Rams and CVC enter arbitration
The St. Louis Rams are heading to arbitration over what to do about the Edward Jones Dome. The St. Louis Convention and Visitors Commission, which runs the facility and leases it to the Rams, voted Thursday to begin the arbitration process. The two sides remain far apart on plans to upgrade the dome. The 30-year lease signed when the Rams moved to St. Louis from Los Angeles prior to the 1995 season requires the dome to be among the top quarter of NFL stadiums in 15 separate categories. If it isn't, the team can break the lease after the 2014 season. Negotiations began in February with the CVC proposing $124 million in improvements. The Rams countered with a much broader plan that city officials said could cost $700 million.
MSD Board approves rates increases
The board of trustees of the Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District yesterday finalized a series sewer rate increases - the result of voter approval of Proposition Y on June 5. MSD spokesperson Lance LeComb says those increases will slowly phase in over the next four years. On July 1, a 9.1 percent increase will go into effect. LeComb says rates would go up by about the same amount each summer through 2015. He says for a residential household, that would mean sewer bills would average about 44 dollars a month - up from about 29 dollars right now. The increases will go toward funding upgrades to the St. Louis sewer system. Construction on the first round of projects is expected to begin in August.
Today's the deadline for 12th District Democratic hopefuls
The effort by top Democrats in Illinois' 12th Congressional District to select a nominee for the November ballot is about to move to the next stage. Today is the deadline for hopefuls for the seat being vacated
by Congressman Jerry Costello to file a questionnaire to be considered by a search committee comprised of Democratic heads in the district's 12 counties in southern and southwestern Illinois. The scramble came after Democratic nominee Brad Harriman last month dropped out of the race, citing medical reasons. Each committee member has a weighted say based on how many Democratic votes were cast in the March primary election in their counties. A top official on the panel says she expects the party to have a candidate by the end of this month.
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