"We're still paying dearly," local activist Yolanda Bohrer said. Much to the chagrin of longtime residents, a trailer park opened, followed by a second one. After the flood, 40 residents at one trailer park vowed to go home again. The fencing is certainly just an interim measure, while we are preparing the final alternative, says Bob Feild of the EPA. You got to do your homework on these pieces, otherwise youre wasting your time. Theres plenty of parking, a playground, and lots of picnic tables. Jerry Springer died Thursday at his home, his family said in a statement shared with Insider. By its order dated August 7, 1987, this Court found the NEPACCO defendants, IPC, Russell Bliss and Jerry-Russell Bliss, Inc. jointly and severally liable She traveled the country to countless rodeos, barrel races, and team ropings, often with her husband and daughter by her side. Would any human being do that?, To be sure, Bliss views himself as a victim in all this. Our materials are appropriately handled at waste disposal operations., Martha Steincamp, the chief regional counsel for the EPA, concurs with Monsantos professed innocence. WebJerry Russell Bliss, Age 66. She had cancer in her female organs that had metastasized to her blood, Leistner says. The mostly pleasant trails run north by the railroad tracks and then take a right along the river. Hed take out the trash in exchange for a free pastry. My (goal) is to have a park that is presentable to the public and that is safe to the public and doesnt put them at any risk. He is now 78 and lives just off I-44 near Cuba. Russell, Jerry W., Saturday, February 11, 2012. "Bliss told me it couldn't be in the oil because he didn't haul chemicals.". The liquor store doubled as a tackle shop, selling rods and bait. Bliss has said publicity about his spreading of dioxin to Times Beach and other areas forced him to turn over his waste-hauling business to his son, Jerry. The EPA removed the remaining barrels in July 1983. WebFor the first time Russell Bliss speaks publicly about the accident that forever changed the town of Times Beach, Missouri. Some streets here measured 100 parts per billion--100 times higher than the level the CDC considers dangerous. chemical plant, where the EPA presumes all of the toxins originated. Some even refused to shake his hand. Ultimately, the state accepted $94,000 in 1988 as its part of a $660,000 settlement with several companies, a fraction of the estimated overall cleanup cost. He operates a roadside attraction, a classic car museum in St. James, and he travels to flea markets. Once we receive the public comment then well be in the position to move forward with remedy selection. According to the accepted version of events, Bliss obtained the dioxin in 1971 from a plant in southwest Missouri that produced hexachlorophene and a chemical component of Agent Orange, the dioxin-laden defoliant used in the Vietnam War. Look at the record of decision. April 28 (UPI) -- An isolated private island off the coast of Scotland is for sale with an asking price of about $188,000. She started doing amateur detective work. State officials have cited Mr. Bliss's role in the dioxin case and other pollution episodes over the last decade as reasons for denying his license. For about a week and a half, that was the biggest topic.. Bunch lived at Cape Cod, a little motel on the edge of town. The first half of the name refers to Russell M. Bliss, the waste hauler responsible for dumping the pollutants. Authorities were tipped in November to the spraying in Times Beach, much as they were tipped off earlier to 15 other contaminated Missouri sites. She earned a business degree from Maryville University and served as the Treasurer of the family car business as well as a horse trainer. Waste was tracked to the Verona plant. If she had a couple of drinks at Bucks Place, she could walk home. "You win a battle, you stick up a flag," said the Chrysler assembly line worker. On the other side was a small but vocal group of peopleLeistner estimates 50 of Times Beachs 801 familieswho argued that the dioxin wasnt a threat. I think theyve done that.. As Leistner describes it, Times Beach was idyllic. But PCBs have been found in the past along with dioxin at the now remediated sites in eastern Missouri. Byrne Builders Inc. to build Strecker Forest, 31 houses will be constructed on the 18.5-acre tract. Feild, nevertheless, appears to have already arrived at a predetermined conclusion that those locations will be found to be free of any contamination. After a 30-day public comment period, the agency will then decide which means of remediation to pursue. She had a knack for finding the best ice cream shops and loved Dr. Pepper. Callahan started working for Bliss in the early 1970s, which would have been around the same time Bliss started hauling hazardous waste. Jerry Bliss, 26, said he should not be penalized for the actions of his father. Keep supporting great journalism by turning off your ad blocker. Its a difficult position for the city, says Joe Vujnich, Wildwoods director of parks and planning. When considering deviations from the existing zoning code, the city takes into account several factors, such as the availability of utility