Victim of tent collapse died of blunt force trauma
The St. Louis medical examiner says a man who was killed when a tent collapsed near Busch Stadium on Saturday died of blunt force trauma.
58-year-old Alfred Goodman of Waterloo, Ill., was the only fatality when a party tent at Kilroy’s Sports Bar blew apart in a violent thunderstorm. 100 people were treated at the scene, and another 16 taken to local hospitals.
Saint Louis University Hospital said Monday afternoon that three people remained there in intensive care. Barnes-Jewish Hospital said the last of the five patients in had treated was released on Monday.
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that the city requires large tents like that at Kilroy's to withstand winds of 90 mph, which is an industry standard. But public safety director Eddie Roth told the paper that inspectors mostly check for the proper number of exits and any fire hazards.
Survey shows continued economic growth
A new survey of supply managers in nine Midwest and Plains states suggests economic strength continues to grow in the region.
The Mid-American Business Conditions index rose to 60 in April, compared with 58.6 in March and 58.4 in February. Anything above 50 suggests growth.
Creighton economist Ernie Goss, who created and oversees the survey, says heavy manufacturing continues to propel the region.
The survey covers Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma and the Dakotas.
IDOT secretary admits misspending road money on jobs program
Illinois’ Secretary of Transportation is admitting that she approved questionable payments as part of a 2008 summer jobs program for teenagers – but says she did so under pressure from former Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich.
Ann Schneider was the department’s budget director at the time. A state Executive Inspector General report released on Monday found that Schneider approved payments of $3.1 million in road funds to a variety of non-profits, despite incomplete or missing documentation. The report also fund that that the teens, who were required by law to be working on road projects, were instead attending conflict resolution classes and helping at golf courses.
Schneider stressed on Monday that she later ordered audits, which promoted IDOT to seek about $664,000 in repayments from some of the non-profits. And the report also backs her claim of pressure from Blagojevich.
