is jerry russell bliss still alive

The walls smelled. It would set up a mobile incinerator, a massive metal jungle gym with a giant furnace and a single tall smokestack. After dealing with the revelatory shock, the stress, the mysterious health issues, and the anger from all sides, yes, Marilyn Leistner would like you to remember Times Beach. no. The first offers were made that month. Look at the record of decision. I saw people that lived in the community lose their jobs, their churches, their homes, health problems. Her house had been ravaged. Truckers crudely called him the hemorrhoid with the Polaroid. He wrote ticket after ticket. Others drove out through the rising water, trying to follow the roads they couldnt see. His 1974 deposition was taken several months before state and Federal officials identified dioxin in samples of the horse arena soil and traced the waste to the Verona plant. Theyve dragged me through the courts and I dont think theyre ever gonna quit, he told CNN. In this instance, however, because the highest level of dioxin is believed to be buried more than a foot deep, it has been deemed safe by the EPA. Bliss was, and remains, a clever businessman. Each gap represents a former road. "You'd tell people, 'it's got to be a chemical in the horse arena' and they'd look at you like you were nuts," she said. A part-owner of a stable where 62 horses died after dioxin-tainted oil was sprayed testified today before the Missouri Hazardous Waste Management Commssion that the man who sprayed the oil had told her it contained a special fly-killing ingredient. Bliss has refused to cooperate, Lafser said. Taylors list of objections goes on and on. Mr. Lambarth's testimony contradicted that of a former manager of the Verona chemical plant, who said that Bliss drivers were always furnished protective gear and warned about the hazardousness of the sludge as they pumped it into their trucks. Taylors overarching complaint is that the EPAs focus was too narrow. WebIn his early life, Jerry Hicks had been a circus acrobat for two years in Cuba, and then, beginning in 1948, had toured for 20 years as a musician, master of ceremonies, and comedian. She still blames me. Officials seemed to be acting as if the residents might be contagious. Authorities were tipped in November to the spraying in Times Beach, much as they were tipped off earlier to 15 other contaminated Missouri sites. One day, on a dare, the boys sneaked into a church and pilfered its bell. If theres any dioxin left, it doesnt seem to bother the wildlife. That paved the way for final approval of the buyout. But the fire was rekindled, and the remaining soil was burned. Sue OLeary, 76, lived in the Beach for 20 years. In February 1983, Anne Gorsuch Burford, the administrator of the EPA, came to grant their wish. Her husband, Grover Callahan, worked as a truck driver for the Bliss Waste Oil Co. in the early 1970s. Bliss The courts appraisals came back even lower than the EPAs offers, and the other benefits were no longer available. OLeary (at right) came back to her house as soon as she could after the flood. Given these revelations and the luxury of six additional years of hindsight, the lack of prudence exhibited by the EPA and DNR at Terre Du Lac is indeed inexplicable. Many in Times Beach were caught in their homes. McClellan: Dioxin and drug mules Dioxin is considered a probable human carcinogen and is known to cause reproductive and immunological health problems in animals and humans. 1 killed in shooting at Massachusetts house party, Heavy shelling in Kherson, Kharkiv destroys residences, Cuba postpones International Workers' Day parade over fuel shortages, Democrats, Republicans remain split on debt ceiling plan. If they did anything wrong, you were going to find out about it, because one of the mothers is going to tell.. first published in the Riverfront Times (St. Louis), March 25, 1998 By visiting our site, you agree to our privacy policy regarding cookies, tracking statistics, etc. "Then the dioxin scare hit and most said they didn't want to fight it," said Charlie Stone, the park owner. "Is it in the houses?" she asked. Mr. Bliss contends he was not warned the dioxin wastes were hazardous and that his license has been denied unfairly because of past practices that were legal and He was 85 years old. April 28 (UPI) -- The PGA Tour's Mexico Open was briefly interrupted when a swarm of bees sent a group of golfers ducking in the grass. Her second husband died years ago, so she lives alone, unless you count her cat, Sarah Palin. She contacted authorities, but their response came too slowly for her. Donna Lopers family moved to Times Beach when she was 6 months old. One year on Halloween, while the men were playing cards, the ladies sneaked away and toilet-papered the chief of polices house. Every morning, Bunch