CVC: Rams do not accept dome proposal
According to a statement from the the St. Louis Convention and Visitors Commission released this morning, the St. Louis Rams have turned down the CVC's $124 million plan to overhaul the Edwards Jones Dome.
The CVC's plan included adding 1,500 new club seats, installing a massive 96 foot-long scoreboard over the center of the field and adding windows for more natural light.
The CVC says the team "will submit their own proposal to improve the Edward Jones Dome on or before May 1, 2012."
A lease agreement with the team requires the dome to be among the top 25 percent of all stadiums as measured by various criteria.
NWS determine storm damage in Southern Missouri caused by tornadoes
Several National Weather Service storm survey teams fanned out across the storm-damaged areas of southern Missouri Wednesday to determine if tornadoes touched down.
Mike Griffin, National Weather Service meteorologist in Springfield, says there was one continuous track that started near Kimberling City, moved through the heart of Branson and ended near Kissee Mills.
"That was one track that was 22 miles long and about 400 yards wide, we rate that as an EF-2 which is a strong tornado," Griffin said.
EF-2 tornadoes pack winds up to 130 mph. There were three other tracks near Buffalo—that’s where a tornado tore through a mobile home park, killing one and injuring several others.
“One track went south of Buffalo, we found another track that went into the Bennett Spring areas, and we found another track that went through Lebanon," Griffin said. "So those are three separate tracks or three separate tornadoes that occurred up there across Dallas and Laclede counties.”
The tornado that hit the mobile home park was labeled an EF-2. The others were an EF-0 and an EF-1.
The areas that were hit by the severe storms early Wednesday morning could see more severe weather tomorrow with a slight possibility of tornadoes.
ABA report on death penalty in Mo. due today
A new report concludes Missouri has too many reasons by which people can be eligible for the death penalty and needs to do a better job of preserving forensic evidence such DNA samples.
The report, to be released today, is the result of a two-year study sponsored by the American Bar Association that included law professors, private-practice attorneys and judges appointed by Republican and Democratic presidents.
The Associated Press obtained a copy of the report before its public release. The report notes that Missouri has 17 "aggravating circumstances" that give prosecutors discretion to pursue the death penalty for "virtually any intentional homicide." It says many other states have fewer grounds for the death penalty. The report also praises Missouri for several things, including an independent judiciary.
