Submitted by
Dee Loflin, SMT Manager/Editor
Missouri - The Missouri Coalition for Roadway Safety is accepting nominations for individuals, organizations and events to be recognized for efforts to promote safe driving. Nomination forms are only online and available at http://www.savemolives.com/. "The goal of our Coalition is to reduce fatalities on Missouri roads, and we know there are a lot of people in Missouri who contribute to the success we've had in the past few years to lower the number," said MoDOT Highway Safety Director Leanna Depue. "This is an opportunity to recognize those who are helping to save lives." Missouri fatalities have gone from 1257 in 2005 to 757 in 2013, a reduction of more than 40%. The Missouri Coalition for Roadway Safety has seven regions it serves including Northwest, Northeast, Kansas City, Central, St. Louis, Southwest and Southeast. There are four statewide awards and two awards for each of the seven Coalition regions. The statewide awards include:
• the Lay Down the Law Award recognizing an individual or a group in law enforcement
• the Tempe Humphrey Award recognizing an individual or group who have focused efforts on our younger drivers
• the Arrive Alive Award recognizing an individual or group for their leadership and dedication to reducing fatalities
• the "Show Me Safety" Award recognizing an individual or group for an event
The regional awards include the Arrive Alive Award and the "Show-Me Safety" Award. Details about the awards can be found at http://www.savemolives.com/, and the form is online and simple to complete. Nominations are due by June 30, 2014, and five individuals with an interest in transportation safety have been selected throughout the Midwest to judge the awards. Regional awards will be judged by the regional coalitions or independent judges they choose. The winners will be recognized at the 2014 Blueprint to Save More Lives Conference in St. Louis at the end of September. Award winners and those who nominate them will be notified in August. For more information, please call Marisa Ellison at 573-248-2502 or email marisa.ellison@modot.mo.gov.
Dee Loflin, SMT Manager/Editor
Missouri - Warm weather means enjoying the beautiful outdoors, and motorcyclists across the state are doing just that. As they're tuning those engines and polishing that chrome one last time, the Missouri Coalition for Roadway Safety wants to remind motorists and motorcyclists alike to "Watch for Motorcycles" in order to help prevent motorcycle crashes, deaths and injuries on Missouri's roadways.
"Many motorcyclists will be out as the weather gets warmer, which is why May is the perfect time for Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month," said Dr. Leanna Depue, executive committee chair of the coalition. "By following basic safety rules, we can all help prevent crashes."
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration offers the following tips to drivers on how to prevent a fatal crash with a motorcycle:
• Although a motorcycle is a small vehicle, the operator still has the same rights of the road as any other motorist. Allow the motorcycle the full width of a lane at all times.
• Always signal when changing lanes or merging with traffic.
• Check all mirrors and blind spots for motorcycles before changing lanes or merging with traffic, especially at intersections.
• Never drive distracted or impaired.
Motorcyclists must also take precautions to remain safe on the road. Motorcyclists can increase their safety by following these steps:
• Wear a DOT-compliant helmet and other protective gear.
• Obey all traffic laws and be properly licensed and trained.
• Wear brightly colored clothes and reflective tape to increase visibility.
• Ride in the middle of the lane where you will be more visible to drivers.
• Never ride distracted or impaired.
Very often, drivers of cars and trucks don't see motorcycles until the last second, or sometimes not at all. Motorcycle operators have to anticipate the moves of other drivers and be extra cautious of road conditions and debris.
Motorcycle experts recommend motorcyclists also complete some type of training before getting out on the road. There are 29 training locations in Missouri. You can find the one nearest you at http://www.mmsp.org/.
For more information, visit http://www.savemolives.com/ or Facebook and Twitter at Save MO Lives. Arrive Alive.
Dee Loflin, SMT Manager/Editor
This section of roadway is located from Route 25 to County Road 237.
Weather permitting, work will take place Tuesday, April 29 through Thursday, May 8 from 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.
The work zone will be marked with signs. Motorists are urged to use extreme caution while traveling near the area.