services, topography and road conditions, but nothing on the municipal books deals with building houses on top of former hazardous-waste sites. This is the most ludicrous thing Ive seen since I was given an arrest warrant for burning a log, says Taylor, referring to one of his past acts of civil disobedience. When a Missouri assistant attorney general asked the waste hauler in 1977 to identify his top customers, the first words out of Bliss mouth were, Oh, I would say Monsanto.. Then came a 7-Eleven. Teachers made them sit at the front of class, away from the rest of the students, in case they were contagious. It would be better to err on the side of safety, says Shea, than risk exposing people to more hazardous waste by digging foundations on the Callahan property and inadvertently excavating a heretofore undetected layer of toxic waste. At the time, the EPA considered anything above 1 part per billion hazardous. Houses were ripped from their foundations. A guard and a caution sign were posted at the entrance to town, a bridge that came across from the high side of the river, to keep people out. She is survived by her devoted They would write him a check., Rollins allegations have been corroborated to a degree by Judy Piatt, the one-time owner of Shenandoah Stables in Moscow Mill, Mo. In the center of the park is a large mound where the contaminated houses were buried, since only soil was burned. I do not believe that at all. The problem, however, was that Bliss was also being paid to haul away the sludge from a chemical plant in Verona, Mo., that had stored up dioxin-laced wastes from Its a thermometer with one-liners painted across its face. The DNR investigation of Terre Du Lac in the spring of 1983, however, does not appear to have been as thorough as the EPA now claims. Taylors list of objections goes on and on. His 1974 deposition was taken several months before state and Federal officials identified dioxin in samples of the horse arena soil and traced the waste to the Verona plant. Truckers crudely called him the hemorrhoid with the Polaroid. He wrote ticket after ticket. Often, Bliss is portrayed as possibly a victim of circumstance, says Steve Taylor, co-founder of the Times Beach Action Group. Sitting at her dining-room table, gazing out across the hillside through her glass patio doors, she begins. It brought a lot of revenue into Times Beach, Leistner says, laughing. Monsanto refused to consider the governors appeal, even though before a federal ban on the chemical the company had been the sole producer of PCBs in North America. They were in there in 1981, pulling out barrels and treating them differently from the rest of the waste. Everybody was friendly in Times Beach, she says. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the National MS Society . It was an abortion. They put up drywall in her house. I think its unfair, unjust All my friends say that I was a scapegoat.. We do not have the expertise that the U.S. EPA and Missouri Department of Natural Resources have. [1] [2] [3] Jerry Hicks died November 18, 2011, from cancer. But if youre in the market for something called a Menopause Meter, youre in the right place. They found an artificial tree among the debris that the flood had deposited, so they loaded it into the back of a pickup truck and ran it through a carwash. If the city approves their respective developments, Wurm and Byrne hope to avoid this legal pitfall by having buyers sign a disclosure form saying that they were told in advance of the lands history. The full history of the Callahan site and the others in the Caulks Creek watershed remains something of an enigma. This is not to say there is no controversy about dioxin. Exposure can cause cancer, immunodeficiency, endocrine disorders, and reproductive and developmental issues, says Dr. Arnold Schecter, a professor at the University of Texas School of Public Health and one of the worlds foremost experts on dioxin. It remains a priority. So why were they in such a rush to get the barrels off the Callahan property? asks Shea. The EPA is a potential defendant in litigation by citizens. She wants to let people remember the good times, and she knows that she reminds them of the bad ones. I look at it this way as a lawyer, says Steincamp. I figure I was homeless for a year and a half, OLeary says. Copeland made friends with a kid who went by the name Boner T. Bunch. She was loyal, selfless, honest, and witty. But it was not until Piatt's horses began dying and her daughter became ill that CDC toxicologists believed something was dreadfully wrong. It was like everybody was related to everybody, Leistner says. From the picture window of her ranch-style home, Lorraine Jordan has a view of James S. McDonnell Park across Adie Road, where an eight-foot tall cyclone fence is now being constructed. However, the EPA is expected to release its Engineering Evaluation and Cost Analysis (EE/CA) for the two projects this month. We feel confident that our investigations were thorough, that we have followed up on every lead that weve been made aware of. In the past, Jerry has also been known as Jerry Russell Bliss and Jerry R Bliss. But it would be wrong to think that nature has only now come under attack in this part of West St. Louis County. Denial of Application. In 1994, the Post-Dispatch reported a dispute involving homebuyers in Turnberry Place subdivision, which abuts the Bliss farm. (Despite repeated requests, the agency was unable to comment for this story. The more you smoke, the worse it is for your health. "This is a war to stay on the land you worked and paid for. In laboratory animals, dioxin causes cancer, birth defects, miscarriages, diseases of the nerves, kidneys, liver and even death at the lowest levels tested, a few parts per trillion in some cases. Some of it, he buried in drums. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. TBAG started its investigation because it thought there had been a coverup by state and federal authorities on the source and extent of contamination in Missouri, says Taylor. Sewer workers discovered the first batch of barrels on the property of the Rosalie Investment Co., near the intersection of Strecker and Clayton roads, in July 1980. Last Saturday morning, Steve Taylor heard a tapping at his apartment door, a gentle rapping that he hopes to hear no more. Well, no. Eventually, it was. Indeed, it borders on negligence. The version that the developer presented to Wildwood is pretty vague about what happened, Shea says. He wanted to stay there, so she just divorced him. That was too much for Hammer to bear. He was 85 years old. "There may be as many as 70 Times Beaches," said a senior official of the Environmental Protection Agency's hazardous waste cleanup program. An early EPA investigation found portions of the Primm property and three other adjacent parcels to be contaminated. But now, she turns indignant, her jaw tightening and eyes narrowing, seething at the people who dare to argue that dioxin never hurt anyone in Missouri. Wildwood currently zones the Strecker Road properties as nonurban, which requires a minimum lot size of 3 acres. She doesnt speak to me., Eventually, the properties of those who didnt take the buyout went into condemnation. Dec 17, 1985) The court holds that the state Hazardous Waste The bank that stood between the town and the river was steep and tall. A venerable columnist, McClellan hedges his bets by saying Who knows? about dioxins dangers, rather than drawing any final conclusion. Scientists disagree about how much it takes to put someone at risk. Natalie is reunited in Heaven with her parents, Robert and Nanon Hyink; her mother-in-law, Evelyn Bliss; and a host of cowboys, cowgirls, and horses that loved her deeply. Horses became sick, and eventually, Piatt would bury more than 50 of them. Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. They remembered birds dying. It is also a probable carcinogen. S.C. woman wins $300,000 lottery prize -- her second jackpot in 3 years. The first offers were made that month. Her husband, Grover Callahan, worked as a truck driver for the Bliss Waste Oil Co. in the early 1970s. The townspeople couldnt afford to have the results quantified, so they were given only yes-or-no answers. Man, I loved living down here, he says. Just off Strecker Road, in the gully washes that feed into Caulks Creek, the first of thousands of barrels of toxic waste were discovered nearly 19 years ago. Worst of all, Piatts two young daughters, who played in the arena as if it were a sandbox, fell ill. Doctors and veterinarians were stumped, but Piatt suspected the spraying was to blame. Its no problem. Bliss has said he was not told the oil contained dioxin. 67115. On this day, fuzzy dice are 35 percent off. April 28 (UPI) -- A South Carolina woman won a $300,000 prize from a scratch-off lottery ticket just three years after winning a $250,000 lottery jackpot. Wildwood city officials have questioned her credentials, and she says a real-estate agent recently criticized the motives behind her activism. Among those who doubt the EPAs blanket endorsement is Tammy Shea, a Wildwood resident. Times Beach had paid Bliss $4,900 to spray its streets in 1972. I dont care who you would ask, they would say yes.. Its clean as a whistle, he repeats. Marilyn Leistner lives in a sturdy brick house on the top of a hill. Bliss son still lives on a Strecker Road property once owned by his father, from which the EPA only a few years ago finally removed more than 900 truckloads of dioxin-contaminated dirt in addition to an estimated 1,500-2,000 barrels of toxic chemicals. Hes been sued repeatedly. Dioxin levels here are lower, but wider spread, officials said. During the questioning, inmate Scott Rollins, a former Bliss driver, made a stuttering confession that he had picked up waste from Monsanto in Illinois. Fourteen calves either have been stillborn or died shortly after birth, and last week another tumor-riddled cow was slaughtered for dioxin testing by the Food and Drug Administration. Those same officials are now siding with the developers, claiming that the once highly contaminated land is no longer a threat to human health, that it is now safe enough for backyard swingsets and tomato patches. An EPA tracking sheet lists 29 such sites. She confronted Bliss, but he insisted he had used only crankcase oil. The Callahan dump was discovered in August of that