The person told him he could take his tools, but hed have to leave the supplies. 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. 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. Copeland made friends with a kid who went by the name Boner T. Bunch. Times Beach had paid Bliss $4,900 to spray its streets in 1972. The EPA removed the remaining barrels in July 1983. Where are they now? Catching up with Mike Bliss But he also makes some important omissions. "His loss hurts immensely, but memories of his intellect, heart and humor will live on," the family said. "If they had, I wouldn't have taken it. But it was not until Piatt's horses began dying and her daughter became ill that CDC toxicologists believed something was dreadfully wrong. The next meeting on the issue is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, July 6, at Wildwood City Hall, 16962 Manchester Rd. When he resigned, Leistner became acting mayor. Its the sort of detail that might make Taylor seem like a conspiracy theorist. The waste was the unwanted byproduct from manufacturing the antiseptic hexachlorophene. The EPA, Monsanto, and the Cover Up Compelling evidence of Bliss misdeeds had been presented only months earlier as a part of the DNRs effort to prevent his son from being granted a hazardous waste haulers license. Bliss showed no emotion during sentencing before U.S. Dictrict Judge Clyde S. Cahill. The waste oil salvagers list of clients included: Monsanto, Wagner Electric, Union Electric, Carter Carburetor, American Can and the now-defunct Lianco Container Corp., a can manufacturer jointly owned by Libby, McNeil and Libby and Anheuser- Busch Inc. Monsanto created dioxin as a waste byproduct in its chemical manufacturing processes and also exclusively made toxic polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) at its Krummrich plant in Sauget, Ill. until 1977. The fact of the matter is I dont believe people had evidence on Monsanto. Bliss has refused to cooperate, Lafser said. Sometimes, Copeland and Bunch would spend a summer day walking the railroad tracks on the west end of town. "Under no circumstances would I want to raise a family in Times Beach," said Dr. Gary Stein, a CDC epidemiologist. Hes been sued repeatedly. There are other holes in the EPAs theory. . Then we left when they drug us out kicking and screaming, she quips. These practices came to the EPA's attention in 1979 and Syntex entered into a consent agreement to clean up the sites. Only Bliss actually knows how much he knew about what he was hauling. He reported a litany of problems: Documents were lost; samples were mislabeled and switched; a chain of custody was not established. In the case of Terre Du Lac, the tracking sheet shows a DNR investigator determined that Bliss had oiled the roads on at least one occasion in 1976. The document further states that prior oiling had occurred though (it is) uncertain who did the earlier oiling. Based on this information alone, the DNR concluded that due to the late time period of oiling, sampling for TCDD (dioxin) appears unwarranted. The EPA agreed by ruling that no further action appears necessary at the site. As things stand, Byrne Builders holds an option to buy the land from its current owners, Gerald and Patricia Primm. Some, he spread across his own farm. She also remembers the flood. WebIn his early life, Jerry Hicks had been a circus acrobat for two years in Cuba, and then, beginning in 1948, had toured for 20 years as a musician, master of ceremonies, and comedian. 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. Before Times Beach the most notorious of the sites contaminated by Bliss became a household word, the EPA had already rated the Callahan property one of the most contaminated hazardous-waste sites in the nation. He operates a roadside attraction, a classic car museum in St. James, and he travels to flea markets. TimesMachine is an exclusive benefit for home delivery and digital subscribers. They remembered birds dying. The activist points out that no PCBs were found in southwest Missouri in the tanks at the Verona, Mo. Taylor is a man called to causes. But it would be wrong to think that nature has only now come under attack in this part of West St. Louis County. Leistner has four children, three girls and a boy. This was hazardous waste It wasnt milk and yogurt.. Leistner recalls meeting a woman the day that the EPA came to announce the buyout. Flood stage was 18.5 feet, and the water crested at nearly 43 feet. Each gap represents a former road. In September 1980, Gov. Evening Standard/Getty Images. "There are too many unknowns at this point.". On Aug. 7, Taylor asked the St. Louis County Council to assist TBAG by forming a task force to independently investigate possible hazardous waste sites that may have been overlooked in the past by the EPA and the Missouri Department of Natural Resources (DNR). Bliss disposed of this waste in various ways. After months of testing, the EPA last month disclosed Imperial dioxin levels as high as 350 parts per billion and recommended that six families be relocated so cleanup can begin. Knowing that everybody had to move, sellers in the area drove up prices. There are few records. Leistner rejects the notion that its all simply genetic. WebView the profiles of people named Jerry Russell. This is new growth. She lived there for a quarter century, until December 1982, at which point the town was thrown into what she calls the time of flood and dioxin. She has spent the past quarter century telling the Times Beach story. 