Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with missouri

Looking for some fun things to do in Kansas City tomorrow evening (Wednesday Nov 25th).

ISeemToBeAVerb — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 14:02:52 -0800

I'm from out of town (Chicago), but I met a girl here in KC the other day and we've decided to go out tomorrow evening. We're both artsy types with a fondness for adventure and off-the-beaten-path entertainment. I know I could easily defer to her for suggestions, but I'd like to have a few ideas to throw out. I'm up for anything really. It doesn't have to be a proper event or anything- someplace cool to wander around or explore is fine too. Just toss it all out there!! Food suggestions are good too (she's vegetarian). Thanks!!

Dear Alderwoman, I did not enjoy my drive through a construction site in your ward. Plz advise.

limeonaire — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 13:38:37 -0800

Engineers, construction workers, and lawyers: How can I find out what the specific site safety requirements and statutes are for an under-construction commercial urban development site? Specifically, I'm looking to find out more about site-safety requirements in the city of St. Louis, Mo. I'm especially seeking information that might shed some light on what might be required in the way of erecting barriers, fences, and signs to keep the general public safely off roads and paths leading into construction sites.

Here's the specific circumstance that prompted this question:

Headed north on a local highway in the dark, amid a light drizzle, I took a city exit I'd never taken before. I soon I figured I'd best find a way to get back on the highway. I made a quick right at the first light I reached, then turned right again at the next light after that, hoping it might take me right back around to the highway on-ramp. (A look at Google Maps when I got home suggested that that's exactly what this road originally did.)

Unfortunately, the road quickly turned into an unlit, half-paved drive, surrounded by overgrown brush. The drive narrowed as I crested a small rise—only to find myself at the edge of a vast expanse of muddy gravel. The street, it seems, currently dead-ends in a vacant lot behind an under-construction Walgreens. The only way out, since this was a one-way street, appeared to be driving toward the already-constructed parking lot. So I drove slowly across the gravel, headed for the parking lot—only to find myself stuck in the mud right next to what turned out to be a new curb. After a series of fits and starts, I finally got my car unstuck—and came down with a big crunch on the other side of the curb.

Hyperventilating, I parked next to the building, where the light was better, and got out to check the car. Nothing creaked or popped or looked obviously broken, so after moving a traffic barrel blocking the new parking lot's only entrance/exit, I made my way back to the highway and drove home.

This morning, I moved my car and checked the pavement where I'd been parked, and saw several fresh oil spots. This car is only a couple years old and has never leaked anything in the time I've had it. So I took a flashlight and peered under the car, and it looked like the plastic cowling protecting the oil-filter area had come partially dislodged. I couldn't see anything else that looked obviously damaged, but clearly I'm going to need to take this in to the shop tomorrow so they can put it on the lift and repair the cowling and/or the oil-filter cap/gasket and/or anything else that might've been damaged.

Hence my initial query. I'm trying to figure out what recourse, if any, I have in terms of recovering damages in this situation (perhaps via small-claims court?)—and making sure it never happens to anyone else. I can't believe they don't have that street blocked off.

I plan to contact that ward's alderwoman first thing Monday. But I'd like to have something concrete to cite in my conversations with her and/or anyone else I have to deal with about this explaining what's wrong with the site, especially since the builder of this development is a very large company.

I found a few sections of the Missouri Revised Statutes that look as though they may apply: 319-035, 319-040, 319-041, 537.346, 537.348.

I also uncovered slides from a PowerPoint presentation on ANSI's A10.34 standard (Google's cached html version here), which, although only a voluntary-adoption measure, still provides some sense of what the baseline standards for construction-site public safety should be. The very first requirement listed? "Restricting public access to the jobsite – a site security plan." Along those lines, best practices listed include "100 percent fencing of the project site," "Use of easy to read signs," "Daily inspection of fences, locks and gates," "Daily inspection of traffic control devices," and "Night lighting or security service." The area of the site I ended up driving into had none of those things: no fences, no gates, no roadblocks, no signage, no lighting, no security.