would come to the donut shop. By 1982, the Missouri attorney generals office had entered negotiations with two other firms, American Can and GK Technologies. The state presented its evidence in the case at an hearing in January, and Bliss' defense of the He remembers being approached by an official one day while he was working. When asked to comment last week, Monsanto spokeswoman Diane Herndon responded with this prepared statement: No information exists that any dioxin material was hauled by Bliss for Monsanto and so no material from Monsanto would have been sprayed on roads. Thats why just about every physician will tell his or her patient to stop smoking cigarettes, Schecter says. The version that the developer presented to Wildwood is pretty vague about what happened, Shea says. There are probably a lot of people who are unaware, she adds. At this point in time, I have seen nothing to suggest that there may be additional sites out there, says Feild. Alligator removed from South Carolina resident's garage. Dioxin is known to cause damage to the human reproductive and immunological systems. Former Driver's Testimony, Mr. Lambarth, who in 1971 hauled some of the dioxin sludge from the Verona chemical plant and later sprayed Mrs. Piatt's arena and two others, said Mr. Bliss had told him, in reference to the Verona plant, to ''forget that we picked that place up.''. I think its very interesting that PCBs were so overlooked, Taylor says. Flood stage was 18.5 feet, and the water crested at nearly 43 feet. A Post-Dispatch story dated April 4, 1983, describes the 500 cubic yards of soil stored at the Callahan site as being contaminated., A later EPA inspection showed that the land had subsequently subsided and would require stabilization. She serves as a Eureka alderwoman, continuing a career in public service that had been cut short when her stint as mayor of Times Beach ended with the towns abolishment. Leistner remembers Times Beach kids being ostracized at school. ", Dave Covert feels bad about what happened. Cottages on stilts were replaced with modular homes and even a few brick houses. But while he uses words like fraud and cover-up, there is one key difference between this man and a full-blown environmental kook: Taylor knows that there are things he doesnt know. People were attempting to determine if Russell died in the accident, which was suspected to be a motorcycle accident. Natalie M. Bliss, 58, passed peacefully on Tuesday, February 2, 2021, in her home with her husband and daughter by her side. Former company officials said their warnings were ignored. The more you smoke, the worse it is for your health. She currently holds the position of Senior Program Manager at The Walt Disney Company. Byrne Builders Inc. to build Strecker Forest, 31 houses will be constructed on the 18.5-acre tract. Were going to have to weigh out a lot of factors. Evening Standard/Getty Images. Stelzer of the Riverfront Times. Well, no. On December 5, the river jumped its banks, and quickly, the entire town was submerged. russell bliss | stlreporter However, we dont have any information that would suggest there would be. The dioxin content in his mixture was estimated at 350 parts per million. is jerry russell bliss still alive Waiting proved to be a bad move. Across the street in the park, a family of four walks with their two dogs along the asphalt trail that skirts the dioxin-contaminated site. The first half of the name refers to Russell M. Bliss, the waste hauler responsible for dumping the pollutants. But despite what McClellan implies, scientists agree that dioxin is dangerous. Sometimes, its thought that people are asking for complete safety, complete security. So do two of her granddaughters. His acting career began at the age of 12 when he was given a role in the western series The The government estimates there are at least 14,000 hazardous waste dumps around the country that are leaking poisons, and residents in those areas want answers, too. Our approach is not to destroy it, but to assure public exposure can be limited" to healthy levels. Some folks arent sure its even there. Times Beach was founded, oddly enough, as a newspaper promotion. Often, Bliss is portrayed as possibly a victim of circumstance, says Steve Taylor, co-founder of the Times Beach Action Group. They put up drywall in her house. Trailers were tossed about like bumper boats. Over several weeks, 11 cats and four dogs dropped dead nearby. For one, Houk made his oft-quoted statement in the early 90s at a convention sponsored by Syntex, the company responsible for the dioxin that Bliss dumped in Times Beach. Its the sort of detail that might make Taylor seem like a conspiracy theorist. The park is nice enough. They received modest settlements, but the victims were required to absolve the defendants of any future liability. We