll have more information
just as soon as it becomes available. And now to our other top story tonight.
A story you'll only see on 11 News at 9. House Spring residents say their landlord
hasn't paid the sewer bill. That means no one is treating the sewage plant.
11 News at 9. Patrick Clark has that story. Residents of the Burns Mill Farms
mobile home park have a problem. Their sewer bill hasn't been paid in 14 months.
A portion of our pad rent over there is the sewer system payment. It says so
right in our contract. Bob Cotton used to live in the mobile park and he's always
paid rent. Where's the money that you've been paying toward the sewer? I'd like to
know that myself. The owner of the park, Belleville businessman Ron Shantz, hasn't
paid the House Spring sewer company and now he owes. Approximately $173,000.
About a week ago, Pat Frebus met with Shantz who agreed to pay the bill. But
the following day Shantz sent her a fax saying he was terminating his contract
with the sewer company and he chained it with locks and also changed the locks
so we had no access to the lagoon. Which means no one is treating the sewage
plant and now the sewer company says they have no choice but to discontinue
services September 1st affecting all the residents of the mobile park. Between
300 and 350 families, yes. And we don't want to put them out of their home. And
residents say they have no place to go. Can't afford it. I mean it's a couple
thousand dollars to move home and I just can't afford it. Calls to Mr. Shantz's
lawyer Charles DeFour were not returned to channel 11. Patrick Clark, 11 News at
9. The management of the Burns Mill mobile home park did release a statement
to the residents today. The mobile home park has in fact made application to the
Department of Natural Resources to operate the lagoon and treatment plant
on its own. The House Springs sewer company says that's illegal. They're
asking Missouri Attorney General Jay Nixon to investigate the matter. Dave? Two
weeks ago they said it was dead. Tonight the 112 million Olivet Mall project is
back. Right now hundreds of people are packed inside the Olivet Community
Center. 11 News at 9's Markina Brown is at that meeting. Markina? That's right
Dave. The Olivet Mall project is back, back by popular demand and oddly enough
it's the people whose houses that would be torn down. They're giving this thing
new life. In this building behind me there are a lot of people in here. It's
the Olivet Community Center. People are getting their first peek at the new plan.
I am. I am. I'm ready. Ready for a new mall here at Olivet 170. It would include
Walmart, Sam's Club, Home Depot and Shop and Save. As far as jobs and money and
Olivet, obviously it will be good for the city. I think Olivet needs the revenues.
So jobs and revenue come in but the project needs 300 of these homes out.
Most homeowners say they want out anyway. I'd love to get rid of my house now.
People don't realize there has to be change. They're gonna be in big trouble.
In tonight's meeting the mall developers reinforce their promise to property
owners. Some could expect a hundred and seventy five thousand dollars for their
homes. That's an offer this neighbor isn't buying into. He says his house is
worth more than that. There's other things that I can do for them to bodily
have to remove me from the property that I intend to do. Mr. Pacman is in the
minority. The signs say it all. Most people want TIF or tax increment
financing. It's a subsidy being used to finance the project. They're in favor of
the TIF for the profit that they can get. They don't want to spend three to five,
twelve, twenty thousand dollars to bring their house up to a livable condition.
Now a final vote is not expected tonight but if the City Council doesn't make a
final vote by September 7th the review process will have to start all over
again. Reporting live in Olivet, Markeena Brown, 11 News at 9. Dave. Markeena,
thanks very much for that report. The first charter school in the Metro East
is opening its doors. The charter school located in the former Metropolitan
Community College building is for high school dropouts. One hundred students
between the ages of 14 and 19 will work on completing their high school
curriculum there. Many believe this will give students a second chance. But I
focus with the students who are dropped out of school and wanted to come back to
school. So those are the students that we're dealing with. Southern Illinois
University at Edwardsville is overseeing the school. The Billy Graham Crusade
starts October 14th at the Trans World Dome and preparations are already
underway. Tonight teens are training to be counselors for the event.
11 News at 9. Sheree Curry is live in the newsroom with more on this story.
Sheree. Sandy, an office for the Crusade is up and running in Maryland Heights.
It's working with hundreds of area churches and is now trying to recruit an
army of volunteers. The Southern Baptist Evangelist will once again bring his
message to St. Louis. Ultimately we could see 200 to 250,000 people in total
attendance during the course of four days. Workers for the Crusade say they'll
need 25,000 volunteers including thousands of counselors who will be on
hand to help those who've decided to commit their life to Christ at the event.
Tonight at the St. Matthew's United Methodist Church in Belleville, teens
participate in a youth concert before beginning counselor training. To qualify
as a counselor, both teens and adults must take five Christian life and witness
classes. So these five courses will help these youth know the basics of their
Christian faith and be able to share those in an intelligent way with their
friends. The teens say they're excited about the classes. You get to learn about
God and you get to see different people and hear different people's opinions on things.