So...are the statutes I uncovered relevant? Is this ANSI standard relevant? Does anyone know of anything more specific I should be reading about or anyone else I should be contacting at this point? Thanks for any help anyone can give me with this!

Road trip suggestions?

obliquicity — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 17:46:48 -0800

Road trip! My mom and I are driving from Eastern Long Island to Stillwater, OK, via (tentatively) Harrisburg PA, Charleston WV, Mammoth Cave State Park KY, St Louis MO, and Bartlesville OK. I'd like suggestions of things we might do along the way, as this breaks down to only about 5 hours of driving per day, so we have some touristy time! So at the moment we have a night at the Price Tower in Bartlesville, OK, set in stone -- but apart from that, our itinerary is mostly flexible. The current list of stops is based on searching through AskMe archives for road trip suggestions, and then dividing the distances without recommended stops into 5-hour chunks to fill our time before arriving in Bartlesville. To give you an idea of what we like, when I googled Harrisburg and Charleston I made notes of the following intriguing-sounding tourist attractions:

Harrisburg: National Civil War Museum, Sunken Gardens at Riverfront Park
Charleston: Beckley exhibition coal mine, Craik-Patton house, South Charleston Indian Mound, New River Gorge National River

As I said, apart from Price Tower, nothing, including our route, is set in stone -- we've never driven through these parts of the country before, so we're open to all suggestions.

Oh, and bonus (for me!) if you have vegan dining suggestions along that route...

Attics, Televisions and Missouri Summers

luftmensch — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 14:46:39 -0800

New place has a lovely attic, finished but no AC up there. We're planning on having the windows open with fans in them to keep the air moving and bearable. Would it be a bad idea to have a TV (plasma) up there in the humid southeastern Missouri summer? I know most plasmas have operating humidity of up to 80 or 90%, and it can easily reach that on the worst of summer days here. Would the inside humidity be equal to that of outside with the windows open? Could some dehumidifying solution near the TV (in the middle of the room, far from the windows) prevent an untimely death of a big shiny toy?

I checked out some suggestions from this question, but I somehow doubt a few packs of silica gel would be enough to convince my partner his TV is safe.

Recommendation for therapist specializing in panic/anxiety in St. Louis area?

Locative — Sun, 11 Jan 2009 10:23:45 -0800

Need a therapist who specializes in anxiety and CBT in the St. Louis / West St. Louis County area. For a person who has anxiety and panic attacks associated with their job, and probably some depression in the mix as well. They've been coping with Xanax and smoking, neither of which work.

PM me if you don't want to post. Thank you!

Help me keep my vote.

mr_book — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 11:27:37 -0800

I got my Absentee Ballot in the mail. It says to use the special writing implement. There isn't one. Help me get this un-fucked. So I'm in Idaho. My voting area is Adair County, MO. I requested the absentee ballot, they sent it, and it has a bunch of arrows next to names and proposals with half the arrow missing. I'm supposed to fill in the arrows with the "special writing implement" that's included. Problem: there is no writing implement included. Suddenly I miss the hanging chad.

Having been fucked on the last two elections, I'd rather not have my vote dismissed a third time. Maybe its the burn, but this seems like a way to get me to not vote. Like as, I have to send away for the writing implement only to have it arrive on Nov 6th, or something like that.

Is there a fix for this? If it's as simple as "just use a ball point pen," please tell me. The ballot looks like its electronically read; it seems unlikely that the Election Commission uses different pens that the rest of the world - special pens - so this seems like an easy fix. Problem is, I can't find seem to find anyone else who is having this problem.

Help me, Hive Mind, you're my only hope.

Must my child be a bastard?!

palegirl — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 08:19:22 -0800

My girlfriend and I live in a state where gay marriage is not legal. We'd get married if we could. What would be the implications for us (and potentially a future child) if we got an out-of-state gay marriage? We're fairly certain we would simply continue to file our state and federal taxes as separate, single individuals. (She owns our home.)

