ST. LOUIS, Mo. — Another fast moving and very weak weather system will pass well south of St. Louis this afternoon into early this evening. The worst the St. Louis area may see is a few snow flurries. However, our southern communities are in line for a couple of quick hitting light snow and sleet showers between 4 p.m. and 8 p.m.
These snow bursts will be fast and very patchy. Some communities may see them, while others miss them entirely.
Where is the snow expected to fall? Around a line from Sullivan, Missouri to Carlyle, Illinois. If you are traveling further south into Arkansas or Kentucky or Tennessee, then you will run into much bigger issues.
This does not look anywhere near what hit yesterday afternoon. The worst might be a light dusting with a couple of short term slick spots on any untreated driving/walking surfaces. Overall, I expect this to have limited, if any, impact.
CHICAGO – A new suburban stadium could be on the horizon for the Chicago Bears, though it appears some Illinois representatives are not quite on board with that prospect.
The Bears are highly considering a new home in the Arlington Heights suburb of Chicago, one that could pair an NFL stadium with a nearby entertainment complex. A key part of that 326-acre proposal, a PILOT tax incentive, has yet to be discussed among Illinois state lawmakers.
This would allow the Bears to “pay to Arlington Heights a negotiated sum for the property taxes,” according to the Chicago Sun Times. The report further explains mixed reactions to the proposal, including Gov. J.B. Pritzker noting he does not support public financing of a new Bears stadium.
The report offers some uncertainty as to whether the Bears might stay around Chicago long-term without an approved tax incentive to speed up the new stadium process.
Todd Maisch, president of the Illinois Chamber of Commerce, tells the Chicago Sun Times, “I think it needs to happen by the end of this session. If not, you’re going to start to have other states make their cases on why the Chicago Bears should be the St. Louis Bears.”
Speaking that possibility into existence, regardless how realistic it might be, is interesting for a few reasons. St. Louis was home to the NFL Cardinals from 1960-1987, after they relocated from Chicago. After a brief stint with the NFL Rams from 1995-2016, St. Louis will enter its eighth season without an NFL team this year, a longer stretch without a team than the time between the Rams’ arrival and Cardinals’ departure.
The Bears have a large backing in northern Illinois, but not allegiance to NFL teams elsewhere in the state varies, according to recent research from VividSeats.com. The Chiefs are considered the most popular team for much of the St. Louis area and Metro East counties, per Vivid Seats.
Despite Maisch’s comments, no other reports tied to Illinois officials have suggested that St. Louis could be home to the Bears or any other NFL team in the near future.
NEW YORK — Bed Bath & Beyond said last that it’s in default on its loans and doesn’t have sufficient funds to repay what it owes. The company told Nexstar Monday that it will be closing 87 additional stores.
The company also plans to close five buybuy BABY stores as well as all of its Harmon beauty locations.
The home goods chain said in a Securities and Exchange Commission filing that the default would force it to consider alternatives including restructuring its debt in bankruptcy court.
Shares in the company based in Union, New Jersey, fell 22% Thursday in reaction to the news.
Bed Bath & Beyond warned on Jan. 5 that it was considering options including filing for bankruptcy, saying that there was “substantial doubt” that it could stay in business. A week later, it reported a 33% drop in sales and a widening loss for its fiscal third quarter that ended Nov. 26, compared with the year-ago period. Sales at stores opened at least a year — a key indicator of a company’s health — dropped 32%.
Its recently appointed president and CEO, Sue Gove, blamed the poor holiday performance on inventory constraints and reduced credit limits that resulted in shortages of merchandise on store shelves.
Typically, struggling retailers file for bankruptcy protection after the holiday shopping season because they have a cash cushion coming from the two-month sales period.
Still, turning around Bed Bath & Beyond is expected to be difficult amid increasing competition from discounters. Its struggles come as the economy is weakening, and shoppers are tightening their purse strings.
It has been trying to turn around its business and slash costs after previous management’s new strategies worsened a sales slump. The company announced in August it would close about 150 of its namesakes stores and slash its workforce by 20%. It also lined up more than $500 million in new financing.
The magic in “magic mushrooms” may be the ability to defeat post-traumatic stress disorder, and a St. Charles County Republican lawmaker wants to make them legal in a treatment setting.