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. The news, on the other hand, broke on the 22nd of December, with no mention of any accident. Its very confusing, the fact that theyve kind of lumped these properties together yet dealt with them differently. He reports that exposure to dioxin has certainly not hurt Bliss and that scientists have been mixed on the dangers of dioxin, citing a quote from the late Dr. Vernon Houk of the Centers for Disease Control, who once said that the evacuation of Times Beach was an overreaction. It was only by chance that officials discovered dioxin here two weeks ago after interviewing residents who recalled that a trucker had sprayed oil on their dirt roads to keep down dust a decade ago. The dispute pitted neighbors, even relatives, against one another, eroding the citys greatest asset, its family atmosphere. Were hesitant to give this information to an agency that we feel is corrupt. Some even refused to shake his hand. In other words, Feild is denying that the EPA itself has even a scintilla of evidence that could help pinpoint any potentially untreated hazardous waste sites in eastern Missouri. Truckers crudely called him the hemorrhoid with the Polaroid. He wrote ticket after ticket. Judge him as you will. This was home. Ive got letters from EPA and DNR also stating that everything is cool on the property. But Wurm says he doesnt want to discuss the project in detail, fearing his plans will be misrepresented. Bliss was the driver of the truck that unknowingly Mennonites came in to help rebuild. She was one of a dozen witnesses called so far this week by attorneys for the Missouri Department of Natural Resources, which has denied Jerry Russell Bliss Inc., Mr. Bliss's concern, the hazardous waste transporter license it needs to stay in business. We decided that we would do it ourselves, so we started taking up a collection to pay to have our streets tested. When the EPA got wind of that, it decided to test immediately, too. For information about the McDonnell Park and Lemar Drive dioxin sites, call Hattie Thomas, EPA Community Involvement Coordinator, at 1-800 223-0425. published in the Riverfront Times (St. Louis), Aug. 20, 1997. You got to do your homework on these pieces, otherwise youre wasting your time. (Despite repeated requests, the agency was unable to comment for this story. He wanted to stay there, so she just divorced him. That was too much for Hammer to bear. Its a thermometer with one-liners painted across its face. The haul included drums laden with cancer-causing polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). In the short term, the federal agency has settled for containment and fencing off the contaminated areas. But this blue-collar town beneath gray granite bluffs on the muddy Meramec River has become a symbol of a national trauma no one seems to know how to control. Top editors give you the stories you want delivered right to your inbox each weekday. Eventually, one of the towns police officers, a 300-pound man nicknamed Tiny, whom Copeland remembers eating quite a few long johns from his parents shop, identified the culprits. Jerry Buss, the Los Angeles Lakers owner who shepherded the NBA team to 10 championships from the Showtime dynasty of the 1980s to the Kobe Bryant era, died Monday. But for the average person, its still unwise to smoke four packs a day. All rights reserved. But aside from some resentment toward the park, this is a happy day. Teachers made them sit at the front of class, away from the rest of the students, in case they were contagious. "Why, if it's so dangerous, did the government wait 10 years to warn us?" The highest measure of contamination found at McDonnell Park is 275 parts per billion (ppb). They even had a couple of pool tables, and one time, Minnesota Fats stopped by for a game. Ultimately, there is probably more than one correct answer to that question. Using disguises and borrowed cars, she tailed Bliss and the other drivers who worked for him. Representatives of the DNR and the Missouri Attorney Generals office were also present. Bliss faces five lawsuits from property owners, officials said, and an unrelated indictment for tax evasion. "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. Dioxin, its silent, unseen. Eventually, in 1985, there was only one couple left living in the town, George and Lorene Klein. Mrs. Piatt, who said Mr. Bliss had been paid $150 to oil the floor of the arena near Moscow Mills, Mo., described in gruesome detail how pet cats and dogs and a total of 62 horses succumbed to the poisoning and died from 1971 to 1973. oklahoma public land deer hunting Accept X "Only if they said, 'Sid, next week you'll have cancer,' I might worry. Downstream from the Verona plant, dairyman Bill Davis watched eight cows die after they drank from a river a half-mile from the factory where all Missouri's dioxin was once produced. Times Beach was founded, oddly enough, as a newspaper promotion. It was safe. Those memories are particularly present today, the final Saturday of September. 