We are planning to make a baby in the next year or two, and we're also considering moving in a few years to a city in another state that is much more hospitable to our kind but also doesn't have legal gay marriage. We're currently in Kansas City, Missouri and might move to Chicago.

Heading down to the other LA...

sixcolors — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 11:28:35 -0800

Tell me about Shreveport, Louisiana. Things to see. Places to eat. Quickest and safest way to get there. A cousin of mine is having a wedding this weekend. I've been to Shreveport several times, but I was quite young, so I don't remember a lot.

No need to answer every question, answer what you know or wish to share, but here are some things I'm curious about:

1. We're on a budget and will only be there for Friday and Saturday, so doing things is out of the question. But, I wonder if there are any good places for sight-seeing? And, of course, we must eat. Where are some good AND cheap places to eat?

2. NICE AND CHEAP (around $80 a night) HOTELS, THAT IS NOT LOCATED IN BAD AREAS.

3. We're driving from O'Fallon, IL, which is across the river from St. Louis, MO. We know that highway 55 goes almost due south, until you get to Memphis, TN, then it veers southeast into Mississippi. Where should we go from Memphis? To Little Rock, through the rest of AR into LA? Or, into Mississippi, next take 61 south, and then 20 west all the way to Shreveport? The former looks quicker. But going by the maps, and my memory of previous trips, there's a LOT of winding hilly back roads from Little Rock to Shreveport. My mother is NOT a fan of those kind of highways. Are highways 71/549 and 167 as dangerous as they look?

4. There aren't any major floods going down there, is it?

5. Any thing else we should know about Shreveport, LA.

St Louis

Frasermoo — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 21:50:24 -0800

What to do in St Louis tomorrow? Ok, I've been in Illinois all week, and now have friday to myself in St Louis. I'm probably going to be up and atom around 9. thinking zoo, but it might be raining, so maybe science museum. Should I consider any other sights? I'll have roughly a 5 hour window and would actually prefer to do something a bit more meaningful if it's a possibility. I have a car.

I've already convinced myself to skip the Arch. Seen it, think it's neat, but can't see any reason why I would possibly want to go inside it. Also went to St Louis Union Station tonight for dinner.

Citizens of Glendale: Do not worry. He is dead.

Science! — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 18:33:01 -0800

What are the definitive lyrics to the chorus in the song "A Train Robbery" on Levon Helm's Dirt Farmer album? I've listened to this song a lot, and done some researching to figure it out, but I can't make out what a few words are and the internet gives conflicting answers even on fairly authoritative sites.
Here's the chorus:

1: But we won't touch that old woman
2: [Incomprehensible] and they claimed
3: They ain't offered no reward
4: For Frank and Jesse James
5: Frank and Jesse James

I hear the last word of line 1 as either 'pullman' or 'woman', the internet gives both, and either will work though I don't know how concerned the James Gang would be with the fate of a pullman porter.

I hear line 2 as "he's/she's Southern and afraid. That may work because showing deference to a Southern woman would be in line for them (or at least their mythos)

I don't want a pickle...

sourwookie — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 07:00:01 -0800

How to recover a lost title for a scooter I would like to purchase from someone who got it in another state? I'm in Missouri, the title was in Illinois. Simplicity is a priority. I normally wouldn't hassle, but it is mint and the price is better than right. Additionally--I've heard rumor about some mysterious trick involving Arkansas--that just may make everything easier. My barber has a scooter that his father-in-law would like him to sell here in Missouri--AND I WANT IT. The problem is it's 80cc (therefore requires licensing) and has a lost title from Illinois. It is showroom-perfect, like a time machine version of a 1995 Honda.

How do I go about getting a title for it, with minimal involvement from father-in-law (the whole reason he is selling it so cheap--he's a cranky old cuss--is that he wants his involvement with recovery, DMV fees--all hassles really--kept to a minimum)?