State Rep. Tony Lovasco of O’Fallon isn’t a hippie. He says he’s never taken psilocybin mushrooms or smoked a joint.
“I’ve never even smoked a cigarette,” he said in an interview with The Independent. “I’m a pretty boring guy.”
But he’s convinced that a growing body of research – and increasing interest from federal regulators – means Missouri should make treatment with the psychoactive mushrooms legal for people over 21.
In addition to PTSD, Lovasco’s bill would allow psilocybin to be used by people with treatment-resistant depression or who have a terminal illness. The administration of the drug would be by medical professionals in a clinic, hospice or nursing home.
“These are very sympathetic people that, you know, are not the kind of folks that you would look at that are drug addicts, or people that are looking to find some loophole in the system to get high,” he said. “These are people who want treatment, they want to get better.”
Psilocybin and other hallucinogens are legal in a handful of locations in the United States.
In November, Colorado voters approved a ballot measure removing the criminal penalties for possession of psilocybin and other psychedelic drugs. The New Hampshire Supreme Court in 2020 overturned a conviction on the grounds of the right to use and possess psilocybin for religious purposes.
Lovasco’s bill defines psilocybin as “natural medicine.” In a bill he filed last year, that term had a much broader meaning. It allowed mescaline, ibogaine, and dimethyltryptamine, or DMT, the psychoactive chemical in the ayahuasca brew NFL quarterback Aaron Rodgers consumed on trips to Peru in 2020 and 2022.
Lovasco said he hopes limiting the proposal to psilocybin will make it more palatable to his colleagues.
“For the purposes of getting people treatment, now, psilocybin is the most studied, the most proven, the safest, I think of the substances that I’ve been made aware of,” Lovasco said. “I think it’s the starting point that a lot of people are most comfortable with.”
Federal agencies are exploring when and how psychoactive substances can help treatment of mental health and substance abuse. In June, the chief of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration wrote to U.S. Rep. Madeleine Dean that FDA approval of psilocybin to treat depression was likely within the next two years.
Faced with high rates of substance abuse and mental health issues “we must explore the potential of psychedelic-assisted therapies to address this crisis,” Miriam E. Delphin-Rittmon, assistant secretary for mental health and substance use, wrote to Dean.
More than 1,000 people take their own lives in Missouri every year, putting the state about 25% above the national average for suicides. The suicide rate among veterans in Missouri is nearly double the state rate and one of the highest in the country.
An interim committee led by state Rep. Dave Griffith, R-Jefferson City, found that one of the biggest obstacles to preventing veteran suicides is the reluctance to seek treatment. The committee is recommending a beefed-up 988 suicide and crisis hotline, asking for an additional $27 million for the program.
During one hearing over the summer, Griffith said Tuesday to the House Health and Mental Health Committee, a the wife and daughter of a Springfield police officer and National Guard colonel testified about his suicide.
“They knew that he had issues, but they didn’t really want to bring it forward because he was afraid about losing his job,” Griffith said.
There are numerous studies showing the effectiveness of psilocybin to treat addiction and last summer, a study showed that it had promise in controlling alcoholism.
When he first decided to work on the bill, Lovasco said, his purpose was to make it a liberty issue. The state’s high suicide rate, and the elevated rate among veterans, makes it a life-and-death issue.
Two years or longer for FDA approval is a long time to wait, he said.
“The folks that are coming back from war, that are in desperate need of care, a lot of them aren’t going to be around in three years,” Lovasco said. “We’ve got, what 20-something veterans per day committing suicide? That’s a tremendous amount of loss while we wait for the government to do some paperwork.”
Missouri Independent is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Missouri Independent maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Jason Hancock for questions: info@missouriindependent.com. Follow Missouri Independent on Facebook and Twitter.
NORMAL, Ill. (WMBD) – The Normal Police Department announced Tuesday that 23-year-old Scott T. Johnson of Normal has been arrested on a McLean County arrest warrant for possession of child pornography and indecent solicitation of a minor.
According to NPD’s press release, a detective assigned to the Illinois Attorney General’s Office Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force began investigating alleged child sexual abuse material in May 2020. This investigation led to the identification of Johnson and a subsequent search warrant.
During the search, multiple electronic items were seized from Johnson, and it was determined that they did contain child sexual abuse material.
The timeline of the investigation was not disclosed.