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. he asked. (Burford would resign a month later, amid allegations of mismanagement of the Superfund program.). The toxic chemical was contained in waste oil Bliss' company sprayed on roads, parking lots, truck terminals and horse arenas for dust control. He was hired to dispose of the waste after Northeastern was absorbed by Syntex Agribusiness Inc. Court records show that Northeastern had waste buried on farm land and discharged some waste through its plant's sewage system. The DNR presented further evidence at the same proceeding that linked the chemical manufacturer indirectly to a 1977 incident in which a Bliss driver dumped toxic chemicals including one exclusively made by Monsanto at a site in Jefferson County. Actor and comedian Jerry Stiller has died due to natural causes, his son, actor Ben Stiller said in a tweet. Wildwood city officials have questioned her credentials, and she says a real-estate agent recently criticized the motives behind her activism. Ive been to Monsanto maybe twenty times, Rollins said. So Ill just let the record of decision stand for itself, OK? Bliss, 49, is believed responsible for spreading much of the dioxin that contaminated at least 31 sites in central and eastern Missouri, including the St. Louis suburb of Times Beach. It would set up a mobile incinerator, a massive metal jungle gym with a giant furnace and a single tall smokestack. But PCBs have been found in the past along with dioxin at the now remediated sites in eastern Missouri. Crystals used to make the antiseptic had been found in barn soil later used as fill dirt. 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. She is survived by her devoted husband of 36 years, Jerry Bliss; her loving daughter, Hannah Bliss; her siblings, Paula Wohldmann, Steve Hyink, Carrie Hyink, and Mary Rust; her father-in-law, Russell Bliss; and her brother-in-law, Cash Bliss. During the Depression, a lot of the people in the city moved into their homes in Times Beach to ride out the hard times, Leistner says. Sitting at her dining-room table, gazing out across the hillside through her glass patio doors, she begins. Again, it showed that the incinerator was safe, and again, Taylor found flaws in the testing procedure. To pad the citys coffers, it stationed a cop with a radar gun out on the highway. State and federal officials ignored the Centers for Disease Control when it confirmed that dioxin had contaminated an Imperial, Mo., subdivision and urged in 1975 that the dirt be moved to protect residents. Our city adopted a resolution asking them to remedy this problem as quickly and efficiently as possible, says LaGarce. Natalie M. Bliss - Schrader Funeral Home, Inc. This is especially true for 2,3,7,8tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin, which is the most toxic and the one found at Times Beach. After the flood, 40 residents at one trailer park vowed to go home again. February 13, 2022 1 Min Read. Russell, Jerry W., Saturday, February 11, 2012. They received modest settlements, but the victims were required to absolve the defendants of any future liability. The discovery followed an announcement earlier last year of another suburban dioxin site in Ellisville on Lemar Drive. 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. But eventually, it caught up with him. Her house had been ravaged. STELZER. is jerry russell bliss still alive And despite McClellans best efforts to engender compassion for him, Bliss remains an unsympathetic character to those affected by his actions. Bob Feild, who headed the EPAs clean up at Times Beach, says the agency is currently following up on several leads it received recently regarding other potential hazardous waste sites in the St. Louis area. Most of all missing accountability, Stelzer wrote in a piece titled Why the Times Beach Incinerator Should Be Shut Down.. After Bliss sprayed the Shenandoah Stables in Moscow Mills in 1971, owner Judy Piatt watched barn sparrows die "by the bushel.". Shipping the waste to Coffeyville would have been prohibitively expensive even if it had remained an option, according to one local official. It brought a lot of revenue into Times Beach, Leistner says, laughing. The dioxin has been traced to six tanker truckloads of waste Bliss picked up in 1971 from the now-defunct Northeastern Pharmaceutical and Chemical Co. in Verona, Mo. He was 87 years old. Why were they in such a hurry to clean up the Callahan site? The discovery of the Lemar and McDonnell sites came after the closing of the controversial Times Beach dioxin incinerator in June, which precluded burning the waste locally. Linda Young doesn't live here anymore. United States v. Bliss, 133 F.R.D. 559 - Casetext No one is testing them. For about a week and a half, that was the biggest topic.. The sense of community, of belonging, made up for any financial lacking. Contacted by phone last Friday at EPA headquarters in Kansas City, Martha Steincamp, regional counsel for the EPA, could not provide details on the Bliss-Ellisville cleanups and referred all questions on the matter to Bob Feild, the agencys project manager. Over several weeks, 11 cats and four dogs dropped dead nearby. But despite what McClellan implies, scientists agree that dioxin is dangerous. WebHIGGINS, Chief Justice. April 28 (UPI) -- Animal services officers in South Carolina responded to a home where a resident was shocked to find an alligator in his garage. People doubted that the water would even make it to Riverside Drive. We would invite the press out, and we would spray-paint the prices on the homes. She has a photograph of a house with $15,800 scrawled across the siding. The single cell was only large enough for one, so the boys had to take turns doing their hard time. Is Kurt Russell still alive or dead? 2023 - Vim Buzz As a result of a lawsuit that Piatt filed against Bliss and the chemical companies, which eventually netted her family a healthy sum, Bliss was forced to admit his waste-hauling activity and identify the dozens of sites across the state where he had dumped it. The EPA has long blamed the dispersion of the toxins on Russell Bliss, the salvage operator who sprayed dioxin-contaminated oil on unpaved roads, parking lots and horse arenas as a dust suppressant in the early 1970s. That doesnt exist in this world. Some were rescued in boats. 