March 7, 2018

Public weighs in on West Lake proposal, overwhelmingly wants more thorough cleanup

BRIDGETON • Last month, the Environmental Protection Agency issued a long-awaited proposal to partially remove the radioactive contamination at the West Lake Landfill Superfund site here, while placing a protective cap over material left behind.

At the time, many in the community regarded the move as a welcome sign of progress after decades of inaction toward remediating the site, and some even expressed tepid support for the proposal to remove about 67 percent of the site’s radioactivity by excavating to a depth of 16 feet.

But at a packed and emotionally charged meeting in Bridgeton on Tuesday night, scores of speakers provided vocal, and largely critical, feedback to high-ranking EPA officials in attendance, overwhelmingly pushing for full removal of the site’s World War II-era nuclear waste.

That more extensive cleanup option, identified as “Alternative 7” among the eight strategies under consideration by the EPA, is also the most expensive on the table, with an estimated cost of $455 million, compared to $236 million for the current proposal. The costs will be covered by a handful of public and private entities deemed liable for the cleanup.

http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/metro/public-weighs-in-on-west-lake-proposal-overwhelmingly-wants-more/article_33bdc971-b073-5028-b824-daa5c5ac1f3d.html#tncms-source=infinity-scroll-summary-siderail-latest

March 7, 2018

Target's remake is accelerating, at a cost

http://www.stltoday.com/business/local/target-raising-minimum-wage-to-an-hour-plans-to-raise/article_67a8084d-763d-5c95-9ea5-4d8bd24a8c81.html

Target is increasing the minimum hourly pay to $12 starting this spring, the second increase in a matter of months, while accelerating its reinvention plan to make the discounter more competitive in the age of Amazon.

The discounter’s moves, announced at its annual investor meeting in Minneapolis where the company is based, come as its ambitious plan to make itself over is driving more people to its stores and its website. But the cost of such a massive overhaul, along with its pay increases, squeezed its fourth-quarter profits, and it took some shine off overall strong quarterly sales. The company also offered a muted profit outlook.

Last fall, Target increased its hourly wage to $11 from $10. Brian Cornell, CEO of Target, told analysts Tuesday the company saw a better applicant pool and a 60 percent spike in the number of applicants in the days after the announcement. Cornell reiterated Tuesday its promise to increase the minimum pay to $15 by the end of 2020.

Target also announced other initiatives to help it speed up deliveries and make shopping in its stores easier. The company is rolling out free, two-day shipping for hundreds of thousands of items on Target.com. Except for holders of its branded credit card, shoppers previously needed to spend at least $35 to get free shipping. And its same-day delivery service, which was tested in New York City, is being rolled out to key cities in the U.S. such as Boston and Chicago. Target, which was testing curbside pickup at 50 stores, said it also plans to expand to 1,000 locations nationwide.

March 5, 2018

UK supermarkets ban sales of energy drinks to under-16s

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2018/mar/05/uk-supermarkets-ban-sales-energy-drinks-under-16s

Sales of energy drinks to children under 16 will be banned by most major UK supermarkets from Monday, following concerns about their high levels of sugar and caffeine and impact on health and behaviour.

Customers buying drinks containing more than 150mg of caffeine per litre in branches of Asda, Aldi, the Co-op, Lidl, Morrisons, Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Waitrose will be asked to prove they are over 16.

The high street chemist Boots is the latest retailer – and the only non-supermarket – to announce a ban, following the lead of a voluntary restriction taken by Waitrose in January.

Drinks such as Red Bull, Relentless, Monster Energy and Rockstar have become increasingly popular. Children and teenagers consume them more than adults, even though industry labelling guidelines statew that any soft drink with more than 150mg of caffeine per litre must carry a warning about its high caffeine content and state it is not recommended for children.

March 2, 2018

Missouri AG opens inquiry into Greitens charity

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMOV/AP) — Missouri's Attorney General opened an inquiry Thursday into The Mission Continues, a charity Governor Greitens founded eleven years ago.

In a statement Thursday, Josh Hawley's Deputy Chief of Staff said "The Attorney General’s Office has an open inquiry into the charitable activities of The Mission Continues, pursuant to the AGO’s enforcement responsibilities under the consumer protection and charitable registration and reporting laws.”

The details of the inquiry remain unclear. Earlier in the day, the Associated Press reported Greitens used an email address for the charity he founded to arrange political meetings as he prepared to launch his first bid for public office, despite a federal ban on nonprofits participating in political campaigns, according to records obtained by The Associated Press.

http://www.kfvs12.com/story/37626328/greitens-sent-political-invite-on-charity-email?utm_content=buffer0c414&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=buffer

March 1, 2018

UFCW Local 655 continues historic organizing campaign at Dollar General with second union election f

655 is filing for union election at a second store after becoming the first union in history to win an election at Dollar General just months ago
St. Louis, MO – Dollar General employees will decide if the store at 10060 Halls Ferry Road, 63136, in St. Louis will become the second store in the company’s history to vote for unionization after employees at an Auxvasse, MO store became the first ever to vote to join a union late last year.

The Auxvasse store voted for representation from United Food and Commercial Workers Local 655 in December of 2017. After the historic win, Local 655 — the state’s largest private sector local union — began working with employees at other Dollar General stores that were interested in union representation. Local 655 organizers filed for an election today at the Halls Ferry after 100 percent of the employees signed union authorization cards approving an election.

“I’m excited that the employees of Dollar General will have an opportunity to choose to join our union family,” said UFCW Local 655 President David Cook. “Working Missourians deserve a chance for a better life, and that’s exactly what a union can offer them.”



https://labortribune.com/ufcw-local-655-continues-historic-organizing-campaign-at-dollar-general-with-second-union-election-filing/