year. Waiting proved to be a bad move. The announcement of the new site came only weeks after the EPA and DNR had completed their controversial incineration project at The haul included drums laden with cancer-causing polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). April 28 (UPI) -- A bear stuck in a Nevada tree was rescued by wildlife officials and firefighters who tranquilized the bruin and then caught the large animal in a tarp. Her children helped walk the horses and worked in the stables, she says. It was so awful. "We had no authority to do anything until the Superfund law passed in 1980," Hedeman said. All rights reserved. Wildwood residents originally voted to approve the creation of the municipality to control development, thereby ensuring that greenspace would be preserved. "I figure anyone who's been contaminated done been contaminated. You can see it, deal with it. By the EPAs count, the Bliss-Ellisville site contained at least seven separate waste-disposal locations. Jerry Russell Bliss, Age 66. aka Jerry Bliiss. The words come easily, honed over decades of repetition. Knowing that everybody had to move, sellers in the area drove up prices. Survived by Gregory Russell (Melissa McGuire), Barbara Russell, many family members and countless 1986), the Supreme Court of Missouri affirmed the decision of a lower court upholding an Many in Times Beach were caught in their homes. A dozen rabbits' ears were swabbed with a 300 ppb dioxin solution taken from contaminated soil residue. Even so, he has consistently denied having any knowledge that the materials were toxic. Bliss has said he had no idea that toxic chemicals were involved. Into it would be loaded all of the contaminated soil, not just from Times Beach, but from dioxin sites across Missouri. If the city allows W.J. "You'd tell people, 'it's got to be a chemical in the horse arena' and they'd look at you like you were nuts," she said. On the recommendation of an EPA ombudsman, a retest was completed. And since the buyout checks were so meager, the residents couldnt afford much, anyway. She took it to the dry cleaner, but the owners refused her business. St. Louis, MO 63119
"Then the dioxin scare hit and most said they didn't want to fight it," said Charlie Stone, the park owner. The waste was the unwanted byproduct from manufacturing the antiseptic hexachlorophene. One day, on a dare, the boys sneaked into a church and pilfered its bell. And despite McClellans best efforts to engender compassion for him, Bliss remains an unsympathetic character to those affected by his actions. But for the average person, its still unwise to smoke four packs a day. This time Teasdale made the plea with the TV news cameras rolling. While explaining, in meticulous and sometimes graphic detail, all that her children have gone through, Leistner is on the verge of tears, her voice wavering. Stelzer of the Riverfront Times. TBAG had opposed the project, saying it was unsafe to human health and the environment. Asked about Wurms criticism, Uhlenbrock says the developer was bent out of shape because he wanted the article to say that the Callahan property never had any dioxin or Russell Bliss on it. Uhlenbrock said he was unable to confirm whether dioxin had been found on the site or whether there was a Bliss connection to the property. They had rebuilt before, and they would do it again. To say that dioxin has never caused anythingI saw it wipe out a whole community, she says. It's been 30 years since dioxin contamination was discovered in Times Beach, in one of the largest environmental disasters in our nation's history. Bliss, 48, who for years made his living hauling hazardous wastes and used oil from factories, has been quoted here as blaming a now-defunct pharmaceutical firm for failing to warn him of the dangers in its waste. Piatt had a hunch that there was something in Bliss' oil and started befriending his drivers and tailing his trucks. April 28 (UPI) -- A lost dog in Northern Ireland was found 26 days later after walking more than 40 miles to the home of his former owners. And some, he mixed together with oil in storage tanks in both Missouri and Illinois, before selling it as a dust suppressant. Wurm is referring to Tom Uhlenbrock, who first reported the Wildwood development plans in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch on June 11. Hammer, for example, wants "proof" that dioxin is dangerous or a fair-market price from the government for his property to move. The legendary and controversial TV host was 79 years old. By 1982, the Missouri attorney generals office had entered negotiations with two other firms, American Can and GK Technologies. It was during this period that Bliss was trucking some of the sludge to his own storage tanks where he mixed it with waste oil and sold it for dust control. Or they might go fishing in the river. But she was determined to have Christmas. (Burford would resign a month later, amid allegations of mismanagement of the Superfund program.). WebJERRY-RUSSELL BLISS, INC., Petitioner-Appellant, v. HAZARDOUS WASTE MANAGEMENT COMMISSION, et al., Respondents. purcell marian high school darren watkins,
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