State digest 01/26/04

Feds study asbestos threat in St. Louis plant

ST. LOUIS -- The federal government is studying 28 plants, including one in St. Louis, that used to work with a potentially lethal form of asbestos. The plants were once owned by W.R. Grace and Co. and used to process asbestos-contaminated vermiculite ore from a mine in Libby, Mont., the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported Sunday in a copyright story. The St. Louis plant was run by W. R. Grace from 1966 to 1988, and according to the EPA, received more than 200 million pounds of the tainted ore. The substance was used in the manufacturing of some wall board, fireproofing, concrete aggregates, plant food, lawn care items and other horticultural products.

Missouri man dies in helicopter crash in Iraq

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- A Macon, Mo., man who was scheduled to return soon from duty in Iraq was killed in a helicopter crash on Friday, his family said. Michael Blaise, 29, was an Army helicopter pilot when his OH-58 Kiowa Warrior crashed Friday, 30 miles south of Mosul, killing him and another pilot, his father said. Few details about the crash were available but the military said initial reports did not indicate hostile activity.

Teen killed, another injured in sled accident

IMPERIAL, Mo. -- A 15-year-old boy died and a 16-year-old was seriously injured when their sled crossed into the path of a pickup truck Sunday morning in Jefferson County. The Missouri State Highway Patrol said the teens were sledding south on Prairie Hollow Road before noon. The sled crossed onto Seckman Road, and the boys were hit by a truck driven by a man who could not avoid them. The patrol said no charges have been filed.

-- From wire reports