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

Anniversary Snowfall Heads to St. Louis

From the St. Louis Post-Dispatch: "Anniversary snowfall coming to St. Louis," by Harry Levins--

Watch for an anniversary snowfall later today, with an inch or so piling up in the metropolitan area.

Anniversary?

Sure. Twenty-five years ago, on Jan. 30-31, 1982, a big snowfall all but buried St. Louis. The region needed a week to dig itself out.

The storm got dubbed "The Blizzard of '82," even though the sustained wind never reached 35 mph, the minimum for a blizzard.

--Posted by Alton Illinois truck accident lawyer and Illinois truck accident abogado (de accidentes de automovil) T. Evan Schaeffer of the Madison County Illinois truck accident lawyers of Schaeffer & Lamere, P.C.

Wireless Internet for St. Louis County?

From the St. Louis Post-Dispatch: "St. Louis County champions regionwide wireless Internet," by Clay Barbour

Tired of its provincial reputation, and hoping to gain an edge in the marketplace, St. Louis County is seriously considering a plan that could bring wireless Internet to the entire region.

The St. Louis Economic Development Collaborative, an arm of the county's economic development council, is working with a communications engineering firm to determine what would be needed — and how much it would cost — to offer Wi-Fi access across the county.

--Posted by Alton Illinois truck accident lawyer and Illinois truck accident abogado (de accidentes de automovil) T. Evan Schaeffer of the Madison County Illinois truck accident lawyers of Schaeffer & Lamere, P.C.

Jobless Claims Up

From the Associated Press via Yahoo! News: "Jobless claims rise to 16-month high," by Martin Crutsinger--

The number of Americans filing applications for unemployment benefits shot up last week by the largest amount in 16 months, reversing two weeks of big declines.

The Labor Department reported Thursday that 325,000 newly laid-off workers filed claims for jobless benefits last week, an increase of 36,000 from the previous week. That was the biggest one-week rise since a surge of 96,000 claims the week of Sept. 10, 2005, when devastated Gulf Coast businesses laid off workers following Hurricane Katrina.

--Posted by Madison County Illinois work injury lawyers and Illinois work comp abogado (de accidentes de trabajo) T. Evan Schaeffer of the Madison County Illinois workers compensation law firm of Schaeffer & Lamere, P.C.

Another Copter Crash in Iraq

From the Associated Press via Yahoo! News: "5 Americans killed in Iraq copter crash," by Steven R. Hurst--

A U.S. security company helicopter crashed Tuesday as it flew over a dangerous Sunni neighborhood in the central Baghdad where insurgents and Iraqi security troops fought a prolonged gunbattle, and a U.S. official said five American civilians on board were killed.

A senior Iraqi military official said the aircraft was shot down, but this was disputed by a U.S. military official in Washington. The Iraqi said the helicopter was hit by a machine gunner over the Fadhil neighborhood on the east side of the Tigris River, while the American official said there was no indication in initial reports that the aircraft, owned by Blackwater USA, had been shot down.

--Posted by Madison County Illinois work injury lawyers and Illinois work comp abogado (de accidentes de trabajo) T. Evan Schaeffer of the Madison County Illinois workers compensation law firm of Schaeffer & Lamere, P.C.

The Chavez Show

From the Associated Press via Yahoo! News: "Chavez to U.S. officials: 'Go to hell'," by Christopher Toothaker--

President Hugo Chavez told U.S. officials to "Go to hell, gringos!" and called Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice "missy" on his weekly radio and TV show Sunday, lashing out at Washington for what he called unacceptable meddling in Venezuelan affairs.

The tirade came after Washington raised concerns about a measure to grant the fiery leftist leader broad lawmaking powers. The National Assembly, which is controlled by the president's political allies, is expected to give final approval this week to what it calls the "enabling law," which would give Chavez the authority to pass a series of laws by decree during an 18-month period.

--Posted by Edwardsville Illinois car accident attorney and Illinois car accident abogado (de accidentes de automovil) T. Evan Schaeffer of the Southern Illinois car accident attorneys of Schaeffer & Lamere, P.C.

Snow This Weekend

From the St. Louis Post-Dispatch: "Forecast calls for a white weekend," by Harry Levins--

If you own a four-wheel drive vehicle, you may get a chance to show off this weekend.

The National Weather Service is calling for "several inches" of snow to fall from Saturday night into mid-morning Sunday.

"We think it'll be a few inches," forecaster Joe Pedigo said this morning. "We'll have a better idea this afternoon on the accumulation, but it'll be several inches."

--Posted by Alton Illinois car accident attorney and Illinois car accident abogado (de accidentes de automovil) T. Evan Schaeffer of the Southern Illinois car accident attorneys of Schaeffer & Lamere, P.C.

Storm: Death Toll Hits 54

From the Associated Press via Yahoo! News: "Thousands shiver as storm toll hits 54," by Justin Juozapavicius--

Hundreds of people hunkered down in emergency shelters and thousands stuck it out in darkened homes after a winter storm that left 54 dead in nine states.

About 320,000 homes and businesses in several states were still without electricity late Tuesday after a storm that brought ice, snow, flooding and high winds to a swath of the country from Texas to Maine.

--Posted by Alton Illinois car accident lawyer and Illinois car accident abogado (de accidentes de automovil) T. Evan Schaeffer of the Madison County Illinois car accident lawyers of Schaeffer & Lamere, P.C.

Storm Damage, Again

From the St. Louis Post-Dispatch: "Ice storm leaves swath of damage in its wake," by Elisa Crouch--

The second wintry storm of the season is expected to leave the St. Louis area today after rain and falling temperatures late Sunday threatened to leave an icy coat on trees, power lines and windshields.

As of 6 a.m. today, the winter weather advisory issued by the National Weather Service came to an end. Forecaster Gary Schmocker said this morning, "There's still a chance of a little bit of freezing rain or freezing drizzle, but it doesn't look as if it will amount to too much."

--Posted by Brighton Illinois car accident lawyer and Illinois car accident abogado (de accidentes de automovil) T. Evan Schaeffer of the Madison County Illinois car accident lawyers of Schaeffer & Lamere, P.C.

Nifong Off the Case?

From ABC News: "DA in Duke Rape Case Asks to Be Taken off Case,"--

District Attorney Mike Nifong has requested that he have himself removed from prosecuting the Duke Lacrosse rape investigation, ABC News has learned.

A source close to the investigation said Nifong sent a letter to North Carolina Attorney General Roy Cooper asking his office to assume responsibility of the case. Calls to the Attorney General's office and Mike Nifong's office were not yet returned.

--Posted by Southern Illinois Fosamax lawyer and Southern Illinois Fosamax abogado T. Evan Schaeffer of the Alton Illinois Fosamax law firm of Schaeffer & Lamere, P.C.

Everything About Dogs

From the McClatchy-Tribune News Service via the St. Louis Post-Dispatch: "Everything you wanted to know about dogs but were afraid to ask"--

Well, we've all wondered these things, but some seemed a little impolite to inquire about. Then came the recent book, "Why Do Dogs Drink Out of the Toilet?: 101 of the Most Perplexing Questions Answered About Canine Conundrums, Medical Mysteries & Befuddling Behaviors." Dr. Marty Becker and Gina Spadafori collaborated on the paperback, published in September by HCI (224 pages, $12.95).

--Posted by Southern Illinois Fosamax lawyer and Southern Illinois Fosamax abogado T. Evan Schaeffer of the Alton Illinois Fosamax law firm of Schaeffer & Lamere, P.C.