It's right in our hometown so it's kind of like great you know now we can see
what's going on. Their expectations along with organizers are high for Graham's
visit despite lower than expected turnouts reported at previous stops.
As Dr. Graham is getting older I think people have an urgency about wanting to see him.
As mentioned 25,000 volunteers are needed for this event. Everything from
counselors to ushers and choir members. Now if you'd like to volunteer you can
call 426-1999. Reporting live from the newsroom I'm Sheree Curry for 11 News at 9. Sandy?
Alright Sheree, thank you very much. SSM Health Care has pulled out of a
sponsorship deal for the new stadium in St. Charles so in the meantime the 10,000
seat stadium will be called Family Arena. It's set to open October 1st.
Apparently SSM wanted an exclusive agreement meaning no other events
sponsored by rival health care companies would come to the arena. The
stadium's management balked. A surprising plea to save the life of a
car bombing murderer. David Leisure is set to be executed September 1st. He and
his cousin were convicted in the 1980 car bombing that killed James Michaels
Sr. Now Michaels' grandson is asking Missouri Governor Mel Carnahan to spare
Leisure's life. In a letter Michael says both families have experienced enough
grief for one lifetime and that the execution would just bring more needless
hardship to the two families. St. Louis police are busy looking for a female
bank robber tonight and maybe you can help. It happened here at the Bank of
America on South Jefferson this afternoon. Police say the woman hinted
she had a gun but no one saw a weapon. An undisclosed amount of money was taken.
Thank you Dave. Borrowing money will be more expensive. For the second time in a
row the Federal Reserve votes to increase interest rates. It's in an
effort to cool the economy. The increase is one quarter of a percentage point. The
expected announcement had little effect on Wall Street. The Dow fell 16 and a
half points. The NASDAQ jumped 33 points. A Maryland teenager will serve time in
prison in Israel for murder. It's under a surprise plea agreement. Two years ago
Samuel Scheinbein fled to Israel after being charged with murdering and
dismembering a friend. Israel's High Court refused to extradite him back to
the US. Scheinbein claimed Israeli citizenship through his father.
Prosecutors in Maryland are not happy. Time and we will prosecute Mr. Scheinbein
in the event that he attempts to enter an inter-pol country or the United States
in the future. Under the deal in Israel he could be out on parole in 14 years. The
White House denies that President Clinton ever used cocaine. The response
comes after Jennifer Flowers said in a recent television interview that when
Clinton was Arkansas's governor he told her he used the drug. Clinton has
acknowledged a relationship with Flowers. Meanwhile Republican presidential
candidate George W. Bush has been dogged by that same issue. He'll only say he
hasn't used the drug in the past 25 years. Movie theaters, shopping malls,
grocery stores, you see people on cell phones everywhere. That includes kids. But
how many actually have cell phones and is it a good idea? We'll examine the
issue in tonight's Focus 11. And the remnants of Hurricane Brett turned
deadly. Stay tuned for the latest information.
You're watching 11 News at 9 with Sandy Miller, Dave Erickson, Mark Perry with
Weather, and Rich Gould with Sports. This is 11 News at 9.
They're quick, they're easy, and they're everywhere. Some 60 million plus. In fact
the number of cell phone subscribers grew from about 92,000 in 1985 to 69
million by the end of 1998. Tonight's Focus 11, a closer look at cell phone
users under 18. Today's cell phone market is expanding. There are more products and
services and a new customer base. Teenagers. 75% of the people that I know
do have one. Mark Cox of Air Link says cell phones are no longer just business
accessories for mom and dad. You know a year ago we started seeing second phones
for the spouse and whatnot. Now we're seeing you know two to three phones for
each household. Kelly got her first cell phone when she turned 16. Her mom Sandy
says she wouldn't have it any other way. Safety is absolutely number one. And
number two is communication. She and I have a wonderful rapport because of it.
And the third is for independence. Marquette's school policy has been
influenced by their popularity. Students are not allowed to bring cell phones
during school hours, but if there is a classroom crisis, like when gunfire broke
out at Columbine in April, each classroom has its own phone. So if there is an
emergency at school, every student, every staff member is with a hands reach of a
telephone that they can use. But who pays for all that talk? I know my parents pay for the bill, but I know my parents also feel really
secure that I have one. Other students say they're given guidelines and a limit
on the amount of minutes they use, but it still comes down to one thing. It's
really the convenience. Like the other day when she was lost, rather than stop
somewhere where she didn't know where she was, use a payphone, she was able to
call me immediately from her cell and say, how do I get back to 270? Where am I?
