“Incredible traffic” last month for Oktoberfest in Hermann...Amtrak...

Lisa Lamons, the Missouri Department of Transportation’s railroad operations manager, cited “incredible traffic” last month for Oktoberfest in Hermann, one of the stops between Kansas City and St. Louis.
A hardy festival goer could get on the train in Lawrence,Kan., just before 6 a.m., change trains in Kansas City and be in Hermann at noon.. Click Here for more info.

Student from Hermann receives WAAIME scholarship...

Andrea Els, from Hermann, MO, a junior in ceramic engineering at Missouri University of Science and Technology , received a WAAIME scholarship
A group of Missouri University of Science and Technology students received a total of $33,500 in scholarships from the Women's Auxiliary to the American Institute of Mining and Metallurgical and Petroleum Engineers Inc. (WAAIME), a division of the Society for Mining, Metallurgy and Exploration. The students were honored during a luncheon held on campus Oct. 5.

WAAIME scholarships are designed to assist full-time junior or senior university students and graduate students in earth sciences as they support the efforts of the minerals industry.. Click Here for more info.

Blues Shut Out Sharks 2-0

The Blues blanked the San Jose Sharks 2-0 tonight at Scottrade Center, running their winning streak to five games. That's the longest winning streak in the NHL this season.

David Perron and Matt D'Agostini scored for the Blues, and Jaroslav Halak made 25 saves for the shutout.

Alex Pietrangelo, who played 22:01 tonight, had two assists and a fight.

Perron and D'Agostini are now tied for the team lead with five goals this season. Halak's save was his third of the season and the 12th of his career.

. Click Here for more info.

Hermann to honor Ralph Henry Sellenschutter tommorrow...

At approximately 11:00 a.m. tomorrow (Friday), the city will honor Ralph Henry Sellenschutter, who died at age 98 this week.  In addition to having enlisted in 1942 to fight in WWII, Sellenschutter was a career educator.  He taught at Hermann High School for an amazing 75 years; in his later years, he was a substitute teacher.. Click Here for more info.

Hermann Chief of Police Frank Tennant: "Our county definitely needs a jail"

Last week, Hermann Chief of Police Frank Tennant spoke out about the efforts of Gasconade County Sheriff Randy Esphorst to build a county jail for Gasconade County.  According to Esphorst, Gasconade County is one of only five Missouri counties without a county jail.  There are 114 counties in Missouri.
. Click Here for more info.
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zombie-debt collectors..."I'll go through any length I have to to embarrass you,"

In this video, an anonymous consumer asks a debt collector how she plans to pursue a judgement when the statute of limitation had expired.
. Click Here for more info.

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Tips for dealing with 
zombie-debt collectors:

• Assume that you're being recorded: Say nothing that in any way might acknowledge that you believe the debt is legitimate.
• Promise nothing, pay nothing: It might be tempting to lie to a collector to get them to stop calling, but making a false promise to pay could have dire consequences. Although there is no statute of limitations on debt itself - depending on the type of debt - there are time limits on a collector's ability to take action through the courts. A partial payment, or even entering into a payment agreement, can reset the clock and breathe new life into this kind of zombie debt.
• Ask for details and take notes: The collector could be acting in good faith, and the real problem could be that someone has stolen your identity and amassed debts in your name. You'll never know for sure if you hang up.
• Demand a written notice: Under the FDCPA, collectors must send you information detailing the amount of the debt, the name of the creditor and a mailing address for consumers who want to dispute the debt in writing.
• Create a paper trail: The FDCPA requires collectors who have received a written dispute to stop all collection efforts until they have provided written verification of the debt. If the calls continue, send a letter demanding the collector cease communications. If the collector keeps calling, it's another FDCPA violation. (The nonprofit Privacy Rights Clearinghouse offers good sample letters at privacyrights.org/Debt-Collection.)
• Complain if the calls continue: Contact the FTC, as well as the Missouri or Illinois attorney general's office. Share with regulators copies of the debt-dispute and cease-communication letters you wrote.
• Lawyer up if a collector tries to sue: If you ignore court notices, you risk having a collector garnishee your wages or freeze your accounts. And if you agree to arbitration without talking to a lawyer first, you'll regret it.

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Nasa looks to put a robot on the moon 'in just 1,000 days'...

Robonaut 2 is set to head into space on board Discovery

NASA has unveiled plans to put a robot on the moon for a fraction of the cost of sending a human.
Engineers claim that in just 1,000 days they can safely build and fire a humanoid-like machine into space and onto our nearest neighbour.
It would cost less than $200million (£124million), plus $250million (£156million) for the rocket, substantially less than the $150billion (£93billion) it would be to send an astronaut.
The engineers behind it also hope that the sight of a robot walking on the Moon would inspire a new generation of scientists, just as the Apollo landings did 40 years ago.
. Click Here for more info.

Price of a Tom Turkey is 33 percent higher than a year ago...

Turkey prices driving up cost of Thanksgiving

The price of a tom turkey is 33 percent higher than a year ago, soaring from an average of 79 cents to $1.05 a pound, according to figures compiled by The Food Institute. That adds about $4 to the price of a 16-pound bird.
Add to that a 17 percent increase in the price of potatoes (from $3.50 to $4 for a 5-pound bag) and a 41 percent jump in the price of pecan halves (from $4.25 to $6 per pound), and you'll probably shell out more at the supermarket for your holiday feast.
. Click Here for more info.

Bradford named rookie of the month

St. Louis Rams quarterback Sam Bradford has been named the NFL's offensive rookie of the month for October.
The Rams went 3-2 in October, with Bradford completing 102 of 175 passes for 1,019 yards and seven touchdowns, with three interceptions. His passer rating was 81.1.
 . Click Here for more info.

"Turn Back Your Clocks" 2 am Sunday...

WEB VIDEO OF THE DAY: Dads sing "Turn Back Your Clocks"

Dads sing a song...mostly out of tune...to remind their children about Daylight Savings Time.
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Mo. Supreme Court sets Hermann utility rate case for Dec. 15 oral arguments

JEFFERSON CITY — Missouri’s Supreme Court  has scheduled oral arguments for Wednesday, Dec. 15, in a utility rate case, transferred from the Appellate Court, on behalf of a group of Hermann business owners and citizens.
The appellants claim the city of Hermann has repeatedly violated the Hancock Amendment by using various utility rates for funding general city government operations.
 . Click Here for more info.

Attorney General Koster says City (Hermann) violates Hancock Amendment...

Attorney General Koster says Hancock Amendment protects taxpayers from unfair increased user fees

 Jefferson City, Mo. – As expected Wednesday, Attorney General Chris Koster filed a 'friend the court' brief which stated the Hancock Amendment does not allow cities to tack taxes onto “user fees” to avoid the 1980 constitutional amendment requiring a public vote.

The brief was filed in a case before the Missouri Supreme Court. Two Hermann businesses, Arbor Investment, Co., and CFV Plastics, along with two Hermann residents, are the plaintiffs/appellants in the case which was transferred from the Missouri Court of Appeals to the state's Supreme Court in September.
 Koster said his office filed a brief with that opinion on behalf of the offices of the Attorney General and the State Auditor.  State Auditor Susan Montee has released a number of audit reports that identified cities that she found collected excess utility charges that were then transferred to the general revenue of the cities for other uses. Among those were Marceline, Hermann, Salem, and LaPlata.

. Click Here for more info.