The Illinois Personal Injury Weblog of Schaeffer & Lamere P.C.

Danton Won't Be Transferred to Canadian Prison

From Yahoo! Canada: "Danton to remain in U.S. prison"--

Former St. Louis Blues forward Mike Danton, currently imprisoned in the U.S. for plotting to have his agent killed, has been turned down in his bid to be transferred to a Canadian prison.

Instead, Danton will continue serving time in an East St. Louis facility. The U.S. Justice Department's international prisoner-transfer unit rejected his request because of the seriousness of his crime.

Danton was sentenced to 71/2 years in prison on Nov. 8, 2004, for plotting to have his former agent David Frost killed.

--Posted by Illinois mesothelioma lawyer T. Evan Schaeffer of the Madison County Illinois mesothelioma law firm of Schaeffer & Lamere, P.C.

Booster Seats for Older Children?

From the St. Louis Post-Dispatch: "Missouri may boost age for car seats"--

Missouri lawmakers are weighing whether to require booster seats for children up to 8 years old - twice the age cited in current law, which requires children to be in safety seats until they turn 4, when they must wear seat belts.

The bill is backed by safety advocates, who say small children aren't properly protected with a seat belt and need booster seats until they grow into belts made to fit adults.

--Posted by Illinois car accident lawyer T. Evan Schaeffer of the Collinsville Illinois car accident law firm of Schaeffer & Lamere, P.C.

The Schaeffer & Lamere Website

At the Schaeffer & Lamere website, you can find information about our firm, our settlements, and recent press coverage. We handle accident cases, personal injury cases, and products liability cases. We also handle worker's compensation and many other matters. We are always happy to answer your initial questions for free.

We are licensed both in Illinois and Missouri. Call us at (618) 467-8200 or toll free at (888) 783-9679.

--Posted by Illinois and Missouri accident lawyer T. Evan Schaeffer of the Illinois and Missouri personal inury law firm of Schaeffer & Lamere, P.C.

Illinois Bans Junk Food in Schools

From the Associated Press via the St. Louis Post-Dispatch: "Illinois school board bans junk food in elementary and middle schools"--

The Illinois State Board of Education today voted to ban junk food in elementary and middle schools starting this fall.

The board answered a request from Gov. Rod Blagojevich, who urged the board last fall to adopt the prohibition to keep unhealthy food out of the hands of young children.

The ban, which takes effect when students return in August, prohibits the sale of soda, chips and candy during the school day for pupils through eighth grade.

--Posted by Illinois accident lawyer T. Evan Schaeffer of the East Alton Illinois accident law firm of Schaeffer & Lamere, P.C.

Cheney at Scott Air Force Base

From the St. Louis Post-Dispatch: "At Scott, Cheney defends Iraq war," by Doug Moore--

In a hangar at Scott Air Force Base this morning, Vice President Dick Cheney said he was absolutely certain the long battle in Iraq would end in a victory against terrorism.

"The war on terrorism is a battle for the future of civilization," Cheney said. "It is a battle worth fighting and it is a battle we are going to win. "

The remarks by Cheney were greeted warmly by the hundreds of military men and women at the Metro East base near Mascoutah.

--Posted by Illinois auto accident lawyer T. Evan Schaeffer of the Alton Illinois auto accident law firm of Schaeffer & Lamere, P.C.

Population of St. Louis Growing

From the Associated Press via the Belleville News-Democrat: "Population of St. Louis scores third straight year of growth"--

After more than five decades of declining population, the city of St. Louis saw growth for the third straight year in 2005.

Mayor Francis Slay announced Friday that the U.S. Census Bureau's population estimate for July 1, 2005, is 352,572. That is up about 1,800 people from the previous year.

--Posted by Illinois catastrophic injury attorney T. Evan Schaeffer of the Alton Illinois injury law firm of Schaeffer & Lamere, P.C.

Problems with the ACT

From the Belleville News-Democrat: "Pre-ACT test glitch affects 16 from West," by Ramona Curtis--

A group of Belleville West High School students are among thousands across the country who received incorrect reporting results from a pre-ACT test taken last year.

About 18,000 of the 800,000 students nationwide who took the PLAN test received reports marking correct answers as incorrect, said a spokesman for the company that administers the test. Sixteen of the 574 Belleville West students who took the test received the incorrect report last month.

--Posted by St. Louis Missouri personal injury attorney T. Evan Schaeffer of the St. Louis Missouri personal injury law firm of Schaeffer & Lamere, P.C.

Illinois Doctors: Lower Malpractice Premiums?

From the St. Louis Post-Dispatch: "Illinois doctors may see premiums lowered," by William Lamb--

Flexing their muscle under a new law, Illinois regulators have ordered the state's largest medical malpractice insurer to make changes that officials said would lead to lower premiums for doctors next year.

The order, issued Tuesday by the Illinois Division of Insurance, is the first step that state officials have taken under a law signed last year by Gov. Rod Blagojevich to rein in the cost of medical malpractice insurance.

--Posted by Illinois personal injury attorney T. Evan Schaeffer of the East Alton Illinois personal injury law firm of Schaeffer & Lamere, P.C.

Update on Illinois 255 Construction

From the Alton Telegraph: "Lawmakers save Illinois 255 funding," by Sanford Schmidt--

Two area legislators got a healthy round of applause Friday from a business group after telling a somewhat harrowing tale of how they rescued nearly $20 million in Illinois 255 construction money from the state bureaucratic scrap heap.

Speaking to the Legislative Committee of the Growth Association of Southwestern Illinois, state Rep. Dan Beiser said that only $500,000 was in this session’s budget for the ongoing link between the area and the interstate highway system. But he said he and state Sen. WilliamHaine prevailed upon the administration to come up with $19.9 million.

--Posted by St. Louis Missouri accident lawyer T. Evan Schaeffer of the St. Louis Missouri personal injury law firm of Schaeffer & Lamere, P.C.

What's Special About St. Louis

From the St. Louis Post-Dispatch: "The Seven Wonders of St. Louis," by Joe Holleman--

Of all the wonders in all the world, these are ours:

Eads Bridge, Forest Park, the Fox Theatre, the Gateway Arch, Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis Cathedral Basilica and Union Station.

More than 4,000 readers cast ballots in the poll to name the "Seven Wonders of St. Louis."

--Posted by Alton Illinois personal injury lawyer T. Evan Schaeffer of the Alton Illinois personal injury law firm of Schaeffer & Lamere, P.C.