A sense of security and peace of mind that's priceless. And in Missouri the
law requires that you must be at least 18 to sign a contract to buy your own
cell phone, but that's not the case for pagers. Sandy? Our web poll deals with
teens and cell phones. We ask at what age should teenagers have their own cellular
phone? 40% said 18 is the right age, while 30% felt 15 was okay. Don't forget to
visit our website at kplr.com. Well, the two boys and the family, how old should they be?
I have a long time before I have to think about that. Maybe 21, then you won't have to worry about paying the bills. They can't date till they're 21. Exactly.
Right. Moving on to weather, things cleared up a bit today. Yeah, they did for us. It was a nice day for us. There's another tropical storm starting to make the news, though. As you can take a look right down here, spinning away now in the southwestern Atlantic, starting to move, as you can see, toward the northwest and heading toward the Atlantic coastline, is tropical storm Dennis. It now has sustained winds.
Around 52 miles an hour, with gusts up around 65 or so, it's moving to the west northwest at 10 miles an hour. Right now, it looks like it will stay offshore, but it could hit as it moves up the Atlantic coastline. We'll be keeping an eye on that one as our next tropical storm to worry about. 82 was our high temperature today. That's 4 degrees lower than our normal high this time of year of 86. 103 was our record high set back in 47. 62, the morning low. Right now, we've got fair skies. Our temperature is 70 degrees. Relative humidity at 73%. West northwest, we winds have blown in the east. We've got a few more to go. We've got a few more to go. We've got a few more to go. We've got a few more to go. We've got a few more to go. We've got a few more to go. We've got a few more to go. We've got a few more to go. We've got a few more to go
and that's because the center of the storm system that moved across our area is spiraling northeastward now, moving up toward Indianapolis and into northern Indiana.
All right, taking a look, you can see just what's going on in terms of our weather conditions. We've got high pressure moving in from the north and west and that will keep cool air overhead.
Right into tomorrow, it should stay relatively dry across our region in terms of humidity and we will see plenty of sunshine too as the high pressure settles on in.
The low pressure system starts to develop off to the west. Remnants of Brett continues to spin up in northern Texas tomorrow, dumping rain.
Sixty-three for the overnight low for us and like I said, fair to partly cloudy skies across our area. All the showers will be well off toward our east.
This high pressure continues tracking northeastward. Plenty of sunshine for Wednesday and our high temperature again in the lower 80s as we move into Thursday.
We start pushing toward the mid to upper 80s for high temperatures and lots of sunshine. Warmer air starts moving in from the south and west with temperatures back in the 90s there.
Seventy-three for overnight low tonight, partly cloudy skies. Westly winds at five to ten miles an hour. Your high temperature tomorrow in the lower 80s.
It should be a real nice day with lower humidities and dew points as I said in the upper 50s to about 60 degrees.
On Thursday, 87, the high 89 by Friday, vacuum in the 90s for the high on Saturday and a touch or two cooler for Sunday.
Really no big chance of precipitation throughout the entire forecast period. Guys, back to you.
Looking nice. Thanks very much, Mark. And coming up, another tragedy on a roller coaster and once again, someone is killed.
As the death toll rises in the wake of the earthquake in Turkey, the government comes clean. We'll explain.
And Big Mac does it again. Home run number 51. Rich Gould has more up next in sports.
On tomorrow's Focus 11 report, greasy pizza, salty fries and rich ice cream.
They're on every kid's menu, but how often do they eat this stuff and do these habits last a lifetime?
Find out tomorrow on 11 News at 9.
Drew, are you seeing another family?
Oh, me? We only see you one day a week. What if I come by a little more often, like five days a week? Would that be OK?
Oh, thank you, Drew.
Drew it. Five days a week.
Premiering this fall on WV 11.
When are you coming over?
I thought I told you never call me here.
In Turkey, the death toll continues to climb following last week's earthquake.
The government now says 18,000 people died. Officials continue to appeal for relief. Everything from tents to bulldozers.
Some 200,000 people are homeless.
Also, Turkey's prime minister says past governments are partly to blame for the number of deaths.
That's because they allowed shoddy construction practices to be followed.
Four traffic deaths in Laredo, Texas are now blamed on the heavy rains.
Hurricane Brett's leftovers have flooded nearly 200 homes in the area.
In other parts of the state, police are evacuating and heading to higher ground.
For the second time this week, there's a deadly accident involving a roller coaster.
Last night, a 20-year-old man died on the coaster called Shockwave.
It happened at Paramount Kings Dominion Amusement Park in Virginia.
The death is under investigation.
We'll change gears now to sports with Rich Gould. Cardinals are in action.
Call it action.
Mark Maguire is making some action.
Mack Homer's Cardinals lose. We've seen that time and time again.
They didn't make a move, though.
Kent Merker's career with the Cardinals is over.
He was claimed off waivers by the wild card challenging Boston Red Sox.