For additional information, contact MoDOT's Customer Service Center toll-free at 1-888-ASK-MODOT (1-888-275-6636) or visit www.modot.org/southeast.
Submitted by
Dee Loflin, SMT Manager/Editor
Jefferson City, Missouri - Sunday and this morning’s severe weather across much of Missouri reminds all of us about the importance of being ready to respond quickly to threatening weather and potential natural disasters, The State Emergency Management Agency encourages Missourians to take time on Wednesday, April 30, to raise their level of preparedness for severe weather and a major earthquake as part of “America’s PrepareAthon!,” a national campaign which designates April 30, 2014 as the first National Day of Action. The event is being organized by theFederal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
America’s PrepareAthon! provides preparedness guides and resources to help workplaces, schools, houses of worship, community-based organizations, and other community groups to practice specific preparedness activities necessary to stay safe before, during, and after an emergency or disaster. The idea is that when Americans prepare and practice for an emergency in advance, it makes a real difference in their ability to take immediate and informed action, which, in turn, enables them to recover more quickly.
Web pages have been created for Missouri and other states, with information on specific hazards, including understanding risks, how to prepare and protect your home and property in advance, how to create an emergency kit, how to evacuate, ways to stay in communications with family and friends following a disaster, health and sanitation techniques following a disaster, and links to additional resources for:
· Flooding
The FEMA America’s Preparathon! website can be found at: http://www.community.fema.gov/connect.ti/cfghome/grouphome. Also, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has compiled tips for how to prepare to care for pets if a natural disaster occurs.
Other preparedness resources are available on the SEMA website and include earthquake preparedness resources and the StormAware website, which features videos that demonstrate how to seek shelter from a tornado in specific types of structures, along with videos on flash flooding safety, tornado sirens and weather radios. The site also links users to severe weather alerting services across the state.
Dee Loflin, SMT Manager/Editor
A number of factors have contributed to the decline of the monarch population in recent years. Unusually hot weather in the spring of 2012, unusually cold weather last spring, and the loss of habitat throughout the Great Plains have combined to create hardships for the insects. Higher grain prices in recent years have resulted in more land being cultivated for crops and more weed-free farming techniques have reduced the number of milkweed plants in most agricultural fields. Several milkweed species are still common in Missouri, but in highly agricultural areas the plants can be too scarce to support migrating monarchs.
Monarchs lay their eggs on milkweed plants, of which Missouri has 17 native species. Caterpillars emerge from the eggs and feed on the leaves and stems. After feeding and growing for about two weeks, the caterpillar forms a chrysalis and pupates (transforms from caterpillar to adult butterfly). The adult butterfly emerges from the chrysalis after about 10 days. Adults live from 2 to 6 weeks and die after mating and laying eggs. The entire life cycle of the first three generations lasts 6 to 8 weeks each and four generations occur each year. The adult butterflies of the fourth generation migrate to Mexico and live until they lay eggs on their way back north the following spring. So the monarchs that you see moving south in the fall are four generations removed from the ones that headed north in the spring.
Planting milkweeds, especially in areas where they are currently scarce, can help monarchs be more successful in rearing new generations. Milkweeds are appropriate for use in home landscape plantings and several species are popularly used, especially by gardeners who enjoy helping monarch butterflies. Several milkweed varieties grow well in Missouri and range from 2 to 6 feet tall in a variety of colors. These include marsh milkweed, purple milkweed, common milkweed, and butterfly weed.
Nurseries that sell native plants often sell seeds and potted plants of those species. For a list of suppliers, see the Resource Guide on the Missouri Prairie Foundation’s Grow Native website at this link: grownative.org/resource-guide/. For a free brochure on the topic of butterfly gardening, email Pubstaff@mdc.mo.gov, or mail your request to Publications, Missouri Department of Conservation, PO Box 180, Jefferson City, MO 65102-0180.
For a high-resolution photo to accompany this story, visit mdc.mo.gov/node/27655.
