Saint Louis Blog

You still have time to pick up and file your St. Louis County property tax assessment appeal form. Don’t delay though, as the deadline to file is Monday, June 16, 2008.

You can pick up the form at 41 S. Central Avenue in Clayton; by phone at 314-615-7194; online at the St. Louis County Web site or at the Chesterfield satellite office located at 74 Clarkson Wilson Centre. 

This past week, here in the St. Louis area (and in Illinois, where the epicenter was) a lot of us were awakened to the fact that "the big one" could happen. Yes, I knew about the New Madrid fault, but this other one (Wabash Valley) was new to me, in Illinois, I’d never even heard of it! So, when I awoke in the early morning, to find the windows softly rattling and then continuing to get noisier as the bed began to shake, I tried to think what I was supposed to do next. Meanwhile the hubby was lying peacefully next to me, still sound asleep!

My learned response was to either get under the doorway or get outside to the driveway. Turn off the gas if it’s a large earthquake.

OK, so what would YOU do? Or maybe I should ask, what SHOULD you do? For answers to these questions, take the test that’s in this short video. Be prepared the next time; yes, there will be a next time. When or where, who knows? Check out the earthquake hazard maps.

One thing I know for sure, I only had 50% of the questions correct! Obviously, they have changed their thinking on some previous views. I’ve had to re-think what I’d been taught. Good Luck on the test! Let me know if you find it helpful.

 Here’s a bit more information for your review. This notion of going green is getting pretty "hot" so I thought I’d add some more content for you. I hope you’ll find something here that you can implement either when you are doing new construction, remodeling or just wanting to help the environment. You’ll find the information HERE.

Be COOL and Help folks that need to BE COOL too!

Be a good neighbor and check on the older folks and anyone that is ill to be sure they are O.K.!

If you know of anyone that can’t pay their utility bills please have them call their utility company and let them know! They aren’t mind readers, you know! Make the call and let them know that help is needed.

 HELP is available to you or your neighbor if you can’t afford to pay! It’s COOL to BE COOL enough to help your neighbor or those in need. How Cool are YOU? Volunteer to help or donate money (100% going to the needy!) You can mail in a check to: UMB Bank, P.O. Box 868, St. Louis, MO 63188 or CHARGE IT on their secure site.  They make it E-Z to HELP!

Lisa Bushur C.P.A. Group, LLC  

174 Clarkson Road, Ste. 100

   636.386.1044 fax

Ever have anyone ask you to provide the last 4 digits of your Social Security number? With promises they’d verify who you are and they’d give you information or whatever your signing up to do? Yeah. Right.

Ask WHY they need those 4 little numbers.
You’re only legally obliged to give it to financial institutions, employers or folks needing to report to the IRS.
Remember to shred any important documents….even those with just those 4 little digits!
Get your FREE Credit Reports at least annually to be sure the information is correct and that any errors are corrected. If you’re  ordering it on-line, make sure the URL begins with https:// (note the s, which indicates a  secure site…also look for the lock).

It’s your life and your credit at risk!

Have you heard? MoDOT, along with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the American Society on Aging, is encouraging older drivers to use alternative transportation when they must limit or stop driving.  Sounds good to me, and they are looking for ways to help seniors drive longer with some training and learning techniques. With that in mind, they are instituting 5 core programs in 5 cities in Missouri, one of which is the St. Louis area. Other Missouri cities include: Cape Girardeau, Columbia, Kansas City, and Springfield.

They (MoDOT) say that older drivers were involved in 15 percent of the fatal traffic crashes and 12 percent of the crashes involving a serious injury in the last 3 years.  As people age, vision can change, limited mobility, slower reflexes, delayed reaction time, drowsiness, and trouble judging distances and speed all can become issues.  Growing older doesn’t HAVE to mean giving up driving but we all need to be sensitive to these changes. Physicians need to be pro-active in their observances of problems stated above.

MoDot will work with NHTSA, ASA and community coordinators in each of the cities to stage training and outreach efforts on the programs. For a description of the programs click HERE.  Time to take a refresher class?

Uh-oh! Here they come!

We’ve got Trouble, with a capital T! Right here in River City! Yep, they’ve found mosquitos that tested positive for the West Nile Virus right her in Chesterfield and some areas of unincorporated Creve Coeur.

Ok, so there are no reported human cases of the West Nile Virus in St. Louis County this year (as yet!), but you need to know what you can do to do to help prevent that from happening. The St. Louis County Health Department Director Dolores J. Gunn reminds us that we need to minimize our exposure to the critters. Do it by elimination of standing pools of water, cleaning out the gutters of leaves and using repellants (see below). 

Here’s  a list of things you can do to help:

1) At least once a week, empty all standing water from gabage cans, wading pools, pet dishes, buckets, and any other areas that may collect water.

2) Use a product with the active ingredient methoprene or Bti (Bacillus thuringiensis israclensis) to place in birdbaths or ponds, to prevent mosiquitos from developing.

3) Repair screens on doors/windows

4) Wear long-sleeved shirts, long pants and light colored colors outdoors.

5) Spray clothing with repellents containing DEET

To find out when the county will be spraying, call 615-4-BUG for the nightly spray schedule. For more information on mosquito prevention contact the County Vector Control office at 314-727-3097 or click here.

Having identity theft fear or issues? Here’s some helpful information for you to consider.

You can contact the 3 major credit reporting bureaus and place an "alert" on your credit report. An alert acts as a reminder to the creditors to contact you prior to issuing new loan or any credit cards in your name.

A "freeze" on the other hand will offer better protection by allowing you to block access to your credit report without an applicant’s payment history. You’ll recieve a PIN number so you can remove the freeze as necessary. To learn more, click here! 

Protect yourself!