Can I buy it and then apply for lost title in Illinois? Can I buy it then get a new title in Missouri? Does he have to get a title, then transfer it over to me? If so, how do I do as much of that as possible for him?

Also I've heard of a way to just get a new title sent to me from Arkansas--a loophole, if you will. Anyone know of any truth to that?

Like Easy Rider, but lamer.

piedmont — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 10:53:57 -0800

Camping < 2hours from Kansas City? Difficulty: On a scooter. I've camped all over the area, but it's been a couple years. I've got the itch to go out on my own and escape for a couple days the weekend following the 4th. I'll be riding my scooter, so absolute max road speed is 55, preferably 45. Currently I'm looking at Arrow Rock via 24 Hwy. Free camping would a be a plus too.

Canoe hope me?

Spinneret — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 13:12:50 -0800

Help me plan some good canoeing weekends in Missouri. I've just moved to (central) Missouri from Colorado, and I'd like to get outdoors, maybe camp for a few weekends this summer. It's dreadfully hot and humid here at this time of year, so I figure paddling is the way to go. I hear there are some great places to canoe around here; do you know where they are? I'll be renting the boat -- if you can recommend an outfitter for the rental, fantastic! Suggestions for good camping spots would be welcome, too.

Dog Friendly Vacation Spot

pieoverdone — Sun, 01 Jun 2008 15:31:41 -0800

Your recommendations for dog-friendly vacation spots in the midwest! We're looking to take a local, driveable, weekend trip with one of our dogs this summer. She's a mellow Bluetick Hound and loves the outdoors. This would just be a camping/sightseeing/chillout excursion 0-8 hours by car from St. Louis, Missouri. If you know of any camping spots or hotels or just small towns in general that are dog friendly, please tell us.

Discussions about taking dogs on vacation or dogs as family members or dogs in public places are for some other question, not this one. We're looking for places that already specifically accept dogs, not 'maybe I can bring dog here and they're cool with it we hope'.

Road trip! Wisconsin to Arizona

charmston — Sun, 11 May 2008 09:24:05 -0800

From Thursday-Saturday, I'll be moving from Eau Claire, WI to Mesa, AZ. I have to drive. Money-saving tips? Day 1: Eau Claire, WI to Wichita, KS
Day 2: Wichita, KS to Albuquerque, NM
Day 3: Albuquerque, NM to Mesa, AZ

I have family to stay with in Wichita, but will have to get a hotel in Albuquerque. I'm open to tips ranging from gas station rewards programs to driving tips.

Is this form of ticket scalping illegal?

nitsuj — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 07:44:07 -0800

I'm interested in purchasing tickets to a sold-out sporting event in a state (Missouri) where scalping is illegal. The law for Missouri says, "Prohibits scalping tickets but allows resellers to impose a service charge (Mo. Rev. Stat. § 578. 395)."

Many of the online sellers (eBay, Craigslist) are selling the tickets as "extras" with some other arbitrary item such as a broken coffee mug or a baseball hat.

e.g. "You're bidding on a baseball hat, and winner also gets two tickets to Game A."

Is this a legal way to skirt the law? Does this count as a "service charge," thus making it legal?

I'd like to buy some tickets, and I don't mind the inflated price, but I'd also not like to do anything illegal in the process.

I know, I know: YANAL, YANML.

Nearly ruined an awesome road trip...

lou — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 08:49:34 -0800

On a road trip across the midwestern United States. Out of state driver, small town speed trap. Can I ignore the ticket? and other questions. I got pulled over passing through Foristell, MO, in what is apparently the worst speed trap in Missouri. Also, I have an out of state license (California), driving a rental car with out of state plates (Texas), which means I'm a big flashing dollar sign for them. I don't take too kindly to being extorted, so I'm wondering if a small town in Missouri will actually report this to California and have my license suspended if I don't pay up, or is that just an empty threat by the cops to make sure I fill their tiny city's coffers. I've heard that they could issue a warrant for your arrest but you could avoid that as long as you never plan on returning. On a similar note, do out of state moving violations count as points on your driving license in your home state and will it raise insurance premiums? I know this would differ between states (and which combinations of states) so any specific experiences with California drivers in Missouri would be appreciated.