314-918-3000. WebJerry Bliss lives in Saint James, MO; previous cities include Ellisville MO and Ballwin MO. April 28 (UPI) -- A Nebraska high school said it broke a Guinness World Record when more than 1,000 students participated in a water balloon toss event. Under crossexamination after Tuesday's testimony, Mr. Lambarth acknowledged that since Jan. 1 this year he has been working for a waste oil concern that is competing with Mr. Bliss for customers. Ive been looking for answers, and I dont know what direction to go in, says Jordan, who was belatedly informed by a neighbor of an EPA informational meeting held on March 12. There was an appeals process that could net disgruntled residents a few extra dollars. His acting career began at the age of 12 when he was given a role in the western series The "This is the first time anyone ever asked for them," an EPA official told the questioners. Jerry Russell Bliss Taylor says he is unsure whether he will cooperate with the EPAs request. Nowadays, much to its chagrin, all of this tainted history falls under the jurisdiction of the city of Wildwood, which was incorporated in 1995. Rock 'n' roll's first great wild man, Jerry Lee Lewis the singer and pianist nicknamed "The Killer" has died. To preserve these articles as they originally appeared, The Times does not alter, edit or update them. The lots were small, and you needed at least two to build a house. The only reference to Times Beach is a single display in a corner of the museum. For one, Houk made his oft-quoted statement in the early 90s at a convention sponsored by Syntex, the company responsible for the dioxin that Bliss dumped in Times Beach. She wants to let people remember the good times, and she knows that she reminds them of the bad ones. (And if that was the agencys aim, it succeeded; Syntex covered the cost of the cleanup and paid the government $10 million for its trouble.) Memories of the eviction are still too emotional. The area has been fenced off and excavated. Nebraska students toss water balloons for Guinness World Record. Jerry Just little bullshit. I dont really think there was enough dioxin down here to do anything, he says. ELR Citation: ELR 20492. Stuff flooded in for us to have Christmas like you wouldnt believe, she says. Dioxin concentrations of one part per billion are considered hazardous. Denial of Application. As for developer Wurm, he believes the Callahan property has been cleaned up, but hes counting on the findings of state and federal regulators to protect him against any future liability. The couples property is adjacent to the Bliss farm. Jerry Lewis Is Still Alive At that point, the EPA decided incineration would be the best way to remediate the site. On any given afternoon, youre bound to see deer wandering in the woods. "I don't think we're proud of the track record," said Fred A. Lafser, director of Missouri's Department of Natural Resources at one hearing. Now officials worry that they may never find the 87 places reportedly used for dumping of dioxin-contaminated waste oil. Dog missing for 26 days walked 40 miles to his former home. The legendary and controversial TV host was 79 years old. 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. I didnt set the price, but its my fault. The haul included drums laden with cancer-causing polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). People were attempting to determine if Russell died in the accident, which was suspected to be a motorcycle accident. Given these revelations and the luxury of six additional years of hindsight, the lack of prudence exhibited by the EPA and DNR at Terre Du Lac is indeed inexplicable. 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. One residence has had to be evacuated because of interior contamination. The missive from Martha Steincamp, the EPA regional counsel, instructed Taylor and other members of the Times Beach Action Group (TBAG) to turn over any information they may have concerning potential hazardous waste sites in the St. Louis area. He had acquired an official document detailing suspected dioxin sites across Missouri. If she had a couple of drinks at Bucks Place, she could walk home. Bliss could not be reached for comment. 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. 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. The bulk of the park is down below, across the river. "We had no authority to do anything until the Superfund law passed in 1980," Hedeman said. If the city allows W.J. If theyre going to develop the Callahan property, then we need to know exactly what took place there. [5] Outline of AbrahamHicks' teachings 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 As the offers improved slightly, many of the holdouts grudgingly gave in. He was 80. Stelzer of the Riverfront Times. The following quantities of hazardous wastes have been estimated: 1. Dioxin clings to dirt and dust particles and officials fear that residents may inhale it or swallow it if they return home.
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