ST. LOUIS — The new St. Louis schools superintendent will be officially sworn into office today. Dr. Keisha Scarlett took over the job in July after the retirement of Dr. Kelvin Adams. She was assistant superintendent in the Seattle Public School District. The installation ceremony is at 6:15 p.m. before the regular school board meeting.

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ST. LOUIS — A gasoline tanker truck crashed into a Metro transit center near Riverview and Hall Streets early Tuesday morning and knocked over a power pole. The pole is leaning on other power lines. Police have the area blocked off here because there is a downed power line. Ameren and Metro crews are also on the scene.

The incident happened around 12:30 a.m. It’s still unclear exactly what caused the crash, but we do that there was a second vehicle somehow involved. The airbags on that second vehicle did deploy.

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Police at the scene have not been able to give us a lot of details. Metro officials tell FOX 2 that the transit center here is operating this morning for passengers and buses. Access to certain areas will be limited here as clean up unfolds.

A Metro spokesperson says half of the station isn’t being used right now because of safety issues. It isn’t impacting overall bus operations, everything is just happening on the other side of transit center.

The extent of the damage to the actual transit center is still unclear, but I’m told it does not appear to be extreme. A Metro spokesperson tells me there were no injuries to any metro workers or passengers. The tanker driver also was not injured.

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JEFFERSON COUNTY, Mo. – Rockford Beach Park reopened and is once again overcrowded. It has Jefferson County officials concerned over major safety concerns, and they are currently looking for solutions to address the problem.

Despite the big sign right out front of the waterway stating, ‘Swimming and wading are NOT recommended,’ many people still sat in the chaotic currents of the water just a few feet beyond the sign.

According to local fire and EMS, it’s not the only major concern. Several individuals were seen jumping off the side of a huge cliff without life jackets. This is worrisome due to the potential consequences that may follow.

“It’s difficult to watch because we respond to a lot of the jumping accidents, people hitting the bottom,” said Chief Scott Fisher for the Big River Ambulance District.

High Ridge Fire District Chief John Barton said the natural waterway and its water levels can be unpredictable. This means that each visit and each jump is unpredictable, and you cannot determine where the bottom is.

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“How shallow the water is, makes it more likely that they might hit an underwater obstruction,” Barton said.

It’s not just water safety that’s drawing major concerns at Rockford.

“The surge in people that are visiting the beach is overwhelming the facilities,” Barton said.

It’s something locals have also noticed.

“Over the years, it certainly has become more of a touristy attraction,” said Jayson Hoffman, a long-time resident.

Recently, he said he has seen a whole slew of chaos throughout the park.

“There’s fights, underage drinking, there’s parking issues, obviously, we’ve had drowning,” Hoffman said.

The packed and crowded park, along with the jammed parking lot, has made the jobs of first responders more challenging.

“We just had a drowning here about a week ago, and a few days prior to that, we had someone experiencing a medical emergency,” Barton said. “We couldn’t get an ambulance down to the scene.”

Fisher said those crucial minutes could make the difference between life and death.

“Time is of the essence, and we need to get to our patients as soon as possible,” he said.

The area is characterized by fast currents and unpredictable waters, which can be hazardous for people who are unfamiliar with it.

“The last two drownings specifically have been people from out of town who aren’t familiar with the river,” Barton said.

After closing the popular park for the weekend, local agencies are working to find a solution.

“Our primary focus is a short-term solution to get us through the rest of this year,” Barton said.

Residents who have been in the area for years have some recommendations.

“I think if the parks would start charging….. I think it would help from people coming in and out as much,” Hoffman said.

He said he commends all the work the department has already done.

According to Barton, they are out there regularly, doing car checks and taking down data. He said figuring out when it’s happening the most and who that crowd entails, is a big part of how they will be able to decide on the next actions.

Hoffman’s recommendation to start charging, or requiring passes, comes after he said, they used to do it at Riverford, but after COVID-19, they stopped.

Officials from the Parks and Recreation Department said it may be helpful to a series of shortcomings in funding the park.

Enforcement stated that it will take approximately two weeks to find a solution now that the park is open.

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