On Wednesday, October 1, 2008, at approximately 10:30 a.m., a Missouri National Guard helicopter used for marijuana eradication was shot at while flying over rural Douglas County near the community of Vanzant. A National Guard pilot and Missouri State Highway Patrol trooper were on board. A Missouri State Highway Patrol trooper on the ground located the suspect, a 69-year-old white female, who admitted to the trooper that she fired upon…[more]

The Missouri Department of Transportation received a $3.3 million federal grant recently that will help increase freight mobility and reduce delays for Amtrak service across the state. The grant from the Federal Railroad Administration will help fund two projects that will increase rail capacity between Kansas City and Jefferson City at a critical time when Amtrak ridership is on the rise, increasing 31 percent since last October.

“With…[more]

SALEM, Mo.—Missourians in the market for used cars, trucks, ATVs, tractors, farm implements, boats, motors and trailers can bid on all these and more at the Missouri Department of Conservation’s surplus property auction Oct. 18 in Salem.

The Conservation Department holds one or two surplus property auctions annually, depending on the amount of property to be sold. This year’s auction will be held at the agency’s maintenance center…[more]

The radioactive wastes at West Lake Landfill, in the Missouri River floodplain, should be cleaned up, not covered up. The landfill is upstream from drinking water intakes for North St. Louis County and the City of St. Louis. The wastes can and should be safely excavated under a temporary structure (a negative pressure building that filters the air) and moved to a licensed radioactive waste disposal facility, away from water…[more]

Jefferson City, Mo. - Attorney General Jay Nixon is challenging the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in order to stop an EPA decision that could help pave the way for the transfer of water from the Missouri River basin to the Red River basin. As the leading proponent for Missouri’s interests in the Missouri River, Nixon has opposed plans for out-of-basin transfers for more than 15 years.

Nixon was…[more]

Parents of children who may have been exposed to toxic elemental mercury that was recently spilled on a Pittsburg, Kan., skate park are being strongly urged to immediately contact the Crawford County Health Department so that their children can receive health screenings.

Emergency responders from EPA Region 7, Kansas Department of Health and Environment, Kansas Fire Marshal’s Office, Pittsburg Police Department and the Crawford County Health Department were…[more]

Gold nanoparticles are everywhere. They are used in cancer treatments, automobile sensors, cell phones, blood sugar monitors and hydrogen gas production. However, until recently, scientists couldn’t create the nanoparticles without producing synthetic chemicals that had negative impacts on the environment. A new method, created by a University of Missouri research team, not only eliminates any negative environmental impact, but also has resulted in national and international recognition for the lead…[more]

This year the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s National Fish Passage Program provided Missouri nearly $100,000 to reconnect more than 28 stream miles, remove barriers to fish passage, assess and survey low-water crossings, and conduct an inventory of low-head dams.

Along with more than $775,000 in partnership funds, the Fish Passage Program will support four fish passage projects in Missouri. On a national scale, the program provided nearly…[more]

On October 1, Trevor Dowdney of Osage Beach plans to take a swim. But it will not be your average dip into Lake of the Ozarks. Dowdney intends to freestyle his way from the Grand Glaize Bridge to Bagnell Dam, a distance of 20 miles. And he wants to accomplish the feat in under 20 hours.

Why take such a journey? Because Dowdney is using his skills as…[more]

Recent improvements within the Missouri Department of Natural Resources’ Soil and Water Conservation Program have streamlined the process of providing almost $27 million from the parks, soils and water sales tax to implement soil and water conservation practices to control erosion and protect water resources in all 114 of Missouri’s counties.  Landowners will have access to $26.6 million in fiscal year 2010, which is an additional $1.2 million over the…[more]