The Cardinals will get a couple of minor leaguers tonight.
Kent Bottenfield was trying to win Game 17. Mack was trying to tie Sammy.
He did on this swing. Pow! Breaking ball. Home run.
Number 51 for Maguire in Game number 127.
That is the exact same as last year, folks.
Can he hit 70 again? It is possible, but let's win a game for crying out loud.
Kent Bottenfield is pitching in the eighth inning, losing 5-3.
The only conceivable thing I can think of is why he's in there.
As even a tired Bottenfield is about as good as the bullpen has been lately.
They get a hit. The score, final, 8-4. Cardinals are losers tonight.
Out of baseball, Houston and New York.
George Brett throwing out the game ball in Shea Stadium.
And Carl Everett does it again.
Every time I watch this guy, he's hitting home runs.
Almost as regularly as Maguire, at least when I pay attention.
Mets and Astros is a 1-1 ball game. And they are in the eighth inning.
And Cincinnati and Atlanta. Dandy series here.
John Smoltz pitching to Aaron Boone.
Home run. Home run. A three-run shot for Boone of the Reds.
This woman likes it. Wonder why she's wearing a microphone.
I think it's part of that docudrama TBS is drumming up.
Blonde women with kids in Atlanta, you think? Maybe, maybe not.
Ryan Klesko, RBI single. Atlanta goes on to win this game.
Final score is 6-4. National League scores.
It's Arizona playing Florida. They're tied up 5-5.
Now I've been told Arizona has won 5-4. Final score.
San Francisco beating the Cubs today.
Philadelphia is leading. Look at all the runs being scored.
And it's the Dodgers 3-2 in the sixth inning over Milwaukee.
Greg Hill is back in camp after spending time with his wife,
who was assaulted in Dallas. She is okay, thank goodness.
When the Rams play San Diego Saturday, will Greg Hill still be on the roster?
Word is Detroit is taking a strong look at Hill.
Now that Barry Sanders is retired and, as of yet, hasn't changed his mind.
And with Marshall Falk here at top dollar price, you know, who's getting the ball.
It's going to be hard to get 27, 28 to ball.
My fair guy, as much money as I pay Marshall, I get him a ball every play too.
But the situation for me, you know, there are some teams out there
that are looking for a running back that need a running back.
From my understanding, I've been told I need to just get healthy right now.
And then that part of handling the sale.
There are 80 players at Rams Park fighting for 53 regular season roster spots on occasion.
There will be an extra player on the field hoping to become one of the 80.
They call them street free agents.
And Danny's that takes us through the tryout process.
Mixed into the Rams, blue, white and gold is usually someone not adhering to the team dress code.
The sure sign that that's someone who's getting ready for a tryout.
Over the course of a month, I'll have 150 to 200 kids that want to work out.
I look at it from this perspective, if it's a young man's dream,
I could take five minutes and look at his tape, look at his information.
And if he catches an interest of redeeming quality I like,
I'll take an extra hour or two hours and work him out.
Yes, the screening process for the tryout is thorough and the tryout itself for the player.
Intensity is unparalleled after all.
Saying someone's a street free agent is a nice way of saying that they're unemployed.
Today it was a running back named Willie Ladder looking for a job.
He just finished a very successful season in the Arena League.
But this afternoon his skills are being analyzed like never before.
How are you going to fit in with the schemes that you're actually working out on the field
or things that you're doing out on the field?
Today I had a young guy named Willie out here and he catches the ball well.
He runs good routes. He's got a soft hand.
What if things don't work out? What if you have to go back home?
Well, if things don't work out, I think by me being out here for a couple of days,
I've seen a lot take back from me and Charlotte and practice on how to get better.
Such is the life of a street free agent.
Danny's up 11-years at 9.
Sports for this hour again.
All right, Rich, thank you. And a final check of our weather is coming up next.
I think something happened here.
This f-----.
Now more on our first story tonight.
A St. Louis County police officer is injured after trying to apprehend a suspect.
It happened just before 9 this evening at the corner of Halls Ferry and Lucas and Hunt.
The officer was trying to subdue a suspect when the suspect got into a white pickup truck that he didn't own.
The officer grabbed onto the truck and was dragged for a little while before letting go.
We're told the officer's injuries are not life threatening and police are searching for that suspect tonight.
And it is time now for our final check on weather with Mark.
Yeah, fairly cloudy out there tonight. It will stay that way tomorrow morning.
65 degrees when you're driving into work, mostly sunny. High tomorrow, just 82. Sam?
Thank you, Mark. And finally, all aboard, it's opening night for the musical Titanic at the Fox Theater.
Titanic won five Tony Awards, including Best Musical and Sets.
It runs at the Fox through September 5th. Tickets are still available.
And that does it for us tonight. Thanks so much for being with us.
Friends is next. Have a good night.