Missouri rental lease question!

c:\awesome — Wed, 23 May 2007 12:55:17 -0800

Missouri rental lease question inside. I just recently extended my lease for another year, but I need to get out of it and move. The only thing the lease says that remotely addresses this situation is:

"Upon an Event of Default of Tenant in the performance of the obligations of this Lease, Landlord may apply the Security Deposit to any liability, costs, or damages suffered by Landlord without waiving or limiting Landlord's further right to hold Tenant liable for any costs or damages otherwise due or in excess of the Security Deposit."

I realize that moving out before the lease is up will cost me my security deposit -- I'm fine with that. But what I'm afraid of is the landlord will request that I pay out the rest of the lease ($6,000+) in order to get out of it. Can they do this if it is not expressly written in the lease? There's no sort of termination clause that explicitly states what will be done if I move out early -- only the quote from above.

I'm meeting with the landlord tomorrow morning, but I'd like to have as much information on my side before going into the gauntlet.

Thanks.

Anybody got a time machine?

Bookhouse — Tue, 03 Apr 2007 10:36:39 -0800

How do I learn everything about a historical place and time? I'm planning on writing a novel set in the past (Missouri, 1932, to be exact). It won't be my first or even second novel but, I'm at a loss as how to tackle the research. I have read James Ellroy say that he hires researchers for his novels. How much does this cost, and how do I find the right researcher? I'm pretty poor, but if I think I can purchase significantly better researched and organized facts, I'll drop the dough.

Alternatively, of course, I can do all the research myself. I'm looking to collect everything from: biographical data on real people who will be involved in the plot, speech patterns of Ozark natives in the 30s, life inside Leavenworth prison back then, and just the general details of life that you could effortlessly place in a novel that occurs in your own time. I have some books, and I have interviewed some of my relatives, but need to get a lot more.

(BTW, I'm not looking at starting writing for at least another year, so I have the time. But I want to have a nice collection of facts before starting.)

Breast-feeding mores in St. Louis

Margalo Epps — Wed, 21 Mar 2007 10:11:34 -0800

How do I politely breast-feed my baby while visiting in St. Louis, Missouri? I'm going to St. Louis for a few days with my small baby and I'm wondering what basic courtesies are when I feed her. I'm used to the Pacific Northwest style of "feed her whenever, where ever, don't care unduly about visibility". I'm aware that may not go over so well, but I'm not sure if or what I need to change while we are visiting.

Should I hide her and breast with a blanket? Ask for a private space to feed her in? Something else I'm not thinking of? Or will my style be just fine? I'd really like to be gracious and remember we are guests, so please advise me.

Inevitable(?) Divorce Filter

Anonymous — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 19:01:57 -0800

My wife has, um, picked and chosen which of her marriage vows she's going to keep to. I am facing probable divorce (initiated by me, I imagine). I need insight, maybe advice. There's a whole boatload So, yeah. I am 95% sure I am the cuckolded husband. I'm okay with the fact that I'm not really dealing with it emotionally yet. That'll come, whether I want it to or not.

Practicalities: I'm not rich by a long shot, but I have enough to pay the mortgage and keep food on the table. An expensive divorce is right out--I just don't have the resources.

There is a house in the mix. I've paid the mortgage for the majority of the 10 months we've lived here. Indeed, I pay most of the expenses (I make somewhat more money, so, natch). The disentangling of our lives generally is an astonishingly daunting proposition.

I'm worried about our son most of all. He's four, and just a fantastic kid all around. I want him to have this house to grow up in, not whatever his mom is able to find when I ask her to leave. I want to have primary custody. I work at a job where I have flexibility in my schedule, and my bosses are accommodating folks, and I have no doubt I could make it work. But I need to make a good case.