After the investigation concluded and was reviewed by the McLean County State’s Attorney’s Office, Johnson was arrested on Jan. 25, 2023 on the following charges:
Child pornography/possession of photos of a victim under the age of 13 – 44 counts
Child pornography/possession of film/photos – 6 counts
Indecent solicitation of a minor – 1 count
If you have any information which may assist NPD in any investigation, please contact NPD Criminal Investigations Division at 309-454-9593.
ST. LOUIS – Anheuser-Busch begins its fifth annual Brew Across America event Tuesday.
It’s a brewing competition among members of congress. Republican Representative Glenn Thompson of Pennsylvania will be at the brewery.
He’ll create a unique beer inspired by ingredients from his district. Later, a congressional democrat will create his own brew. A panel of judges will choose the winning brew this fall.
ST. LOUIS – Each month, FOX 2 gives out the Proud to Serve award to honor the local heroes who protect and serve.
Security teams inside schools have the incredible responsibility to protect children and give them security and safety to learn. Enter Daymon McGhee, a security supervisor for one of the largest school districts in St. Louis, Hazelwood School District.
Daymon found his calling after graduating from Hazelwood East. After working as a football coach, he joined the security team and is now a supervisor over 29 security officers at Hazelwood East where the school is guarded 24/7 ensuring the students and school are safe.
Officer McGhee was nominated by a teacher in the school, who shared:
“Officer McGhee is the lead safety officer at Hazelwood East High School. St. Louis County Police no longer hold positions as safety resource officers in the Hazelwood School District. Our school safety officers are our first responders. Officer McGhee is second to none in protecting Hazelwood East. He’s hard-working, dedicated, and goes above and beyond the call of duty. An alumnus of Hazelwood East, Officer Daymon McGhee is a hometown hero who is proud to serve.”
ST. LOUIS – A groundbreaking is happening Tuesday.
This is on upgrades to the Old Courthouse in downtown St. Louis. It is the site of one of the most-important cases in u-s history.
The historical exhibits will be updated to better reflect the city’s black history. They will also go deeper into the case of Dred and Harriet Scott.
The couple sued for their freedom at the courthouse. This later led to the end of slavery in America. The renovations are part of the $38 million City-Arch-River project.
The group updated the arch grounds, Visitor’s Center, and Kiener Plaza. The groundbreaking ceremony is at 10:00 a.m.
CHESTERFIELD, Mo. – A popular St. Louis brewery is planning to expand its footprint in Chesterfield later this year.
4 Hands Brewing Company is preparing to open a second St. Louis-area location at The District this summer.
Plans include a 10,000-square foot tasting room that will feature 25 draft offerings, including year-round and seasonal beers and hard seltzers, 1220 Spirits cocktails and Withered Oak blended whiskey. Organizers hope to create a similar atmosphere to their current location in the La Salle Park neighborhood.
The new location will also include a private event space, an oversized patio, an outdoor event area, a family-friendly arcade setup and a kitchen featuring menu items from culinary partner Hi-Pointe Drive-In.
4 Hands will anchor the centerpiece of The District, commonly known as The Hub. The Staenberg Group is contributing to the $4 million site, which could grow into a multi-purpose venue.
“I’m excited to expand westward not only because The Staenberg Group is creating a one-of-a- kind, family friendly experience in Chesterfield, but also because I grew up in the area and it feels good to open a location back in my childhood neighborhood. While we remain hyper passionate and committed to the City of St. Louis, this opportunity fits perfectly with our growth strategy,” said 4 Hands Founder Kevin Lemp.
“4 Hands is a staple in the St. Louis community and we are thrilled for their expansion to The District,” said Michael Staenberg, President of The Staenberg Group. “A key component to what we are hoping to create at The District, specifically as it relates to The Hub, is to pull our St. Louis favorites all together in one place.”
Construction is expected to be completed by spring and the new 4 Hands location is expected to open this summer, according to the Staenberg Group.
Here’s a look at NAMI’s (the National Alliance on Mental Health) Crisis Intervention Training Program. It’s a course designed to equip law enforcement and first responders with tools to serve people with mental illness.
You can donate to support NAMI’s resources like the CIT Program and find help if you are struggling with mental health at namistl.org.
FOX 2 and KPLR 11 are the proud media sponsors for NAMI St. Louis.