feel that our residents should not be subjected to having that site next to them for an excessive period of time., On the other hand, the director of the St. Louis County Parks and Recreation Department, expressed unqualified satisfaction with the EPAs handling of the McDonnell Park site. In Times Beach, an ex-truck driver for hauler Russell Bliss came forward to retrace his route. Bliss, 48, who for years made his living hauling hazardous wastes and used oil from factories, has been quoted here as blaming a now-defunct pharmaceutical firm This was hazardous waste It wasnt milk and yogurt.. (Despite repeated requests, the agency was unable to comment for this story. Officials won't know until next month, when 250 new dirt samples come back from the lab. Theres plenty of parking, a playground, and lots of picnic tables. WebView the profiles of people named Jerry Russell. Those who do return, however, are eager to have the EPA check their homes for dioxin and fill out CDC health questionnaires as part of a $500,000 statewide study of potential dioxin victims. Mennonites came in to help rebuild. It was in Illinois and it had a big fence around it. We didnt like that, because people were building new homes. The DNR presented further evidence at the same proceeding that linked the chemical manufacturer indirectly to a 1977 incident in which a Bliss driver dumped toxic chemicals including one exclusively made by Monsanto at a site in Jefferson County. She compiled a list of where Bliss and his employees collected waste and where they disposed of it. Top editors give you the stories you want delivered right to your inbox each weekday. One state environmental official then dismissed the CDC as "overly cautious.". WebJERRY-RUSSELL BLISS, INC., Petitioner-Appellant, v. HAZARDOUS WASTE MANAGEMENT COMMISSION, et al., Respondents. '', Mr. Lambarth said that in a 1974 deposition he falsely denied ever hauling chemicals ''because I wanted to keep my job.'' Or they might go fishing in the river. The EPA is a potential defendant in litigation by citizens. State and federal officials ignored the Centers for Disease Control when it confirmed that dioxin had contaminated an Imperial, Mo., subdivision and urged in 1975 that the dirt be moved to protect residents. Times Beach was on her list, she said. Bliss disposed of this waste in various ways. I didnt have anything to do with their money.. Town Struggles With Toxic Legacy - The Washington Post Though it was rocky at times, their iconic relationship lasted for five years before they called it quits in 1982. WebJERRY-RUSSELL BLISS, INC. is a Missouri Domestic Gen. Business - For-Profit filed on November 15, 1978. But nobody from the federal agency has bothered to walk across the street and inform her about the purpose of these actions. He arrives wearing the uniform of politics: a blue suit, white shirt, tie, cuff links. The legendary and controversial TV host was 79 years old. WebJerry Russell Bliss, Age 66. While explaining, in meticulous and sometimes graphic detail, all that her children have gone through, Leistner is on the verge of tears, her voice wavering. People magazine profiled their last stand. "I figure anyone who's been contaminated done been contaminated. Most lung cancer is caused by smoking, but most people who smoke dont get lung cancer. St. Louis, MO 63119 Contacted by phone last Friday at EPA headquarters in Kansas City, Martha Steincamp, regional counsel for the EPA, could not provide details on the Bliss-Ellisville cleanups and referred all questions on the matter to Bob Feild, the agencys project manager. Jerry Well, you know, Leistner says now, Ive never collected.. At the time, the EPA considered anything above 1 part per billion hazardous. I dont know his real name, because he never did say it, Copeland says. Ultimately, the state accepted $94,000 in 1988 as its part of a $660,000 settlement with several companies, a fraction of the estimated overall cleanup cost. The EPA has refused to reveal the list of alternatives prior to the publication of its EE/CAs, but according to Ellisville city manager Jeff LaGarce, the choices will likely include a technique called thermal desorption, an unproven process that allows the waste to be detoxified on site. JERRY-RUSSELL BLISS, INC The carpet had to be torn out. The chemical companies, he has always maintained, never told him exactly what he was hauling. Leistner (at right) remembers four churches and four taverns, a perfect balance. Meanwhile, EPA technicians stalk the town in "space suits," sanitary gloves and respirators, digging through muddy homes and debris and taking soil samples to see if the heavy floods washed dioxin-laced mud from the roadsides into homes. The discovery followed an announcement earlier last year of another suburban dioxin site in Ellisville on Lemar