I also, in spite of my baser lizard-brain instincts, don't feel it entirely fair to blindside ~~the painted Jezebel~~ my wife with this. On the other hand, she has lied about this in myriad ways, repeatedly, for a good while now. If she had come clean, told me all, and sworn it would never happen again, I might...might...have considered trying to work it out. She hasn't. She's declined repeatedly in the past to seek out counseling (with me or alone) for some of her issues around relationships. (n.b.: I, on the other hand, am seeking counseling.)

Specific questions to which I'd appreciate some reponses: How to do this respectfully? How to brace myself emotionally? How to get my ducks in a row, financially and otherwise (in ways I probably don't anticipate)? How do I tell my family, and what should I tell them when? How to deal with my inlaws when they're no longer my inlaws (I mostly like them a lot.)? Is it supremely evil of me to be tempted to find cheating-wife's-paramour's-wife and tell her everything I know, and are there potentially adverse legal consequences thereof (I'm calm about this at the moment, but not a doormat.)? How to finally broach this with the one who deserves more contempt than I can muster at the moment (though that will change, I'm sure). Most importantly, how do I help my son understand that his mom told a very bad lie, and broke a very important promise, and can't live with daddy anymore?

I am reading relevant statues about divorce and legal separation in my state, and seeking advice from friends as well. Thanks, hivemind.

So, experientially-based advice most welcome. I also am aware that while you may well be an attorney, you are not my attorney; I will seek competent legal counsel when the time comes.

Should I go to Kansas City?

dhammond — Sat, 23 Dec 2006 22:25:04 -0800

I am thinking about a visit to Kansas City one of these days. Aside from the delicious BBQ, is there anything else worth taking a look at in this fair city? If I end up going, I am probably going to spend about 3 or 4 days in the Kansas City metropolitan area. I think I'll have access to a car, so anything in the region (as long as it's not too far) is fair game.

The problem is this -- I've looked it up on the internets and, frankly, there isn't too much that sounds interesting about the fair City of Kansas. There must be something I'm overlooking.

Also, I'm interested if you know any good barbecue joints.

How do you get there from here?

asuprenant — Sat, 23 Dec 2006 13:36:04 -0800

Route/restaurant/attraction recommendations for a mid-20s couple on their first mini-road trip, which will be from home in Chicago to a wedding in Kansas City? The trip might be a straight shot, though we're also considering doing it in two days. Bonus points to off-the-beaten-path curiosities.

Where to go in St. Jo?

dead_ — Wed, 29 Nov 2006 09:45:15 -0800

What is there to do in St. Joseph, MO? I will be spending the weekend there, and want to know what the city has to offer in terms of FUN. Bars, food, music, etc. Anything off the beaten path would be neat, as well as things geared toward the college age crowd. I have a feeling there's not a whole lot to do there, so if anyone has suggestions, let me know.

Questions about Missouri Amendment 2?

MarvinTheCat — Wed, 25 Oct 2006 17:30:16 -0800

Missouri Amendment 2: Why an amendment? Why not a statute? (more questions inside) I've read the amendment, but all the analysis I've read is incredibly biased, I'd like to actually discuss it's merits and pitfalls with some rational individuals. The full text of the amendment is here.

I am pro stem-cell-research but my questions are these:

-Why an amendment? Why not a statute? I'm uncomfortable with writing something so specific into the constitution of the state

-A big criticism voiced by opponents is that it will give tax-payer money to corporations doing this research. How? I can't find any direct evidence of this. Unless they mean that research departments that receive federal grants will use that grant money for this research. I think that argument is equally valid against any sort of research, or the NEA for that matter.

I do understand that the amendment does redefine to an extent "cloning" by allowing somatic cell nuclear transfer and beginning of the existence of the clone at implantation in a uterus as opposed to when the DNA is transferred and the cell begins to divide—that strikes me as somewhat slippery and makes me ask again, why an amendment and not a law, subject to legislative discussion prior to approval. As much as I'm pro-science this amendment angle makes me suspicious of . . . something.