Drive. But the company itself would still pay Russell (Bliss). Even so, he has consistently denied having any knowledge that the materials were toxic. Taylor is a man called to causes. Many have relocated with federal emergency help, but hard-headed "river rats," as they call themselves, are rebuilding modest homes in the "Show Me" state. The mostly pleasant trails run north by the railroad tracks and then take a right along the river. It brought a lot of revenue into Times Beach, Leistner says, laughing. The DNR investigation of Terre Du Lac in the spring of 1983, however, does not appear to have been as thorough as the EPA now claims. She doesnt speak to me., Eventually, the properties of those who didnt take the buyout went into condemnation. Slowly, the town grew. "It's literally like trying to piece together a cold trail," said Bill Hedeman, director of EPA's hazardous waste cleanup program. At a recent town meeting, angry Times Beachers wondered why, if the chemical is so dangerous, the government didn't supply them with the same protective suits worn by the EPA workers. This is new growth. Jerry-Russell Bliss v. Hazardous Waste :: 1985 - Justia Law He was making money coming and going. "Hindsight would be wonderful," Lafser said. Jerry Russell Bliss Then came a 7-Eleven. A dozen rabbits' ears were swabbed with a 300 ppb dioxin solution taken from contaminated soil residue. Meanwhile, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers began warning people in low-lying areas that a severe flood was coming. For about a week and a half, that was the biggest topic.. He was 80. Of particular note was a chemical plant in Verona, which had been used to produce Agent Orange and hexachlorophene, an ingredient used in soap. Three parties Jean Callahan, Kisco Co. and Bliss refused to pay for the cleanup. I know Monsanto was not a viable defendant in this litigation.. What Im going to ask is that they provide the citizens with some level of accountability, because we certainly arent getting it from the EPA and we shouldnt have to depend on the developer to provide it.. Then there were the health problems. Its a thermometer with one-liners painted across its face. Bliss has said he was not told the oil contained dioxin. One says, Is it hot in here, or is it just me?. Dioxin, its silent, unseen. Keep supporting great journalism by turning off your ad blocker. Bliss has said he had no idea that toxic chemicals were involved. The greatest surface concentrations, 169 ppb, are present in a wooded ravine, which is currently being fenced off. She started doing amateur detective work. For instance, because some of the toxins at Times Beach were similar to those in Agent Orange, he says, the government might have had an interest in minimizing the Times Beach investigation, to limit its own culpability in Vietnam. Remember Times Beach: The Dioxin Disaster, 30 Years Later. Before Times Beach the most notorious of the sites contaminated by Bliss became a household word, the EPA had already rated the Callahan property one of the most contaminated hazardous-waste sites in the nation. It was described as a 500-year flood. If theyre going to develop the Callahan property, then we need to know exactly what took place there. But he was forced to do jail time anyway, on tax-evasion charges, since he didnt report his waste-hauling income to the IRS. The waste was the unwanted byproduct from manufacturing the antiseptic hexachlorophene. Within a couple of days, cats, dogs, and birds in the vicinity began to drop dead. This is a digitized version of an article from The Timess print archive, before the start of online publication in 1996. Taylor says he is unsure whether he will cooperate with the EPAs request. The haul included drums laden with cancer-causing polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). A 74-year-old grandmother, Leistner looks 10 years younger and remains as feisty as ever, with no plans to retire. Defense attorney Charles Shaw said no decision had been made whether to appeal the sentence, which included fines totaling $8,000. Fourteen calves either have been stillborn or died shortly after birth, and last week another tumor-riddled cow was slaughtered for dioxin testing by the Food and Drug Administration. Piatt's daughter became ill, one of nine people to get sick. Whether the 88-year-old wants to be is another story. We decided that we would do it ourselves, so we started taking up a collection to pay to have our streets tested. When the EPA got wind of that, it decided to test immediately, too. The EPA has taken all those necessary steps and there are no problems relative to any exposures to the public at this point. WebJerry Russell Bliss, Age 66 aka Jerry Bliiss Current Address: ETZR Strecker Rd, Ballwin, MO Past Addresses: Eureka MO, Saint James MO +1 more Phone Number: (314) 580- JRRA +3 phones Email Address: n LITE @att.net +2 emails UNLOCK PROFILE Phone & Email (7) All Addresses (4) Family (8) Social (16) Court (5) And More Phone & Email ( 7) Times Beach officials called the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, but it said it might be a year before it would be able to test. Some communities, worried that former Times Beach residents would bring dioxin with them, put up signs telling them to stay away. If you were born and raised there, you grew up there, but then you moved there., On Saturday nights, she and her husband would get together with friends to play penny-ante poker. Were hesitant to give this information to an agency that we feel is corrupt. In doing so, Taylor argues, the agency ignored the various other priority pollutants present in the soil, including PCBs, some of which might not have originated at the Verona plant. Times Beach, which involved burning over 265,000 tons of dioxin contaminated waste from more than two dozen sites in eastern Missouri. There are other holes in the EPAs theory. The announcement of the new site came only weeks after the EPA and DNR had completed their controversial incineration project at Bliss, 48, who for years made his living hauling hazardous wastes and used oil from factories, has been quoted here as blaming a now-defunct pharmaceutical firm for failing to warn him of the dangers in its waste. Eventually, they moved into a place of their own and started a family. The fact of the matter is I dont believe people had evidence on Monsanto. Downstream from the Verona plant, dairyman Bill Davis watched eight cows die after they drank from a river a half-mile from the factory where all Missouri's dioxin was once produced. According to a 1981 IEPA document, Piatt recalled that Bliss possibly obtained waste from Monsanto. The IEPA summary goes on to state: Judy Piatt has a diary and pictures of such activities, but will not release these to (EPA) Region VII on the advise of her attorney., But perhaps the most damning indictment comes from Bliss himself. The door was locked, and Burford stood in a second-floor conference room. Wildwood city officials have questioned her credentials, and she says a real-estate agent recently criticized the motives behind her activism. Eventually, in 1985, there was only one couple left living in the town, George and Lorene Klein. Judge him as you will. As Leistner describes it, Times Beach was idyllic. Jerry-Russell Bliss, Inc. v. Hazardous Waste Management And some, he mixed together with oil in storage tanks in both Missouri and Illinois, before selling it as a dust suppressant. I believe that the whole area there is littered with contamination pockets, she says. This is the most ludicrous thing Ive seen since I was given an arrest warrant for burning a log, says Taylor, referring to one of his past acts of civil disobedience. The only building that remains is a former roadhouse, now a museum and gift shop. Meanwhile, Faron Rowden, a beefy bartender, is among 300 locals fed up with waiting for answers. But now, she turns indignant, her jaw tightening and eyes narrowing, seething at the people who dare to argue that dioxin never hurt anyone in Missouri. Clean ups at both places have remained at a standstill for several months now. Just about everything seems out of place, even the stuff that says Route 66 on it. Officials blame their inaction on scientists who once believed dioxin decays faster than it does. Kurt Vogel Russell is an American actor. And they aren't the only ones angry and confused. Dioxin clings to dirt and dust particles and officials fear that residents may inhale it or swallow it if they return home. This summer, Bill McClellan of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch wrote a column about Bliss. The lots were small, and you needed at least two to build a house. But at this point, I cant really discuss the alternatives. Some were rescued in boats. The fencing is certainly just an interim measure, while we are preparing the final alternative, says Bob Feild of the EPA. The full-page advertisements boasted that the sweltering heat and discomfort of the city are unknown at Times Beach.. Bliss showed no emotion during sentencing before U.S. Dictrict Judge Clyde S. Cahill. Essentially, Hall is asserting confidence in the clean up before it has started. This is not to say there is no controversy about dioxin. After the flood, 40 residents at one trailer park vowed to go home again. This is only her second time coming to the reunion. After Bliss sprayed her stables in 1971, Piatts horses died and her daughter became seriously ill. To gather evidence for her pending civil suit against Bliss, the stable owner followed the waste oil hauler and his drivers along their daily routes.

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